#. 𓆩 𝕾 𓆪 / . solos — ♔

[fyreblood]

𝐓𝐇𝐄 　𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑 　𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄 　𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐒　 ;     .        ☾     — 　SOLO　( kang saet-byeol )

“　𝘵𝘰　𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮　𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴　𝘵𝘩𝘦　𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨　𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥　𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨　?

the princess of the northern water tribe walks silently, her shadow seeping into the hollows of the red city as she walks through its streets with purposeful strides. there are guards flanked at her side despite her lack of need for their protection—her self-assurance in the political immunity she has, never once falters. she smiles, to whomever she passes though as the sun had begun to set, she realises she does not see as many people wandering the streets as she had years before. the air of the fire nation has changed startlingly from what she remembered since her last visit. 

when signs of trouble had settled upon the horizon in the fire nation, the water tribe’s ambassador had been one of the first to leave, citing the need to return to her home nation in its own time of need. her own goals in the fire nation having been unachieved, she returns to her home with a sense of defeat that she masked impeccably well with a relief to be once again amongst her beloved people. the bloodbender rumours to reside in the firenation perhaps had only been an urban legend, or rather she had not stayed long enough to finish her hunt. in the year since, however, she had worked on the skill herself and day by day she swears she has improved drastically, though she is far from the extent of power she had desired.

since her departure from the kingdom of the fire-benders however, letters from friends, confidantes and fellow diplomats had almost become endless, detailing to her the fire nation’s crisis, however she cared little for it and had little time to care even if she wanted to. her father, having fallen ill in the year since, and he remains on his deathbed ever so adamant on keeping her brother on the water tribe’s throne much to the princess’ displeasure. but patience is a virtue she knows all too well. 

kang saet-byeol smells rebellion teasing at the frays of her home nation and in some ways it strikes a fear in her heart. whilst a revolt with her name and face as the dawn of something greater, would be a decisive key to her victory, what she needs is to turn the focus away from herself and rather towards the idea that her brother is unfit, not that she wishes to force him off the throne. no one wants a ruler who comes into power with death and despair on her hands. rather saet’s strategy had always been to depose of her brother quietly and maintain even the slightest of peace and so as tensions rose the longer she remained in the northern water tribe, she had begun to see the work that needed to be done in the fire nation as an ambassador too heavy a burden to leave alone for as long as she had already left it. the news of the fire lord’s wedding offers her the perfect distraction and the perfect time to divert her attention towards another noble pursuit. 

in her home, she allows rumours to rest as she packs her bags once again for the fire nation despite the precarious situation of its politics. but back in the water tribe, her brother has as much of a knife to her neck as she has to his and she would rather burn in this city now than have her blood at the mercy of his hands. 

having only recently arrived, despite the chaos, saet-byeol had never felt so at ease in a long long time. anticipation of the wedding itself grips her focus, or so she makes it appear as she had just her her day flitting through the court making idle small-talk, and flashing her same alluring smile as much as she had been in and out of diplomatic meetings and then her afternoon off in the marketplace. of course, her image must be always be sustained, as she knows all to well and having spent the time defamiliarising herself with the nuances of the nation and its people, and become accustomed to the changes since, saet-byeol feels some intangible weight lift from her shoulders.

as war rages on in the south and revolution bubbles in her home in the north, oddly enough, the princess finds herself breathing in the air with something akin to relief, like the pieces of the puzzle are finally slotting into place.

saet-byeol turns her head to the guard on her left, one whom she had already recognised as having been with her on her first expedition to the fire nation as its ambassador two years ago. she offers him a smile, glittering in the light of the moon as it creeped upon the sky, as genuine as it may seem it masks her greater ambitions. “isn’t it so wonderful to be back?”

[fyreblood]

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐒