Chapter 1: The Soldiers
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My dad died a few years ago, when I was 4. My older sister Rina was 10, so she remembers more of what happened. There was a huge volcano that erupted on our home island, and our father wasn't able to stop it, even though he was the Avatar. Mom was able to get us to safety, and now we're living in Kirachi Village, a small village in the Fire Nation where most citizens are against the Fire Lord. We've been living here for a few years, and I'm now 8, and Rina is 14.
My mother's greatest fear is that the Fire Nation will harm us for being Roku's children and being against the Fire Lord, so we don't leave the village often. My mother's fears weren't unfounded. We wake up to a strong smell of smoke all through the house and the sound of screaming. We run outside to see what happened, and we see many Fire Nation Soldiers setting fire to all of the houses, screaming being heard from fleeing citizens.
Our house erupts in flames, and I suddenly remember, "Cyril!"
I run into the house to find him and see some beams falling from the ceiling around me. I know it's silly, but my necklace and Cyril are the only things I have left of my father. Cyril is a handmade turtle-duck plushie he gave me a few months before he died. I finally find Cyril on my bed, and I grab him, only for a beam to hit my back, settling over my left arm and knocking me to the floor. The beam was on fire, and I was in a lot of pain. I started screaming for my mom, but the fire was too loud for her to hear me.
I can only lay there in my pain, unable to move and hoping that my mother and sister were able to escape. I hear some footsteps rushing towards me and feel someone picking me up and bringing me out of the house, but the pain soon becomes too much, and I pass out. Once I wake up, I find myself in a healer hut, but not the one in my village. It seems like whoever saved me brought me to a healer to help my arm.
The healer sees that I'm awake, and she lays me back down, saying, "Your injuries are too extensive. You have to rest."
I ask, "What happened? Who brought me here?"
The healer responds, "A soldier brought you here. He's waiting in the next room. He refused to leave without making sure you were alright. That fire did quite a number on your arm and back."
My eyes widened at the thought that a scary Fire Nation soldier brought me here, but that must mean that he didn't want me to die. But then, why was he helping burn down our houses if he didn't want anyone to get hurt? After seeing that I was awake, she left the room to tell the soldier that I was okay and brought him into the room I was in. He was still wearing his armor but had his helmet at his side.
He said, "I apologize for what we did to your village. No one was supposed to get hurt. When I heard your screams, I knew I had to save you."
I smile a little, then ask, "Where's my turtle-duck plushie? Did you bring him with you?"
The soldier responds, "He was buried so far in your arms I couldn't take him from you if I tried. He just fell from the bed."
I look to the floor and try to bend down to pick him up with my right arm, but the healer lays me back down. She grabs Cyril and hands him to me. I try to hug him, but notice that my left arm won't move.
I say to the healer, "Why won't my arm move?"
The healer looks really worried, and she says, "You should be able to move it. That's not good."
She pokes my arm, but I can't feel it.
She asks, "Can you feel anything?"
I shake my head no, and she starts rushing around, grabbing various medical supplies.
She pushes the soldier out of the room and says, "I'm sorry, but it looks like I must remove your arm. If you can't move it or feel anything, it's less than useless."
I'm scared. She takes a needle filled with a clear liquid and injects it into my left arm. I start feeling really tired and fall asleep. When I woke up again, it's the next day, and I fell really groggy. I look over to my left, but only see a short stump covered in bandages where my arm should be. I start freaking out, and the healer uses one hand to my chest to lay me back down.
She says, "I'm sorry about your arm, but that paralysis could have eventually spread to the rest of your body if I didn't remove it. You should still be able to bend if you are a bender. Why dont you test that?"
I move my right hand slightly above me, and a small flame is produced from my hand. She nods and allows the soldier back into the room. He sees my stump and frowns, a look of pity and guilt on his face.
He says, "This is all my fault. If I had heard you sooner, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."
I say, "If you hadn't saved me, I probably would have died like my father. Thank you for saving me."
He smiles slightly, but still looks really guilty.
He finally says, "I should be returning to my post. If I'm gone for too long, I'll be suspected of treason. I just hope you'll be able to find somewhere safe."
He leaves, and the healer leaves the room to attend to other patients. After a few weeks, the healer allows me to leave, but gave me a bag with Cyril and some extra bandages so that I can change them if I need to. I thank her, and leave to find somewhere safe. I try to make my way out of the Fire Nation, so I stow away on a Fire Navy ship that's on its way to the Earth Kingdom. It takes a few days, but I'm finally away from the Fire Nation.
Chapter 2: Aang
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I'm 12 now, and after a few months of traveling the Earth Kingdom, I find refuge in Omashu, even wearing Earth Kingdom clothes to fit in. The citizens are very nice, and I've even made a few friends here. One of them is Bumi, a kid around 8. He has a friend who occasionally visits from the Air Temples that he tells me about. I finally get to meet Bumi's friend, and he looks around Bumi's age.
He introduces himself, "I'm Aang! What's your name?"
I respond, "I'm Ryuza. I'm from the Fire Nation, but I lost my family, so I'm living in the Earth Kingdom."
Aang looks sad, but he says, "If you don't have any family, why don't you come with me to the Southern Air Temple? The monks are really nice people."
I nod and grab my few things, slinging my bag over my shoulder. I still have Cyril in my bag and even snuggle him while sleeping. After we say goodbye to Bumi, Aang takes me with him out of the city and down a long road. At the end of the road, there's a sky bison. I've rarely seen one, so I start petting its nose in astonishment.
The bison growls in delight, and Aang says, "This is Appa, my sky bison. He helps me get around and visit my friends. Wanna hop on?"
I smile and climb up Appa, settling in the saddle. Aang uses his airbending to hop onto Appa's head, grabbing the reins attached to his horns.
He excitedly says, "Okay, first-time flier. Hold on tight! Yip yip."
As Aang says that, Appa takes off into the air, flying away from Omashu. Appa is much faster than any ship I've ever seen, so it only takes a few hours to reach the Southern Air Temple instead of a few days or weeks. Aang and I shared jokes and stories on the ride, getting to know each other pretty well. Once we arrived at the Air Temple, Aang introduced me to the monks, and they seemed kind of cold towards me at first, but the other kids were nice, like Aang.
They allowed me to stay and even offered to teach me what they could to help me firebend better. They told me that, in their worldly travels, they have studied different forms of bending to apply them to their airbending. I was even given a shared room with Aang. I think I'm going to like it here.
Chapter 3: Leaving
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Ryuza Prologue Pt 3 & Season 1 Design
After a few years of living with the monks, Aang is revealed to be the Avatar at the age of 12 instead of 16, and he's become more like a little brother to me. Maybe it's because of my connection to his past life, my father. The monks said that war was on the horizon, so he needed to start training immediately. Monk Gyatso, his caretaker, kept allowing him to play games, but I knew the other monks didn't like that.
One day, Aang woke me up from a nap around mid-day. I saw the sad look on his face, but he kept avoiding eye contact with me. I rolled onto my back, letting Cyril lay on the bed next to my pillow, then push myself into a sitting position, looking up at him. I put my right hand on his shoulder, making him look directly at me.
I ask him, "What's wrong, Aang? I've never seen you like this."
He suddenly exclaims, "They're gonna send me away!"
I feel my eyes widen in shock, replying, "What? What do you mean?"
Aang continues, "It's the monks! I overheard them saying that they're gonna take me away from you and Gyatso for my training!"
I take a few seconds to let the information sink into my tired brain, then take a deep breath to calm myself.
Aang takes a deep breath too, and I ask, "So, what are you gonna do?"
Aang takes a minute to think, then says, "We're gonna run away. That way, they can't find us, and we won't have to be separated."
I feel a pang of sadness at having to leave my second home, but nod. I see Aang write a note for Gyatso and leave it on his bed as I pack my few things back into my bag. Back in Omashu, I only had a few things out of necessity for traveling, but here in the temples, the monks don't allow for many keepsakes.
The only new things that I've gotten since coming here were Air Nomad clothes since I outgrew my Earth Kingdom clothes, and I'm wearing them now. It only took a minute or two to pack my things, slinging them over my left shoulder and neck, leaving my only arm open. We slip out of the window, flying over to the stables on Aang's glider.
It's not easy to hold on while flying with only one arm, so I fall off just before we land. I see a candle's light from a nearby window, so I pull Aang and I under the window sill to hide us, covering his mouth with my hand. After a few minutes, the light goes away, silence filling the night again. Once I'm convinced we won't be seen, we run into the stables toward Appa.
He woke up from the sound, and we walked with him out of the back, facing the cliff. Aang and I climb on him silently, flying away. Suddenly, I hear a storm approach us. It's too late to land since we're flying over the middle of the ocean. Appa swerves as lightning crashes right in front of him, leading us right into a huge wave that sweeps over us, dragging us under the water.
I was never a strong swimmer to begin with, but it became infinitely harder to swim with only one arm. I try to swim to the surface, but I only feel myself being dragged further towards the bottom of the ocean. I can feel my strength dwindling, and dark spots forming in my eyes. Just as I feel myself let out what may have been my last breath, everything goes dark.
Chapter 4: The Boy and Girl in the Iceberg
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After what felt like forever of silence and darkness, I saw a beam of light overtaking my vision. I finally take a breath that I felt had been trapped in my lungs for so long. I open my eyes, seeing a blue sky above me. I'm laying on a flat surface and sit up to see that I'm on Appa's saddle.
I scratch my head in confusion and feel the palm of my hand get covered in something cold. I look at my hand to see ice crystals. I wipe my hand off on my shirt, then hear Aang's voice. I look around me to see that we're surrounded by ice walls. Are we near one of the water tribes? How did we get here? I guess I passed out, since that storm is the last thing I remember.
Aang was sliding down one of the walls and hear him call, "Ryuza! Appa! There you are!"
He enthusiastically waves at me, and I wave back. I slide down Appa's tail, and try to get up once I stop sliding.
I fall on my butt from the lack of grip, and Aang helps me back up, asking, "Are you alright?"
As I get back up on my feet, I respond, "Yeah, I just wasn't expecting the ice to be that slippery. I've never been near ice before."
Aang giggles, moving to Appa. Appa was still asleep, so Aang was pulling on his upper lip to wake him up.
He exclaims, "Wake up, buddy!"
I hear someone gasp loudly. I look to my right, the direction the noise came from, and see a teenage boy around my age and a younger girl. Their clothes look like they're from the Southern Water Tribe, though the outfits look more advanced than the ones I've seen in books.
Were the books that outdated? They both look just as shocked to see me as I am to see them. Appa finally wakes up, giving Aang a big, slobbery lick, coating Aang's entire side in saliva. Gross.
Aang laughs, saying, "You're okay!"
Aang gives Appa a big hug as Appa finally stands on all six legs, stretching.
The Southern Water Tribe boy exclaims, "What is that thing?!"
Aang replies, "This is Appa, my flying bison."
The boy gives him a deadpanned expression, gesturing to the girl beside him.
He sarcastically says, "Right, and this is Katara, my flying sister."
The girl, Katara, shoots the boy an annoyed look. Aang and I look confused at the siblings, then at each other. Our attention is drawn back toward Appa as we hear him inhale deeply and lean his head backward. Uh oh. I know what that means.
Aang ducks, and I'm far enough from Appa's face to just walk to the side to avoid the snot-shot of a sneeze. The green snot lands on the boy, almost completely covering him. He squeals in disgust, trying to wipe it off and failing, much to the amusement of Katara and I.
Aang giggles a little, saying, "Don't worry, it'll wash out."
The boy tries to wipe the snot off of his face, only getting his glove covered in snot and covering more of his face in snot, almost reaching his mouth. Katara covers her mouth in disgust, and I grimace at the sight.
As the boy rolls in the snow, finally getting the snot off, I say to Aang, "We must be in the Southern Water Tribe, considering their clothes."
Aang asks the siblings, "So, do you guys live around here?"
The boy points his spear at us and tells his sister, "Don't answer that. Did you see that crazy bolt of light?! They were probably trying to signal the Fire Navy!"
My eyes widen, hearing their hatred of the Fire Nation. I've never heard of anyone being against the Fire Nation as a whole, but I have heard of people being against Fire Lord Sozin. Especially my family, since he killed my father. If they hate the Fire Nation so much, I probably shouldn't reveal my firebending. At least, not yet.
Katara sarcastically says, "Oh yeah, I'm sure they're spies for the Fire Navy. You can tell by that evil look in their eyes."
Aang gives the siblings an earnest, childlike grin, and I give them a nervous grin. The boy looks more suspicious of me, but Katara pushes his spear away from us.
She says, "The paranoid one is my brother, Sokka. You never told us your names."
Aang responds, "I'm A..."
He starts, then his face freezes up for a few seconds before sneezing, flying him high into the air.
He lands back on the ground unharmed, finishing, "I'm Aang."
He sniffles as the Water Tribe siblings look at him in shock. They look at me to see my reaction, and are more shocked at my nonchalant expression.
I add, "And I'm Ryuza."
He's done that before. Many powerful Airbender would be sent into the air from a sneeze, so I was surrounded by that type of thing for the last four years.
Sokka, in total disbelief, exclaims, "You just sneezed and flew ten feet in the air!"
Aang looks questioningly toward the sky, replying, "Really? It felt higher than that."
I look up as well, adding, "Oh, definitely higher. Not the highest you've flown, though. I think your highest was 30 feet?"
I look back at Aang for confirmation, and he nods with a smile on his face.
Katara gasps, exclaiming, "You're an airbender!"
Aang responds enthusiastically, "Sure am!"
Katara asks, "Are you both airbenders?"
I assume she asked that because of the clothes I'm weearing.
I shake my head, replying, "No, just him. I've just been living at the Air Temples for the last few years and outgrew my old clothes, so they gave me these."
The siblings seem to have finally noticed my lack of a left arm as Katara nervously asks, "What happened to your arm?"
I grimace before responding, "Long story short, the Fire Nation did this to me a long time ago."
Sokka shook his head in disbelief, walking away as he muttered, "Giant light beams, flying bison, airbenders, missing limbs... I think I've got Midnight Sun Madness. I'm going home to where stuff makes sense."
He looks out across the vast ocean, slowly realizing that he's stranded with us in the middle of the ocean.
After a short while, Aang says, "Well, if you guys are stuck, Appa, Ryuza, and I can give you a lift."
Aang uses his airbending to hop up onto Appa's head, grabbing hold of the reins. He looks to the siblings for their reactions as I walk up Appa's tail into the saddle. His tail curls back up after I'm in his saddle.
Sokka is still searching the empty ocean for another way, but Katara smiles, saying, "I'd love a ride! Thanks!"
Katara climbs up into the saddle from the side as Sokka finally turns around, exclaiming, "Oh no, I'm not getting on that fluffy snot monster!"
I grab one of Katara's arms to help her up, and she sarcastically responds, "Are hoping some other kind of monster will come along and give you a ride home? You know, before you freeze to death?"
Sokka opens his mouth to retaliate but can't think of anything. He sighs, then Katara helps him up into the saddle. Sokka sits at the back of the saddle, his arms crossed as he sulks while Katara is full of excitement and anticipation.
Aang exclaims, "Okay, first time flyers, hold on tight! Appa, yip yip!"
I giggle, remembering that Aang said the same thing to me a few years ago. Appa groans, slapping his tail on the ground. He floats for a few seconds, then flops into the water. Appa starts swimming through the water slowly. Katara crawls to the front of the saddle as Aang keeps trying to get Appa to fly.
He exclaims, "Come on, Appa. Yip yip!"
Sokka sarcastically says, "Wow. That was truly amazing."
Katara shoots a glare back at her brother, but he just slouched further under her gaze.
Aang is unaffected by Sokka's negativity, saying, "Appa's just a little tired. A little rest and he'll be soaring though the sky. You'll see."
I add, "It's a little scary at first, but the view is amazing!"
I flop onto my back and see Sokka roll his eyes.
I ask him, "So, how far is the Southern Water Tribe from here?"
Sokka groans, replying, "A few hours."
I reply, "Well, then I'll try to get some sleep. I'm not sure how long I was out, but I'm still tired."
I get up, reaching into my bag for my bedroll and Cyril. My bag is also covered in ice crystals, making me wonder if it snowed while I was out. Now that I think of it, I thought we were just in a storm and I was drowning! How did we get out of the storm? I shake the thoughts out of my head, rolling out my bed roll near the right side of Appa's saddle, leaving room for the others to move around the saddle.
I pull Cyril out from my bedroll, and hear Sokka ask, "Is that a turtle-duck toy? You still sleep with toys?"
I hear him laugh, and I glare at him.
Once he stops laughing, I respond, "Yeah, I still sleep with it. It's the only thing I have left of my dad. I'm not ashamed of it."
Sokka and Katara look at me in shock, and I see Katara have a pitying look while Sokka looks slightly embarrassed. I see Katara put a hand to her necklace. I look away from their gazes, curling into my bedroll with my back to them, hugging Cyril to my chest. Since Aang and I have slept on a flying Appa before, I sewed a bit of yarn to connect Cyril to my bedroll so I don't lose him. I hear the others talking quietly to each other, so I try to tune them out as I fall asleep. I faintly hear Katara talking to Sokka about their mom, but I can't hear any more details before falling asleep.
I wake up on Appa's saddle, the Air Temple vanishing in the distance. Just as I remembered, lightning strikes right in front of Appa, directing us toward a huge wave. It overtakes us, and I feel myself drowning again, my vision getting darker as the salt of the ocean stings my eyes.
I shoot awake in a tent, the air colder than when I fell asleep. I'm breathing heavily and see Katara at the entrance of the tent.
She heads over to me, asking, "Are you okay?"
I take a few seconds to steady my breath, then reply, "Yeah, I just had a nightmare."
She looks worried, but lets me calm down on my own. I sit up, watching her wake up Aang, who was sleeping a few feet away from me in the tent.
Aang sits up, rubbing his eyes as I ask, "Where are we?"
Katara responds, "We're in the village now. Come on, get ready! Everyone's waiting to meet you both."
Aang starts changing into his other set of Air Nomad clothes, and I hear Katara gasp as he exposes his arrow tattoos. Once he's changed, Katara pulls him out of the tent, giving me space to change. I pull on my other set of Air Nomad clothes.
Both Airbenders and Firebenders are able to control their own body temperature, so I'm not too worried about freezing. I make sure that I wear the longer sleeved undershirt, just to make sure they aren't suspicious of how I stay warm. Sokka and Katara both showed a hatred of the Fire Nation, so I'm not sure how their village would react to a Firebender among them.
I see a few small tears on the cloth of the undershirt, so I stay back for a while to fix it. It's harder to sew with only one hand, so I have to pinch the cloth between my knees to keep it in place while I work. Once the cloth is fixed and I'm fully clothed, I walk out of the tent, immediately feeling eyes on me. I look to see about a dozen people in Southern Water Tribe clothes, all women and children. I wonder where all of the men are.
I feel Katara putting a hand on my right shoulder, introducing me, "Ryuza, this is the entire village. Entire village, Ryuza."
I wave at them, and I see their eyes drift to my missing arm, and I hear them murmuring about it.
The oldest woman in the small crowd says, "I'm Sokka and Katara's grandmother. Please call me Gran Gran."
I respond, "Will do. And for those wondering about my arm, I'll just say that it's a long story, but it was from Fire Nation soldiers attacking my village a long time ago. I don't know what happened to my family. I also know that I'm wearing Air Nomad clothes, but I'm not an airbender. I was just living with the Air Nomads the last couple of years with Aang."
I hear more murmuring in the crowd, and Gran Gran says, "We didn't know there were any Airbenders or Air Nomads left. Like we told your friend, we thought they were extinct. No one's seen one in nearly a hundred years. Not since the war started."
My eyes widen in shock, and Katara takes her hand off of my shoulder.
I respond, "A war? Extinction? But I just saw them yesterday! How could they be extinct?"
Katara says to me, "The war against the Fire Nation started a hundred years ago. Sokka and I found you and Aang in an iceberg, and released you. Do you know how long you were in that iceberg?"
I feel my eyebrows scrunch in confusion, responding, "An iceberg? I just remember a storm and then waking up on Appa's saddle."
Katara and the crowd look at me in shock, and I feel myself getting overwhelmed. How long were we in that iceberg? I feel like the small crowd is getting bigger, crowding around me. I feel myself breathing quicker, and run away. I don't know where I'm running to, I just need to run.
I hear Katara call to me, "Ryuza, wait!"
But I keep running. No wonder Sokka and Katara hate the Fire Nation so much. Now I know for sure that I shouldn't tell them that I'm a Firebender. I end up at the top of a hill surrounded by otter-penguins, and I curl into myself. The implications of the Fire Nation killing all of the Airbenders is too much for me to handle. My home Nation killed the people that I called friends, destroyed the places I called home, and Aang and I were lucky to be able to get away.
My guess is that Aang created the iceberg in his Avatar state to save us. But we were stuck in an iceberg for a hundred years?! I've had panic attacks before, but I think this is the worst one I've had so far. It takes a while for me to calm down, and even after I calm down, I stay with the otter-penguins. I flop onto my back, staring at the sky. After a while, I hear Aang and Katara's voices getting closer. I sit up, peeking over the heads of the otter-penguins.
Aang is giggling, chasing down some otter-penguins, saying, "Hey, come on, little guy. Wanna go sledding?"
He jumps at the otter-penguin, but it moves out of the way, making him belly flop onto the snow. He pulls himself up quickly with the assistance of his airbending.
He chuckles, saying, "I have a way with animals."
I finally speak up, "I can see that."
Aang and Katara look at me, seeing my head peek out from the crowd of otter-penguins.
Katara gives me a pitying look, asking, "How are you doing? You seemed to be having a rough time earlier."
I respond, "I'm fine now. You guys just told me a lot of difficult information, and I needed time alone to take it all in and calm down."
Katara has a guilty look on her face, but we both are drawn to look at Aang mimicking the sounds and movements of the otter-penguins. I smile, and Katara laughs.
Katara says, "Aang, I'll help you catch a penguin if you teach me waterbending."
Aang has a smile as he responds, "You got a deal! Just one problem. I'm an airbender, not a waterbender. Isn't there someone in your Tribe who can teach you?"
Sounds like Aang hasn't told her that he's the Avatar. Not that I blame him for not telling her. He was under a lot of pressure to train at the Air Temples before we ran away.
Katara frowns, saying, "No. You're looking at the only waterbender in the whole South Pole."
That doesn't sound right. There should be way more villagers, not to mention benders.
I ask, "But I thought there were plenty of waterbenders in the Southern Water Tribe. How did this happen?"
She responds, "The Fire Nation took all the other waterbenders many years ago."
Aang says, "That isn't right. A waterbender needs to master water. What about the North Pole? There's another Water Tribe up there, right? Maybe they have waterbenders who could teach you."
Katara responds, "Maybe, but we haven't had contact with our sister Tribe in a long time. It's not exactly 'turn right at the second glacier'. It's on the other side of the world."
Aang points to himself, saying, "But you forget, I have a flying bison. Appa, Ryuza, and I can personally fly you to the North Pole. Katara, we're gonna find you a master!"
Katara seemed unsure as she said, "That's... I mean, I don't know. I've never left home before."
Aang responds, "Well, you think about it, but in the meantime, can you teach me to catch one of these penguins?"
Katara imitates a teacher, saying, "Okay, listen closely, my young pupils. Catching penguins is an ancient and sacred art. Observe!"
She pulls a fish out of each sleeve, tossing one at me and one at Aang. The smell of the fish makes the otter-penguin crowd around Aang and I, and we each grab one.
One side of the hill is iced over, and we climb onto our respective penguins, sliding down at high speed. We race each other, trying to see whose penguin is faster. My penguin is slower than the others, sliding just behind them. We're all giggling and having fun.
Katara exclaims, "I haven't done this since I was a kid!"
Aang and I respond in unison, "You still are a kid!"
We end up sliding into a tunnel of ice, and Aang has the lead, using his airbending.
I exclaim, "Hey! That's cheating!"
He even goes along the walls and around the ceiling before going down the other side and back to the ground. The tunnel soon levels out into an open plain field of ice. I lean forward as far as I can as a last-ditch effort to pass them. I end up passing Katara, but I only have the advantage over her for a few seconds before leaning too far forward, launching me forward.
The speed makes me slide forward on my stomach, and I almost hit a large metal ship. I look behind me to see Aang and Katara just behind me. I exclaim, "Woo! I win!" Wait, a metal ship? I look back at the ship and see the Fire Nation insignia. The ship looks pretty damaged, the door is open, and the bottom is encased in ice, like the work of a waterbender. Aang and I look at it curiously, but Katara seems to be afraid of it.
Aang asks, "Woah! What is that?"
Katara has a dark tone in her voice when she replies, "A Fire Navy ship. And a very bad memory for my people." Aang approaches the wreckage, and Katara exclaims, "Aang, stop! Were not allowed to go near it! The ship could be booby-trapped!"
Aang responds, "If you want to be a bender, you have to let go of fear."
Katara seems to ponder it for a moment, walking toward Aang with a scared look on her face.
I say, "I don't know about this. I'm getting a bad feeling about this."
I reluctantly walk over to them, and we enter the ship, walking through the silent rooms of the empty ship. We enter a room stocked with various weapons.
Katara says, "This ship has haunted my Tribe since Gran Gran was a little girl. It was part of the Fire Nation's first attacks."
I feel a surge of guilt in me.
Aang says, "Okay, back up. I have friends all over the world, even in the Fire Nation. I've never seen any war."
He glances toward me, and I shake my head, silently telling him that I haven't either.
Katara asks again, "Aang, Ryuza, how long were you in that iceberg?"
Aang responds, "I don't know. A few days, maybe?"
I take a deep breath before saying, "I think it was much longer than that, Aang. Think about it. The war started with the Fire Nation getting rid of the Air Nomads, and they were all over the world when we left, and the monks said that war was on the horizon."
Katara said, "I think you were both in there for a hundred years!"
Aang didn't believe us, exclaiming, "What?! That's impossible! Do I look like a hundred twelve year old man to either of you? And Ryuza, you don't look a hundred sixteen!"
Katara calmly said, "Think about it. The war is a century old. Neither of you knew about because, somehow, you were in there the whole time! It's the only explanation."
Aang backs away and falls to his knees in shock, exclaiming, "A hundred years! I can't believe it."
Katara and I squat on the floor on either side of him, and I rest my arm over his shoulders to help comfort him.
Katara gently says, "I'm sorry, Aang. Maybe somehow there's a bright side to all this..."
Aang takes a moment to take in the information, then responds, "I did get to meet you."
Katara smiles back at him, offering her hand as she says, "Come on, let's get out of here."
She helps him up, then helps me up.
She says, "Let's head back. This place is creepy."
I nod, and we start wandering back through the ship to find where we entered. In the hallway closest to the door, Aang trips on a thin rope on the floor, making him stumble. As he does, metal bars slide downward over the entrance, trapping us inside.
Aang nervously asks Katara, "What was that you said about booby traps?"
I hear rusty gears powering up inside the ship, powering it back up. We follow the movements of the machines until a flare is suddenly fired into the opening at the top, exploding high in the sky.
I say, "That can't be good."
Aang takes Katara and I into his arms, and I make sure to grip his shirt for security so I don't fall.
He exclaims, "Hold on tight!"
He jumps through the opening and floats us down using his airbending. He hops down the side of the ship, then sets Katara and I down when we reach the snow. We all immediately start running back toward the village. Hopefully, we can warn them before any nearby Fire Nation ships arrive.
Chapter 5: The Avatar Returns
Chapter Text
Aang, Katara, and I finally return to the village, where we see all of the villagers gathered together. The kids crowd around Aang in happiness, while the adults and Sokka glare at Aang and I with distain. Sokka pushes to the front of the crowd, pointing a finger toward us.
He exclaims, "I knew it! You both signaled the Fire Navy with that flare! You're leading them straight to us, aren't you?"
Katara defends us, "Aang and Ryuza didn't do anything! It was an accident."
I say, "We were on this ship -"
Aang interrupted me, adding, "And there was this booby trap and... well... we booby-ed right into it."
Gran Gran says, "Katara, you shouldn't have gone on that ship! Now we could all be in danger!"
Aang guiltily says, "Don't blame Katara or Ryuza. I brought them there. It's my fault."
Sokka exclaims, "Aha! The traitor confesses! Warriors, away from the enemies. The foreigners are banished from our village."
The kids head back into the crowd, hiding behind their moms or grandparents.
Katara says, "Sokka, you're making a mistake!"
Sokka angrily says, "No, I'm keeping my promise to Dad." He points to Aang and I again, adding, "I'm protecting you from threats like them!"
Katara, fed up with Sokka, exclaims, "Aang and Ryuza are not our enemies! Don't you see? They've brought us something we haven't had in a long time: fun."
I feel guilty that they haven't had fun at all in so long because of my nation.
Sokka, annoyed, says, "Fun?! We can't fight firebenders with fun!"
I immediately feel more guilty that I haven't told them about my bending yet.
Aang optimistically says, "You should try it sometime."
Sokka angrily says, "Get out of our village! Now! Both of you!"
Katara pleaded with her grandmother, saying, "Grandmother, please. Don't let Sokka do this!"
She responded gravely, "Katara, you knew that going on that ship was forbidden. Sokka is right. I think it best if the airbender and his friend leave."
Katara looks outraged, exclaiming, "Fine! Then I'm banished, too! Come on, guys, let's go."
She grabs Aang's left hand and my hand in hers as she storms away, dragging us with her toward Appa.
Sokka demands, "Where do you think you're going?"
Katara retorts, "To find a waterbender. Aang and Ryuza are taking me to the North Pole."
I exclaim, "Wait, what?"
Aang brightly says, "We are? Great!"
Sokka gestures to the village, saying, "Katara! Would you really choose them over your Tribe? Your own family?"
Katara stops in her tracks, letting go of Aang and I. I see that she has tears in her eyes.
Aang tells her, "Katara, I don't want us to come between you and your family."
I add, "Yeah. Neither of us has any family left. You should be with yours."
Katara quietly asks us, "So, you're leaving the South Pole? This is goodbye?"
Aang and I nod, and I hold her right hand gently, facing her as Aang says, "Thanks for penguin sledding with us."
I let go of Katara's hand as she asks, "Where will you go?"
Aang responds, "I guess we'll go back home and look for the airbenders." He pets Appa, then says, "Wow, I haven't cleaned my room in a hundred years. Not looking forward to that."
I add, "Well, there wasn't much to clean anyway. The monks live a minimalist lifestyle, after all."
Once Aang and I are sat on Appa, we both say in unison, "It was nice meeting everyone!"
Sokka exclaims, "Let's see your bison fly now, air boy."
Aang flicks Appa's reins, saying, "Come on, Appa. You can do it. Yip yip!"
Appa merely stands up, yawning and stretching.
Sokka mocks, "Yeah, I thought so."
A young girl runs from the crowd with tears in her eyes.
She exclaims, "Aang, don't go! I'll miss you!"
Aang responds, "I'll miss you, too. Come on, boy."
As Appa starts waving away, I wave goodbye to Katara, saying, "Maybe we'll be back someday."
Appa turns away, taking us over the hill and away from the village. Aang and I just lay on Appa, trying to decide what to do next.
We sit in silence for almost an hour before I say, "I miss Katara. She was really nice, and the first girl my age I've seen in years. There were only boys at the Southern Air Temple."
Aang responds, "Yeah, I liked her too."
Suddenly, Aang and I see a Fire Nation ship advancing toward the village.
We exclaim in unison, "The village!"
We slide down the ice hill, Aang saying, "Appa, wait here."
As we head back to the village, I catch sight of the otter-penguins.
I say, "Aang, I have an idea. We'll probably be able to get there faster."
He nods, and we each grab an otter-penguin. Down by the village, we see a group of Fire Nation soldiers bending against the village. Aang plows into the unmasked leader of the firebenders, knocking him over. I slide down the middle, accidentally covering the villagers in snow.
They are silent for a moment before cheering for our return. Aang and I stop in front of Katara and Sokka, and the otter-penguins toss us off of them. I landed on my butt, but Aang was able to right himself before helping me up.
Aang cheerfully says, "Hey, Katara. Hey, Sokka."
Sokka grumpily returns, "Hi, guys. Thanks for coming."
We look back at the soldiers and see the leader finally back up on his feet. I see that he has a huge, pink scar over his left eye. He gestures with his hands, causing the soldiers to surround the villagers and Aang and I. I know that if he's a firebender, he'll likely aim at the villagers.
I move in front of them to be able to redirect a fire blast, if necessary, while Aang and the leader circle each other. Aang looks around at the soldiers, then slams his staff into the ground, airbending the snow onto the soldiers to distract them. The leader gets covered in snow but melts it off of himself in seconds.
The leader glares at Aang angrily, and Aang asks, "Looking for me?"
The leader, shocked, exclaims, "You're the airbender? You're the Avatar?"
The villagers gasped in shock behind me, but I already knew. Sokka and Katara look at me for confirmation, and I solemnly nod at them to say that he is indeed the Avatar.
Aang and the leader circle each other again, and the leader growls, "I've spent years preparing for this encounter. Training, meditating. You're just a child!"
Aang calmly replies, "Well, you're just a teenager."
The leader, angered, launches a blast of fire at Aang, who redirects it over him with his airbending, accidentally leading it toward the villagers. Before it could hit anyone, I redirected it over their heads.
I can feel everyone's eyes on me, but keep my composure. After a few more shots, a soldier rushed toward me, grabbing my wrist roughly and pulling me toward the ship. I shoot a blast of fire at him, but his armor blocks him.
I start struggling, then overhear Aang say, "If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?"
The leader nods, and two more soldiers rush to Aang, taking his staff and tying his wrists together as they lead him toward the ship with me.
Katara exclaims, "No! Aang, don't do this!"
Aang calmly responds, "Don't worry, Katara. It'll be okay." We're shoved onto the walkway together, and Aang adds, "Take care of Appa for us until we get back."
The walkway is retracted, and the door shuts. We walk up a flight of stairs and end up on the deck of the ship.
Aang whispers to me, "Don't worry. I'll find a way out of here. I'll get us both out of here."
I nod as the leader takes his helmet off, saying, "Head a course for the Fire Nation. I'm going home." He takes his helmet off and I notice that he has the traditional haircut of a banished prince.
I say to Aang, "Huh. The Fire Nation. That hasn't been home to me in a long time."
The ship takes off, and the Prince glares at me, growling, "How dare a traitor like you bad-mouth your home Nation. The Fire Nation is the greatest nation in the world!"
I smugly smile at him, saying, "Bold words for a banished prince." He looks surprised, and I add, "The haircut gives it away, Prince Ponytail."
He glares harder at me, exclaiming, "How dare you speak that way to the crown Prince of the Fire Nation, heir to the throne!"
I respond, "I couldn't care less what your title was, Ponytail. Besides, why would I have respect for someone whose ancestor took everything and everyone I loved away from me?!"
I realize that I may have gone too far as fireballs gather in the Prince's hands.
He was about to launch them at me, but a plump old man redirects the blast, saying, "No, Prince Zuko! Do not pay heed to her words."
Zuko scowls at the old man, responding, "Stay out of this, Uncle."
Zuko's uncle backs away, and a soldier gives Aang's staff to Zuko. He inspects it, calming down slightly.
He says, "This staff will make an excellent gift for my father." He glares at Aang, saying, "I suppose you wouldn't know of father, being raised by monks."
He glares at me again, this time not saying a word as I glare back into his eyes.
He tells the soldiers, "Take the Avatar and the traitor to the prison hold." He gives the staff to a soldier, adding, "And take this to my quarters."
Two soldiers lead Aang and I, one in front and one behind us, with Aang in front of me and the guard behind us holding my wrist and shoulder. We soon reach the prison hold, and Aang looks at me with a mischevious look. I give him the same look, nodding.
He taunts, "So, I guess you've never fought an airbender before. I bet I could take you both with my hands tied behind my back."
The guard behind us growls, "Silence."
We stop at the end of the hallway, and the guard in front puts the key into the lock to open the door. Aang takes a deep breath, and I move to my left, positioning the guard holding my wrist directly behind Aang. I nodded at Aang, and he released his breath into an air blast, slamming the guard in front of us into the wall.
The force of the blast pushed Aang and the other guard backward as he released my wrist from shock. Aang and I ran through the halls together to find his staff before the knocked out guards woke up. We come across a group of soldiers. They're all holding swords pointed at us.
Aang asks, "You haven't seen my staff around, have you?"
The men prepare to attack, but Aang gestures to me with his head. I hop on his back, and he uses his airbending to sprint along the walls and ceilings past the guards. Airbenders are light on their feet, allowing them to lift heavy weights with ease, like when he helped Katara and I out of the other Fire Navy ship. I spare a glance behind us, seeing the guards looking around in confusion.
I say, "Thanks anyway!"
We come across another set of guards, and we hop over them, cutting the rope around Aang's wrists and allowing him to hold onto my back for support. Once we're away from the guards, Aang slows down, letting me hop off of his back while we search through the rooms together. One of the rooms contains Zuko's uncle, fast asleep in his bed and snoring.
I put a finger to my lip to tell Aang to be quiet, and he shuts the door, whispering, "Sorry!"
We finally find a room at the end of another hall, the door wide open with a clear view of Aang's staff.
He runs straight for it, exclaiming, "My staff!"
I whisper-shout, "Wait! It might be a trap!"
He doesn't hear me, so I rush after him, but the door is slammed in my face before I could get inside. I hear Zuko and Aang's muffled voices and fighting sounds before I can finally get the door back open. I catch a glimpse of Zuko crawling out from under a matress before Aang grabs my wrist, pulling me with him. We run up some stairs, stopping for a moment when we see an opening a few feet above the deck.
Aang flicks his staff open into a glider, and I hop on the back. We glide over the deck for a few seconds before I feel a hand gripping my ankle and making me lose my grip on the glider. I see that Zuko had grabbed my ankle and Aang nosedives to the deck to get me. We all tumble on the deck, and Aang accidentally drops his staff. I struggle to get back up, but I can't when Zuko places a foot on my right shoulder, pinning me down. I throw a fire blast at him, but he deflects it with ease. I see Aang get into a fighting stance, seeming unsure of him.
Before the fight could begin, I heard Appa's growl getting closer. Zuko is distracted for a moment, letting me toss a fireball at Zuko. The distraction was all I needed to make Zuko falter, and he stumbled back. I launch another fire blast at him and finally get myself up. Appa lands on the deck, and I see Sokka and Katara in the saddle. I feel heat behind me and turn around just quick enough to deflect a blast that was aimed at my back.
I growl, "Not very Prince-like behavior, you know. Firebending at someone when they can't see it. Bad form."
Zuko growls at me, then turns his attention to Aang. He blasts at him, and Aang accidentally uses too much air to block it, propelling him backward. He balances precariously on the edge of the deck but drops his glider from Zuko sending too strong of a fire blast at him for too long. The glider slides away across the deck, and Zuko's fire blast knocks Aang out, making him fall into the water.
I hear Katara exclaim, "Aang! No!"
I feel tears in my eyes, knowing that I can't swim well enough to save him. I use my anger at Zuko to toss a few huge fire blasts at him, feeling my tears sting my eyes. He barely redirected them, more in shock of what he did. Suddenly, I see the water glow, getting brighter as Aang rises out of the water in the Avatar state, his eyes and tattoos glowing.
He bends a typhoon underneath him and launches a wave over the deck, slamming into all the firebenders on deck but moving around me, leaving me where I am. Most of the firebenders, including Zuko, fall off the deck and into the water.
I hear Katara exclaim from on top of Appa, "Did you see what he just did?!"
Sokka, impressed, responds, "Now that was some waterbending!"
The glow starts fading, and I realize too late that he's leaving the Avatar state. The water returns to the ocean, and Aang starts falling to the deck. Sokka and Katara hop off of Appa, helping me catch him just in time.
Katara asks, "Aang! Are you okay?"
Aang opens his eyes, weakly responding, "Hey, Katara. Hey, Sokka. Thanks for coming."
Sokka proudly says, "Well, "I couldn't let you have all the glory."
I say, "Aang dropped his staff, but I didn't see where it landed."
Sokka looks around before spotting it, saying, "Got it!"
He walked over to pick it up, but a hand grabs the other end from the edge of the ship. I rush over there to help Sokka, seeing him hit Zuko on the head a few times. I launched a controlled fireball at Zuko, making sure not to hit Sokka, and making him drop the staff.
Sokka exclaimed, "That's from the Water Tribe!"
We head back to Katara and Aang, who's now back on his feet. The few soldiers still on deck rise up, approaching us. I launch a few fire blasts at them, making them back up a bit. I see Katara bending water from the puddles on the deck, moving her arms around, and accidentally sending the stream behind her, freezing Sokka's feet to the deck.
He exclaims, "Katara!"
The soldiers continue approaching, and I see Katara gathering more water, freezing the soldiers. I head over to Sokka, melting the ice around his ankles into water just in time as Zuko gets back on deck. We all get on Appa, Aang lifting me up into the saddle with airbending. We take off into the sky, but I soon see a huge fireball heading our way. A blast that big must've taken a couple of firebenders!
I exclaim, "Aang! Fireball headed our way!"
I'm only able to slow the blast down just enough for Aang to leap onto the saddle, slamming his staff down and launching a powerful air blast to redirect it. The fireball hits a nearby cliff side, causing an avalanche to bury half of Zuko's ship. We're all laughing as we get away, finally safe. I noticed that, even though I literally only helped, Sokka was avoiding me.
After a while of silence, I say, "Okay, Sokka. What's up? Why are you avoiding me?"
He frowns, saying, "You mean you don't know?" My eyebrows scrunch in confusion, and he continues, "You're a firebender! And you hid it!"
I exclaim, "What?! Are you kidding me?! I hid it because I knew that you hated the Fire Nation, and I knew you would react like this! I hate the Fire Nation, too! Besides, I only firebent in the first place to save you guys!"
Sokka crossed his arms, glaring at me.
I take a few deep breaths to calm myself, then continue, "Did it ever occur to you that I feel guilty for what my nation did? I haven't even lived there since I was 8! Fire Lord Sozin killed my father and found out that our village was against him, so he burnt it down. I got separated from my mom and sister in the house fire and lost my arm."
Katara and Sokka looked at me, shocked. I looked away, feeling tears sting my eyes again.
My voice wavering, I say, "After that happened, I left the Fire Nation. I didn't want anything to do with it anymore. I traveled the Earth Kingdom, and ended up in Omashu, where I met Aang. He brought me back to the Southern Air Temple with him, where we lived until we got stuck in that iceberg."
I hear silence and look back at the siblings. Sokka looked like he understood but was still suspicious of me, and Katara was clutching her necklace.
I snapped at Sokka, "So, yeah. I'm a firebender. But I'm not Fire Nation. It's not my home anymore. I'm not sure it ever was."
I wipe my eyes, and Katara says softly, "Sokka and I lost our mother during a Fire Nation raid many years ago, and our father and the men of our Tribe left to help in the war effort soon after. This necklace is the only thing I have left of her."
I grab my bedroll and Cyril from one of Appa's saddlebags, showing them my turtleduck plush.
I respond, "Cyril is the only thing I have left of my father."
After a while, silence was around us again.
I look out at the sunset and hear Katara ask Aang, "Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?"
Aang responds, "Because I never wanted to be."
Katara says, "But, Aang, the world's been waiting for the Avatar to return and finally put an end to this war."
Aang asked, "And how am I going to do that?"
Katara responds, "According to legend, you need to first master water, then earth, then fire, right?"
Aang responds, "That what the monks told me."
Katara says, "Well, if we go to the North Pole, you can master waterbending!"
Aang brightens up, saying, "We can learn it together!"
Katara adds, "And Sokka, I'm sure you'll get to knock some firebender heads on the way."
Sokka smiles, saying, "I'd like that. I'd really like that."
Katara says to me, "And you can teach Aang firebending!"
I place my chin on my knees, responding, "I don't know. I'm sure Aang can find someone with both arms who can teach him."
Aang exclaims, "Are you kidding? You're a great firebender! I'm sure you'll be a good teacher, too."
I smile a little, nodding.
Katara pulls us all into a group hug, optimistically saying, "Then we're in this together!"
Aang pulls out a scroll from one of Appa's saddlebags, unfurling a map.
He says, "Alright, but before I learn waterbending, we have some serious business to attend to."
He points to a few places in the Earth Kingdom on the map.
Katara asks, "What's there?"
Aang points to the spots again, responding, "Here, we'll ride the hopping llamas. Then way over here, we'll surf on the backs of giant koi fish. Then back over here, we'll ride the hog monkeys. They don't like people riding them, but that's what makes it fun!"
He laughs, and I'm glad that he hasn't changed at all. We all talk for hours, stopping when it gets dark about an hour away from the Southern Air Temple. We all get our bedrolls rolled out on the floor, and I fall asleep pretty quickly.
Chapter 6: The Southern Air Temple
Chapter Text
It took all night to get close to the Southern Air Temple, so we made camp. My sleeping roll is near Appa and Aang, but Sokka's is further away from me. I guess he still doesn't trust me yet. I wake up with the sun, and so do Aang and Katara, but Sokka's still asleep. We started packing up out things while waiting for Sokka to wake up.
Aang exclaims, "Wait 'til you see it, Katara! The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world!"
I add, "Yeah, the Sourthern Temple is one of the most majestic and spiritual places I've ever seen!"
Katara turns to face us, saying, "Guys, I know you're excited, but it's been a hundred years since you've been home."
Aang smiles broadly, saying, "That's why we're so excited! Right, Ryu?"
I nod as Katara says, "It's just that... a lot can change in all that time."
Aang says, "I know, but I need to see it for myself."
I frown, adding, "I need to see what they did to my home."
I see Katara avoiding my gaze, so Aang and I head over to a snoring Sokka. It's mid-morning now, and we've been awake for a few hours now.
Aang cheerfully says, "Wake up, Sokka! Air Temple, here we come!"
Sokka opens his eyes for a second, then closes them.
He grunts sleepily, "Ugh. Sleep now. Temple later."
Sokka turns around, lays on his stomach, and falls back asleep. Aang's eyes blink in surprise, then he smiles mischievously. He grabs a small, thin stick, and looks at me. I smile mischievously back, and Aang drags the stick across Sokka's back.
I say in a fake alarmed voice, "Sokka! Wake up!"
As I stifle a giggle, Aang adds, "There's a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!"
Sokka screams out in horror, "Ahh! Get it off! Get it off! Ahh!"
I burst out in laughter as he hops out of his sleeping bag, and he glares angrily at me, realizing it was a prank.
Aang says happily, "Great, you're awake! Let's go!"
Sokka mutters something under his breath, and we soon fly toward the Temple on Appa. As we reach the Potola Mountain range, Sokka's stomach growls loudly.
He clutches his stomach, saying, "Hey stomach, be quiet, alright? I'm trying to find us some food."
He starts going through his bag and grabs a small pouch. He tries to dump its contents in his mouth, but it's empty. He dumps it into his hand, and a few crumbs fall out.
He exclaims, "Hey! Who ate my blubbered seal jerky?! Ryuza, what did you do with my food?!"
I scoff, replying, "First, how could I open a small draw-string bag with one arm? Second, I'm allergic to seafood. Lastly, I thought we were on good terms after yesterday!"
Sokka huffs, crossing his arms, saying, "Whatever."
Aang says, "Wait, that was food? I used it to start the campfire last night. Sorry."
I huff, "See? It wasn't me!"
Sokka ignores me, exclaiming, "You what?! Aw, no wonder the flames smelled so good."
Appa ascends the mountains, and Aang exclaims, "The Potola Mountain range! We're almost there!"
Katara says, "Aang, Ryuza, before we get to the temple, I want to talk to you about the airbenders."
Aang asks, "What about 'em?"
I frown as she says, "Well, I just want you two to be prepared for what you might see. The Fire Nation is ruthless. They killed my mother, and they could've done the same to your people."
I stay silent as Aang says, "Just because no one has seen an airbender doesn't mean the Fire Nation killed them all. They probably escaped!"
While I want to believe him, I know that Katara's probably right. I've seen first-hand how my Nation has fallen, and they've most likely just gotten worse with time.
Katara puts a hand on my shoulder, and one on Aang's, saying, "I know it's hard to accept."
Aang says, "You don't understand, Katara. The only way to get to an airbender Temple is on a flying bison, and I doubt the Fire Nation has any flying bison! Right, Ryu?"
I sigh, responding, "No, they didn't have bison, but many firebenders had dragons."
Aang shrugs, saying to Appa, "Yip yip!"
Appa rapidly ascends the tall mountains, going at a steep incline. Katara had tears in her eyes, and her and Sokka held onto Appa's saddle tightly. Aang and I were used to this, so we didn't have to hold on. It wasn't a steep enough incline for anyone to fall off, anyway.
Aang says, "There it is. The Southern Air Temple."
Katara exclaims, "Aang, it's amazing!"
Aang and I smile, and he says, "We're home, Ryu."
I add, "Yeah. We're home."
Appa lands at the edge of the cliff, and we start walking up the mountain trail.
Sokka clutches his stomach again as we walk, asking, "So, where do I get something to eat?"
Katara asks, "You're lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders to ever visit an airbender temple, and all you can think about is food?"
Sokka responds, "I'm just a simple guy with simple needs."
I mutter, "And a bottomless pit of a stomach."
Apparently they heard me, because Sokka glares at me, and Katara giggles. I zone out as Aang brought us around the temple, remembering how lush and beautiful this place used to be.
I zone back in as Katara asks, "What's wrong?"
Aang responds, "This place used to be full of monks and lemurs and bison. Now there's just a bunch of weeds."
I add, "It's just another grim reminder of where I came from."
Aang said, "I can't believe how much things have changed."
I pulled Aang into a hug and saw Sokka and Katara's sympathetic expressions.
Sokka says, "So uh, this airball game. How do you play?"
Aang cheers up, explaining the rules.
After a few rounds, Katara asks me, "Why don't you play?"
I respond, "It's a game for airbenders to teach them how to dodge and redirect blasts. I doubt Sokka wants a ball of fire launched at him when he can't even dodge airballs. I play with Aang all the time, though."
Katara nods, and Sokka is flung from the arena again.
Aang jumps in joy, exclaiming, "Aang: seven, Sokka: zero!"
I look at Sokka lying in the dirt, a miserable look on his face.
He says, "Making him feel better is putting me in a world of hurt."
I smile, saying, "Don't worry, I'll play a few rounds with Aang."
I head into the arena, and Aang smugly asks, "You ready to lose again?"
I stretch my arm over my head, replying, "It's been a hundred years and three months since you lost. I'm ready to break that streak." Aang and I giggle at each other's small talk, and I ask, "Ready?"
Aang asks, "Set?"
We both shout in unison, "Go!"
He moves his hands around, forming a giant airball as I launch a big fireball at him. He moves the airball to hit the surrounding poles, and he launches a blast of air at my fireball, dissipating it. I learned from last time, so I sent a second fireball that forced him to dodge. He moved around the arena, dodging my fireblasts and sending airblasts at me. I dodged his airblast, hopping to the side. We were now both away from our goals.
We took a moment to watch each other, preparing for the other to attack, when Katara yells, "Aang! Ryuza! There's something you need to see!"
Aang looked at her, giving me the distraction I was looking for, and I blasted a fireball at Aang's goal, winning the game.
Aang groans, "Oh, come on. Really?!"
As we head back over to Sokka and Katara, I exclaim, "Yeah! I finally beat you! I broke your winning streak! Woohoo!"
As we get closer to Katara, she waterbends some snow to cover Sokka.
Aang asks, "Okay, what is it?"
Sokka brushes the snow off, glaring at his sister as she responds, "Uh... Just a new waterbending move I learned."
Aang says, "Nice one! But enough practicing, we have a whole temple to see!"
I high-five Katara, saying, "Thanks for distracting him. I finally beat his winning streak!"
I smile wide, chasing after Aang as he ran off through the temple. Sokka and Katara finally caught up with us as we walked through the courtyard. They stayed near the entrance whispering to each other as Aang and I explored it.
We finally made it to Monk Gyatso's statue, and Aang exclaims, "Hey, guys! I want you to meet somebody!"
The siblings headed over to us, and Sokka asks, "Who's that?"
Aang responds, "Monk Gyatso! The greatest airbender in the world. He taught me everything I know."
I add, "He was our guardian. Air Nomads don't really have family structures, so they're basically raised as a community. Gyatso was Aang's airbending master and he even taught me."
Katara asks me, "How did he know firebending stances?"
I respond, "Well, as a nomadic society, they regularly traveled the world. They learned how to apply other Nation's bending stances to airbending. Like this."
I closed my eyes and held my hand out, palm up. A small fire was resting on my palm. I took in a slow breath, and the fire shrank. I let out a deep breath, and it grew. I peeked an eye open, disappating the fire as I saw Sokka and Katara's shocked expressions.
Katara asked, "How did you do that?!"
I smiled, responding, "Gyatso taught me that firebending comes from the breath, not the muscles. That was one of my first lessons with him."
Aang smiles, adding, "Gyatso was the best."
We both bow to the statue of our master.
I whisper to Katara, "Plus, he helped us play pranks on the monks. Airbenders had a great sense of humor."
Katara smiles, then says, "You guys must miss him."
I sadly nod, and Aang responds, "Yeah."
He started walking away toward the sanctuary, and Katara asked, "Where are you going?"
Aang responds, "The Air Temple Sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet."
We walk through a long, tall hallway, reaching the giant door.
Katara says, "But Aang, no one could have survived in there for a hundred years."
Aang says in a hopeful tone, "It's not impossible. Ryuza and I survived in the iceberg for that long."
Katara thinks for a second, then says, "Good point."
Aang excitedly says, "Katara, whoever's in there might help figure out this Avatar thing!"
Sokka started drooling as he adds, "And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious cured meats!"
I say, "Not likely. All Air Nomads were vegetarian, and believed that all life is sacred."
Sokka rolls his eyes, then charges at the door, smacking head first into it. He tries to push it with his back, then slides down to the floor, disappointed.
He asks, "I don't suppose you have a key?"
Aang responds, "The key, Sokka, is airbending."
Aang takes a deep breath, then sends a controlled air current into the tube on the door. The wind blows out of the tube like a horn, flipping it and in turn flipping the other tubes as well. When they're all flipped, the door slowly starts to open, revealing a dark room that brightens slightly as the door fully opens, revealing hundred of statues in a spiral, even going around the walls high up.
Aang asks, "Hello? Anyone home?"
Sokka asks, "Statues? That's it? Where's the meat?"
Katara asks, "Who are all these people?"
Aang responds, "I'm not sure, but it feels like I know them somehow. Look! That one's an airbender!"
Katara adds, "And this one's a waterbender. They're lined up in a pattern. Air, water, earth, and fire."
Aang says, "That's the Avatar Cycle."
Katara says, "Of course. They're Avatars. All these people are your past lives, Aang."
Aang exclaims, "Wow! There are so many!"
We walk to the center of the spiral of statues, and the statue in the center is a familiar face.
Aang keeps staring at him until Katara exclaims, "Aang! Snap out of it!"
He says, "Huh?"
Katara asks, "Who is that?"
Aang responds, "That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me."
Sokka asks, "You were a firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met."
I clear my throat loudly, then say, "That's my father. He died when I was young."
Sokka mutters something under his breath as Katara exclaims, "Your father was an Avatar?!"
I nod, replying, "Yeah. I don't remember him much, though."
Just then, we hear a noise near the entrance of the sanctuary. We hide behind statues, ready to attack. Aang and Katara are hiding behind one statue, and Sokka and I are hiding behind another statue.
Sokka holds his hand to my mouth as he whispers, "Firebender. Nobody make a sound."
Katara whisper-shouts, "You're making a sound!"
Aang and Sokka shush her.
Sokka raises his club, whispering, "That firebender won't know what hit him."
I kick him off of me, finally freeing my mouth as I whisper, "You mean like that?"
He stumbles out of the cover of the statue as we see a small lemur at the entrance of the sanctuary.
Aang exclaims, "Lemur!"
Sokka exclaims, "Dinner!"
Aang gets closer to the lemur, saying, "Don't listen to him. You're going to be my new pet."
Sokka exclaims, "Not if I get him first!"
He lunges for the lemur, and it flies away. The boys run off through the hallway after the lemur, and I run after them, keeping pace with Sokka and behind Aang. He uses an air-scooter to go faster.
I say to Sokka, "You're not going to get him! I'm not gonna let you eat an endangered animal!"
I shove him, and he falls behind me, then runs again. We chase the lemur all through the temple, and it finally lands just outside a tent.
Aang says, "Hey! Come back! Come on out, little lemur! That hungry guy won't bother you anymore."
I add, "You're safe with us, little guy."
Aang and I follow the lemur inside the tent, seeing a pile of skeletons in Fire Nation armor.
Aang asks, "Firebenders? They were here?"
It's one thing to hear about it, and another to actually see it. At the end of the pile, Aang and I see a skeleton wearing Air Nomads clothes and Gyatso's necklace.
I stutter out, "G- Gyatso?"
We look at each other with tears in our eyes, silently confirming with each other what we already know. Gyatso fended off the soldiers just long enough to take them out, and died with them. We both drop to our knees, and I bring Aang into a hug to help soothe him. He knew Gyatso better than I did, but it still hurt to see him like this.
Sokka walks into the tent, happily asking, "Hey guys, you find my dinner yet?"
I glare at him, thankful that Aang has his back to Sokka.
He notices the tears in my eyes, and says, "Relax. I wasn't really going to eat the lemur, okay?"
I exclaim, "You really think this is about the lemur? Look around you, numbskull!"
He looked confused, then I saw his eyes widen as he peered past us.
He muttered, "Oh, man. Come on, guys. Everything will be alright. Let's get out of here."
I wiped a stray tear from my eye and got up, reaching my hand out for Aang. Suddenly, his eyes and tattoos started glowing white. Sokka and I gasp as a whirlwind starts forming around Aang, blowing the skeletons away.
Sokka exclaims, "Aang! Come on, snap out of it!"
The whirlwind formed a giant airball around Aang, and the force of the wind blew Sokka and I back, forcing us to take cover behind rubble. The air sphere soon turned into a tornado with Aang at the center.
Katara rushes over to us, shouting, "What happened?!"
I shouted back, "We found Gyatso's body surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers!"
Katara raises her hand to protect herself against the wind and flying debris.
She shouts, "Oh, no! It's his Avatar Spirit! He must have triggered it! I'm going to try and calm him down!"
I shout, "I'm coming with you!"
Sokka yells, "Well, do it! Before he blows us all off the mountain!"
Katara and I fight against the storm to get to Aang, and I have to strike a piece of wood in half with my firebending so it doesn't hit us.
Katara clings to my sleeve as I shout, "Aang! I know you're upset, and I know how hard it is to lose the people you love! My entire family is gone because of the Fire Nation. I don't want to lose you, too! You've been like a little brother to me!"
Katara shouts, "I went through the same thing when I lost my mom! Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family. Sokka, Ryuza, and I! We're your family now!"
Sokka runs over to us as Aang starts lowering himself to the ground, the winds dying down, and the air sphere disappates. I run over and hug him as tightly as I can, watching his eyes stop glowing as I tear up.
As Aang starts hugging me back, Sokka gently says, "Katara and I aren't going to let anything happen to either of you. Promise."
I pull away from our hug, and see Aang tearing up.
He sadly says, "I'm sorry."
Katara gently says, "It's okay. It wasn't your fault."
Aang sadly says, "But you were right. And if the firebenders found this temple, that means they found the other ones, too. I really am the last airbender."
I hug Aang tightly again, and Katara joins in this time, and Sokka puts a hand on Aang's shoulder. After a moment, we break the hug, and I wipe a stray tear from Aang's cheek. He smiles at me, and he and I walk back to the temple's sanctuary as Sokka and Katara pack up.
After a short while, Katara walked into the room, saying, "Everything's packed. You guys ready to go?"
Aang asks, "How is Roku supposed to help me if I can't talk to him?"
Katara responds, "Maybe you'll find a way."
We hear a chattering sound behind us, and we turn to see the lemur from earlier. The lemur carries fruits over to Sokka, dumping them on the ground in front of him. The lemur dashes away as Sokka starts devouring the fruits, stuffing his face. I'm pretty hungry too, so I grab an apple while Sokka is distracted. He notices immediately, but not fast enough. I take a bite as he glares at me, and I just shrug.
Aang says, "Looks like you made a new friend, Sokka!"
Sokka continued stuffing his face as he says, "Can't talk. Must eat!"
The lemur climbs onto Aang and hides behind his head, his tail curled around Aang's neck.
I coo, "Hey, little guy! Aww, you're so cute and fluffy!"
I finish my apple, then pet his head, and he slowly starts crawling onto my shoulder.
Aang says to the lemur, "You, me, and Appa, we're all that's left of this place. We have to stick together." He says to our friends, "Katara, Sokka, say hello to the newest member of our family."
Katara asks, "What are you going to name him?"
I grab a peach from Sokka's fruit pile and give it to the lemur as Aang responds, "Momo."
I smile, saying, "Sounds perfect." Sokka glares at me again as I laugh, "You've gotta learn to share, Sokka. Otherwise, I'll just keep stealing from you."
He rolls his eyes, and stuffs the rest of his fruit into either his bag or his mouth. We take off on Appa, our new companion curled into my lap as I pet him.
Chapter 7: The Warriors of Kyoshi
Chapter Text
After a few hours of wandering aimlessly through the sky on Appa, Sokka takes a look at our map, asking Aang, "You have no idea where you're going, do you?"
Aang says, "Well, I know it's near water."
Sokka sarcastically says, "I guess we're getting close, then."
Katara sits next to me, sewing a huge hole in Sokka's pants. I don't know how he got it, but it was probably either sometime during the chase after Momo, or when he crouched down for his fruit. I was reading one of my books that are probably considered ancient by now. My favorite stories are of people exploring the spirit world.
I get so engrossed in my book that I barely heard Sokka say, "You need to give girls space when they do their sewing or reading."
That got my attention.
I say, "I'm sorry, say that again? I don't think I heard your sexism correctly."
Katara annoyedly asks, "What does me and Ryuza being girls have to do with sewing or reading?"
I glare at him as he responds, "Simple. Girls are better at fixing pants than guys, girls read stupid lovey-dovey stories, and guys are better at hunting and fighting and stuff like that. It's just the natural order of things."
I say, "This isn't a 'stupid lovey-dovey story', it's a book about a person's journey through the spirit world. Plus, have you seen yourself fight? I could beat you easily with my eyes closed. I would say 'and an arm tied behind my back', but we can all see that's not possible."
Sokka says, "But you're a fire bender and I'm a non-bender! That's not fair."
I smugly smile as I say, "So you admit you'd lose."
Katara joins me in mocking Sokka, smiling as she sarcastically says, "All done with your pants! And look what a great job I did!"
She tosses Sokka's still torn pants at him, hitting him in the face with them.
He protests, "Wait! I was just kidding!" He sticks an arm through the hole in his pants, than pleads, "I can't wear these! Katara, please!"
Aang enthusiastically says, "Relax, Sokka. Where we're going, you won't need any pants!"
He yanks Appa's reins to the left, his tongue sticking out of his mouth. We land on the beach of an island covered with mountains.
After we've dismounted, Sokka says, "We just made a pit stop yesterday. Shouldn't we get a little more flying done before we camp out?"
I say, "Aang and I haven't seen any of the world outside of the air temple and the South Pole in a hundred years. We just want to explore and see how the world's changed without us."
Katara says, "Sokka's right. At this rate, we won't get to the North Pole until spring."
Aang says, "But Appa's tired. Aren't you, boy?"
Appa doesn't react aside from a mild grunt, which is less than convincing.
Aang nudges Appa with his elbow, saying, "I said, aren't you boy?"
Appa grunts louder and yawns, making Aang smile.
Sokka sarcastically says, "Yeah, that was real convincing. Still, hard to argue with a ten-ton magical monster."
I say, "It's not magic, he airbends to fly."
Sokka rolls his eyes, sarcastically saying, "Right. Because animals can bend, too."
I refute, "But they can! Animals were the first benders, and people learned from them."
Sokka scoffs, "Whatever."
He mutters something under his breath as we walks away, his arms crossed.
Aang runs to the shore, pointing as he excitedly exclaims, "Look!"
I head over to him and see an elephant koi jump out of the water, creating a giant splash. Sokka and Katara head over to us, both staring in awe at the giant fish.
Aang excitedly says, "That's why we're here."
He disrobes into his swim trunks while more elephant koi jump out of the water.
Aang continues, "Elephant koi, and I'm gonna ride it. Katara, you've gotta watch me!"
He runs to the water and dives in.
As soon as he's submerged, he jumps out again, yelling, "Cold!"
Sokka, Katara, and I exchange glances as Aang swims further out. Sokka makes a circular motion with his left hand around his left temple, signaling that he thinks Aang is crazy. I shrug, walking further from the shore.
I say, "I'm gonna go start a fire. He's gonna be cold when he gets out."
As Aang starts riding a koi fish, I gather some firewood from the nearby woods. As I start heading back to the beach, I hear some rustling sounds behind me. I turn around, but don't see anything but a cat-owl resting on a low down branch. It mewls at me, then flies away.
Shrugging, I head back down to the beach, lighting a fire on my collected firewood. Sokka and Katara are on the shore, trying to get Aang's attention.
I hurry over to them, asking, "What's going- Oh, my Agni!"
As I started speaking, I saw a giant creature emerging from under the surface of the water, scaring off the elephant koi. Aang starts running across the water away from it and toward the shore, the creature gaining on him.
Aang finally reaches the shore just before the creature gets him, colliding with Sokka. I toss a fire ball at the creature, making it disappear beneath the water's surface, and Aang starts frantically dressing himself.
Katara asks, "What was that thing?!"
Aang says, "I don't know."
I say, "How should I know?"
Sokka stands up and dusts himself off, saying, "Well, let's not stick around to find out. Time to hit the road."
As soon as he says that, several female warriors clad in matching green kimonos descend from the treetops, ambushing us. They quickly circle around us, trapping us. I launch a fire ball at the feet of one of the warriors, making her jump out of the way.
I run past her, exclaiming, "Come on guys! We have to get out of here!"
I sneak a glance behind me to see my friends all captured already, tied up, blindfolded, and knocked to the floor. I groan as I turn away and run toward the woods I was in earlier. Three of the warriors follow me, quickly gaining on me. One splits off from the others, climbing into the trees. She soon drops right in front of me, startling me. I back up, and the two behind me tackle me. My head hits a branch, knocking me out.
When I wake up, I have no idea how much time has passed. I feel a blindfold over my eyes and a cloth covering my mouth, preventing me from speaking. I groan, trying to move my hand to my head to soothe my growing headache, but my arm is restrained to my side. I'm stuck in a standing position, my back against something large and wooden.
I soon hear a man's voice, "You four have some explaining to do."
A girl's voice continues, "And if you don't answer all our questions, we're throwing you back in the water with the Unagi."
I hear Sokka, who's right next to me, exclaim, "Show yourselves, cowards!"
I hear cloth being moved, but I'm still unable to see. I assume they left my blindfold on.
Sokka aggressively asks, "Who are you? Where are the men who ambushed us?"
The girl from earlier responds, "There were no men. We ambushed you. Now tell us, who are you and what are you doing here?"
Sokka amusedly says, "Wait a second. There's no way a bunch of girls took us down."
I hear the girl's voice get closer, like she's right in Sokka's face as she asks, "A bunch of girls, huh? The Unagi's gonna eat well tonight."
I hear Katara say, "No, don't hurt him! He didn't mean it. My brother is just an idiot sometimes."
I hear Aang say behind me, "It's my fault. I'm sorry we came here. I wanted to ride the elephant koi."
The man from earlier asks, "How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies?" I feel a jab to my chest, making me grunt as he continues, "This one was even seen firebending! Kyoshi's stayed out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way!"
Aang excitedly asks, "This island was named for Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi!"
The man humorlessly laughs, asking, "How could you possibly know her? Avatar Kyoshi was born here four hundred years ago. She's been dead for centuries."
Aang says, "I know her because I'm the Avatar."
The girl exclaims, "That's impossible! The last Avatar was an Airbender who disappeared a hundred years ago."
Aang sheepishly says, "That's me!"
The man exclaims, "Throw the imposter to the Unagi!"
Katara nervously says, "Aang, do some airbending!"
I hear some whooshing sounds, and feel a dust cloud around me, itching my nose, and ropes snapping.
As the dust cloud disappates, I hear spectators exclaiming in joy, "Wow!" "Did you see that?" "Airbender!"
I hear the man say in awe, "It's true. You are the Avatar!"
Aang excitedly says, "Now, check this out!"
I hear a small whooshing sound in his direction, but I still can't see what he's doing. I hear a cheering crowd, and ropes being cut.
Aang asks, "But what about Ryuza? Why is she still tied up?"
The man responds, "She is a known firebender. It would be dangerous to let her go."
Katara pleads, "We know she's a firebender! She's Aang's firebending teacher! You have to let her go. She's only ever firebent to protect us."
The man asks, "Are you sure she can be trusted? She could just be trying to trick you into trusting her so she can turn you all in."
Sokka says, "As annoying as she is, I think she can be trusted. She even fought against the Fire Nation's prince to save us!"
Aang says, "Plus, she's Avatar Roku's youngest daughter. I've known her for over a hundred years."
The man sighs, saying, "Fine. Girls, cut her free."
My eyes are blinded by the sudden light as my blindfold is removed, and I'm finally able to move and speak.
I rub my temple, and Katara says, "Come on, let's lay you down."
I say, "Thanks, Katara. I hit my head pretty hard."
The man leads us to an empty house.
He says, "This is where you all will be staying while on Kyoshi." I sit down on the couch in the living room, and he continues, "And the firebender is forbidden from firebending while on Kyoshi Island. If she is found to have firebent, she will be banished from the island."
I say, "I have a name, you know. I'm Ryuza. And I only firebent when I thought we were in danger. I never actually meant anyone harm."
The man grunts, ignoring me as he says to the others, "My name is Oyaji. If any of you need anything, all you need to do is ask."
He leaves, and we explore the house. There are two rooms, each with a king sized bed. Katara and I claim one room, and the boys take the other, and we all soon go to sleep. The next morning, we head into the living room to see villagers placing desserts and candied fruits on the table. We sit down to eat, and they keep placing dishes on the table, avoiding setting things down in front of me.
Aang exclaims, "Alright! Dessert for breakfast!" He takes a huge bite, stuffing his face then continues, "These people sure know how to treat an Avatar!"
Katara pokes at her food before sliding a dish my way.
Aang offers me and Katara some of the desserts he's holding, saying, "Guys, you've gotta try these!"
I say, "Sure!"
I take a bite of a pink mochi ball, smiling as the sweet strawberry flavor explodes in my mouth.
I continue once my mouth is empty, "Mm... I haven't had fresh mochi since I was little. My mother made the best mochi."
Katara accepts an orange mochi ball, saying, "Well, maybe just a bite."
Momo sneak up to Aang and snatches a dessert from Aang's hand, quickly dashing away to eat it. Aang doesn't let the theft of his dessert bother him, instead grabbing another dessert in front of him and gobbling it up. I try some red bean buns and candied fruits while Sokka sulks in the corner of the room.
Aang says, "Sokka, what's your problem? Eat!"
Sokka mutters, "Not hungry."
That doesn't sound right.
Aang exclaims, "But you're always hungry!"
Katara says, "He's just upset because a bunch of girls kicked his butt yesterday."
I say, "Sounds about right. He was the first one to be captured, after all."
Sokka protests, "They snuck up on me!"
Katara mocks, "Right. And then they kicked your butt."
Sokka angrily stands up, indignantly exclaiming, "Sneak attacks don't count!"
I ask, "Then why are they called sneak attacks?"
Sokka grabs desserts from the table, mumbling, "Tie me up with ropes. I'll show them a thing or two. I'm not scared of any girls. Who do they think they are, anyway?" He shoves a dessert in his mouth before walking away, grumbling, "Mm. This is tasty."
Aang asks, "What's he so angry about? It's great here. They're giving us the royal treatment!"
I say, "They're giving you the royal treatment. Did you notice that Oyaji only called me 'the firebender' and Katara has to offer me some of her food so I could eat?"
Aang says, "You just haven't earned their trust yet. They seem really nice."
I mutter, "Yeah, to you."
He doesn't hear me, and Katara says, "Hey, don't get too comfortable. It's risky for us to stay in one place for very long."
I nod, saying, "Yeah. Especially with Zuko after us."
Aang says, "I'm sure we'll be fine. Besides, did you guys see how happy I'm making this town?"
He points out the window at where we were tied up yesterday, a huge statue of Avatar Kyoshi.
He continues, "They're even cleaning up that statue in my honor!"
Katara says, "Well, it's nice to see you excited about being the Avatar. I just hope it doesn't all go to your head."
I say, "It probably will."
Aang says, "Come on, you both know me better than that. I'm just a simple monk."
He gets up and leans on the windowsill to get a better look outside. As soon as his head pokes out of the window, I hear female villagers screaming with delight and admiration for him. I sneak a glance out of the window, spotting a blush on Aang's face as he waves at the girls. Katara stands next to me, her arms crossed in disapproval. She rolls her eyes and blows a raspberry.
Katara and I head out into town for supplies, both of us filling baskets. After a while, we pass Aang doing no hand push-ups, using airbending instead to impress his fangirls. Katara has a look of distain on her face as she keeps walking, not even sparing a glance at Aang. We continue gathering groceries. After a while, Aang comes up behind us, smiling, and pokes Katara to get her attention. Katara turns around, happy to see that the poke came from Aang.
She says, "Oh, good! Can you help me carry this back to the room? It's a little heavy."
Katara offers her second basket to him, and he asks, "Why can't Ryu help?"
I respond, "I've already got a full basket and only one hand. Do the math, Aang."
He says, "Actually, I can't help right now."
Katara irritatedly asks, "What do you mean 'you can't'?"
Aang responds, "I promised the girls I'd give them a ride on Appa. Why don't you guys come with us? It'll be fun!"
I say, "No thanks. I'm good here."
Katara returns to filling her second basket, saying, "Watching you show off for a bunch of girls does not sound like fun."
Aang disappointedly says, "Well, neither does carrying your basket."
Katara annoyedly says, "It's not my basket. These supplies are for our trip. I told you, we have to leave Kyoshi soon."
Aang says, "I don't wanna leave Kyoshi yet! I can't put my finger on it, but there's something I really like about this place."
I sarcastically ask, "I couldn't possibly be your entourage, could it? Or maybe the dessert for breakfast?"
One of Aang's fangirls irritatedly asks, "What's taking you so long, Aangy?"
Katara sarcastically repeats, "Aangy."
Aang enthusiastically calls to the fangirl, "Just a second, Koko!"
Katara sarcastically asks, "'Simple monk', huh? I thought you promised me that this Avatar stuff wouldn't go to your head."
Aang says, "It didn't. You know what I think? You just don't want to come because you're jealous."
Katara angrily asks, "Jealous? Of what?"
Aang responds, "Jealous that we're having so much fun without you."
Katara irritatedly says, "That's ridiculous."
Aang says, "It is a little ridiculous, but I understand."
He moves back slightly when Katara resumes furiously stuffing her basket with more fruits and vegetables.
I say, "Aang, if you know what's good for you, leave right now. Just stop antagonizing an already annoyed girl and leave."
Katara turns to Aang, towering over him with her hands curled into fists like she's about to attack him, but I set my basket down, leading Aang away from her before she can.
I lead him over to his fangirls, saying, "Just leave her alone for now. She needs time to calm down."
Aang nods, leaving with his fangirls.
When I head back over to Katara and grab my basket, she groans, "Ugh!"
She grabs her two baskets and we leave.
Once we get our baskets secured on Appa's saddle, Katara asks me, "How are you so calm with Aang being so annoying? I mean, he's basically ignoring us to hang out with his fangirls."
I respond, "He's always been a bit of a show-off. I guess I've just gotten used to it over the years I've known him. He only got negative attention for being the Avatar at the air temple, so I think he just needs some positive attention to balance it out. He'll be back to normal soon."
After a short pause, Katara says, "Well, I need to go get some water. You can head back to the house if you want."
I say, "I think I'll just explore for a little while."
She grabs our empty water skins, saying, "Have fun!"
I smile, waving at her as she leaves. I walk around the town, the villagers just staring at me. When I try to wave or say hi to any of them, they pretend to have not seen me. I pass by a building occupied by the Kyoshi Warriors, deciding to head inside.
I say, "Uh, hello. I'm sorry for firebending at you like that. I thought you were trying to hurt my friends."
The leader, the one that dropped in front of me in the woods, and the one that threatened Sokka yesterday when we were tied up, says, "It's okay. Sorry for being so rough with you. My name is Suki. What's yours?"
I respond, "I'm Ryuza."
Suki asks, "The Avatar said he's known you for over a hundred years and that you're Avatar Roku's daughter. How is that possible?"
I respond, "Aang and I were stuck in an iceberg for a hundred years."
Suki nods, then asks, "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your arm? Or were you born like that?"
I frown, responding, "My father was killed when I was little, and Fire Nation soldiers burned down my home and village while I was inside the house. They found out that our village was against the Fire Lord. I got hurt pretty badly and had to have my arm amputated. I don't even know if my sister or mother got out alive, but even if they did, they're most likely dead by now. Aang, Sokka, and Katara are the only family I have left."
The warriors around me were silent, so I nervously laughed trying to break up the tension in the room.
I say, "I got pretty serious there, heh. You probably didn't want to hear my sob story. Sorry."
I frown again, and Suki says, "No, I'm sorry for asking and assuming the worst when I first met you. Now that I've met you, I understand why you attacked us. You were just trying to protect your family."
The Kyoshi Warriors go back to training, but I can still feel lingering tension in the room.
I suddenly hear Sokka ask, "You consider me family?"
I look around and finally spot Sokka in a Kyoshi Warrior's outfit.
I say, "Well, yeah. We fight, but at the end of the day, I know you'd have my back. I trust you." He walks closer to me, and I say, "Nice dress. How did you convince them to let you train with them?"
He responds, "I tried to prove to Suki I was a superior warrior and lost, then realized I was wrong about men being better and owned up to it."
I blink in surprise, saying, "Wow. That was fast. That's all it took? A girl beating you? Huh."
I smile mischievously, feeling the tension in the room disappate.
Sokka says, "I know what you're thinking. No, you can't fight me to teach me a lesson."
I jokingly whine, "Aw, why not? It'd be fun." I giggle as Sokka rolls his eyes, and I say, "Nah, I wouldn't actually fight you. Not unless you come up with more sexist remarks, anyway."
Sokka says, "Yeah, yeah. I've learned my lesson."
Suddenly, Oyaji appears in the doorway, exclaiming, "Firebenders have landed on our shores! Girls, come quickly!"
Sokka protests, "I'm not a... Oh, whatever."
Sokka and I run off after the Kyoshi Worriors, and I'm surprised they let me help them. They jump to the roofs of buildings, with Suki, Sokka and I staying on the ground. The village is completely deserted aside from Zuko, three of his soldiers on komodo rhinos, the Kyoshi Warriors, and Sokka and I.
Zuko calls out, "Come out, Avatar! You and that traitor can't hide from me forever!" He says to his soldiers, "Find them."
As Zuko gives the command, the three soldiers and rhinos move through the town. The Kyoshi Warriors ambush the soldiers and their rhinos, knocking two of the riders off. I watch as the last soldier stabs at a Kyoshi Warrior with his spear. She moves to the side, disarms the rider, and knocks him off his steed with a spinning kick. Suki leads Sokka and I past them, and we head back near Zuko.
She runs toward him, and he finally spots her. He tosses a fireball at her that I redirect away from her. She jumps over another fireblast and tries to attack Zuko from the air, but he turns his rhino. It smacks Suki away with a sweep of its tail, knocking her down. Zuko shoots a fire ball at Suki, but she jumps out of the way just in time, disappating the flames with her fan. I run at him to draw his attention when I see a Kyoshi Warrior on the roof above him.
I shoot a fireball at him, sarcastically asking, "Looking for me?" As I get closer, I continue, "Attacking someone while they're down? Is that what they're teaching you in schools nowadays?"
Zuko doesn't respond, just growling as he puts all of his attention on me. I stand in front of him, catching eye contact with the Warrior above Zuko, nodding when she looks at me. She nods back at me, and I send a blast of fire at Zuko, disappating it just in time for the Warrior to jump at Zuko. She knocks him off his rhino while he's distracted, making his rhino run away.
Sokka joins me, saying, "I guess training's over."
I say, "Nope, you're getting a field test."
Sokka glances at Suki before he runs over to Zuko as the downed prince opens his eyes. Sokka, Suki, the Kyoshi Warriors, and I surround Zuko, all of us taking fighting stances. Zuko pushes himself up and rapidly spins around while on his hand, shooting fire out of his feet, knocking us back into buildings.
I hit my head again, feeling incredibly lightheaded. I stumble out of the house I hit, holding my head. I can barely register Zuko rushing toward me, pushing me to the ground. He grabs me by the collar, calling one of his soldiers over. The soldier pulls me to my feet, his grip squeezing my arm as tight as he can.
As my head starts clearing up, I hear Zuko yell, "Nice try, Avatar! But these little girls can't save you! Your traitor friend is mine now."
Aang calls, "Hey! Over here!"
Zuko turns around, and I see Aang standing at the beginning of the village's main street, holding his staff in front of him like he's challenging Zuko.
Zuko says, "Finally. Take the traitor back to the ship."
The soldier obeys, dragging me with him, his fingers digging into my arm painfully. As he drags me with him through the streets of the village, some Kyoshi Warriors ambush him, making him let go of me.
One of them calls, "Go! We'll be fine!"
I nod, running off to join Aang, but I run into Katara as she leads Koko and another village girl into a house.
Aang lands by us, sorrowfully saying, "Look what I brought to this place."
Katara says, "It's not your fault."
Aang says, "Yes, it is. These people got their town destroyed trying to protect me."
I say, "It's all Zuko's fault. He's the one that destroyed this village."
Katara says, "Then let's get out of here. Zuko will leave Kyoshi to follow us. I know it feels wrong to run, but I think it's the only way."
Aang sadly agrees, "I'll call Appa."
Aang whistles loudly, and Appa soon lands near us. Not long after that, Sokka runs up Appa's tail.
Aang pulls the reins, saying, "Appa, yip yip!"
Appa groans and takes off. We watch in silence as we pass over burning buildings.
Katara says to Aang, "I know it's hard, but you did the right thing."
I add, "Zuko would have destroyed the whole village if we stayed."
Katara comforts, "They're going to be okay, Aang."
Aang looks up with a determined look on his face before lumping off of Appa's saddle.
Katara exclaims, "What are you doing?!"
I take the reins as Aang plunges into the water, soon emerging on top of the Unagi, holding it's whiskers. After swaying a few times, he studies himself stop the Unagi's head and pulls it's barbels. It opens it's mouth wide, water gushing out that rains on the village. Once the fires are all put out, the Unagi launches Aang into the air. I lead Appa and catch Aang in the saddle.
He says, "I know, I know. That was stupid and dangerous."
I exclaim, "Are you kidding? Of course it was! You could have died! You're lucky I was able to catch you in Appa's saddle!"
Katara smiles, saying, "Yes, it was."
She hugs Aang deeply, and he closes his eyes, sighing happily.
I drop Appa's reins, joining the hug as I say, "I'm glad you're okay, Aang."
Chapter 8: The King of Omashu
Chapter Text
After visiting Kyoshi Island, Aang and I decided to return to Omashu. It's where our mutual best friend Bumi used to live a hundred years ago.
As we landed at the end of the path, Aang said, "The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu."
I add, "We used to always come here to visit our friend Bumi. Aang and I also met here in Omashu."
Katara awes, "Wow. We don't have buildings like this in the South Pole!"
Sokka adds, "They have buildings here that don't melt!"
Aang says, "Well, let's go, slow pokes. The real fun's inside the city!"
Aang leaps off the hill with his airbending, landing a few meters away in the snow.
Katara grabs his arm to stop him from going further, saying, "Wait, Aang! It could be dangerous if people find out you're the Avatar."
Sokka muses, "You need a disguise."
Aang sarcastically asks, "So what am I supposed to do? Grow a mustache?"
I say, "Actually, that could work."
I gather some of Appa's loose fur, and Sokka ties the bundles into a wig and mustache for Aang.
He scratches under his wig, saying, "Ugh. This is so itchy." He asks Appa, "How do you live in this stuff?"
Appa slowly turns his head toward Aang, snorting at him.
Sokka says, "Great! Now you look just like my grandfather."
Katara says, "Technically, Ryuza is 116 years old, and Aang is 112."
I ask, "What about me? Won't I need a disguise?"
Katara says, "You should be fine as long as you don't bend."
I nod, and Aang nimbly kicks up his staff and spins it before placing it upright on the ground to be used as a walking stick.
He hunches his back and leans heavily on his staff like an old person, saying in his best grandfather voice, "Now let's get to skippin', young whipper-snappers. The big city awaits!"
Sokka and Katara look questioningly at each other as Aang shuffles off.
I shrug, saying, "Let's get going, guys. I can't wait to see Omashu again after all these years."
It takes a while to walk down the long path to Omashu.
Aang says, "You guys are going to love Omashu. The people here are the friendliest in the world."
A guard at the city gate yells at a cabbage merchant in front of us, "Rotten cabbages?! What kind of slum do you think this is?!"
The guard squishes the cabbage he's holding before earthbending a rock under the cart, catapulting it off into the chasm next to the path.
The cabbage merchant dramatically exclaims, "No! My cabbages!"
I say, "I guess they're not quite so friendly anymore."
Aang nervously smiles, saying, "Just keep smiling!"
As we approach the guard with nervous smiles, another guard steps forward, levitating a boulder over Aang's head.
He aggressively says, "State your business!"
Aang quickly runs from underneath the boulder, halting right in front of the guard. Aang pokes at the guard's chest, who drops the boulder in surprise.
Aang says in his old man voice, "My business is my business young man, and none of yours! I've got half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside!"
The guard says in a more calm voice, "Settle down, old timer! Just tell me who you are."
Aang says, "Name's Bonzu Pippenpaddleopsicopolis the Third, and these are my grandkids."
Katara smiles nervously, saying, "Hi. June Pippenpaddleopsicopolis."
I add, "And I'm Crystal Pippenpaddleopsicopolis. Nice to meet you."
The guard pensively rubs at his beard while eyeing Sokka, Katara, and I, saying, "You seem like responsible young ladies. See that your grandfather stays out of trouble. Enjoy Omashu!"
He steps aside as Katara lightheartedly says, "We will!"
As we all start walking toward the gate with me in the back, Sokka has an uneasy look on his face, never letting the guard out of his sight.
As the guard eyes Sokka back, he exclaims, "Wait a minute!"
Sokka halts, his eyes widening as the guard grips his shoulder. Aang and Katara turn around to see what's going on, and the guard turns Sokka around. He sternly says, "You're a strong young boy! Show some respect for the elderly and carry your grandfather's bag!"
Sokka's shoulders drop, and he has a look of annoyance when Aang tosses Sokka his bag, saying, "Good idea!"
The bag bounces off Sokka's head and drops into his arms, and we all start walking to the gate again. Earthbenders open it to let us through, and I see Momo's ears poke out from Aang's wig just before the gate closes behind us. Sokka and Katara excitedly take in the sights of the city once we're finally inside, and Aang points to a system of chutes that go all over the city.
He says in his regular voice, "This is the Omashu delivery system. Miles and Miles of tubes and chutes."
I explain, "Earthbenders send packages down the chutes, and the chutes deliver the packages to the correct buildings. Omashu was one of the first Earth Kingdom cities to employ this delivery system."
Sokka snarkily says, "Great, so they get their mail on time."
Aang excitedly says, "They do get their mail on time, but our friend Bumi found a better use for these chutes."
I say, "Oh, no. Please don't make me do it again."
Aang smiles mischievously, saying, "We would sit in a package bin, using the chutes like a giant slide."
Katara smiles, saying, "Sounds fun."
I frown, muttering, "For some people."
Aang leads us to the entrance to one of the chutes, where they all climb into a bin.
Aang says, "Oh, come on, Ryuza. Just once? Please?"
He puts on his best polar-puppy eyes, trying to guilt me into going. Once again, it works.
I groan as I get in next to Katara with Sokka behind me, "Fine, but this is the last time those polar-puppy eyes are gonna work on me."
As Aang started dangling the front of the basket on the edge of the chute, he says, "One ride. Then we're off to the North Pole. Airbender's honor."
Katara says in an uneasy tone as Aang starts tilting the bin forward, "It sounded like fun at first, but now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second thoughts!"
As she finished her sentence, the bin started sliding rapidly down the steep chute, and she screamed out her last word. Katara and I held onto each other for comfort, and Aang's wig and mustache flew away. The chute we're riding pulls up next to a parallel one, where a bin carrying a rack of spears races down. The chutes eventually join together, and we scream as the spears start gaining on us. Sokka gasps and ducks just before the spear skewers him, and I pull Katara down with me.
She screams in fear as she sees how close the weapons are, but Aang smiles, excitedly saying, "I'm on it."
He starts rocking the bin back and forth until the bin flies out of the chute and onto a roof that we start sliding down. The roof drops us in front of a soldier drilling warriors before we ricochet, breaking through the railing closing off another chute. We knock over one of the supply bins, spilling a load of pumpkins over the ground.
Katara scaredly says, "Aang, do something! Use your airbending!"
Aang excitedly exclaims, "Yeah! Good idea! That'll make us go even faster!"
He throws his hands behind him, making us go twice as fast as we already were.
I exclaim, "I'm pretty sure that's not what she meant!"
A bin carrying scrolls stops in front of a soldier manning the delivery system, and we cry out in alarm as we almost hit it just before the soldier sends it on it's way. Our relief is short lived however, when another bin instantly pops up from the tube below the soldier.
Before it can be moved, we crash into it, catapulting us and our bin into the air, high above a lower level of the city. Aang airbends the bin underneath us as we fall, making us drop back into the bin. We ride down several roofs, leaving damaged tiles in our wake. We even fly through a window, smashing a vase before flying out the opposite window.
Aang yells to the man inside, "Sorry!"
We land on a balcony and slide through another house. The bin smashes through a parapet and drops vertically, where we land on a cabbage cart, smashing it to pieces.
The cabbage merchant we saw earlier angrily yells, "My cabbages! You're gonna pay for this!"
I feel dazed as I sit up, looking around me to see my friends looking like how I feel.
Aang sheepishly says, "Two cabbages, please."
As guards seize us, I groan, "I think it's a little late for that, 'Bonzu'."
The guards bring us to Omashu's palace, the elderly King of Omashu sitting on his throne, flanked by two guards in the back of an enormous room. Something about the King feels familiar to me, but I can't pinpoint what or why. As the others make faces to look sympathetic, I keep staring at the King, my eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
The King looks back at me with a similar expression as we're pushed into kneeling positions. The guard pushes me a little too hard, and I fall on my face. I struggle to sit back up, having to put all my weight on my left shoulder to get my right arm in position to pull myself up, causing a shock of pain up my spine.
I grunt in pain, rubbing my shoulder as the guard captain says, "Your majesty, these juveniles were arrested for vandalism, traveling under false pretenses, and malicious destruction of cabbages."
The cabbage merchant jumps angrily up and down, waving his left fist in the air as he yells, "Off with their heads! One for each head of cabbage!"
The captain says, "Silence! Only the King can pass down judgement. What is your judgement, sire?"
The King squints his eyes at us as we look uneasily at each other. Sokka whimpers, Katara smiles with her eyes twinkling hopefully, Aang pouts, and I keep eying the King warily.
The King raises his hand, saying, "Throw them... a feast!"
The guards gasp, the cabbage merchant grasps his head with both hands in dismay, Sokka smiles, and Katara, Aang and I cast questioning looks at each other. We're brought to a lavish dining room and sat at a richly filled dining table, filled with all sorts of different dishes and teapots. Momo starts eating some of the food, chittering contently as the King walks around the table.
He grabs a chicken leg from Aang's plate, saying, "The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts, so I hope you like your chicken with no skin."
Aang says, "Thanks, but I don't eat meat."
I take a bite of rice and pao cai as he walks over to Sokka, saying, "How about you? I bet you like meat."
He stuffs the chicken leg he was holding in Sokka's mouth before he could respond, and Sokka eats it appreciatively as the King walks over to his own seat on the other side of the table, sitting down.
Katara leans her head over to me, quietly asking, "Is it just me, or is this guy's crown a little crooked?"
I quietly respond, "Yeah, but something about him feels familiar. I just can't place it."
The King says to Aang, "So tell me, young bald one. Where are you from?"
Aang hesitates before answering, "I'm from... Kangaroo Island!"
The King says, "Oh, Kangaroo Island, eh? I hear that place is really hopping!"
There's silence before Sokka starts laughing, stopping when he sees our deadpanned expressions.
He asks, "What? It was pretty funny."
The King lazily stretches his arms, yawning before saying, "Well, all these good jokes are making me tired. Guess it's time to hit the hay."
Suddenly, he hurls a chicken leg at Aang, who catches it in midair with his airbending, nearly tumbling out of his chair in surprise. The guards gasp in surprise, and I groan, knowing he's been caught.
The King says, "There's an airbender in our presence, and not just any airbender. The Avatar!"
At the King's words, Aang stops bending, letting the chicken leg fall onto his plate as he quickly puts his hands behind his back.
The King continues, "Now what do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Pippenpaddleopsicopolis?"
Aang throws his hands up in the air in defeat, saying, "Okay, you caught me. I'm the Avatar. Doing my Avatar thing, keeping the world safe. Everything checks out."
He looks underneath the table, continuing, "No firebenders here other than -"
I cut him off, clearing my throat and shaking my head.
He covers, "I mean, no firebenders here. So, good work, everybody! Love each other, respect all life, and don't run with spears. We'll see you next time!"
As we near the exit, two guards cross their spears in front of us, effectively blocking our path.
Katara exclaims, "You can't keep us here! Let us leave!"
The King picks up a piece of lettuce from his plate,waving it around as he asks, "Lettuce leaf?"
He takes a bite out of it, chewing slowly.
Sokka whispers, "We're in serious trouble. This guy is nuts."
The King says, "Tomorrow, the Avatar will face three deadly challenges. But for now, the guards will show you to your chamber."
A guard leans in toward the King, asking, "My liege, do you mean the good chamber, or the bad chamber?"
The King turns to the guard, saying, "The newly refurbished chamber."
The guard asks, "Wait, which one are we talking about?"
The King clarifies, "The one that used to be the bad chamber, until the recent refurbishing, that is. Of course, we've been calling it the new chamber, but we really should number them." As two guards start leading us out of the room, the King decrees, "Take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad!"
The guards lead us to a wall, earthbending it away to reveal a room. They roughly shove us inside, the wall immediately closing behind us. I take a moment to inspect the room, finding four green beds in the center of the room, green drapes hanging from the ceiling above them.
Katara asks, "This is a prison cell? But it's so nice."
Aang says, "He did say it was newly refurbished."
I lay down, saying, "Lucky for us. Though, you almost exposed me back there, Aang. What were you thinking? You almost told that crazy king and his guards I'm a firebender! At least we can relax for the night."
Sokka says, "Nice or not, we're prisoners!"
Aang worriedly says, "I wonder what these challenges are gonna be."
Katara, with a determined look in her eyes, says, "We're not sticking around to find out. There's gotta be some way out of here. Ryuza, can you firebend at that wall?"
I walk up to the wall, and motion for the others to step back. They do so, and I shoot the hottest fireblast I can at the wall, not stopping until I can feel the heat on my face. I stop firebending, shaking my hand to dispell the smoke coming from it. As the smoke clears away from the wall, I see that there's only scorch marks, the wall having not even having chipped or warped at all.
I say, "Well, that was a bust. Unless you want me to fill the room with smoke and suffocate us all, we've gotta come up with some other plan." I notice Aang staring at the smoke, and ask, "What are you staring at, Aang?"
The points at small holes in the wall, exclaiming, "The air vents!"
As the smoke finally clears the room, we can fully see the vents.
Sokka says harshly, "If you think we're going to fit through there, you're crazier than that king."
Aang says, "We can't, but Momo can!"
He happily points at Momo, who's lazily licking a half-eaten apple while laying on a bed.
Aang says, "Momo, I need you to find Appa and bust us outta here!"
Momo looks up, blinking and chittering softly. Aang picks him up, shoving his head inside the tube. He's shoved back and forth a few times, but he keeps getting stuck at his overstuffed belly.
Aang stands on a chair, trying to shove Momo further inside as he exclaims, "Go on, boy! Get Appa!"
I pull Momo out, saying, "I think even Momo is too big for the vents. Sorry, Aang."
He looks discouraged, and we all lay down in our own beds.
Sokka says, "Eh. How was Appa supposed to save us anyway?"
Aang says, "Appa's a ten ton flying bison. I think he could figure something out."
Katara says, "Well, no point in arguing about it now. Get some rest, Aang. Looks like you'll need it for tomorrow."
He lays down, and I lay down in the only remaining empty bed. Aang and Sokka soon start snoring, and I can hear Katara's quiet breathing, but sleep evades me. I toss and turn all night, but still can't sleep. I finally start dozing off when two guards open the wall, waking Katara and Sokka. One grabs them by the arms, and the other grabs me, keeping a firm hold on my left shoulder as well.
One of them whispers, "All of you, be quiet. We'll be back for the Avatar soon. The King has ordered that you all be safely escorted to another room until the Avatar awakens."
As the guards turn toward the wall, they stop, noticing the scorch marks.
The guard that remained silent earlier harshly barks in a quiet tone, "Who did that? Which one of you is a firebender?"
None of us respond, but I can see Sokka and Katara's eyes drifting to me.
The guards stare deeply into my eyes, and one of them says to the other, "It must be this one. She has the bronze eyes of a firebender."
The other nods, saying, "She must be dealt with separately."
I say, "I'm right here, you know. I can hear every word you're saying."
One of them barks, "Quiet!"
My shoulders slump as one of the guards leads me down a hall, Sokka and Katara going down another hall.
I say, "I guess I'll see you guys later."
Katara says, "Stay safe, alright?"
I say, "I'll try."
The guard shoves me forward into the King's throne room, where he stares at me with a dubious expression.
He asks, "Why did you bring her to me? Didn't I order you to bring them all elsewhere?"
The guard says, "We've found evidence that she is a firebender. She burned the walls of the chamber in an attempt to escape, but failed."
I say, "Look, I -"
The guard barks, "Silent!"
The King waves his hand, saying, "I suspected that she might be a firebender. Leave. I must speak with her alone."
The guard exclaims, "But sire! How can you be so sure she won't hurt you?"
The King says, "Call it a hunch, but I'm sure I'll be just fine."
The guard sighs, saying, "Yes, sire."
He leaves the room, and the King just stares at me silently.
I say, "Um, I know that the reputation of firebenders hasn't been the greatest in the last hundred years, but I'm not like them. If I wanted to attack the Avatar, I would have by now."
The King smiles, saying, "I know, Ryuza."
I nervously ask, "H- How do you know my name?"
He gives me a maniacal smile, saying, "What, you don't recognize me? I know it's been a hundred years, but I don't look that different, do I?"
I ask in confusion, "Bumi?"
He smiles, wider, saying, "You're right on the money! I must admit I was surprised to see you and Aang after all these years, especially after seeing how young you both look. I'm guessing Aang had something to do with that?"
I say, "Yeah. Aang's Avatar state got us stuck in an iceberg for a hundred years just before the air temples were annihilated. So, what are you gonna do with me? Can't exactly have a firebender in your palace."
Bumi says, "I am the King. I don't have to punish an old friend. I must ask you something, though."
I ask, "What?"
He says, "During Aang's trials, you cannot, under any circumstances, help him or reveal to him my name. I want him to figure it out on his own, like I was originally planning for you as well."
I nod, saying, "Done. What are you going to do about the guards?"
He says, "I'll have them escort you back to your friends. Don't worry. I won't let you be hurt under my watch."
He whistles, and the guard that escorted me here runs in, his spear pointed directly at me.
Bumi says, "Drop your weapon. As the Avatar's friend, she shall be treated like an honored guest, just like the others. Please escort her to her friends."
The guard's frown deepens, but he silently complies, bringing me back down the hall Sokka and Katara were led down, and earthbending the door open.
My friends don't seem to have noticed the door being open, and I see Sokka yelling at the guard, "Look, she's our friend! You've gotta let us go after her!"
Katara adds, "She's not gonna hurt anyone! She only firebent because I asked her to help us get out! It's not her fault!"
I clear my throat, saying as they turn to me, "Good to know you guys think so highly of me."
They exchange silent looks of surprise before Katara pulls me into a quick hug.
She lets go of me, exclaiming, "You're okay! How did you get away?"
I say, "Long story short, he knew I was a good guy and let me go."
Sokka scoffs, saying, "Yeah, like it was just that easy."
I smile, saying, "It really was. Besides, you can't deny we're friends now. I heard you yelling at that guard."
Sokka crosses his arms, muttering something under his breath. After just hanging out for a few minutes, the guards stationed outside earthbent the wall open again, seizing us by our arms. The guards brought us to a room with Bumi and Aang, all while Sokka and Katara struggled in the guard's grasp.
Bumi says, "Oh, I thought you might refuse, so I will give your friends some special souvenirs."
The guards put strange crystalline rings on our fingers that started glowing and tightening around our fingers the second they were put on. Katara's was green, Sokka's was blue, and mine was orange. I try to pry the ring off with my teeth, but it was stuck in place, not even budging. Katara and Sokka try to pull of their rings as well, neither of them having any success either.
Bumi explains, "Those delightful rings are made of pure Jennamite, also known as Creeping Crystal. It's a crystal that grows remarkably fast. By nightfall, your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible thing, really. I can stop it, but only if you cooperate."
Sokka's ring covers his finger, making him exclaim, "Ah! It's already creeping!"
Aang has a serious look on his face, complying, "I'll do what you want."
Bumi grins maniacally, leading us all to a cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites, with a rushing waterfall near the center, an iron ladder in the waterfall with a key dangling from a chain on the ceiling above it. Aang climbs down into the cave while the rest of us stand on a balcony to watch. By now, my ring has crept up to cover my entire hand and wrist, Sokka and Katara's rings done the same to them.
Bumi says, "It seems I've lost my lunchbox key, and I'm hungry. Ooh, there it is! Would you mind fetching it for me?"
Aang airbends himself to the base of the waterfall and jumps in. He manages to climb up the rock face to the base of the ladder, grasping a ring with one hand before the torremt of water pushes him away.
Bumi sarcastically says, "Ooh, climbing the ladder. No one's thought of that before."
Aang takes a moment to catch his breath between two stalagmites before leaping from them to the stalactites above, closer to the waterfall. He dives into the water above the key and tries to grab it as he falls with the water, but the rush of water carries him past the key and he shoots out again, keyless.
Bumi sarcastically says, "That's right, keep diving head in. I'm sure it'll work eventually."
Aang cuts a stalagmite with airbending and throws it like a spear at the key, accelerating it with another air blast. The stone snags the chain suspending the key, carrying it out of the waterfall. It pierces the stone wall above the balcony, the key now dangling right in front of Bumi.
Aang exclaims, "There! Enjoy your lunch! I want my friends back now!"
Bumi says, "Ah, not yet. I need help with another matter. It seems I've lost my pet, Flopsie."
That sounds... oddly easy, especially considering the last challenge. We're brought to large, sunken enclosure in a different room, with Aang in the enclosure.
He finds a lop-eared bunny, saying, "Okay, found him!"
Bumi says, "Bring him to me. Daddy wants a kiss from Flopsie!"
A goat-gorilla drops right behind Aang, scaring him and the little bunny. Squealing in terror, the bunny bolts across the enclosure with Aang in pursuit until it hides in a hole. Aang puts his entire arm in the hole up to the shoulder, trying to grab hold of the frightened rabbit.
He exclaims, "Flopsie, wait! Flopsie! Wait a minute." He turns around to face the goat-gorilla, asking, "Flopsie?"
The snarling goat-gorilla bounds toward Aang, but instead of attacking, picks him up and licks him.
Aang exclaims, "Flopsie!"
Flopsie puts Aang down when Bumi whistles, and climbs up the enclosure to him, rolling onto his back, exposing his belly.
Bumi starts rubbing Flopsie's belly, cooing, "Oh, that's a good boy. Yes, who has a soft belly?"
Aang jumps up to me, Sokka, and Katara, where the crystals have encased up to our shoulders.
He asks, "Guys, are you okay?"
Katara sarcastically says, "Other than the crystals slowly encasing my entire body? Doing great!"
Just as she says that, my crystal grows more, making me become unbalanced. I fall on my right side, groaning in pain as the rough crystals make contact with my arm.
Sokka and Katara help me up as Aang walks over to Bumi, saying, "Come on! I'm ready for the next challenge."
Bumi laughs maniacally, leading us to an earthbending arena. Aang and Bumi are on a balcony overlooking the arena, and me, Sokka, and Katara are on an adjacent balcony. By the time we got to the arena, the crystals were already past our heads, leaving only our faces exposed.
Bumi says, "Your final test is a duel, and as a special treat, you may choose your opponent."
Two tall, incredibly muscular men wielding multiple sharp weapons come out, standing next to Bumi.
Aang looks at them uncertainly as Bumi says, "Point and choose."
Aang asks, "So... you're saying whoever I point to, that's the person I get to fight?"
Bumi says, "Choose wisely!"
Aang looks at the two giant men, slowly saying, "I... choose... you."
He points at Bumi, who grins wickedly, saying, "Wrong choice!"
He stands straight up from his hunch and removes his outer robe, proving himself to be a muscular old man. He earthbends Aang off of the balcony, making him fly into the arena. Bumi jumps down right in front of Aang, laughing manically.
He says, "You thought I was a frail old man, but I'm the most powerful earthbender you'll ever see."
Aang asks, "Can I fight the guy with the axe instead?"
Bumi says, "There are no take-backsies in my kingdom. You might need this."
He points to the guard standing near me, Sokka, and Katara, and he tosses Aang his staff. Bumi bends several rocks at Aang, who just avoids and evades the attacks.
Bumi mocks, "Typical Airbender tactic. Avoid and evade. I'd hoped the Avatar would be less predictable!"
He throws more boulders at Aang, but he just keeps avoiding them.
Bumi asks, "Don't you have any surprises for me? Sooner or later you'll have to strike back!"
Aang spins his staff above his head, flying into the air. Bumi bends a large boulder into the ceiling, raining rocks onto Aang, knocking him from the air. Anag charges at Bumi on foot, but Bumi's attacks leave him flat atop a large rock pile.
Bumi says, "You'll have to be more creative than that!"
Aang bends an air scooter and charges forward on it, throwing a huge air blast at Bumi as he gets closer. Bumi throws up a stone barrier and the blast deflects the the sides of it.
Bumi sarcastically asks, "Did someone leave the windows open? It feels a little drafty in here. Are you hoping I'll catch a cold?"
Bumi bends more attacks at Aang, leading him across half of the arena.
He asks, "How are you going to get me from way over there?"
Aang charges forward on foot again, using airbending to accelerate, but Bumi softens the arena floor, leaving him sunk to the waist. Bumi bends two stones to collide on the spot, but Aang pops out at the top of them when they meet. Aang, now visibly angry, bends the slab Bumi is standing on all the way to the back of the arena.
Bumi bends the largest boulder yet to come at Aang from behind, but he does an air-assisted back flip over it. Bumi starts cracking the floor and walls of the arena, tearing out a huge chuck of the wall and balcony. Aang gasps, running in tight circles, conjuring a tornado.
When Bumi flings the huge piece at Aang, it's caught in the tornado and instantly whips around right back at Bumi. He bends it into sand before it can smash him, but before he can recover, Aang attacks from the top of the tornado, landing at Bumi's feet with his staff poised to strike. Bumi's arms are raised above his head, a large boulder suspended above Aang.
He says, "Well done, Avatar. You fight with much fire in your heart."
I let out the breath I've been holding as Bumi tosses the boulder aside, though I knew deep down that Bumi wouldn't hurt Aang. He bends himself into the ground, appearing on the balcony by me, Sokka, and Katara, and Aang airbends up to join us.
Bumi says, "You've passed all my tests. Now, you must answer one question."
Aang exclaims, "That's not fair! You said you would release my friends if I finished your tests."
Bumi says, "Oh, but what's the point of tests if you don't learn anything?"
Sokka exclaims, "Oh, come on!"
Bumi says, "Answer this one question, and I will set your friends free. What... is my name? From the looks of your friends, I'd say you only have a few minutes."
Bumi walks away, and Aang asks, "How am I supposed to know his name?"
Katara says, "Think about the challenges. Maybe it's some kind of riddle."
Sokka exclaims, "I got it!"
Aang asks, "Yeah?"
Sokka says, "He's an Earthbenders, right? Rocky! You know, because of all the rocks."
I deadpan at Sokka, "And I'm a firebender, but I've never met one named Burner...Though now that I think about it, Fire is a less common last name."
Katara says, "We're going to keep trying, but that is a good back up."
Aang says, "Okay. So back to the challenges. I got a key from the waterfall, I saved his pet, and I had a duel."
I ask, "What did you learn from them? That's the only hint I can give you."
Aang says, "We'll, everything was different than I expected."
The Jennamite grows further, and Katara nervously asks, "And?"
Aang says, "Well, they weren't straight forward. To solve each test, I had to think different than I usually would." He snaps his finger, a smile on his face as he says, "I know his name."
I say, "I knew you would get it."
We head into the throne room, and Aang says to Bumi, "I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges. As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities. Bumi, you're a mad genius."
They hug like the old friends they are, and Bumi says, "Oh Aang, it's good to see you and Ryuza. You haven't changed a bit. Literally."
I say, "Well, you can blame Aang for that one."
Katara exclaims, "Uh, over here!"
Sokka adds, "Little help?"
Bumi breaks the crystals using earthbending, making pieces fly everywhere.
He catches one of them, saying, "Jennamite is made of rock candy." He takes a bite, saying, "Delicious!"
I grab a piece that's stuck to my shirt, and try it.
I nod, saying, "Not bad."
Katara asks, "So this crazy king is your old friend Bumi?"
Bumi says, "Who are you calling old? Okay, I'm old."
Sokka asks, "Why did you do all of this instead of just telling Aang who you were?"
Bumi says, "First of all, it's pretty fun messing with people."
I say, "He told me when we spoke earlier, but I promised to let Aang figure it out on his own time. I figured he wanted to play an elaborate prank on him like when we were younger, and I was right."
Bumi says, "But I do have a reason. Aang, you have a difficult task ahead. The world has changed in the hundred years that you and Ryuza have been gone. It's the duty of the Avatar to restore balance to the world by defeating Fire Lord Ozai. You have much to learn. You must master the four elements and confront the Fire Lord, and when you do, I hope you will think like a mad genius. And it looks like you're in good hands. You'll need your friends to help you defeat the Fire Nation." Momo climbs into Aang's shoulder, adding, "And you'll need Momo, too."
Aang says, "Thank you for your wisdom, but before we leave, I have a challenge for you. Ride the chutes with me and Ryuza."
Bumi smiles, and we head out, with me following behind reluctantly. We climb into a bin, and I hold onto Bumi's cape as we soar down.
We crash into the cabbage merchant's stand again, and he yells, "My cabbages!"
Chapter 9: Imprisoned
Chapter Text
Lazing on a rock near the gentle stream at our new campsite, I open my eyes as I hear footsteps nearing our campsite.
Aang enthusiastically exclaims, "Great, you're back!"
He leaps off of the root he was laying on, and I sit up, stretching my back.
I ask, "What's for dinner?"
Sokka pulls a handful of nuts out of his bag, saying, "We've got a few options. First, round nuts. And some kind of oval shaped nuts? And some rock-shaped nuts that might just be rocks. Dig in!"
I deadpan at him as Katara asks, "Seriously... what else you got?"
Momo coos, sniffing a rock-shaped nut before taking it with one of his paws, slapping it against a stone. When he does, we hear a loud thumping sound in the distance. Momo shrieks, his hair standing on end.
Sokka asks, "What was that?"
We hear another thumping sound, and Aang exclaims, "It's coming from over here!"
We start running toward the sound, and Sokka asks, "Shouldn't we run away from huge booms, not toward them?"
We hide behind a fallen tree, spying on a young boy bending boulders into the air and punching them into the side of the ravine.
I exclaim, "An earthbender!"
Aang exclaims, "Let's go meet him!"
Sokka says, "He looks dangerous, so we should approach cautiously."
Katara doesn't listen, creeping out of hiding and addressing the earthbender, "Hello there! I'm Katara! What's your name?"
The young boy gasps in surprise, dropping the boulder he was bending to the ground. He flees quickly, bringing down an avalanche of boulders with his bending to block the exit.
We stand next to Katara, and Aang calls out, "Nice to meet you!"
I say, "Well, that was a bust."
Katara shrugs, saying, "I just wanted to say hi."
Aang says, "Hey! That guy's gotta be running somewhere."
I ask, "You think we're near a village?"
Aang nods, exclaiming, "And I bet that village has a market!"
Katara excitedly says, "Which means no nuts for dinner!"
We run the same direction the boy did, Sokka slowly following behind us. We eventually find a mining village, strolling through the streets.
Aang says to a shopkeeper, "Nice hat! I'll trade you some nuts for it."
The shopkeeper shrugs, taking the nuts as payment. Aang puts on the hat as Katara and I watch the boy from earlier enter a shop. Katara and I enter the shop soon after him, Aang and Sokka behind us.
We hear the woman behind the counter ask, "Where have you been, Haru? You're late! Get started on your chores."
Katara says, "Hey, you're that kid. Why did you run away before?"
The boy nervously says, "Uh, you must have me confused with some other kid."
I say, "No, we definitely saw you earthbending."
Haru and the woman gasp, and she is quick to shut the door and windows.
She asks, "They saw you do what?!"
Haru exclaims, "They're crazy, Mom! I mean, look at how they're dressed."
Aang gazes at his new conical hat in confusion, and I say, "Rude."
Katara awkwardly grasps at her dress, looking with astonishment at herself, and Sokka quirks an eyebrow and smooths out his sleeve.
Haru's mother says, "You know how dangerous that is! You know what would happen if they caught you earthbending!"
I don't even need to ask who 'they' are. Firebenders.
Just then, we hear heavy knocks on the door, and a man exclaims, "Open up!"
Sokka peeks through the window's blinds, whispering, "Fire Nation! Act natural!"
Haru's mother opens the door, allowing the man to walk inside. Haru grasps his chin and stares at Katara cross-eyed, Sokka eyeballs an apple, Katara hunches forward with her eyes wide open, having stuffed her mouth with berries, Aang has his hand atop a barrel, beaming with an immense toothy smile, and I pretend to look at various fruits and vegetables.
Haru's mother aggressively asks, "What do you want? I've already paid you this week!"
The man arrogantly says, "The tax just doubled. And we wouldn't want an accident, would we?" He creates a ball of fire in his hands, making us all slightly back away as he smugly says, "Fire is sometimes so hard to control."
I want to snap at him, but I bite my tongue, a frustrated look on my face contrasting with everyone else's fearful expressions. The man glares down at me, and I glare right back at him, keeping direct eye contact.
He says, "Watch it, little girl. That temper of yours will only get you in trouble. Though I can tell by your missing arm you already know that."
I growl, "I am not little. I can handle myself just fine."
The man scoffs, approaching the store's counter where Haru's mother opens a small chest. She passed a meager handful of Earth Kingdom currency to the man.
He says, "You can keep the copper ones."
He walks away, dropping four copper piece to the floor before exiting the shop, slamming the door behind him.
Sokka says, "Nice guy. How long has the Fire Nation been here?"
Haru's mother replies, "Five years. Fire Lord Ozai uses our town's coal mines to fuel his ships."
Haru says, "They're thugs. They steal from us, and everyone here's too much of a coward to do anything about it."
Haru's mother exclaims, "Quiet, Haru! Don't talk like that."
Katara curiously says, "But Haru's an earthbender. He can help!"
Haru's mother says, "Earthbending is forbidden. It's caused nothing but misery for this village!" She casts a meaningful glance toward her son, saying, "He must never use his abilities."
Katara says, "How can you say that?! Haru has a gift! Asking him not to earthbend is like asking me not to waterbend! It's a part of who we are."
I mutter, "Oh, so my bending isn't?"
Katara says, "That's not the same thing."
Haru's mother shakes her head in dismay, saying, "You don't understand."
Katara says, "I understand that Haru can help you fight back. What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already?"
Haru's mother says, "They could take Haru away! Like they took his father."
I say, "I'm sorry. I know what it's like to be separated from people you love. We all do."
Around late evening, Haru and his mother lead us to their barn. Aang went back to our campsite, and flew Appa into the barn, where he immediately started eating hay.
Haru says, "My mom said you can sleep here tonight, but you should leave in the morning."
Aang says, "Thanks. I'll make sure Appa doesn't eat all your hay."
Appa pauses in eating the hay for a moment, staring at Aang with a blank look before returning to stuffing his face. Haru, Katara, and I take a walk into the nearby woods under the setting sun.
Katara says, "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't know about your father."
Haru says, "That's okay. It's funny, the way you guys were talking back in the store? It reminded me of him."
Katara and I say, "Thanks."
Haru says, "My father was very courageous. When the Fire Nation invaded, he and the other earthbenders were outnumbered ten to one, but they fought back anyway."
Katara says, "He sounds like a great man."
We approach the top of a steep cliff, gazing out to the setting sun beyond.
We stop walking, and Haru says, "After the attack, they rounded up my father and every other earthbenders, and took them away. We haven't seen them since."
I say, "So that's why you hide your earthbending."
Haru earthbends two stone in a circle above his hand before crushing them into sand, saying, "Yeah. Problem is, the only way I can feel close to my father now is when I practice my bending. He taught me everything I know."
Katara and I sit next to Haru on the edge of the cliff, and Katara says, "See this necklace? My mother gave it to me."
Haru says, "It's beautiful."
Katara explains, "I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid. This necklace is all I have left of her."
Haru asks, "It's not enough, is it?"
Katara hangs her head, turning away from him as she says, "No."
Haru says to me, "I heard you talking about your bending earlier. Are you an earthbender, too?"
I nervously say, "Uh, not exactly."
Haru has a confused expression on his face, and we start walking back to the barn.
After a few minutes, we hear an old man yelling, "Help! Help!"
Haru exclaims, "The mine!"
Katara and I run after Haru to the mine, where we find the old man trapped under a tremendous pile of rocks, pinned to the ground on his stomach.
I gasp saying, "Oh, no. It must have caved in as he was leaving!"
Sand continuously pours down, rocks intermittently falling.
The old man exclaims, "Help me!"
Haru and I brace against the mine entrance as Katara pulls the old man's arms.
She exclaims, "Ugh! It's not working! We have to help!"
Haru exclaims, "There's no time! Pull harder!"
Katara says, "Haru. There's a way you can help."
Haru fearfully says, "I can't."
Katara says, "Please, there's no one around to see you. It's the only way!"
I step away from the falling debris as Haru leaps away. He faces the rock pile in an earthbending stance. With a sudden, strong move, he blasts all the rocks down the tunnel, freeing the old man.
Katara excitedly exclaims, "Haru! You did it!"
I add, "You saved him!"
I help the old man stand up, helping him walk away from the mine. We get back to the barn, and Katara and I tell Sokka and Aang what happened in the mine. I'm laying down in my bedroll, Katara is sitting up on her bedroll with a lamp in her lamp, Sokka is lying on a square bale of hay with his blanket over him, and Aang is sprawled out on Appa's head with Momo lying on his back.
Katara says, "It was brave of Haru to use his earthbending to help that old man."
Aang says, "You guys must have really inspired him."
I say, "I guess so."
Sokka says, "Everyone should get some sleep. We're leaving at dawn."
Katara asks, "Dawn?! Can't we sleep in for once?"
Sokka commandingly says, "Absolutely not! This village is crawling with Fire Nation troops. If they discover you're here, Aang, we'll be eating fireballs for breakfast. Goodnight."
Katara slyly says with a wry smirk, "I'd rather eat fireballs than nuts."
I say, "That can be arranged."
Sokka says with finality, "Goodnight!"
Katara, Aang, and I chuckle before Katara blows out the lamplight to get some rest.
The next morning, as we were packing up, Katara bursts into the barn, exclaiming, "They took him! They took Haru away!"
Aang and I exclaim, "What?!"
Katara hurriedly says, "The old man turned him in to the Fire Nation. It's all my fault. I forced him into earthbending!"
I say, "Slow your roll, there. It's no one's fault. It was the only way to save the old man. Even if he turned him in, he didn't deserve to die."
Sokka asks, "When did this happen?"
Katara replies, "Haru's mother said they came for him at midnight."
Sokka says, "Then it's too late to track him. He's long gone."
Katara turns defiantly to the open door, her fists clenched as she says, "We don't need to track him. The Fire Nation is going to take me right to Haru."
Aang confusedly asks, "And... why would they do that?"
Katara determinedly says, "Because they're going to arrest me for earthbending."
Sokka, Aang and I share horrified expressions.
I ask, "How are you gonna do that?"
Katara says, "I've got a plan."
She tells us her plan, and I say, "I hope you know what you're doing."
They head to our meeting spot, and I go into town, walking over to a group of guards.
I dramatically exclaim, "Please help! I barely escaped with my life! I saw an earthbender on the outskirts of town!"
The guards grab their spears, and I lead them to the meeting spot.
As we get closer, I loudly say to signal my friends to get into position, "I think I saw the earthbender over here!"
Katara and Sokka make a show of walking into each other, and Sokka angrily points at Katara, exclaiming, "Get out of my way, pipsqueak!"
One of the soldiers raises as eyebrow, and Katara angrily hunches over, saying, "How dare you call me pipsqueak, you giant-eared cretin!"
Sokka also angrily hunches over, asking, "What did you call me?"
Katara reiterates, "A giant-eared cretin! Look at those things! Do herds of animals use them for shade?"
She imitates an elephant-rat's ears, and Sokka towers over his sister, saying, "You better back off!" He slips his hand by his mouth, muttering, "Seriously, back off."
Katara now towers over her cowering brother, exclaiming, "I will not back off! I bet elephants get together and make fun of how big your ears are!"
Sokka exclaims, "That's it! You're going down!"
Katara angrily points at Sokka, saying, "I'll show you who's boss! Earthbending style!"
She over-dramatically leaps toward a boulder placed over an air vent, clenching her fists upward, but the boulder doesn't move.
Katara reiterates, "I said, earthbending style!"
I hear a quiet gasp behind another boulder before the boulder levitates into the air, revealing Momo from behind the boulder, who has his arms raised, licking his armpits.
A guard points at the lemur, saying, "The lemur! He's earthbending!"
Katara eyes the man in surprise as I say, "No, you idiot, it's the girl!"
The guard blushes in embarrassment, saying, "Oh. Of course."
Sokka steps behind Katara, laying his hands on her shoulders as the boulder falls to the ground, saying, "I'll hold her."
He whispers something to her quickly before the guards escort Katara away, leaving us to watch as she takes a final glance back. Sokka unhappily tugs at his ears, eyeballing Momo.
He says, "Momo, you have some big ears."
Momo folds his ears back, hunches down, and coos in protest.
I pet his head, cooing, "No you don't, cutie. He's just upset he has big ears and he's taking it out on you."
Sokka and I get conical hats in town like Aang's, wearing them as we stand on the dock, watching Katara be shipped off with earthbending prisoners. She looks longingly over her shoulder as the carts bobs along the pier, heading toward a waiting barge on the ocean. We head back to the barn and hop on Appa, chasing the barge as we fly through the clouds. We see an immense, smoking, off-shote Fire Nation prison rig just ahead.
Sokka says, "Shell be fine, guys. Katara knows what she's doing."
We head back, packing up the rest of our things and getting supplies in town. Around midnight, we fly back to the rig. We find a small nook where we can hide while Aang heads inside the rig to wake up Katara.
They emerge into the nook, and Sokka whispers, "Your twelve hours are up. Where's Haru? We've gotta get out of here."
Katara whispers, "I can't."
I hurriedly whisper, "We don't have much time. There are guards everywhere. Get on!"
Aang asks, "Katara, what's wrong?"
Katara indignantly says, "I'm not leaving. I'm not giving up on these people."
Sokka asks, "What do you mean you're not leaving?"
Katara says, "We can't abandon these people! There has to be a way to help them."
Aang says, "Maybe she's right. What do you guys think?"
I say, "It wouldn't feel right to just leave them here."
Sokka exclaims, "I think you're all crazy!" We duck to avoid a searching spotlight, and Sokka quietly adds, "Last chance. We need to leave, now!"
Katara sternly says, "No."
Sokka shakes his head dismally, saying, "I hate when you get like this. Come on, we better hide."
Aang whispers to Appa, "Go hide."
As Appa soars overhead, I hear some guards talking to each other as we run away. We hide behind a stack of boxes while we come up with a plan, all of us sitting close together on the metal ground in the darkness.
Sokka asks, "We don't have much time. What are we gonna do?"
Aang says, "I wish I knew how to make a hurricane. The warden would run away and we'd steal his keys!"
I ask, "Wouldn't he just take his keys with him?"
Aang says, "I'm just tossing ideas around."
I shrug, saying, "Worth a shot. Uh, what if I blast the warden with fire and force him to give us the keys?"
Katara frowns, "No, that wouldn't work either. He's a firebender, too, and so are most of the guards."
I groan, asking, "What if we rallied the prisoners and mutiny him?"
Katara shakes her head, saying, "I tried talking the earthbenders into fighting back, but it didn't work! If only there was just a way to help them help themselves."
Sokka says, "For that, they'd need some kind of earth, or some rock. Something they can bend."
Katara splays her hand out on the metal surface, saying, "But this entire place is made of metal!"
I say, "No, it's not. Look at the smoke! I bet they're burning coal from the mines. In other words, earth. But the real question is, how do we get it within reach?"
Sokka lights up, saying, "We can just do what we did to get Katara imprisoned! You see those vents?"
Aang nods, heading off to close the air vents to lead all of the coal down just one of them. As morning arrives, leaving Sokka, Katara, and I bathed in light by the only open air vent.
Katara says, "It's almost dawn. We're running out of time! You sure this is gonna work?"
Sokka explains, "It should. These vents reminded me of our little trick back at the village. We're gonna do the same thing, but on a much bigger scale. There's a huge deposit of coal at the base of the silo, and the whole system is ventilated. Aang closed off all the vents except one. When he does his airbending, the coal only has one place to go, right back here."
A guard suddenly exclaims, "There's the intruders!"
We're surrounded by a large number of spear-wielding Fire Nation guards, the prisoners having gathered a safe distance away from the spectacle.
Sokka exclaims, "Stay back! I'm warning you!"
He pulls out his boomerang, turning back to back with his sister as I get into a firebending stance. The guards in front of me seem to be to be confused at that. Good.
An older prisoner that I assume to be Haru's father roughly exclaims, "Katara, stop! You can't win this fight!"
The warden smugly says, "Listen to him well, child. You're one mistake away from dying where you stand."
I growl, "That's what you think."
He raises an eyebrow before jumping back as a sudden rush of air shakes the facility. The ventilation shaft bursts off it's hinges as an immense blast of coal soars into the air, crashing down into a gathered pile. Everyone present is silent, staring in stark silence at this turn of events. Lastly, Aang leaps out from the now barren ventilation shaft, landing atop the coal pile and coughing, covered in soot and dirt.
Momo follows him, and Katara runs up to the coal, lifting a piece up as she faces the earthbenders, saying, "Here's your chance, earthbenders! Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!"
Haru bolts ahead without hesitation, prepared to bend the coal as a weapon, but he's stopped by his father bracing his chest to halt his advance.
The warden bursts out into highly amused laughter, saying, "Foolish girl. You thought a few inspirational words and some coal would change these people? Look at these blank, hopeless faces. Their spirits were broken a long time ago."
Katara's expression dims as she drops the piece of coal, staring at the forlorn prisoners.
The warden continues, "Oh, but you still believe in them. How sweet. They're a waste of your energy, little girl. You failed."
He turns to leave the facility, and I'm boiling with rage. I'm tired of his annoying voice. I'm tired of Katara and I being belittled. I'm tired of the Fire Nation! As soon as the warden fully turns away, I punch toward him, a blast of fire nearly hitting him before the fire is redirected as he turns around. He looks shocked before glaring down at me.
He growls, "Nice try, little girl. But I'm faster and stronger than you'll ever be without that arm."
A guard roughly holds my shoulders, forcing me to kneel before the warden. I keep glaring at the warden, not backing down.
He leans down to me, condescendingly saying, "You know what we do with traitors, don't you?" He whispers as the guards lets go of me, "We throw them in the Boiling Rock, where they can never escape. You'll be dead in less than a week."
My eyes involuntarily widen before the warden smiles more smug than before, and stands straight up again, just before a single piece of coal sails through the air, pelting his right in between his eyes. Outraged, the warden looks around at see who dared attack him a second time.
I look to my side to see Haru standing defiantly, levitating three pieces of coal above his hand. The warden sends a blast of fire towards Haru, but the fire is blocked as Haru's newly invigorated father raises a wall of coal in Haru's defense.
Guards line up and prepare for battle, and the warden yells, "Show no mercy!"
The guards send a blast of fire as one toward the rebelling prisoners, and I rush over to push the fire back. I can't stop that amount of fire by myself, but I can slow it down. The earthbenders work together to haul a sizable mass of coal to fully block the fire in front of me. I wipe my forehead, feeling a little drained from blocking that huge wall of fire. I look at the prisoners, shocked that they'd help a firebender, but Haru nods at me, a slight smile on his face.
His father exclaims, "For the Earth Kingdom, attack!"
The coal is slammed to the ground, chunks of rock assaulting the guards. The battle immediately flares, prisoners ducking blasts of fire and countering with fists of coal. I grab a handful of coal, lighting it on fire before chucking it at guards, reigning it down upon them.
Katara and Aang chase after Sokka as he snaps soldier's spears in two with his boomerang, tossing the broken tips to Momo overhead. Haru and the older prisoner work in unison to compress gathered coal into one lump. I set it on fire before they sling it through the doors to make way for escape. The heated coal melts through the doors before the fire goes out.
Haru's father yells, "Get to the ships! We'll hold them off!"
The warden yells, "Do not let them escape!"
I join my friends as Aang starts generating an air funnel, holding it between his hands.
He exclaims, "Guys! Throw me some coal!"
Katara and Sokka drop heaps of coal, and I drop some flaming coal into his funnel, the material firing rapidly at the warden and the guards, knocking them to the ground or forcing them to duck. Following this, Haru's father and two other earthbenders work together to lift a platform of coal beneath our adversaries, moving the platform away from the rig and over the ocean.
The warden pleads, "No, please! I can't swim!"
Haru's father says, "Don't worry. I hear cowards float."
He dissolves the platform, dropping our enemies into the ocean. The prisoners gather on barges, and we start heading back to Haru's village. Haru and his father, whose named I learned was Tyro, approach me and Katara.
Haru says, "I want to thank you both for saving me. For saving us."
I smile, saying, "Of course! I couldn't stand seeing what they put you through."
Katara denies, "All it took was a little coal."
Haru says, "It wasn't the coal, Katara. It was you."
Katara blushes, and Tyro says, "Thank you for helping me find my courage, Katara of the Water Tribe. My family and everyone here owes you much."
I say, "So I guess you're going home now."
Tyro says, "Yes. To take back my village." He raises his voice to the crowd on the lower deck, "To take back all of our villages! The Fire Nation will regret the day they set foot on our land!"
The crowd cheers at Tyro's bravado, and Haru says to Katara, "Come with us."
Katara says, "I can't. Your misson is to take back your home. Ours is to get Aang to the North Pole."
She gazes over the rail at Aang, and Haru asks, "That's him, isn't it? The Avatar."
I nod, saying, "Yeah. He's like a little brother to me."
Haru says, "Katara, thank you for bringing my father back to me. I never thought I'd see him again. I only wish there was some way..."
Katara solemnly says, "I know."
She reaches for her necklace wistfully, but looks around her in panic as she realizes it's not around her neck.
She exclaims, "My mother's necklace! It's gone!"
Oh no. That can't be good.
Chapter 10: Winter Solstice (Part 1): The Spirit World
Chapter Text
We soar above the clouds on Appa, and we're all lazing around in the saddle. We've been flying for a few hours already, and I got bored of the sight of clouds, so I started reading one of my books. This one is an autobiography of the last waterbender Avatar, Avatar Kuruk. The spirits feared him, and the author of the book writes a lot about everybody's hate for him and his amoral actions.
He destroyed an entire island to activate his Avatar state, got his own wife's face stolen by a spirit, nearly killed his friends, didn't help anybody as an Avatar, and he apparently spent most of his time challenging people in bending duels. Many considered him to be the worst Avatar, and he also died the youngest in his 30's.
I tear my attention away from my book when I hear Katara dreamily mutter, "Those clouds look so soft, don't they? Like you could just jump down and you'd land in a big, soft, cottony heap."
Sokka mockingly says, "Maybe you should give it a try."
Katara looks at Sokka with a look of annoyance and sarcastically says, "You're hilarious."
Aang exclaims, "I'll try it!"
He grabs his staff and jumps off of Appa with a big smile on his face.
He falls down, laughing joyously, "Yeah!"
Sokka and Katara pop their heads over the rim of the saddle to try to find where Aang went, but he disappeared under the cloud layer. He soon reappears on the saddle from the other side on his glider, and the water tribe siblings look shocked.
Aang plops down next to me on the saddle, his clothes dripping with water as he says, "Turns out, clouds are made of water."
I ask, "You didn't know that?"
He shrugs before he takes a deep breath and slams his right fist into his left palm, creating an air ball around him to dry himself off and accidentally fluffed up Momo's fur in the process. Sokka looks unimpressed, and I just shrug. I knew Aang would be okay as long as he had his staff.
Sokka points over my shoulder, asking, "What's that?"
I close my book and turn my head to where he pointed, finding a large expansive area that's completely burned to ash. I direct Appa to land, and we all get out.
Sokka says, "It's like a scar. Listen."
We're all silent for a moment, and don't hear anything.
I mutter, "It's so quiet. There's no life anywhere."
Aang and I sit down on the ground next to each other, our backs to Sokka and Katara. Aang hugs my torso tightly, and I wrap my arm around his shoulder to comfort him. My nation did this. I'm not even surprised at this point, just angry at them.
Sokka exclaims, "Fire Nation! Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for -" Katara shushes him, and he angrily whispers, "What? I'm not allowed to be angry?"
Aang sadly asks, "Why would anyone do this? How could I let this happen?"
I say, "It's not your fault, it's the Fire Nation's. If anyone should feel guilty for this, it's those bastards."
Katara adds, "Yeah, Aang. You didn't let this happen. It has nothing to do with you."
Aang protests, "But it does. It's the Avatar's job to protect nature, but I don't know how to do my job."
Katara says, "That's why we're going to the North Pole. To find you a teacher."
Aang says, "Yeah. A wayerbending teacher. But there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me."
I say, "But my father died over a hundred years ago. How are you supposed to talk to him?"
Aang responds, "I don't know."
Aang lets go of me as Momo hops onto his lap, but I stay seated next to him. I also feel guilty for this. I know I shouldn't, but it was my nation that did this. It was my Nation that caused all of this fear and unrest throughout the world. And if I hadn't escaped with Aang, I would've either been killed with the airbenders or forced to fight in the Fire Nation's army.
After a while, Katara says, "Hey, guys! You ready to be cheered up?"
Aang sadly says, "No."
I lie, "I'm fine, okay? I don't need cheering up." An acorn hits the back of my head, and I exclaim while rubbing my new sore spot, "Hey! How's pissing me off supposed to cheer me up?"
Sokka chuckles, "Cheered me right up."
I chuck the acorn that hit me at him, hitting him square on the forehead.
He mutters, "Yeah, I probably deserved that."
I mutter, "Duh, you deserved that."
Katara approaches Aang and I, holding a handful of acorns.
She says, "These acorns are everywhere, guys. That means the forest will grow back! Every one of these will be a tall oak tree someday, and all the birds and animals that lived here will come back."
She places an acorn in my hand and one in Aang's, and Aang says, "Thanks, Katara."
I pocket my acorn as I spot an old man approaching, and I ask the man, "Who are you?"
The old man awes, "When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible! But, those markings... Are you the Avatar, child?"
Aang looks to Katara for approval, and she nods.
Aang nods at the man, and he exclaims, "My village desperately needs your help!"
We follow the man to his village, and I hold onto Appa's reigns to make sure he's with us in case we need to leave quickly. The village we enter, called Senlin, has been mostly destroyed. It doesn't look like it was burned, more like it was... beaten to rubble.
The old man leads us into the center building around sunset, and he announces, "This young person is the Avatar!"
A younger man that I assume to be the village leader approaches, saying, "So the rumors of your return are true! It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence."
Aang unceremoniously says, "Nice to meet you, too! So, is there something I can help you with?"
The leader mutters, "I'm not sure."
The old man that brought us here exclaims to the leader, "Our village is in crisis, and he's our only hope!" He then turns to us, explaining, "For the last few days at sunset, a spirit monster comes and attacks our village. He is Hei Bai, the black and white spirit."
Sokka asks, "Why is it attacking you?"
The leader somberly replies, "We do not know, but each of the last three nights, he has abducted one of our own. We are especially fearful because the Winter Solstice draws near."
Katara asks, "What happens then?"
The old man explains, "As the solstice approaches, the natural world and the Spirit World grow closer and closer until the line between them is blurred completely."
The leader adds, "Hei Bai is already causing devestation and destruction. Once the Solstice is here, there's no telling what will happen."
I ask, "So how do you think Aang can help?"
The old man responds, "Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the Spirit World than the Avatar himself? You are the great bridge between man and spirits."
Aang nervously says, "Right... That's me."
Katara says, "Hey, 'great bridge' guy, could I talk to you over here for a second?"
She leads him toward a window, and Sokka and I follow.
She says, "Aang, you seem a little unsure about all of this."
Aang says, "Yeah, that might be because I don't know anything at all about the Spirit World. It's not like there's someone to teach me this stuff!"
I ask, "But can you help these people?"
Aang responds, "I have to try, don't I? Maybe whatever I have to do will just... come to me."
Momo lands on his shoulder, and I say, "I guess it's possible. Just stay calm and do your best."
Katara says with a kind and reassuring smile, "I think you can do it, Aang."
Sokka says with a similar expression, "Yeah." After a brief pause, he adds, "We're all gonna get eaten by a spirit monster."
Aang agrees to help the village, and steps outside the building to await Hei Bai.
I say, "This isn't right. We can't sit here and cower while Aang waits for some monster to show up."
The old man says, "If anyone can save us, he can."
I say, "He still shouldn't have to face this alone."
The sun sets and night falls, but no sign of the spirit. Aang starts walking back to us, just before Hei Bai appears. He walks right behind Aang, who turns to see him. We're not able to hear what Aang is saying, only able to watch the fight.
Hei Bai destroys more buildings while Aang dodges, and the village leader says, "The Avatar's methods are... unusual."
I say, "It doesn't seem too interested in what he's saying. Maybe we should go help him."
The old man says, "No. Only the Avatar stands a chance against the Hei Bai."
Katara adds, "Aang will figure out the right thing to do, Ryuza."
The spirit hits Aang and sends him flying to the roof of another building, and I say, "That's it. He needs help."
Katara tries grabbing me but misses, exclaiming, "Ryuza, wait!"
Sokka adds, "It's not safe!"
I say, "There's nothing you guys can do to convince me not to do this. Aang is like my little brother, and I can't just stand by and watch him get hurt like this!"
I run outside and blast Hei Bai in the butt with a blast of fire, but it barely reacts.
Katara exclaims, "Ryuza, come back!"
I head over to Aang, saying, "We'll fight him together, Aang."
Aang says, "I don't want to fight him unless I -"
I'm suddenly lifted into the air by a giant hand, and I realize I've been taken by Hei Bai. I start blasting volleys of fire at Hei Bai's face as Aang chases after us, but the spirit only starts running faster through the woods. Aang reaches his hand out to me and I reach out for him, only to be transported into the Spirit World just before Aang could grab me.
Hei Bai releases me and runs off, leaving me alone in this strange new world. I come face to face with a giant blue monkey, and it screeches in my face. I run away, hiding behind a tall tree. The tree turns to face me, a cruel frown on its face.
Its branches sharpen and form into hands, and I scream, running away. I eventually find a cave to hide in, curling into a ball. I hyperventilate, unable to calm myself down. It's one thing to read about the horrors of the Spirit World, and another to experience it.
I try to calm myself down, knowing that the Spirit World changes to accommodate to how you're feeling, but calming down just isn't happening right now. I've researched a lot about the Spirit World over the years, hoping to be able to speak to my father, but it hasn't worked yet.
My eyes widen in realization. My father. He could help me get out of here! I know it's a long shot, but that thought is the only thing helping to calm me down right now. I'm finally able to take deep breaths again, and make sure I'm calm before exiting the cave. The world seems much more friendly now, but it's still quite unsettling.
I wander aimlessly through the ever-changing forest, and finally come across a clearing after who knows how long. I think it's been a few hours? Maybe a day? Time quickly lost all meaning when I arrived here. There's no way to tell time when there's no sun or moon to see and everything is lit the same. I sit down in the clearing to take a break, finally resting my weary legs.
Why am I so tired? It felt like no time had passed at all, but at the same time, it felt like I'd been walking for months. I need to get out of here. I lay down on my back and close my eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. I open my eyes again to see a glowing blue wrinkled face leaning close to mine. I jump back in shock, and realize that I'm looking at a familiar face.
I confusedly ask, "Father? What are you doing here?"
Father just smiles, saying, "I felt your presence the second you arrived here, my dear. I should be asking what you are doing here."
I say, "Hei Bai took me during a fight against Aang. I've been trying to find you. Can you help me get out of here?"
Father says, "No need. You will be able to return to the living world soon. Do you remember Fang?" I nod, and he says, "He's guiding Aang to where he can be able to talk to me. Aang is in the world between worlds, where he can see the living world, but cannot interact with it. I must warn him."
I ask, "Warn him about what?"
Just as Father was about to respond, he's suddenly gone, and I find myself walking out of bamboo branches in the living world, feeling dazed. Who was I just talking to? I think I was talking to Father, but what were we talking about? Why can't I remember? How long have I been gone?
I hold my head as I try to remember, and suddenly Sokka, Katara, and Aang nearly tackle me in a hug, exclaiming, "Ryuza! You're okay!"
I ask, "What happened?"
Katara responds, "You were trapped in the Spirit World for 24 hours! How are you feeling?"
I respond, "Really confused. I can't remember anything about being there, other than maybe talking to my father? I think he said something about Fang, his dragon."
The village leader approaches us, saying to Aang, "Thank you, Avatar. If only there were a way to repay you for what you've done."
What did I miss? I see three villagers standing by more bamboo branches and embracing their tearful friends and family. Looks like Aang saved the village and pacified Hei Bai.
To answer the village leader, Sokka says, "You could give us some supplies, and some money."
Katara admonishes, "Sokka!"
Sokka nonchalantly says, "What? We need stuff."
The village leader smiles, saying, "It would be an honor to help you prepare for your journey."
Katara says, "I'm so proud of you, Aang. You figured out what to do, all on your own."
Aang says, "Actually, I did have a little help, and there's something else."
I ask, "What is it?"
Aang responds, "I need to talk to Roku, and I think I found a way to contact his spirit."
That feels familiar. Did Father tell me something about that? I think he did.
Katara exclaims, "That's great!"
Sokka adds, "Creepy, but great."
Aang explains, "There's a temple on a crescent-shaped island, and if I go there on the Solstice, I'll be able to speak with him."
Katara exclaims, "But the Solstice is tomorrow!"
I say, "Yeah, and the fact that temple is in the Fire Nation. The Crescent Island Temple was put up around the time I left the Fire Nation, and I'd hoped I'd left for good. I guess I was wrong."
They all look fearful at my comment, and I frown, knowing I'll soon have to return 'home'.
Chapter 11: Winter Solstice (Part 2): Avatar Roku
Chapter Text
After everyone else went to sleep, I still wasn't able to sleep. I don't think I'm ready to return to the Fire Nation yet, but I have to be there for Aang. Just as I finally start nodding off, I hear the floorboards creaking, the sounds making their way to the front door. I sit up, rubbing my eyes, and catch a glimpse of Aang leaving, the door shutting quietly behind him.
I quickly wake up Sokka and Katara, and we head outside, where we find Aang tugging on Appa's reins, saying in a strained voice, "Let's go, Appa! Come on, boy!"
Appa roars in protest and sits down.
Aang sadly says, "Look, I'm sorry, but Ryuza, Katara, and Sokka aren't coming to the Fire Nation with us. I can't do that to them, especially Ryu. If any of them got hurt, I'd never forgive myself." He then exclaims, "So get your big butt off the ground and let's go!"
He tugs the reins harder, stretching them, but he's flung to the ground when the ropes pull him back, as Appa didn't move a muscle.
Aang gasps in surprise and looks over his shoulder at us as Sokka says, "I think his big butt is trying to tell ya something."
Katara says desperately, "Please don't go, Aang. The world can't afford to lose you to the Fire Nation."
I plead, "And neither can I. I can't lose what's left of my family again."
Aang exclaims, "But I have to talk to your father, Avatar Roku, to find out what my vision means! I need to get to the Fire Temple before the sun sets on the solstice. That's today!"
Aang airbends himself atop Appa's head, a sad expression on his face. As Appa stands up, Sokka, Katara, and I stand in front of him to prevent him from moving any further.
Katara says, "We're not letting you go into the Fire Nation, Aang."
Sokka adds, "At least, not without your friends. We've got your back."
I add, "Plus, how did you think you were going to get there? I'm the only one of the four of us who's been to Crescent Island, and you wouldn't find it on any non-Fire Nation map."
The Senlin Village leader says, "It's a long journey to Crescent Island." He hands Aang a small bundle, adding, "You'll have to fly fast to have any chance of making it before sundown. Good luck."
Aang smiles, saying, "Thank you for your -"
The leader interrupts him, exclaiming, "Go!"
We quickly hop into the saddle and fly off, with me taking over Appa's reins. By the time morning comes, I start nodding off, nearly losing grip on the reins a few times, so Aang has taken over directing Appa as I try to take a quick power nap in the saddle.
I finally fall asleep, only to wake up around an hour later, falling toward the ocean, Aang yelling, "Ryuza! Hold on! I'm coming!"
Appa turns around and dives down quicker than I've ever seen the bison move, and Katara reaches out and is able to grab my hand, pulling me back into the saddle just before Appa's six paws skim the ocean's surface. A fish jumps out of the water and into Sokka's face, knocking him onto his back on the saddle.
Katara asks me, "Ryuza, are you okay?"
I say, my heart pumping out of my chest, "I- I think I'm okay. Thanks, Kat. I wasn't sure you guys would make it in time."
She hugs me, saying, "Of course! I would never leave you behind."
Momo leaps up and grabs the fish, and Appa soars higher up into the sky, a barrage of giant smelly fireballs coming from Zuko's ship behind us and a ship blockade in front of us. The blasts narrowly avoid us, crashing into the water below. A single fireblast is launched directly at Appa's face, and Aang leaps forward, exploding the blast with a powerful airbending kick. Aang falls back onto Appa's head, and the three of us grab him and help him stand back up.
We soar safely over the blockade, and Aang ecstatically exclaims, "We made it!"
Katara, Sokka, and I are holding each other and grimacing in terror.
Sokka meekly says, "We got into the Fire Nation. Great."
I mutter, "Well, I'm awake now."
We're all lounging on the saddle as the sun starts setting, and I'm resting my eyes. Not quite sleeping, but not quite awake either.
My eyes shoot open as Aang exclaims, "There it is! The island where Roku's dragon took me."
Fang took him here? I don't know why I'm surprised by any Spirit World shenanigans anymore. Appa lands at the base of a stone bridge leading up to the island's mountain. The bridge ends at an elegant, multi-story Fire Temple, lava flowing beneath the bridge and the air thick with steam. Aang stands by Appa's head, Katara stands to Appa's side, Sokka is stretching, and I'm still sitting in the saddle, reluctant to jump to the ground just yet.
Aang pets Appa's head, saying, "You did it buddy. Nice flying."
Appa bellows in satisfaction, rolling to his side to wave three legs into the air lazily, making me fall out onto my face by his stomach.
I groan as I try to stand up, and Katara helps me up.
She says, "Wow. You must really be tired."
Sokka obliviously says while finishing his stretches, "Nope! I'm good. Refreshed and ready to fight some firebenders!"
I say, "She was talking to me, Sokka."
He halts his stretching, saying, "Well, I was talking to... Momo."
He points at the lemur clinging to a dead tree branch.
I mutter, "Uh huh."
We walk along the stone bridge, approaching my father's Temple.
Sokka does a quick look-around, then says, "I don't see any guards."
Katara says, "They must have abandoned the Temple when Avatar Roku died."
I say, "They must be around somewhere. The Fire Sages often stayed at the Temple after a Fire Avatar's passing and guarded the Temple until the next Avatar is revealed."
Aang says, "It's almost sundown. We better hurry!"
We leap over the wall, charging toward the front door. When we enter, I gesture for everyone to be silent, and we tip-toe through an enormous chamber decorated with Fire Nation colomns.
Sokka whispers, "Wait. I think I heard something."
We turn around, finding five men standing in the hallway dressed in the ceremonial Fire Sage red robes and tall hats.
One with slightly more decorated robes, likely the Great Fire Sage, says, "We are the Fire Sages, guardians of the Temple of the Avatar."
I sigh, "Oh thank goodness. I had hoped there would be Fire Sages here. I'm Avatar Roku's daughter."
Aang adds, "And I'm the Avatar!"
The Great Fire Sage says, "We know."
He inhales briskly before punching a blast of fire in our direction. I dissipate the blast just before either can reach us, and Aang deflects three more s of fire with his airbending.
He shouts, "I'll hold them off! Run!"
I say, "But Aang, what about you?"
He exclaims, "Just run, Ryuza! I'll be fine!"
We reluctantly turn around and run in the opposite direction, Aang soon right behind us.
He passes us and continues running, exclaiming, "Follow me!"
Sokka asks, "Do you know where you're going?"
Aang rounds a corner and disappears from sight, exclaiming, "Nope!" A moment passes before Aang turns around into our view again, fearfully exclaiming, "Wrong way!"
He runs past us, and we all turn around, hearing one of the Fire Sages exclaim, "Come back!"
We turn another corner and charge down the hallway, only to reach a dead end and slid to a halt. We turn around, facing the Fire Sage who has a hand up in peace.
He says, "I don't want to fight you! I am a friend!"
Sokka exclaims, "Firebenders aren't our friends!" I loudly clear my throat, and Sokka corrects, "Modern firebenders."
Aang steps ahead of us, assuming an airbending posture. The Fire Sage steps toward Aang before dropping to his knees and pressing his palms to the floor, the Fire Nation symbol of respect. I don't think he'd do this if he didn't respect Aang.
My eyes widen in shock as he says, "I know why you and your friend are here, Avatar."
Aang asks, "You do?"
The Sage rises from the floor, his head still bowed in respect as he continues, "Yes. You wish to speak to Avatar Roku. I can take you to him."
I ask skeptically, "How?"
The man slides back a lamplight on the wall and places his open palm on the wall, focusing his firebending into a small hole on the wall to open a secret passage.
He says, "This way."
As he says that, we hear the Great Fire Sage's voice echo, "Find them."
The Fire Sage briefly glances down the hall, a frantic look on his face as he whisper-shouts, "Time is running out! Quickly!"
Aang and I exchange looks, and we both nod silently, deciding to trust him. The four of us enter the passage and descend the steps into the cave, the Sage entering behind us before closing the passageway.
As we walk silently through the cave, passing by flowing lava, I ask, "How did you know about these caves? I don't remember my father telling me anything about them."
The Sage explains, "Your father, Avatar Roku, once called this Temple his home before you and your sister were born. He formed these secret passages out of the magma."
Aang asks, "Did you know Avatar Roku?"
The Sage responds, "No, but my grandfather knew him. He was present when your friend and her sister were born and was his mentor. He even attended your ancestor's funeral."
I ask, "Was his name Kaja?" He nods, and I say, "He was my firebending master up until I was 8, when I left the Fire Nation. He often told me stories of his son, who followed in his footsteps to become a Fire Sage. What's your name?"
The Sage respondd, "I am Shyu. Many generations of Fire Sages guarded this Temple long before me and my father and grandfather. We all have a strong spiritual connection to this place."
Aang asks, "Is that how you knew I was coming?"
Shyu shakes his head 'no', responding, "A few weeks ago, and amazing thing occured. The Statue of Avatar Roku; it's eyes began to glow!"
Katara says, "That's when we were at the Air Temple. Avatar Roku's eyes were glowing there, too!"
Shyu adds, "At that moment, we knew you had returned to the world."
Aang asks, "If this is the Avatar's Temple, why did the Sages attack me and Ryuza?"
Shyu responds, "Things have changed. In the past, the Sages were loyal only to the Avatar. When Roku died, the Sages eagerly awaited for the next Avatar to return, but he never came."
Aang looks down guiltily, saying, "They were waiting for me."
Sokka obliviously tried to be humorous, saying, "Hey, don't feel bad. You're only a hundred years late!"
I scowl heavily at Sokka, and his smile drops.
I mutter, "It's not Aang's fault, Sokka. You know, it'd be great if you stopped bringing that up."
Shyu continues, "They lost hope the Avatar would ever return. When Fire Lord Sozin began the War, my grandfather and the other Sages were forced to follow him. Ryuza, you were lucky he was able to visit you at all after your father's passing. I never wanted to serve the Fire Lord. When I learned you were coming, Avatar, I knew I would have to betray the other Sages."
Aang says, "Thank you for helping us."
Shyu smiles kindly, and continues leading us up a spiraling flight of stairs.
He says, "We'll follow these stairs to the sanctuary."
It takes about an hour of climbing stairs before we start nearing the top.
Shyu says to Aang, "Once your inside, wait for the light to hit Avatar Roku's statue. Only then will you be able to speak with him."
He slides back a secret tile and we climb into the outer sanctuary, massive columns with dragon statues stop them lining the room with an immense door in front of us holding five open-mouthed dragons.
Shyu gasps, "No!"
I ask, "What's wrong?"
Shyu responds, "The sanctuary doors; they're closed!"
Aang tugs at the door uselessly, and Katara asks Shyu, "Can't you just open them with firebending? Like you opened that other door?"
Shyu responds, "No. Only a fully realized Avatar is powerful enough to open this door alone. Otherwise, the Sages must open this door together, with five simultaneous fire blasts."
Sokka ponderously states, 'Fice fire blasts, huh? I think I can help you out." He kneels, pouring oil from a lamp into a bag as he explains, "This is a little trick I picked up from my father. I seal the lamp oil inside an animal-skin casing, Shyu and Ryuza light the oil-soaked twine, and ta-da! Fake firebending!"
He picks up the bag, holding it proudly in front of him.
Katara says with an impressed tone, "You've really outdone yourself this time, Sokka."
I say, "Yeah, this might actually work. Nice job, Sokka!"
He fills up four more bags the same way and sets one in each of the dragon statue's mouths.
Shyu says to Aang, "The Sages will head the explosion, so as soon as they go off, you rush in!"
The three non-firebenders hide behind columns, Aang behind the one to my left and Sokka and Katara behind the one to my right.
Katara whispers to Aang, "It's almost sunset. You ready?"
Aang responds, "Definitely."
Shyu and I each send a small flame racing toward the door, Shyu's flame going to the left end of the string and mine to the right end, the small flames racing across the door to light all five bags at once, and Shyu and I take cover behind columns as well, both of us hiding behind the column to Aang's left. There is an intense explosion, producing a lot of smoke. Aang bursts forward and runs for the door, but he strains to open the door, as it hasn't budged.
Aang exclaims, "It's still locked!"
Sokka sighs sadly, rising from hiding behind the column.
He says, "It didn't work."
I say, "It was at least worth the shit, Sokka. Don't beat yourself up over it."
Aang starts beating gupin the door furiously with consecutive airbending slices, yelling, "Why- Won't- It- Open?!"
Katara and I run forward, pulling Aang's arms away.
She exclaims, "Aang! Stop!"
I add, "There's nothing else we can do. We don't have enough firebenders."
Aang glumly says, "I'm sorry I put you through all of this for nothing."
Sokka examines the explosion, running his finger across the black soot on the door.
He says, "I don't get it. That firebending looked as strong as any firebending I've seen."
Katara's face immediately brightens, exclaiming in excitement, "Sokka, you're a genius!"
I ask confusedly, "Wait, how is Sokka a genius?"
Aang adds, "Yeah. His plan didn't even work."
Sokka contentedly says, "Come on, guys. Let her dream."
Katara says, "You're right. Sokka's plan didn't work. But it looks like it did."
Aang asks, "Did the definition of 'genius' change over the last hundred years?"
Katara grasps her chin, slyly grinning as a plan forms in her head. She explains her plan for us to trick the Fire Sages into opening the door for us, and Shyu runs off as we hide behind columns, Sokka and Katara hiding behind the same column they did earlier and Aang and I hiding where he did earlier after shoving Momo through the pipes into the inner sanctuary to act as Aang's shadow.
A few minutes later, we hear Shyu entering the outer sanctuary room from the hallway, the other four Sages following close behind him as he exclaims, "Come quickly! The Avatar has entered the sanctuary!"
The Great Fire Sage asks, "How did he get in?"
Shyu responds, "I don't know, but look at the scorch marks! And down there!"
He points at Momo's shadow, which is visible at the bottom of the door.
The Great Fire Sage exclaims, "He's inside! Open the doors immediately, before he contacts Avatar Roku!"
Aang slides into position next to me behind the column as the five Sages firebend the door locks open. As the door opens, a sooty Momo is revealed to be sitting on the floor. Momo sneezes, blowing some soot off of himself.
The Great Fire Sage says, "It's the Avatar's lemur. He must have crawled through the pipes! We've been tricked!"
Momo springs into action, leaping atop the Great Fire Sage's head and clinging to his hat, Katara charged forward, pulling a nearby Sage's tunic over his head to blind him, and Sokka grabs the lower robe of a Sage's outfit, lifting it completely over his body to cover his face as Shyu grabs the last free Safe and hauls him into his grip, pinning him.
I was about to run forward to help them contain the Fire Sages just as I feel a warm hand grab a chunk of my hair, yanking me backwards. As tears sting my eyes, I turn my head to find Zuko holding both of Aang's wrists in his left hand and my hair in his right.
Shyu exclaims, "Now, Aang!"
Katara adds, "Aang! Now's your chance!"
Zuko steps out from behind the column with Aang and I, exclaiming, "The Avatar and his traitorous friend are coming with me!"
The captured Sages use our friend's surprise to claim the upper hand, pinning Sokka, Katara, and Shyu down, Momo flying off with the Great Sage's hat.
Zuko orders, "Close the doors! Quickly!"
He forces Aang and I to walk down the steps with him, and I spare a look behind me to see Sokka and Katara being chained to the column they hid behind. Aang and I look each other in the eye, nodding in silent agreement. He breaks free, and Zuko, in his shock, loosens his grip on my hair. I shove him down the stairs and immediately send a fireblast in his direction, scorching a bit of my hair in the process. Aang runs up the stairs, and I keep Zuko pinned down with my foot like he did to me when we first met, meeting his glare with one of my own.
Katara exclaims, "Go!" As I hear the doors loudly close, she adds, "He made it!"
The entire room is bathed in a blinding white light for a moment, giving Zuko the upper hand again as he sweeps my leg out from under me, and I fall into tge stairs onto my back, hitting my head hard. The white light goes away after a few seconds, and when I open my eyes, my vision is blurring and I feel extremely dizzy and nauseous. I don't think being tired is helping at all.
Zuko orders, "Chain her up with the others. I'll deal with them later."
I'm chained to the column next to Sokka and Katara, and I'm struggling to keep my vision clear, my eyes straining just to see properly. I think I've gotten a concussion. Not surprising how often I've hit my head in the last few weeks. Zuko and the four 'loyal' Fire Sages launch fireblasts into the door's locks, but nothing happens.
Zuko frustratedly asks, "Why isn't it working? It's sealed shut!"
I sarcastically say, fighting my nausea, "Oh, boohoo. Poor little prince forced to wait. Whatever will he do?"
I cougha few times, my headache getting worse.
The Great Fire Sage says, "Ignore her. It must have been the light. Avatar Roku doesn't want us inside, especially now that we have his daughter."
Zuko's eyes widen, shooting a surprised glance at me. Did he really not know? Surely as a firebender he'd studied the most recent Fire Avatar in school and knew what my father looked like. Mother often told me just how much I looked like Father, inheriting his nose, eyes, and hair color. Oh, well. Maybe he's not as educated as I thought. Zuko's look of shock is quickly replaced with anger again, and he glares at Shyu, who is forced into his knees in a kneeling position before Zuko, his hands being held behind his back.
He angrily asks, "Why did you help the Avatar?"
Shyu sadly, yet proudly, responds, "Because it was once the Sage's duty. It is still out duty."
Just then, we hear someone slowly clapping in an obviously sarcastic manner. A man no older than his mid thirties enters the outer sanctuary with six firebender guards.
The man says sarcastically with a voice like poisoned butter, "What a moving and heartfelt performance. I'm certain the Fire Lord will understand when you explain why you betrayed him."
The Great Fire Sage places his palms together in the traditional Fire Nation greeting and bows his head forward, saying, "Commander Zhao."
Ugh, we've got Commanders after us now, too? Great.
Zhao adds, "And Prince Zuko. It was a noble effort, but your little smokescreen didn't work."
What? That Commander guy is after Zuko, too? I suppose it's because Zuko is on Fire Nation land during his banishment. Zuko scowls sharply as Zhao's firebenders step behind him, seizing his arms.
He continues, "Two traitors in one day. The Fire Lord will be pleased."
Zuko starins against his captor, snapping at Zhao, "You're too late, Zhao! The Avatar's inside and the doors are sealed."
Zhao grins confidently, saying, "No matter. Sooner or later, he has to come out."
I share a worried glance at Sokka and Katara, and they look back at me. Zhao approaches me, caressing my chin as I try to shrink back.
He asks, "And who is this? She has the eyes of a firebender, but she's in chains. Do I have a third traitor on my hands?"
Zuko growls, "The Avatar's daughter is mine! You have no right to take my prisoner from me."
Zhao grins wickedly, saying, "Avatar Roku's daughter? Well, the Fire Lord will be quite pleased with me for bringing the last of the previous Avatar's kin to him. I'm sure she'll be made into a fine servant, if he chooses mercy. That missing arm will certainly slow her down, but I'm sure he won't mind."
My eyes widen, and I feel my heart pumping hard in fear. Why is he still so close to my face? Why won't he just leave? Why do I feel so... scared? Zhao finally turns away from me, releasing my chin as my eyes start tearing up again, and I start breathing quickly. Not quite hyperventilating, but more like my lungs aren't letting me take a full breath in. At least Zuko was a foe that could be easily defeated, but Zhao? He terrifies me.
Not just from us threats, but the way he caressed me like he would a woman he would bed. I don't want to know what he would do with me if we were alone. It sadly looks like I'll have to find out as Zhao orders his firebenders to unchain me from the column and tie rope around me to make sure I can't move my arm. After I'm tied up, he gestures with his hand, and one of his guards drags me along to the steps. I struggle in his grasp, but it's futile as we make our way down.
We eventually make our way out of the Temple just it starts lowering into the lava below. I struggle with all my might, but the firebender grabs my left shoulder, and heats up his hand, burning it. I cry out in pain, and he drags me along to a giant metal Fire Nation ship, more than twice the size of Zuko's ship. I'm led onto the deck, where there are more firebender guards and Zhao quickly follows with the Fire Sages and Shyu being taken prisoner as well.
As Appa flies away, Zhao snaps, "No Prince, no Avatar! Apparently, the only thing I do have is Roku's daughter and five traitors!
The Great Fire Sage interjects, "But Commander, only Shyu helped the Avatar.
Zhao exclaims, "Save your stories for the Fire Lord. As far as I'm concerned, you are all guilty!" He orders, "Take them to the prison hold!" A guard grabs me, but Zhao says, "Not her. Take her to the servant's quarters. She needs a little training before she can be gifted to the Fire Lord. I can't be giving him a faulty servant.
He smiles wickedly, and I'm led away to a different direction than the Sages and Shyu. The guard sets me down on a cot, reluctantly untying me. I immediately send a fireblast at him the second my arm is free, but he deflects it. He pins me down, and grabs metal chain, chaining me to the cot before exiting the room, my shoulder burning in pain.
Chapter 12: Crystal
Chapter Text
I’m roused from my fitful slumber by hearing two quiet voices across the room. I can’t quite make out what they’re saying, but I pretend to still be asleep in the hopes they’ll continue and I can hear them. Eventually I’m proven correct, as I hear the voices get louder, moving closer.
The first voice, which I recognize as Zhao, says, “And this one. She is a bit damaged, but still quite beautiful. I have reason to believe she is Avatar Roku’s lost daughter, the one no one ever found.”
The other voice, an unfamiliar male, says, “If the rumors are true, she seems to have somehow extended her life like Avatar Kyoshi did. She still looks quite youthful.”
Zhao says, “Ah, yes. Quite.” I feel a cold shiver run through my spine as he says that, but I bite my lower lip and force myself to stay still as he adds, “She could be useful for Fire Lord Ozai’s daughter, either as a sparring partner or as a servant. I heard that she was a skilled firebender despite her… limitations. It’s a damn shame she sided with the Avatar, but if we could make her loyal to the Fire Lord, we can make her do anything.”
Both men leave the room, and I hear the door shut behind them. I start tearing up and hyperventilating, unable to remain stoic anymore. ‘The one no one ever found’. They found my sister. They found Rina. She survived the town burning down, but the Fire Nation found her. What did they do to her? What happened to Mother? What are they going to do to me? Whatever it is, I don’t want to stick around to find out.
I sit up, trying to get enough air into my lungs to calm myself down, but it’s not working. I can’t even move my hand up to wipe my rapidly falling tears since my arm is chained to the cot. All of a sudden, I feel a hand come from behind me, wiping away my tears. I turn around and see a girl around my age sitting in a cot behind me, the only other person in the room. She has short brown hair, tan skin, and piercing emerald-green eyes.
She takes a deep breath, and motions for me to mimic her. I do so, slowly calming down.
It takes a few minutes, but when I feel myself breathing normally again, the girl says, “There we go. Just take slow breaths.”
I ask, “Who are you? Why are you helping me?”
The girl responds, “I’m Crystal. I saw you having a panic attack and just wanted to help. It’s just in my nature, I guess. I was taken from a Fire Nation controlled Earth Kingdom village about a month ago. What are you doing here in the servant’s quarters? You look like some kind of Fire Nation royalty except for those clothes.”
I ask, “Did you not hear Zhao and that man talking earlier?”
Crystal shakes her head, saying, “No, I’m deaf. I can tell only what others are saying through reading your lips, and I get whipped if I stare at them too long.”
I say, “Oh. Uh… I’m Ryuza, and I’m Avatar Roku’s youngest daughter. I was traveling with Avatar Aang and our friends when I was taken by Zhao. He took me to try to make me a servant for the Fire Lord.”
Crystal asks, “How can you be Avatar Roku’s daughter? Didn’t he die over a hundred years ago?”
I respond, “It’s a long story, but the short version is that I found myself frozen in an iceberg for a very long time.”
I frown, remembering my friends that freed me. How are they handling me being gone? I just hope they’re out of the Fire Nation. I tell Crystal the whole story, and all of the adventures we’ve been on so far. She rests her elbows on her crossed legs and her chin on her palm, listening to me with a calm expression on her face. After a few hours, I hear the door open, my eyes widen in shock.
Zhao walks in and says to me, “Good, you’re finally awake. Have you decided anything regarding your loyalty yet?”
I say, “I’ll never be your servant, Zhao, and I’ll never follow the Fire Lord.”
Zhao smirks, saying, “Oh, I think you’ll change your mind soon enough. If you want your freedom, that is. You see, either way you’ll be going back to the Fire Nation. Whether it’s as a servant or as a prisoner is entirely up to you. And it’s Commander Zhao to you.”
I growl, “I don’t give a flying hogmonkey what your title is, Zhao. I’ll never do anything you say. I’d rather die than serve the Fire Lord.”
Zhao says, “That can easily be arranged. In fact, I can do it right now if you want.”
I keep my mouth shut, looking away. Zhao grabs my chin like he did yesterday, but more forcefully this time, making me look at him.
He adds, “Or I can make your father’s new incarnation watch as I destroy you. It sure would be a shame if that were to happen. To live this long only to die by your own Nation’s hands in front of your father’s spirit. Just as a little incentive; here.”
He heats up his thumb, burning my bottom lip.
I cry out in pain, and Zhao lets go of me, adding, “Think about this next time you open your mouth. I won’t be nearly as merciful next time. It would be best for you to start acting the part if you want to survive long here, especially a beauty like you. Many men would want to have you as their own, and you’re lucky I was the one that took you.”
I fake a gag when he leaves again, and I see Crystal stifle a giggle. She looks so pretty when she smiles. I lay down on my back, and I feel a blush on my face as Crystal tenderly runs her fingers through my hair. We chat aimlessly for a few minutes until she’s pulled away to do her duties. She’s a kitchen servant, so she has to prepare meals and bring them out when they’re done. I sit up after she’s gone and try melting the chain attaching me to the cot, but the metal gets too hot and burns my wrist. After that failed, I started to remember a traditional Fire Nation lullaby my mother sang to me when I was little to comfort me whenever I had a nightmare, Leaves From the Vine.
I sing, “Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. like fragile, tiny shells drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, come marching home. Ash in the snow, falling so slow like fragile, broken hearts with no place to go. Little soldier boy, taken from home, forced to fight a war that was not his own. Little soldier boy, cold and alone. Brave soldier boy never made it home. Leaves from the vine, changing so slow like empty, fallen souls looking for a home. Little soldier boy thought he could soar. Brave soldier boy, fallen in the war. My little soldier boy, I need you home. Brave soldier boy, come marching home.”
After around an hour, Crystal returns to the room with a small tray of food for me.
She says, “I’m not supposed to do this since you’re technically a prisoner, but I was able to sneak you some dinner. Here you go, Ryuza.”
I smile awkwardly as she sets the tray on my lap, and I say, “Thanks, Crystal.”
I set the tray down on the cot next to me and pick up the chopsticks, but I can’t lift the food to my mouth to eat. I bring my head down to my waist, and barely manage to reach my mouth.
I mutter, “Sweet Agni, this is hard.”
I was about to try to eat another bite when Crystal grabs the chopsticks from my hand.
She says, “Here, I’ll help you.”
She then proceeds to feed me, and I’m blushing the whole time at needing help just to do such a simple task as eating. If I still had my other arm I wouldn’t need her help, but I guess then I wouldn’t get to see her beautiful face as she helps me. Once I’m done eating, she takes the tray back out of the room and returns a few minutes later.
I say, “Thanks for helping me.”
Crystal sits down on my cot next to me, saying, “Of course. Why wouldn’t I help?”
I shrug, and she leans her head onto my shoulder.
She says, “I like you, Ryuza. You’re not like the other firebenders I’ve met.”
I blush again and lean my head on hers, saying, “And you’re not like anyone I’ve met before. You’re nice to me without needing a reason.”
We just stay like that for a while, leaning against each other in silence. Eventually, I yawn, growing tired again. I haven’t been awake for much longer than a few hours, but I only got an hour of sleep yesterday. I quickly fall asleep against Crystal’s shoulder as she brushes my hair with her fingers again.
I dream of resting on a large, soft cloud with her, but the dream is interrupted by Appa soaring overhead, my friends on his saddle. They don’t even spare a second glance at me. I sit up and reach for them, but I start falling through the clouds toward Zhao’s ship. When I land on the deck, Zhao grabs me by the wrist, caressing my chin with his other hand. I kick him away, but he gets a hungry expression on his face, reaching for me again. His firebending guards force me back to him, and Zhao leans down to meet my fearful gaze.
He says, “You’re never leaving my ship, little girl. You’d best accept that and be a servant if you want to survive.”
Suddenly, Aang floats down to the ship in his Avatar state, blowing the other firebenders away except for Zhao and I. He firebends at Aang, setting him on fire. Zhao grabs my face with a strong grip and forces me to watch through tear-filled eyes as Aang is reduced to ash right in front of me.
I shoot awake, morning light peeking through the window. Crystal is gone, likely off making breakfast, and I’m on my own as the other servants start waking up and getting dressed around me, none of them even looking at me, like they aren’t even acknowledging my existence. I wipe tears from my eyes and sit up, deciding to play along for now. If I can play the part of a servant, I might get a chance to run at the next port and find my way back to my friends.
Chapter 13: Acting the Part
Chapter Text
For the next few days, I just lay on my cot in the servant’s chambers, talking to Crystal when I can while waiting with bated breath for Zhao. I feel my stomach start turning, both in hunger and dread. The dinner Crystal helped me eat the other day was the only thing I’ve eaten in days, and even then it was a meager meal, only consisting of a small bowl of rice and some fermented vegetables.
I hadn’t eaten the day Katara, Sokka, Aang, and I flew to Crescent Island because I kept trying to sleep instead, and Zhao hasn’t allowed me to eat or drink anything yet, probably because he wants his prisoners to suffer like the sadist he is. He finally enters the room just after breakfast time on my fifth day on the ship. His arms are crossed, and he has a bored expression on his face as I feel a large pit in my stomach upon seeing him.
I sit up to see him square-on, forcing my fears down as much as I can to not appear as afraid as I feel I am. I feel my shoulder and lower lip burn, reminding me of when I’d stupidly talked back to him. If I want to survive until we reach the next port, I’ll need to remain silent, only speaking when necessary. I need to act like the perfect servant if I want to eat.
Zhao crosses his arms, saying, “You’re not saying anything this time. I hope that means you’ve learned your lesson this time.”
I don’t respond, clutching a handful of the thin blanket on the cot out of anxiety.
When I remain silent, Zhao smiles, saying, “Good, and I hope you’ve finally decided your role.”
I just nod, looking away so I don’t have to see his disgusting face.
Zhao chuckles, saying, “Perfect. Since it seems you can be taught, I will allow you the privilege of being my servant on this ship until we dock in two weeks, and then you will be trained to serve in the Fire Nation’s Imperial Palace. However, if you step out of line even once, I will be forced to punish you, and I won’t be as merciful as I have been so far. Do you understand?”
I nod again, thankful I only have to put up with this for two weeks. Zhao’s smirk widens, and he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a key. He unlocks the chains on my wrist, and I contemplate firebending at him, but decide not to. If I cause trouble, I won’t have an opportunity to escape. Zhao gestures for me to walk down the hall, and I apprehensively walk in front of him.
Every instinct in my body is telling me to run, to just jump ship and swim to shore instead of serving Zhao, but I know that I’d just drown if I tried, and that’s if I’d even make it to the water. Zhao’s guards would most definitely catch me, and then I’d likely be thrown in a cell instead of being able to roam the ship like I would as a servant.
Zhao leads me to the ship’s boiler room, saying, “If you’re half as strong a firebender as I’ve heard, you’ll be able to make this ship run by yourself. If you do well, you’ll get your meal at the end of the day. If not, I’m afraid you’ll just have to go hungry another day until the job is done right. Your work determines your reward, little girl.”
He laughs at that, shutting and locking the door behind me. The boiler room is now empty aside from myself, and there is a stench of burning coal in front of me. There’s a large pile of coal on the other side of the room, easily enough to run the ship for a few months. I ignite a handful of coal and toss it into the fire, then launch a large blast of fire into the furnace. I have no idea if I’m even doing this right, but Zhao told me that if I want to eat today I have to keep this fire going.
After a few hours, I start feeling light-headed from hunger, dehydration, and the heat from the furnace, and I nearly pass out. I lean against the wall just before I pass out, and that’s when I hear the door unlock. I shake my head and shoot one last powerful blast into the fire as the door opens, revealing a masked guard.
He says in a deep voice, “You’re done for today. Someone else will come soon to keep the fire going for the night. Commander Zhao has allowed you a meal in the servant’s quarters. Keep up the work and you’ll fare much better than if you fail.”
I simply nod, and he leads me back to the servant’s quarters. I almost pass out on the way there, but the guard pokes my back with his spear, and I shoot back up onto my feet. He shoves me inside the servant’s quarters, slamming the door shut behind me but leaving the door unlocked. The other girls in the room give me a passing glance, but most just go back to chatting quietly amongst each other or just sitting in silence.
I see some of them whispering to each other and trying to hide that they’re pointing at me. It must be weird to see a Fire Nation servant on a ship where only Earth Kingdom captives are used. That, and my missing arm. Crystal gestures me over to my cot, where a small meal is resting. I sit down on my cot next to her, and she helps me eat this meal as well, even though she doesn’t need to this time.
I blush as she picks a piece of rice from my face and gently caresses my cheek, and my eyes widen as she suddenly kisses me. I hear gasps from the other servants around me, but in this moment, I don’t care. My eyes close as I kiss Crystal back, and she reaches one of her hands into my tangled mess of hair, and her other hand rests on my back. After a moment, we part for a breath, and we’re both blushing furiously at each other.
I whisper, “Wow. I can’t believe we just did that! That was incredible! So… what are we now? I don’t think we can go back to being friends after that.”
Crystal chuckles, responding quietly, “I think you know what this is, Ryuza. You haven’t exactly been subtle with your feelings, you know.”
She hugs me gently, and I hug her back, planting a kiss on her cheek. We’ve only known each other just short of a week, but what we’re doing just feels so right. Is this what it means to fall in love at first sight? I lean against my first girlfriend, my chest fluttering in delight as she combs her fingers through my hair again like she’s been doing every day since I’ve been on this ship.
I whisper to her, “If anything good has come out of being captured, it was being able to meet you.”
Crystal smiles, then sighs, saying, “I just wish we could’ve been able to meet outside of here.”
I say, “I wish that, too. You’d be part of our little gang and I’d get to kiss you all the time and we’d have the freedom to go anywhere in the world.”
Crystal blushes, but her smile refuses to come back yet.
I add, “I miss my friends, but I think I’m more worried about them than they might be about me, especially my friend Aang. The Fire Nation’s Prince is after him, and I don’t want to think about what he’d do to Aang when he finally captures him.”
Crystal says, “I miss my cousin, Toph. She’s so young, and I rarely got to see her because Aunt Poppy and Uncle Lao never let her leave their mansion, and our visits became even less often when Father and I moved out of Gaoling. We were the only ones who understood each other. Our family always babied us because she was born blind and I was born deaf, but she’s the best earthbender I’ve ever met, even if she’s forced to hide it. If I could only visit her one last time…”
She starts tearing up, and sobs into my shoulder. I hold her tightly, not wanting to let her go, and I rub gentle circles around her back and cradle her into me until she stops crying, some of the other servants staring at me with anger like I’d done something wrong. After a couple minutes, she’s finally able to take a deep breath, and I let go of her. She sniffs, and I wipe her tears, gently placing a quick peck on her cheek instead. She smiles faintly at me, and she grasps my hand, intertwining our fingers together.
She says, “I wish you could meet Toph someday. We were each other’s best friend.”
I say, “I’d love to meet her. In fact, I’ll make sure we can see her together.”
I whisper to her my plans to escape, and for her to come with me when we finally dock. She looks shocked, but agrees to go with me. We’ll escape together, and wait for my friends in Omashu with Bumi, then find our way to Gaoling where she’ll reunite with her cousin. The next two weeks will be a drag, but they’ll hopefully be over soon enough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Team Avatar has just had a run-in with pirates and Prince Zuko after Katara had stolen a waterbending scroll from said pirates out of jealousy of Aang’s natural talent, and the group is now flying away on Appa.
Katara apologizes to her young friend, “Aang, I still owe you an apology. You were just so good at waterbending without really trying. I got so competitive that I put us all in danger. I’m sorry.”
Aang says, “That’s okay, Katara.”
Katara says, ‘Besides, who needs that stupid scroll anyway?”
Sokka reveals the scroll from where he’d hid it, snarkily saying with a huge smile on his face, “Is that really how you feel?”
Katara reaches for the scroll, exclaiming, “The scroll!”
Sokka puts his hand in front of the scroll to keep Katara from grabbing it, asking, “First, what did you learn?”
Katara responds, “Stealing is wrong.” She snatches the scroll right out of Sokka’s hand, then adds, “Unless it’s from pirates.”
Aang laughs, saying, “Good one, Katara.”
His laugh soon fades as he glances out the side of Appa’s saddle, the rushing water reminding him of his captured friend at sea. They’d been trying to find Ryuza for almost a full week now, but without knowing what Zhao’s ship looks like, they haven’t had any luck. He wouldn’t give up until he found her and brought her back to their group.
Chapter 14: Assimilation/Escape?
Chapter Text
I wake up, spend hours burning coal in the furnace, and finally get pulled out for a meal and rest in the servant's quarters with Crystal, and fall asleep with my hand in hers. That's been my routine for the last week. It'll only be another week before we finally arrive back on dry land, and then Crystal and I can escape and find my friends and her family. Today, however, my day started differently.
Zhao woke me up personally, saying, "Wake up, traitor. You have a new assignment now that the boilerman is finally recovered. You've been granted special permission to roam the ship, staying by my side from dusk until dawn. You'd better get used to me."
I nod, following him. He first sends me off to grab his breakfast from the kitchen, and I briefly consider poisoning it before deciding not to. If he's dead, there's no way I'd be able to avoid suspicion since I'm the one serving him. Zhao smiles at me as I set his meal in front of him, and he takes out his chopsticks.
He placed his hand on my shoulder and forces me to kneel on the floor next to him as he eats, and I can smell his minty breath while he talks military plans with the men at the table with him and sips his tea. I keep my head down and let my bangs cover my eyes, sneaking glances at the men across from me.
I replenish his teacup once it's empty and take his plate once it's empty, and I go to stand up to take it to the kitchen when Zhao asks, "Where are you going, servant?"
I say quietly, "I'm taking your empty plate to the kitchen, Commander."
Zhao's eyes narrow as he asks, "Did I ask you to do that?"
I stay silent, shaking my head no.
Zhao sneers, "You do what I say, when I say it. Now, sit down, and keep your mouth shut! You'll take my plate when I say to take my plate!"
My eye twitches in anger, but I kneel back down next to him.
Zhao chuckles, saying to the men across from him, "Can't get good help these days, even if it's Roku's own daughter."
They laugh with him while he makes fun of me to my face, almost daring me to snap. I fight to keep from growling, and my hand curls into a fist in my lap. It was better when I was working in the boiler room. At least then I was alone and could release my pent-up anger through firebending. Now I just have to stew in my anger while the man who imprisoned me mocks me.
Once he decides he's finally done with breakfast, he orders me to take away his plate and clean it. I take my sweet time with it, heating up the water with my firebending to release a bit of anger. The cooks around me look at me in suspicion, but I ignore them. Once I'm done and I'm able to take a deep breath to steel myself, I return back to Zhao, who's now on the deck.
He raises an eyebrow at me, saying, "You sure took a while. Never had to clean before?" I don't respond, instead staring at the water, and he says, "Well, you'd better get used to it, girl. If you go as slow as that next time, You might end up in that water you're so intent on staring at."
I nod, and he just stands there for most of the day, ordering around his men while trying to find Appa. He's less scary now, more so annoying. I know he could hurt me at any moment, but he seems more intent on keeping me in line than doling out punishments. As long as I just do as he says, I'll be fine.
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After their encounter with Jet and his Freedom Fighters, Aang and his friends started growing more scared for Ryuza. If this ragtag group was so dangerous and hellbent on killing firebenders, what would that mean for their kidnapped friend? And, more worryingly, was she okay?
They could only hope she was, and that they'd see her again. They just didn't know when, where, or what condition she'd be in. They were fast approaching the Great Divide, and were intent on just passing over it until they met an annoying group of warring refugees from the Earth Kingdom.
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After another week of serving under Zhao, we finally made it to shore, docking in an outpost somewhere in the Earth Kingdom. He ordered that I stay on the boat while he conducted a meeting with a man named Colonel Shinu at the Pohuai Stronghold. We must be somewhere near the Southern Air Temple, then. It's a bit of a backtrack, but once I get back to Omashu I can send word to my friends.
Once the coast looked clear, I exchanged glances with Crystal, who was serving some of the men on deck some tea. Once they took sips, they immediately collapsed. Our plan is working so far. Her especially strong lavender tea worked even better than I thought it would.
I grab her hand, and we take off into the forest, guards that saw what happened from the watchtower chasing after us. I laugh, pulling her with me up high into a tree. We place our hands over our mouths to keep silent as the guards pass right by underneath, and we're safe.
At least, I thought we were. The second the guards were out of sight and hearing range, I hear the distinct sound of an arrow flying through the air. I move my head, just barely missing an arrow that would've hit me directly in the throat.
I say to my girlfriend, "We've got to get out of here. The Yuyan Archers are here!"
The Yuyan Archers are an elite group that have been around for centuries, silent but incredibly deadly. That must be why Zhao docked here, so he could recruit them! We start climbing down the tree as fast we can when Crystal is hit directly in the heart by an arrow. I cry out in fear and sorrow as she falls limp almost immediately, blood gushing out of her wound.
She barely has enough strength to hold onto me for a moment until the blood loss catches up to her, and she breathes her last breath into my shoulder. I hold her, shaking her gently, pleasing for her to get up, but I know it's of no use. I pray to whatever spirits may be listening to help her, but it's too late.
I hear someone approaching and set Crystal down against the base of the tree before creating a fire dagger in my hand, facing my enemy as tears blur my vision.
I hear Zhao's voice say, "A pity. And here I was hoping you'd have at least a little loyalty for your Nation. Damn shame, really."
I choke out, "Why? Why her? Why couldn't you just let me go?"
I can't tell his expression through my tears as he responds, "Because, my dear. She's from the Earth Kingdom, whereas you still have some value left, even if you're a rotten traitor. I suspected this would happen. As for why her, specifically, I knew you two were getting too close. She had to go."
He makes a gesture to where the Archer is stationed, but I can't make out clearly what it is. Only a second later, I feel an arrow embed itself deep in my shoulder. My bad shoulder. I cry out in pain while Zhao just laughs. I can feel myself going numb, and my legs betray me, making me kneel before this horrid man. I fall onto my chest, unable to move. I can barely even keep my eyes open as I'm forced to stare at my dead first love. Zhao grabs me by the back of my shirt and lifts me into the air, my head dangling.
He says smugly, "You know that numb feeling you're experiencing? That's Shirshu venom, concentrated so that it's effects last for days, even weeks in some cases. You won't be able to move at all, much less keep your eyes open for much longer. I'll make sure your imprisonment is full of so much pain you won't even want to be awake for the short time the venom will allow."
He laughs, but I can hear his voice fading into nothingness as I'm unable to stay awake, only one thought resounding in my head as I pass out. It should've been me, not Crystal. Then at least she'd get to be with her family. Mine is long gone, and my friends have probably forgotten about me by now. It should've been me.
Chapter 15: The Blue Spirit
Chapter Text
I've lost track of how long ago Zhao drugged me, but it couldn't have been very long. I feel hungrier than I did when I was drugged, but I also haven't been eating much in the last few weeks, so that's not surprising. I wake up, but my eyes still refuse to open, and I can feel my body being chained up against a wall. My wrist is bound in chains and left dangling in the air, and my other arm has metal shaped around the short limb, and it's being pulled painfully into the air. Both my ankles are also bound together with metal chains.
My entire body feels sore, and it feels like my left arm has been broken. When did that happen? Zhao must've done that while the venom kept me asleep. At least I wasn't awake for that. I hear the door creak open, and loud footsteps approach me. I can only hope the person isn't Zhao. Suddenly, I hear the sound of sword being unsheathed, and I briefly question if Zhao decided to finally kill me after all, but the person just slices through my chains.
They sling me over their shoulder, and I hear them mutter, "Spirits, she's light. Has Zhao even been feeding her?"
I want to be able to move, just to even be able to open my eyes to catch a glimpse of my savior, but I know that voice. The Prince of the Fire Nation himself rescued me from Zhao. Why would he do that? I can only imagine he did it to use me as leverage against Aang, but I'm hoping I'll be better off with Zuko than with Zhao. He keeps walking until he makes it to another room, and I hear the door creak open, and him slicing through somebody else's chains.
I hear Aang's voice ask frantically, "Who are you? What's going on? Why do you have Ryuza? Why isn't she moving? Is she okay? Are you here to rescue me?" I don't hear a response from Zuko, only the creaking of the door opening wider, and Aang saying, "I'll take that as a 'yes'."
Why does Aang not recognize Zuko? Is he in disguise? Why is he freeing Aang? I doubt he's had a change of heart so quickly. Just a couple weeks ago he tried to kidnap me and Aang at my father's Temple on Crescent Island and had no qualms about telling Zhao who I was and dooming me to all this suffering.
All of a sudden, Aang exclaims, "My frogs! Come back! And stop thawing out! Wait! My friends need to suck on those frogs!"
I'm sorry, what? Why would Sokka and Katara need to suck on frozen frogs? I must've missed out on quite a bit in the last few weeks. Not like I'll be able to ask about what I missed. I wish they at least knew I was awake. The next thing I know we're in a place that smells awful, I'm assuming a sewer system underneath the stronghold.
We eventually exit from the sewers and I can feel that we're going up, Zuko likely climbing a wall as a soldier shouts, "There, on the wall!"
We're suddenly falling to the ground, and I can't brace myself at all, landing directly on the arrow that's still embedded in my left shoulder, driving it deeper into my arm. I can't even cry out in pain, only able to whimper and start tearing up. I feel smaller arms picking me up and holding me, likely Aang.
He asks, "Are you okay, Ryuza?" After I'm unable to respond, he says, "We'll get you out of here, Ryu. I promise."
Zhao shouts, "The Avatar and prisoner have escaped! Close all the gates immediately!"
Aang starts running while holding me, saying to Zuko, "Stay close to me!"
I can't make out what's going on, but I can feel a gust of air blowing past me. I'm guessing Aang blew a guard away. I'm shifted into just one of Aang's arms as he uses something to lift himself into the air, crash-landing on ground that's higher up than the ground. Maybe the top of a wall? I really wish I could just see what's going on.
It sounds like soldiers are getting closer, but Aang and Zuko fight them off before they can get close enough.
Aang picks up something with his other arm, saying to Zuko, "Take this. Jump on my back!"
I feel a counter-balancing weight on Aang's back, likely Zuko complying with what Aang said. How strong is this kid? He's only 12 and he's able to carry a 16-year old in one arm and another one on his back! Must be an Airbender thing. It feels like we're moving like we're on stilts, but I still don't know what's going on.
Aang says, "Give me the next one!"
I feel fire getting too close and assume that Zuko betrayed Aang by firebending at him, but I'm not sure. Maybe it's the soldiers? That's more likely, since we're falling yet again, but Aang airbends an airbubble underneath me this time so I don't get hurt any further. It sounds alike Zuko unsheathes his sword and the heat from fire gets redirected. I guess he's still on our side?
Zhao shouts, "Hold your fire! The Avatar and the girl must be captured alive!"
I'm proven wrong as Zuko holds his swords to mine and Aang's throats. Just pick a side already!
Zhao says through gritted teeth, "Open the gate."
Spirits, how I wish I could see his face right now.
A man asks Zhao, "Admiral, what are you doing?"
Zhao shouts, "Let them out, now!"
Wait, when did he become an Admiral? How? We start moving backward out of the fortress until I hear an arrow being shot. It must've hit Zuko, since his swords are no longer in front of Aang and I, luckily not slicing into me before he falls, and I hear a soft thud as he hits the ground.
Zhao shouts, "Quick! Recover the Avatar and the girl!"
I hear soldiers' footsteps stomping closer and closer, but Aang just stays out for a solid minute until I feel a weight in his other arm, and he runs into the woods. Did he seriously grab Zuko? I mean, yeah he helped us escape, but what else has he ever done for us? He tried to capture us multiple times and just held his swords to our throats!
Maybe he still doesn't know it's Zuko, though. He does seem to be in disguise, since nobody seems to recognize him. Even Zhao, who recognized him immediately in my father Temple. After a couple minutes of running through the woods, Aang stops, setting Zuko and I down on the ground. Based on the light I can see through my eyelids, the sun is starting to set.
After a few hours of resting, I hear Aang's voice, likely speaking to Zuko, "You know what the worst part of being born over a hundred years ago? I miss all the friends Ryuza and I used to hang out with. Before the war started, we used to hang out with my friend Kuzon."
I have fond memories of Kuzon. He was such a troublemaker. He and Aang would usually be the ones to get into trouble, and I'd have to be the one to get them out. Those were some good times, and the only times I'd tolerate going back 'home'. I wonder if he's even still alive.
Aang continues, "He was one of the best friends I ever had, as well as Ryuza, and they were both from the Fire Nation, just like you. If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends, too?"
He gets his answer when a large ball of fire is launched at him. Aang quickly scoops me up into his arm and jumps into the trees as far as he can go from Zuko as possible. He makes a stop at what I can only assume is a stream, since I can hear water splashing as he wades through the water.
He grabs some cold things and stuffs them into his shirt. Is this where he got those frozen frogs? Again, why does he need those? He carries me for a couple more minutes before setting me down against Appa's soft, fluffy tail. Finally, I'm home with my friends.
I hear Aang say, "Suck on these. They'll make you feel better." I feel Aang collapse next to me, and he whispers, "It's good to see you here, Ryu."
I want to respond to him, tell him how thankful I am that he finally saved me, but I'm barely able to to open my mouth.
I hear Sokka's voice with his mouth full, "Aang, how was your trip? Did you make any new friends?"
Aang responds sadly, "No, I don't think I did."
Katara asks, "I'm afraid to know the answer, but did you find Ryuza?"
Aang responds, "I did, actually."
It sounds like Sokka and Katara scramble over to me, both of them exclaiming in unison, "You did?!"
They both rush in to hug me, and I whimper as an arm squeezes my broken arm and another bumps into the arrow in my other arm.
Katara asks, "Oh my gosh, what happened to her?"
Aang responds, "I don't know, really."
I'm only able to whisper out one word, but it sounds more like a grunt, "Zhao."
The siblings let go of me, and Katara growls, "Zhao. That bastard! Spirits, I can't believe he did this!"
Sokka mutters, "Actually, I can totally believe it. He is not a kind man. Remember how he chained us up at the Temple when he took her?"
I start feeling faint after the arrow is painfully pulled out from my arm, and I feel something wrapping around my broken arm, likely gauze. I pass out, exhausted from the day I had. At least I'm finally home. I just wish Crystal could've made it out with me.
Chapter 16: The Fortuneteller
Chapter Text
A/N: I'm removing Kataang from my fic bc I don't like it and also... this is Katara x OC. Aang gets nobody and he's a simp. That is all, enjoy!
I wake up on Appa's saddle, and I'm actually able to open my eyes! I try to move anything else, but I'm only able to control my facial muscles. Well, something's better than nothing, right? I yawn and clear my throat, and I hear a gasp nearby.
Katara exclaims, "She's finally awake!" She climbs into the saddle and helps me sit up and lean against her, asking me, "Are you okay? You've been out for two days!"
I blink a couple times, trying to adjust to the light and mutter, "I'm okay now. Thanks for saving me, Aang. I was starting to think you guys forgot about me."
Sokka runs over from where he was fishing, saying, "Are you kidding? I mean, I know you're Fire Nation and all, but you're our friend! We've been searching for you non-stop!"
I chuckle, tearing up a bit as I hear that. They were looking for me.
Aang asks, "If you're comfortable answering, what did Zhao all do to you?"
I cough a couple times, nearly falling onto my face before Katara catches me, and I respond, "A lot of things. Think you can handle the details?"
Aang seems to think about it for a moment, then slowly nods.
I start, "He starved me for the first week, keeping me chained up in the servant's quarters and giving me a new burn every day until I finally agreed to serve him." I blush a bit as I say the next part, "I... bonded quite a bit with one of the servant girls there..." My blush goes away, and I frown, trying not to cry as I add, "But Zhao, who's an Admiral now, had her killed when we tried to escape when we docked."
My friends gasp in horror, and I take a deep breath to steady myself.
I continue, "I watched her go, and I got hit by an arrow dipped in highly-consentrated Shirshu venom. That's why I haven't been able to move until now. I really only have control over my face right now, and it'll probably be another week before I have full control over myself."
Katara looks reluctant to say it, but she asks, "And... your arm?"
I respond, "I'm not sure, actually. I'm guessing he broke it when I was passed out from the venom. Thanks for wrapping it up and removing the arrow, by the way. I feel much better."
Katara smiles, saying, "Of course! You probably shouldn't use your arms much until they're healed. We'll try to keep you out of fights for now so you can heal properly."
I say, "Sounds good. I'm not sure I'm very fight-ready right now anyway. I've only had a single small meal per day and I'm not sure how long I was passed out from the venom. At least I was awake when Aang found me, I just couldn't open my eyes."
My stomach growls loudly, and Sokka says, "Well, I should probably go back to fishing. You need food."
I say, "I'm so hungry I'd eat just about anything, but not fish."
Sokka asks, "Why not? Fish is good!"
I respond, "I just don't really like seafood."
Sokka says, "Oh, come on. Seafood is delicious!"
Aang says, "It's okay, Ryu. I went rummaging in the woods earlier for some fruits and nuts since I don't eat fish, either. Want some of those?"
My stomach rumbles again, and I say, "Spirits, fresh fruit sounds so good right now."
Sokka goes back to fishing in ankle-deep water, and Aang places his bag of fruits and nuts on the saddle, then sits down against Appa, fiddling with some string. Katara slices some fruit into smaller pieces and removes the shells from the nuts. She helps me eat, reminding me of Crystal. I blush a little, trying not think of her, because I know I'll just end up crying if I think of her too much. Once the fruits and nuts are half gone, Katara packs up the rest back into Aang's bag.
Katara asks me, "What's wrong? Your face looks flushed."
I respond, "It's nothing, really. You just reminded me of... Crystal. The servant girl on Zhao's ship. She used to sneak me meals and help me eat when I was chained to my cot." A tear rolls down to my chin, and I add, my voice shaking, "She was my first kiss, a- and now she's gone. It all h- happened so fast."
Katara hugs me, letting me cry into her shoulder. I end up crying myself to sleep against her, and I wake up in a strange building in her arms.
I groggily ask, "Where are we?"
Katara responds, "We're in Makapu Village waiting to see Aunt Wu, a Fortuneteller! You must've passed out earlier."
Sokka protests, his mouth stuffed, "She is not a Fortuneteller, she's a fraud! Nobody can predict the future!"
Aang says, "But she was right about the rain! And she was right about the guy and the platypus-bear."
Ok, what did I miss again?
I ask Sokka, "What are you eating?"
He holds out the bowl to me, responding, "Bean curd puffs. Want some? You should probably eat something more substantial than fruit and nuts."
I say, "I'd love some, but... I still can't really move much yet."
Katara says, "It's ok, Ryuza. I'll help you."
She helps me eat some bean curd puffs, and I can feel my cheeks heating up again. A girl around Aang's age peeks around the corner and blushes at him, her hair sticking straight up into the air in two thick braids. Aang shyly waves at her, and she disappears back around the corner.
I ask, "Who's that girl?"
Sokka responds, "Some girl named Meng."
Katara adds, "She's Aunt Wu's assistant." She then whispers in my ear, "She's got quite a bit of a crush on Aang."
I roll my eyes, whispering back, "Oh, really? Couldn't tell."
The two of us giggle to each other, and a kind-looking older woman exits from the hallway, saying, "Welcome, young travelers. Now, who's next? Don't be shy."
Sokka looks uninterested, and Aang casts a look at Katara.
Katara says excitedly, "I guess that's me!" She carries me with her into the hallway, and sets me down against the wall just outside the room, saying, "I'll get you in just a minute, and you can go next, Ryu."
I smile, saying, "No rush, Kat."
She goes inside and I mentally panic. Why did I call her that?! She's not an animal! As I sit there, I accidentally end up eavesdropping on their conversation.
Aunt Wu starts, "Your palms are so smooth. Do you use moisturizer?"
Katara responds, "Actually, I have this special seaweed lotion. I can get you some if you want."
Aunt Wu says, "No need, dear. Now, is there anything specific you wanted to know?"
Katara asks, "Do you see anything interesting in my love life?"
Aunt Wu responds, "I feel a great romance for you. The one you are going to marry."
Katara excitedly says, "Tell me more!"
Aunt Wu continues, "I can see that they are a powerful bender, and I can see you being a caregiver for them. They may not be who you are expecting, however."
Katara seems confused, asking, "Huh? What do you mean by that?"
Aunt Wu responds, "You'll know in due time, dear. Do you want to bring your friend in next?"
Katara says, "Of course!"
She exits the room, and I pretend I haven't been listening, asking, "So how'd it go?'"
Katara responds, "Kinda confusing, but mostly great! Oh, I can't wait to see who it is!"
Katara picks me up and sets me down in a chair in the room in front of a fire, and exits the room to give me privacy.
Aunt Wu grabs my hand and runs her fingers gently against my palm, saying, "I can tell you've been through much pain, both physical and mental, but I can promise you it'll pass."
I ask, "How do you know?"
Aunt Wu gently smiles, saying, "Time heals all wounds, as well as a good support system. Don't worry, you will be moving on your own shortly, and you will get over your grief eventually. Your family isn't all gone, as much as it may seem that they are."
I frown, saying, "I know, I know. They're never gone as long as I keep them in my heart, and found family and all that."
Aunt Wu says, "I don't mean that, dear. I mean that your family has grown in the time you've been gone."
I raise my eyebrows, asking, "What? I mean, yeah, Aang is my dad reincarnated and all, but my Mom and sister are long gone. I haven't seen them in over a hundred years. They were probably captured by the Fire Nation long ago."
Aunt Wu says, "No, dear. You are not understanding. Yes, the ones you knew may be gone, but you have more family. Your sister had grandchildren, and they're doing just fine."
I ask, "How can you know that? There's no way anybody could know that!"
Aunt Wu smirks, saying, "Ah, but I am not just 'anybody', dear."
I mutter, "Right. Fortuneteller and all. Just tell me; will I ever get to meet them?"
Aunt Wu responds, "You already have met one of them, and you will soon meet the others. Just keep an open mind."
She knocks on the door and Katara scoops me back up, taking me with her back into the waiting room with Aunt Wu. Katara was right, those fortunes really can be confusing. How could I have already met one of Rina's grandchildren?
Aunt Wu asks Aang and Sokka, "Who's next?"
Sokka rises to his feet and dusts off his shirt, grumbling, "Okay, let's get this over with."
Aunt Wu says dryly, "Your future is full of struggle and anguish, most of it self-inflicted."
Sokka holds up his hand sin protest, exclaiming, "But you didn't read my plans or anything!"
Aunt Wu says, "I didn't need to. It's written all over your face."
Sokka sits back down and starts angrily picking his teeth.
Aunt Wu points to Aang, saying, "You there, come with me."
Aang follows her into the fortune-telling room, and exits a few minutes later, an excited bounce in his step.
The four of us exit, and Sokka says, "Well, now you got to see for yourselves how fortune-telling is just a big, stupid hoax."
Katara says, "You're just saying that because you're going to make yourself unhappy your whole life."
Sokka's voice rises in anger, and he exclaims, "That woman is crazy! My life will be calm, and happy, and joyful!"
He roughly kicks a stone, which soars into the air and comically ends up ricocheting off a hanging metal sign and strikes him directly in the back of his skull. He covers his head in pain and falls to the ground, hunched over.
I chuckle, asking, "What was that about self-inflicted pain?"
Sokka raises a finger in protest, saying in an agitated tone, "That doesn't prove anything!"
Katara says, "Well, I liked my predictions. Certain things are going to turn out very well."
I sigh, saying, "I hope mine will, but I'm not sure."
Katara asks, "Why? What did she tell you?"
I respond, "She said my family isn't all gone, that my sister had grandchildren. She also said I'll meet them all soon, and I've already met one."
Sokka says, "Huh. I wonder who it was."
I say, "Yeah, me too. I just wish I knew."
We make our way to a hut we've been allowed to stay in for as long as we're in the village. The next day, we follow the villagers to a courtyard, a pagoda-like structure in the center, where all of the villagers are staring up at the sky. I'm able to move my hand a bit, so I know I'm recovering slowly.
Katara looks up at the sky, asking, "What's with the sky?"
A calm man responds, "We are waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds to predict the fate of the whole village."
I ask, "Why? The village seems quite safe already. As far as I know, it's far from any Fire Nation-controlled villages, so I doubt you'll be invaded any time soon."
The man says, "No, it's not the Fire Nation we're worried about."
Must be nice to not have to worry about them.
Aang points at a cloud, saying, "That cloud kind of looks like a fluffy bunny."
The man starts getting worried, dropping his calm demeanor as he says, "You better hope that's not a bunny! The fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction."
Sokka asks in a disgusted voice, "Do you even hear yourself?"
A woman gestures to a volcano, saying, "The cloud reading will tell us if Mt. Makapu will remain dormant for another year or if it will erupt."
The man from earlier regains his composure, adding, "We used to have a tradition once a year of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves, but ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village twenty years ago, we have a tradition of not doing that."
I blink a few times in shock, then mutter, "I guess whatever works."
Sokka exclaims, "I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy, old woman's superstition!"
Katara glares at Sokka, whispering, "Shh! She's coming!"
Aunt Wu ascends a staircase to the pagoda, and Meng slides herself next to Aang.
She says, "Hey, Aang. Don't you think that cloud looks like a flower?"
Aang awkwardly says, "Huh? Sure, I guess."
Katara shushes them, and Aunt Wu spreads her arms outward dramatically, holding a book on cloud reading.
She says, "Bending arrow cloud... Good crops this year. Nice big harvest."
A farmer man hugs an elderly woman, likely his wife, exclaiming, "Darn good news!"
Aunt Wu continues, "Wavy moon-shaped cloud... Let's see... Gonna be a great year for twins!"
Two identical boys high-five each other joyfully, exclaiming, "Yes!"
Aunt Wu finishes, "And a cumulus cloud with a twisted nob coming off the end of it... The village will not be destroyed by the volcano this year!"
The crowd cheers ecstatically, and I mutter, "Well, that's oddly specific, but again, whatever works."
After another day in the village, I've regained almost all control of my arms, and spend most of the day reading in our hut while Katara bothers Aunt Wu for more fortunes and Sokka bothers the villagers. It's a relatively peaceful day so far, but I just can't help feeling like something's gonna go wrong at any minute. Maybe that's just my nerves after what I've just been through.
My anxieties are proven correct when Sokka and Aang burst inside the hut, Sokka scooping me up and making me drop my book as he says, "We need to work fast! That volcano's is going to erupt any minute now!"
I ask, "What? I thought Aunt Wu said it wouldn't!"
Sokka responds, "Aunt Wu was wrong, like I've been trying to tell you guys!"
They run across town with me and we find Katara fuming just outside Aunt Wu's building.
I say, "Hey, Katara."
Katara annoyedly asks, "Can you believe she won't let me in? And after all the business I've given her?"
Aang says confusedly, "But she doesn't even charge."
Katara shrinks down, saying, "I know, but still..."
Sokka says, "Well, we have other things to worry about. Aunt Wu was wrong about the volcano."
Katara raises her finger at him accusingly, "Sokka, you tried to convince me she was wrong before. It's going to take an awful lot to change my mind-"
She interrupted when a loud explosion is heard and the ground rumbles violently, Sokka almost dropping me. We look up at the volcano, grey smoke starting to emit from it.
Katara mutters worriedly, "Oh, no."
Sokka urgently says to the villagers that are mingling carefree, "Everyone, that volcano is gonna blow any second! Aunt Wu was wrong!"
A woman rolls her eyes, saying, "Yeah, yeah. We know you don't believe in Aunt Wu, Mr. 'science and reason' lover."
Katara steps forward, using her people skills to say, "If you won't listen to him, maybe you'll listen to me. I want to believe Aunt Wu and her predictions as much as you do, but my brother and Aang's aw the lava with their own eyes!"
The calm man from earlier says, unmoved, "Well, I heard Aunt Wu's predictions with my own ears."
I ask the villagers, "Are you really going to let your village be destroyed because you refuse to listen to reason? That's how my father, Avatar Roku, died! He tried to take down a volcano by himself, and lost his life in the process."
They seem to finally start listening, and Aang adds, "Please listen to us! You're all in danger, and we have to get out of here! You can't rely on Aunt Wu's prediction, you have to take fate into your own hands!"
We hear another explosion from the volcano, and the villagers finally look alarmed.
Sokka points one arm at the volcano, asking, "Look! Can your fortune-telling explain that?!"
Grey plumes of smoke pour out from the top of the volcano in waves, and a man amusedly asks Sokka, "Can your science explain why it rains?"
Sokka yells angrily in response, "Yes! Yes it can!"
The villagers walk away, oblivious to the danger after seeming so worried earlier.
Katara says, "They just won't listen to reason."
I add, "Those idiots are going to get themselves killed!"
Aang brightens, saying, "But they will listen to Aunt Wu!"
Sokka grumbles, "I know. That's the problem."
Aang says, "Well, it's about to become the solution. We're taking fate in our own hands."
I say, "I'm in. I'll help as much as I can. What's your plan?"
Aang responds, "First, I need to borrow Aunt Wu's cloud reading book."
Sokka, and Katara stand in front of Aunt Wu's building while Sokka holds me, and we try to act casual while Aang sneaks in through the rooftop. He exits a few minutes later with the book, a blush on his face. He must've run into Meng in there. Aang, Katara, and I get into Appa's saddle while Sokka gets Aunt Wu.
Aang says to Katara while I look through the book, "Clouds are made of water and air, so between the two of us, we ought to be abke to bend them into any shape we want."
I exclaim, "I found it! The symbol for volcanic doom; a skull. Oddly fitting."
Aang and Katara bend the clouds into the shape I showed them, and I spot Sokka leading Aunt Wu to the pagoda, showing her the clouds. The volcano speed more smoke into the air, and we land, Katara carrying me as we make our way back to where the villagers are gathered.
Aanga dresses the crowd, "We can still save the village if we act fast." He gestures to Sokka, who's standing on the pagoda, and adds, "Sokka has a plan."
Sokka makes motions with his arms to emphasize his point as he explains, "Lava is gonna flow downhill to this spot. If we can dig a deep enough trench, we can channel all the lava away from the village to the river."
I add, "And I can try to slow down the flow of lava to give you all as much time as I can."
Aang says, "If any of you are Earthbenders, come with me."
One of the twins from earlier raises his hand, exclaiming, "I'm an Earthbender!"
His brother raises his hand and mirrors him, adding, "I'm not!"
Sokka says, "Everybody else, grab a shovel."
Another explosion resonates, and Katara almost drops me, instead bracing herself against a building.
Sokka exclaims, "Come on! We've gotta hurry!"
The crowd disperses very fast, now desperate to put Sokka's plan into action, a few cries of urgency are uttered. Around twilight, a deep trench is beginning to form, everybody but Katara and I still working to dig the trench further out, both by earthbending and manual means, and Appa transports loose boulders away, using a net attached to his body. Another explosion booms, lava starting to spew out. I reach my arm out and try to hold the lava in place, only able to slow it down to half it's original speed.
Katara and Sokka marvel at me before Sokka exclaims, "Dig faster! Dig faster!"
The second the trench is finished and everyone is a safe distance from it, I accudentally lose my hold on the lava, making a grunt of exertion as it starts moving quicker than before.
Aang shouts, "Everyone needs to evaluate! We'll come for you when it's safe!"
The villagers all run as well as Appa and Momo. The volcano erupts again, even more lava coursing down the mountain and into the forest. An eerie reddish light emerges from the forest with its source, the lava, close behind. The second it touches the town's gate, it causes the structure to catch fire and crumble down almost instantly.
The all-conduming lava continues it's descent through the cemetery, destroying several headstones as it passes over it. Reaching the trench, the lava starts spilling into it, though the steady oncoming river of lava threatens to overflow the trench.
I shout, "It's too much! I can't stop it!"
Katara adds, "It's going to overflow!"
Another explosion rocks the village, and a huge column of lava and smoke explodes from the peak of the volcano. Burning rocks begin to rain down in addition to the ash. Katara and Sokka start running for cover, but Aang hasn't moved. A huge boulder falls out of the sky and lands in the trench, throwing up a fountain of lava. The massive wave begins to head toward the village, but Aang rushes forward with a furious expression.
He propells himself into the air and begins to airbend, blowing the lava straight up, not allowing it to get any closer to the village as it cools almost instantly. I take a deep breath and reach my short left arm out toward the lava, concentrating on the heat and trying to pull it out. It works, being pulled out as steam, and I use my right arm to direct the steam into the air away from my friends. Sokka and Katara stop running, staring at me in shock again as the lava starts cooling off into hard stone.
I grunt in exhaustion, shouting, "Aang, can you do a sweep over the top?! I can't do all this myself, especially not in the condition I'm in right now!"
Aang nods, and takes in a deep breath as he jumps high into the air. He expells his breath, air ending it as it exits, cooling the remaining lava. I stop what I'm doing and pant heavily.
Sokka mutters, "Man, sometimes I forget what powerful benders you guys are."
Katara's expression changes, asking frantically, "Wait, what did you say?"
Sokka casually responds, "Nothing, just that Aang and Ryuza are powerful benders."
Katara's eyes widen like she's having an epiphany, muttering, "I guess they are."
Luckily, the volcano is only smoking now, not longer erupting. Once all the lava was cooled, all of the villagers, Aunt Wu, and my friends and I gather in the town's square, a tall, jagged, wall-like formation of cooled lava towering over the square. Aang stands in front of Aunt Wu, offering her back the cloud book he took."
He says sheepishly, "By the way, we kind of borrowed your book."
Aunt Wu asks annoyedly, "So you messed with the clouds, did you?"
She grabs the book in anger while Katara has a guilty expression, and Sokka smiles and points at her, indicating that she had a part in the cloud manipulation, too."
Aunt Wu suddenly laughs, exclaiming, "Very clever!"
Sokka says, "No offense, but I hope this taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortune-telling."
The calm man says cheerfully, "But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn't be destroyed, and it wasn't. She was right, after all."
Sokka gets way too close to the man's face, saying through gritted teeth, "I hate you."
Sokka pulls him away by one of his shoulders and leads him away, saying in a calming voice, "It's okay, Sokka. Everything's going to be alright." We climb into Appa's saddle, Katara calling down to the villagers, "Goodbye, everyone! It was so nice to meet you!"
I add, "Take care, Meng."
Meng waves enthusiastically, calling back, "Take care!"
We fly off, and I stretch my arms, letting myself fall onto my back as the sun rises, saying, "Ugh, it feels so good to have more control of myself again. Well, I don't know about you guys, but I could use a nap."
They all laugh, and Katara lifts my head, resting it in her lap, saying, "Goodnight, Ryu."
I smile back at her as I close my eyes, saying, "Goodnight, Kat."
Chapter 17: Bato of the Water Tribe
Chapter Text
Waves crash against the rocky cliff nearby. I stretch after training my firebending, revelling in finally having most control over my body again. I haven't trained since before the iceberg, and even back then it was all lessons with Gyatso or candle meditation. It's been just over a week since Aang and Zuko rescued me from Zhao, and I can finally move on my own again. Ugh, I hope I never have to experience that again. I twist my torso to crack my back, and spot something slightly sticking out of a bush. I walk over to it, pulling it out to find a scimitar made out of a whale's tooth.
Aang walks over to me, asking, "What'd you find, Ryu?"
I respond, "I dunno." I call out, "Hey, Sokka!"
Sokka slides down a dirt slope toward me, asking, "What's up?
I ask, "Doesn't your tribe make weapons out of whale teeth?"
Sokka snatches the scimitar out of my hand once he stands up, saying, "Let me see that."
Sokka stares at it for a short while with his back to Aang and I, studying the scimitar with a wistful expression.
After a moment of him staring at it in silence, I tap his shoulder, asking softly, "Sokka? You okay?"
Sokka's expression turns serious as he turns to us, saying, "This is a Water Tribe weapon. See if you guys can find any more."
The three of us start searching the surrounding woods for any more Water Tribe weapons when Katara approaches us.
She asks curiously, "Did someone lose something?"
Aang cheerfully responds while rummaging through some bushes, "No, we found something!"
Sokka eventually finds a spearhead lying on the ground beneath a few fallen leaves and picks it up, running his fingers along its point, rubbing residual ash between his fingers.
He says, "It's burned."
Katara, Aang, and I follow him to a tree trunk, scorch marks and sharp cuts running along its bark.
Sokka says, "There was a battle. Water Tribe warriors abused a group of firebenders."
He turns away from the tree, staring down the slope of the hill at a black spot of the ground.
He continues, "The firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill."
Sokka races down the hill along a dirt path, the three of us close behind him. He leaps over a few large rocks in his way and continues forward to a sandy beach.
Aang asks, intrigued, "So then what happened?"
I add, "Did the warriors beat the firebenders?"
Sokka says disappointedly, "I don't know. The trail ends here."
Katara points at something in the distance, exclaiming, "Wait, look!"
We run over to where she pointed, finding a Water Tribe ship, half obscured behind large rocks and sitting idly on the shore."
Sokka happily exclaims, "It's one of our boats!"
Katara asks, "Is this Dad's boat?"
Sokka responds, "No, but it's from his fleet." He runs a hand along the boat, adding, "Dad was here."
He turns to Katara, his face showing worry and relief. We decide to make camp next to the boat, the full moon rising overhead.
I ask, "So how long do you think it's been since someone was here?"
Sokka is still standing by the boat, while the rest of us are huddled by the fire I made.
Sokka finally responds, "Long enough for moss to grow on the hull." He turns toward us, his face seeming unsure as he adds, "About 3 months."
Katara looks disappointed and saddened at that, saying, "Oh. So Dad's probably long gone."
Sokka finally joins us by the fire, saying, "I wonder why they left this boat. There's nothing wrong with it."
Aang asks, "When was the last time you saw your dad?"
Sokka turns away from us, responding quietly, "I don't want to talk about it."
Aang looks down in guilt, saying, "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up."
Katara says, "It's okay, Aang. Our dad left about 2 years ago, with all the other Water Tribe men."
Sokka lies down in front of the campfire, interrupting Katara as he says, "Maybe we should all get some sleep."
He pulls a blanket over himself, and Aang lies down on one of Appa's legs. Katara looks at me with sadness, and I place my hand on her shoulder.
I whisper to her, "It's okay, Kat. I get it. When I escaped the Fire Nation all those years ago, I never knew if my mother and sister were still alive. I understand that feeling. Not knowing if the one you love is still alive or not. If they're safe. My mother and sister are likely gone after the century Aang and I spent in that iceberg, but you guys still have hope. You have proof that he was here. Proof that he's alive."
Katara smiles slightly as I bring my hand down to hold hers, and I smile back.
I continue, "Your dad is still out there. You can find him. And I bet he can't wait to see you guys again.
Katara hugs me, and I hug her back as well as I can with one arm.
When she pulls away from the hug, she says, "Thanks, Ryuza."
She lays down in her sleeping bag by the fire and soon falls asleep. I lay on my back, but find myself unable to sleep. I just wish I knew what happened to my mother and sister. What Zhao said when he thought I wasn't listening is still ringing in my head. 'Avatar Ruko's lost daughter, the one no one ever found'. If they found Rina, what did they do to her? When did they find her? How? Where? Is she still alive? She can't be, she'd be 122. What happened to Mother? Did she survive the invasion of our village?
After at least another hour of being unable to sleep, I decide to meditate to try to clear my mind. I close my eyes with my legs crossed and my hand resting palm-up on my leg. I filter out all distractions, only focusing on my breath and the heat of the fire in front of me. Deep breath in. Hold. Deep breath out. Hold. Deep breath in. Hold. Deep breath out. Hold. My breathing and the fire start wavering as my concentration breaks. I can hear someone moving. I open my eyes, frantically scanning for what made the sound when I spot Sokka starting to sit up. He still seems upset, not even noticing me.
I ask, "Something on your mind?"
He jumps back, before sighing, saying, "Spirits, Ryuza. Don't do that again."
I chuckle, saying, "Sorry, Sokka. Didn't mean to scare you."
Sokka's eyebrows furrow, and he says defensively, "Scared? Who was scared? Certainly not me. I'm never scared."
I raise an eyebrow skeptically, then say, "Uh huh." I sit next to him as he stokes the fire, then say, "I can tell there's something on your mind. Is it your father?"
Sokka doesn't respond, just sighs again as he continues poking at the fire with a charred stick. We suddenly hear a strange noise in the distance, and we both jump up in defensive positions.
Sokka calls out, boomerang in hand, "Who's there?!"
A man who is clearly Water Tribe, his darker skin color and blue clothing being a dead giveaway, approaches us, white bandages covering his entire upper torso.
The man asks, "Sokka?"
Sokka raises an eyebrow, asking, "Bato?"
I ask, "Who's Bato?"
Aang asks sleepily, "Who the what now?"
Katara wakes up, exclaiming cheerfully, "Bato!"
The man, Bato, exclaims as the siblings run over to him, "Sokka! Katara! It is so good to see you too." He hugs them both, adding, "You've grown so much!"
I drop my defensive stance. If Sokka and Katara know him, he's probably trustworthy.
Aang bows to Bato in greeting, saying, "Hi, I'm Aang."
I add, "And I'm Ryuza."
We're both talked over by Sokka asking, "Where's Dad?"
Katara adds, "Is he here?"
Bato responds, "No; he and the other warriors should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now."
Both siblings look crestfallen at the news. A gust of wind blows, causing us all to shiver.
Bato says, "This is no place for a reunion. Let's get inside."
I flick my wrist, putting out the fire instantly. Bato raises an eyebrow, but turns around to lead us to where he's been staying, slinging his arms around Sokka and Katara. After a moment, he turns his head back at Aang and I and gestures for us to follow. He leads us all to a courtyard, a few nuns milling about as we approach with Appa.
Bato explains to the siblings, "After I was wounded, your father carried me to this abbey. The sisters have cared for me ever since. Superior," A woman turns around, and he continues, "These are Hakoda's children. They've been traveling with the Avatar. I found them by my boat."
Mother Superior says to Aang, "Young Avatar, it gives me great joy to be in your presence, as well as your predecessor's young daughter. Welcome to our abbey."
I bow to her silently as Aang responds, "Thank you. It's truly an honor to be here. If there's anything-"
Sokka cuts him off, asking, "What smells so good, Bato?"
Rude. He keeps interrupting Aang and I! Did he and Katara even realize we're here?
Bato sniffs at the air, then responds, "The sisters craft ointments and perfumes.
Sokka asks, "Perfume?" He points his thumbs at Appa, adding, "Maybe we can dump some on Appa, because he stinks so much." He waves his hand in front of his face to mock fanning away the smell, asking, "Am I right?"
Everyone is silent at his attempt at a joke, and someone coughs.
Bato says dryly, "You have your father's wit."
He takes us to the hut he's been staying in, with a tent on the opposite side of the door being the bed chamber, a fire with coals in the middle, and various pelts placed and hung everywhere.
Katara exclaims, "Bato, it looks like home!"
Sokka adds, "Everything's here, even the pelts!"
Aang sarcastically remarks, "Yeah, nothing's cozier than dead animal skins."
Momo leaps from Aang's arms and starts hitting the head of a bear pelt. The bear's mouth closes, alarming Momo as he retreats over to me, covering himself with my long hair. Katara opens the lid of a pot cooking over the fire as Bato finally enters the tent.
Katara exclaims with surprise and delight, "No way! Stewed sea prunes!"
Bato exclaims, "Help yourself!"
Sokka takes a bowl, exclaiming, "Dad could eat a whole barrel of these things!"
Aang and I each take a bowl of stewed sea prunes and sit down by the entrance of the tent. Sokka and Katara clearly want to catch up with Bato, not caring that they're ignoring Aang and I, so I'll just sit by the side and let them catch up. Aang sniffs his bowl, but makes a face of disgust and sets it to the side. I take a small sip of it, but it tastes awful! I cough after reluctantly swallowing my sip, and my entire mouth tastes disgusting. I grab my water skin, chugging it until I can't taste the sea prunes anymore. How can they eat this so happily?! It must be an acquired taste. One I won't be acquiring any time soon.
Katara asks, "Bato, is it true that you and Dad lassoed an Arctic hippo?"
Bato responds, "It was your father's idea, he just dragged me along. Well, the hippo did the dragging!" Momo hops out of my hair and starts to eat out of Aang's bowl he set aside, but ends up spitting it out. Not that I blame him.
Sokka and Katara slurp from their bowls as Aang speaks, "Hey, I ride animals, too!" There was this one time when I rode a giant eel, and I-"
Sokka cuts Aang off again, asking, "So, who was it that came up with the Great Blubber Fiasco?"
Bato chuckles, asking, "You knew about that?"
Katara exclaims, "Everyone does!"
I ask, "What's the Great Blubber Fiasco?"
Sokka waves his hand to dismiss me, saying, "It's a long story, Ryuza. Maybe some other time."
I sigh, ending it with a low growl. Stop ignoring us!
Katara says to Bato, "You and Dad had so many hilarious adventures."
Bato says, "Not all of which were hilarious at the time, but everything's funny with hindsight." He chuckles as Aang puts a fur pelt of his head, then exclaims, "Hey, Aang! Please put that down. It's ceremonial and very fragile.
Aang puts the pelt back on the wall and sits back down.
Sokka asks, "Was it you or Dad that out and octopus on your head and convinced GranGran you were a water spirit?"
Bato responds, "Your dad wore the octopus," he lowers his voice adding, "But I did the spooky voice." After catching up on stories that make no sense to Aang and I, Bato says, "There's something I shoukd tell you kids. I'm expecting a message from your father."
Aang's eyes are closed, his brows furrowed. I can tell he's feeling excluded from them like I am. I can tell he isn't sleeping, though.
Katara excitedly asks, "Really?"
Sokka adds, slightly demanding, "When?"
Bato responds, "Any day now. Your father said he'd send a message when they found the rendezvous point. If you wait until the message arrives, you can come with me and see your father again."
Aang opens his eyes and looks toward the siblings with a sad and worried look.
Sokka says, "It's been over 2 years since we've seen Dad. That would be incredible! Katara!"
Katara adds, "I do miss him. It would be great to see Dad."
Aang gets up to leave, but no one else notices.
Bato says, "It's been far too long, hasn't it?" Aang leaves as he adds, "I'm not sure when word will arrive, but when it does, you both can come with me to see your father again."
Sokka says, "It would be great, but we can't. We have to take Aang to the North Pole first."
Katara adds, "Even if we do have time to wait for the message, who knows how far we'd have to travel. We don't have time for a long detour."
Bato says, "I'm sure your father would understand, and be proud that his children are helping the Avatar."
His eyes cast over to me, and I finally set my bowl down, looking away.
He asks the siblings, "By the way, why are you kids traveling with a firebender? She's not even bothering to hide her bending."
Now I want to hide in my hair like Momo did earlier.
Katara responds, "Ryuza's our friend. She's going to be Aang's firebending master when the time comes, and they've know each other for a long time. She's helped us with fighting the Fire Nation, and Aang had to rescue her once when she got taken prisoner by Commander Zhao and Sokka and I were sick."
I finally speak up, "He's an Admiral now, unfortunately, and shirshu venom is no joke. I wasn't able to move for days. He even broke my arm!"
Katara says, "Ugh, I can't believe that guy became an Admiral. He's such a jerk!"
Sokka says, "You know who else is a jerk?"
They start joking about a guy in their village, and I'm ignored once again. Great.
Aang soon bursts into the tent, exclaiming, "Hey, everyone! Sorry I was gone so long."
Katara turns to face him, saying, "Hey, Aang. I didn't notice you left."
Aang's eye twitches, and he says, "Yup, but now I'm back." He sits down, adding, "Sure could go for some delicious sea prunes!"
He quickly takes a few sips from his bowl and chokes them back out, but he still pretends to enjoy them as we all look at him strangely. We all eventually get some sleep in the tent, but as I could feel Bato's eyes on me when I lay down. I can tell he still doesn't fully trust me. The next day, Bato leads us all back to his boat.
He says, "This ship is sentimental to me. It was built by my father."
I run my hand along its bow. It was made from wood and sanded down very smooth but with a few scrapes along it. It's clearly been through quite a bit with him.
Sokka asks, "Is this the boat he took you ice dodging in?"
I ask, "Ice dodging?"
Bato ignores me, responding to Sokka, "Yup! It's got the scars to prove it. How 'bout you, Sokka? You must have some good stories from your first time ice dodging."
Sokka lowers his head, and Katara says, "He never got to go. Dad left before he was old enough."
Bato says, "Oh. I forgot you were too young."
Aang asks, "What's ice dodging?"
Bato responds, "It's a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members. When you turn 14, your dad takes you-" He smiles and puts his hand on Sokka's shoulder, adding, "You know what? You're about to find out."
We all get on board the boat and Bato sets it on course, sailing close to shore.
He explains, "Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust. In our village, ice dodging was done by weaving a boat through a field of icebergs."
Sokka asks, "How are we supposed to ice dodge without ice?"
Bato responds, "You'll be dodging those."
He points to a group of tall, sharp, jagged rocks near the shore, making Sokka and Katara visibly nervous.
He continues, "Sokka, you steer and call the shots, lead wisely. Katara, you secure the main sail. The winds can be brutal, so be brave. Aang, you control the jib. Without your steady hand, we all go down. Ryuza, you control the stern. Both of your positions are about trust."
Aang blinks, then says defensively, "I know that! Why wouldn't I know that? I'm the Avatar, I know about trust!"
He crosses his arms and looks away, but gives Bato a second glance. I blink a few times at Aang, not understanding why he's acting like this.
I ask Bato, "What will you be doing?"
Bato responds, "For this to be done right, I cannot help." He sits down cross-legged at the front of the boat, adding, "You pass or fail on your own."
Sokka studies the rocky shores, saying, "Aang, ease up on the jib. Katara, steady. Aang, less sail. Katara, give him room."
The ship moves to the side and sails between some rocks.
Sokka exclaims, "Aang, helm to lee! Helm to lee!"
Aang asks, "What does that even mean?"
I run over to help, exclaiming, "Turn it windward so it sails straight!"
The waves knock Bato around until I help steady the helm. Sokka struggles to help steer while Katara, Aang, and I close our eyes. The boat passes between the rocks just barely, one bumping against the side.
Sokka exclaims, "Great job!"
We open our eyes and sigh in relief until we see the large bundle of sharp rocks ahead.
Katara exclaims, "There's no way through!"
Sokka says determinedly, "We can make it."
Bato stands and grabs the side of the boat, saying, "Sokka, you've already proven yourself. Maybe we should-"
Sokka interrupts him, saying, "Aang, I'm gonna need air in that sail." Aang nods, and Sokka adds, "Katara, I want you to bend as much water as you can between us and those rocks. Now!"
I ask, "What do I do?"
Sokka says, "Just keep the helm steady. We're going to need to keep it steady."
I nod, and Katara bends the water below the boat while Aang blasts air at the sail. Sokka groans nervously as the boat clears the rocks. When we reach clear water, he sighs and relaxes, and we all smile at him. We sail the boat back to shore, and Bato mises a small cup of purple paint.
He dips his fingers in the paint, saying, "The spirits of water bear witness to these marks. For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise." He uses his thumb to paint an arc and small dot on Sokka's forehead, adding, "The same mark your father earned. For Katara," He paints a crescent moon on Katara's forehead, adding, "The Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us." He paints a simple arc on mine and Aang's foreheads, finishing, "And for Aang and Ryuza, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now honorary members of the Water Tribe."
I smile, finally gaining Bato's trust. I turn to Aang to share in us both being honorary Water Tribe members, but he's frowning.
He says, "I can't."
He looks down, and Katara exclaims, "Of course you can!"
Aang rubs off his mark and backs away, saying, "No, you can't trust me."
Katara asks, "Aang, what are you talking about?"
I add, "Yeah, you can tell us."
Aang takes a crumpled paper out of his sleeve, saying, "A messenger gave this to me for Bato."
Katara takes it from him and tries to flatten it out to see it's contents as he says, "You have to understand. I was afraid you would-"
Sokka cuts him off, angrily exclaiming, "This is the map to our father! You had it the whole time? How could you?!" Aang shrugs his shoulders, and Sokka turns to me, asking, "And you. Did you know about this?"
I exclaim, "What? No! Of course not! I've been with you guys the whole time! I didn't know he had the map, I swear!"
Sokka narrows his eyes at us, saying, "Well, you two can go to the North Pole on your own. I'm going to find Dad."
He starts walking away, but Bato stops him, saying, "Now, Sokka. I think you should-"
Sokka interrupts him, asking, "Katara, are you with me?"
She turns to looks at Aang and I, but closes her eyes, saying, "I'm with you, Sokka."
They grab their bags and Katara says to Aang, "Good luck."
Aang responds, "Okay. You too."
They start walking away with Bato, but I follow after them, exclaiming, "Wait! Guys, you can't just turn your backs like this! Sure, Aang messed up, but you can't just leave like this! He's your friend!"
Sokka turns his head to glare at me, saying, "What would you know? You're just a firebender."
I feel my heart breaks at that, and I just stand in place as they keep moving. Katara turns her head back to look at me, a sad look in her eyes, but she keeps going.
I sniffle, holding back tears as I angrily exclaim, "Fine, then! Go find your dad! I hope he keeps you this time!"
I run back toward Aang and climb into the saddle, not looking at him as I wipe my eyes with my long sleeve.
I mutter, "Let's just go, Aang."
Mother Superior stands in front of Appa, staring at Aang.
He says, "Guess we should be moving on."
Mother Superior says, "That would be best."
Appa growls, and we sit atop him as he walks out of the village, spotting Sokka, Katara, and Bato in the distance.
Aang says, "I'm an idiot, Ryu."
I say, "You're not an idiot, Aang. You just messed up. I hope they can come to see that in time."
Appa settles down in the forest not far from the abbey, but far enough to be out of earshot. I hop out of the saddle to gather fruit so we have some food for our trip, and as I'm climbing a tree to grab some high up apples I hear an animal approaching. I start climbing down when I'm struck by something sharp, and collapse on my back, paralyzed.
I exclaim angrily, "Ugh, again?!"
A woman picks me up and slings me over her shoulder. She hops back onto her animal, and I spot Zuko and his uncle behind her, along with Sokka and Katara also paralyzed on the saddle.
I focus my eyes on Zuko right in front of me, saying, "The banished Prince Zuko. Should've known you'd be after us again sooner or later. Took you long enough. You really needed a tracker to find us this time?"
Zuko scoffs, saying, "Shut your mouth, traitor. You're in no position to mock me."
I roll my eyes, saying, "Uh huh. I gotta ask, though; why did you save Aang and I from the Pohuai Stronghold?" His expression turns from anger to shock, and I add, "Yeah, I was aware, just couldn't open my eyes. I couldn't move because I got hit by concentrated shirshu venom. I'm guessing that's what this animal is, considering I ended up paralyzed again. So, I'll ask again; why did you save us from Zhao?"
Zuko glares at me, not responding.
I say, "Oh, I get it. You needed to capture us yourself, so you took us from him so you could capture us for yourself."
Zuko exclaims, "Be quiet!"
I roll my eyes, staying silent. The Shirshu breaks down the gates of the abbey, making nuns scatter before it starts walking in a circle in the center of the abbey.
Zuko asks, "What's it doing? It's just going around in a circle."
Aang flies over the Shirshu, making it stand on its hind legs to attempt to paralyze him, throwing off its riders. Katara, Sokka, and I roll on the ground, unable to brace ourselves, and I land on my broken forearm before finally ending up on my back.
Katara looks up, exclaiming, "Aang!"
The woman stands up, exclaiming, "Up!'
She cracks her whip at her Shirshu, and it stands up, letting her ride it. The woman and her Shirshu charge at Aang, but Apparently knocks down the Shirshu by leaping into its side. Appa growls and snorts at the woman and her animal. Zuko and Aang face each other and start fighting as three nuns drag me, Sokka, and Katara to the side of the abbey, leaning our backs against a wall.
I ask the siblings with a bit of venom, "So, did you get to see your dad?"
Sokka responds, "No, we didn't."
Katara adds, "We realized we were needed with you and Aang, so we turned around to find you. That's when we were ambushed by Zuko and that June lady."
Is that her name? Huh.
Sokka sighs, saying, "I'm sorry about what I said earlier, Ryuza. You're more than just a firebender, you're our friend. I shouldn't have said what I said."
I say, "I understand. You were angry. Just... If you pull that stunt again, you're getting a fire whooping."
Sokka chuckles, saying, "Noted."
We watch Zuko firebending at Aang, who stops the blast by waving his glider. He sends a blast of air at Zuko, who sidesteps it and sends another fire blast at Aang, who jumps to avoid it. Zuko moves in closer to Aang and sends two fire blasts at Aang's head and feet. Aang throws his staff and jumps and ducks the blasts. Zuko punches and kicks at Aang, sending more fire blasts at him.
Aang avoids these blasts and sends an air blast at Zuko's head. Zuko ducks and sends more fire blasts at Aang. Zuko and Aang both firebend and airbend at each other at the same time, creating a large explosion that throws them back, landing on different roofs. Zuko's uncle runs up to the knocked out June and puts his hand on her cheek. Her eyes shoot open, and she stands up.
She whips her Shirshu, exclaiming, "Come on! Get up!"
The Shirshu finally gets up, and Zuko's uncle smiles. June rides her Shirshu across the abbey, the Shirshu lashing it's tongue at Appa before he falls down. Appa opens his eyes and slowly gets back up to his feet and growls. The Shirshu growls back, and they charge at each other when June cracks her whip. The collision of the two great beasts sends June flying over Appa, and she takes the opportunity to whip the sky bison. She lands on the ground and quickly rolls to the side before Appa stomps on the ground where she landed, cracking the floor.
Aang lifts his head and groans on the roof he landed on, and gasps as he spots Zuko running toward him, sending a fire blast at him. Aang jumps into the air, and Zuko sends a fire blast at Aang's feet. He uses an air shield to stop it, then gets up and sends a stream of air at Zuko, sending him to an abbey corner tower. Aang rubs toward Zuko and attacks him with an air blast. Zuko jumps off the roof and the Shirshu jumps onto it. As Aang rubs away from the Shirshu, Appa uses his tail to send an airbending blast at the roof.
Sokka's hand starts moving slowly, and he says, "I think I'm starting to get done feeling back!" Rubble from the roof falls on us, and he says, "Ow."
I say, "At least the venom isn't as strong as last time. I can't believe I got hit by Shirshu venom a second time, though."
I go back to watching the fight as Aang jumps into the courtyard stream and the Shirshu follows him just before part of the roof by the Shirshu and June explodes, the dust clearing to reveal Appa. In the corner of my eyes, I can see Zuko's uncle examining sone perfume bottles, sniffing one, amd looking around before stuffing it in his large sleeve. Aang stands by a well, and Zuko sends another three fire blasts. Aang ducks and notices Zuko's carrying Katara's necklace. When did he get that?
Aang says to him, "You've got something I want."
Aang jumps between the four beams of the well's roof, dodging Zuko's fire blasts by moving along the well's edge. Zuko breaks two of the well's beams and sends the wooden structure away before jumping into the well's circular stone structure to join Aang. He sends two fire blasts at Aang, who dodges them by stepping around the well before sending two air blasts at Zuko, circling each other around the well.
Aang tries to grab Katara's necklace, but misses, Zuko lunging at him before he jumps onto Zuko's back. He flies through the air as he grabs Katara's necklace off his foot, then lands in the well. Zuko sends a fire blast down the well, but the water from the well rises out and sends Zuko flying. Aang jumps out with the water, which rains down a little before Zuko falls down, but he quickly gets back onto his feet, Appa walking toward him.
The shirshu's tongue lashes out at Appa, and he growls at it and June. She cracks her whip and the shirshu's tongue lashes out at Appa again. He falls down, and the Shirshu turns toward me, Sokka, and Katara, but Mother Superior makes us smell a vial of Fire Lily perfume, the shock to our systems making us gain control of ourselves. My mother had a Fire Lily garden when I was growing up, but I understand that the smell is very hit and miss, even with people from the Fire Nation.
I ask Mother Superior, "I'm sorry to impose, but may I keep this? It may come in handy some day, and the smell reminds me of my childhood."
She raises an eyebrow at me, but allows me to keep the vial.
Sokka gestures at the Shirshu, saying, "That thing sees with its nose. Let's give him something to look at."
Mother Superior asks, "The perfume?"
Sokka nods, and I add, "And we're going to need lots of it."
The nuns roll out four large pots of perfume, and we push over the pots just as June and her Shirshu corner Aang, and Zuko attacks him with two fire blasts. Katara waterbends the perfume into the air and pours it on the Shirshu. It looks around confusedly, and strikes Zuko and June, paralyzing them.
Zuko's uncle runs over, exclaiming, "June! No!"
June lands in his arms, and the three of them fall to the ground. The Shirshu runs around in a circle, bumping more perfume pots onto the ground before jumping over the abbey wall, running away. Aang picks up his staff and wipes his brow, and Sokka, Katara, and I stand next to him, June, Zuko, and his uncle laying in the ground nearby, the old man cradling June in one hand.
Zuko asks, "Uncle? I didn't see you get hit with the tongue."
His uncle shushes him, then resumes his position with a contented smile, and June opens her eyes angrily upon hearing that, glaring at Zuko's uncle. I turn my head to look at Zuko. I feel kinda bad for him, but not really. He's been chasing after Aang and I since we emerged from the iceberg, but to be fair, he did help us escape from Zhao. I sigh, turning back to my friends. We fly away on Appa, leaving them to recover on their own.
Aang asks, "So... where do we go?"
Katara responds, "Were getting you to the North Pole."
Sokka adds, "Yeah, we've lost too much time as it is."
I ask, "But what about your father?"
Aang adds, "Don't you want to see him?"
Sokka responds, "Of course we do, guys. But you're our family, too. And right now, you need us more."
Katara adds, "And we need you."
Aang says to her, "I wish I could give you a little piece of home, Katara. Something to remind you..."
Katara says, "I'll be okay."
Aang says, "Still, just a little trinket. Maybe something like..." He holds up Katara's necklace that he stole back from Zuko, finishing, "This?"
Katara takes the necklace from him, asking, "Aang, how'd you get that?"
Aang responds sassily, "Zuko asked me to be sure I got it to you."
Katara says, "Aw, that's so sweet of Zuko. Could you give him a hug for me when you see him?"
Aang responds, "Sure."
Katara hugs Aang, and he smirks. I help Katara put her necklace back on as we fly toward the horizon.
Chapter 18: The Deserter
Chapter Text
We emerge from the forest and approach a roadside kiosk in the middle of a crossroad filled with wanted posters and advertisements for local events.
Katara says, pointing at a poster, "This should give us a good idea of what's around here."
I say, "Hopefully there's a healer's hut or a shop where we can pick up some healing ointments. I'm getting so sick of having a broken arm."
Katara says, "I thought you said it was getting better."
I respond, "It is, but my range of motion is still limited, especially since I only have the one arm."
I grab a map of the nearby village, scanning it for a healer's hut, and Sokka interjects, "See if you can find a menu. I'm starving!"
I roll my eyes, and Aang points at a different poster, saying, "I bet we'll find something to eat here; the Fire Days Festival. 'Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, benders, magicians'... This would be a great place for me to study some real firebenders!"
I ask, "What about me? I'm a real firebender."
Aang says, "No offense, Ryuza, but you're not exactly at peak firebending condition, especially with one missing arm and the other broken. And you never really completed your bending lessons before leaving the Fire Nation."
I exclaim, "Gyatso taught me what he could, and besides, I was 8! How was I supposed to know that I'd befriend my father's next incarnation and have to teach him?! And that he'd be so dang picky with his teacher?"
Aang gives me a sheepish grin, saying, "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I still think it'd be a good idea to go to that festival."
I sigh after glaring at him for a short while, saying, "Maybe we should go. I've missed going to my Nation's cultural events, and the food is always incredible at the Fire Days Festival."
Sokka points at a poster on the other side of the board, saying, "You might want to rethink that, guys. Look at this."
We all gather on the other side to see what he's pointing at, only to find wanted posters of me and Aang, mine labelling me as a dangerous traitor that should be taken 'dead or alive'. A bit of an overreaction, but I'll bet that Zhao's the one who sent that out.
Aang exclaims excitedly, "Hey, there's posters of us, Ryu!"
I sigh, saying, "I'm not so sure that's a good thing, Aang. We could get recognized." I think for a moment, then add, "Actually, maybe not."
Katara asks, "What do you mean?"
I respond, "If it's still done the way it was when I was younger, everyone will be wearing masks, since the festival was a way to celebrate the Sun Spirit and the gift it gave us; firebending. Nobody will notice four more tourists; many Fire Nation citizens came from different villages and islands to attend the Festival since only a select few larger villages would host it."
Katara says, looking slightly uncomfortable at the suggestion, "I don't know. I think we'd better keep moving."
I plead, "Oh, come on, Kat! I haven't been to a Fire Days Festival since I had both arms! I just..." I sigh, admitting, "I want to see for myself that not everything about the Fire Nation has been tainted by Fire Lord Sozin and his descendants."
Aang adds, "I have to learn firebending at some point, and this could be my one chance to watch a master up close."
Katara looks between the two of us and bows her head, saying, "I guess we could go check it out."
I smile, mouthing 'thank you' as Sokka exclaims in an opposing tone, "What?! You wanna walk into a Fire Nation town where they're all fired-up with their... you know, fire?"
Katara starts walking toward Appa, saying, "Like Ryuza said, we'll be in disguises, and if it looks like trouble, we'll leave."
Sokka deadpans sarcastically, "Yeah, because we always leave before we get into trouble."
We lead Appa and Momo into the forest just out of sight of the village, and Aang says to them, "You guys stay out of sight here while we go to the festival." He turns to us, adding, "Ready disguises!"
Katara, Sokka, and I put on black cowls to cover our hair and give our faces some cover, and Aang pulls the back of his shirt over his head with a smile on his face, making him look ridiculous.
Katara and I giggle as Sokka sarcastically remarks, "It's like you're a whole different person."
I chuckle as I start leading Aang forward with a gentle hand against his back, saying, "Let's go, Airhead."
We walk into the village, staying in the shadows as everyone around us is wearing their masks.
Katara says, "I think we're going to need some new disguises, and fast."
Sokka asks, "Where are we going to get masks like that?"
I walk over to the mask vendor who, just as I remembered, was near the entrance to the festival and offered us free masks. I walk back over to my friends with four masks.
I remark, "From the mask vendor. Duh."
Sokka says in a shocked tone, "That was surprisingly easy."
I give them their masks; Aang got a yellow happy face, Sokka got a blue sad face, Katara got a porceline doll mask painted to look like it's wearing makeup, and my mask is a phoenix head, the beak ending just over my mouth, leaving my mouth exposed like a theater mask.
It's the same mask my mother wore the last time I was at a Fire Days Festival. My sister Rina wore a sun mask she'd carved and painted specially for the festival, and we wore matching masks that year. I wish I'd been able to keep that mask as a keepsake, but it burned in the house fire along with my arm.
I shake the thought out of my head when Aang points at a food stall, saying, "Hey, there's some food."
Sokka exclaims, "Finally!" He runs up to the vendor, asking, "What do you have?"
The vendor responds, "Flaming fire flakes! Best in town."
Sokka responds, "I'll take 'em!"
He pays for a large bag of flakes, and I try to utter out a warning, "Wait, you're not going to be ready for the-"
But it's already too late. He lifts his mask and wolfs down a large mouthful before his face turns red, and he exclaims, "Ah! Hot! Hot!"
I finish my sentence a bit too late, "...Heat."
Now it's Katara's turn to be sarcastic, and she mutters, "'Flaming fire flakes' hot? What do you know?"
I grab the bag of flakes from Sokka and pour some into my mouth. I sigh in contentment at the familiarity in the flavor. At least one thing hasn't changed; the cuisine.
Katara asks me, "How are you eating those so easily? Hasn't it been years since you've eaten spicy food? Wouldn't your spice tolerance have gone down by now?"
I respond, "A firebender's inner fire, as a result of their bending, makes them pretty much immune to the effects of spice. It's still a nice sensation, though, and it makes our cuisine immensely flavorful."
Sokka's eyes water and he's fanning his tongue as if it'll do anything.
I add, pointing at him, "It's usually too strong for outsiders. We do have some dishes without spice, though those are mostly reserved for poorer areas in the Nation and for prisoners. The Fire Days Festival, however, brings spicier foods to those poorer areas because the spice symbolizes our connection to the Sun Spirit. The only non-spicy foods you'll find at the festival will be the desserts."
Sokka looks at me with a hopeful expression at hearing that, and I roll my eyes, walking over to another vendor to buy him some mochi. He immediately wolfs it down, his face slowly turning back to the color it usually is.
I shake my head, muttering to myself, "What a drama king. Can't even handle the least bit of spice."
Sokka exclaims, "Yes, I can! I just wasn't expecting it!"
I raise my eyebrow under my mask and just stare at him, sliding his mask back over his face as I say, "Uh huh. Sure."
Aang points at something, saying, "Hey, look at this."
We all walk over to a puppet show of the new Fire Lord burning an earthbender alive, and the children watching the show cheer.
My friends all turn their heads toward me, and I say, "Well, that's new."
Aang's head whips around at a new sound, and he drags us away toward another show.
Katara exclaims, "Aang, hold on! Where are we going?"
Aang responds, "I don't know, but there's a big crowd, so it must be good."
Sokka sarcastically remarks, "Knowing the Fire Nation, it's probably an execution."
I say, "No, they never have those at festivals. They host those on other days, and they're usually special occasions, like an Agni Kai."
Katara asks, "What's an Agni Kai?"
I respond, "It's a duel for one's honor between two firebenders, and it only ends when one opponent is burned. They used to be very rare when I was younger, but I'm sure they happen more often now, given how brutal an Agni Kai can be, and how horrible the modern Fire Nation is."
We finally stop near the front of the crowd we'd been weaving through, and we watch a master bending fire into an illusion.
Aang says, "I've gotta learn that trick!"
I ask, "What, that? It's just a performance. Those guys have to train their bending to work in non-lethal ways and they're very careful when performing. It has to all go perfectly if they don't want someone to get hurt, so it's more of a high-level bending than what you can do in the next year, Aang."
The master on stage says after the applause, "Thank you! For my next trick, I need a volunteer from the audience!"
Aang waves his hand in the air childishly, exclaiming eagerly, "Oh! Oh! Me! Me!"
Sokka pulls Aang's arm down, sternly asking, "What do you think you're doing?"
Aang responds, "I want to get a closer look."
I ask, "By being part of the act? That'll just draw attention."
Sokka adds, "It's better that we don't attract any attention to ourselves."
The master gestures down at Katara, asking, "How about you, little lady?"
I mutter, "Typical. They always go for girls in pretty masks."
Katara starts backing away nervously muttering, "Uh..."
The master says I'm an almost mocking tone, "Aw, she's shy. Let's give her some encouragement, folks!"
The crowd basically forces Katara onstage, and Aang folds his arms, saying in a jealous tone, "Aw, that could've been me."
I say, trying to comfort him, "Maybe you'll get to help with the next trick, Aang." I mutter under my breath, "As long as you don't draw too much attention to yourself, we should be fine."
The master says, "This next trick is called 'Taming the Dragon'."
I say in glee, "Ooh! I haven't seen this trick done at a Fire Days Festival since I was 6!"
The master leads Katara over to a chair and she sits down before getting tied down. I can tell she's nervous, but the trick is completely harmless. The dragon always disappates before hitting the 'damsel'.
He continues, "You will be my captured princess."
He uses his firebending to create an illusion of a long dragon, pretending that he's using a firewhip as a rope to control it as it snakes around over the crowd and back to the stage.
The master exclaims, "Don't worry, young maiden! I will tame this fiery beast!" He moves the 'dragon' around more before it starts moving around more erratically, exclaiming, "It's too strong, I can't hold it!"
Aang exclaims, "We've gotta help her!"
Sokka holds him back, exclaiming, "No, we don't want to make a scene!"
I add, "It's all part of the show, Aang! I've seen this trick before. It's all just showmanship, she's not going to actually get hurt. Plus, she'd have me backing her up. If the fire gets too close, I promise I'll redirect it."
That seems to help for a bit before the master exclaims, "The rope, it's breaking!"
The firewhip he was using as a 'rope' disappates, leaving only the 'dragon', which turns around and dives toward Katara, it's mouth starting to open. I outstretch my arm, about to use my firebending to redirect the 'dragon' away from Katara when Aang jumps onstage. He disperses the flames into a ray of colors with his airbending, his mask blowing off of his face in the process.
The master asks defensively, "Hey, you tryin' to upstage me, kid?"
Aang doesn't respond, only doing a goofy dance as everyone boos at him for ruining the trick. I climb onstage and try to lead him offstage when someone in the crowd, exclaims, "Hey, that kid's the Avatar! And that armless girl helping him must be Roku's daughter, the traitor!"
I mutter, "Oh, spirits. That's not good."
Sokka says, "I think it's time to go."
I burn the ropes off of Katara and help her stand up before the four of us run away from the crowd, shedding our masks so we can see better.
A slightly familiar scruffy man in a hood gestures us over, exclaiming, "Follow me! I can get you outta here!"
Who's he? I guess whoever he is, he's trying to help us since he's leading us away from the firebdnding guards. Some shoot blasts of fire at us, but I send the blasts right back at them with a wave of my hand. The man that leads us away throws a series of explosives at the soldiers, giving us a larger gap between us and them and letting us get further away.
Aang pulls a strange whistle out of his shirt, saying, "I'm calling Appa."
Sokka says as Aang blows into the device, "I hope he can really hear that bison whistle!"
I ask, "Where did you even get that thing?!"
Sokka responds, "It's a long story, but he found it in a shop the same day Katara decided to steal a waterbending scroll from Pirates."
That... explains nothing and leaves me with even more questions that we don't have time for.
The scruffy man makes a sharp turn down one of the alleys, exclaiming, "This way!" He immediately runs back to us, exclaiming, "Okay, not this way!"
We make another turn, but the way we came from is blocked by guards. The scruffy man throws a smoke bomb at the guards and we run past them into another alley, and we're cornered into another alley where there is an enormous supply of fireworks, but Appa arrives in the nick of time, flying just overhead.
Aang calls up at him, "Appa! Down here!"
Appa lands between the five of us and the guards, with his backside facing the guards, sending a gale force that blows the guards out of sight. As they run back into the alley, we've already taken off on Appa. The scruffy man bites the top off of a bomb to light it, then throws it at the fireworkds supply, blowing it up into a beautiful display of fireworks. I stare at them as they blow up in the sky, amazed at them. I don't remember having fireworks very often at Fire Nation festivals when I was little.
The scruffy man removes his hood as we cruise away, and Aang says, "Nice touch setting off the fireworks."
Sokka says in an impressed tone, "You really know your explosives."
The man responds, "I'm familiar."
It finally clicks why he's familiar, and I remember one of the wanted posters we saw before entering town.
I exclaim, "You're a Fire Nation soldier! You're wanted, just like us, right?"
The man nods, saying, "I was a soldier, and yeah. My name's Chey."
He leads Appa to a nearby forest, and we land, soon making camp.
Chey explains, "I serve a man. More than a man, really. He's a myth, but he's real, a living legend; Jeong Jeong the Deserter. He was a Fire Nation General. Or wait, was he an Admiral?"
What's a Deserter? Is it similar to a traitor?
Sokka remarks, not amused, "He was very highly ranked, we get it."
Chey exclaims, "Yeah, way up there! But he couldn't take the madness anymore. He's the first person to ever leave the army and live. I'm the second, but you don't get to be a legend for that. That's okay, though. Jeong Jeong's a firebending genius. Some say he's mad, but he's not! He's enlightened."
Sokka snaps, exclaiming, "We're not gonna go find some crazy firebender!"
Chey stands up to gesture at Sokka, exclaiming, "He's not crazy, he's a genius! And he's the perfect person to train the Avatar and refine your friend's bending! That's why I followed you into the festival."
I mutter under my breath, "Yeah, stalking. Not creepy at all. Definitely makes me trust you more."
Sokka says, "Look, thanks for the help, but we're leaving for the North Pole in the morning."
Aang pleads, "Sokka, this could be my only chance to meet a firebending master who would actually be willing to teach me."
I raise my eyebrow in annoyance at his dismissal of me today, asking, "What about me? I'm nearly a master, and I'm already your teacher! Well, you know, when it eventually comes time to teach you."
Aang says, "He can help you finish your training!"
I roll my eyes, saying, "You just want a 'real' teacher to teach you, not your best friend of 104 years. I see how it is."
If I had both arms, they'd be crossed.
Katara says, "It can't hurt to talk to him."
I sigh, saying, "Fine. Whatever."
Sokka exclaims, similarly frustrated, "That's what you said about going to the festival! Why won't anyone ever listen to me?!"
As he turns to pout, he almost runs right into a spear. In a flash, we're surrounded by men wearing straw hats, light armor, tribal makeup, and wielding spears.
One exclaims, "Don't move!"
I roll my eyes, putting my arm in the air.
We're escorted to a settlement, and I say to Sokka, "This is why we don't always listen to you. Because your loud mouth gets us into trouble!"
Sokka exclaims, "Not always! And I've gotten us out of even more trouble than I've gotten us into!"
One of the soldiers barks, "Silence!"
Another one angrily says to Chey, "Jeong Jeong told you not to look for Avatar!"
Sokka asks, "Hold on. You know these guys?"
Chey responds, "Oh, yeah! Lin Yee's an old buddy! Right, Lin Yee?"
The man, Lin Yee, only responds, "Shut up! Keep moving."
We come to a stop at the top of a tall hill, at the bottom of which is a small cottage made of leaves and logs.
Chey is shoved forward, and Lin Yee says, "Go on. He sees you only."
Chey nervously says to us, "Oh, that's okay. We can chat later."
He starts walking toward the cottage, and Aang asks, "Is that where Jeong Jeong is? I need to talk to him right away."
He tries to move toward the cottage, but is stopped by a spead shaft.
Lin Yee says, "No! You wait there." He pushes Chey forward again, exclaiming, "Go now!"
Chey exclaims toward us as he starts descending the hill backwards, "Don't worry! Everything'll be fine. He's a great man!" He then turns around and mutters, "Great man."
With the moon rising overhead, the four of us lay down and get some sleep, the men still pointing their spears at us. It's hard to fall asleep, but I eventually do. I've been having trouble sleeping for the past week after I was forced to watch Crystal die in front of me by Zhao's men. The only reason I'm able to sleep is knowing that, at the very least, I'm far away from him. Hopefully, I never have to see that horrible man again. He's the worst I've seen from the Fire Nation so far, even worse than Zuko. At least Zuko never broke my arm or drugged me, and he even helped Aang and I escape from Zhao. I'm sure he had an ulterior motive for doing it, but he still did it. A few hours later, we're awoken by heavy footsteps approaching. I shoot awake, standing in a defensive position until I see that it's just Chey. The men that were surrounding us are gone. Where did they go?
Aang rubs his eyes, asking, "What happened? Can I see Jeong Jeong now?"
Chey looks downcast as he responds, "He won't see you. He's very angry that I brought you here. He wants you to leave immediately."
Sokka stands up, exclaiming excitedly, "Finally! Let's hit the road."
He starts stretching, and Aang asks, "Why won't he see me?"
Chey responds, "He says you're not ready. Says you haven't mastered waterbending and earthbending yet."
I ask, "How could he possibly know that?"
Chey responds, He saw the way the Avatar walked into camp. He could tell."
I mutter, "That... doesn't explain anything."
Aang exclaims, "I'm going in anyway!"
He pushes past Chey and walks into Jeong Jeong's cottage. a while later, he emerges with an excited expression.
I ask, "How'd it go?"
Aang responds, "He agreed to teach us!"
I ask, "Wait a minute, did you say 'us'?"
Aang exclaims, "Yup! He agreed to teach both of us! He said we'd be trained separately, since we're at different levels, but we both have a teacher! Isn't it great?"
I fake a smile and give him a thumbs-up, my smile dropping the second he walks past me. I may not be a master, but I don't need a new teacher! Monk Gyatso was the only teacher I needed, and he taught me plenty! The four of us walk back to the camp we made earlier, and Chey enters one of the nearby huts. We go back to sleep, but I find myself waking up every hour or so, tossing and turning to fall back asleep. The next morning, Aang and I meet Jeong Jeong outside his cottage, and we walk together to the river where Katara's practicing her bending and Sokka is fishing. Jeong Jeong makes Aang stand bow-legged on a flat stone in the river, Jeong Jeong and I standing a foot or two away on the bank by his cottage.
Jeong Jeong says, "Widen your stance. Wider! Bend your knees. Now, concentrate." Aang closes his eyes, and Jeong Jeong says, "Good, good."
He starts leading me away, but Aang opens his eyes, exclaiming, "Wait! What do I do now?"
Jeong Jeong exclaims, "Silence! Talking is not concentrating!" He gestures at Katara practicing her bending, saying, "Look at your friend. Is she talking?" He then points at Sokka fishing, adding, "Even that oaf knows to concentrate on what he's doing!"
Sokka annoyedly exclaims, "Hey!"
Aang asks, "But what am I concentrating on?"
Jeong Jeong responds, "Feel the heat of the sun. It is the greatest source of fire, yet it is in complete balance with nature."
Aang asks, "So when do I get to make some fire?"
Jeong Jeong exclaims, "Concentrate!"
Aang breaths deeply, his face flushing as Sokka and Katara laugh at him. He turns to look at them, but the siblings stop instantly, pretending to act innocent.
Jeong Jeong leads me away to a clearing in the forest, and I ask, "Why are we out here?"
He responds, "So you do not burn anything with your firebending. For today, I will simply observe your bending to get a grasp at the level you are at so I can adequately assess what to teach you. Go ahead and do your usual training."
He sits down at the edge of the clearing, crossing his legs. I'm nervous at having someone watching me, but I go through my sets, though my range of motion is limited by my missing arm and the other one still healing from being broken.
All of a sudden, Jeong Jeong stands, exclaiming, "No! No! What are you doing? Your stance is all wrong!"
I say, "I thought you were 'just here to watch'."
Jeong Jeong says, "I cannot continue watching any more. Who taught you those stances?"
I take a moment before responding, "Monk Gyatso taught me, mostly."
Jeong Jeong says, "Your stance is quite different to how firebenders are taught. A monk does not understand why we bend the way we do, only the transferrence of energy past the limbs. Your stance is very fluid, and leaves you open to attack, though it does allow you to dodge more easily, and it seems that you use much more defense than offence. That must come in handy with your limitations."
He sits back down, and gestures for me to continue, and I oblige. After around an hour of watching me go through my stances, he stops me, and we meet back up with Aang. We climb the steep slope of a mountain, finally reaching the summit.
Aang asks, "Are we coming up here so I don't burn anything with my fire blasts?"
Jeong Jeong responds, "No fire yet."
Aang asks, "What?"
Jeong Jeong explains, "Power in firebending comes from the breath. Your friend understands that. That is why you must master proper breath control."
Aang asks, annoyed, "You brought me up here to breathe?"
I say, "Just calm down, Aang. My training started with mastering breath control, as did everyone I know. It's how you connect with your inner fire, right Jeong Jeong?"
The man just nods, then says to Aang, "Assume your stance." Aang does, and Jeong Jeong faces away from Aang, saying, "Wider."
Aang says, "You're not even look-"
Jeong Jeong intterupts him, exclaiming, "Wider!"
Aang's nose twitches in frustration, but he widens his stance.
Jeong Jeong says, "Now, inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth." Aang opens his mouth to say something, but Jeong Jeong adds, "Without talking." After a few breaths from Aang, Jeong Jeong starts walking away with me, saying, "Good. Keep going."
Jeong Jeong leads me to his cottage, and he has me sit down at his table with him, pouring us both a cup of tea.
After a short pause of neither of us talking, I ask, "Why did you agree to teach us? Chey said you knew Aang wasn't ready to learn firebending yet, so why?"
Jeong Jeong responds, "Why? Your father came to me through your friend's body, asking me if I though he was weak. He basically forced me to take you both as my students. You, I understand, but your friend is indeed not ready. He does not yet understand the discipline required to learn firebending."
I say, "Yeah, no kidding. In the time I've known him, he's always been impulsive. I do admire your restrain, though, Master Jeong Jeong."
Jeong Jeong's mouth curves into a subtle smile, saying, "And I admire yours, Ryuza. Given your background, I thought you would've been more eager to learn from me. Like my last student. But you have not. You have the proper restraint, only needing a bit of refinement in your bending. I wouldn't go so far as to call you a master, but you do have a tremendous amount of talent."
I nod, saying, "Thank you, Master."
After having our tea, we were about to go back into the clearing when Aang parts the curtains to enter the cottage, a furious look on his face.
Jeong Jeong asks, "What are you doing here? I did not tell you to stop!"
Aang exclaims, "I've been breathing for hours!"
Jeong Jeong asks, "You want to stop breathing?"
Aang exclaims, "I want you to stop wasting my time! I already know how to squat and breath and feel the sun. I wanna know how to shoot fire out of my fingertips!"
Jeong Jeong sighs gruffly, saying, "I had a pupil once who had no interest in learning discipline. He was only concerned with the power of fire; how he could use it to destroy his opponents and wipe out the obstacles in his path, but fire is a horrible burden to bear. Its nature is to consume and, without control, it destroys everything around it."
I lower my head, looking at my missing arm and gently rub the stump with my hand, saying quietly, "I know what fire can do all too well."
Jeong Jeong continues, "Learn restraint, or risk destroying yourself and everyone you love."
Aang stomps out, and I look between my friend and our teacher.
I step down my empty tea cup, saying, "I apologize for his rashness, Master Jeong Jeong."
Jeong Jeong says, "It is not your fault. The Avatar must learn on his own how to lose that impulsive nature of his before someone gets hurt."
I nod, bowing to him in respect before leaving the hut. I chase after Aang, but he just ignores me. I eventually just sit down next to Sokka, grabbing a stick and sharpening the edges with a fire dagger. I help him fish, throwing my sharpened stick at the fish and spearing them. Sokka still has yet to catch more than a few small fish, but I have a pile growing next to me. He gawks at the fish I've gathered, and I just chuckle, smirking smugly at him. Mother taught me how to fish when I was little, so I know my way around spear-fishing. After a few hours, Aang and Jeong Jeong come to the river together. Jeong Jeong grabs a leaf from a tree and burns the center, then gives it to Aang.
He says, "Concentrate on the fire. I want you to keep the flame from reaching the edges of the leaf for as long as you can."
Aang assumes his stance on the same rock as earlier, and a man dressed like the ones that escorted us here yesterday runs over to Jeong Jeong.
He exclaims, "Master! There is trouble."
Aang asks, "What's going on?"
Jeong Jeong exclaims, "Concentrate on your leaf!"
He runs toward the man, and Aang exclaims annoyedly, "This is the worst firebending instruction ever! All he does is leave me for hours to concentrate or breathe!"
Katara says, "I'm sure there's a good reason."
I say, "Aang, I already told you; this is how everyone starts learning firebending. You have to connect with your inner fire to be able to control it carefully!"
Aang says, "But I'm ready to do so much more."
Aang closes his eyes and breaths deeply, the leaf burning to a crisp in his hand and creating a small flame.
He exclaims excitedly, "I did it! I made fire!"
I say, "Just take it slow, Aang. You've never handled fire before."
He ignores me and starts playing with the small fireball by tossing it back and forth between in hands quickly, then from his front to behind him and back to his front.
He exclaims, "Now that's firebending!"
I say, "Now Aang, slow down. You're not used to handling fire!"
Katara starts moving toward Aang, saying, "You'll hurt yourself!"
Aang once again ignores us, muttering, "I wonder how that juggler did it."
He tosses the fireball into the air and spreads his arms out. For a second, he has a smile on his face, but it vanishes as he accidentally burns Katara's hands, and she shrieks in pain. I gather the fire back into a ball and throw it toward the river, the fire disappating. Katara tears up, and runs over to me, and I cradle her in a hug, comforting her as best as I can.
Aang exclaims, "Katara! I'm so sorry!"
Sokka runs over, asking, "Katara, what's wrong?" He sees her burned palms and turns to Aang, exclaiming angrily, "What did you do?!"
Aang sputters out, "It was an accident! I was, uh... Katara, I'm so-"
He's interrupted by Sokka tackling him, furious.
He exclaims, "I told you we shouldn't mess around with this! Look at what you did! You burned my sister!"
Katara runs away, and I follow her, trying to comfort her. She finally stops by a nearby creek, kneeling down by the water as she cries in pain.
I gently grab her wrists, saying, "Here, dip your hands in the water. It should help with the pain."
I set her hands down in the water, and we're both shocked as the water around her hands start glowing. A few seconds later, she takes her hands out of the water, fully healed.
I ask, "What just happened?"
Jeong Jeong appears behind us, then sits down next to Katara.
He explains, "You have healing abilities. The great benders of the Water Tribe sometimes have this ability. I've always wished I were blessed like you; free from this burning curse."
Katara says, "But you're a great master. You have powers that I will never know."
Jeong Jeong says, "Water brings healing and life, but fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart."
I sigh, saying, "But you're wrong. Fire is a life of it's own, and we cannot survive without it's warmth. It just takes the right hand to control it that determines how it's utilized."
Suddenly the water in front of us is blasted with flames. Jeong Jeong and I stand up and get into defensive stances, the both of us working together to break the flames the wash over us. As we part through the fire, I see someone I hoped I'd never see again; Zhao.
Jeong Jeong yells to Katara and I, "Go! Get your friends and flee!"
I exclaim, "But I can help!"
Jeong Jeong exclaims, "Go now! Do not come back here or you will all be destroyed! Hurry!"
Katara grabs my wrist and pulls me away, only letting go as I exclaim in pain.
She says, "Sorry, but I had to get you out of there. You can't take Zhao on by yourself! I can't see you get captured again... or worse."
We run over to our campsite, where Sokka is preparing Appa to leave.
He runs over to Katara the second he spots her, asking with worry, "Katara! Are you alright?"
Katara responds, "I'm fine. We've got to get out of here!"
I ask, "Where's Aang?"
Sokka gestures at Jeong Jeong's cottage, and Katara and I enter it to find Aang sulking, his back toward us.
He says, "Jeong Jeong tried to tell me that I wasn't ready. Even you told me I wasn't ready, Ryu. I wouldn't listen. I'm never going to firebend again."
I say, "But you'll have to learn to firebend eventually."
Aang shakes his head, saying, "No. Never again."
Katara says, "It's okay, Aang. I'm healed."
Aang turns his head toward us, asking, "What? How?"
Katara responds, "I'll explain later. But right now, we have to get out of here!"
I exclaim, "Zhao and his soldiers are attacking! I don't know how, but he's found me again!"
Aang gets to his feet, asking, "Where?"
Katara responds, "By the river. They captured Jeong Jeong."
Aanf exclaims, "I have to help him!"
I reach out to stop him, but I know I won't be able to. I sigh, and try to follow him to the shore to help, but Katara stops me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
She says, "Not yet, Ryuza. It's about time you get your arm healed."
She bends water out of the water skin on her side, moving it over my broken forearm. The second the water touches my arm, it starts glowing and my arm feels better. After only a minute or two, it feels like my arm was never broken!"
I say, "Thanks, Kat."
She says, "No problem, Ryu. It's what friends do."
I say, "Now I've got to help Aang fight off Zhao."
Katara asks, "Are you sure you're ready to face him again?"
I respond, "Not really, but this is something I need to do."
I leave the cottage and run back to the river, meeting Aang from where he's hiding behind a tree. We both watch Zhao's men bring Jeong Jeong to his knees in front of the Admiral.
Zhao says, "Look at you. You were once so great. I can't believe my former master has become nothing more than a simple savage."
Hold on, Zhao was Jeong Jeong's student?! No wonder he spoke so low of his former student. Because he's a monster.
Jeong Jeong says, "It is you who have embraced savagery, Zhao."
Zhao says, "It's Admiral Zhao now."
Jeong Jeong says, "That title will not help you against the Avatar and his predecessor's daughter. Do not try to fight them! You are no match!"
Zhao says amusedly, "I think I can handle a few children, and the former Avatar's child is nothing but a joke. I've beaten her before, I'll beat her again."
Jeong Jeong says, "I have never seen such raw power..."
Aang finally jumps out of his hiding spot, exclaiming, "Jeong Jeong!"
Zhao looks shocked as I join Aang and form a ball of fire in my hand, asking, "Looking for us?"
I hear Zhao say to the Deserter, "We'll see." He then orders his men, "Men! Take the Deserter!"
Five firebenders surround Jeong Jeong, and Aang and I stop, watching in horror as they close in around him. Jeong Jeong simply smirks and wraps himself in a ball of flames, and when the flames disappate, he's nowhere to be seen.
Zhao angry exclaims, "It's a trick! He's run off into the woods. Find him!" He faces Aang and I, saying, "Let's find out what my old master has taught you."
I mutter, "I can't believe you were Jeong Jeong's student."
Zhao smirks, saying, "Until I got bored."
He threw a fireball at Aang, but I redirect it back at Zhao as Aang ducks jumps back.
Zhao easily tosses the fireball to his side, saying, "I see he taught you how to duck and run like a coward. But I doubt he showed you what a firebender is truly capable of!"
He throws another, more intense fireball at me, and I duck behind a part of the boat, catching it on fire.
Aang exclaims, "Whoa! Wild shot!"
Zhao roars with rage, exclaiming, "I'll show you wild!"
He throws another fireball, catching another part of the boat on fire.
I ask Aang, "Remember what Jeong Jeong said about him?"
He nods, responding, "He has no self-control."
I say, "Exactly. I've got an idea..."
I whisper to him my plan, where he draws Zhao's attention and let him burn up his own boats, and I sneak over to Zhao with his attention away from me.
Zhao exclaims, "Stand and fight, Avatar!"
Aang stands out in the open and starts mocking Zhao, asking, "Oh, were we fighting? I thought you were just getting warmed up!"
Zhao's face contorts in anger at the remark, saying, "I was."
He shoots another fireball, and I slowly make my way over to Zhao as he fires many more fireballs at Aang, all of them missing his intended target.
Aang asks, "Is that all you got? Man, they'll make anyone an Admiral these days!" He barely dodges a blast, then cups his hands over his mouth to sound louder, exclaiming, "Ahoy!" He jumps back up and shakes his butt at Zhao, adding, "I'm Admiral Zhao!"
Zhao gets even angrier and Aang nearly gets blasted again.
He hops back up, saying, "I don't know why, but I thought you'd be better than Zuko!"
Aang's face changes to mock disappointment when he says that, and his eyes go wide and he lies down on the deck fast enough to avoid being burnt.
He mocks Zhao's firebending again, saying, "Sloppy. Very sloppy."
I fianlly reach Zhao and give him a hard jab to his side and making him recoil back as I say, "You've got to learn to be more fluid."
Zhao tosses a fireball at my head, and I easily dodge it. The fire licks at my neck, though I don't let it stop me from facing Zhao.
He snarls at me, saying, "You." His expression turns back into mockery, asking, "And how's that broken arm treating you?"
I dodge another fireblast and punch him in the gut, responding, "It's treating me just fine."
He sends another fireblast at me, and I dodge it easily once again, Aang joining me at my side.
Zhao stands tall once again, a hand over his stomach as he growls, "Nowhere to run now, you little smartmouths!"
Aang and I dodge another series of blasts spanning across several ships, and Aang says, "You've lost this battle."
Zhao asks in enraged disbelief, "Are you crazy? Neither of you have thrown a single blow."
I smirk, saying, "No, but you have." I gesture to the burning ships around us, and add, "Jeong Jeong said you had no restraint."
Aang and I jump into the water, and Aang exclaims, "Have a nice walk home!"
I laugh, adding, "It's a long way back to the Fire Nation. You'd better get swimming!"
Sokka exclaims from the shore, "Aang, Ryuza, come on! Let's go!"
Aang and I quickly swim ashore, hop on Appa, and fly away. Zhao yells in anger, causing the fire on his ships to roar, burning even hotter.
Aang asks, "Wait! Where's Jeong Jeong?"
Sokka responds, "He disappeared. They all did."
I say, "Well, that's better than them being captured by Zhao. Trust me, I know."
Katara places a hand on my neck, exclaiming with worry, "Ryu, you're burned!"
I say, "I'm fine, Katara. Seriously. You already fixed my arm, I can deal with this on my own."
She ignores me, pulling water from her water skin yet again and places it against my neck and it heals almost instantly. I place my hand where my neck was burned, and the skin is completely smooth yet again, like it was never burned in the first place.
Aang says, "Wow. That's good water."
Sokka asks, "When did you learn that?"
Katara responds, "I guess I always knew."
Sokka sarcastically remarks, "Oh... Well then, thanks for all the first-aid over the years. Like when I fell into the greaseberry bramble. Or that time I had two fishhooks in my thumb!"
Aang asks, shocked, "Two?"
I add, "How do you get two fishhooks in your thumb?"
Katara amusedly explains, "He tried to get the first fishhook out with another fishhook."
I say, "Ah. Yeah, sounds about right."
Sokka exclaims, "Oh, and the time that mink snake bit me! Thanks for healing that up. That was great. Really helpful."
For the next hour, he explains all the times in his childhood where healing would've come in handy, and Aang, Katara, and I try and fail to hold in our laughter.
Chapter 19: The Northern Air Temple
Chapter Text
On our way to the Northern Water Tribe, we stopped in a campsite with several other groups. We should be able to get to the North Pole in a few days. One of the men at the campsite starts telling us a story he'd heard from his grandfather about airbenders in the Northern Air Temple, calling them 'air walkers'.
He ends his story by saying dramatically, "So, travelers; the next time you think you hear a strange, large bird talking, take a closer look. It might not be a giant parrot, but a flying man. A member of a secret group of air walkers, who laugh at gravity, and laugh at those bound to the Earth by it."
Having finished his story, the man starts going around to the other people in the group, collecting coins from them in his hat.
Aang asks Sokka and Katara, "Aren't airbender stories the greatest?"
Katara excitedly asks Aang and I, "Was it realistic? Is that how it was back then?"
I shrug, responding, "More or less."
Aang adds, "I laugh at gravity all the time." To prove his point, he chuckles, muttering to himself, "Gravity."
The storyteller stands in front of us, having already collected money from most of the other travellers.
He says, "Jingle jingle!"
He jingles his hat in front of Sokka, not-so-subtly asking for more money. Sokka searches inside his heavy cloak, managing to pull out a bug, a worm, and a few crumbs.
He says, "Sorry..."
The storyteller scoffs, "Aw, cheapskates!"
He walks away, and Sokka puts the bugs back in his pocket.
I ask him, "Why do you have bugs in your pockets?"
Sokka shrugs, responding, "Quick snack. They've got a bit of protein, don't they?"
I roll my eyes, and Aang stands up, walking over to the storyteller. I guess Sokka still hasn't lost any bit of his appetite.
Aang says happily to the storyteller, "Hey, thanks for the story!"
The man holds out his hat, saying, "Tell it to the cap, boy."
Could he be any more shameless? He shakes his hat behind him as he kneels in front of an old man, the shaking causing a coin to come loose and fall from the cap. As Aang searches his clothes for money, I walk over and pick up the coin, placing it back in the cap as the storyteller turns around.
He smiles up at me, saying, "Much obliged, ma'am."
He must not have noticed the coin fall out. Not that I'll tell him I didn't actually give him a new coin.
I say, "Uh, no problem, sir."
Aang, having given up on trying to find a coin, says, "It means a lot to hear airbender stories. It must've been a hundred years ago your great-grandpa met them!"
The storyteller confusedly asks, "What are you prattling about, child? Great-Gradpappy saw the air walkers last week."
He gestures at the old man he'd been kneeling in front of before. The old man makes a weak sound akin to a laugh, and waves at Aang and I, and the two of us look at each other with shocked and disbelieving expressions.
I ask him, "How is this possible? Shouldn't they have been wiped out with the rest of the monks?"
Aang responds, "I don't know, but we have to check this out. If there are other living airbenders, I need to meet them."
We rush back over to Sokka and Katara and tell them what we heard, and we quickly hop onto Appa, soaring toward the temple. Luckily, it's not too far away.
Aang sits on Appa's neck, steering, and he says, "Hey, we're almost at the Northern Air Temple. This is where they had the championships for Sky Bison Polo."
I say, "I wish I could've been able to see it. Gyatso always kept me back at the Southern Air Temple, saying it was too dangerous for me."
Katara asks, "Do you think we'll really find airbenders?"
Sokka doesn't move his eyes from the piece of wood he's whittling, asking, "Do you want me to be like you, or totally honest?"
Katara crosses her arms, angrily asking, "Are you saying I'm a liar?"
Sokka shrugs, responding, "I'm saying you're an optimist. Same thing, basically."
I move to sit between the siblings, saying, "Just calm down, guys. It's not a bad thing to look on the bright side, and we won't know if there really are airbenders until we get there, okay?"
Both of them nod their heads, Katara nodding more slowly, and Sokka still not taking his eyes off of his project.
Suddenly, Aang points toward the temple, excitedly exclaiming, "Hey guys, look at this!"
I focus my bison where Aang was pointing, finally seeing what the temple looks like. It looks very similar to the Southern Air Temple, with obvious spires reminiscent of my former home temple's architecture. Around the temple are several people flying around the temple in contraptions that similar to Aang's glider, but more modern-looking.
Katara amazedly exclaims, "They really are airbenders!"
Aang's face falls as we get closer to the temple, and he leans back a scowls, crossing his arms as he says, "No, they're not."
Sokka exuberantly asks, "What do you mean 'they're not'? Those guys are flying!"
Aang glares at the people flying around the temple, saying bitterly, "Gliding maybe, but not flying. You can tell by the way they move; they're not airbending."
I sit down next to Aang on Appa's head, giving him a side hug as I say, "I'm sorry, Aang. I wish we could've met some airbenders, too."
Aang removes my hand from his side, ending the hug as he says, "Those people have no spirit."
As he says that, a boy sitting in an oddly shaped chair flies right above us, nearly hitting us and laughing as he does so.
Katara points at the boy, saying, "I don't know, Aang. That kid seemed pretty spirited."
The boy begins flying away, shooting Aang one more look back as he does so, grinning. Aang suddenly gruns devilishly, and opens up his glider to follow the boy. He leaves Katara, Sokka, and I on Appa, and I hurry to grab the reins to keep us steady as we're quickly surrounded by gliders as we get closer to the temple. Several gliders almost hit Appa, making me swerve to avoid them and accidentally causing Katara to knock into her brother, exclaiming in pain.
I nervously say, "I'm sorry, guys! These people are moving too close; I keep having to make sharp turns to avoid them!"
Sokka says, "Then we better find some solid ground before it finds us."
I finally make it through the swarm of gliders, landing on the temple courtyard away from the hazardous sky. Aang is still flying with the boy, and seems to be having fun with the surprise competition.
Several children on the courtyard near us cheer on their friend, one exclaiming, "Go, Teo! Show that bald kid how it's done!"
Aang and the boy in the strange chair, supposedly Teo, do loop-de-loops as they fly around the air Temple before both boys do a spiral downwards. Teo seems to be talking to Aang, but they're too far away and moving too fast for me to hear them. Aang begins flying closer to the temple, diving under a bridge. He jumps off of his glider, allowing it to fly forward as he runs along a wall, switching to an air scooter halfway before jumping back onto his glider. Teo turns on a small conister positioned under his glider, and white smoke begins to stream from the strange contraption as he flies around in the sky, creating an image of Aang's face, completed with an annoyed expression.
The crowd around us cheers as both boys land, Teo landing near the crowd and continues rolling as Aang lands beside Katara, Sokka, and I. Other children take the glider off of the top of Teo's chair, and he rolls up to Aang.
He exclaims, "Hey, you're a real airbender! You must be the Avatar! That's amazing! I- I've heard stories about you!"
Aang rubs the back of his head like he usually does when he's embarrassed, saying, "Thanks."
He then turns to me, saying, "And you must be Ryuza, Avatar Roku's daughter! You two must be good friends. "
I nod nervously, saying, "Uh, yeah. We are."
How did that information even get all the way out here? Zhao must be really going all out to have me as his prisoner again.
Sokka ignores all formalities and greetings, instead going over to Teo's chair, examining the strange shape and design as he exclaims, "Wow! This glider chair is incredible!"
Teo smirks, saying, "If you think this is good, wait until you see the other stuff my dad designed."
He leads the four of us into a building, and we enter a room filled with pipes and machinery. Aang looks around worriedly, and I just sigh at how little it actually resembles a temple anymore. I can see a large mural on one of the walls, but it has been destroyed by the pipes that are sticking into the walls.
Sokka exclaims, running up to the machines, "Wow!"
Teo says, "Yeah, my dad is the mastermind behind this whole place. Everything's powered by hot air." He gestures at women using a contraption that lifts them high in the air, adding, "It even pumps hot air currents outside to give us a lift while we're gliding."
Aang says in a monotone voice, "This place is unbelievable."
Teo asks, "Yeah, it's great, isn't it?"
Aang says, "No, just unbelievable."
He walks away, and Katara approached Teo, who seems confused and disappointed at Aang's reaction.
She says, "Aang used to come here a long time ago. I think he's a little shocked it's so... different."
Sokka exclaims, "So better!"
I scoff, saying, "It's not better at all! These pipes are covering up murals that were painted centuries ago. This temple used to be sacred, and now it's ruined. I can't believe you like this, Sokka!"
I resist the urge to set the pipes ablaze, instead just huffing out a deep breath and turning my back to Teo. Why would they ruin something that used to be so beautiful? I walk over to a fountain with an air bison statue on it, sitting down on it's edge and running my hand just above the dirty green water. I'm sure the fountain used to be full of clear water, clean enough to drink, but now it's so polluted it could poison someone. I never got to see this temple in his glory days, but even I can tell it's not supposed to look like this. I watch Katara walk up to Aang, who's looking at a painted wall with pipes going through it.
He says sadly, "This is supposed to be the history of my people."
Katara puts her hand on his shoulder, and he walks over to me, staring squeamishly at the muck in the fountain. Suddenly, the sky bison statue atop the fountain blows black smoke out of it's mouth, and I nearly fall back into the disgusting water in surprise before Aang grabs my wrist, helping me stand up.
Katara says, "I'm sure some parts of the temple are still the same."
I say, "Spirits, I hope so."
Teo leads us across a bridge to a large room that looks well-kept. The room has no roof, and around the walls are statues of monks in meditative positions.
Aang says, "It's nice to see at least one part of the temple that isn't ruined."
He and I look at a statue of a long-bearded Airbender meditating, reminding me of Gyatso. I guess I'm glad he isn't around to see what's happened to this temple.
A man yells out, "Look out!"
The statue is knocked down by a wrecking ball and all five of us cover our heads. Dust is in the air from the statue being knocked over, so we all cough. The dust soon clears to show 6 men standing where the statue used to be.
The man that called out earlier, his eyebrows scattered and partly missing, his head starting to bald, and his beard long and scruffy, asks in confusion, "What the doodle? Don't you know enough to stay away from construction sites? We have to make room for the bathhouse!"
Aang turns to the man, yelling angrily, "Do you know what you did?! You destroyed something sacred! For a stupid bathhouse!"
The man says, "Well, people around here are starting to stink."
He waves his hand in front of his face as though he's trying to dissipate a bad smell.
Aang points at the man, yelling, "This whole place stinks!"
Using his airbending, Aang flips the crane contraption off of the edge of the building, making it fall and land heavily against the side of the cliff this part of the temple is situated on, now covered by a cloud of dirt and snow as it's destroyed.
Aang continues, "This is a sacred temple! You can't treat it this way! I've seen it when the monks were here! I know what it's supposed to be like!"
The man asks confusedly, "The monks? But... you're 12!"
Teo rolls up to the man, saying, "Dad, he's the Avatar. He used to come here a hundred years ago."
I ask, "So you're Teo's dad? The man who made all those machines that tore up precious murals of ancient history?"
Aang adds, "What are you doing here? Who said you could be here?"
The man turns away from us, muttering, "Hmm, doing here..." He turns back toward us, saying, "A long time ago, but not a hundred years, my people became refugees after a terrible flood." He walks behind his son's wheelchair, adding, "My infant son, Teo, was badly hurt and lost his mother." Teo looks down sadly, and his father sniffles before adding, "I needed somewhere to rebuild, and I stumbled across this place. Couldn't believe it! Everywhere, pictures of flying people! But empty," He pretends to look around, adding, "Nobody home. Then," He straightens his arms out and runs around like he's flying, adding, "I came across these fan-like contraptions!"
Aang says, "Our gliders."
The man exclaims, "Yes! Little, light flying machines!" He waves his hands up and down, adding, "They gave me an idea; build a new life for my son, in the air! Then everyone will be on equal ground! So to speak. We're just in the process of improving upon what's already here." I roll my eyes as Katara wipes her tears on Aang's shirt, and Sokka looks like he's holding back tears as the man finishes, "And, after all, isn't that what nature does?"
Aang bluntly states, "Nature knows where to stop."
The man says, "I suppose that's true. Unfortunately, progress has a way of getting away from us. Look at the time!" He points at a candle, exclaiming, "Come!" He says to the other workers, "The pulley system must be oiled before dark."
Sokka asks, "Wait, how can you tell the time from that thing? The notches all look the same."
Teo's father responds, "The candle will tell us. Watch."
The candle pops four times, and Sokka exclaims, "You put spark powder in the candle!"
The man nods, explaining, "Four flashes. So it's exactly four hours past mid-day. Or, as I call it: four o'candle!"
Sokka laughs, and the man looks pleased that Sokka is interested in his inventions.
He says, "If you like that, wait till you see my finger-safe knife sharpener." He holds up his left hand, revealing that three of the fingers are made of wood as he adds, "Only took me three tries to get it right."
He pulls off the three wooden fingers, and throws them into Sokka's hand, making the poor boy exclaim in shock, a horrified expression on his face.
The man pokes Sokka in the back with his raining pointer finger and gestures for him to come with him, exclaiming, "Follow me!"
Sokka runs after him, and Teo says, "Hey, Aang. I want to show you something."
He leads the three of us to a different building, and Aang says, "I just can't get over it. There's not a single thing that's the same."
I sigh, adding, "I know. What I wouldn't give to see the temple in it's original glory. It's just all so different."
Teo says, "I don't know about that. The temple might be different," He picks up a hermit crab from the ground, adding, "But the creatures that live here," He hands the crab to me, finishing, "Are probably direct descendants of the ones who lived here a long time ago."
Katara pokes the crab's shell, and I crack a smile at the familiar creature, saying, "You're right. They're kind of keepers of the temple's origins."
I give the hermit crab to Aang, and it moves around in his hand, making him smile, too.
Teo adds, "Besides, there's one part of the temple that hasn't changed at all."
He leads us down a long hallway with airbending symbols along the walls, and we end up at a large door with a familiar airbending contraption on it.
Katara exclaims, "He, it's just like the one in the other temple!"
I say, "There's probably a room like this in every Air Temple, Kat."
Teo says confidently, "Only an airbender can open it, so inside it's completely untouched. Just the way the monks left it. I've always wondered what it's like in there..."
Katara looks at Aang, seeming slight scared of his reaction, but she gently asks, "Aang?"
Aang turns away from the door and us, saying, "I'm sorry. This is the last part of the temple that's the same as it was. I want it to stay that way."
Teo seems somewhat disappointed, but he tried not to let it show as he says, "I completely understand. I just wanted you to know that it's here."
I add, "And it'll always be here if you ever want to see it, Aang."
Aang says, "Thanks."
The four of us start walking away from the door, and emerge back out of the building we first entered, watching people flying in the sky from the courtyard.
Katara seems to want to try it, so Teo gives her a glider, saying, "The wind will carry you. It supports something inside you. Something even lighter than air. And that something takes over when you fly."
Katara lowers her glider and looks up at the other people flying around, saying nervously, "I've changed my mind. I think I was born without that something."
Teo laughs, saying, "Impossible! Everybody has it!"
Aang says, "Spirit."
Teo asks, "What?"
Aang repeats what he said, "Spirit. That's the something you're talking about."
Teo says thoughtfully, "Yeah, I suppose it is." Katara holds the glider above her head, looking scared as Teo asks, "Are you ready?"
She responds, "No!"
She jumps off anyways, screaming as she goes down, but she eventually starts to fly straight.
Her scream peters off as she begins laughing, exclaiming, "I can't believe I'm flying!"
Aang and Momo fly up beside her, and I'm holding onto the top of Aang's glider like I've done countless times at the Southern Air Temple. It used to be scary, but I've gotten used to it, especially since Aang always keeps it steady in the air when I'm holding on. If I had both arms, I'd try using a glider by myself.
Aang gives Katara the same advice he gave me the first time I rode atop his glider, "Just make sure you keep your mouth closed so you don't swallow a bug!"
Momo flies by next to us, eating a bug.
Katara says, "Teo was right about the air. All I had to do was trust it, let it carry me."
Aang exclaims, "Even though Teo's not an airbender, he really does have the spirit of one! Just like you, Ryuza."
We land next to Teo, and I let go of the glider, saying, "Thanks, Aang."
He says to Teo, "I've been thinking. If you want to see what's in that room, I'd be happy to open the door for you."
Teo smiles wide, saying, "Great!"
Katara exclaims, "Wait!" She flies by, asking, "How do I land this thing? What if I land over- ack! Plegh! Bleck! Bug! Bug! Ack, that was a bug!"
I laugh as Aang flies back over to her, helping her land safely.
We make our way back to the large door with the airbending contraption, and Teo exclaims, "I can't believe I'm finally going to see what's inside!"
I shrug, saying jokingly, "Eh, you've seen one temple's secret room, you've seen 'em all."
Aang airbends into the door's contraption, flipping three dials so air comes out of them just like at the Southern Air Temple. Unlike the Southern Air Temple, though, is the Fire Nation weapons, tools, and a red hot air balloon with the Fire Nation insignia on it.
I ask, "What in Agni's name is this mess? How did Fire Nation weapons get here?"
Aang adds, "This is a nightmare."
Teo's father walks in with Sokka right behind him, exclaiming, "You don't understand!"
Aang accusingly exclaims, "You're making weapons for the Fire Nation!"
Sokka angrily asks, "You make weapons for the Fire Nation?!"
I ask, "How could you?! Don't you know what they do with those things?"
Teo exclaims, "Explain all this! Now!"
His father looks hesitant, but he explains, "It was about a year after we moved here. Fire Nation soldiers found our settlement. You were too young to remember this, Teo. They were going to destroy everything! Burn it to the ground! I pleaded with them, begged them to spare us! They asked what I have to offer. I offered... my services. You must understand. I did this for you!"
Teo looks away in shame, and his father leaves. After a few minutes, Aang, Teo, and I follow him to his workshop.
Aang asks, "When are they coming?"
The man responds, "Soon." The candle next to him pops once, and he adds, "Very soon."
Aang says, "You can't give them more weapons."
The man exclaims, "If I don't give them what they want, they will destroy this place!"
A miniature hot air balloon floats in the air before catching fire and crashing. With a flick of my wrist, the fire is out and I've got two pairs of eyes on me.
I say, "I can't stand by while you're selling your inventions to the people who wiped out the previous inhabitants of this temple. It just isn't right."
Teo adds, asking his father, "How can I be proud of you when your inventions are being used for murder?"
Them man says, "I need some time to think." A bell rings on his desk, and he exclaims, "You need to leave! Go!"
Teo angrily exclaims, "We're not leaving!"
His father exclaims worriedly, "Then hide! Quickly!"
The three of us hide behind some of his inventions, and the man pulls a rope that opens a trap door, a Fire Nation war minister is lifted into the room.
The minister says, "You know better than to keep me waiting. Give me what you owe us so we can be on our way." Teo's father looks down, and the minister asks impatiently, "Well? Is there a problem?"
Teo's father says hurriedly, gesturing toward the door, "No, right this way."
The war minister is about to go out the door, but Aang airbends it shut.
He jumps in front of the door, saying, "The deal's off."
The war minister narrows his eyes, saying, "The Avatar."
Teo's father exclaims, "Aang, don't get involved!"
I stand up from our hiding place and stand next to Aang, saying, "We have to get involved. You can't keep giving these people the means to destroy you!"
The war minister exclaims, "If I don't get what I came her for, the Fire Nation will burn this place to rubble!"
Aang yells, "Get out of here!" He slaps him in the face with an air swipe, adding, "You're leaving empty-handed!"
The war minister points at Aang and I, exclaiming, "Then the destruction of this temple will be on your heads!"
He leaves through the trap door, and Aang airbends it shut before I use my firebending to weld it shut. Soon after, Teo, Aang, and I meet up with Sokka and Katara on the tall bridge, telling them what happened.
Teo says, "This is bad."
Sokka adds, "Very bad!"
Katara asks, "What are we going to do? How can we possibly keep them all away?"
Aang responds, "I'll tell you how. We have something they don't."
I ask, "What's that? A traitorous firebender? Because I can't do much against dozens of them. I can barely hold my own against more than one."
Aang shakes his head, pointing at the sky as he says, "Air power. We control the sky. That's something the Fire Nation can't do. We can win!"
Teo's father walks over to us, saying, "I want to help."
Aang says, "Good. We'll need it."
We follow the man to his workshop, and he stands behind a table with Sokka. The model hot air balloon from earlier, a few blueprints, and a candle are resting on the table. Aang, Katara, Teo, and I are on the other side, surrounded by the new inhabitants of the temple.
Teo's father says, "We finally got the war balloon working, thanks to Sokka. This boy's a genius!"
Sokka says, "Thank you. You're a genius!"
Teo's father says, "Thank you!"
I roll my eyes, and say, "Just get on with it. I'm not sure how much time we have left before the ambush."
Sokka says, "Good point, Ryuza. See, the problem with the old war balloon was you could get it air-borne," He places the candle in the model, adding, "But once it did, it just kept going." He pulls a string connected to the model, putting it on the table as he says, "You could put a hole in the top, but then all the hot air would escape. So the question became, how do you keep a lid on hot air?"
Katara says, "Ugh, if only we knew."
Teo, Katara, and Aang and I laugh, and Sokka says, "A lid is actually the answer. If you control the hot air, you control the war balloon."
Katara says, "Huh. That's actually pretty smart."
Sokka says, "Okay, we've got four kinds of bombs." He begins listing them off on his fingers, "Smoke, slime, fire, and-"
Teo's father interrupts him, exclaiming, "Stink! Never underestimate the power of stink!"
Once we're as prepared as we can be, we all stand outside the temple, watching anxiously for any sign of the Fire Nation."
A girl looks over the edge, exclaiming, "They're coming!"
Teo asks, "Are we ready?"
I say, "As ready as we can be."
Katara asks, "But where's Sokka with the war balloon?"
Aang jumps off of Appa, saying, "We'll have to start without it."
Everyone readies their flying machines to take off, and I hop onto Appa, ready to redirect as many fire blasts as I can. I wrap Appa's reins around my wrist tightly just in case I fall, and we begin our assault as the gliders take off into the air, everyone who doesn't have a glider cheering below. Fire Nation troops climb the cliff path, but are attacked by various bombs being thrown at them. Aang and the other flyers emerge from the clouds, dropping more bombs on the Fire Nation troops below. The soldiers cough, and I toss a fireball down at them while they're distracted, causing some on them to fall off the cliff. Aang jumps onto an air scooter, moving across a ledge, causing snow to fall onto soldiers below before jumping back onto his glider.
The soldiers start retreating, and Aang yells, "We've got them on the run! We need more slime!"
I land Appa near Katara, and she grabs more bombs out of the saddle, handing them off to the people in gliders. All of a sudden, hooks fly through the clouds, nearly hitting Appa and latching onto the cliff, tanks scaling the cliffs via the chains. Aang sees this and manages to remove one hook, making the tank fall before it sends out another hook. The temple starts getting surrounded by tanks, and the people in gliders continue dropping bombs in an attempt to slow the tanks down. Soldiers firebend out the tanks, and I'm barely able to redirect the blasts away from the temple with the help of Aang airbending the tanks away, but the tanks flip over and readjust themselves before continuing on.
I hear Katara and Teo in the sky while I'm handing out more bombs, Katara exclaiming, "Those things are unstoppable!"
Teo says, "I think I know how they work. I remember my dad tinkering with the counterbalancing system. Something to do with water. Works great, huh?"
Katara asks, "Water? Can you get me close to one?"
Teo exclaims, "No problem!"
Aang is fending off more firebending blasts, and Katara lands next to him. She freezes multiple tanks with her water ending, but more tanks take their places. Aang defends Katara from a few fire blasts before I land Appa in front of them, knocking the tanks away. The three of them climb up Appa's tail, and we take off back toward the temple's balcony.
I exclaim, "We're out of bombs! The only thing we have left in our arsenal is fending them off with our bending, but that's not going to last us long!"
Katara says, "Come on, Sokka. Where's that war balloon?"
Almost as if on cue, the war balloon appears behind us, the tanks advancing forward with the war balloon above them. I think the only reason they're not attacking the war balloon is because of the Fire Nation insignia on the side, but they'll be attacking it the second Sokka and Teo's father drop their bombs. They drop their first bomb, many soldiers being washed away by slime. Sokka cuts another rope, dropping another bomb, slowing down the soldiers and tanks. Unluckily, it looks like they're out of bombs, and the tanks begin scaling the cliffs once again.
We try to knock the tanks' hooks away, and I melt a few chain links, destroying the chains the hooks connected to. Sokka levers the engine out of the balloon, dropping into the crevice below as the army advances on the temple. Katara, Teo, Aang, and I look down where the engine was dropped, and an explosion soon goes off, smoke covering our vision. As the smoke clears, we only see chains hanging off the cliffs, no tanks in sight.
Aang exclaims, "Look! They're retreating!"
We all cheer until the war balloon flies past, Sokka exclaiming, "We're going down!"
Katara exclaims, "No, Sokka! Hold on!"
Aang jumps on his glider and flies toward them, and I follow him on Appa. When I catch up, Aang is circling the war balloon. Sokka throws his boomerang toward Aang, which has a rope attached, and it latches onto Aang's glider. I watch Sokka and Teo's father being pulled out of the balloon and dragged away, Teo's father whimpering in fright. Aang sets them down in Appa's saddle, and we all make our way back to the temple.
Once we land, Aang says to Teo and his father, "You know what? I'm really glad you guys all live here now." Aang picks up a hermit crab, adding, "I realized it's like the hermit crab. Maybe you weren't born here, but you found this empty shell and made it your home. And now you protect each other."
I add, "And I'm sorry I was so hostile earlier. You were just trying to help your family." I look at my friends, adding, "I'd do anything for my family."
Teo says, "That means a lot, coming from you both."
Sokka says, "Aang, you were right about air power. As long as we've got the skies, we'll have the Fire Nation on the run!"
Everyone on the temple grounds cheers at our victory. I wish Crystal could've been here to see this.
Chapter 20: The Waterbending Master
Chapter Text
After two straight days of flying north, we've reached a large expanse of freezing cold water, Sokka and Katara having to bundle up to stay warm, but Aang and I are able to control our body heat with our bending, though our breath is still visible in the air. I watch a koala-otter calmly floating on its back on the water, purring slightly before it dives under the water as we pass over it.
Sokka hangs lazily over the back of Appa's saddle, grumpily saying, "I'm not one to complain, but can't Appa fly any higher?"
Sokka's words have barely left his lips as Appa loses more altitude, his paws dragging through the water before rising slightly again.
I say bitterly, "All you do is complain, Sock-in-mouth!"
Katara leans against the side of the saddle, propping herself up on her elbows as she stares into the nothingness in front of her, and a peeved Aang looks back at Sokka from atop Appa's head.
He says with an irritated tone of voice, "I have an idea! Why don't we all get on your back and you could fly us to the North Pole?!"
Sokka stands up and turns away from us, looking over his shoulder as he sarcastically says, "I'd love to! Climb on, everyone. Sokka's ready for take-off!"
A chirping Momo hops on his back, making Sokka shoot an angry glare at the lemur.
I say, "Just shut up, Sokka! You're not getting us there any sooner by complaining!"
Katara waves her hands up and down while shifting looks between Aang, Sokka, and I, saying, "Look, we're all just a little tired and cranky because we've been flying for two days straight."
Sokka s now sat down with Momo in his lap, annoyedly saying, "And for what? We can't even find the Northern Water Tribe. There's nothing up here!"
I lay on my back, deciding to take a nap. Maybe some sleep will do me some good. Just as I close my eyes, I hear a slushing sound, the sound getting louder. Just as I sit up again, the water in front of Appa suddenly rises and solidifies into ice spikes. Aang screams in fright, his eyes wide in horror as he violently yanks the reins to the right in an attempt to avoid the sudden obstacle. Appa growls as he narrowly avoids the ice spikes, and Sokka and Katara yell as they hold on for dear life to the sides of the saddle. Sadly, I'm not as lucky, falling into the icy water. Before I could get lost behind them or sink any further, Katara grabs my hand, pulling me back into the saddle.
I fall onto my face in the saddle as Appa swerves to avoid more ice spikes, but he's not quick enough this time, part of the ice attaching itself to his leg as he brushes against it, his leg freezing instantly. His momentum causes the ice to break, but he's thrown off balance and is catapulted away. Sokka, Katara, and I scream in fright, the sibling each holding onto my soaked shirt. Appa lands in the frigid water, making waves around us. As he turns upright again, the water around us instantly freezes, and Appa is locked in place. Water Tribe boats appear behind the ice spikes, each boat carrying several watrbenders, surrounding us. Katara looks suprised, and Sokka reaches for his boomerang atop the saddle.
Katara exclaims happily, "They're waterbenders! We found the Water Tribe!"
I'm not able to control my body temperature anymore since I'm soaked in the frigid ice water, so I shiver, suddenly wishing I'd taken the siblings up on their offer to borrow one of their parkas. The ice spikes retreat as the waterbenders realize that Aang is the Avatar, and they escort us to the Northern Water Tribe. The massive, magnificent wall protecting the city comes into view, and we all marvel at it.
Aang points excitedly at the wall, exclaiming, "There it is!"
Katara adds in awe, "The Northern Water Tribe."
Sokka says, "We're finally here."
A portion of the massive wall is lowered, and I add, "Let's just hope they don't imprison me."
Katara asks, "What do you mean?"
I say through chattering teeth, "You kn-know. My nation isn't very well l-liked in the rest of the w-world."
Aang says, "I'm sure you'll be fine, Ryuza. Once they find out you're my friend, they'll love you!"
I say, "I hope you're r-right."
Katara asks, "Are you okay? You're freezing!"
I say, "Normally I'm able t-to regulate my b-body temperature, but when I f-fell into the water, my clothes got s-soaked. That water was f-freezing cold!"
Katara grabs her extra parka, sliding it over my shoulders. I instantly feel warmer, and slide my arm through the right sleeve, buttoning the parka up for more warmth.
I say, "Thanks, Katara. M-much better."
She smiles at me, and we marvel at the massive city, which seems much more lively and sofisticated than the Southern Tribe.
Katara exclaims, "I can't believe how many waterbenders live up here!"
Aang says to Katara, "We'll find a master to teach us, no problem."
We pass through the channels of the city, catching the attention of several civilians who run over to spectate us. Aang waves happily at the people, and as we continue our trek inward, Sokka's attention is captured by a young lady with white hair going by in a boat. He blushes at the sight of her and leaps onto Appa's tail as she pulls away from view.
Katara says, "This place is beautiful."
Sokka says dreamily, "Yeah... she is..."
I say, "While I will admit she's beautiful, she's just not my type. Knock yourself out, though." My three friends give me odd looks, and I say, "What? I just said she wasn't my type! What's the big deal? I told you guys I had a girlfriend on Zhao's ship, didn't I?"
Katara says, "I guess we thought you meant girlfriend as in... a girl who was a friend."
I say, "Uh, no? I thought I was clear about that before."
They shrug it off, and we keep moving along the path of water. I guess they hadn't realized the nature of my relationship with Crystal. At least they're not being weird about it. Once we reach the center of the city, we're ushered into a large building, where their chief, Arnook, is. He greets us warmly, seeming to already know who I am. I guess word of mouth reaches far, even all the way out here. After around an hour, there's a feast to celebrate us, hosted by Chief Arnook. Men play drums, and a giant crab is set in a pool of water in the center of the feast.
Arnook announces to the attendants, "Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brother and sister from the Southern Tribe," He gestures at Sokka and Katara, then continues, "And they have brought two very special people. The first is someone very special, someone whom many of us believed disappeared from the world until now... The Avatar!" The crowd applauds and cheers loudly as he gestures at Aang, and Arnook adds, "The second is an unexpected ally, the youngest daughter of Avatar Roku, a great friend of the Avatar!"
The crowd's applause and cheering quickly dies out as he gestures at me. I force a nervous smile on my face as I shyly wave at them, and I can hear the crowd whispering to each other. My heart is pounding in my chest, and I feel like I could throw up. I mean, I know the Fire Nation is hated throughout the world, but I haven't gotten this bad of a reaction since I was in the Southern Tribe.
Arnook seems to not notice my discomfort, and he says, "We also celebrate my daughter's 16th birthday. Princess Yue is now of marrying age!"
The white-haired girl from earlier enters the room gracefully, saying, "Thank you, Father. May the great Ocean and Moon Spirits watch over us during these troubled times!"
Arnook adds, "Now Master Pakku and his students will perform!"
And older man white white hair, likely Pakku, and two younger men bend large blobs of water, captivating the audience and taking the attention away from me. They merge the three blobs into one stream, bending it around each other. Yue sits down a seat away from Sokka, and he swallows the large chunk of meat he was chewing.
He says, "Hi, there. Sokka, Southern Water Tribe."
Yue smiles at him and bows slightly, saying, "Very nice to meet you."
They share an awkward silence for a moment, and Sokka says nervously, "So... uh... you're a princess, right?" She smiles and nods, and he continues, "You know, back in my tribe, I'm kind of like a prince, myself."
Katara teases him, "Ha, prince of what?"
Sokka responds defensively, "A lot of things! Do you mind? I'm trying to have a conversation here."
Katara says sarcastically, "My apologies, Prince Sokka."
I say, "Wait, isn't your guys' dad the chief?" Katara nods, and I add, "Wouldn't that make you guys the Prince and Princess of the Southern Tribe?"
Katara rolls her eyes, saying, "Not really. Who would be our subjects? There's not a lot of people in the Southern Tribe, and the chief is made chief through votes, not through bloodline."
Sokka glares at us, then turns back to Yue, saying, "So, it looks like I'm going to be in town for a while. I'm thinking... maybe we could... do an activity together?"
Yue laughs, asking confusedly, "Do an activity?"
Sokka starts sweating at that, stuffing food in his mouth as I chuckle beside him.
Katara teases him again, saying, "Very smooth."
After the mood has been lightened by Sokka's courtship antics, I'm able to relax a bit and eat, Aang and I avoiding the stewed sea prune soup. After the feast, we're shown the hut where we'll be staying while we're in the Tribe, and Aang leaves with Arnook to meet Pakku and convince him to take him and Katara as his students. The two of them rush off at sunrise to learn from Pakku, and Sokka and I go to warrior's training, but he makes sure to meet up with Yue first to set up a date. The men there seem angry that they have to teach a firebender, and a lot of them are also being incredibly sexist toward me.
I do find a few guys that don't mind who I am, and they teach me how to throw daggers at a target while Sokka learns from other warriors. He ends up sneaking out early to talk to Yue, and by the time the sun sets, I've hit the target with the blade of the dagger a few times, but mostly just hitting it with the butt of the handle. At least I'm hitting the target, though. By the time I enter our hut, Sokka's already there and I can tell he's frustrated as he rolls out his bedroll.
I sit down next to him, leaning my back against the wall as I ask, "So it didn't go well with Yue?"
Sokka huffs, not responding. What happened on their date for him to be this ticked off? While I'm snacking on some fire flakes I saved from the Fire Days Festival, Aang and Katara enter the hut.
Katara asks, "How's warrior training going?"
I respond, "Not bad, actually! A lot of them didn't like me, but that was expected. I did start learning about how to throw a dagger, though! I even hit the target a few times!"
Aang asks, "What about you, Sokka?" The Water Tribe boy kicks his bag, and Aang asks, "That bad?"
Sokka responds bitterly, "No, it's Princess Yue. I don't get it; one minute she wants to go out with me, and the next she's telling me to get lost!"
I say, "That's just how some girls are. You've just gotta deal with it and hope for better next time."
Sokka changes the subject, asking, "So how's waterbending training?"
Aang's expression turns to annoyance, responding, "Master Poop head won't teach her because she's a girl."
I mutter, "Sounds about right. Most of those guys at warrior training didn't seem very accepting of teaching a girl, especially a firebending girl."
Sokka says, "Why don't you just teach her, Aang?"
Katara excitedly asks, "Why didn't I think of that?" She turns to Aang, exclaiming, "At night, you can teach me whatever moves you learn from Master Pakku! That way, you have someone to practice with, and I get to learn waterbending! Everyone's happy!"
Sokka huffs, "I'm not happy."
Katara says, "But you're never happy. Come on, Aang."
The two leave, and I offer Sokka some of my fire flakes. He refuses, so I just shrug, continuing to munch on the flakes as I close the sack they came in, putting it back in my bag as I start getting ready to go to bed, rolling out my bedroll and holding onto Cyril. As I was closing my eyes to sleep, Katara and Aang slam the door open, concerned expressions on their faces.
I rub my eyes, asking, "What happened? Are you guys okay?"
Katara exclaims, "Master Pakku found us while we were practicing, and he disowned Aang as his student! We have to fight this tomorrow in front of Chief Arnook!"
That sounds bad. The next morning, the four of us meet with Chief Arnook, Master Pakku, and Arnook's family members.
Arnook asks Katara, "What do you want me to do? Force Master Pakku to take Aang back as his student?"
Katara responds, "Yes! Please."
Arnook glares down at her, saying, "I suspect he might change his mind if you swallow your pride and apologize to him."
Katara says, "Fine."
Pakku smirks, arrogantly saying, "I'm waiting little girl."
Katara's expression turns to anger, and she says, "No!" She begins cracking the ice inadvertently in her rage as she exclaims, "No way am I apologizing to a sour old man like you!"
Two pots shatter behind her, spilling their contents onto the ground as Aang says, "Uh, Katara?"
Katara challenges Pakku, "I'll be outside if you're man enough to fight me."
Yue gasps, and Katara storms out of the building.
Aang says to the elders, "I'm sure she didn't mean that."
Sokka says, "Yeah, I think she did."
I add, "Oh, she definitely did."
The three of us head outside, meeting up with Katara, who's pacing back and forth angrily, waiting for Pakku.
Sokka asks her, "Are you crazy, Katara? You're not going to win this fight!"
Katara takes off her coat, throwing it to the side as she exclaims, "I know; I don't care!"
Aang says, "You don't have to do this for me. I can find another teacher!"
Katara exclaims, "I'm not doing it for you! Someone needs to slap some sense into that guy!"
I chuckle, saying, "That much is obvious. You know what? I'm rooting for you, Kat!"
Katara smiles at me, but her smile vanishes as Pakku descends the stairs outside the building, his arms behind his back.
Katara asks, "So you decided to show up?" Pakku starts walking away, and Katara angrily asks, "Aren't you going to fight?"
Pakku says dismissively, "Go back to the healing huts with the other women where you belong." Katara tightens her first and sends a water whip at him, and he halts, saying, "Fine. You want to learn to fight so bad? Study closely!"
He sends two streams of water from nearby pools and sends them both at a charging Katara, who falls back. He joins the two streams together, encircling both Katara and himself in a forceful ring of water.
He says in an almost mocking tone, "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you!"
Katara edges away from the ring and redirects the water away, the resulting blast hitting Sokka. Pakku builds an ice wall in defense, which Katara slides up easily, landing onto a nearby post. He melts the ice and directs the full blast at her, but Katara freezes her feet down and is able to direct the blast away.
She exclaims determinedly, "You can't knock me down!"
Some of the crowd cheers, but none of them are louder than me. That's one of my best friends fighting for her honor! She deserves a cheering crowd!
Aang exclaims, "Go, Katara!"
I add, "Whoop his sorry butt into next week!"
Katara charges at Pakku, and he draws up a wall of ice that she quickly liquefies. She attempts to land blows on him, but Pakku ducks them all. He whips water at her and throws her into a pool, earning the approval of other members of the crowd while I loudly boo him. Katara emerges from the pool and shakes out her hair, summoning a small pillar of ice, sending a series of ice discs at her opponent. Pakku breaks up most of them using his wrists, but one comes very close to hitting him. He looks at her in irritation as Katara, now back on the ground, attacks by sending a stream of water at him. However, Pakku generates it into a larger stream of water and sends it full-force at her, sending her back several feet. She's bent over, panting deeply. She rises suddenly and sends two snow pillars down at him, which Pakku turns into a dusty mist of snow.
The mist clears, and he says, "Well, I'm impressed. You are an excellent waterbender."
Katara asks, "But you still won't teach me, will you?"
Pakku responds, "No."
Katara bends over sharply, sending a wave of ice at Pakky, who merely raises himself onto an ice pillar. He proceeds to liquefy the pillar, charging straight at Katara, who sends a powerful stream of water his way. Pakky avoids the attack, instead managing to freeze Katara's stream of water, which he slides across. He surges past her and strikes her down, knocking her necklace off in the process. Katara falls roughly to the ground as Pakku lands onto the rim of a pool, bends a tower of water, and manipulates the stream over Katara. He deftly freezes the water into several ice shards, which he sends down at Katara. She becomes trapped in the flurry of frozen daggers and appears still for a moment. The crowd gasps in horror, one child looking away in fear. I'm about to walk over to check on her when Katara lifts her head and begins to struggle, attempting to break free as Pakku casually strolls away.
He says, "This fight is over."
Katara angrily thrashes in her icy confines, exclaiming, "Come back here! I'm not finished yet!"
Pakku arrogantly says, "Yes, you are." He stops, picking up Katara's necklace as he softly says, "This is my necklace..."
Katara exclaims, "No it's not, it's mine! Give it back!"
Pakku says, "I made this 60 years ago for the love of my life... for Kanna."
The ice around Katara unfreezes, and she asks in a surprised tone, "My Gran-Gran was supposed to marry you?"
Pakku explains, "I carved this necklace for your grandmother when we got engaged. I thought we would have a long, happy life together. I loved her."
Katara walks over to him, saying calmly, "But she didn't love you, did she? It was an arranged marriage. Gran-Gran wouldn't let your tribe's stupid customs run her life. That's why she left. It must have taken a lot of courage."
Yue cries and runs away, and I bump Sokka's shoulder, saying, "Go get her, Sokka."
He rushes off after her to comfort her, and Pakku surprisingly takes Aang back as his student as well as Katara. Things are looking up for us.
Chapter 21: The Siege of the North (Part 1): The Calm Before the Storm
Chapter Text
It's been around a month since we first got to the Northern Water Tribe. Most of the warriors here seem to have accepted me by now, or are at least tolerating my presence, except for Hahn. He's an uppity jerk that nobody likes. He always talks down to me, referring to me like I'm just a bug he stepped on. Outside of warrior training, I've met Princess Yue a few times. She seems to be a kind girl that doesn't want to marry her suitor, and reminds me of Crystal in a few ways. As I'm heading over to warrior training, I spot Sokka and Yue on another one of their 'secret' dates on the bridge, sneaking up behind them for a chance to tease Sokka.
Yue asks him, "So they don't have palaces in the Southern Tribe?"
Sokka sits down on the bridge's ledge, saying, "Are you kidding? I grew up in a block of ice. It's not exactly a cultural hub."
I finally reveal myself, saying in a teasing tone, "Hey guys, how's your daaaaaaate going?"
Sokka gets spooked, nearly falling off the bridge as I laugh, Yue covering her mouth to stifle her giggles.
He exclaims, "That's not funny, Ryuza!"
I say through laughs, "You're right, it's not funny. It's hilarious!" I start walking back to warrior training, calling out, "Just don't get too carried away, you crazy kids!"
Sokka calls out to me, "You're younger than me! And we're not kids!"
I burst into laughter, but it starts dying down by the time I get to warrior training, and I wipe my eye, getting a few last chuckles out. I haven't had a good laugh in a while. When I enter the building, I come face to face with Hahn.
He scowls down at me, asking, "What's so funny, ash-maker?"
My smile immediately falls, and I say, "Nothing you need to know about, weasel-snake."
I walk past him, grabbing a dagger and practicing throwing it at the target. I can tell I'm getting better, and I'm hitting the target with the blade most of the time. After an hour or two of training, I step outside the building to grab some lunch. Throwing daggers really works up an appetite! As I'm about to head over to a merchant for food, the snow falling around me turns black with soot. My eyes widen in surprise, and I run back to the other warriors-in-training.
I exclaim, "The Fire Nation is here! And by the looks of the soot in the air, there's a lot of them!"
Hahn yells at me, "This is all your fault, you dirty ash-maker!"
I ask, "What? How could this be my fault?!"
Hahn responds, "You must've lead them to us! We've been living here peacefully for the entirety of the war, and the second one of their people gets here, they invade? Yeah, it's a real mystery."
A few warriors come to my defense, but most of them are silent, shifting on their feet. They think it was my fault? But it isn't! Or... is it? Were they really following me here? I feel a tear slide down my cheek, and I run out of the building. If the Fire Nation is coming here, Zhao's most likely at the front of it all, leading them. Not long after, a meeting with everyone is held inside the Chief's Royal Palace. I hide behind my friends as a few of the warriors I'd started to consider as friends glare at me, blaming me.
Katara holds my hand for comfort as Arnook says, "The day we have feared for so long has arrived. The Fire Nation is on our doorstep. It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe, but they will never vanish from our hearts. Now, as we approach the battle for our existence, I call upon the great spirits. Spirit of the Ocean! Spirit of the Moon! Be with us! I'm going to need volunteers for a dangerous mission."
Sokka is the first to rise from his seat, exclaiming, "Count me in!"
Katara says worriedly, "Sokka..."
Arnook says, "Be warned, many of you will not return."
Several Water Tribe men rise and walk forward, and it takes a moment for me to gather the courage to stand and join them. If the Fire Nation is invading, I need to be able to help them defend themselves.
Arnook says to me and the other warriors, "Come forward and recieve my mark, if you accept the task."
He paints three red line marks on one man's forehead, and the man walks away, looking slightly sorrowful. Not that I blame him. The Fire Nation is about to invade their tribe after decades of peace. Sokka steps forward next, and Arnook paints the same three marks. He begins walking away sadly and turns to look at Yue. After staring at each other for a few moments, Sokka continues walking. Yue averts her gaze and begins crying, and I desperately want to comfort her, but I can't. She's a princess, and I'm just a girl who's Nation is invading hers. I get a few glares from the warriors around me as Arnook paints three lines on my forehead, and I walk away toward where I saw Sokka go.
After a while, Arnook joins us, saying, "Men, you'll be infiltrating the Fire Nation Navy. That means you'll all need one of these uniforms."
Hahn enters the room in said uniform, Sokka laughs, and I look at Hahn in confusion. That uniform looks more new than the ones soldiers used when I was a kid, but still very outdated by today's standards.
Hahn angrily asks Sokka, "What's your problem?"
Sokka responds, "Fire Navy uniforms don't look like that."
Hahn irritable says, "Of course they do."
I say, "Not anymore. I haven't seen a uniform like that in years."
Hahn scoffs, saying, "These are real uniforms captured from actual Fire Navy soldiers!"
Sokka asks sarcastically, "When, like, a hundred years ago?"
Arnook responds resignedly, "Eighty-five..."
Sokka walks over and flicks one of the shoulder spikes with his finger, saying, "The Fire Nation doesn't wear shoulder spikes anymore."
I add, "Yeah, the newer uniforms are much more streamlined."
Sokka bends the tip of one of the shoulder spikes back with the tip of his finger and lets go, the spike bouncing back to it's original shape with a comedic sound.
Hahn asks, "How do we know we can trust these people?" Hahn growls at Sokka, who glares at him in return, and I avoid his gaze as he says, "Such bold talk for new recruits, expecially that ash-maker."
Arnook says, "Sokka is from our sister tribe, Hahn, and Ryuza is the previous Avatar's daughter and friend to the current Avatar. They're capable warriors and I value their input."
I smile slightly at the compliment from the chief, but the annoyed glares from the other warriors wipes my smile from my face again. Sokka shoots Hahn a smug look, putting his arm around my shoulder as Arnook turns to the rest of the regiment.
He says, "Now, our first objective is to determine the identity of their commanding officer."
Sokka cuts in, "His name is Zhao. Middle aged," He traces imaginary sideburns with his fingers, adding, "Big sideburns, bigger temper..."
I add, "And no self-control. He constantly vies for attention and holds deadly grudges. He's tried to kill us a few times."
Arnook says, "Sokka, Ryuza, I want you both to tell everything you know to Hahn. He's leading this mission. Hahn, show them your respect." He starts walking away, adding, "I expect nothing less from my future son-in-law."
Sokka and I stare at Hahn, our mouths agape in matching shocked expressions as Sokka's arm falls from my shoulder.
Sokka points at Hahn and narrows his eyes, asking in disbelief, "Princess Yue's marrying you?"
Hahn responds irritatedly, "Yeah, what of it?"
Sokka turns away from Hahn, saying in an upset tone, "Nothing. Congratulations."
I whisper to Sokka, "No wonder Yue didn't want to get married if she has to marry him. I wouldn't want to marry him either."
After the first day of full-on assault from the dozens of Fire Navy ships, they retreat as the moon rises in the sky. Sokka, Hahn, and I are sharpening weapons against grindstones on the second day.
Hahn says smugly, ignoring me, "Let me tell you, Sokka, I've courted a lot of girls, but Yue is the finest, and she comes with the most perks."
Sokka asks annoyedly, "Perks? What does that mean?!"
Hahn responds, "I mean, Yue's nice and everything, but the points I'll gain with the chief aren't bad either."
Sokka angrily exclaims, "Princess Yue is wasted on a self-absorbed weasel like you!"
Hahn asks, "Who, hang on. What do you care?" Sokka closes his eyes sorrowfully as Hahn says, "You're just a simple rube from the Southern Tribe. What would you know of the political complexities of our life?" He smirks, adding, "No offense."
Sokka shouts and tackles Hahn, and the two begin rolling around on the floor in a struggle, Sokka exclaiming, "You're just a jerk without a soul, no offense!"
They continue rolling about on the floor, pulling each others ponytails in fury when they're suddenly separated by Arnook.
He exclaims, "That's enough! Sokka, you're off the mission!"
Sokka, his hair look and hanging in locks, appears stunned before crossing his arms in anger.
Hahn smirks, saying, "Alright, fall in, men! Everybody listen to what I say and we'll take out this Admiral Cho in no time!"
I exclaim, "It's Zhao, you idiot! Zhao!"
Arnook says, "Ryuza, you're off the mission, too."
I ask, "What? Why?! I- I have value here!"
Arnook says, "Your bending is wasted here. You're needed on the front lines."
I look between Arnook and Sokka, reluctantly saying, "Fine. May the Ocean and Moon spirits be on your side."
Arnook says, "And yours."
I leave the building, joining the warriors on the front lines. I fend off Fire Nation soldiers, redirecting their blasts away from my fellow warriors and burning a few of our opponents in the process. Once the moon starts hanging in the sky and the Fire Navy retreats yet again, I just can't fight anymore. I'm too exhausted. I spot Katara, Aang, and Yue on a balcony and climb up to them.
When I get there, Yue says, "The legends say the moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed a pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves."
Katara says, "I've always noticed my waterbending is stronger at night."
I say, "And my bending is stronger during the day with the help of the sun."
Yue says, "Our strength comes from the Spirit of the Moon. Our life comes from the Spirit of the Ocean. They work together to keep balance."
Aang's expression brightens, and he exclaims, "The spirits!" He raises his head, startling Momo, who was resting in his lap, and he adds, "Maybe I can find them and get their help!"
Yue asks, "How can you do that?"
Katara responds, "The Avatar is the bridge between our world and the Spirit World! Aang can talk to them!"
I shiver, saying, "Ugh, the Spirit World."
Yue says to Aang, "Maybe they'll give you the wisdom to win this battle!"
Aang waves his arms out is an excited gesture, exclaiming, "Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy, amazing Spirit attack on the Fire Nation!" The three of us give him odd looks, and he straightened up, saying, "Or wisdom. That's good, too."
Katara says, "The only problem is, last time you got to the Spirit World by accident. How are you going to get there this time?"
I say, "Sometimes the monks would be able to travel to the Spirit World on their own if they meditated in a spiritual place. Are there any of those around here?"
Yue says, "I have an idea. Follow me."
She begins walking away, and Aang, Katara, and I follow her. We walk past the Chief's Royal Palace, stopping in front of a small, round wooden door.
Aang walks up to the door, asking, "So is this the way to the Spirit World?"
Yue laughs, saying, "No. You'll have to get there on your own, but I can take you to the most spiritual place in the entire North Pole."
She opens the door, revealing a small, verdant oasis, a waterfall flowing directly behind it. We all walk inside, and Aang gasps in amazement.
He runs to the back of the oasis and rolls around on the ground, exclaiming, "I never thought I'd miss grass this much!"
Katara exclaims, "It's so warm here!"
I ask, "How is this possible? I've never heard of anything like this before."
Yue responds, "It's the center of all spiritual energy in our land."
The two girls remove their coats, and I sit down by the pond in the center of the oasis, watching the two koi fish swimming about, one black with a white dot on it's back, and one with with a black dot on it's back. Momo sticks his hand in the pond and tries to grab the fish out of the water, but stops when I grab him by the scruff of his neck. When I let go of him, he just sits down next to the pond.
Aang says, "You're right, Yue. I can feel... something. It's so tranquil."
He positions himself to meditate in front of the pond, and the two koi fish circle each other.
Yue asks, "Why is he sitting like that?"
Katara responds, "He's meditating, trying to cross over into the Spirit World. It takes all his concentration."
I can see Aang's face scrunch up in frustration, and I gestures for the girls to be quiet, but they ignore me, Yue asking, "Is there any way whe can help?"
Aang opens his eyes and turns his head toward the two, exclaiming angrily, "How about some quiet?! Come on, guys, I can hear every word you're saying!"
As he goes back to his meditative position, I say, "Hey, Aang?"
He peeks an eye open, glaring at me.
I say, "Can you do something for me?"
He opens the other eye, asking annoyedly, "What?"
I respond, "Can you... say 'hello' to Father for me?"
Aang's expression immediately softens, and he says, "Oh. Yeah, no problem, Ryu."
I smile slightly, saying, "Thanks, Aang."
He smiles back at me, then watches the koi fish circle each other in the pond, seeming mesmerized by them before his eyes and tattoos light up.
Yue asks worriedly, "Is he okay?"
Katara responds, "He's crossing into the Spirit World."
I add, "He should be fine as long as we don't move his body. That's his way back to the physical world."
Yue says, "Maybe we should get some help."
Katara says, "No, he's my friend. I'm perfectly capable of protecting him. She gestures at me, adding, "Besides, I have Ryuza to help, too."
All of a sudden, we head a familiar princely voice sarcastically say, "Well, aren't you big girls now."
Katara and I turn to him, and I glare at the intruder, saying, "Zuko."
Katara says dismayed, "No..."
Zuko says, "Yes. Hand him over and I won't have to hurt either of you."
I ask, "What, not after me this time?"
Zuko responds, "Oh, don't worry. I am."
Yue runs out of the oasis as Katara and I assume defensive stances. Zuko kicks his leg up, sending a fire blast Katara's way. I'm barely able to redirect it in my exhaustion as he fires more blasts from his hands as Katara conjures up water shields to deflect the attacks. She draws more water from the pond and sends the stream at Zuko, who is preparing another attack. I send a weak blast at him to distract him, and it works, Katara's blast pushing Zuko back several feet and knocking him to the ground.
Zuko rises back to his feet, saying to Katara, "I see you've learned a new trick, but I didn't come this far to lose to you."
He turns around and fires another blast, which Katara blocks by summoning another shield of water, then sending a powerful jet of water at our opponents. The jet collides into Zuko, who's sent farther back. As he attempts to steady himself from the impact, small juts of ice form around his feet. Katara has a determined look on her face as water rises around Zuko, encircling him. Katara waves her arms about wildly, forming a ball of water around him, freezing it solid. She smiles triumphantly at imprisoning him in the ice, and I feel bad that I couldn't do anything more to help.
Zuko says angrily, "You little peasant. You've found a master, haven't you?"
His icy prison starts glowing bring orange with heat, and the ground rumbles. Once he's melted himself free, he fires repeated attack at Katara, who draws water from the oasis to deflect the attacks. She prepares to strike him with a water black, but Zuko manages to slip away and head toward Aang. Just as his fingers grasp Aang's collar, I tackle him, making him let go of Aang. Just as Zuko shoves me off of him, Katara fires a water blast, throwing Zuko to the other wall. She whips up a large wave and sends the attacks at Zuko. The rush of water sends Zuko up the side of the cliff, and she freezes the water, encasing him in ice. He stays there, slumping his head over in defeat.
However, our victory doesn't last long as the sun rises, rays on sunlight beaming down into the oasis. He sharply raises his head with a determined look on his face, breathing steam from his nose to quickly melt to ice. He lands on the ground and fires a blast at Katara, who had her back turned to him at the moment. I dive to shove her out of the way, but I end up burning my good arm in the process. I cry out in pain, and Zuko fires another blast at Katara as she's conjuring a water shield, but she makes it too late. The blast sends her slamming into the gate to the Spirit World, knocking her out, smoke from the impact filling my vision. I can barely see Zuko standing over her, holding Aang by the collar.
He says, "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun."
He walks over to me, and I crawl away from him, the searing pain shooting through my arm. I have to stop when I reach the edge of the oasis, not wanting to fall into the deep water, and Zuko drops Aang, grabbing my by the front collar of my shirt. He gives me a headbutt, and everything goes dark.
Chapter 22: The Siege of the North (Part 2): Solemn Victory
Chapter Text
I wake up with a splitting headache, and groan in pain. As I open my eyes, my vision clears enough for me to see that I'm in a small cave, and Aang and I are tied up, a fire between us. Aang is still unconscious, likely still wandering the Spirit World, and I hear Zuko speaking.
I turn toward the voice, listening to him as he's facing toward the cave's exit, leaning against a wall as he says, "I finally have you, but I can't get you home because of this blizzard. There's always something. Not that either of you would understand. You're like my sister. Everything always came easy to her. She's a fire bending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky. He says I was lucky to be born. I don't need luck, though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight, and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am."
He doesn't seem to realize I'm awake, jumping a bit as I say quietly, "I didn't know you had a sister."
He turns to look at me, glaring down at me.
I add, "I had a sister, too. And a mother. But I got separated from them after Fire Nation soldiers invaded our village, burning our houses down in retaliation for being against Fire Lord Sozin, my father's killer. At least you know your sister's still out there somewhere. I'll never see mine again."
His eyebrows furrow, and his expression softens slightly before he turns away, watching the growing blizzard outside with his arms crossed. After a long moment of silence, Aang's sleeping form takes a deep breath, Zuko turning to look at the sound.
When Aang still doesn't wake up, Zuko says, "Guess we'll be here a while."
I remain silent. I've already told him too much, and I just want to get out of here. A while later, a bright light fills the cave and Aang wakes up, attempting to get out of his restraints and he glares at Zuko.
The banished prince says, "Welcome back."
Aang narrows his eyes at Zuko, saying with hostility, "It's good to be back."
Aang wiggles over to me before airbending Zuko into a wall, then propelling the two of us out of the cave. Once we're outside, the freezing snow hits me, and I shiver. Aang tries wriggling like a worm in an attempt to get away, only for us both to get caught by Zuko, grabbing both of us by the back collars of our shirts.
He says, "That won't be enough to escape."
I notice a large shadow descending toward us and know it could only be one thing, saying with a smug smile, "Maybe not, but that is."
Appa lands next to us, Aang exclaiming happily, "Appa!"
Katara slides off of the bison, and Zuko throws Aang and I aside, dropping my face into the frigid snow. At least the cold is helping soothe my headache a bit.
Zuko asks, getting into a defensive position, "Here for a rematch?"
I lift my head as Katara responds confidently, "Trust me Zuko, it's not going to be much of a match."
She uses waterbending to launch Zuko into the air with the snow beneath him before plummeting him back down to the ground, knocking him out. Sokka runs toward Aang and I to untie us while Zuko lies unconscious.
He exclaims, "Hey, this is some quality rope!"
I say, "Well, he is a banished prince with lots of money. Money buys quality."
Aang exclaims once he's untied, "We need to get to the oasis; the spirits are in trouble!"
I ask, "What? How?"
Aang responds, "I don't know, but we need to get to them as soon as possible!"
Sokka, Katara, and I climb into the saddle next to Yue, and Aang airbends himself atop Appa's head. I give Zuko one last look as the blizzard starts burying him in snow. He won't survive long out here if we leave him.
I say, "Wait, we can't just leave him here."
Sokka says, "Sure, we can! Let's go."
I say, "No. If we leave him here, he'll die." Aang turns his head toward me, and I add, "He saved us once. Shouldn't we repay the favor?"
Aang nods, and the two of us hop off the saddle, carrying the unconscious Zuko into the saddle.
Sokka says sarcastically, "Yeah, this makes a lot of sense. Let's bring the guy who's constantly trying to kill us."
I say, "If it would make you feel better, we could tie him up like he tied Aang and I up. You saved the rope, didn't you?"
Sokka smirks, retrieving the rope. He ties it around Zuko's ankles and wrists, and we position Zuko so he's laying on his side. Appa finally takes off, and we make our way back to the Spirit Oasis. On the way back, the moon goes red, making everything red-tinted.
Yue grabs her head in pain, and Sokka asks, "Are you okay?"
She responds weakly, "I feel faint."
Aang holds his head with one hand while steering, saying, "I feel it, too. The Moon Spirit is in trouble."
Yue says, "I owe the Moon Spirit my life."
I ask, "What do you mean?"
Yue explains, "When I was born, I was very sick and weak. Most babies cry when they're born, but I was born as if I was asleep, my eyes closed. Our healers did everything they could. They told my mother and father I was going to die. My father pleaded with the spirits to save me. That night, beneath the full moon, he brought me to the oasis and placed me in the pond. My dark hair turned white. I opened my eyes and began to cry, and they knew I would live. That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon."
As we fly closer to the oasis, we see Zhao holding a bag, the contents wriggling as he exclaims in a self-aggrandizing way, "I am... a legend now! The Fire Nation will, for generations, tell stories about the great Zhao, who darkened the moon. They will call me Zhao the Conquerer, Zhao the Moon Slayer, Zhao the Invincible!" Momo jumps atop his head as we land, and he exclaims, "Ugh... Get it off! Get it off!"
Momo flies away from him, landing on Aang's outstretched arm and running to his shoulder, with Katara, Sokka, and I behind him.
Zhao and his soldiers ready themselves for battle, as do we until Zhao says, "Don't bother."
He lifts the sack up, and I realize as I glance at the pond that the wriggling contents of the bag is one of the koi fish, the Moon Spirit.
Aang and I lower our stances, Aang exclaiming, "Zhao, don't!"
Zhao says, "It's my destiny to destroy the moon and the Water Tribe."
Aang says, "Destroying the moon won't hurt just the Water Tribe. It will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world."
I add, "Even the Fire Nation needs the moon. We need it's light to guide us in the dark, and without it, flooding will happen everywhere, and the Fire Islands will be uninhabitable. You'd be an idiot to destroy the moon, Zhao!"
Zuko's uncle reveals himself, saying, "They are right, Zhao."
Zhao turns to the newcomer, saying calmly, "General Iroh. Why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?"
Zuko's uncle, Iroh, says, "I'm not traitor, Zhao. The Fire Nation needs the moon, too; we all depend on the balance." His expression turns furious, and he exclaims, "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you ten-fold! Let it go, now!"
Zhao reluctantly releases the koi fish into the oasis. He hesitates as it start swimming again, but strikes the koi fish with a fire slice out of anger. Iroh recoils from the flames, and Aang looks up at the moon as it fades out, the world turning grey and dark. Zhao stands up, and Iroh begins fire bending at him. Zhao dodges and counters his fire bending while retreating toward his soldiers, but they are swiftly defeated as Zhao escapes. The Ocean Spirit circles the now dead Moon Spirit, and Aang and the others and I watch it in disbelief, moving toward the water. Iroh returns to us after chasing away Zhao's soldiers, sitting next to Yue as he gently picks up the dead koi fish.
Yue says, "There's no hope now. It's over."
Aang says in a voice that sounds like a mixture of all his previous incarnations, "No. It's not over."
He enters the pond, standing in the center in a meditative stance as the Ocean Spirit circles him, and both their eyes and Aang's tattoos light up. Aang descends into the water, the whole oasis starts glowing as blue lightning-like energy expands from the oasis island into the water. The energy moves to the edge of the oasis, rising up to form a giant amphibious-like creature, facing out toward the sea, with Aang in the center, controlling it. The creature leaves the oasis, moving toward the city outside to defend them.
Iroh turns to me, saying, "You are Roku's daughter, correct?" I nod with a skeptical expression as he continues, "You and my nephew have more alike than you may think."
I roll my eyes, and Katara says solemnly, "It's too late. It's dead."
Iroh turns to Yue, saying, "You have been touched by the Moon Spirit. Some of its life is in you."
Yue says, "Yes, you're right. It gave me life. Maybe I can give it back."
Sokka exclaims, "No! You don't have to do that."
He reached sto stop her, but she says, "It's my duty, Sokka."
He exclaims, "I won't let you!" He grabs her hand, saying, "Your father told me to protect you."
Yue says, "I have to do this."
Yue slipped her hand out of Sokka's, and she places her hands on the dead koi fish in Iroh's hands. The koi begins to glow, and Yue closes her eyes, falling.
Sokka catches her, exclaiming, "No!"
I check her pulse, but I get nothing, saying softly, "She's gone. I'm sorry, Sokka."
Yue's body fades and disappears as the koi begins to light up and glow. Iroh places the koi back into the oasis water, and the entire lake begins to light u until energy floats up into the air, forming an image of Yue.
She says, "Goodbye, Sokka." She moves close to him, adding, "I'll always be with you."
They kiss, and Sokka places his hand on her cheek as she disappears, leaving him reaching at nothing as the Moon reappears in the sky, bringing the color back. After the Fire Nation retreats for good this time, Iroh parts ways with us, and the four of us meet on a balcony with Pakku and Arnook.
Pakku says, "I've decided to go to the South Pole. Some other benders and healers want to join me. It's time we helped rebuild our sister tribe."
Katara asks, "What about Aang? He still needs to learn waterbending."
Pakku smiles, saying, "Well, then he better get used to calling you Master Katara."
I sit down on the balcony's ledge, dangling my feet between the bars of the railing, staring up at the moon.
I say to Arnook, "Yue is gone. I'm sorry, Chief Arnook. She gave her life to bring the moon back."
Arnook already seems to know as he says, "The spirits gave me a vision when Yue was born. I saw a beautiful, brave young woman become the Moon Spirit." He sighs, adding, "I knew this day would come."
Sokka says, "You must be proud."
Arnook weakly smiles, saying, "So proud..." His smile falls as looks up at the moon, saying, "And sad."
Pakku and Arnook move on after a while, leaving just Aang, Sokka, Katara, and I on the balcony. Sokka gives me a hand, helping me stand back up, and Katara gives Aang a hug.
Momo chitters and Katara says, "You too, Momo."
Aang says to the lemur, "Come here."
Momo leaps onto his shoulder as Sokka places a hand on Aang's other shoulder. The four of us look out to the ocean and the moon as Appa rises up in front of us. I guess we'll be moving onto the Earth Kingdom soon. Aang needs to find a new teacher.
Midnight_Beowolf on Chapter 8 Sat 16 Dec 2023 07:12PM UTC
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LuckyDuckWrites on Chapter 8 Sun 17 Dec 2023 01:04AM UTC
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Zorua_the_Adorable on Chapter 13 Tue 19 Mar 2024 03:23AM UTC
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EfectoAngel on Chapter 14 Wed 15 May 2024 01:33AM UTC
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Zorua_the_Adorable on Chapter 15 Thu 16 May 2024 07:00AM UTC
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