“Sweet grass, drifting scent

Fresh soil slides through deft fingers

Rise at dawn to plant.”

-Haiku of the Earthbender

Chapter Two: The Tale of Kyoshi

She ran and laughed, slamming her feet into the ground and kicking up jagged clumps of earth. The other boys and girls in the village couldn’t keep up with her so she slowed down just enough to let them jump over the mounds of dirt. Two boys thrust their hands out towards each other, causing a jagged point of stone to rise and smack the ball up ten feet into the air. The girl slapped it back towards the ground with one of her mighty hands.

“Give it here! Give it here!” Bukko begged her.

“Not a chance,” the girl grinned. She stamped the ground and sent the ball flying towards Rushi. He picked it up and began running. Tiko and Nana both came to a screeching halt, nearly colliding into Rushi from the sudden rush of energy in the air.

“No fair!” Bukko shouted.

“We’ve got to give everyone a chance, right?” Kyoshi winked one of her shining gray eyes with mischief at him. She waved at Tiko who threw the ball in front of him and earthbended a clump of dirt to speed it up.

Nana caught the ball and started kicking it in the opposite direction; Kyoshi nodded to her just as the girl spun a double kick and with both feet, sent the ball into the other goal.

“Victory!” the children cheered. They jumped up and down and butted chests against each other before crashing down on the ground. Nine-year-old Nana ran up to her and hugged her friend. The six-foot tall teenager wrapped her hands around the girl’s waist and swung her off the ground, making Nana shriek with delight.

“Around and around and around we go,” Kyoshi said. After Nana was spun around in circles several times, she was finally placed back on her feet. She staggered to and fro from dizziness before landing on her backside. The children just fell around her in a big jumbled heap.

“That was the best game of earth kick-ball ever!!” Tiko thanked her.

“What better way to spend my birthday than playing with my friends?” she laughed aloud.

Kyoshi, to outsiders, was considered “a monstrous girl” and that was no exaggeration. She had just turned sixteen but was already towering at a height that rivaled even most of the brawny earthbenders across the kingdom. She was not heavy, just tall and stronger than almost everybody there yet kind and loving to everyone. They never had to worry about local bullies because Kyoshi simply had to show up and anyone causing mischief would turn and flee, even upon seeing her shadow.

The secret of her height remained a mystery to travelers who were curious to know about the girl who was mighty as a cedar tree. Some suggested she was born from the legendary giants that lived off in the Ta-Shug Mountains and cast off as a baby. Others believed she was not born, but hatched from a seed that was planted in the Spirit World that gave her amazing powers. Some went so far as to say an old guru put an enchantment on her when Kyoshi was still a newborn, saying that her bones would continue to grow until she reached the clouds.

In a culture so absorbed with praising women that were small and dainty, one would think Kyoshi would feel awkward and clumsy among her peers. But no rumors could dampen her spirits. She accepted her difference that distinguished it from her peers but never let it cripple her confidence. To Kyoshi, being six feet tall meant she could easily reach the apple-peaches in the trees for all of the children to enjoy in the springtime. As long as her friends were happy and safe, so was Kyoshi.

They all loved their position as the peninsula on the tip of the Earth Kingdom. Close to the sand, sea, and sky, Kyoshi felt that they had the best of all words at their fingertips. She and her friends spent hours running along the bayside for exercise or honing their earthbending abilities near the craggy rocks of caves.

Today had been an extremely special day. At dawn they had cleaned the temple until the floors shined from polished wood. Kyoshi was given a ceremony as befit most girls when they came of age, marking their passage into adulthood. She had spent two weeks weaving her birthday kimono, an important tradition known across the Earth Kingdom. It usually took most girls a week or ten days but Kyoshi required enough fabric to make her own clothes so it took longer. Also, she wanted sufficient time to assure that her garments were as handsome as possible.

When the day of her birthday came, many eyes looked upon Kyoshi’s kimono with great admiration. It was the deepest, most brilliant shade of emerald-colored silk with an intricate pattern of flowers in golden thread winding in a diagonal slope down silver fabric in the shape of mountains. Kyoshi’s skill with the loom was superb though she was modest about her work, never boasting or flaunting gaudy clothes before other people. She would only weave what was necessary for herself and others with the best of her abilities. She had generously helped the other girls weave their own gowns before to make them as beautiful as possible on their birthdays. Now it was her time to shine among them.

Clad in her striking green kimono and with her dark hair twisted into a graceful bun, Kyoshi was an amazing sight to see. Blessings were offered in the local shrine and Kyoshi was ordered to place her hands on the small jade elephant carving for good luck. She lit two sticks of fragrant incense and prostrated on the floor out of respect for their ancestors. Finally, Kyoshi was given a red candle with her name engraved on it. She set up nine pomegranates around the candle and set it aflame before extending her blessings to the rest of the people present.

After the ceremony, Kyoshi changed out of her fancy garb and into a simple brown tunic. It was time for the earthbending competition, a test that was held among the best students of the village to see how far their abilities had progressed during the year. The other children held their breaths with anxiety but Kyoshi passed with flying colors. The style of her stances and the movements in which she maneuvered the boulders with amazing speed and force could have been depending on her general strength but to the eyes of their teachers, there was grace and skill in her movements as well. Many times they caused rocks to seemingly fly out of nowhere and attack her, but Kyoshi deflected them all with lightning-fast skills.

Her friends surprised her with two gifts: a pearl hair ornament and the largest picnic basket they could buy in the market.

They had all enjoyed a hearty game of earth-kickball before running down the side of the hill and into the valley just where the peninsula crept into the Shugi borders. Everyone had fun, laughing until their sides ached while they rolled on the silken grass or picking flowers for their mothers. They ate spiced raisin cakes and drank sweet banana-orange nectar while the sun went down behind the mountains and painted the sky in shades of pink and purple.

Tiko threw a chicken bone over his shoulder. He leaned back until he had almost sunken into the tender spot of grass in the valley. “I wish today would never end,” he replied drowsily.

“Maybe tomorrow can be Kyoshi’s birthday too,” Nana suggested. Everyone giggled in good amusement.

“You’d get bored if the same day lasted forever,” Kyoshi wisely told them. “Tomorrow will be just as good a day as any as long as you make it your own destiny.”

Suddenly, several adult figures were coming towards them just from over the hill. At once the lively outdoor party attendees rose to their feet and dusted off their clothing.

“Good evening, children,” one of them said.

“Good evening Master Haru,” they echoed obediently. His eyes swept over their tired but happy faces in mild approval before settling on the massive Kyoshi. Spare strands of hair fluttered around in an untidy bun and Kyoshi’s skirt had grass stains on it but there was a fresh coloring in her cheeks from the lively game that made her look beautiful as a wildflower. She put on her most respectable face and bowed deeply to the rulers of their village, especially to Master Haru, who was her guardian.

“Kyoshi, we wish to see you in the temple tonight,” he ordered her.

“Am I in any trouble?” she asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

“We request that you come alone.” That was all he told her. Then he bowed and started to head back with the others. The children starred at each other in surprise.

“Ooooh,” Rikku murmured not-so softly. “I hope everything’s all right.”

“Of course it’s all right,” Kyoshi assured him. “If there was a problem then they’d tell me right away. I’m sure it’s just another birthday surprise or some kind of test.”

Kyoshi took Nana up on her back and escorted all of the children back to their village, stopping at every house until each child was dropped off safe at home with his or her mother. Her strength never waned for even one moment during the long task.

Once at home, Kyoshi heated up a tub of water and bathed herself well. She scrubbed her skin until it was spotless clean and her smooth oval face had no traces of dirt left. Kyoshi was no weakling: she had long strong legs that were perfect for sprinting in races and playing earth-kickball and dodgeball. Her arms were also muscular—not overpowering like those of male earthbenders but with a different sleek strength. She brushed her hair until it was soft and smooth and then plaited it into a long braid.

Kyoshi wrapped herself in a gray gown and slid her feet into her shoes. Her shoes had to be made specially by a tailor in the next city over because none of the shoes in their town could fit her. They were bigger than most boots of Earth Kingdom soldiers and took up the width of a regular bed.

Kyoshi stepped out into the cool spring air and inhaled. The hour was dusk already and a wonderful scent from pine trees drifted by. Fireflies whirled madly in tiny circles around the lamps. She walked down the gravel path towards the meeting hall where the council members of their village gathered for public announcements. Kyoshi noticed the doors were already open so she stepped inside and shut them behind her.

Five people were sitting on the upper level lined with green mats. Kyoshi recognized four of the members present. Two of them were teachers to the girls of the village, one was her present guardian and guardian to the other orphans, and one was a well-reputed earthbending master from Ba Sing Se. The last person sitting was a stranger to Kyoshi, a gray-haired woman in a strikingly bright orange robe.

Kyoshi kneeled on the green cushion placed in front of her and bowed in deep reverence to her elders. She waited for them to speak before opening her mouth.

“Today is your sixteenth birthday. Much fortune smiles upon you, young Kyoshi,” her master complimented her.

“Thank you for your kind words. But if fortune smiles upon me then I’m asking for no more sweet dumplings to be offered in my name. I can’t afford to grow another six inches by summer.

The stringent lady coughed into her fist but the others chuckled in good nature from Kyoshi’s comment.

“Do you know why we have summoned you here, Kyoshi?” she asked.

“In all honesty, no. I was guessing of some kind of news—you have an assignment for me that requires earthbending combat. Or you have an arranged marriage in mind.”

“Marriage? Oh no, something far more important,” the Ba Sing Se ambassador said as he waved his hands in font of him.

“Something more important than marriage? I can hardly believe it,” Kyoshi replied.

“You know that the nations must live in harmony and peace. That is the proper way of our world for thousands of years,” the woman began.

She nodded respectfully.

“But there come times when some nations become more powerful than others. They may attack out of revenge or greed while other times blindness hatred misguides them into hurting others. Sometimes full-scale wars break out destroying forests, homes, and countless lives. The balance of the world becomes shaken. Have you heard of what happens when such a disaster occurs?”

“I have heard, thanks to your history lessons,” she acknowledged one of her teachers with a slight nod. “Sometimes warriors are called upon to stop the oncoming armies.”

“Or?”

“Or….” Kyoshi paused. “The Avatar, the reincarnated Master of Four Elements, would use his or her given powers to restore that balance to the world.”

“Correct. If you recall, Kyoshi, the Avatar’s lifecycle echoes in the perfection of nature. As the four seasons come and go, the different origins of the Avatar rise and fall. The Avatar previous to our time was the mighty waterbender Kuruk, may his name be remembered with grace. His element of water parallels winter. Now we are in the time of spring.”

Kyoshi felt something energetic stir in her ribs. This indeed was going to be something incredible, like watching a mother give birth to her first child. Or gathering in the first harvest of fresh tender wheat stalks. Something that made her feel more alive and powerful than ever.

“What does the cycle of the Avatar have to do with me?”

“Do you remember your tapestries?” he asked shrewdly.

“Of course. Which girl wouldn’t be thrilled to start spinning at the age of twelve? I remember how privileged it was when we all went down to the market to pick out our own strands for our tapestries,” Kyoshi remembered longingly.

The elderly man waved a hand and his attendants spread out several spun mats on the floor. Most girls had spun tapestries in shades of green, brown, and gold that were in the shapes of boxes or circles. But Kyoshi recognized her own tapestry at once because it stood out in stark contrast to the others. She had woven traditional green stripes at first on the top of the tapestry but below it she had woven in spiraling shades of power blue. Intricate streaks of white thread followed next before pale yellow triangles burst in and finally bright orange threads wove their way into bold red fabric spiked with gold tips.

“Why did you weave this?” he demanded.

Kyoshi scrutinized her own tapestry. She closed her eyes and watched the colors dance in her mind like flowers blowing in the wind.

“I just felt that there was more color in the world than green and yellow,” she confessed. “We wouldn’t survive the frigid winter without the help of the Fire Nation. Or the aid of the Water Tribes during a drought. Even the wisdom of the Air Nomads gives us comfort and consolation when we need it the most.”

“So…your tapestry reflects your emotions towards all of the nations,” he mused aloud.

“Yes, master. Looking back, I believe it did.”

He held up the tapestry with both hands.

“Do you know why you chose to use so many colors in such an intricate design? It is because in your past lives you also combined the powers of the four nations into one single harmonious purpose.”

“I? My past lives? Wait a minute,” Kyoshi paused. “Is this some joke that Shula has been pulling on me? I know he and the girls love to play games on birthdays.”

“It is not a game, Kyoshi. You are the Avatar.”

She almost fell off the cushion she was sitting on.

The orange-clad woman rose to her feet. “You have every right to be shocked, my dear.”

“I’m more relieved than shocked.” Kyoshi slapped a palm to her forehead. “That would explain my height.”

“Your height, despite what you think, is truly a blessing,” her guardian said. “People are hesitant to believe that the Avatar is a woman because so many previous Avatar were men. But your great stature will prove otherwise.”

Kyoshi frowned in slight concern. “I don’t want to become a bully just because I’m a woman. And if I am the Avatar then it doesn’t give me a right to abuse my abilities.”

The airbending nomad was moved by the sincere honest words of the Avatar. She was certainly capable of doing much and from what her teachers had told her about the student’s earthbending abilities, Kyoshi’s potential was overwhelming.

“You have a great love for your people, don’t you Kyoshi?” she asked the girl.

Kyoshi’s face softened. “I do. My parents perished when I was very young. The children in this village are the companions I grew up with. They are all my brothers and sisters.”

“Then you would defend them if they were in danger?”

Kyoshi rose to her feet and struck a fist against her chest, right above her heart. “I would give my life to save my friends. But first I would fight with honor to the death.”

He raised a hand. “We have no need for the Avatar to perish so soon.”

“Then I want to help. Please tell me what I must do as it is befitting for the Avatar. I will embrace my responsibilities willingly,” Kyoshi promised them.

“In order to help the other nations, you must train in the ways of the four elements until you have mastered each and every one of them. In one month from now you will begin with the art of waterbending.”

Waterbending! Kyoshi gasped with awe. It was such a delicate and graceful style of bending--could she truly master it? The thought of her being able to channel the flow and energy of water like the waterbenders that had performed for them six years ago in the market was difficult to imagine.

But if what the lessons said were true then the Avatar was blessed with the ability to understand each element and its distinct style. Kyoshi would not fail. She was determined to learn and succeed. No longer would her duties lie in one simple village of the Earth Kingdom. The entire world would be resting on her mighty shoulders. She would hold it up and in her heart with all of her power.

A-A-A-A

Four weeks later in the South Pole:

Her waterbending teacher was a tiny scrap of a woman no more than four feet tall. She had round cheeks and a knot of chestnut hair on the top of her head. Kyoshi thought she looked like a fat little squirrel, especially up against her very tall student. Side by side, teacher and student looked like two circus performers.

“Widen your stance,” she instructed Kyoshi. The girl took a position. The woman waddled over and nudged Kyoshi’s right knee a bit further left.

“Waterbending is not about splashing your opponent to death,” she began. Kyoshi stifled a giggle.

“It is about your own stamina more than strength.”

“Stamina over strength,” Kyoshi repeated.

“Some have doubts about the art of waterbending, claiming it to be ‘weaker’ than the more ‘powerful’ elements such as earth and fire. They won’t bother learning it at all.”

“I want to learn,” Kyoshi insisted. “It’s my duty, isn’t it?”

“Some people run from their duty. But as the rivers all flow into the ocean; we all flow back towards our responsibilities.”

“Than I will not fight the current,” Kyoshi declared.

Her teacher channeled a stream of water towards Kyoshi. Remembering her form, Kyoshi drew out her right hand with grace and poise. A perfect bubble of water hovered above it.

“I did it!” she declared.

The bubble popped and splashed water all over her face.

The woman chuckled softly. “It appears that you need a bit of practice, my dear. But I know that you will get it right very soon.”

A-A-A-

Nine years later:

“She’s back! She’s back!” Rikku yelled at the top of his lungs. He may not have been a skinny little boy anymore—now he was almost eighteen and a successful apprentice--but the sight of her brought back the same thrilling memories. It was her; he just knew she had come back!!

He grabbed a mallet and began to ring the local gong as hard as he could. The throbbing sound of vibrations echoing across the valley brought people out of their homes and running down the streets.

“What’s all the fuss? What’s going on?” they asked one another.

“KYOSHI’S BACK!!” he shouted, cupping his hands over his mouth. Everyone crowded into the square to see the tall figure coming towards them.

“Oh my...”

Rikku had to crane his neck to look up to the woman who had entered their village. Kyoshi’s skin was browned by the sun, a generous smattering of freckles spread across the bridge of her slender nose. She was almost eight feet tall now. Her hair had bronze streaks in it from the healthy shine of the sun. She was longer a girl of sixteen but a fully mature woman of twenty five. Moreover, she was the Avatar. Years of traveling and lessons had honed her into the newest incarnation of the sacred descendant that would protect their world from oncoming threats.

But he noticed the familiar twinkle in her eyes and knew it was the same Kyoshi that they all loved.

A handsome feast had been laid out in the meeting hall with friends far and wide coming to pay tribute to the Avatar. She toasted to the visitors with grace and poise until most of the people had left and she was able to retire into a smaller room off the side along with her old friends. Most of them had been small children when she left but now they were teenagers and young adults. Nevertheless, they all crowded around Kyoshi eagerly and begged to hear her stories.

“I have spent my time training and mastering the elements with different instructors,” she informed them. “The work was sometimes hard, often challenging and difficult. But always full of such spiritual meaning and life that I was able to rise every day and cherish the task at hand.”

“Where did you go, Kyoshi? Who did you meet?” Nana asked.

“I traveled all the way to Wuhan,” she began. “The people of the Fire Nation have very refined manners and I felt out of place at first, so clumsy among their delicate surroundings. But my host, Lord Horai, treated me with great respect.”

“Of course he did! You’re the Avatar!” a little girl pointed out.

“Oh of course, I forgot. Silly me!” Kyoshi smirked. They giggled merrily.

“Lord Horai had had prepared special mats for me to sit on and a large bed lined with goose feathers, perfect for my size. And they had plenty of roast duck so as long as I ate politely, they always offered me more.”

“Did you really learn firebending?” Neko gasped.

“Lean it? I did it!” Kyoshi declared. She drew out a cupped hand and the children watched a spiral of gold and crimson flames appear in Kyoshi’s palm, flickering with animation.

“Oooooh!!” they all gasped. No one had ever seen firebending up so close before.

“Careful, it’s still very dangerous,” Kyoshi cautioned the children. She closed her hand to extinguish the fire. “I had to spend two months just meditation and breathing right before they let me do anything with sparks.”

“What else did you learn?”

“The craftsmen of the Fire Nation are smolders. They are excellent with metals and make some of the finest jewelry I’ve ever seen. I asked them for a token of friendship and they gave me this.”

Kyoshi reached into a bag and drew out what looked like a slim rod of gold. When she flicked it, the gold flashed out and extended like the feathers of a peacock to reveal a magnificent fan. But it was not for dress up, Kyoshi warned them. The seemingly pretty accessory was to be used only used for self defense in a time of danger. She allowed them to pass the fan around as long as they didn’t cut their fingers on the razor sharp edges.

On and on, Kyoshi filled their heads with stories about her journeys. She told them about kite flying races and summer festivals. She told them about sky bisons and air temples full of orange-robed monks that lived in four different temples. She told them about waterbending scrolls, gliders, and dragons that puffed smoke from their mouths. For many hours, they starred wide-eyed at Avatar Kyoshi, listening to her tales about the wonders of airbending, waterbending, and firebending.

When the children had to go home for bed, her old master approached her with a deep bow.

“Avatar Kyoshi, we are honored that you have graced us with your presence,” he said humbly.

“Please do not bow to me. It is I who should be thanking you for raising me in such a good place,” she answered him.

“The joy is mine. I hope you will have an easy and restful vacation back in your hometown village.”

“A vacation?” Kyoshi’s eyebrows arched up in astonishment. “I want to stay here.”

“But, your duties, your responsibilities…surely the Avatar would prefer to live in a more suitable environment than these humble dwellings.”

“My duties remain firm like the roots of an oak tree. I admit that my adventures were glorious but there is no other place on earth I would like to call my home except here.”

He knew that her resolve could not be shaken. Just as a mother returns to her child, Kyoshi wanted to come back home to her village.

“Should my abilities be needed, I will go back out into the world and use them. In the meantime, I must request the use of some trees to build a dojo.”

“A dojo?” he asked.

“Indeed. I want to build one and teach the other girls. They have not been trained in the art of war as often as the boys and I want them to learn to protect themselves.”

He furrowed his eyebrows.

“You disapprove?” she asked.

“Far be it for me to say anything against the Avatar. I am glad that you want to teach but my concern is for the girls that cannot earthbend.”

“Fear not, my master,” Kyoshi assured him. “My time among the nations has taught me that it takes more than harnessing raw elements to win a fight. Stealth, stamina, and skill are just as necessary.”

She extended one of her fans and held it like a weapon. “My firebending master told me, ‘a flame loses nothing by kindling another wick’. I can give these women a gift that they can pass down to their daughters and their daughter's daughters: the gift of martial arts.”

He nodded in deep satisfaction. “Your words are wise and just, Avatar Kyoshi. Starting tomorrow we will begin building a dojo for the girls to come and learn under you.”

A-A-A

Two years later:

“I must speak with the Avatar!” he shouted.

The dojo was a blur of green robes and gold fans moving in perfect choreography. Nineteen girls, all clad in identical uniforms created specially by Kyoshi, had been vigorously training under their beloved teacher when they heard someone shouting.

“Let me in! The Avatar must see me!”

Two of the girls ran outside while Kyoshi straightened up. She heard several more yells and a strange rumbling sound. Then the girls came back in and slammed the doors shut, all the while whispering madly to each other.

“What’s all the fuss?” she asked.

They just blushed and shook their heads back and forth.

“It’s just a farmer who’s standing outside and he’s come on his flying boar,” one of her girls snorted. The others began to murmur like chattering birds.

A stern look from Kyoshi’s eyes caused the girl to stop their rude behavior. She coughed into her fist. “He says it’s very important.”

“Let him in,” she declared.

“You are the Avatar! What right does a commoner like him have in barging in our private lessons?” a girl demanded.

“Enough!” Kyoshi commanded them. “He has as much right to be here as the rest of you.”

“Sifu Kyoshi,” one girl whispered softly. “He just a peasant.”

“And I was just a simple village girl before turning sixteen.” She frowned in disproval. “Seeing as you are all so hesitant to giving respect to others, I will go out and greet him myself.”

They couldn’t believe it. The Avatar herself would go out and meet this farmer! They bowed their heads and humbled shame from her chastising words. But Kyoshi parted the paper doors to their dojo and stepped out onto the porch.

The stranger wore dusty traveling clothes and had a weather-beaten face. As they said, he was sitting atop a massive flying boar with the reigns in his hands. No sooner had he dismounted when the boar began to snort and paw the ground with his hooves impatiently.

“Quan! Out of respect for the Avatar!” he ordered the flying boar. The massive beast named Quan grunted resentfully but he managed to calm down. His master patted the boar on the snout before stepping closer to the dojo. He prostrated himself on the ground before Kyoshi.

“Avatar Kyoshi, I humbly beg forgiveness for my haste and manner of appearance but I come to you with urgent news from the west.”

“No forgiveness is needed. You are welcome here, good stranger,” she assured him. “But before you inform me of this news please me know who you are.”

“My name is Bei Fong. I have come to warn you that Chin the Conqueror is expanding his army all the way to the Eastern Sea. He intends to dominate the entire Earth Kingdom.”

Kyoshi’s eyes were already lined in thick black paint as part of her war makeup. Now they turned down like two ebony daggers from Bei Fong’s words. She had heard of Chin before. Rumors had leaked in about the fat pompous man who crushed all his enemies with boulders before raiding their towns. His army was increasing each month and even the Fire Nation was concerned that they would be stamped out by the dreaded tyrant known as Chin the Conqueror.

“How far away is Chin?”

“He has reached more than halfway to Ba Sing Se. He is coming towards your home, ready to slaughter your people!!”

His words pierced Kyoshi like a razor sharp katana. Her face became a stern mask of frigid beauty and wrath. She would not hide in her safe little haven with her students any longer. Now was the time for the Avatar to come out and restore the balance that Chin had violated.

The girls in the doorway began chitterling again nervously. “Avatar Kyoshi, please do no try to fight Chin!” one of them begged. “He is a foolish man to be conquering these villages like his pawns. Let someone else assassinate him along the way.”

“He is evil and cruel. I will not allow Chin to pass through any more villages,” she said.

“But he will come to our home next!” another shrieked.

“Then let him come,” Kyoshi replied coldly. “It is the donkey that walks up to its master, not the other way around. If Chin dares to fight me, I accept his challenge.”

“He dares you on because he does not think you will fight him. His messengers have told me so,” Bei Fong insisted. “Avatar Kyoshi, what should I tell them?”

“I will fight Chin at dusk tomorrow. Tell him that he may come with his army if he wishes. But it will only add to his downfall.”

Bei Fong nodded in approval. He mounted back onto the flying boar and tugged the beast until it flapped its wings and flew off into the sky.

Her students look on their teacher in fright. Kyoshi was not smiling anymore.

“You should all go home now,” she ordered them. “I must prepare for battle.”

A-A-A-A

She spent the entire next day in the shrine, absorbed in deep mediation. Under the dimmed lights of the candles Kyoshi remained perfectly poised, not even lifting a finger or batting an eyelash for hours.

Concentrate. Breath. Focus. Her mind was a weapon that she had to hone like a sharp sword, her mentors had taught her. She had done this before in a thousand lifetimes. Now she had to do it again.

“Even the Avatar cannot take a life so carelessly. But if the world remains unbalanced, I must do whatever is necessary to restore that balance,” Kyoshi thought to herself.

The Avatar was not a king or emperor. He or she was the humble vessel, the source of human potential to tap into all four elements. To kill, even by accident, was a terrible thing to do. A life taken could never be restored the same way as before. Now it was Kyoshi’s turn to be the life-guide who would maneuver the world along the steady course. This was more than protecting a handful of children or training adolescent girls. It was far more important than she had ever imagined.

“I do not wish to dishonor the spirits of the Avatar lives before me. Give me strength in battle to conquer my enemy,” she prayed.

At last, Kyoshi rose from her sitting position and donned her warrior robes. She covered her face in white powder before painting her lips in pomegranate-red and brushing lines of pink under her eyebrows. She clasped the metal fans within her hands and slid them down into her belt.

It was time for the battle to begin.

People had already been waiting for hours on the peninsula. The imposing armies stood poised in perfect formation like planted squares of a field. But there were no sweet blades of grass drifting in the faint wind, no flowers blossoming along the rocky trail. The air was stirring with restless tension like swirling dust. Bay waters lapped back and forth impatiently. The barren field that rested between sloping mountains was willing to be the battle grounds for a horrific oncoming fight.

Eyes were wide in fear as they saw the tall woman clad in a green and gold kimono coming towards them. With her gray eyes flashing like lightning and her bright red mouth as straight as a blade, she looked fierce as any samurai warrior. But inside, Kyoshi thought of how to defeat this tyrant without giving into vanity or misplaced anger. Her firebending master had disciplined her in the manner of channeling ones emotions into a higher purpose.

“Never fight angry,” he had cautioned her in his most severe tone. “When all you bring to the fight is anger then you have already lost.”

They watched Kyoshi stand on the other side of the field, a strong wind tugging at the edge of her kimono like a spirit encouraging her on. The burly bearded man in a huge gold crown glared at her. Others shuddered when they recognized it was Chin the Conqueror. But Kyoshi stood tall and erect as a cedar tree. Her icy-white face and crimson-lined eyes gave her the look of a demon more than a woman.

“Chin, you have desecrated the lands with the spilled blood of your victims. I will not allow you to advance any further.” Kyoshi’s voice rang out like a steady bell across the valley.

He only laughed at her like a wild mule-goat braying at its master. “Is this what your puny village sends me? A an oversized girl against my entire army?” Chin mocked.

She felt the wrath beginning to flare within her. It would not be easy to tame. “I am no mere girl, Chin. I am Avatar Kyoshi!!” she announced.

“Bah! You are an idiotic woman and a fool. I fear you not,” Chin sneered. “I will take your village and then go on to ravage Ba Sing Se!”

Kyoshi’s hands curled up into tight fists of hatred. She wanted to slash his limbs off with streaks of fire but a curbed conscience controlled her temper. The whistling air blew through her hair like a calming voice in her memories. She could hear the mystical words of the monks calling back to her, gently subduing her anger.

“There can be no wave without a wind.”

Wind! That was it! Kyoshi knew how to prove herself without striking Chin at all.

Kyoshi altered her position into the Bagua maneuver. With a swift snatch of her fans in a swirling wind, she blew as hard as she could. Chin’s clothes were stripped off his body leaving him in his undergarments and gold crown.

“HA HA HA!!” the villagers laughed aloud. The tyrant was now the laughing stock of the world! He was humiliated in front of the Avatar!!

The sound of roaring laughter from the townspeople was the only fuel that Kyoshi needed to stoke her own fire. The mockery of her enemy and the protection of her people was the very source of energy that flowed through her spirit.

She could feel the life of the other Avatars channeling their way through her body.

Kyoshi, we will help you and the people you love.

Her eyes opened from the trance and everyone gasped. The Avatar State caused slits of white fire to gleam from Kyoshi’s sockets.

“What is wrong with her?” Rikku asked tearfully.

His elder brother put a hand on his shoulder. “It is nothing wrong. Avatar Kyoshi has the spirit of all of her past lives aiding her.”

Kyoshi’s mouth opened to speak but her words made everyone tremble in fear.It sounded like the wrath of a thousand people had descended upon Kyoshi and moved their words through her lips.

“You will no longer be known as Chin the Conqueror, but Chin the Defeated,” she thundered.

She slashed the ground with her gold fans until it shook like a trembling earthquake. Chin’s armies shuddered when they saw the Avatar’s powerful movements and it took all of their courage not to flee. They watched a narrow deep canyon rise up before Kyoshi’s feet. She slammed her golden fans into the ground and hot flames spurted up from the canyon, licking the air before her.

Kyoshi took one last stance. Gusts of wind blew in from the storm clouds swirling around them, almost pounding their heads out. She continued on, fanning the air madly until they saw the earth nudging under her feet. The crack in the ground before her widened until a valley lay before front of Kyoshi, the gap increasing with every passing second.

“The land is moving!” Rikku cried out. He could feel the ground under him shaking madly. There was a final shudder followed by a deafening cracking sound. The peninsula was breaking away from the mainland!!

The villagers watched the earth around them start to move further and further back, towards the ocean and away from Chin. The oncoming army could not hurt them now; they were floating off into the water like a free sailboat.

Kyoshi caught a glimpse of Chin standing on the cliff—stripped of his clothing and honor. He had been watching the entire miracle with some look of frozen horror on his face until now. Suddenly, Chin realized he had lost and he let out a furious roar that echoed across the water. Standing on the shaky cliff, he was unaware of the stones that were already trembling under his feet.

With a last shudder, the stones gave way and plunged into the bay, taking Chin along with them. His screams followed him all the way down the cliff and into his watery grave.

Chin the Conqueror was dead.

Everyone noticed that they now stood upon an island that was surrounded by the lapping azure waters of the ocean. They were safe from all invaders. A few peals of yellow light had finally burst out from the swirling clouds like rays of hope that shined down upon the people. They all turned towards their savior.

“Kyoshi!” Nana cried out. They all ran to her side.

The Avatar sheathed her mighty fans. Her eyes no longer blazed with white fire but her face was still solemn.

“We are safe,” she declared at last. A single tear glistened like a shimmering pearl on the edge of her eye. “We are free.”

“Hooray for Avatar Kyoshi! Hooray for saving us!” everyone cheered.

She only bowed her head towards them discreetly. “It was not I that saved you today. Your love, your trust, and your faith in me gave me the courage to act accordingly.” Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

“We are free from Chin the Defeated. From now on we will live in peace and harmony on this island.”

“Then it will be called Kyoshi Island in your honor,” her master insisted.

Kyoshi clapped her massive hands together several times. “Friends, we are all forgetting someone else who contributed to our victory. Where is Bei Fong?”

The farmer meekly came forward with a sheepish look on his face. Kyoshi’s attack that day left him with a mixture of fear and awe for the Avatar. But when he bowed to her, Kyoshi’s voice melted back into the kind warmth that they had often heard her use before.

”Bei Fong, you took it upon yourself to warn us of this impending doom,” she declared. “Accept this gift and be blessed.”

Kyoshi spread her arms apart and the earth between them broke in two. Bei Fong gasped when he saw the sparkling shimmer at their feet. Chunks of gold rocks flashed in the brightness of the sun and several precious stones of emerald and jade blazed out, glowing like green fire. Kyoshi summoned the treasure of gold and gems to spread out before the humble farmer for his taking.

Bei Fong threw himself at her feet. “Avatar Kyoshi, I am unworthy to accept such a generous treasure from you!”

“Take it and be blessed,” she insisted. “The name Bei Fong will bring wealth and honor to your family for many generations. And because you were the one who came to warn us of the impending danger, your family symbol shall be that of the flying boar.”

“My thanks to you, Avatar Kyoshi,” he praised her.

Kyoshi lifted her head up to the clear blue sky. She closed her eyes and exhaled softly. “I see the spirit of a great earthbender will come from your bloodline. She will posses a gift unlike any other before her.”

“It is my duty, as that of my offspring, to aid the Avatar whenever needed,” Bei Fong promised her.

“Your words are true, Bei Fong. For I see that someday, one of your children will aid the Avatar in a time of need and prove to be a great ally and friend.”

Thus Bei Fong lived out the rest of his years in peace and prosperity. His family flourished, becoming as many as the grains of sand and shining like the stars in the sky. Kyoshi Island became a safe haven for wandering travelers who sought the great wisdom and advice of Avatar Kyoshi herself. If she was not assisting others in need then she was teaching her faithful students the sacred arts to be passed down for future generations.

Truth and serenity were reborn throughout the world like the pink lotus blossoms budding on the trees with the coming of spring.

O-O-O-O-O-O

Avatar Kyoshi lived with grace and honor for two hundred and thiry years. After she died, the people of her island hewed a massive marble stone into her liking and set it in the center of the village as a tribute to her. Her garments and weapons were preserved in a shrine for safekeeping. They wept for thirty days until the rains brought soothing comfort to her children.

The spirit of the Avatar passed on until the birth of Roku, eldest son to Lord Daizo. During the Summer Solstice, Roku crossed over into the Spirit World and was informed of his duty by Kyoshi. He honed his skills as a master firebender until he became Avatar Roku.

This ends the Scroll of the Earth Kingdom as told by Suki of Kyoshi Island and written down by Sokka, the Blue Warrior of the Southern Water Tribe.