The Banishment
As Prince Zuko entered the grand hall of the palace, the celebrations over took him. He noticed the relics from the Earth Kingdom that were on display in the center of the room. Speaking with his uncle, Prince Zuko marveled at the delicate decorations on these artifacts. He discussed with his uncle how it is almost tragic to take such beautiful pieces of history away from their people, even if taking them was a symbol of his own nation's power.
Prince Zuko's sister, Princess Azula, overheard this conversation and immediately decided to tell their father about what Zuko had said. Princess Azula has always been incredibly jealous of her brother for no reason other than he was the first born, so he would inherit the title. Princess Azula knew Zuko's words would cause their father to be angry and outraged at his own son's words. After telling Firelord Ozai, Azula and Zuko's father, Princess Azula tried very hard to hide a smile from crossing her face. Firelord Ozai was disturbed and furious with Prince Zuko for insinuating that they had no right to keep items from their conquered lands.
Firelord Ozai went up to Prince Zuko and asked him point blank if he thought that the artifacts should be returned to the Earth Kingdom. Zuko's uncle immediately recognized his brother's plans and tried to restrain Prince Zuko from speaking his mind. Prince Zuko only thought that his father finally wanted to know his true opinions on something and thought he was actually seeking advice from Zuko. So, Prince Zuko told his father that returning the artifacts to the Earth Kingdom would be the noble thing to do and it might even cause the Earth Kingdom people to be more willing to accept that they had been conquered. With a sick smile on his face, the Firelord told Zuko, "Well, since you feel so strongly about this, I command you to take these back to the Earth Kingdom and see just how grateful they are of your act of mercy." Prince Zuko, not knowing that this would be an act of banishment, graciously accepted his father's task. Prince Zuko's uncle stated that he would gladly assist his nephew in this noble task, even though he knew that this would mean he would be banished, as well.
Author's Note: I based this off of The Princes are Banished from the Mahabharata. I decided to keep my theme and continue basing the story off of Avatar the Last Airbender. I decided to have Zuko's banishment retold and have it represent the banishment of all of Dhritarashtra's children.
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Mahabharata by Sister Nivedita
Prince Zuko's sister, Princess Azula, overheard this conversation and immediately decided to tell their father about what Zuko had said. Princess Azula has always been incredibly jealous of her brother for no reason other than he was the first born, so he would inherit the title. Princess Azula knew Zuko's words would cause their father to be angry and outraged at his own son's words. After telling Firelord Ozai, Azula and Zuko's father, Princess Azula tried very hard to hide a smile from crossing her face. Firelord Ozai was disturbed and furious with Prince Zuko for insinuating that they had no right to keep items from their conquered lands.
Firelord Ozai went up to Prince Zuko and asked him point blank if he thought that the artifacts should be returned to the Earth Kingdom. Zuko's uncle immediately recognized his brother's plans and tried to restrain Prince Zuko from speaking his mind. Prince Zuko only thought that his father finally wanted to know his true opinions on something and thought he was actually seeking advice from Zuko. So, Prince Zuko told his father that returning the artifacts to the Earth Kingdom would be the noble thing to do and it might even cause the Earth Kingdom people to be more willing to accept that they had been conquered. With a sick smile on his face, the Firelord told Zuko, "Well, since you feel so strongly about this, I command you to take these back to the Earth Kingdom and see just how grateful they are of your act of mercy." Prince Zuko, not knowing that this would be an act of banishment, graciously accepted his father's task. Prince Zuko's uncle stated that he would gladly assist his nephew in this noble task, even though he knew that this would mean he would be banished, as well.
Author's Note: I based this off of The Princes are Banished from the Mahabharata. I decided to keep my theme and continue basing the story off of Avatar the Last Airbender. I decided to have Zuko's banishment retold and have it represent the banishment of all of Dhritarashtra's children.
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists: Mahabharata by Sister Nivedita
Hey Caitlyn,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your story about ‘The Banishment’. You had enough detail for me to imagine certain things from your story. You also start your story nicely and have good transitions such as when you start talking about the uncle. I could see similarity between your story and the Mahabharata which is great. Keep up the good work!
Hi Caitlyn! Your Banishment story was amazing! I also love how you added an image to something that grabs the reader’s attention. I definitely love how you created a story and kept the theme basing off of the Avatar and the Last Airbender! It’s so creative which shows you how potential you are as author which is great to learn from about! Overall, you did an amazing job, Caitlyn. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Caitlyn! I really like your “The Banishment” story. I could literally imagine the splendid and fascinating celebrations of the story. It’s interesting how mature and thoughtful Prince Zuko was that he bemoaned about taking artifacts from people for his celebrations even though they showed off his power. It’s interesting how Princess Azula was so jealous of his brother because I thought he would inherit the crown primarily because he was a son. I wonder if the uncle could have prevented naïve Prince Zuko from banishment. It seemed to me that the uncle had a very important role in that. Thank you for a great story!
ReplyDeleteHey Caitlin,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your story, I remember watching Avatar the last Airbender when I was younger so it makes it easy to follow along since I am already familiar with the characters. This was a great story and very interesting to read, I look forward to reading more of your stories this semester.
Hi Caitlyn! Oh my gosh I was so happy to recognize the characters as I started this story- Avatar The Last Airbender is my childhood and a heckin’ good show to boot, and it was so fun to re-read it through the Indian Epics lens, as it were. I liked how well you were able to incorporate the elements from the prince’s banishment into Zuko’s banishment, and Azula’s tattling and Iroh’s loyalty are consistent with their characterization on the show. I loved this! Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Caitlyn! Thank you for such a great throwback! I had the biggest crush on Prince Zuko, so it was great to see him in your story. I think this was a great idea to retell The Princes Banishment. A jealous family member always seem to be the root of trouble...I don't remember Princess Azula at all, but from reading the other comments, seems like you did a great job making her a villain in this story. She reminds me of Duryodhana from the Mahabharata.
ReplyDeleteYes!!! I was so glad to see that you continued the theme of Avatar the Last Airbender. This was a very fun read. It sucks how a simple act of kindness resulted in their banishment. But in the series, I love Zuko's character as he fights between evil and good in himself. The fire regime influences him so heavily, but eventually he breaks free to assist the avatar.
ReplyDeleteHey Caitlyn! I just wanted to say that I loved your story! Wow! I can see that you put a lot of hard work and creativity into your writing! You also grabbed my attention and had it till the very end! Therefore, keep up the good work! I look forward to reading more of your stories! Good luck with the rest of your semester! It is close to being over! Also, have a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteHey Caitlyn!
ReplyDeleteYour story was so awesome! I loved how you retold this story using the characters from Avatar the Last Airbender. I remember watching that show with my brother, so this was nice throwback. Also, I thought you did a great job telling this story and including details. Keep up the good work and I look forward to reading some more stories!