1. Chapter 1: I can never avoid trouble

**Chapter 1**

**Prologue:**

Rays of brilliant sunlight poured onto a vast sea of wheat. It was mid-afternoon on this Fire Nation plantation, and hundreds of slaves were busily harvesting the wheat, slicing it with hoes and tying the stalks of crop with twine. It was a commonplace event on the Huang-Hai farm, gathering this year's crop to sell for profit. The slaves, men and women alike, donned ragged grey trousers and shirts that were crafted from sacks of hay, giving each worker an uncomplimentary appearance. The farm had a merry air to it, with much bustle about. Young men and women flirted playfully, mothers instructed their young children on how to push the carts of wheat, kids dodged through the field in a competition to gather the most wheat, men and women discussed the latest news of the war, and the elderly supervised the babies as they toddled about in a makeshift pen.

Times were hard on the Huang-Hai plantation. The corrupt landlord, Tai-Fu, had lowered the rations of his servants and was working them to the bone to meet the demands of the war and to amass even more wealth for him. He had lost many of his firebending slaves to the army draft, so Tai-Fu had made a new rule that said every slave over the age of three was to be put to work. Money for medicine, clothing, food, housing and other necessities for the slaves had been practically demolished to pay for the many outrageous luxuries Tai-Fu's family demanded, like komodo rhinos to pull his carriage and ships for cruising pleasure. Even though Tai-Fu lead such a luxurious life, he was still an irritable, temperamental man and the slave gossip usually said he was related to Fire Lord Ozai because they shared such a temper, but of course that wasn't true.

No matter the circumstances, the slave population managed to get by, and that was all they really cared about. Rumors of the Avatar's return excited the slaves, though they kept quiet because if the plantation master or his family heard anyone mention the Avatar, a flogging was in order for them.

The slaves all had a similar history, some were rebels who opposed the Fire Lord's reign and had been forced to enter slavery for their beliefs. Others were so poor that their towns had decided to get rid of the burden they were to their economy and had been forced into slavery. Some people were even sold into slavery by their families. Most had been either bought from other farmers or had been born into slavery. No matter where the slaves came from, they were all from the Fire Nation and that fact alone brought them together.

Occasionally it would be discovered that someone was a firebender. It used to be they would be taken into the master's mansion for a small while and would be taught to perform menial tasks, such as boiling water with fire, roasting meat and keeping the hearth heated. Though because of the loss of soldiers in the recent battles, they were now drafted into the army. There were different circumstances for women slaves on the farm, though. Tai-Fu was prejudiced against women and because of this; he banned all women firebenders from the farm. His belief was that women's proper place was under men and he saw firebending women slaves as a threat to the "order of his plantation". If a woman firebender was discovered, she would be sold by Tai-Fu to the slave market and separated from her family and friends, for Tai-Fu believed they were a disgrace to his plantation. Because of this the men and women hid their talent, though sometimes there were secret meetings at night where more experienced benders would teach the others what they knew.

The slaves resided in shabby wooden huts with no furniture, each one housing up to ten slaves each. Tai-Fu's mansion, on the other hand, was an elegant, classic Fire Nation house with ash gray stone walls, ornate stained glass windows and sloping red tiled roofs. Other structures such as the bakery, forge and workshops were close to the mansion. Tall, menacing onyx fences surrounded the property, deterring any notions of escape from the slaves' minds.

And so this was how the slaves lived out their days, in the rat trap called a plantation. Some hoped the Fire Nation would win the war, then the Earth and Water nation subjects could replace them as slaves. Others hoped the Avatar would restore peace to the world and liberate the slaves from their capture.

Soon it would be impossible to ignore the changes that were sweeping the land due to the return of the Avatar. Soon, even those like Tai-Fu who live on the outskirts of the Fire Nation would feel a difference in their life. People could no longer ignore the sense of change that loomed on the horizon.

Little did the population of the Huang-Hai farm know where the change was to come from. Never in their wildest dreams could they guess correctly who would bring it. No one would ever think Solana, the least serious girl on the farm, could shift the balance of power on the farm, much less stick to her task for a second before becoming sidetracked. Solana herself would never think of herself as the one to oppose Tai-Fu's reign over the plantation. But everything the people of the Huang-Hai plantation thought or expected was about to change for good.

Chapter 1: The Mayhem Begins

"

A gorgeous young woman stood near a vine of grapes, gently plucking them from the vine and plopping them into a basket. She was short, with a stunning hourglass figure. Sparkling purple eyes shone like amethyst through her golden, blue streaked locks of waist-length hair. Her skin was as white as the moon and her full lips redder than the reddest rose. On her left cheek she had a half-crescent moon scar and on her head she wore a dazzling silver circlet. She was dressed in a mysterious purple dress that was tied with a gold sash and had silver stars all over it. She sighed dolefully through a perfect nose and began to speak in a beautiful voice that sounded like a thousand angels singing and playing harps with waterfalls in the background and a flute and a lot of wind chimes; "I am Prince Zuko's girlfriend, the Heir of the Throne of Light, the last survivor of Atlantis, the real Avatar, the Light-Earth-Water-Fire-Love-Moon-Sun-Star-Shadow-Darkness-Friendship-Rock-Spirit-People-Life-Animal bender, the most beautiful girl on the entire earth, the telepathic-physic-flying-shape shifting mage, the Princess of Pretty Pink Unicorns with Little Red Hearts and Sparkly Wings. My name is Marylasparklylunasunebonyprettyatlantia-Beautifulkindlightdarknesselfmaydawndusksue, but you can call me Mary-Sue for short…"

"Wha?" I moaned.

"Solana, for the millionth time, WAKE UP!" a shrill voice pierced the sleepiness that clouded my brain.

Cracking one eyelid open, I followed the source of the voice to find an exasperated young woman looking at me expectantly. My half dead brain took a few seconds before informing me that the stranger was actually Neta, my longtime friend.

"But…Mary Sue…the half-crescent scar… Prince Zuko's girlfriend… the Light-Friendship-Rock-People bender…" I blabbered incoherently.

Neta raised her eyebrows. "Right… and I am the Avatar," she said sarcastically, miming an airbender's posture. "Hurry up; otherwise Tai-Fu might decide it would be pleasurable to flog a certain someone for oversleeping."

"Fine." I grunted, slowly rising from bed, taking my time just to irk Neta. My back ached from the uncomfortable dirt floor I slept on and I itched from the fleas and scratchy hay sack material that was my outfit. I didn't look like a noble, to say the least.

Gazing around the shoddy wooden hut, there was no one present but Neta and me. My parents and siblings had given up trying to wake me up a _long_ time ago. The only person who ever bothered any more was Neta, who made it her duty to see that every one of her friends didn't get flogged. She sprinted to the door, or empty space that was the entrance, and motioned with her arm for me to follow.

"Yes, master." I muttered, running off after her through the worn dirt path that led to the kitchens. My name is Solana; slaves aren't allowed to have a last name. I am currently awaiting my sixteenth birthday with dread, it will be the day I will either be married off to a slave from another farm, or I will be appointed to be a maid for one of Tai-Fu's daughters. Due to the lack of positions available in the household, "maid" will most likely mean I will be emptying chamber pots for the rest of my life. My life isn't glamorous; I have no possessions, being a slave. I work from dawn to dusk planting wheat, tilling fields, watering crops, and all I receive in return for my hard labor is soggy soup, stone-hard biscuits, rotten fruit and polluted water. I have a father and mother, two older brothers and a younger sister. Neta is my best friend and I have several other close ones.

People usually describe me as a "silly girl who will be lucky to even become a chamber pot cleaner", which ironically I might actually become in a few days. I justify my actions by saying the gods didn't give me looks, so I have to make up for my lack of beauty with my humorous charm. I personally don't see how people like Neta can be focused all the time; there is so much to do other than water wheat. I have paid the price for my "lack of dedication," and I have scars to prove it. One of Tai-Fu's daughters in particular, Mei, has made a hobby of watching me like a hawk, trying to catch every single mistake I make, which she then reports to her darling daddy. As you can see the whip and I are constant friends.

I'm not much to the eyes, I could pass as "pretty" but there's a slim chance anyone would actually be attracted to me by my looks. I don't enjoy going into detail about my appearance, I look like an ordinary Fire Nation native, with yellow eyes and untamed black hair that probably ends at the middle of my back, seeing as there are no mirrors available I really have no way of telling. My mother tells me I have dad's small nose and her wiry figure, she says I am a hopeful bud just waiting to bloom into a beautiful flower, but the state my chest is in hints that I may never "bloom."

And the most interesting detail about me, sadly, I have to keep a _secret_. Yep, that's right, the one thing I'm actually okay at is the one thing that I have to keep to myself, that is my fellow slaves and me. I'm a firebender, or at least am attempting to become one. The slave elders that secretly instruct me and my fellow firebender have an _extremely_ limited knowledge of the craft, so I haven't learned more than how to conjure a fireball in the palms of my hands. It would be great if I could actually learn the martial art moves that go along with firebending, than I might actually be able to do something other than light small fires. Well, there wouldn't really be any advantage for me if darling Tai-Fu and the rest of his family of fat hogmonkies new about my power, seeing as I would be shipped off to the slave market before I could say "I challenge you to an Agni Kai!"

But why should I care? I already lead an amazing life! Anybody would want to cut bug-infested crops in the heat of summer with a shoddy farm tool that gives you blisters on your blisters. Now that I think about it, emptying chamber pots doesn't seem so bad, compared to the torture I already endure on a regular basis. At least it doesn't kill your feet to walk around barefoot and I might actually get to see real furniture, seeing as I live, sleep and eat on the dirt floor of my family's hut that is so conveniently filled with worms and bugs.

"Oh, great." I sighed, finally falling back to earth. Once again I had resurfaced from my daydreams to find I was late to breakfast. Picking up my pace, I dashed through the sun-bathed wheat fields along a crusty, dry path. In the distance I could finally see a clearing where the sea of yellow ended to open to a stretch of green grass. Huffing, I ran even faster towards the large stone building labeled the kitchen.

"No!" I yelled in frustration. The last slave entered the door and a doorman shut it tightly behind him, locking it. Why me? I asked. I arrived at the dull oak door and stared grimly at the doors, knowing in a few moments I would have another pleasant meeting with my dear friend, the whip.

I waited gravely at the ominous door, twiddling my thumbs anxiously. Was there a chance I would be able to get off this time? I wondered. No, that would be just as likely as the banished Prince, Zuko, proposing to marry me.

"Well, what do we have here? Yet another piece of slave dung littering my vision with her wretched appearance. Have you ever thought of trading in that sack you wear for something that actually makes you look like a woman?" a cool female voice taunted me cruelly. I balled my hands into fists, filled with dread and anger. Taking deep breaths to control my anger, I turned around and met Mei's smug face. She donned a pale pink kimono, tied with a gold sash. As usual, the brat was decked from head to toe in expensive jewelry and accessories, all bought with funds that were supposed to be used to feed my fellow slaves and me. Mei curled her lips into a smirk, her yellow eyes glinting with spiteful pleasure as her loose black hair framed her pale face, and I fancied she resembled a demon.

"Actually, your _ladyship_," I said, implying the exact opposite, "I prefer to think of my style as original and creative." Because I was bound to be flogged already, I figured I might as well have some fun before I was beat yet again. "So how's your social life, my lady, are you still in contact with your dear friends? Oh wait, I forgot, the only companions you have are the voices that exist in your head. Do you plan to marry any of your imaginary friends? Or would that be considered cheating on your darling husband, the platypus bear?" I questioned innocently, trying to screw up my face so I looked like a roaring bear, complete with arms that clawed the air.

Mei glared at me with fury. "You filthy vermin!" the enraged girl screeched, loosing her ladylike posture as she spat at me and made a very rude sign with her hands that usually only street rats dared to make. "I will be married soon, as for _you_, I'm sure even the repulsive King Bumi would not make you his bride, even Water and Earth nation filth couldn't look at you without cringing at your ugliness!"

I had to give the air brain credit for being able to come up with such an insult, up till now I had doubted if she could even form complete sentences in that pampered head of hers. Resuming a normal stance, I awaited her next words. Mei stared at me in a puzzled way, she probably expected me to burst with rage.

"Well then, I'll make sure my father comes up with a _much_ more horrible fate than flogging," Mei sniffed, and before I could react she strode off right towards the humongous mansion. I stood frozen for a moment, replaying in my mind what had just occurred. Wait, how could there be anything _worse_ than a strip of leather pounding down mercilessly on your back?

"Solana, what are you _doing_?" a worried voice hissed. I turned around to see the large wooden doors cracked open, with a single golden eye peeping through. "_Please_ don't tell me someone's reported you to Tai-Fu yet!"

"Well, they haven't yet, but I'm guessing our dear Tai-Fu will come storming out in his night robes any second," I whispered. "Unluckily, I just ran into Mei and you can guess what happened."

An exasperated sigh came from Neta. "Let me guess, you couldn't control your tongue and infuriated Mei. Can you ever keep your mouth shut? I might have to tie it up with a rope; your own tongue is a danger to you."

"And that's not all," I continued, ignoring Neta's threat, "Mei said she's going to make sure something worse than a flogging happens to me. Isn't staring at her face enough torture?"

Neta's eye widened. "Solana, quick, get in here!" she whispered forcefully, madly grabbing my sack of a shirt to tug me through the doors with a power that choked me. The next thing I knew I was being dragged through an empty room. I pried Neta's hand off my coarse shirt and followed her quickly through the deserted kitchen, our hurried steps echoing across the blemished wood floor to bounce off the high stone walls and smudged windows.

"Where is everybody?" I queried breathlessly, following her brisk pace.

"I don't know, I was to busy talking to you to notice anything else," Neta replied, panting as she opened a red door to enter the small, drab grey closet that was occupied by a few lone brooms and illuminated by a single slit of a window high up on the wall. "I just saw Tai-Fu storming towards you with at least a dozen of his house guards. I don't think he saw you, luckily. The expression on his face, ugh, it was horrible! It looked like he wanted to murder somebody!" Neta explained quietly.

I shuddered, leaving my imagination to ponder what doomed fate awaited me.

"Shh! I hear footsteps! Quick, hide, do something!" Neta whispered frantically. Sure enough, muffled heavy footsteps of men came through the door. Thinking quickly, I dived into a small, carved oak cabinet and attempted to squeeze into the small space. Suddenly, the doorknob turned and a stream of light poured into the dimly lit closet, silhouetting the shadow of a large, muscled man whose muscles were tensed with anger. A gleam of silver attached to the man's hand came through the small slit of the cabinet's door. Following the gleam's figure, my stomach twisted as I realized what the object was; a sharpened knife that looked eager to stab anything that got in its way.


	2. The Rat AKA TaiFu

**Chapter 2: The Rat (More commonly known as Tai-Fu)**

I prayed to the Great Spirits, hoping they would be merciful. I obsessed over a tingle in my nose that wouldn't go away. Meanwhile, the man with the knife crept into the closet, surveying it with a malignant eye. Curse it! I thought, annoyed by the constant itch that wouldn't go away. Why, of all times, were my dust allergies acting up _now_?

"Master Fu, I don't think the wench is-

The voice was interrupted by a sudden sneeze that came from right in front of me. Wait, was that me?

"Scratch that, I found where the wretch is!" a harsh voice exclaimed, and soon the squeak of hinges signified the opening of the door that veiled me from sight. Great, my own body has turned against me. I thought, wishing with all my might I hadn't sneezed.

Two glaring eyes peeped through the empty space in front of me, and before I knew it, the menacing knife was pressed to my neck, drawing a fine line of blood. The guard roughly tugged me out of my shelter, shoving me through the closet door into a circle of men. Man, if only I knew how to burn down each one to a crisp! I turned around and saw the vicious guard close the closet behind him, leaving Neta safely hidden in it.

"So, it is you again, wreaking havoc on my plantation. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" a cold voice sneered. The guards immediately parted and in stepped Tai-Fu, adorned in his usual grandeur. He cut his black hair at his shoulders and had a small mustache, with an impressive beard that ended in a point at the end of his chin. Thick eyebrows arched over his enraged yellow eyes, which he used to gaze into the depth of my soul, giving me the chills. He wore a flowing red robe and had gaudy onyx rings on each finger, which clanked when he moved his hand. Overall he looked like an overly-groomed rat, with a gaunt face and pointed chin, a thin frame and long fingers.

"I see you have stepped so far over the line this time that you upset my angelic daughter, Mei. I give you clothes, feed you, give you a shelter, and all that I ask in return is that you obey my orders. Even filth like you should be able to grasp the concept, but unfortunately there are some slaves that are to dimwitted to pay attention to this order," he ranted, his squeaky voice filled with anger. You'd think that someone with such power and wealth would have a voice that didn't sound like a five year old boy's.

Seeing as I was already in hot water, boiling, actually, I decided to play it cool. "I am deeply sorry I offended the mistress, your grand sir. If there is any way I can repay you, know that I am open to cleaning chamber pots, scrubbing gunk out of the floorboards, fanning you with the most exotic leaves"-

"STOP! I've seen enough of your bluffing, you incompetent filth!" Tai-Fu raged, his temple throbbing with anger as he clenched his fist in fury. I saw the guards tighten their lines as the Rat grew more and more furious. "This is it! I've had it with all your sass! In fact, I've had it with all of the slave's disrespect! They can now thank you for cut rations and five floggings for everyone!"

My brain thought at a rapid pace. If he really meant everyone, then even the babies and elderly would be beaten! And it was all my fault…

"As for you, little miss, I have something very special for you in mind!" he whispered malignantly, storming toward me in a swish of red silk.

Oh man, am I in for it now! I thought frantically, cowering as the devil stomped toward me. Stop it, show some backbone, girl! Another voice commanded from my brain. But he could demolish me! The first one whined. Stand up for yourself! Don't let him trample over you like a freshly picked cabbage. The second one said. What do cabbages have to do with anything? The meek voice questioned. I don't know, "freshly picked cabbage" just seemed like a good metaphor. The second voice replied, confused. Wait, wouldn't it be a simile, not a metaphor? You're using like to compare something, which makes it a simile, not a metaphor. The first voice said in a superior tone. Stop, this is making my brain hurt. Said the second voice. You _are_ the brain. The first voice said exasperatedly. Oh, yeah…

"Kneel to your master!" a guard's rough voice commanded. Startled out of my thoughts, I looked up to see Tai-Fu towering above me, his face red as a watermelon.

"KNEEL!" he screeched, his rings grinding together as he clenched his fists. Before I could move, a large mass pounded down on my back like a hammer striking a nail, forcing my knees to buckle. As I fell face-first into the ground, I realized the object had to be the blunt side of an axe.

A fate worse than cleaning chamber pots was surely mine.

"There, now we can begin with the disciplinary actions." Tai-Fu's voice taunted me, it was the last sound I heard before something hard crashed down onto my skull and sent me hurdling into total blackness.


	3. The Brave Or not so brave Shing

Hi! Thanks to everyone who's been reading my story! I was _so bored_ from homework so I decided to write my story instead.

Avatar, the Last Airbender in in no way associated with this fic. I don't own the show, but I do own the characters and several smelly socks.

**Chapter 3: The Brave (Or not so brave) Shing**

"Urgh…" I groaned, struggling to lift my eyelids. A meek flickering light cast criss-cross shadows across the gray clay floor I lay sprawled on. Sticky dampness clung to my body, and with disgust I realized the wetness was my own sweat. And no wonder, it was scorching hot down here, wherever _here_ was.

"Wow, the pile of rags is moving!" a faint voice snickered.

"Huh? Wha? Who?" I moaned with a guttural roughness. Where was I? Oh yeah, I got busted for taunting her Highness, Princess Mei. The Rat Lord must have locked me up in this oven.

Attempting to push myself off the ground, a shower of burning pain bombarded the back of my head. Wincing in agony, I clutched my skull and slowly stood up, beads of sweat rolling down my neck. And then, being as coordinated as I am, I clanged my shin against a row of bars that had popped out of nowhere.

"Yaargh!" I yelped. Obviously, I was in an old dungeon of some sort. This was _not_ my day.

"Here, let me help you with that." The soft tenor voice spoke again. Before I could speak up, two firm hands grasped my shoulders and forcefully pulled me away from the row of bars.

"Aack!" I cried as the strong movement thrust my body backwards.

Before I could fall, the stranger's arms caught me and pulled me into their body. I gasped at how close the person was holding me. Was he (or she) so desperate that they were attracted to _me_?

Before I could indulge in any romantic fantasies, I found myself being pushed away from the person. Deciding in was high time to take control of my feet again, I pried the mystery figure's fingers off my collarbone and turned around, rooting my feet to the spot.

"Huh?" I said, puzzled by the person who I was setting eyes upon. The shadows were too thick to see anything but the outline of their body.

"Can you do anything besides grunt?" the person questioned, stepping into the small light permeating from the candle. He was a young man, around the age of 17. He had a burly build and there was a mischievous twinkle in his amber eyes. The boy was dressed in raggedy pants that didn't even suit a scarecrow and dirt caked his skin. Dried blood was spattered across his chest, bleeding sluggishly from a small wound on his shoulder. He seemed familiar…

"Shing!" I exclaimed, recalling his name. I didn't know the boy that well; he had always been a distant acquaintance. I'd heard enough village gossip though to know that Shing was a sought after man.

"Wow, it only took you about fifty seconds to recognize me. Did that blow in the head really hurt your brain so much that you can't recognize a fellow slave?" Shing joked good-naturedly, at least, I _think_ he wasn't being serious…

"Well, I don't know what you got yourself into this time, Solana, but you must have caused a big commotion to be locked up down here in Tai-Fu's old wine room, which he's decide to transform into a prison." Shing said.

"Hey! I didn't cause _that _much of a problem, I just- wait, why are _you _down here?" I asked, realizing that Shing wasn't down here to just relax.

"Oh, me." Shing scoffed "Dear Master Tai-Fu's decided my protesting is to much of a burden to the plantation. You see, I'm almost a grown man now," he paused for a moment and attempted to mold his face into a manly expression, I snorted at how screwed up his face looked, "so I decided I've had enough of slavery. All the old people ever do is sit around and do nothing, and I for one know that moving our mouths and blabbering about how unfair enslavement is won't get us very far, so I decided to take matters into my own hands." Shing paused for a second, attempting to build a dramatic tension. "Violence won't get us any where, with all the guards Tai-Fu keeps around this place you can't even poke someone and not get in trouble. And protesting doesn't help either. It took a while, but I finally came up with a solution; go on a hunger strike! I heard that in ancient times, kidnapped people that were set up for ransom would refuse to eat unless they were released. The kidnappers didn't want the people dead, so in the end they had to let their captives go. Following this ancient method, I fasted for days upon end in silence, and finally the kitchen staff noticed how skinny I was becoming. Upon questioning me, I answered that the only way I would stop starving myself was if I was freed. Seeing as the Rat didn't want to lose a slave, to death of freedom, he decided to use _other _methods to secure my slavery." Shing fell silent, shivering as if remembering a dreadful nightmare.

The pain in my head had subsided, so I unclenched my hands from my head and brought a palm to Shing's shoulder. "Are you feeling all right?" I asked gently. He nodded his head in response to signal a yes. "What happened next?" I prodded gently.

Brushing my hand from his shoulder, he directed his grave gaze to the ground and started to speak softly. "Tai-Fu decided to force feed me. He locked me away in this godforsaken cell and every day a guard comes in to feed me. They-they take a metal tube and then… well, they stuff it down your throat…" A sob escaped under his breath and I could see in his eyes Shing was holding back tears. "It feels like someone's punching you in the stomach. If you try to cough, blood comes out of your nose. It's pure torture. They can't stuff solid food down your throat so they make me eat raw eggs and water. I don't know how much longer I can live like this…" he stopped, and before I knew what to do, a silent tear ran down his stony cheek and splattered on the floor.

"I…I had no idea… we thought you were working in the house…" I stuttered, trying to justify why I hadn't noticed Shing was gone. What kind of monster could do this to a person?

He wiped his eyes and smiled weakly. "Just ignore me, it's not that bad. Really, compared to what you're about to face, my pain'll be like a bubble bath compared to what you'll have to go through."

Dread twisted my stomach. What was he talking about? "What do you mean? What do I have to "face"?" I whispered, fear doing a jig on my stomach.

Shing looked at me with immeasurable pity. "Solana, when Tai-Fu's guards threw you in the cell, I heard them muttering something about using you to test out a new method of "obedience training."

My heart pounded against my chest as if a bad drummer was trying to imitate the sound of thunder. "What "obedience training?" I squeaked in a pathetic, mouse-like voice.

Shing crossed his muscled arms around his bare chest, glancing sideways and avoiding eye contact at all cost. Finally, he replied in a harsh, cold voice. "Torture. Obedience training is torture."


End file.
