The air was crisp and biting that morning, but that didn't faze Zuko. As he practiced his fire bending his relentless determination kicked in and he fought with all his strength. His uncle, Iron was seated with some of the crew drinking tea and playing Pia Sho, like he normally did these days.
Suddenly, the ship came to a grinding halt, throwing all the passengers off balance. "Why have we stopped!" Zuko demanded. The navigator stepped out of the control room, "We've hit ice Prince Zuko we cannot go any further!"
Zuko looked over the edge of his ship and furrowed his brows, the water was glowing and beneath he could see the faint outlines of a human and an animal. "There's something down here!" he called.
Iroh and several sailors appeared at his side. "I have never seen anything like this." Iroh said. "Bring out the water benders!" Zuko ordered. Three water benders were brought to the deck in chains.
The parka's they wore hid the their faces from view as they kept them bowed not daring to look upon the face of the scared and banished prince. They were lined up and Zuko paced in front of them. "You are to bring to the surface a large section of ice beneath the ship, nothing else or there will be consequences." he said in a stern tone.
The two men and the girl nodded silently. Zuko nodded and their cuffs and chains were removed from the their hands and feet. They moved silently, as if ghosts to the right side of the ship and stood in a triangular formation. The girl stood at the peak, as she was the stronger bender.
It felt good to feel the chi running through her veins again. Hear the sound of the water and the salty cold smell. They weren't actually that far from her Southern home. She raised her arms in perfect timing with her two male companions and together they bent the water away from the ice bellow.
Zuko, Iroh and the other sailors watched with great interest as the water bender's moved. The water cleared and the ice bellow began to creak. Using all her strength she pushed and pulled the ice upwards. The sudden breaking of ice caused the fire nation men to step backwards.
A sphere of glowing ice rose into the air and everybody gasped. Inside was the silhouette of a person and a large animal. The glowing was coming from the blue arrows on the figures.
Even the water benders were in awe. "Bring it to the ship!" Zuko ordered. The three water benders lowered the ice to the metal deck, and Zuko ordered, "You, break it open." The girl raised her arms and pulled down with all her might. The ice was thick and strong and a large crack appeared down the middle.
She raised her arms and pulled down again forcing the crack deeper until the light flowed out and it cracked open by itself. The force threw everybody backwards. The girl's hood flew off letting her long dark hair spill out. Usually she is told to keep her face covered but she didn't care for her only concern was the boy falling out of the iceberg.
His head was clean shaven, his clothes orange and yellow and on his hands and head blue arrows.
The boy opened his grey eyes and looked around. His eyes found hers and he smiled at her. "Who are you?" Zuko demanded. The boy looked at Prince Zuko and floated into a standing position. "I am Aang, who are you?" he asked.
Everyone stared in amazement, that boy had just floated in the air. Airbender. The girl thought. Zuko puffed out his chest, annoyed that his identity was unknown to the boy, "I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation." He said proudly.
Aang's eyes widened a little. "Oh, pardon your majesty." he bowed. "Your a airbender." the girl found herself saying. The boy looked her and grinned, "Yep, watch this!" He jumped up crossing his legs and formed a sphere of air underneath him and began zooming around the ship.
He circled the girl twice before coming to a stand-still in front of her, "What's your name? Are you a water bender? What tribe are you from?" he bombarded her with questions. "Guards take the water benders back to their cells." Zuko commanded.
Aang watched in confusion as the girl's hood was pushed back up and her hands and feet clasped with cuffs and chains. The three water bender's were the escorted roughly down to the brig.
"What did you do that?" Aang turned to Zuko. "Because they are enemies and my prisoners." Zuko said. Aang walked walked over to Zuko, "Enemies, why are they enemies? how long have they being enemies? what did they do?" he demanded. Zuko glared down at the airbender.
Aang looked back at the iceberg, Appa was crawling out and roared. Aang ran over and scratched his head. "Hey buddy." Appa licked Aang and growled a greeting. Aang picked up his staff and leant heavily on as he scratched Appa's head.
"How long have you being frozen?" Iroh asked. Coming to stand beside his nephew. Aang bit his lip and turned to face Zuko and Iroh, "I dunno a couple of days?." Zuko raised an eyebrow, "Who is the firelord?" he asked. Aang looked at him confused, "Fire lord Sozin, why?" Zuko and Iroh couldn't keep the surprise from his face.
"You've being frozen for one hundred years." Aang felt his mouth go dry.
Iroh and Zuko watched as Aang showed the airbender tricks to sailors. "He could be the avatar." Zuko said. "It is possible, and if it is..." Zuko answered, "Then my search is over, we can return home and my honor will be restored." Iroh sighed, "Prince Zuko, keep in mind that he may not be the avatar."
"He has to be, how else did he get inside the ice?" Zuko demanded.
Aang left back to his chambers and fell back on his bed. A hundred years and he'd being asleep for all of it. Everyone he knew and loved would be dead. Gyatso...
Aang rolled onto his side and wiped his eyes. He left without no warning and now he'll never get the chance to explain why. Aang wiped more tears away, "I don't want to be the avatar." he whispered.
"So you are the Avatar!" Aang sat up at the sudden voice. Zuko stood in the doorway to his room. "I-I-I'm..." Aang hung his head. "Yes." Zuko smiled for the first time in years, "Excellent, the world has being awaiting you Avatar." Zuko left the chambers closing the door behind him and setting guards on the boy's door.
'No one will take this away from me.' Zuko promised.
The next thing Aang knew was that he and appa were being escorted to the Fire Nation palace. The Fire Nation itself was thriving but definitely a lot stricter than when he'd last being here.
People stopped and stared as he walked through. He also noticed them staring at Prince Zuko. "Why are they staring at me?" he asked Iroh. Iroh hesitated a moment before answering, "Because you are an air nomad and not many air nomads are seen from their temples these days." Aang found that as confusing, Air nomads never generally stayed at the temples full time.
Aang was escorted through the palace to meet with the current Fire Lord Ozai. Ozai sat on a throne surrounded by flames. Aang admitted to himself that he did feel fear looking up at the man.
Princess Azula were seated in the room as well as other generals. "Prince Zuko, you have returned." The Fire Lord said. Zuko bent the knee, "Yes Fire Lord Ozai, and I have recovered the Avatar." Small gasps were heard throughout the room.
"Have you now, bring forth the Avatar." Aang was escorted to the front of the room and forced to his knee, "Yes." he answered. Ozai chuckled, "A mere boy." The other's in the room quietly laughed along with him, everyone except Zuko and Iroh. Aang resisted the urge to throw wind in the Fire Lord's face.
"Tell us, Avatar, what is your story?" Ozai asked. "I don't know much of how I came to be in an iceberg in the South Pole. But I was in the South because I was told I was the Avatar shortly after I master Air bending I ran away and got caught in a storm. I then woke up on Prince Zuko's ship." he answered.
"How long were you in the iceberg?" Ozai asked. "A hundred years, Fire Lord." Aang answered. Everyone's eyes turned to saucers. Even Azula was surprised.
"Very well, escort the Avatar to... the third wing and prepare him some chambers. Prince Zuko and dear brother Iroh, I will speak with you in private."
Once the door shut Ozai asked, "How much does he know?" Iroh answered, "Nothing really of the war, only that the Water Tribe's are enemies." Ozai nodded, "Good, has he mastered any other the other elements?" Iroh shook his head, "Not that I am aware off." Ozai smiled, "Excellent, we have the most powerful being on the planet to morph in anyway we want." He said. "He will commence training earth and water bending at sixteen, until then we have five years to make him into a Fire bending puppet, Zuko you will be his friend and companion, he will learn to the ways of the Fire Nation and the war they way we see it."
Iroh and Zuko nodded. Iroh couldn't help but feel that this was wrong, as many things in the Fire Nation currently were.
Aang sat in the palace garden feeding bread crumbs to the turtle ducks. Yesturday he was sixteen and would begin his training of the other elements. Unfortunately he'd be learning them all at once, so as to save time, the Earth kingdom was becoming extremely dangerous as were the water tribes. He hadn't heard anything about the Air Nomads. But today he would start with water.
He longed to return to the temple and see his people, but it was his duty to end the war and bring peace and balance to the world.
'If the Earth and Water nations hadn't started this war I could return home.' He thought sadly.
"Avatar Aang, it is time to begin your training." Zuko said. standing in the arch of the hallway leading to the palace. He stood up excitedly and quickly threw the rest of the bread into the water. He couldn't wait to start bending water and earth. Fire had being fun at first and it's hand when cooking but he disliked the ferocity that it took to create. Well...in most fire benders. Iroh had taught him secretly when he was having trouble to draw his power from the sun, not his anger.
"I cannot wait to learn water bending and earth bending" He was just about to burst with excitement, the only water bender's he'd seen were the ones on the ship. Zuko smiled at him, he'd become quite fond of the younger boy over the years, but sometimes his optimism set his teeth on edge.
They stepped into the training ground. The fire bending equipment had been set aside and in their places pots of water sat. Large double gates were opened and a young water tribe girl was escorted through. Her hands and feet were chained and cuffed.
Her dark hair was braided behind her back and her blue robes were freshly washed, but rips and tears were evident. Aang watched, she had the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen and her skin was the colour was the most amazing shade of bronze.
She looked at him and realization struck him. It was the girl from the ship! She cast her eyes down as the Fire Lord stepped over to her. She nodded as he sternly instructed her. Suddenly she looked up towards the seats. A water tribe man was sitting surrounded by guards. The girl looked back at the Fire Lord and nodded.
The chains on her hands and feet were released and the guards took their positions around the training yard. "Good Luck Aang." Zuko patted his back and joined his father and sister in the stands.
The water tribe girl stood between two large pots of water. Aang grinned and hurried up to her, "Hi I'm Aang." The girl smiled weakly, "Katara, have you ever bent water before?" Aang shook his head, "All right I want you to take a stance like this." She positioned her feet firmly and bent her legs slightly.
Aang copied her movements, Katara eyed his feet. "Put your feet further apart." She ordered. Aang complied, "Good, now watch." Katara pulled water from the pots beside her and created a sphere in front of her, "Now I want your to try and pull the water from the pots." Aang nodded and began copying her movements. "Like this?" Katara watched Aang as he concentrated, successfully pulling water from the pots and forming a sphere in front of him.
Claps echoed above him. Katara unaware of herself doing it, rolled her eyes. "All right let's move on." By the end of the afternoon Aang could successfully fling water sphere's at the target's set up along the wall, control the water enough the create a hoop of it around himself and other easy movements that Katara had taught him.
"Look at this!" He laughed, he'd moved the water up his arms and was hopping around laughing. Katara smiled, "Very good."
Katara watched him, he'd grown a lot in five years, tall, muscled and handsome. He was also very good at picking up bending. "You are very good picking things up." she complimented and he blushed.
She smiled, "All right, the last thing I will teach you is the water whip." Aang looked intrigued. "I will show you and then you go." He nodded, Katara pulled a line of water from the pot and shifted her stance, she whipped the water out and struck a clay pot shattering it. Aang nodded slowly, "I see why it is called a water whip." Katara smiled, "Now you try." She said as she put the water back in the pot.
Aang tried three times before he finally got it, but it wasn't as powerful as Katara's. Still she congratulated him on archiving it. "That is the end of the lesson." Katara said and bowed. Aang bowed also, "Thank you, I will see you tomorrow for our next session."
Katara was cuffed and chained and escorted out of the training yard. Aang looked on with a sense of guilt. Could someone so kind and patient really be the killer they claim her to be?
The next morning Aang was squeezing in some fire bending practice with Zuko and Azula. Zuko was a tough opponent but Azula was ten times worse. Her fire was blue and she was quicker than Zuko.
Azula's flames licked the side of Aang's arm and he ground his teeth at the sting and burn but that didn't stop him fighting. It wasn't until he realized Zuko had stopped and was shouting at him. "Your on Fire!" Azula looked over and shrugged. A bucket of water was thrown on him and the flames went out.
It also cooled the burned flesh. "That could have being worse." Aang said inspecting the burn. Zuko glanced angrily at Azula who chuckled. Azula was very much like her father, cruel and unforgiving.
Aang couldn't hide his excitement when Katara was escorted out. Once again the other water tribe man was there surrounded by guards. Katara looked at Aang's face then narrowed her eyes at his bandaged arm.
"Have you being harmed?" She asked. Aang looked down at his arm, "Oh, yes I caught fire whilst training." Katara's eyes widened and a fear spread across her face. "Would you like me to heal it for you?" she asked. Surprise crossed the airbender's face, "Can you do that?" he asked. Katara nodded and drew water onto her hand from the air.
"Wow, how did you do that?" he asked. Katara stepped forward, "please remove the bandages." Aang did so quickly and pulled up his sleeve. Katara was thankful that the royal family hadn't come to watch today.
Aang watched as she placed her hand on the burn and the water began to glow. He could feel the water taking away the burn. "So how come your people started the war?" Aang asked suddenly. Katara's eyes widened and she looked at Aang, "My people?" she stated. Aang nodded, Katara laughed harshly, "It was not my people avatar it was the Fire Nation, I'm surprised you can stomach their company knowing they're the ones that killed you race." Aang's mouth fell open.
Katara stepped back. "What did you just say?" he asked. Katara looked at him with angry eyes, "Your eat with them, train with them." she gestured to his arm, "How can you when they have destroyed just about every other nation in the world." Aang stood up bringing his sleeve down. "No, about...my people." Katara's expression softened, "You didn't know." Aang looked at her sadness filling his grey eyes.
Katara's hand went to her mouth and then she looked up at her brother, "Can we please pretend to be having a lesson? My brother will be killed if I do not teach you." Aang looked up at the young man sitting surrounded by guards.
Aang drew water from the pots and followed Katara's movements of send the water back and forth to one an another. "It was twelve years after the death of avatar Roku, Fire Lord Sozin had the entire race of air bender's killed so that you wouldn't survive, they then went for the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom." she said. Aang was trying to hold himself together. "So...I am the last airbender." he stated. "Yes." Aang looked her and bit his lip.
"So for five years, I have being living with decendants of the man who destroyed my people." he said. Katara saw his tattoos begin to glow and dropped the water. "Aang your..." The Avatar rose into the ground, the wind began whipping around him Katara stumbled backwards from the force. Aang looked at Katara and took a deep breath, he'd learnt to control his outbursts.
Katara was breathing heavily looking up at him in fear. "What...was that?" she asked. Aang didn't have time to reply, guards came and grabbed her arms. "No!" Aang bellowed. The guards paused, "It was my fault I became frustrated I am fine now." he said. The guards dropped Katara and she stood stealing glances at her brother.
Aang helped her too her feet. "I think it is time we left the Fire Nation."
Aang sat at the table with Zuko, Azula and Iroh. Usually he was quite chatty, but tonight he could hardly bare the sight of them.
"Are you not hungry tonight Aang?" Azula asked. Aang shook his head and dropped his fork into his salad. He'd at least stuck to being a vegetarian. Iroh glanced at Aang and knew instantly. "Aang may I have a word?"
Aang followed Iroh out of the dining room and onto the patio that over looked the fire nation. "You'll find the prison behind the palace in the hills." he said simply. Aang looked at him surprised. Iroh chuckled, "I knew you'd find out sooner or later. What the Fire Nation did to your people was unforgivable." Aang felt his anger build inside of him. "But please...do not forget that their are good people in the Fire Nation. Zuko can be one of them, once you are gone, a nation wide search will begin. You'll be hunted until you can defeat Ozai." he said.
Iroh placed a round Pai Sho tile in Aang's hand. "It is more than just a game."
Katara hung in her cell, her arms chained so they hung just above her head. Her feet were chained to the floor and the dry air was pumped continuously into the prison. Only herself and two other water bender's remained, but their cells were far away so they couldn't communicate.
She knew of Toph Bei Fong, the blind Earth bender, brought here from Gaoling to teach Aang earth bending, she'd heard her screaming out and punching the wooden box word had gotten out about her metal bending.
Katara sighed, her arms ached an her throat was dry, her hollow stomach had become a normal feeling now. "Who's there?" Toph's voice rang out. "Shh..." someone whispered. Katara looked around helpless but couldn't see anything. "I can see with my feet I'm not helpless." Toph said.
"Come on." the voice whispered. "Where are we going to doors that way?" the other one answered, "We have other's to rescue as well." Aang stopped in front of Katara's cage and his face showed one of horror.
"Aang." She breathed. "Step back." Toph got into an earth bending stance and suddenly all the metal bars stretched apart. Aang jumped into the cage as her chains broke, Aang caught her. Katara smiled, "Thank you." She stood and followed Aang out of the cage.
"The other water benders." She said. Toph released them, "There is another two cells with people." Toph said and Aang and Katara hurried after her. Katara ran straight to the cage that held her brother.
"Katara." he said. "Sokka," she whispered. A young girl was in the one beside wearing a green dressed and smudged face paint. Toph released them and they followed Aang out. Katara noticed the guards lying on the floor as they ran.
For the first time in years, Katara stepped out of the prison without chains. She grinned as tears rushed. "Are you all right?" Aang asked. Katara nodded, "I couldn't be better." Aang led them up a dirt road leading behind a pile of rocks to where Appa waited.
"Hey buddy." Aang greeted. "Stand still." The four of them stood and all gasped as they were lifted into the air and placed in the saddle.
Aang leapt up and snapped the reins, "Yip, Yip." They flew swiftly into the air. Katara leant over the edge of the saddle and watched as they passed over the city. "Is everyone alright?" Aang called back.
"I don't like not being able to see." Toph called. "This is amazing!" Sokka called. "Yes." Katara and the girl with the face paint answered. The rest of the trip was rather quiet and as morning broke Katara could see the Earth Kingdom appearing over the horizon. Relief flooded her stomach as she drank in the sight.
Aang didn't know what to do. He had a saddle full of passengers and only one of them he'd ever spoken too. "I found your belongings in the prison, at least I assume they are yours..." Aang called back.
Sokka crept forward and gasped picking up his boomerang bag. He unhooked it and withdrew his blew boomerang. "Boomerang." he whispered. The face paint girl crawled forward and took two gold metal fans and a green bag.
Toph didn't move. Katara crawled over and tears filled her eyes, her mother's necklace lay beside her waterskin. "Sokka." She held up the necklace and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Here." Sokka tied the necklace back into place around her neck.
The only things left were the four water tribe parka's left. Katara and Sokka took theirs and huddled together talking quietly. Toph acted calm, but gripped the saddle with all her might. The face paint girl sat quietly looking into the distance, whilst the other two waterbender's talked quietly.
They flew over the Earth Kingdom. "I'm going to land." Aang called out. Aang brought them down in a forest. Aang bended the group onto the ground. At first they stood around awkwardly, until Katara broke the silence.
"Why don't we introduce ourselves?" They all nodded and sat in a circle, Sokka sitting close to katara. "I'll go first," Aang said. He cleared his throat, "My name is Aang, I'm the last airbender and the avatar."
Surprised crossed the features of many of the faces, excluding Katara and Sokka. "My name is Suki, I'm from Kyoshi Island and I'm the leader of the kyoshi warriors." she said. Sokka spoke next, "I am Sokka son of chief Hakoda of the Sourthen Water tribe." Everyone looked at Katara, "I am Katara daughter of chief Hakoda of the Southern Water tribe."
"My name is Arrluk son of Cikuq of the Northern Water Tribe, this is my brother Suluk, he is mute." Toph was the last to speak, "I am Toph Beifong from Gaoling in the Earth Kingdom."
"Okay, let's decide, where do we do now?" Toph asked. Aang sighed, "The Fire Nation will be after me, they're going to try to kill me." he put it out in the open, "If anyone wants to go home I'll happily take you there." Arrluk answered, "My brother and I would like to return to the Northern Water Tribe." he said.
"Good, so we have a destination, I suggest we rest here today, get some food from the nearby village and stock on other supplies."