Earthly Reigns: A Prince's Retribution Against the Four Nations Ch.6 (Patreon)

— Ryushi —

I sat alone in the corner of the relatively small dining tent. It has been a week since I enlisted, and things were going okay. 

Not bad, not good. Okay. 

Everyone else gathered in groups and ate together. No one gave me odd looks, called me names, or picked on me, but at the same time, no one gave me the time of day. 

No one wanted to associate themselves with me.

And honestly, I have been content with that. 

I know Kusko said I should go out of my way to make friends by proving myself, but besides basic training, there’s no real event I can compete in that will earn the respect of my fellow trainees. 

There were a few people who talked to me, though…

“The kid is still here, hehe!” Yao walked over and sat beside me before squeezing his arm around my neck. “I thought you would have gotten lost a long time ago.” 

“At this point, I don’t know whether he’s brave or stupid.” Ling laughed, walking up behind us. 

“It takes a lot of courage to be here this young,” Chien noted as he took the other seat beside me. 

This was a common occurrence around this time. These three would come over and dance between the lines of harassment and coddling. I honestly didn’t know what they really wanted, and if I asked them, I doubted I would get a serious answer. 

“Thanks,” Was my curt response. 

In return, I got some snickering from them, and Yao squeezed my neck a bit tighter. 

“No problem, little pebble.” 

And that was the title they gave me, which I had to admit: It was a stupid fucking name.

A pebble is already small, and calling me a ‘little pebble’ just seemed redundant, but then again, these guys weren’t exactly the brightest trainees in our group.

Then, from the corner of my eyes I saw the woman disguised as a man walk with a tray of food to a lone corner of her own and sit down. 

“Something caught your eye?” Yao asked with a snicker. 

“You could say that.” I nodded. 

The group of three men followed my gaze and watched as Mulan ate small bites of her food. 

“What’s so special about Ming?” Ling asked. 

“His name is Ping.” I corrected, sending the man a slight side eye which he grinned at. 

“And there’s the fight we love to see, little pebble!” Yao chuckled and stood up. “What do you say we get…acquainted with this Ping?” 

I let out a sigh and stood up. Yao took that as my answer and started walking toward Mulan, disguised as Ping, with his group in tow. 

“What are you doing all alone, Ping?” Chien asked. 

Ping damn near choked to death thanks to his/her food as he/she devolved into a coughing fit. Eventually, he managed to grab his canteen of water and take long gulps. 

Upon clearing his throat and regaining his breath, he looked at us curiously. His eyes roamed past each of us and paused on me for a moment. Something filled his eyes, something I couldn’t quite place. 

“I like being alone…” Ping answered with a quiet voice. 

“Come on, where’s that Earth Kingdom camaraderie?!” Yao asked in mock outrage as he threw himself behind Ping and threw an arm over her shoulder. 

“Earth Kingdom camaraderie?” Ping asked, more to himself as he seemingly pondered on Yao’s words. 

“I see what’s going on.” Ling crossed his arms and nodded sagely. All of us looked at him as he pointed at Ping. “He’s a slow one.” 

“Of course!” Yao smacked himself in the face. “How did I not realize that!” 

Both Ping and I looked at the three passive-aggressive guys with odd looks. 

Were they calling Ping retarded? 

I couldn’t help it. A quiet chuckle escaped my lips, loud enough for the four people around me to hear. 

All of them looked at me, shock on the three men’s faces. 

“You…you can react!” Ling shouted in surprise. 

“...” I stared back at him, tilting my head. “Did you think I couldn’t?” 

All three men shook their heads, and for a moment, I had to stare at all of them in silence. 

They’re all fucking idiots. 

But they’re the only ones who talk to me. 

“Well, now you know.” I snorted, taking a seat beside Ping. 

“Don’t get cocky there, pebble!” Yao rubbed his fist against the top of my head, messing up my hair and hurting me a bit. 

FWOSH

All eyes locked onto the tent's entrance where one of the drill sergeants walked in. 

“That’s enough! All of you, to your tents, now!” 

““Yes, sir!””

We didn’t waste any time getting up and making it out of the dining tent. 

Yao, Ling, Chien, Ping, and I all returned slowly. The three bullies/friends conversed all the way while Ping and I were quiet. 

I occasionally slipped a few glances his way. He was…definitely a quiet one. 

As we entered our shared tent, I considered speaking to him, but ultimately decided against it. 

There would be plenty of time in the future to speak to him.

Now wasn’t the time. 

— Kusko (The Next Day) —

“My arms hurt!” 

“Damn, this sucks!” 

“Why do the targets have to be moving?!” 

“If you think the Fire Nation is just going to stand still and let you hit them, think again, maggots!” The old drill sergeant, Lee Han, shouted at his trainees. 

He hasn’t changed a bit. 

Lee Han had been the same man who trained Kusko when he was a young, inexperienced fool trying to make a name for himself in this war-torn world.

Now, he’ll be the one training the young master, the son of the man Kusko had sworn himself to.

It was… something to behold. 

As Ryushi picked up the boulders with his earth bending and sent them at the moving targets, Kusko couldn’t help but see his old friend in Ryushi. 

King Bumi hadn’t always been the King of Omashu. The tragic tale of Omashu’s recent history had led him to take up the title once again, as much as the old king wanted to avoid such a tiring and troublesome job. 

Initially, his eldest son, Aang, was the first to take over when Bumi was 50, around 40 years into the Hundred Years War. King Aang, while not as powerful as King Bumi, was a better military leader, or at least that’s what King Ryu would tell Kusko about his father. 

Then there is King Ryu, Kusko’s dear friend and Ryushi’s father. He was the best of both worlds—a mighty soldier and a fantastic leader—a rare combination. 

Kusko had met Ryu when he was a prince in the Earth Kingdom army, and they became friends and, later, brothers. They had been through many battles together and nearly died more than once, but by standing beside one another, they not only managed to survive but make a lasting impact against the Fire Nation-

Especially when the Fire Nation tried to launch an assault by traversing through the desert. 

Then, both Kusko and Ryu made names for themselves—Kusko of the Burning Sand and Stone Dragon Ryu. 

Later, during one of their campaigns against the Fire Nation, word reached them that King Aang had fallen ill and passed away, making Ryu the new King of Omashu. 

He had to return back, and Kusko didn’t wish to continue fighting unless Ryu was by his side. So, Kusko made a decision that he would never dare regret-

He swore himself to Ryu and his line. 

The peaceful like was…difficult to adjust to, too, but both Ryu and Kusko eventually found themselves comfortable—the former as a King and the latter as his right-hand man. 

Not very long after, Ryushi was born. His parents named him as an homage to the late Avatar Kyoshi while passing on Ryu’s name. 

The time they had together was…perfect. Even with the war waging on, times were good, and people were happy. 

Until everything went wrong. 

Kusko watched as Ryushi used his earth bending to hit the moving target, landing a bullseye. 

Ryushi deserved to know the truth, but Kusko knew the boy wasn’t ready to hear it. Judging by how fast he is maturing, it’ll only be a matter of time before he is.

Kusko closed his eyes and silently prayed, hoping he would be heard. 

‘Ryu, Kana, let your strength be with him.’ 

Author’s Note: This is a short chapter, but that’s because I want to move things along. I did give some backstory to Bumi/Ryushi’s family, so I hope that’s well received. I wrote this with a devious headache, so that’ll be my excuse.