DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm back! Here is the first chapter of To Consume Children of Fire, the first story in The Chronicles Trilogy. 17 year old Princess Cinrae of the Fire Nation lives a simple life, or as simple as the life of a royal can be. But, when her twin brother, Prince Zuko II vanishes without a trace, she goes on a dangerous and thrilling adventure to find him. I know this first chapter isn't great, but the next one will be better, promise. So, enjoy! Oh, by-the-by, if you are going to read this story, it would be helpful is you read my last story, The Games We Play, first. Things may make alot more sense if you do.

CHAPTER 1

The air was thick with the scent of lavender and many other flowers that I could not distinguish. The room swam with faces I had never seen, before, or, at least, never wanted to see. The large throne I sat in was cold, and hard, making me feel like a statue, chiseled from rock. I looked towards my brother, Zuko II, and he nodded. Ever since we were young, we had always been thinking the same thing at the most unusual times. Iroh, my younger brother, laughed as my father spun him around the floor. Iroh never really laughed, unless it was his father who made him do so.

A group of giggling girls, most of whom I knew, slowly approached Zuko as he sat, and surrounded the throne.

"Your highness, we would be honored if you came and danced with us." said one.

"Yes, we would be truly honored."

"You must, your highness, we will simply die if you don't." Of course, Zuko joked and stalled, acting as if he wouldn't, but, of course, he accepted. The girls pulled him out of the chair, giggling still, and dragged him onto the ballroom floor. Zuko and I were twins, and almost identical if I wore boys clothing, yet he got more attention from the opposite sex than I ever did. Well, attractive members of the opposite sex. Suddenly, a shivering hand was jutted into my face, interrupting my thoughts.

"Um, princess, I was wondering if I could have the honor of this dance?" I looked up to see the face of a puggy, odd, scared boy. His name was Kouchie. He was the son of a nobleman, so he was immediately made me "friend". Kouchie was older than me, maybe by a year, but he was terribly annoying. My mother, Lady Mai, thought it would be a good idea for us to "get to know eachother". We had met at the age of ten. I was now seventeen. It probably took him two years to build up the courage to ask me to dance.

I looked over to my father, and he rolled his eyes and nodded. He knew how annoying Kouchie was and how much I tried to avoid him. He actually agreed with Zuco, and that the poor boy should get a life. I shared the same sentiments, of course, but I didn't intend on telling him that. I reluctantly took his hand and stood. His hand was clammy yet cold. I picked up the edge of my dress so I wouldn't fall down the three stairs like I usually did in these situations. We walked into the center of the floor, unfortunately, as a song with a slow rhythm began to play, and Kouchie put his hand on my waist. I almost grabbed it and set it on fire, but I kept my status and didn't. He took my hand in his almost too quickly, as if he was suddenly overcome with an urge to get this over with quickly. Honestly, I couldn't agree more. I looked over towards Zuko, who had found a little vixen to dance with, and smiled. He smiled as well, very wearily, but then he saw who I was dancing with. He smiled a wider smile this time, but not as comfort, as a mocking pose. I rolled my eyes and snickered. Zuko loved making fun of me and my terrible attitude with boys.

We danced slowly in circles around the floor. Kouchie kept trying to create small talk with me, and I tried to ignore. Zuko was right behind us, and he was making the most ridiculous faces. I tried not to laugh for fear of hurting Kouchie's feelings.

I always hated balls. They were all so…odd. Painted faces that didn't care about who you were at all, they were just there for the food and the chance to drink all they wanted. A lot had changed, though, since my grandfather, Fire Lord Ozahi was in power. A whole lot. Seventeen years ago, there were balls, but there was not dancing. My grandparent grew up seeing dancing as a sin almost. So, really, maybe I didn't hate balls, just these slow, awkward dances with people that you really don't want to be dancing with. It seemed to last forever. More than anything , I wanted to just pretend to faint and hope that someone carried me away.

"Excuse me." I felt someone tap on my shoulder and I turned around to see and I smiled. "Sir, I hope you don't mind, but, may I cut in?" asked Zuko.

"Of course, your highness, of course." said Kouchie as he backed away. I'm sure he was thinking, 'Why the bloody earth is he wanting to dance with his own sister?' Well, actually, I was glad for the change.

"Thank you so much." I said as he began to dance faster.

"Oh, anytime, sis. I figured that you would need a little change." Zuko nodded to the small orchestra, and they struck up a much faster, and exciting tone. I smiled and wrapped my arms around Zuko. I loved this song, it was on of my favorite's songs to dance to. Mom called it a gypsy song, but I didn't care. Gypsies had the best music anyway. We began to move in unison as he spun me around. I did love my brother. I loved him very much. He was my best friend.

The ball was coming to a close, and I was permitted to leave for the night. I wasn't really that tired at all, but I was certainly not in the mood to see everyone out like a proper member of the royal family. I lit the lanterns that lined the hallways as I flowed to my room. My room was large and long, and newly renovated. My father told me that when I was a child, I fought tooth and nail for a room with windows. I just wanted to be able to face the sea. I loved the sea, it was like space and time conjoined together. I could stare at it for hours. Every inch of my room was brightly painted with the colors of the four nations. I had friends and family in all of them.

I took off my long, ceremonial robe, and hung it on my manikin. I then struggled to find and remove all of the pins that had been tucked into the farthest corners of my hair. I hated having to put my hair up in any style. Especially one that took me two hours to do, with the help of two girls and the royal stylist. It only took me three minutes to take down. My hair wasn't really that long, which was odd, for both of my parents had very long hair, and so did Zuko. It came down to about my shoulders, maybe longer. I stripped off my long skirts, and gut deteriorating girdle. The moon was high in the sky, shining through the room like a beacon.

As I brushed my unusually short hair, I saw the corner of my door creek open in the mirror of my vanity. I smiled, and watched as Zuko walked in.

"You certainly have a big heart. I would have never danced with someone I tried to avoid so much." He said as he sat down on the edge of my bed.

"Oh, you accuse me of being sensitive? I'm surprised to hear such words from Mister 'Oh, don't hurt the turtle ducks, please, just shoo them away.'"

"That was one time, and I was very young."

"Please, Zuko, it was two years ago, and it happened about ten times."

"Well, at least I don't have a major stoker like you."

"You're right. You have stokers. There were so many women in your corner tonight, it was like you had your own personal harem. How do you seduce women so?" Zuko raised on eyebrow, and smiled that little smirk that probably won over so many hearts.

"Seduce?" I rolled my eyes in disgust.

"I mean, why are they so attracted to you, perv?"

"Oh. Well, I don't know, maybe it's because of the fact that I am a prince?"

"That is not a very good defense, attorney, for I am a princess, and my closest admirer admires from twenty feet away on a regular basis."

"Well, maybe you just have your war face on all of the time. Maybe that masculine anger is reflecting boys." I turned and stared at Zuko. "You have some kind of nerve to say that. I have been nothing but feminine and graceful, yet I am alone."

"Then try putting yourself out there. When you sit all straight and serious, it makes boys think that you are taken and your lover is just around the corner, or they think that you are desperate to avoid pain., and that you guard your heart with the whole of the army." I stared into his golden eyes and smirked, raising an eyebrow. He simply shrugged. "Hey, I'm a guy. I know these things."

I knew that my brother could be self centered, but I never imagined by this much. He truly thought that he knew everything about love. It was very annoying.

"I'll make a bet with dear brother." I said as I stood up from the vanity.

"Great, I love bets."

"If a boy who is my age and is handsome, with no exacts about his wealth, falls in love with me by our next birthday, you will honor our nations traditions and assume the throne as Fire Lord before I do."

"Cinrae, you know how I feel about this…"

"No buts, you said yourself that you loved bets. But, if a boy doesn't fall in love with me by then, I will assume the throne as Fire Lord before you and make sure that you never do." Zuko smiled his smart smile, and laughed.

"Okay then, Cin, you're on." We shook hands on it, to make it official. I wasn't really that concerned about being Fire Lord or not. Of course, I loved the Fire Nation with all my heart, but I always knew that tradition called for the eldest son to be crowned. Either way, I slept in peace.

"I wonder how Dad is gonna take this." said Zuko as he headed for the door.

"We'll tell him when we have to. Until then, we don't have to." Zuko smiled, and bid me goodnight. The moon was high, and I descended to bed. I couldn't quite sleep, though. I couldn't help wonder why Zuko was so uneasy about becoming Fire Lord. So uneasy, he would do anything for it to not happen. Oh well, the world would work on its own accord, no matter what. That was a realization I had always come to terms with.

So, you are probably really confused. I mean, here I go, just diving into this story with no back round information. It has been a bit over seventeen years since Avatar Aang, a good friend of my father, defeated my grandfather, and my father, Fire Lord Zuko assumed the throne. He had to defeat my…um…mentally unstable aunt to do so, though. She was tucked away from the world now, gathering the bits of her mind that were left. My mother was Lady Mai, or, at least that's what they told me. She never really felt like my mother. Zuko told me to just let it go, but I knew that he felt that same. We were both seventeen, and far past the expected age to assume the throne, if compared to my father, but my father was an excellent ruler, and he would rule until his death. Our life wasn't simple, I mean, we were royalty, but it wasn't hectic at all. Everything was so simple then. There was earth, fire, water, air. But everything changed almost as quickly as everything stayed the same. Everything.

I was sailing on a ship, or, at least, I thought it was a ship. There were multiple large, white sails, that filled the sky like clouds. It felt like it was bouncing on the sea, but it wasn't even on the sea. It was soaring through the sky. I looked over the edge, and I saw the ship's reflection in the shimmering water. Then I saw a flicker of green light under the surface. I thought it only to be the fish. Then there were more of them, and soon the creatures imerged from the sea. I had never seen anything like it. Their torsos and up were human with long, flowing hair and gay expressions, but lower then that, there was one large fin, like a fish. The blends of grey, green, and purple mixed together to make one fabulous color. They looked to me and they smiled. My mouth was in too much shock to respond, but if I did try, no noise came out.

Suddenly, a flash of light shone behind me and the ship began to rock. I was waiting for some unknown captain to scream out orders, but I heard none. There wasn't even anyone on the ship but me. I ran to the rear, and I saw a company of Fire Nation ships racing after the flying ship. They loaded a catapult onboard the ship, and fired a fire ball at the ship. It flew directly at me, and was so close to my face that I could feel the heat of the flames, then I felt a small, heavy body on my stomach.

I shot up, and I was face to face with Jaia. Jaia was a black leopard, about five years old. I had found her when I was twelve, quivering in the bushes of the garden. She was almost two feet tall by then, and her black coat was sprinkled with shades of grey, making her almost shine. But, even in all of her beauty, she was…peculiar.

"Well, good morning, Jaia. I was wondering where you were last night."

"I'm not a cub anymore, Cinrae. I don't have to tell you where I am every hour of everyday." she said. See, I told you she was peculiar. Jaia started talking to me about a year after I found her. She said that she didn't trust me enough to talk to me at first, but now she was sure that I wasn't going to pour poison in her milk and skin her and sale her coat to a greedy merchant.

"Don't be so sassy, Jaia. Hey, do you remember those days when you wouldn't talk to me?"

"Yeah."

"Let's have a flash back session."

"Oh, ha. It makes me laugh." I tried to lift the sheet off of me, but Jaia was sitting on it, and she weighed about forty pounds.

"Jaia, are you going to let me get up, or are you going to keep me in bed all morning?" Jaia tilted her head at an angle, like most animals did, and blinked once.

"I don't know. Let's wait a couple of hours and see." I smirked and picked her up by the stomach and threw her off of the bed. It didn't matter, though, she landed perfectly on her feet. I stood and stretched my cramped arms. I walked over to an elegant basin of water I had in the corner of the room, and splashed my face. I loved the feel of water on my face. I quickly combed out my disheveled hair, and stepped behind a large folding screen. I stripped off my night clothes, ready to bare the day.

"I heard about the bet." said Jaia as she climbed to the top of the folding screen and looked down on me.

"How did you hear about that?" I asked as I looked through my large collection of clothes, all different shades of red.

"There was a bird on the balcony when you and Zuko were talking. She told me everything."

"Well, I never thought I would actually believe the saying ' a little bird told me'. I stepped out from behind the folding screen, and looked at myself in the mirror. I wore the traditional garb of the Fire Nation Princess. I may not have liked everything the royal clothes adviser made me wear, but this beat the cake.

"I don't know why dad makes me wear this." I said to Jaia. "My aunt wore this."

"Well, you're not your aunt, so I'm sure there's a difference. So, about the bet..."

"What about it?"

"Do you really think your father is going to let you bet away the future of the Fire Nation?" I crossed to the vanity, and quickly put my short hair up into a top knot.

"We aren't betting away the future of the Fire Nation, Jaia. Either way, it's going to have a good leader." Jaia rolled her eyes and leaped from the folding screen, to the vanity, to the edge of the open balcony window.

"Either way, don't be foolish about this. It's serious."

"I know, Jaia, I know! Bloody earth, who deemed you Mother Leopard?" I asked, laughing.

"Well, I am getting old. I will get to my middle year still not have born cubs."

"Now I know what you've been doing at night." I turned to Jaia and smiled. She turned the corner of her mouth up in a kind of smile, and twitched her tail. In seconds, she disappeared into the morning sun. She was right, though, about everything. She was getting old. Soon, she would be a full grown leopard, and she wouldn't need to hang around the stuffy palace anymore. Then, there was a knock at the door to my room.

"Yes?" I called. The door opened and my father's valet, Lee, entered.

"Good morning, Princess. I've come to tell you that the royal family is ready to leave, and they are waiting for you." I rolled my eyes, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"Why am I always the last one to be ready for these things?" I asked Lee as we walked down the long halls of the palace. Lee laughed, his ancient, yet never-aging face stretching with his grin.

"Well, Princess, I believe it is that Fire Lord Zuko will never quite be able to understand the time needed for a woman to dress. Even your own mother has to wake up extra early to be half ready by the time the Fire Lord wakes." I laughed lightly. Lee had been there since before I could remember. He was like my other wise, old uncle, who was always there for me, to talk with me, even when I kinda didn't want it that much.

We finally arrived at the courtyard of the palace, where my family waited impatiently. We all donned the uniform of the royal family, looking more like a band than anything else. My father was pacing impatiently. He then looked up, and, seeing me, he flew his arms up in frustration.

"Finally! The Princess has decided to grace us with her prescence."

"Morning, Dad." I said smiling. My father's frustration slightly vanished, and he grinned at me slightly.

"Morning, Cinrae. Now that you're here, do we have permission to leave." I bowed my head as we all climbed into out assigned carriages pulled by a company of dragon moose's. Zuko climbed in after me, snickering some.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just, you know Dad will never let you live this down." I smiled and slid into the comfortable carriage.

"He never does."