Three mini-fics: ATLA and Xena
Jan. 10th, 2012 11:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfwannabeTitle: None, written for ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
paradisa app
Fandom: Xena: Warrior Princess
Characters: Xena, random warlord I made up, and some unfortunate mooks
Summary: Battle scene. Insert theme music and ululation here.
Those sounds were unmistakable. The clashing of swords, the cries of the warriors, the groans of the wounded, and the screams of the innocent- there was a slaughter nearby. Xena made her way through the woods towards the nearest village. She could smell the blood before she got there.
It was so familiar she barely had to think about it. Her opponents were fools, a number of them rushing at her straight on. A few strokes of her sword took care of them easily. Enraged, some of their comrades swarmed at her. A quick back-flip out of danger and she was free to throw her chakram. It whizzed through the air, bouncing off helmets and slicing throats before finally coming back to her. At this point, ten or twelve men lay dead in a heap.
“Anybody else wanna do something stupid?”
The men practically knocked each other over trying to get away. But as the mass of soldiers ran in one direction, a single man approached from another. Xena turned around. A smile of recognition crossed her face.
“Lykaios. It’s always good to see old friends.”
“You’ve encountered a lot of old friends lately, Xena. Most of them end up dead.”
“That’s because they wouldn’t listen to reason, Lykaios. Hand over your sword.”
He laughed. “Oh, Xena. You know me better than that.” And with that, he drew his sword and advanced toward her.
She grinned. Now this would be more of a challenge; this was a fight worth having. She pulled out her own sword and began to circle her opponent.
He leapt forward and their swords clashed. Cackling, Xena swung her sword to the down and to the side, aiming for his leg. He countered and once again their swords met. The two were well matched and the battle continued for sometime without either gaining a clear advantage. The longer the struggle raged, the more intense it got, eventually rising to a fever pitch with scarcely a pause between the attacks. Finally, with her customary battle cry ringing in the air, Xena struck the final blow. Lykaios gasped as Xena’s sword pierced his gut, smiling briefly as he choked out his final words.
“That’s...more like the Xena I remember.”
“That Xena’s been dead for a long time.” She withdrew her sword and wiped it clean on the grass nearby. With that, she turned and walked back towards the village to treat whatever survivors she could.
Title: None, written forparadisa app
Fandom: Xena: Warrior Princess
Characters: Xena, Gabrielle, wounded villagers
Summary: Xena can't save them all; she and Gabrielle discuss it. Warrior wisdom ensues
It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining over the hills. Birds were chirping. The freshly fallen dew still glistened on the grass. And Xena had her hands in a man’s ribcage.
For once she had arrived after the fighting was over, much to her dismay. She would track down the warlord later. But first she had to set things to rights with the villagers and that included tending this man’s injuries.
“A rib punctured his lung. Gabrielle-“
“A hollow reed and a bladder.” She hadn’t forgotten their time at the healing temple.
“Right.”
It didn’t take long for Gabrielle to reappear with the needed supplies. Wordlessly, Xena took the reed and drove it into the hole in the punctured lung. She placed the bladder at the top of the reed and began squeezing it in time with the man’s weak attempts at breathing on his own.
“Come on…”
Gabrielle watched on anxiously as Xena worked, almost holding her breath until, at last, the man stopped responding to their efforts and, with only the briefest pause, Xena dropped the bladder and reed and moved on to the next man.
It wasn’t until later that evening that they even talked about it. The villagers had been kind enough to set them up in what was left of the local inn. There wasn’t much to it, but there were beds, four walls, and a roof and that was quite a bit more than either woman was used to.
Xena was seated on the side of the bed, sharpening her sword, as Gabrielle fussed with the fireplace. Eventually, without turning to look at her friend, the younger woman posed a question she’d been wondering about for a while now.
“Does it bother you?”
“Does what bother me?”
“That man today. You did everything you could and he still died. You couldn’t save him.”
Xena looked up with a sigh and patted the side of the bed. Obediently, Gabrielle left the fire and seated herself next to her.
“Death is a part of life. I’m not a fate or a god- I can’t change that. You were there, Gabrielle, what was the last thing he saw?”
“You?”
“He saw a stranger- someone who barely knew him and thought his life was worth saving. After all the suffering and pain he’d seen today, the last thing he saw was hope. Sometimes that’s all you can give.”
Gabrielle fell uncharacteristically silent, gazing ahead into the fire.
“Hey.” Xena lightly punched her arm. “We’ve got an early start tomorrow. Get some sleep.”
Title: None, written forparadisa
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Characters: Iroh and some unfortunate mooks
Summary: It is never a good idea to bully a dragon. Even if said dragon is fat, old, jolly, and runs a tea-shop.
Iroh hummed to himself as he strolled through the marketplace. He had originally gone out to buy supplies for the tea shop, but, well, he had a tendency to acquire other objects along the way. Along with his tea leaves he was now carrying a lovely painting of an Earth Temple, some jasmine scented incense, and a new tsungi horn. He hadn’t really needed a new tsungi horn, but the girl selling it had been so pretty and sweet he couldn’t resist; it was worth it to see her smile. He could send his old one to Zuko. Now that he was Fire Lord, he’d need something to relax with. He was sure his nephew would love it. He reached his tea shop and started putting the ingredients away, still humming.
“So, the great General Iroh, Dragon of the West is reduced to running a tea shop in Ba Sing Se.”
The war had ended, but one hundred years of conflict and ill feeling could not be wiped away with proclamations. There were still a few in Ba Sing Se, mostly the family of ex-Fire Nation soldiers who had been stationed there, who felt loyalty to Ozai and the old regime. A few of them were standing in the door way of the shop, trying their best to look imposing.
Iroh turned around and faced the men, smiling broadly.
“Not just any tea shop!” He gestured excitedly. “The best tea shop in town!” He eyed the group of men warily. He didn’t want trouble, but he was ready for it. “Which unfortunately is closed at the moment, but if you’d return in the morning-“
“We’re not interested in your tea, old man!” The men edged closer.
Iroh set everything down, freeing his hands. He moved towards them, still smiling.
“Oh? Then perhaps a game of Pai Sho? It’s always nice to play with new friends.”
This was obviously infuriating to the men.
“Friend? You’re a traitor to the Fire Nation-you and your nephew!”
“The Fire Nation is a different place now, with a different ruler. Clinging to the past is not healthy. You should accept the change and move forward.”
The advice wasn’t exactly welcome. Three of the men rushed forward, shooting blasts of fire towards the old man. Iroh ducked under the fire, reached up and took the lead man’s extended arm. He flipped the attacker onto one of his comrades and swept his feet under the legs of the other, knocking him to the floor. The fight was over almost as soon as it started.
He shook his head as the men scrambled to their feet.
“Not quick enough. Your stances could use some work too.”
The group didn’t stick around to listen to his suggestions. No sooner were they on their feet than they were out the door.
Iroh leaned out the door and shouted after them: “Come again when we’re open! Tuesday is music night!”
paradisa appFandom: Xena: Warrior Princess
Characters: Xena, random warlord I made up, and some unfortunate mooks
Summary: Battle scene. Insert theme music and ululation here.
Those sounds were unmistakable. The clashing of swords, the cries of the warriors, the groans of the wounded, and the screams of the innocent- there was a slaughter nearby. Xena made her way through the woods towards the nearest village. She could smell the blood before she got there.
It was so familiar she barely had to think about it. Her opponents were fools, a number of them rushing at her straight on. A few strokes of her sword took care of them easily. Enraged, some of their comrades swarmed at her. A quick back-flip out of danger and she was free to throw her chakram. It whizzed through the air, bouncing off helmets and slicing throats before finally coming back to her. At this point, ten or twelve men lay dead in a heap.
“Anybody else wanna do something stupid?”
The men practically knocked each other over trying to get away. But as the mass of soldiers ran in one direction, a single man approached from another. Xena turned around. A smile of recognition crossed her face.
“Lykaios. It’s always good to see old friends.”
“You’ve encountered a lot of old friends lately, Xena. Most of them end up dead.”
“That’s because they wouldn’t listen to reason, Lykaios. Hand over your sword.”
He laughed. “Oh, Xena. You know me better than that.” And with that, he drew his sword and advanced toward her.
She grinned. Now this would be more of a challenge; this was a fight worth having. She pulled out her own sword and began to circle her opponent.
He leapt forward and their swords clashed. Cackling, Xena swung her sword to the down and to the side, aiming for his leg. He countered and once again their swords met. The two were well matched and the battle continued for sometime without either gaining a clear advantage. The longer the struggle raged, the more intense it got, eventually rising to a fever pitch with scarcely a pause between the attacks. Finally, with her customary battle cry ringing in the air, Xena struck the final blow. Lykaios gasped as Xena’s sword pierced his gut, smiling briefly as he choked out his final words.
“That’s...more like the Xena I remember.”
“That Xena’s been dead for a long time.” She withdrew her sword and wiped it clean on the grass nearby. With that, she turned and walked back towards the village to treat whatever survivors she could.
Title: None, written for
paradisa appFandom: Xena: Warrior Princess
Characters: Xena, Gabrielle, wounded villagers
Summary: Xena can't save them all; she and Gabrielle discuss it. Warrior wisdom ensues
It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining over the hills. Birds were chirping. The freshly fallen dew still glistened on the grass. And Xena had her hands in a man’s ribcage.
For once she had arrived after the fighting was over, much to her dismay. She would track down the warlord later. But first she had to set things to rights with the villagers and that included tending this man’s injuries.
“A rib punctured his lung. Gabrielle-“
“A hollow reed and a bladder.” She hadn’t forgotten their time at the healing temple.
“Right.”
It didn’t take long for Gabrielle to reappear with the needed supplies. Wordlessly, Xena took the reed and drove it into the hole in the punctured lung. She placed the bladder at the top of the reed and began squeezing it in time with the man’s weak attempts at breathing on his own.
“Come on…”
Gabrielle watched on anxiously as Xena worked, almost holding her breath until, at last, the man stopped responding to their efforts and, with only the briefest pause, Xena dropped the bladder and reed and moved on to the next man.
It wasn’t until later that evening that they even talked about it. The villagers had been kind enough to set them up in what was left of the local inn. There wasn’t much to it, but there were beds, four walls, and a roof and that was quite a bit more than either woman was used to.
Xena was seated on the side of the bed, sharpening her sword, as Gabrielle fussed with the fireplace. Eventually, without turning to look at her friend, the younger woman posed a question she’d been wondering about for a while now.
“Does it bother you?”
“Does what bother me?”
“That man today. You did everything you could and he still died. You couldn’t save him.”
Xena looked up with a sigh and patted the side of the bed. Obediently, Gabrielle left the fire and seated herself next to her.
“Death is a part of life. I’m not a fate or a god- I can’t change that. You were there, Gabrielle, what was the last thing he saw?”
“You?”
“He saw a stranger- someone who barely knew him and thought his life was worth saving. After all the suffering and pain he’d seen today, the last thing he saw was hope. Sometimes that’s all you can give.”
Gabrielle fell uncharacteristically silent, gazing ahead into the fire.
“Hey.” Xena lightly punched her arm. “We’ve got an early start tomorrow. Get some sleep.”
Title: None, written for
paradisa Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Characters: Iroh and some unfortunate mooks
Summary: It is never a good idea to bully a dragon. Even if said dragon is fat, old, jolly, and runs a tea-shop.
Iroh hummed to himself as he strolled through the marketplace. He had originally gone out to buy supplies for the tea shop, but, well, he had a tendency to acquire other objects along the way. Along with his tea leaves he was now carrying a lovely painting of an Earth Temple, some jasmine scented incense, and a new tsungi horn. He hadn’t really needed a new tsungi horn, but the girl selling it had been so pretty and sweet he couldn’t resist; it was worth it to see her smile. He could send his old one to Zuko. Now that he was Fire Lord, he’d need something to relax with. He was sure his nephew would love it. He reached his tea shop and started putting the ingredients away, still humming.
“So, the great General Iroh, Dragon of the West is reduced to running a tea shop in Ba Sing Se.”
The war had ended, but one hundred years of conflict and ill feeling could not be wiped away with proclamations. There were still a few in Ba Sing Se, mostly the family of ex-Fire Nation soldiers who had been stationed there, who felt loyalty to Ozai and the old regime. A few of them were standing in the door way of the shop, trying their best to look imposing.
Iroh turned around and faced the men, smiling broadly.
“Not just any tea shop!” He gestured excitedly. “The best tea shop in town!” He eyed the group of men warily. He didn’t want trouble, but he was ready for it. “Which unfortunately is closed at the moment, but if you’d return in the morning-“
“We’re not interested in your tea, old man!” The men edged closer.
Iroh set everything down, freeing his hands. He moved towards them, still smiling.
“Oh? Then perhaps a game of Pai Sho? It’s always nice to play with new friends.”
This was obviously infuriating to the men.
“Friend? You’re a traitor to the Fire Nation-you and your nephew!”
“The Fire Nation is a different place now, with a different ruler. Clinging to the past is not healthy. You should accept the change and move forward.”
The advice wasn’t exactly welcome. Three of the men rushed forward, shooting blasts of fire towards the old man. Iroh ducked under the fire, reached up and took the lead man’s extended arm. He flipped the attacker onto one of his comrades and swept his feet under the legs of the other, knocking him to the floor. The fight was over almost as soon as it started.
He shook his head as the men scrambled to their feet.
“Not quick enough. Your stances could use some work too.”
The group didn’t stick around to listen to his suggestions. No sooner were they on their feet than they were out the door.
Iroh leaned out the door and shouted after them: “Come again when we’re open! Tuesday is music night!”