Odette:

Pain.

That's all I felt. Even though I was awaking, slowly, I couldn't move a muscle. I kept my eyes closed and just laid still, praying that the pain would go away. It never did.

I cracked open my eyes and even that movement hurt, sending pain radiating out over my face, I felt like I had been punched in the face, crushed by a rock, and drowned in the ocean.

I sat up and groaned and noticed dimly that bandages covered my arms and abdomen.

I stared at the floor, my vision blurry and my head swaying as I sat on the bed.

I clutched my stomach where I felt the most intense pain.

"What happened?"

I looked to the side and I realized that I was inside a room on a Fire Nation ship. My head snapped over to a banner on the wall as I felt my heart kick into overdrive. I turned around and saw the large tapestry with the Fire Nation insignia hanging on the wall behind me.

"Oh no!" I gasped.

Ren must have caught me after I'd fallen unconscious. We were probably on our way to eh Fire Nation right about now. What had happened to Alana and Elise, Kole and Fang and Fanindra? The Earth King!

Panicking, I scrambled off the bed and dashed to the room's door. The metal latch squeaked as I opened it and I winced slightly as I peered outside.

I slowly hobbled down it the dimly lit hallway, teetering from side to side while using my staff and the wall for support as pain flashed through me. I came to a corner and looked around it to see two Fire Nation soldiers, one very tall and carrying a club, and the other very tiny.

"You hear something?" the tall one said.

I gasped and put my back to the wall before turning the corner and swinging my staff and bending a strong gust of wind at the soldiers. The soldiers shielded ourselves from the attack and I ran down the corridor.

"She's awake!" the tall one yelled.

I desperately tried to get away from the soldiers, still using my staff for support as my breathing came in ragged, choppy gasped. The soldiers rounded the corner and followed after me closely.

"Stop, wait!" the soldier called after me.

Yeah right.

I tried to escape frantically and I shot a look back at the soldiers. I came to a small flight of stairs leading to the deck and climbed up hurriedly. I tried to jump off the steps and onto the deck but instead fell down, my strength evading me.

I lost my grip on my staff and it slid across the deck. The dark sky indicated that it was night. I looked up in terror as my only weapon slid and came to a stop in front of Kodah, Cato, and Fang. Kodah and Cato were dressed as Fire Nation soldiers and Fang was having his chin scratched by Kodah. They looked down at the staff and I stared up at them with a surprised look on my face.

"Fang?" I gasped, breathing hard as pain ripped through my sides. My heart felt like it was ready to burst from my chest from the fear.

Fang, Kodah, and Cato all turned and looked at me in surprise. Fang barked happily and leaped towards me. Wincing, I picked myself off the floor as Fang jumped up to me and licked my arm and hand, wagging his tail a mile a minute.

"Twinkle-Toes, that's got to be you," I heard Elise say.

I turned and saw Kole and her running towards me excitedly. I shook my spinning head and saw that Kole, Elise, Kodah, Cato, and a shorter Fire Nation soldier were all wearing firebender armor. Elise, Kole, and the tiny Fire Nation soldier, who was actually The Duke, walked over while the tall Fire Nation soldier, who was actually Pipsqueak, ran.

"Odette, you're awake!" Kole said, beaming with happiness and relief.

"Are you sure?" I mumbled and rubbed my eyes. "I feel like I'm dreaming."

I was caught off guard when Kole ran up and embraced me tightly, folding me against his chest securely.

"You're not dreaming. You're finally awake," he said, sounding like he could pass out from relief. He let go and another person dressed as a Fire Nation soldier walked up to me and gave me a quick hug.

"Odette, good to see you back with the living, buddy," Alana said.

I blinked confused, my head spinning again. "Alana?"

I looked around, very exhausted and confused. My stomach became very queasy and the world started to spin around me as I started to faint.

Elise jumped forward. "Uh-oh! Somebody catch her, she's gonna…"

Kole ran to catch me but missed and I fell. The last thing I heard was the sound of my limp body hitting the wooden deck.

A few minutes - or hours - later, I found myself looking up towards the night sky.

"Ughh," I groaned, holding my throbbing head.

All of my friends were gathered around me, looking down in concern. Fanindra's head poked into view and she growled softly.

This day, or night or whatever time it was, was not going well.

Ren:

Love is like war… Easy to start, difficult to finish, and impossible to forget.

I was on a royal Fire Nation ship as it rushed through the sea past a mountain. It had been almost four weeks since we'd left Eralith, a few days after we'd conquered it. Throughout my time in the city, my hair had grown out into a shaggy hairstyle. Instead of cutting it, I left it alone, and it was now still the same only a little longer, just reaching the bottom of my jaw.

I stood at the edge of the deck, looking out grimly over the ocean. The moon shone brightly through the clouds.

I had made a terrible mistake. Odette was gone and it was because I had been too stupid and scared to stand up to my father and Athera. I could have still gotten my throne back if I had chosen Uncle. And instead of regaining my honor, I was pretty sure I had lost it.

I heard who could only be Naveen walked over to me.

Oh great, the big blah. Ever since we had gotten on the return ship home three weeks ago, she had been really clingy to me, walked around, acting like we were suddenly a couple. I had not even the slightest interest in her, but with Odette gone, she was a good shoulder to lean on to cushion the blow of losing her, even thought I'd never really had her.

As Naveen approached I internally winced. I wished she would have just left me alone, but oh well, she could take my mind off Odette, at least for a while…even if she did practically bore me to death.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked in her usual dull voice that made me want to jump headfirst overboard.

"I've got a lot on my mind. It's been so long. Over three years since I was home. I wonder what's changed. I wonder how I've changed," I said honestly.

Naveen sighed. "I just asked if you were cold. I didn't ask for your whole life story."

She smiled and wrapped her slender arms around me. "Stop worrying."

Naveen pulled my face closer, sharing a kiss with me. I kissed her back, just to keep up pretenses as Odette's face flashed behind my closed eyes.

Naveen let go of me and walked off, back to her cabin. She could tell when I wasn't in the mood for her company.

I closed my eyes and stared out over dark waters.

Odette:

"Why are we on a Fire Nation ship? Why is everyone dressed this way? And why am I the only one out of it?" I asked, looking around at everyone.

Kole and I sat on the deck in front of Fanindra as I was given a red robe by someone is disguise.

Kole looked at me worriedly. "You need to take it easy, okay? You got hurt pretty bad. I like your hair."

He glanced up and smiled in amusement.

Shocked, I reached up and felt my scalp. From what I could tell it was sticking up everywhere like a gigantic tumbleweed. "Well that's going to be fun to comb out. How long was I out?

Kole shrugged. "A few weeks."

Kodah over just then and I blinked up, laying my eyes for the first time on Alana and Kole's father. He was tall and lean, well fit for a middle aged man. His eyes were exactly like theirs, the same startling blue color and his hair was just as dark. His skin was tanned and hardened and his face was strong but warm and welcoming at the same time.

Kodah looked down, smiling at me as he rested a hand on his son's shoulders. "Everything ok?"

Kole looked away bitterly. "We're fine, Dad."

Kodah offered me his hand. "I'm Kodah, Kole and Alana's father."

"She knows who you are. I just called you "Dad", didn't I?" Kole snapped, annoyed.

Kodah's face fell sadly. "I guess you're right."

"Nice to officially meet you, Chief Kodah," I said with a smile and offered my hand.

Kodah grabbed my arm in greeting. "It's an honor to meet you."

Kole looked back, still annoyed. "Great, great. Now you guys have finally met, so would you mind giving us a little privacy?"

Kodah sighed and walked off. "Of course."

I watched him go as he knelt down and petted Fang before turning back to his son.

"Are you mad at your dad or something?" I asked.

"What? Not at all, why would you say that?" he asked, confused.

"Mmm-emmm," I said and shrugged, but almost immediately groaned and held my side in pain.

Kole touched my knee worriedly. "Maybe we should go upstairs. You need a healing session."

Kole helped me to my feet and we hobbled away slowly.

Back in my room, Kole worked on my back and focused on the scar left by Athera's lightning. I sat cross legged on a short platform. Kole was standing behind me and bended the water out of two bowls on either side of me and placed the water onto my wound.

"Tell me where your pain feels most intense," he said. My eyes were squeezed shut and I gave a soft grunt of pain as the water touched me.

It was going to get a lot worse. "A little higher."

he moved higher and I went stiff, my vision flashing white as I remembered what had happened to me. Athera shooting me…Ren watching…

"Wow, you are definitely in the right area there," I winced.

"I can feel a lot of energy twisted up around there. Let me just see if I can…"

Kole pulled the healing water up and away from my scar. I arched my back painfully and the world flashed before cutting to a flashback of me being hit by lightning in the Avatar state then Kole holding my body on Fanindra. The flashback faded and I returned to the real world, recovering from the shock.

"I went down! I didn't just get hurt, did I? It was worse than that. I was gone. But you brought me back," I gasped, shocked.

He had actually done it…Ren had actually let Athera kill me. I had been so incredibly stupid…I had fallen in love with someone who I'd thought I could fix and obviously he wasn't going to change for anyone. I felt tears come to my eyes as I realized he would rather have me dead that be in the same room with me. What I had thought had been a connection back in the prison had been a trick…and I'd fallen for it. I didn't care so much that he hadn't done anything to stop her…it was the other part that was making me feel like I'd just been kicked in the gut.

What he did to me hurt, but realizing that he didn't love me killed me inside and broke my heart into a thousand pieces.

I shook my head as Kole spoke. "I just used the spirit water from the North Pole. I don't know what I did, exactly."

I smiled at him slightly, truly grateful that he had been there. "You saved me."

Kole placed a hand on my cheek. "You need to rest."

Ren:

At the Fire Nation capital city, Ella and Ava - Athera's advisors - were seated on top of a very high balcony at the royal plaza facing a large crowd of Fire Nation citizens. Behind them was a large archway filled with flames.

"Your Princess Athera, clever and beautiful, disguised herself as the enemy and entered the Earth Kingdom's capital. In Eralith she found her brother, Ren, and together, they faced the Avatar. And the Avatar fell, and the Earth Kingdom fell," the two old geezers said in unison.

…I flashed back to when the Dai Li stood at the top of Eralith's outer wall….

As I remembered, Ava and Ella continued to speak. "Athera's agents quickly overtook the entire city. They went to Eralith's Great Walls, and brought them down!"

…In my mind, I watched as the Dai Li jumped off and began sliding down the side of the wall, using earthbending to weaken it. The Dai Li agents landed on the ground and sprang forward, slamming their gloved fists into the wall and causing a large section of it to collapse…

"The armies of the Fire Nation surged through the wall and swarmed over Eralith, securing our victory."

…Fire Nation soldiers marched past the tea shop in the outer ring. A man peeked through the doorway and chewed his fingernails in fear. Soldiers rode komodo rhinos through the streets. Tanks drove up to the Earth King's palace…

I shook my head and tried to pay more attention to the ceremony.

"Now the heroes have returned home. Your princess, Athera!" the twins cried out.

Athera walked towards the edge of the balcony and the crowd cheered for her wildly.

"And after three long years, your prince has returned. Ren!"

Okay…here we go.

I walked out onto the balcony and faced the crowd. The Fire Nation citizens cheered for me even louder than they had for Athera. I had always been the favored one, mostly because I was next in line and not Athera.

Sullenly, I gazed out over the crowd.

Odette:

The Fire Nation ship glided through the water. Alana was sitting on top of a crate on the deck, surrounded by the rest of her friends and family. We were all eating bowls of noodles and bringing me up-to-date on everything that had happened.

"After what happened in Eralith, we had to get you to safety," Alana said. "We flew back to Chameleon Bay, where we found my father and the other Water Tribe men. The Earth King decided he wanted to travel the world in disguise, so he set off alone."

She paused and then smiled slightly. "Well, not completely alone. Soon, the bay was overrun with Fire Nation ships. Rather than fight them all, we captured a single ship and made it our disguise. Since then, we've been traveling west. We crossed through The Serpent's Pass a few days ago. We've seen a few Fire Nation ships, but none have bothered us."

I nodded and ran a hand through my now brushed hair. "So, what now?"

Kodah spoke up. "We've been working on a modified version of the invasion plan."

Kole rolled his eyes, annoyed. "It's Alana's invasion plan."

"Yes, Alana's plan. We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth King's armies, but the solar eclipse will still leave the Fire Nation vulnerable," Kodah said, ignoring Kole's rudeness.

Alana smiled proudly. "So we're planning a smaller invasion. Just a ragtag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom. We already ran into Pipsqueak and The Duke.

Pipsqueak grinned with The Duke seated on his shoulders.

"Good to see you again, Odette," Pipsqueak said.

"And the best part is, the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage," Alana said, leaning towards me and whispering. "We have a secret…You!"

I started. "Me?"

"Yep, the whole world thinks you're dead!" she said and stood up and raised her arms triumphantly. "Isn't that great?!"

Shock was plastered on my face as I stared at her, dumbfounded. I didn't move for a few moments, too stunned to say or do anything.

Then I started shaking. Getting up, I walked a few paces away and looked over the side of the ship.

"The world thinks I'm dead? How is that good news? That's terrible!" I said finally.

Alana shook her head and came up beside me. "No, it's great. It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore. And even better, they won't expect you on The Day of Black Sun."

Had she lost her mind! "No, no, no, no, no. You have no idea. This is so messed up!"

People were going to lose hope. Instead of fighting back like they had been, they would just give up, and the Fire Nation roll right over them

The horn of another ship suddenly blared and Alana and I looked over. Another Fire Nation ship approached up ahead.

I looked at it in determination. "I'll handle this. The Avatar is back!"

I grabbed my glider staff and slammed it on the floor, opening its wings. Though I tried to hide it, the movement caused me to flinch in pain and I clutched my side. Bearing through it, I grabbed the glider's wings and prepared to take off.

Kole stopped me. "Odette, wait. Remember, they don't know we're not Fire Nation."

Sweating heavily with pain and rage, I reluctantly folded my glider up.

"Everyone just stay calm. Cato and I will take care of this," Kodah said.

Cato and Kodah donned their Fire Nation helmets. Pipsqueak lifted up The Duke, who was wrapped in a large piece of tarp. He threw The Duke over Fanindra, who was sitting in a cargo pit, letting the tarp unravel and cover the dragon. Fang jumped into the pit with Fanindra. Elise and I crouched inside the stairway leading below the deck. Kole and Alana joined us.

"I hate not being able to do anything," I whispered.

If I could do something I'd go find Ren and wring his lying -

Elise patted my shoulder lightly. "Hopefully, you won't need to."

The ships stopped parallel to each other. A bridge lowered across the gap between the two. A Fire Nation officer crossed the ship, two more Fire Nation soldiers following closely behind. As he walked up to Cato and Kodah, they glanced at each other uneasily. As the officer setting foot on the ship, Kodah bowed to him.

"Commander, why are you off course? All Western Fleet ships are supposed to be moving toward Eralith to support the occupation," the officer said.

"Actually, we're from the Eastern Fleet. We have orders to deliver some cargo," Kodah said smoothly.

The Fire Nation Officer narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Ah, Eastern Fleet. Well, nice of Admiral Trey to let us know he was sending one of his ships our way."

Cato smiled. "I am sure Admiral Trey meant no disrespect, sir."

"I mean, how hard is it to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?" the officer said.

Kodah shrugged. "Next time, we'll send two hawks to be sure you get the message."

Kodah and the officer bowed to each other before Cato and Kodah walked off.

The officer and the soldiers began to walk back across the bridge. Elise tilted the side of her head toward them, listening to the officer and then looking shocked when she heard something that apparently did not settle well with her. Elise climbed out of the stairway and pointed at the officer.

"They know!" she shouted.

Elise thrust her hand towards the floor, grabbing the metal and twisting it.

Whoa, when did she learn to do that!

Elise bended a fissure in the metal leading all the way up to the bridge. The bridge buckled, and the officer and the soldiers lost their balance just as the bridge fell out from underneath them. The soldiers and officer, yelling in fear, fell into the water below.

Kole jumped into action and bended a small mountain of water up between the ships. He turned in a circle and thrust his arms forward. The water slammed into the side of the other ship, knocking it back several yards as the water washed onto the enemy ship's deck. Our stolen Fire Nation ship began to make its escape. At the water's level, a rope ladder was tossed over the side of the Fire Nation ship to the officer and the soldiers floating in the sea, which the officer grabbed and began to climb.

Ren:

I sat at the edge of the turtle duck pond at the Fire Nation capital, the same spot where I had sat with my mother so many years ago. I tore a bread bun in half before throwing it into the pond. A mother turtle duck and its ducklings swam up to the floating bread and fed on it. Athera's shadow passed over the turtle ducks, scaring them off. She stood in front of me with the turtle ducks swimming off and quacking in fright.

I would have too.

She cocked her head to the side, hands on her slender hips as she stared at me through calculating golden-brown eyes. "You seem so downcast. Has Naveen gotten to you already? Though actually, Naveen has been in a strangely good mood lately."

"I haven't seen Dad yet. I haven't seen him in three years, since I was banished," I said.

He didn't want to see me. I know it was a lie when they said he would be proud…I had always been a disgrace to him, why should my homecoming change anything?

Athera frowned. "So what?"

"So, I didn't capture the Avatar."

Athera gestured. "Who cares? The Avatar's dead. Unless you think she somehow miraculously survived."

I looked down and away from Athera.

I thought back to Odette, holding the spirit oasis water during our time in the crystal catacombs.

…'This is water from the Spirit Oasis, at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important…'

I winced, my chest hurting as I realized my mistake. "No. There's no way she could've survived."

Athera stared me down and I matched her with a glare.

After a moment, she smiled a creepy smile and shrugged. "Well, then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

Athera left me alone and walked off. As soon as she was gone I stood in despair.

Odette wasn't dead. She was very much alive…I could feel it in the pit of my stomach. Kole must have used the water and brought her back. I had been such a fool.

I was glad she was alive…but now I was in trouble. My father and Athera would come after me for this…and there would be no banishment. There would be no escaping this time. I had to stop that from happening before it was too late.

Odette may have survived Athera…but she would fall before me.

Kole:

I watched as a firebender ignited an oil covered rock loaded onto a trebuchet. The trebuchet was fired and the flaming ammo was flung into the air towards our stolen Fire Nation ship. The ignited boulder hit the water, just missing the stolen ship. The Fire Nation ship fired again and the flaming boulder hit the hull. Everyone on the ship tried to regain their balance as it tipped. Elise entered an earthbending stance as The Duke stood behind her.

"Load the Elise!" she cried.

Pipsqueak heaved a big stone disc over his head. He set the disc in front of Elise and she took two steps forward, slamming her left foot into the floor and popping the disc into the air in front of her. She turned and shoved the stone disc with her palms, shooting it at the enemy ship. The stone disc flew across the water towards the Fire Nation ship and hit the trebuchet, demolishing it.

Another trebuchet was fired and Elise launched another disc. Between the two ships, the flaming boulder and the stone disc collided in the air and exploded.

Odette and Alana were hiding inside the hall leading to the bridge, both on either side of the doorway leading out to the deck. Outside, a fireball hit the water and caused a big splash. Odette attempted to run out and help in the battle, but Alana grabbed her shoulders and shook her head, stopping Odette. Odette went back to her hiding spot and knocked her head against her staff in frustration. I turned back to a ballista on the enemy Fire Nation ship pointing downwards and firing. The chained, metal projectile shot into the water and punctured the hull of the stolen ship. The inside of the hull was pierced by the projectile, causing a huge leak.

Water began to rush in. The chain connected to the projectile was pulled taught and then pulled out, expanding the breach and flooding the hull even more. At the edge of the deck, I looked down at the breach. I waved my arms upwards and pushed my palms down and exhaled freezing mist towards the hole in the hull. The mist descended down the ship toward the breach. The hole froze over, preventing any further damage.

"I'm gonna give us some cover!" I yelled.

I pressed my arms down, pushing down the water between the two ships. A cloud of mist formed and rose up from the surface of the water. I lifted my arms up and bended a huge cloud of mist into the air and pushed my arms out, making the mist float behind our stolen ship, clouding the view. The mist engulfed both our ships. Elise, The Duke, Cato and Kodah on deck all ran when a fireball pierced through the mist.

Pipsqueak was standing by a load of stone discs. He dropped the disc he was holding and ran away just before the fireball smashed into the pile of discs. I looked back worriedly at Odette and Alana who were still hiding. They were both shaken by the last attack as the debris and smoke flew past the doorway.

"I can't just stand by and do nothing!" Odette rushed outside.

"Odette! No!" Alana shouted and grabbed Odette's staff.

Odette glared at her furiously but she insisted. "You're still hurt, and you have to stay secret. Just let us handle this."

"Fine!" Odette angrily snatched her staff away from Alana and stormed off. There was another explosion and Alana was caught in a wave of smoke. The ships exited the mist cloud and another fireball was fired from the enemy ship and it hit the back end of our stolen ship's deck. I shielded myself from the attack and bended water up from below and threw it at the fire, extinguishing it.

"How we doing?" Elise asked.

Alana shrugged. "Things couldn't get much worse."

Suddenly, the giant serpent from The Serpent's Pass burst from the water behind Alana. As the serpent towered over the ship and screeched, Alana, Elise, and The Duke all looked up in horror.

Alana gaped in disbelief. "The Universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?"

Elise punched her shoulder. "You make it so easy!"

The serpent towered over the ship and was about the strike when a fireball from the enemy ship struck it in the head. The serpent, showing a charred mark where the fireball hit, spun furiously. The serpent dove into the water and swam under the stolen ship and then under the enemy Fire Nation ship. It emerged and wrapped its body around the vessel. Alana and Pipsqueak ran up to the edge of the deck. Alana was shocked to see the serpent attacking the other ship. Alana, Pipsqueak, and I slowly moved away from the sight of the beast attacking the Fire Nation ship.

Alana sighed as we sped away. "Thank you, The Universe!"

Odette:

While we docked at a pier, I sat alone in my room. Water dripped from a grating in the ceiling of my room, the dripping noise driving me insane. I lied on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. I looked over at my door as Elise, Kole, and Alana entered the room.

"Hey, Odette, we're going into town to find some dinner," she said.

I looked down at my flat stomach and clutched it as it growled loudly.

"Well, I am pretty hungry. Maybe dinner's a good idea," I said.

Alana pulled out a red headband and handed it to me. "Here, tie this around your head. It'll cover your arrow."

I glared at her stubbornly. "I'm not going out if I can't wear my arrow proudly."

Alana groaned. "Odette, be practical."

Kole frowned slightly, concerned. "You guys go ahead without us. We'll catch up with you."

Oh great it was time for another one of his "lectures".

Alana and Elise left the room as I laid back on my bed and tapped my finger.

"I think I understand why being a secret bothers you so much," Kole said and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You don't want people to think you failed."

I closed my eyes sadly. "You're right, I don't. But the problem is, I did fail."

"Odette, that's not true."

I sat up sharply, surprising him. "It is true. I was in Eralith. I was there, but I lost. And now, the Earth Kingdom has fallen for good."

Kole smiled at me gently. "Remember, there's still an invasion plan."

"And I hate the invasion plan, too! I don't want you or anyone else risking your lives to fix my mistakes," I hissed angrily and grabbed the tapestry above my bed and ripped it off its hanger, throwing it to the floor and knocking over my staff. "I've always known that I would have to face the Fire Lord, but now, I know I need to do it alone."

"Odette."

"Kole, please. Just go, please."

Kole tilted his head down sadly and made his way to the door. "Is there anything you need?"

I refused to look at him.

"I need to redeem myself. I need my honor back."

Oh dear god, now I sounded like Ren.

Ren:

I was walked down a large hallway inside the Fire Nation palace, staring at my feet worriedly. I stopped when I reached the end of the hallway, standing in front of an archway covered by a red curtain with a gold symbol of the Fire Nation on it.

I took a deep, shaky breath, braced myself and walked forward, parting the curtain, revealing the Fire Lord's throne room. The throne room was filled with dark, ornate pillars. Fire Lord Mordred sat on his throne upon the dais, separated from the rest of the throne room by a trench of fire. I stepped in and stared up at my father, shrouded in shadow.

Kole:

I walked down the hallway outside Odette's room, hoping to cheer her up. She was so sad and depressed and I knew part of it was because we were keeping her locked up, but there was just no other alternative.

I knocked and then entered, carrying a tray of food loaded with all her favorite foods that I could find.

"I brought you some food," I said.

I looked left and right, finding no sight of Odette.

"Oh no!"

The tray fell to the ground and the food spilled onto the floor as I ran out of the room, my heart pounding in terror.

Ren:

I fell to my knees and bowed before my father respectfully, terrified.

"You have been away for a long time. I see the weight of your travels has changed you. You have redeemed yourself my son," he said and stood up and walked forward.

I looked up into my father's face, timid.

"Welcome home."

Odette:

Struggling fiercely against the wind and cloudy skies, I flew over open water. Wincing from my wounds, I struggled to keep steady, my arms shaking from the effort it took.

I knew Kole was going to be furious with me…but I had to do this. I could do it. I had failed the world once, and I was not going to let it happen again.

Suddenly, I lost altitude and almost hit the water before regaining control.

Kole:

I ran as fast as I could towards the top of the bridge tower of the stolen Fire Nation ship where Cato and my father were. I ran up to them, tears in my eyes as I stared at my father desperately.

Cato looked at me then my father, then back to me. "I'll leave you two alone."

Cato walked off I walked up to my dad.

"What's wrong Kole?" he asked, worried.

"She left," I gasped, feeling my heart wrench as I said the words.

"What?"

I shook my head, frustrated. "Odette. She just took her glider and disappeared. She has this ridiculous notion that she has to save the world alone. That it's all her responsibility."

Dad looked at me softly. "Maybe that's her way of being brave."

"It's not brave. It's selfish and stupid. We could be helping her. And I know the world needs her, but doesn't she know how much that we need her too? How could she just leave us behind?" I ranted.

There was a brief moment of silence as Kodah lets my words sink in.

"You're talking about me too, aren't you?" he asked quietly.

Yes, I was.

"How could you leave us, Dad? I mean, I know we had Gran Gran, and she loved us, but...but we were just so lost without you," I said, angry.

I turned away and cried for the first time I had since…I couldn't even remember. Dad put a hand on my shoulder.

"I am so sorry, Kole," he said.

I hugged my dad, something I needed desperately, and continued to cry into his familiar, warm chest. He returned the embrace.

"I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I was so sad and angry, and hurt," I said, my voice cracking.

"I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day I was gone, and every night when I went to sleep. I would lay awake missing you so much, it would ache," he said and that only made me feel worse about myself.

Ren:

In the Fire Lord's throne room, I kneeled on the floor as my father paced to the left.

"I am proud of you, Prince Farren. I am proud because your sister conquered Eralith. I am proud because, when your loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing, and captured the traitor. And I am proudest of all of your most legendary accomplishment. You slayed the Avatar."

I raised my eyebrow in surprise and fear but it hit from him well.

"What did you hear?" I asked, genially curious.

"Athera told me everything. She said she was amazed and impressed with your power and ferocity at the moment of truth," he said.

Why that little-

Even though weren't kids anymore she still managed to mess with me and get under my skin. Being back at home was a lot like time had been rewound. All that was missing was my beloved mother who would swoop in to save me from my nasty little sister.

Odette:

I glided barely a foot over the ocean, growing weaker and weaker by the second. The wing of my glider dipped into the water as I tried to keep control. I steadied myself and looked ahead to see a blockade of Fire Nation ships.

"Blockade," I groaned.

Bracing myself, I took a huge breath and collapsed my glider and dove into the water. I torpedoed through the water and under the blockade, scaring away three green sealguanas. I popped out of the water on the other side and caught my breath, exhausted.

I spotted a large piece of driftwood and swam over to it. I grabbed on to it and smiled as an idea came into my head.

Using the driftwood as a board and my glider staff as a sail, I started wind boarding, bouncing over the waves and using way less of my waning energy. I may have found an easier way to travel, but now it was raining heavily and I was freezing cold.

I struggled to hang on as the board bounced high into the air. I hit the water, but wiped out, losing my balance. I disappeared into the waves.

Ren:

I stormed down the hall to my sisters bedroom and pushed the door open forcefully.

Athera was lying in her bed. When the door opened, the light from the hall shined in, casting my shadow over her.

"Why'd you do it?" I growled.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific," she said, not even sleepily as she kept her eyes closed.

She had been expecting me.

I glowered at her. "Why did you tell Father That I was the one who killed the Avatar?"

Athera sighed. "Can't this wait until morning?"

"It can't," I snapped sternly.

Athera sighed, opened her eyes and sat up. "Fine. You seemed so worried about how father would treat you because you hadn't captured the Avatar. I figured, if I gave you the credit, you'd have nothing to worry about."

"But why?"

Athera got out of bed, rolling her eyes. "Call it a generous gesture. I wanted to thank you for your help, and I was happy to share the glory."

She was toying with me, I could tell by the tone of her voice, a slight mocking edge to it.

"You're lying," I growled.

Athera walked past me. "If you say so."

"You have another motive for doing this. I just haven't figure out what it is," I accused.

Athera laughed and stretched before turning back to me, resting her hand on a hip. "Please, Ren. What ulterior motive could I have? What could I possibly gain by letting you get all the glory for defeating the Avatar? Unless somehow, the Avatar was actually alive. All that glory would suddenly turn to shame and foolishness. But you said yourself that was impossible. Sleep well, RenRen."

Athera laid her head on her pillow and closed her eyes as I walked miserably out of the room and down the hall.

Odette:

Lightning struck in the sky.

I desperately tried to hang on to the drift wood and not be swept away. I reached out to my glider as it floated further away from me. I yells as I was suddenly caught in a huge wave and was plunged beneath the water. I swam back up and grabbed a hold of the drift wood.

I was beaten…pain…exhausted…hopeless.

"I'm not gonna make it. I failed," I cried, hating my own stupid weakness. Even though after everything that I had gone through, everything that he had done…my thoughts turned to Ren. I wished he was here right now, he would help me. I knew he would have…I felt it in my heart. I had been wrong before…he was scared, that much was obvious. And no one knew better than I did how fear could make you do things you didn't want to do.

There was another flash of lightning and the spirit of Avatar Koren appeared before me.

"Koren?" I gasped, blinking against the rain.

Koren looked down at me calmly. "You haven't failed, Odette."

"But everyone thinks I am dead again. They think I've abandoned them, and I'm losing this war. I'm letting the whole world down," I cried.

"If anyone is to blame for the state of the world, it is me. I should've seen this war coming, and prevented it. You inherited my problems and my mistakes. But I also believe you are destined to redeem me, and save the world."

I looked down, wiping my sopping wet hair out of my face. "I don't know."

A beam of moonlight suddenly cast over me.

"You already saved the world," Falcon's voice echoed through my mind.

I looked up to the sky, surprised. The moon was shining through the clouds and the spirit of Falcon appeared in front of it.

"And you'll save the world again. But you can't give up," he said.

Falcon descended towards me as I stared in wonder.

I thought back to him…how he gave his life up for his people, for the world. I thought back to Athos and Bumi and Detra and everyone who had had their lives lost and affected fighting in this war. They had all done it for the world, to make it a better place, and they had done it selflessly. If they could do it…then I could to. They'd only had the strength and power of one man inside the, whereas I had the strength and power of thousands upon thousand of Avatars before me.

I could do this. I would make it.

My expression quickly turned to determination.

"You're right. I won't give up."

I waved my arm in a circle and bended a large wave of water behind me, pushing me forward. I climbed on top of the drift wood and rode it like a surfboard. I waved my hands to both sides and picked up speed as the wave rolled across the ocean.

In less than an hour, I finally reached Crescent Moon Isle. Lava trails flowed from the top of the volcano and down into the sea. There was a part of the shore where the lava had not touched. I crawled over from the water, breathing heavily from exhaustion - physical and mental - and I collapsed, rolled over, and fell into oblivion…

…when I woke, it was dawn.

Fang was sitting on my chest, licking my cheek, awakening me. Fang hopped off I as I groaned and sat up, the waves of the ocean crashing on the shore a few feet away from my feet. I looked over and saw one of the most wonderful sights I had ever seen

Kole running to me. Alana and Elise followed after. Kole dropped to his knees and hugs my head, relieved.

"You're ok!" he gasped, laughing breathlessly.

Elise, Alana, Fang and Fanindra all gathered around me and formed a group hug. I smiled happily and hugged them back. As long as I had them by my side, I didn't have to do this alone. We would do it together and we would come out on top, just like always. There was just one person missing…one last piece to fill the gap in out group.

After a moment, I broke away.

"I have so much to do," I sighed.

Kole touched the side of my face, running his hand through my hair. "I know, but you'll have our help."

Elise smiled. "You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you?"

"What about the invasion?" I asked.

Alana looked down at me reassuringly. "We'll join up with my dad and the invasion force on the day of the eclipse."

"Hey, what's…" Elise leaned down and grabbed my broken and burnt glider from out of the water. "Oh...it's your glider."

Elise handed the glider to me as we all stood up.

I looked at it sadly for a moment before I shook my head. "That's okay. If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. It's better for now that no one knows I'm alive."

I turned around and jumped onto a mound that trickled out lava. I looked down solemnly at my glider.

I spun the glider above my head and slammed it into the lava end first before jumping away.

I looked at it and thought of it as the symbol of the old me, finally letting go of my past. And as it went up in flames and I walked away, I thought of the new me. The person I was born and destined to be. The Odette who would never give up, the Odette who would save the world and continue to be it's protector long after the war. And most importantly, the Odette who would keep on loving the Prince of the Fire Nation, no matter how many times he screwed up. She would help him find his way someday.

When you really loved someone, there was no amount of distance between you two that could stop you from loving him or her. Real love didn't just fade away or turn off like the switching on and off of a light, even though many of us would like for it to when things started to go wrong, or when the love you felt was causing you pain, but we had to remember that there were always risks in giving someone your heart.

Ren would face his fears, just as I had today, and when he did he would come to me and be all that I had ever needed.

The new Odette just had to keep on trusting that and keep her faith in him - faith in herself - until everything came out the way it was supposed to be.

I looked back at my beloved glider as it ignited and was consumed by the flames.