[act one; chapter one     -     the princess]

    "Princess."

     She looks up. A young girl, only sixteen, with long, dark hair, and light, inquisitive eyes. She is dressed in the colors of her people—different, layered shades of green.

    She hums, nodding her head only once.

    The young boy, a servant, steps into her chambers, linking his arms behind his back. He bows, bending at his waist, his head dipped down, towards his feet. When he stands again, he lowers his voice, speaking quietly. "The Avatar has been sighted, Princess. In the lower rings of the City."

    "Good." She looks back at the papers on her desk. Her hair, reaching her waist, drapes over her shoulders. "And who is their escort?"

    "Joo Dee."

    "Perfect."

    The Princess pushes off from the desk, standing to her full height, hands brushing away at the wrinkles of her clothing. Any imperfections. Any flaws. There can be none; she must be perfect. She must be the image of the marble pillars that hold the palace from collapse, she must not falter or crack. For if she does, everything will crumble.

    She would do anything to keep that from happening. She would do anything to keep her home, this place and its people, from falling apart. From crumbling under the weight of the Fire Nation's pressure. She would do anything. She would bargain with Death for her people. She would shake Death's hand with a smile on her face if it meant that the world around her would live in the illusion of life and go into Death's awaiting arms in happiness. She would do whatever it took.

    "Thank you, Ailun."

    The boy bows once more before quickly exiting the room, leaving Lian with her thoughts and heart moving much too fast for her to even process the shake of her hands and the slight tremble of the earth beneath her feet. She inhales deeply, pulling the air into her lungs, feeling it settle within the cage that is her lungs. Suddenly, and without much grace, she can breathe. She can feel her fingertips and her toes, she can feel her chest expand and collapse. She can hear every noise and taste the world on her tongue.

    Looking back up, she finds her focus on the reflection in the mirror. Her reflection. Her face, which is so unlike her fathers, save for her eyes and hair, which is an exact copy of his own. Everything else, however, is her mother. Her mother whom she cannot name. Her mother whom she has never known.

    "Stop it," she mutters to herself. She pulls her attention from the mirror, from herself, and to the clothes that lay on her bed, the clothes that she has been told to wear to her fathers celebration for Bosco, his bear. She sighs and turns towards the clothes. They are shades of green, gold, and creams. Her personal colors—all that she had selected when she was much younger, just a kid.

    ...just a kid.

———

    That night, this place that is supposed to be her home has been invaded by people who have only ever tried to know everything about her life. Her favorite things and what she hates. Who she plans to marry and her goals for when she ascends the throne.

    She hates it. She hates them.

    But she does not hate what she knows is soon to happen. She knows what lay just ahead; she's heard the whispers. The Avatar is near. And she cannot wait.

    Basco, as usual, is the center of attention, more so than even her father. So, Lian finds herself disappearing in the crowds, as if she is one of them. As if they don't all know her face or the whispers surrounding her name. No one outside of the Upper Ring, however, can recognize her. Only those of whom are showered in the coins and jewels know who she is. Only they can point her out and say, "That is the Princess, Lian."

    But, out of everyone, Lian despises them the most.

    Across the way, as she floats through the crowd like a living ghost, she spots two faces she does not know. But two names, however, she is familiar with. They happen to be escorted by her least favorite person she has ever encountered, aside from the Fire Lord—Long Feng.

    So, Lian does as Lian always has. She intercepts, putting herself in places that are less than ideal for her station. She does what she would be scolded for, slapped on the back of the hand for such a foolish, low-level mistake.

    But Lian does not make mistakes. Only calculated decisions.

    "Long Feng!" She announces loudly as she approaches him and the two girls that rail several paces behind him. She smiles at the girls, before turning her gaze back to the stiff and stern man. "I see you've found some stragglers. No worries," she waves a hand passively. "I can take it from here. My father was searching for you, you best be on your way."

    The man forces a grim smile, bowing his head, his hands clasped behind his back. A good servant. He murmurs, "Of course, my Princess."

    "Mhm. Good." Lian hums as he walks away, an unwilling heft to his every step and move. Once he is far enough away, she turns, almost surprised to find the girls had not left. That they had not even tried to sneak away, to blend into the crowd of luxury. She smiles. It's genuine. "Katara of the Southern Water Tribe and Toph Beifong. It's a pleasure."

    Toph freezes, just barely. But just enough to notice. Her eyes, foggy and blind, widen just slightly, as if she recognizes her voice. She should. "Princess Lian." Toph does not bow. Lian is grateful for it.

    "Toph. I must admit, when I heard the rumor that you had joined the Avatar, I was shocked. But not surprised."

    The other girl, Katara, leans forward slightly, as if she does not understand. She looks between the other two girls, one older than her, and the other younger, and raises her eyebrows. She says, "I'm confused."

    Lian turns and puts her hand out as a gesture of greeting, and says, "I'm the Princess Lian of the Earth Kingdom, my father is the King. You can call me Lian."

    The girl freezes in her place, as if she is unsure of how to react. Or how to even breathe if the changes in her breathing were to tell Lian anything at all. "Princess?"

    "Mhm."

    "I had heard the King had a daughter, but—"

    "Yes," Lian grins, but lowers her voice. "There are many things people have heard about me. I assure you, they're all false."

    And, suddenly, Katara smiles. And so does Toph.

    The younger girl looks in her direction, even though she cannot see her with her eyes. She grins. "You want to help us."

    "Yes," the Princess whispers. "I do."

    Which is how she finds herself aiding the Avatar and his friends in navigating the celebration, keeping themselves hidden from the likes of the Dai Li.

    She approaches them, then, just as Katara falls silent, having finished explaining to two boys—whom Lian has learned is the Avatar, Aang, and her older brother, Sokka—what had taken them so long. What, or who, had held them up.

    She interrupts, looking between the four. "That would be Long Feng, I apologize for his intrusion."

    Sokka, the older boy and Katara's brother, nearly looks baffled at the appearance of Lian, not even knowing who she is, and looks around the room. "What guy?" He asks.

    But then their city escort, Joo Dee, comes rushing up, breathing heavy, words rushed. "What are you doing here? You have to leave immediately, or we'll all be in terrible trouble."

    Sokka fights back, however. "Not until we see the King."

    Lian interrupts before anyone can say anything more, looking directly at Joo Dee. She hates speaking the way that she does, she hates intimidating people with a power she has never craved or asked for. But she uses it, regardless. "I invited them in, Joo Dee."

    The woman stumbles over her words, her skin becoming flush and pale. "Princess, you don't understand."

    The two boys, startled, look at Lian, rushing out, "Princess?"

    But Lian just looks at the woman and shakes her head. "I don't understand?"

    Joo Dee looks at the other children and says, "You must go," as she pushes against Sokka's tray.

    But she goes too far, as she usually does. She pushes Sokka so hard that he collapses back into Aang, who spills the liquid from the jug he was cradling in his hands. It, of course, hits a woman just behind them, and Lian swears her heart stops in her chest. She knows these people should not be here, she knows Joo Dee should not be, either.

    Aang rushes towards the woman, rambling, "Sorry! No, don't shout!" And, suddenly, she is dry, all thanks to the great cloud of air he has sent her way.

    But it is too late and Aang has revealed his identity with a slip of his kindness and the show of his tattoos.

    The woman gasps, "The Avatar. Oh, I didn't know the Avatar would be here."

     And then people begin looking towards them. Looking at Aang and his companions, at the Princess who should, most certainly, not be at his side.

    Joo Dee's face falls and Aang is surrounded by the wealthiest people in Ba Sing Se.

    As Aang entertains their attention, Lian grasps the sleeve of Sokka's shirt, pulling him away from the crowd. She murmurs, "I'll help you, come on."

    But Lian knows her father is not in attendance. Not at that moment. He was most likely in protective custody of some sort, guarded closely by the Dai Li.

    "He'll be here soon, I promise," Lian tells Sokka. And, just then, the man entered the room, just as Aang went flying down the center table towards the King. But it is too late. They have been spotted by the Dai Li and Lian knows she will not be spared from their harsh hands.

    (She never is.)

    One of them grasps her arm, just as they pull Sokka away, and leans closer to her. He says, "Princess, come with us, please."

    She shakes her head, pulling roughly at his arm. "Let go of me. I order you to release me, right now."

    "I'm sorry, Princess, but I cannot."

    Instead of being tugged in the direction of the newcomers, she is pulled further away, pulled from the room and away from her father. Away from the world that she has always known, yet the world that has never known her. And before she can say anything, she has been tossed in her chambers, the doors locked behind her.

    She tosses her fists against it, feeling the special metal beneath her skin vibrate against the power of her strike. She cannot escape. Not with the metal doors holding her in. She could bend her way out, but they would know. And there would be consequences.

    She stays there, standing in the center of her room, for a time she cannot quite keep count of. She does not know how much time passes, if any at all. She feels the tremble of her hands at her sides, the quiver of her lips and chin.

    As she stands there, she wonders if the others, who she just met, wonder where she is. If they question her whereabouts. If anyone in this godforsaken palace that is supposed to be her home does. If her father, the one person who is supposed to love her, wonders why she is not present at a celebration he had planned.

    She finds herself, however, not questioning if she is missed. She is not. And she fears it.

First chapter! It's a short one since Lian comes in only mid-way through the episode, but I promise this is the shortest chapter so far! All of the others are quite a bit longer, so this is, obviously, onto the intro to her character!

I'm so excited, and I hope you enjoyed, BYE!