Fanon:Heiress of the Nile

Heiress of the Nile is a fanon story written by, revolving around the life of Lostris, Crown Princess of the Fire Nation.

Overview
Set in a world that bares resemblance to the time of the Ancient Egyptians, Egypt is divided in the four nations, with the great river Nile running through the country and this story. Three months before her coronation as Fire Lord, Princess Lostris finds herself suppressed by Lord Naja, Grand Vizier of the Fire Nation and her legal guardian until she comes to age. With Taita at her side, Lostris is forced to meet him head on if she wants to keep the throne. A clash of political power and the blood-given right to rule will determine the fate of the world.

When the dark truth about her past is revealed, Lostris is forced to rediscover herself. Meeting friend and foe, trust and betrayal, peace and war, Lostris embarks on a journey towards destiny.

Main characters

 * Lostris Tamose: She is the stubborn Crown Princess of the Fire Nation; forced under the rule of her regent and struggling to maintain her own will, she has trouble with people telling her what to do. Despite Naja's actions and the hardship, Lostris's kind hearted and loving personality makes her liked by the people of her nation.
 * Taita: First the servant of Queen Amanra, who he loved deeply, he now serves her daughter, offering her wisdom and friendship when needed. He is a skilled physician and artist, with a reputation that precedes him in the world.
 * Tanus Harrab: Blessed with great physical strength, Tanus had quickly risen through the ranks of the Fire Nation Army, becoming the youngest captain of the Royal Fire Guard the nation had ever seen. Proud, just, honest and loyal, Tanus would do anything to protect those that need him.
 * Meren Cambyses: Second in command after Tanus, he is best friends with his captain. Bluntly honest, Meren likes to tease people. He's loyal and strong, a clever tactician, and a great friend.
 * Seraphine Apepi: Daughter of a general, she has been raised in the army, and as a firebending wonder, she can't resist the thrill of a challenge. She has inherited the full measure of her mother's celebrated beauty and wears her heart on her sleeve.
 * Naja: Once the right hand general of Fire Lord Tamose, Naja is the grand vizier, the highest political function in the Fire Nation, and the regent of the under-aged princess. Unmatched as a firebender, Naja is ruthless in dealing with those who cross him. Having a hidden agenda, he will do whatever it takes to claim power.
 * Intef: Naja's right hand and the commander of the Fire Nation's armies. There is nothing he would not do, no act so reckless, that he would not undertake willingly to hasten Naja's ascension to the summit of power, the throne of the Fire Nation.

News and subscription
For more news and details concerning my fanon, go here.

Important message
Although the main character of the fanon and the author share the same (nick)name, they are not intended to be the same person; the author is not writing a story about herself. The usage of the name "Lostris" is a testimony of the author's love for the book "River God" written by Wilbur Smith. The author fell in love with the setting, the character and the story of Lostris, and has used that name ever since as an alias if needed. Using the name now for the main character came naturally as the story is heavily inspired and influenced by Smith's books.

Egyptian influences
Even though the world knows bending, the story is set in a time resembling that of the Ancient Egyptians, because I am fascinated by their culture. The Ancient Egyptian culture worshiped a multitude of deities, so as the story merged with the Avatar influence, these gods were transferred to spirits; some of the well known Egyptian gods will pass the revue as a spirit. The river Nile has always played a huge role in the life of the Egyptians, and it will do so as well in the lives of the characters in the story.

Much to the annoyance of one of my editors,, a graduated historian with ancient cultures as specialty, I have used my artistic freedom to change some key elements in history to make the story flow better.

Author's notes
This is my first written story ever, especially in English. The foundations of the story came to be after I had read River God, back in 2005. Mesmerized by Smith's words and nothing better to do during my summer job, I started to fantasize side stories featuring the main characters of the book. When I rediscovered Avatar: The Last Airbender later that year, the elements soon merged and formed the story which later would be known as "Heiress of the Nile".

Source of inspiration

 * Wilbur Smith's "River God" and "Warlock": These two books, the former being my all time favorite, have laid the base for the story. A lot of the setting, names, and customs are inspired by one of these books, so I hereby would like to give Wilbur Smith the credit for the following names: Lostris, Taita, Tanus, Meren, Intef, Naja, Apepi, Tod, Tamose, and Memnon. (More names may be added to the list when the story progresses.)
 * Avatar: The Last Airbender: Obviously, ATLA plays a huge part in the story as it revolves around bending and the Avatar. Being rubbish with thinking of names, I have made it easy for myself and borrowed some names of the show now and again, but the character that sports the name has nothing to do with the show's namesake. As writing went on, I realized that ATLA has sunk deeper into my subconscious than I thought and I've unknowingly written some scenes that bear close resemblance to scenes from the series. This was often unintended, but after I realized what I wrote, I sometimes exploited the occasion and gave the character a line that was used in the series. This will be pointed out in the trivia section of the relevant chapter if it occurs.
 * Disney: Disney movies just rule. I love Disney, and there will be plenty of references, some more subtle than others, in my chapters.
 * with her : Unintentionally, Ultimate has inspired me more than she knows with her story; she was a true inspiration for me to do better and due to her usage of vivid, descriptive and colorful words, I have rewritten the story multiple times. My writing would never have become what it is now were it not for her story, so I truly thank her.
 * and her : I like to use metaphors, and after reading TAD's beautiful story, it made me reinvent the metaphors I was already using, to make them more descriptive, more meaningful. Everything I've learned from using metaphors comes from reading ABCLAF.
 * and her being awesome: Having talked a lot about the story with her, she has become a true help for when I'm stuck. Her vast knowledge about the Egyptian culture always comes in handy as well.

Thank yous

 * I'd like to thank my three editors,, and , as without them, Heiress of the Nile would be infested with so many spelling and grammar mistakes, even Grammar Ozai would die of a heart attack by just witnessing the error infestation.
 * for coming up with the name of the story.
 * for helping me to adapt the logo of Smith's Warlock to fit this story.
 * and for the reasons mentioned above.
 * for the coding layout of the reception section, and for the navbox coding.
 * Wilbur Smith, for "letting" me "borrow" so many elements from his book. The same goes for Mike and Bryan. Seriously, thank you guys, you rock.
 * My readers, as a story is nothing without its readers.