Mai Gui

Mai Gui was the 79th Earth Queen of the Earth Kingdom. Before that, she was the Earth Sage and Grand Sage at a young age, which the Kingdom appointed her to as a way to recognise her efforts and dedication. She began her reign in 167 AG in an effort to address internal instability and external tensions within the kingdom. These conflicts led to the Fire Nation suspending all agreements with the Earth Kingdom until stability was restored to the throne. The unofficial 79th Earth Monarch, Loian Hemero, declared himself Earth King following the death of the 77th Earth Queen, Lin Gui which resulted in the said conflicts.

Queen Mai was widely known for her work in foreign policy. However, she faced criticism for legalising the subelements Bloodbending, Lavabending, Combustionbending, and Suffocation, all of which were considered illegal in other nations. She defended her decision by stating that no harm would be permitted against any citizens, and that “using bending is something a person should be able to do freely, to further grow as an individual.”

She abdicated the throne in 168 AG in favour of Xaoten Izaki. She stated that the crisis which had previously led to the removal of many high-ranking officials had ended, and that she had taken the throne “not by her own desire or any formal process, but by necessity.” In her abdication letter, she described herself as not the “perfect queen” and stated that she had helped the kingdom recover so that qualified rulers could lead without concerns from the past. She concluded that she no longer considered herself qualified to hold the position.