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A Promise Sealed in Flame

Summary:

You were born and raised in the pleasure house of the Fire Nation palace. Your mother was a favorite concubine who died bringing you into this world. This life is the only life you have ever known, and you were on the path to making it the best it could be. But when winds of change make you flee the palace, branded with the symbol of a royal mistress and a hefty price on your head, how do you expect to escape the clutches of your own nation?

Joining the Avatar, that’s how.

The Fire Lord wants you, the Prince is after you, and you have a mark of ownership for all to see.

How hard could it be?

Notes:

You (Sira) joins the party during the episode “The Water Bending Scroll” in Book one of Avatar the Last Air Bender. This will mostly stay canon-ish. You have a history with Zuko and the Fire Lord that you are trying to escape and you run into the Avatar. And oh the shenanigans ensue from there.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: Prologue: An Unlikely Addition

Chapter Text

Flying was strange. You craved to look over the edge of the flying beast, but seeing as you were a stowaway, hiding under a blanket in an already small saddle, you figured total and complete stillness was the best way to go right now. Even if it was incredibly stuffy in here. 

 

“That was entirely too close!” You heard an older boy’s voice. 

 

“Well how was I supposed to know the pirates would come after us like that!?” The water bender shouted. 

 

“Oh, I don’t know, because you stole something from them!” The boy’s voice rang out again. “Pirate’s tend to like to do the stealing, not the other way around!” 

 

“Guys...guys… we are safe, and flying away. Let’s just calm down and-“

 

“Calm down! Don’t tell me to calm down! Katara’s stupid scroll almost got us killed!” 

 

“Uughhhh!” The water bender yelled. “I really wouldn’t expect you to understand Sokka! You don’t have the pressure of having to master bending like Aang and I do!” 

 

“Oh yeah, so that’s enough to put all of us at risk of DEATH?” 

 

“Stop you guys!” The Avatar yelled. 

 

“Fine, fine!” The boy yelled, before plopping down right beside where you were hiding. 

 

“Fine!” The water bender...Katara? Agreed, plopping down on the other side of the saddle. 

 

The group quieted down to silence after that. You couldn’t tell for how long. The blanket was warm, even if it was stuffy, and you were exhausted from the day. 

 

No… you thought to yourself. Don’t do it. This is the worst time to fall asleep…. 

 



“Who are you, and what do you want!” You woke suddenly to a jabbing in your side and the stern voice of the older boy. “Why are you on our bison!” 

 

The harsh bright light of the sun mixed with the cold sensation of having the blanket ripped off you, all with yelling and jabbing disoriented you for a moment. 

 

“I...I…” The words stumbled out as you rubbed your eyes and tried to get a grip on your surroundings. 

 

Fuck! I told you not to fall asleep! Your mind yelled. 

 

“Those are pirate’s clothes…” the girl said. “She must be with the pirates we just escaped from!” 

 

“Then we should throw her off right now!” You felt a firm grip around your arm as you were forced to your feet by the water tribe boy. 

 

“Uh, no! Don’t throw her off!” The Avatar yelled, intervening. 

 

“Why not!? She is a pirate stowaway, clearly trying to hunt us down for the captain or for Zuko!” 

 

“Think, Sokka, if she were trying to attack us why hasn’t she done it already? Why would she leave her people and put herself in a situation where she is clearly outnumbered and at a disadvantage? We should at least hear what she has to say before just ending her life, oh, yeah, monk here by the way, life is sacred remember!” 

 

“Ughhh..” The boy lamented, loosening his grip on your arm. “Fine. So?” His gaze turned to you. “Who are you and what do you want?” 

 

“I’m Sira…” You managed to get out. “I was trying to escape the pirates…” 

 

Only half somewhat-sorta kinda partly true. 

 

“What?” The girl asked, sympathy looming in her tone. 

 

“I’ve been with them for months...looking for a way to get away. When we went after you for that scroll… I saw that you had an air bison… no better way to get away than that..”

 

“Sokka let her go!” The girl yelled. 

 

“Why do you believe everything you hear Katara! Just because she claims that doesn’t mean it’s true!” 

 

“Well she isn’t going anywhere is she?” Katara retorted. “There’s no need to be forceful.” 

 

“I was… a slave of the fire nation..” 

 

“The Fire Nation!” Sokka yelled, his grip on your arm tightening again. 

 

“Ouch?” You glared at him. “I’m really not going anywhere, and I would be an idiot to attack you like this. Even if I could take you all, which I can’t, I don’t know how to drive this thing.” 

 

“She’s got a point Sokka…” The Avatar agreed. “Just let her go and come over here.”

 

“Fine, but I’m keeping my boomerang handy and don’t come crying to me if she tosses you off the side.” 

 

“We’ll take our chances.” The girl stated, turning back to you. 

 

“Sira, was it? Please, go on.” 

 

“Yes, I am from the fire nation. I was born into something...something like slavery…” You trailed off. These were a bunch of kids... better not give them the gory details right now. “When I discovered I could fire bend-“

 

“OH GREAT.” Sokka yelled. “A FIREBENDER TOO. WHY DON’T WE JUST INVITE ZUKO AND OZAI UP HERE AND HAVE A PARTY.” 

 

“Stoppit Sokka!” Katara smacked him in the back of the head. “I swear you only ever hear the words you want to hear!” She turned to look at you. “I’m sorry for my brother, he has trust issues and is common sense challenged. Please continue.” 

 

“I’m the only one here with common sense!”

 

“Quiet, Sokka.” The Avatar spoke up. 

 

“Right...anyways..” You continued. “When I discovered I could firebend… I kept it a secret… tried to practice on my own. They would draft me into the military if they knew… and that was the one thing I thought was worse than what I was already doing. After everyone I cared about there was...gone…” Your voice shuddered a moment. “I just looked for a way out. The pirates were willing to take me, for a price, and I have been with them for a few months, trying to find a new way out. I saw you guys, took a shot, here I am. Throw me off, or don’t, either way is better than where I was.” 

 

That last bit was a tad dramatic, you did not want them to throw you off. Not at all. 

 

“See, Sokka? She is a victim just like us!” 

 

“How do you know though? She is a fire nation fire bender, she could be a spy!” 

 

You spun around, moving your dark hair away from your neck and shoulders, revealing a brand at the tip of your spine. It was a unique fire nation symbol, one they probably didn’t recognize, but a brand usually wasn’t a sign of anything particularly honorable. You hoped this would convince them. It’s not something you willfully showed often. 

 

“See this?” You pointed at the brand at the base of your neck. “This is the mark of slavery.”

 

“Wow….you poor thing…” Katara lamented, moving in to look at it closer. 

 

“Wait, I’ve seen that symbol before…” The Avatar spoke again. “I believe she is telling the truth..” 

 

“What?” Sokka inquired, his tone slightly less aggressive. 

 

“I remember that symbol, one of our elder female monks had it back at the air temple. I don’t know what it means exactly, but I do know she escaped the fire nation too, and ran to the air temple for sanctuary. She was a monk ever since. The fire nation tried to come get her back multiple times, but Monk Giatzo said that once she had taken her vows, she was no longer of the Fire Nation, but of the Air Nation, and didn’t belong to them anymore. I think this girl is telling the truth, and if Monk Giatzo gave one of her kind sanctuary, then so will I.” 

 

“Thank you, Avatar.” You said, sincerely, before covering your brand with your hair and turning back around. 

 

“Thank you for sharing Sira, I know it’s probably not easy to talk about.” Katara smiled. “So, Sokka, are you satisfied?” 

 

“No.” He answered. “But it’ll do for now. Still, I have my eye on you.” He said, suspiciously. “We can drop her off at the next stop.” 

 

“Sokka, she is a runaway, and probably a traitor… uh...would you be considered a traitor?” She asked you. 

 

“Oh yeah.” You answered honestly. “There’s probably a price on my head closer to the fire nation capitol.” 

 

“See, Sokka! We can’t just leave her around Fire Nation colonies, she isn’t safe. She should stay with us until we find a safe place for her. If… if you want to come with us that is?” 

 

“That was the plan!” You smiled. 

 

“Oh, no. No. No. We have a bad enough target on our backs with Aang, we do not need another mouth to feed and even more reason for the Fire Nation to come after us than we already have.” 

 

“I...I could teach the Avatar some fire moves!” You offered. “I know the fire nation, I can offer insight and… I’d pull my weight around here, I swear. I want the Avatar to succeed in defeating the Fire Lord as much as you guys do…” 

 

“It would be pretty valuable to have someone with knowledge of the fire nation…”

 

“And the royal palace even!” You added. 

 

“You lived in the royal palace?” 

 

“Yes, that’s where they kept us.” 

 

“Clearly this was meant to be.” Katara smiled at you. “How old are you?” 

 

“Eighteen.” 

 

“All that and just barely older than us..” She seemed sad for you. 

 

“Well, welcome to the team Sira!” The Avatar smiled. “I am Aang, this is Katara and Sokka. They are from the Southern Water Tribe.” 

 

“Cool.” You answered. “I have never met water benders before.” 

 

“Water bend er. “ Katara corrected. “Sokka is a warrior of our tribe but not a bender.” 

 

“Hmph,” was all Sokka responded. “I would just like to say for the record that I think this is a terrible idea.” 

 

“Noted, Sokka.” Katara rolled her eyes. 

 

Honestly, you mused to yourself. This turned out better than I thought. 

 

Guess it’s a good thing I got on this bison.