Darshi groaned, struggling to remember why her body felt like lead. She forced herself to sit up, gripping her head and straining to recall what happened. One look around the room showed her she was still with the Fire Nation inside the tiny room she shared with Yoongi.

She stared at her hands that were a bright red and irritated as the memories pummeled her; of her taking down the walls, seeing that ship coming closer before she closed her eyes. She pushed herself up with all her might, limping over to the window that was in Prince Seokjin's room. It was facing towards the ocean not allowing her to see. She walked over and tugging open the door. It had never felt heavier in her life, and she practically dragged herself up the steps to get outside. As soon as the sun hit her face she turned around, stumbling to her knees as she lost the rest of her strength and struggled to comprehend what was before her.

It was gone.

Clumps of snow sat where the wall once was. Water drained off the cliff into the ocean. There were no swooping rails or sturdy walls. No palace that glimmered in the light, or people ambling about their day. Thousands of years of culture and people were crushed within a day.

The enormity of her decision hit her, making it hard to breathe. She hadn’t thought about afterwards. She never expected to make it. The entirety of the Northern Water Tribe was dead and it was all because of her.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? After you did as promised my men were able to take care of the rest over the span of three days. You, my dear, have been asleep for a week. We almost lost you a few times.”

When Darshi continued to stare wordlessly at the mounds of snow, he told her, “I lost a lot of men in that attack, nearly half of my army, but it was worth it. More men than that have been lost in war.”

He frowned when she didn’t answer, hands clasped behind back. “The royal family managed to get away. There are a few loose ties. From what I hear the Chief is in no great health, closer to death than anything. His wife is useless, a mere pretty object to look at. It’s how the Northern Water Tribe like their women. There is no one able to lead the stragglers that are left with Prince Namjoon flames knows where.”

It was then the tears came; painful, heaving cries that tore at her chest. The shame and guilt was unbearable. Her decision has cost a whole civilization their dreams, safety, and lives. She was no better than the Fire Lord in her eyes, because without her none of this would have been possible.

His hand intertwined in her hair in a gesture she thought meant to be comforting, but felt no different than the red ribbon encasing her neck. “There, there,” he murmured. “It’s alright. You’ve done well.” He stepped away, staring at what had once been. His soldiers littered the site, searching for any survivors and exterminating them.

“You’ll get used to this feeling,” he told her. “We all do.”

Adarshini sat at a desk in the corner of Prince Seokjin’s office. Her back was pin straight, fingers tracing the words against the scroll. After a week Prince Seokjin decided he was no longer needed at the North Pole for cleanup. Now he was heading home to the Fire Nation.

She hadn’t been the same since that day on the ship deck. It didn’t feel right living when she had killed so many. bobbed, studying the air scrolls Seokjin had given her to peruse.

All air benders were nomads and monks, every single one of them whether they had the gift or not. She was beginning to understand why. When thinking of the most powerful element everyone always thought about fire, but Darshi understood air was the deadliest. She’d read scrolls about the things air bender’s were capable of if they chose. If the Air Nomads had decided to be like the others and wanted more than what was best for the world it could have been catastrophic. There was no possible way for air to be taken away from an air bender.

But an air bender could take away another person’s air.

She was water tribe. She never learned many of the ideals her roots had. All the letters spoke about living for the greater good, not being distracted by worldly things like possessions and personal relationships. All of those were to be pushed aside for what was best for the many.

Darshi had chosen the few, and now she had to live with that.

She still couldn’t summon the ability to air bend. She’d used every last reserve of her gift and all she could do now was wait until it replenished itself. She hoped it never came back. Her decisions already couldn’t be trusted, but she knew better than to think it wouldn’t.

Darshi culture was water tribe. In their eyes she knew her people would say she had chosen correctly. Their people always came first, but in air bending society it was all, not just the people where she came from.

The air benders were all dead. Maybe there was a reason greater than the Fire Nations greed for that happening.

A soldier knocked on the door and Prince Seokjin called for him to enter. Darshi studied him from the corner of her eyes, watching as a letter with the Fire Nation emblem on it was handed over. It was the same crest that was imprinted on the golden hair piece that decorated Seokjin’s top knot. There was only one person who could have sent it.

The man was dismissed, Seokjin tearing open the wax as his eyes darted across the paper. When his hands fell he gave a chilling smile.

“My uncle managed to fell a province of the Earth Kingdom. It is now under the Fire Nation’s domain.”

Yoongi’s expression didn’t falter despite the fact that was his home, staring straight ahead. He was an unmovable man when he cared to be.

There had been rumors about Prince Seokjin’s uncle doing well on his turf of the war. Horrifying stories of the cruelty he partook in to get to his goals. Word was he ravaged the land when they won, burning everything in sight. If there was anyone still in the village when taken over they were all killed. Every man, woman, baby, and child. No one was safe.

It was made as if no life had ever been there, much like Prince Seokjin had done to the Northern Water Tribe.

“My father does not send happy notes very often, but he is proud of me,” Seokjin announced as if this were good news. “It’s quite hard to impress him.”

He stood, burning the letter to ash. The tiny fibers floated in the air before disappearing from sight. He did that with some of the scrolls he received. She assumed so that no one but him had access to top secret information.

“We’ll be going to the Fire Nation now. It seems a celebration is in order.”

Darshi couldn’t help but noticed they were celebrating the death of thousands of people.

She turned around, unable to stomach looking at him anymore. “Why does the Fire Nation want everyone dead but them?” she couldn’t help but ask.

Prince Seokjin regarded her carefully, taking in the stubborn tilt to her lip. “It’s not that we want everyone dead,” he said carefully, adjusting his tunic. “We want control. We’re the superior nation. We want to lead people to all the wonderful discoveries we’ve made. We asked all the nations ru