C
Cloister
The Fall of Avatar Kyoshi (Avatar: Last Airbender)
Author's Note:
I sometimes write fiction and fanfiction and rewrite scenes from games and animation with a tragic spin. In this case, it's about Avatar: The Last Airbender. Avatar Kyoshi is a minor character to be sure, but I loved her character design and always wanted to see what happened if Chin the Conqueror beat her in battle.
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Avatar Kyoshi looked out across the peninsula leading to her village. In the distance she could see an army on the move. Despite her warnings Chin the Conqueror, would-be tyrant of the Earth Kingdom, had come to claim her village as part of his empire. The sun was barely over the horizon and thousands of soldiers marched on her home. Even though she prepared herself for this, it did not make her any less angry. At her side was the worried village chief who was on his way to becoming terrified.
"Look at them!" He gasped. "Can you really fight them all?"
The number of trained men following Chin's orders did not move her. She remained firm.
"I will protect our home. No matter what happens, keep everyone back."
"But Kyoshi..."
"Chin lead his army here because I defied him. Now, I will show him he cannot defy the Avatar."
The chief was silent but she could see in his eyes he wanted to reason with her.
"If Chin will not step down, I will do what is necessary." She assured him.
The sun came up higher, spreading the early morning light across the peninsula. Kyoshi walked into the field to meet Chin's army. She wore the green multi-layered kimono along with a golden headdress that flashed in the sunlight. Her face was painted white with red highlights over her eyes for a striking image. While beautiful, it did not make her appear any less determined. For weapons, she had two golden war fans folded safely in the obi around her waist. She did not need anything else. As the Avatar, she had the four elements at her command. Last and most importantly, she had the Avatar State that would allow her to perform amazing feats of bending while connected to all of her past lives. When she finally met Chin's army, they came to a dead stop. One towering woman against and entire army. There was a tense wait until Chin himself moved to the front line.
"Chin the Conqueror!" Kyoshi announced. "You march on my home, intent on threatening our peace and our way of life. For that, I will only ask you once. Back down, now."
Chin was half of Kyoshi's height. Even when compared to normal men, he was short. He wore armor that could double for ceremonial events. Even considering his situation, with the Avatar challenging him in front of all of his men, he merely smiled.
"I bring my entire army and all they send to meet me is one towering woman? Avatar or not, I am insulted."
Those words confirmed everything Kyoshi suspected of Chin. He was a small arrogant man who didn't care about anything but his own ambitions. The entire Earth Kingdom lived in fear because of a cruel tyrant and his ego. She would not let him win. His behavior coupled with his arrogant smile made her come to a sudden decision. She would not use the Avatar State to defeat him. If she relied on her past lives, it would acknowledge that Chin was a serious enough to bring about her most powerful ability. No, she would not give him the gratification. Chin was a bully with an army inherited from his father. Nothing more. He did not deserve such a display.
Talking was over.
Avatar Kyoshi pulled out her war fans and spread them, ready to fight. Chin's army seemed poised to launch an attack, but he raised his hand and made them stand down. He met Kyoshi in the field and took a fighting stance. They locked in a stare.
"If you surrender now, I promise to give you a prison cell large enough to accommodate your monstrous size," Chin said.
The battle began in a flash. Rocks crashed into rocks until Kyoshi and Chin were lost in a cloud of dirt. Kyoshi used airbending to control the cloud in order to jump in and out of cover before Chin's very eyes. He launched rocks whenever he could and raised a shield of earth to protect himself. It did him no good, as Kyoshi used firebending to launch flames concentrated enough to melt rock. Chin was on the defensive. Before she could move in closer, he slammed the ground with both of his feet and created a rolling wave of earth in every direction. Sharp jagged rocks rolled across ground forcing Kyoshi to launch herself away to avoid getting speared. Despite Chin's arrogant behavior he was no slouch at Earthbending. Still, she could see he was reckless at times. With the four elements, she would break through soon.
The Avatar and the Conqueror clashed again. He used boulders. She used walls of water taken from the ocean. The water that spilled across the field became ice that she was well prepared to slide on for extra mobility. However Chin was no stranger to fighting in the cold. His army had marched across frozen mountains. He created his own path, raising rock platforms to shatter the ice. Kyoshi spat fire while sliding around until she was tripped up by an ankle high wall brought up by Chin's earthbending. She fell gracefully, remembering to tuck into a roll and was back on her feet in a flash. Her focus was kept squarely on the fight. It was only Chin's size that battle had carried on as long as it did. As a small man, he made a for a small target and kept on the move. She had to slow him down.
Kyoshi combined her fans and airbending to create powerful blasts of wind. Now she was in control of where Chin went, blasting him around as he tried to regain his balance. The moment came as she prepared to launch a column of rock strong enough to knock Chin into the air and half his clothes off. Then something stung her in the side. Confusion and pain spread across her face as she looked down to find an arrow hit her just above the thigh. To her further surprise, the arrow fell out as she brushed it with her hand. The wound was not severe enough to hamper her bending. But the simple fact one of Chin's soldiers had fired on her during a duel was outrageous. The anger turned her firm expression into a glare trained directly on Chin. He was not surprised and seemed quite pleased the arrow made its mark. She knew he was a coward, but even she was surprised at the low blow. But one arrow would not make any difference.
One arrow...
She made a horrible realization and clutched the arrow wound in a panic. Poison! The arrow must have been poisoned! If an entire division of archers fired on her she would have seen it coming. But one... Her mind became hazy. Her arms and legs started to become heavy. No! How could he?
"Chin! You coward!" She shouted at him.
The poison on the arrow head worked quickly. Kyoshi tried to end the battle immediately but her arms and legs were sluggish. Her bending was off, not just in timing but in aim. Chin did not have to leap to avoid her strikes. He simply stepped out of the way. Retreat sounded in her mind. She could not fight poison. She needed a healer. But where was the time? Not to mention, the story of the Avatar fleeing from Chin the Conqueror would devastate the morale of everyone who opposed him. No. Retreat was not an option. She had to stand her ground. She had to use the Avatar State. But the poison was strong. She had trained a long time ago to resist calling on her past lives out of panic. The discipline required focus now, and the poison made it nearly impossible. Her head was pounding.
Chin closed the distance until he was within arms length of Kyoshi. With a firm foot slammed on the ground he launched her across the field with a rock pillar punch. She felt the blow to the stomach. Before she could even react Chin struck again. He hit her with a rock uppercut, knocking her off her feet and through the air with her back arched. Her dress fluttered with each blow. Chin was brutal, not wanting to waste precious time Kyoshi was weakened.
"Augh!"
Avatar Kyoshi's strength was fading. The Avatar State was further away than ever. She had not counted on Chin stooping so low to poison her in mid battle. Instead of calling on her past lives, she began to question herself. Chin did not let up.
"Ughh!"
A rock trap closed in on Kyoshi, trapping her from the waist down. The poison had taken hold of her senses. She could barely lift her arms much less break free of the slabs squeezing in on her. The pressure made it impossible to move. With Kyoshi trapped and an easy target, Chin started launching boulders at her. Solid stones crashed into her again and again. Despite the pain, her mind snapped back from the poison. Her stubborn defiance surged through her like a second wind. She tried deflect the boulders with her fans, but her arms still refused to cooperate. Chin attacked again and again until the rock trap he sprung on Kyoshi was destroyed in the process.
Kyoshi could no longer resist. Her body burned with agonizing pain. The poison and Chin's attacks overwhelmed her. She screamed, showing weakness before the very man she intended to defeat. With the rock trap collapsed, another boulder impact sent her flying backward across the ground, rolling over and over again until coming to a stop on her back. The sudden turn in the battle had ruined her once proud image. She was covered in dust and dirt, her kimono was ravaged, her face paint was smeared. Even her headdress was chipped and scuffed until it appeared bronze instead of gold. And despite this, despite her crushing defeat... she tried to stand. Her body screamed. The pain burned. But she got on her feet.
"...how dare you..." she coughed.
"I did not become Chin the Great by playing by the rules."
Chin directed his soldiers to move in. They brought out heavy chains and began to tie the beaten Avatar up. They cuffed her arms behind her back and roped the strong metal chain around her chest. Her legs were next and soon she could not move. In her condition it was impossible to break free. The soldiers propped Kyoshi on her knees before their leader. The humiliation was almost too much for her to bear.
"You are a coward!" Kyoshi hissed.
"As if you deserved victory anyway." Chin laughed. "You, the great Avatar, didn't lift a finger to help the Earth Kingdom until I marched on your home."
Chin's words gave her pause. But her anger flared up again.
"You are a tyrant!"
"What about the other villages, towns, and cities I conquered? Where were you for them? With the exception of Ba Sing Se, I control the continent. Ha! You simply stood by as I marched across the kingdom. How did you ever become the Avatar?"
As much as she hated him, his words began to sink in.
"I was..." She began slowly.
"Please! You are a fully realized Avatar. What were you waiting for? Nothing. The only time you ever stand up for others is when it threatens your home. You are no hero."
The chains, the poison, the battle, and Chin's words began to weigh heavily on Avatar Kyoshi. But anger still ran high from his poison arrow tactic. She could not back down now.
"You will not win." She vowed.
"I will do what the Avatar cannot. I will bring order to the Earth Kingdom. Once word of my victory over the Avatar spreads, not even Ba Sing Se will oppose me. Then there will be peace. And this time of war can be behind us."
She did not believe Chin. A man like him would not bring peace. But finally her stubbornness lost out to her conscience. The Avatar was supposed to stop men like him. But she had let him walk all over the Earth Kingdom until her village was threatened. Did she really deserve to lose for that? No one was perfect. Not even the Avatar. She felt lost. Her anger melted away as she lowered her head. Chin's soldiers picked her up off the ground and took her away. Soon they would march on her village. Reluctant tears began to run down her face. If only her previous life, Avatar Kuruk had given her more guidance...
Now she would spend the rest of her days in a dungeon facing endless humiliation. She was now Chin's War Trophy, and he had become a Conqueror of Avatars.
Author's Note:
I sometimes write fiction and fanfiction and rewrite scenes from games and animation with a tragic spin. In this case, it's about Avatar: The Last Airbender. Avatar Kyoshi is a minor character to be sure, but I loved her character design and always wanted to see what happened if Chin the Conqueror beat her in battle.
----------
Avatar Kyoshi looked out across the peninsula leading to her village. In the distance she could see an army on the move. Despite her warnings Chin the Conqueror, would-be tyrant of the Earth Kingdom, had come to claim her village as part of his empire. The sun was barely over the horizon and thousands of soldiers marched on her home. Even though she prepared herself for this, it did not make her any less angry. At her side was the worried village chief who was on his way to becoming terrified.
"Look at them!" He gasped. "Can you really fight them all?"
The number of trained men following Chin's orders did not move her. She remained firm.
"I will protect our home. No matter what happens, keep everyone back."
"But Kyoshi..."
"Chin lead his army here because I defied him. Now, I will show him he cannot defy the Avatar."
The chief was silent but she could see in his eyes he wanted to reason with her.
"If Chin will not step down, I will do what is necessary." She assured him.
The sun came up higher, spreading the early morning light across the peninsula. Kyoshi walked into the field to meet Chin's army. She wore the green multi-layered kimono along with a golden headdress that flashed in the sunlight. Her face was painted white with red highlights over her eyes for a striking image. While beautiful, it did not make her appear any less determined. For weapons, she had two golden war fans folded safely in the obi around her waist. She did not need anything else. As the Avatar, she had the four elements at her command. Last and most importantly, she had the Avatar State that would allow her to perform amazing feats of bending while connected to all of her past lives. When she finally met Chin's army, they came to a dead stop. One towering woman against and entire army. There was a tense wait until Chin himself moved to the front line.
"Chin the Conqueror!" Kyoshi announced. "You march on my home, intent on threatening our peace and our way of life. For that, I will only ask you once. Back down, now."
Chin was half of Kyoshi's height. Even when compared to normal men, he was short. He wore armor that could double for ceremonial events. Even considering his situation, with the Avatar challenging him in front of all of his men, he merely smiled.
"I bring my entire army and all they send to meet me is one towering woman? Avatar or not, I am insulted."
Those words confirmed everything Kyoshi suspected of Chin. He was a small arrogant man who didn't care about anything but his own ambitions. The entire Earth Kingdom lived in fear because of a cruel tyrant and his ego. She would not let him win. His behavior coupled with his arrogant smile made her come to a sudden decision. She would not use the Avatar State to defeat him. If she relied on her past lives, it would acknowledge that Chin was a serious enough to bring about her most powerful ability. No, she would not give him the gratification. Chin was a bully with an army inherited from his father. Nothing more. He did not deserve such a display.
Talking was over.
Avatar Kyoshi pulled out her war fans and spread them, ready to fight. Chin's army seemed poised to launch an attack, but he raised his hand and made them stand down. He met Kyoshi in the field and took a fighting stance. They locked in a stare.
"If you surrender now, I promise to give you a prison cell large enough to accommodate your monstrous size," Chin said.
The battle began in a flash. Rocks crashed into rocks until Kyoshi and Chin were lost in a cloud of dirt. Kyoshi used airbending to control the cloud in order to jump in and out of cover before Chin's very eyes. He launched rocks whenever he could and raised a shield of earth to protect himself. It did him no good, as Kyoshi used firebending to launch flames concentrated enough to melt rock. Chin was on the defensive. Before she could move in closer, he slammed the ground with both of his feet and created a rolling wave of earth in every direction. Sharp jagged rocks rolled across ground forcing Kyoshi to launch herself away to avoid getting speared. Despite Chin's arrogant behavior he was no slouch at Earthbending. Still, she could see he was reckless at times. With the four elements, she would break through soon.
The Avatar and the Conqueror clashed again. He used boulders. She used walls of water taken from the ocean. The water that spilled across the field became ice that she was well prepared to slide on for extra mobility. However Chin was no stranger to fighting in the cold. His army had marched across frozen mountains. He created his own path, raising rock platforms to shatter the ice. Kyoshi spat fire while sliding around until she was tripped up by an ankle high wall brought up by Chin's earthbending. She fell gracefully, remembering to tuck into a roll and was back on her feet in a flash. Her focus was kept squarely on the fight. It was only Chin's size that battle had carried on as long as it did. As a small man, he made a for a small target and kept on the move. She had to slow him down.
Kyoshi combined her fans and airbending to create powerful blasts of wind. Now she was in control of where Chin went, blasting him around as he tried to regain his balance. The moment came as she prepared to launch a column of rock strong enough to knock Chin into the air and half his clothes off. Then something stung her in the side. Confusion and pain spread across her face as she looked down to find an arrow hit her just above the thigh. To her further surprise, the arrow fell out as she brushed it with her hand. The wound was not severe enough to hamper her bending. But the simple fact one of Chin's soldiers had fired on her during a duel was outrageous. The anger turned her firm expression into a glare trained directly on Chin. He was not surprised and seemed quite pleased the arrow made its mark. She knew he was a coward, but even she was surprised at the low blow. But one arrow would not make any difference.
One arrow...
She made a horrible realization and clutched the arrow wound in a panic. Poison! The arrow must have been poisoned! If an entire division of archers fired on her she would have seen it coming. But one... Her mind became hazy. Her arms and legs started to become heavy. No! How could he?
"Chin! You coward!" She shouted at him.
The poison on the arrow head worked quickly. Kyoshi tried to end the battle immediately but her arms and legs were sluggish. Her bending was off, not just in timing but in aim. Chin did not have to leap to avoid her strikes. He simply stepped out of the way. Retreat sounded in her mind. She could not fight poison. She needed a healer. But where was the time? Not to mention, the story of the Avatar fleeing from Chin the Conqueror would devastate the morale of everyone who opposed him. No. Retreat was not an option. She had to stand her ground. She had to use the Avatar State. But the poison was strong. She had trained a long time ago to resist calling on her past lives out of panic. The discipline required focus now, and the poison made it nearly impossible. Her head was pounding.
Chin closed the distance until he was within arms length of Kyoshi. With a firm foot slammed on the ground he launched her across the field with a rock pillar punch. She felt the blow to the stomach. Before she could even react Chin struck again. He hit her with a rock uppercut, knocking her off her feet and through the air with her back arched. Her dress fluttered with each blow. Chin was brutal, not wanting to waste precious time Kyoshi was weakened.
"Augh!"
Avatar Kyoshi's strength was fading. The Avatar State was further away than ever. She had not counted on Chin stooping so low to poison her in mid battle. Instead of calling on her past lives, she began to question herself. Chin did not let up.
"Ughh!"
A rock trap closed in on Kyoshi, trapping her from the waist down. The poison had taken hold of her senses. She could barely lift her arms much less break free of the slabs squeezing in on her. The pressure made it impossible to move. With Kyoshi trapped and an easy target, Chin started launching boulders at her. Solid stones crashed into her again and again. Despite the pain, her mind snapped back from the poison. Her stubborn defiance surged through her like a second wind. She tried deflect the boulders with her fans, but her arms still refused to cooperate. Chin attacked again and again until the rock trap he sprung on Kyoshi was destroyed in the process.
Kyoshi could no longer resist. Her body burned with agonizing pain. The poison and Chin's attacks overwhelmed her. She screamed, showing weakness before the very man she intended to defeat. With the rock trap collapsed, another boulder impact sent her flying backward across the ground, rolling over and over again until coming to a stop on her back. The sudden turn in the battle had ruined her once proud image. She was covered in dust and dirt, her kimono was ravaged, her face paint was smeared. Even her headdress was chipped and scuffed until it appeared bronze instead of gold. And despite this, despite her crushing defeat... she tried to stand. Her body screamed. The pain burned. But she got on her feet.
"...how dare you..." she coughed.
"I did not become Chin the Great by playing by the rules."
Chin directed his soldiers to move in. They brought out heavy chains and began to tie the beaten Avatar up. They cuffed her arms behind her back and roped the strong metal chain around her chest. Her legs were next and soon she could not move. In her condition it was impossible to break free. The soldiers propped Kyoshi on her knees before their leader. The humiliation was almost too much for her to bear.
"You are a coward!" Kyoshi hissed.
"As if you deserved victory anyway." Chin laughed. "You, the great Avatar, didn't lift a finger to help the Earth Kingdom until I marched on your home."
Chin's words gave her pause. But her anger flared up again.
"You are a tyrant!"
"What about the other villages, towns, and cities I conquered? Where were you for them? With the exception of Ba Sing Se, I control the continent. Ha! You simply stood by as I marched across the kingdom. How did you ever become the Avatar?"
As much as she hated him, his words began to sink in.
"I was..." She began slowly.
"Please! You are a fully realized Avatar. What were you waiting for? Nothing. The only time you ever stand up for others is when it threatens your home. You are no hero."
The chains, the poison, the battle, and Chin's words began to weigh heavily on Avatar Kyoshi. But anger still ran high from his poison arrow tactic. She could not back down now.
"You will not win." She vowed.
"I will do what the Avatar cannot. I will bring order to the Earth Kingdom. Once word of my victory over the Avatar spreads, not even Ba Sing Se will oppose me. Then there will be peace. And this time of war can be behind us."
She did not believe Chin. A man like him would not bring peace. But finally her stubbornness lost out to her conscience. The Avatar was supposed to stop men like him. But she had let him walk all over the Earth Kingdom until her village was threatened. Did she really deserve to lose for that? No one was perfect. Not even the Avatar. She felt lost. Her anger melted away as she lowered her head. Chin's soldiers picked her up off the ground and took her away. Soon they would march on her village. Reluctant tears began to run down her face. If only her previous life, Avatar Kuruk had given her more guidance...
Now she would spend the rest of her days in a dungeon facing endless humiliation. She was now Chin's War Trophy, and he had become a Conqueror of Avatars.
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