152 AG

The first time Kuvira saw Zaofu it was from above. When the airship curved around the mountain, the sun was just starting to rise, and the morning light tinted everything orange and pink. Her mother had said something, but she was too entranced by the enormous unopened lotus flowers sitting in the middle of the valley, casting long dark shadows on the fields and rivers that flanked them. At first, she had thought they were giant sculptures, but as they began to open up, her eyes widened and she pressed her palm against the glass of the window. They unfolded slowly, and as the metallic petals spread they reflected the growing light in a dazzling show of silver and gold. She drew in a sharp breath.

She had never seen anything more beautiful, or more powerful.

As they neared the landing pad, she began to see the details of the city more clearly. Each structure was wholly separate, but all of them were connected by a monorail system.

"That monorail is the only thing Zaofu has in common with Ba Sing Se," her father remarked proudly.

"Look who's excited now," her mother teased. Kuvira didn't want to look away from the city, but she could hear the sound of ruffled clothing as her parents held each other's hands.

"I can't believe how lucky we are. Do you know how hard it was for me to have the architects see her? I had to wait for hours."

"I know how much you hate waiting," her mother remarked idly.

"Bah. But really, I didn't think they were going to see her. I didn't want to be pushy, but then they were carrying a crate of ore and some of it was about to spill out and she bended it away from the guy's foot! It was incredible. They all stopped what they were doing to look over at us."

"That's about the tenth time you've told me, dear."

They were talking about her like she wasn't there again. This time she didn't mind. She looked out the window, squinting her eyes against the harsh rising light. The central lotus was larger than the rest. Tall spires rose out of the center. The metal city. She could already feel the energy of the refined earth, rumbling in her core.

"It's because of you that we're here, Vee. You're going to do great things."

She felt her father's hand on her shoulder.

She turned her head and nodded slightly. After a brief moment, she returned her focus back to the city. It glittered in the light like a promise; reflected in the deep waters of her heart like a wish. Nothing would ever be the same. She would do great things.

She was eight years old.

"Are you sure you don't want to take a nap first, honey? You've been up all night."

"I'm fine," she said flatly, resolutely, in the way that she knew would work. She was horribly tired, but she didn't want to sleep. She wouldn't be able to even if she tried. The metallic energy all around her was too much to bear. She wondered if every metalbender felt like this, when they came to Zaofu for the first time.

They disembarked from the airship and followed the path down a long flight of stairs that led to a giant courtyard. The architecture took Kuvira's breath away. They were surrounded by white-metal pillars, beautifully shaped and arced across sculpted gardens and flowing streams set into the shining metal panels in the ground. It was like walking into another world. A tall woman in a flowing dark green robe approached them.

"Are you the new arrivals?"

"Yes. We're from Ba Sing Se."

"Welcome to Zaofu. I'm Sen." She bowed slightly, and her dark hair fell across one bright green eye. She raised her hand up to brush the hair out of her face as she rose.

Even the people are different. Kuvira stared up at her. The bracelet around Sen's wrist vibrated slightly. She glanced at her bracelet and then looked down at Kuvira. She smiled.

"You must be Kuvira."

Kuvira nodded.

"We're always happy to take new metalbenders into the fold." Sen turned and motioned to a stationary rail car in the distance. "If you'd come with me, I can show you around."

They followed her and sat in one of the front compartments. The rail car was slow to start, but eventually it kept a good pace. The track went back around the landing pad and twisted off towards the central compound. They passed a smaller compound off to the right. Kuvira could see people in the distance, bending a giant sheet of metal atop a building into what seemed to be a roof.

"Even after two years, there's still plenty of active construction projects," Sen remarked idly as she followed Kuvira's gaze.

"Amazing," her mother said in awe, "and it's all made out of metal?"

"Well, most of it. The defensive panels and perimeter wall are, but probably not most beds or couches." Sen looked down at Kuvira and winked. Kuvira felt fuzzy. She felt at home. These were her people, and she felt like she finally belonged.

"What are they building?"

"A stadium. For sport." Sen paused and watched the roof curve around the wide building. "And the northern compound is for the artist's conclave."

"In Ba Sing Se, artistic endeavors are relegated to the court," Kuvira's father mentioned sullenly. Her mother clasped his hand. Sen looked back at them, and her eyes softened.

"In Zaofu, all that is asked of us is that every individual live up to their full potential. Our matriarch, Suyin Beifong, has encouraged us to follow those deepest desires, so that we may strive to be the best possible version of ourselves."

Kuvira stared at her. She wanted to say something, but she didn't have any time. The rail car passed the central compound and she turned her head just in time to see an expertly sculpted statue of a woman standing in a robe, holding the Metal Clan insignia above her head.

"Toph Beifong," Sen said, as if answering a question no one had the courage to ask. "Suyin's mother. The very first metalbender. She's the reason Zaofu exists at all. I've heard that she's planning to visit the city soon, to see her daughter's progress."

Kurvira turned her head to look at the statue even as the rail car passed it. Toph Beifong. Suyin Beifong. Important people. Powerful people with a purpose. She rolled the names around in her mind, and they cascaded through her thoughts like a thick fog.

"Maybe someday you'll get to meet her," Sen remarked as she looked down at Kuvira.

"I'd like that," Kuvira replied. She looked out the window, but eventually her focus shifted, and in the window she saw not the land before her, but her own reflection. She looked at herself. Her eyebrows, the mole at her cheek. The way her dark hair fell down one side of her face. Someday, she thought, she would make for a great statue.