Hi readers! I'm celebrating the fact that I finished my AP Summer work (just in time to return to school :/ ). I've had this plot on my mind for a bit now, and decided to finally get it written down. For now, it's a long one-shot. I think maybe in the future, I will continue it. Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or Avatar: The Last Airbender
the girl with the arrow tattoo
"Aang: I have something I need to ask you.
Katara: What is it?
Aang: Will you go penguin sledding with me?"
.
.
.
The world had seemingly fallen from underneath her feet. Her vision was faltering, making the orange clad nuns in front of her blurry smears, and there was a rushing in her ears that sounded like a great wind. The nuns took no notice and her heart beat skyrocketed in tempo, the sound reminiscent of loud drums in her ears. Palms sweating, she backed away from her mentor and the Council of Elders, slowly gaining speed until she was flat out running towards the bison's quarters.
"Elena, what's the rush?" The dark haired girl shoved passed her friend in her haste and called back a sharp and distracted apology, using her airbending to go faster faster faster. She passed several others in her class and many young Airbender girls who hadn't even started their tattoos yet.
The only thing on Elena's mind was reaching her bison and then her good friend and biological brother, Jeremy, from the Southern Air Temple. She would be able to talk about this with him. He would listen to her and then give his opinion, and probably make her laugh. He would tell her she was overreacting. Elena kept the short mantra going in her head to keep her focused.
Her face was flushed when she arrived at the bison stables and she collected hers, a young female Elena had named Ari. Elena patted Ari's soft and furry head, pushing her face into the fur as Ari grumbled low in her throat.
"We're going to visit Jeremy today," Elena murmured and used a recently learned technique to airbend Ari's saddle on. Then she flipped up onto the bison's back and flicked the reins gently. "Yip, yip, Ari." She let her wooden staff fall behind her into the saddle before taking off.
The bison grumbled again and walked out of the stables, and using her tail to propel her into the air, started to fly. The wind rushed through Elena's hair, chilling her. The young airbender didn't settle until the Western Air Temple was far behind her, and even then, she remained vigilant.
"What am I going to do?" Elena asked Ari, voice almost cracking as her eyes began to tear up. Her gaze fell to the bright blue arrows on her arms, and she knew that they would wind up her back and down her legs, and that the head of an arrow would be visible on her forehead, the rest of it covered by her hair. She had earned her Master's tattoos when she was eleven, just two years before. Jeremy and she had celebrated during one of their short visits together.
Thunder was rumbling far off in the distance, ominous, despite the clear looking sky. Elena urged Ari to go faster. They traveled for days, stopping only to purchase a little food from a couple of villages and to use the facilities. They slept very little. As the bison and the girl passed into the Southern Hemisphere, the temperature rose and then fell as they got closer to the South Pole.
Dark clouds gathered, thunder rolled, and lightening touched down several times, but Elena, too blinded by an overwhelming sense of fear of her fate, her future as the one person to bring balance to the world, ignored the warning signs of a terrible, terrible approaching storm. It would serve to be a nearly fatal mistake.
As Elena neared the South Pole and the Southern Air Temple, the storm hit. The sea was choppy; the waves rose higher and higher and crashed. Elena leaned forwards to make her as small as possible and Ari's speed decreased as the rain pelted her fur. A strike a lightening flashed a little too close and Ari roared in terror, veering sharply to the left and jarring her rider.
"Ari!" Elena screamed as the bison went down, falling from the sky at alarming speeds. They dropped into the water forcefully and it stung against the airbender's skin. She clenched the reins and struggled to the surface, but the waves turned them over and over, disorienting and tiring both Elena and Ari. Slowly, consciousness drifted away and Elena's fingers went slack against her beloved friend.
Only moments later did the unthinkable happen; Elena's eyelids peeled back to reveal brightly glowing orbs and the earth shuddered at the immense power that was released.
In another part of the world, a comet reigned overhead and Firelord Silas harnessed its energy, razing all of the Air Temples to the ground.
.
.
.
Water. Earth. Fire. Air.
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, the master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed her most, she vanished. A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar – an airbender named Elena. And although her airbending skills are great, she has much to learn before she is ready to save anyone.
But I believe Elena can save the world.
.
.
.
"Do it again."
Breathing hard and blinking sweat from his eyes, Klaus growled and rose from his crouch on the metal deck of the ship. The silk shirt he'd worn at the start of practice had long been discarded, and so the only article of clothing on his body was his silk trousers that were cinched at the knee to him from catching on fire mid set. He stomped over to his Sifu's resting place at the Pai Sho board and roared; flames burst from his mouth, red hot with his potent ire.
"I've done that set all morning, Elijah! It was perfect!"
His older brother and Firebending Sifu, Crown Prince Elijah Mikaelson, did not react to the furious raging in any physical way except for the careful arching of his left brow. His hands were relaxed in his lap and the low table in front of him hosted the board to his Pai Sho game. He was seated comfortably on a large, blood red pillow on the deck.
Elijah looked up from his game and calmly said, "No. It was not. I suggest you practice it again if you want perfection, Prince Niklaus."
Klaus bared his teeth when the flames stopped licking his teeth. "You were not even paying me any mind, were you?"
"On the contrary, I could barely look away from the sight of you butchering the katas," Elijah said smoothly, meeting Klaus' clear blue eyes. "Now do it again."
Klaus roared again, but spun on his heel to return to his firebending practice. Lieutenant Trevor glared at the prince and muttered, "Spoiled brat doesn't know how good he has it – got the bloody Dragon of the West teaching him firebending and he goes and mouths off."
"I wouldn't say Prince Niklaus was spoiled, what with being banished when he was fifteen years old, and having searched for a lost airbender for the better part of four years," Elijah said mildly, almost sending the Lieutenant into asphyxiations. "Tracking down the Avatar is an insurmountable task, Lieutenant, and you know that as well as I. What does that tell you about Firelord Mikael's intentions?"
Lieutenant Trevor felt his Adams Apple bob in his throat as he swallowed harshly. "I-"
"That was a hypothetical question, Lieutenant," Elijah's voice turned sharp. "Get back to work or I will demote you to a stable boy in some small and unknown Fire Nation colony."
Trevor saluted. "Yes Sir. I apologize, Sir." He scurried away, leaving the princes almost entirely alone, excepting those smart enough to not say anything foul about their commanding officers. Four of those were the firebenders scrimmaging with Klaus, and they all appeared terrified to try their best against their unruly – and irate – prince.
Elijah sighed and pushed his game of Pai Sho away; he'd never be able to concentrate now. Instead, he focused more closely to his brother's stances and critiqued from a distance, calling out the correct forms. Klaus liked to add more passion and flare than was precisely necessary (which was saying something, because firebending required passion and flare) and it would mess up the young adult.
"I'm finished," Klaus announced when he'd mucked up his footwork again, and he nearly spit flames. "I'm done for today. I'll be in my quarters – no one bother me." He set off in the direction of the living quarters of the ship, but froze in place when a bright beam of white-blue light pierced the sky. It was a beacon and Klaus' cheek twitched. Elijah's eyes widened minutely and he felt his own body stiffen.
"Elijah." Klaus' body was still with barely restrained energy, his eyes focused intently on the pillar of light.
"Yes, Niklaus?" Elijah could scarcely keep his own eyes off of it as well; to think only seconds ago he'd told Trevor that finding the Avatar would be impossible . . .
"We have our heading." Klaus's voice was sharp and decisive, and Elijah could hear the urgency and excitement beneath the calm veneer.
Nodding slowly, Elijah agreed. "I believe we do."
"Helmsman!"
.
.
.
"Would you stop with the magic water for five minutes and help me row this damn boat?"
Stefan fought for patience and let his arms fall to his sides; the water he'd been bending plopped back into the ocean. "You looked like you're doing fine and so I was trying to catch a fish."
Damon shoved the paddle at Stefan's chest and smirked. "I know." He put his hands behind his head. "I'm just tired of it. Your turn."
Stefan pulled in a deep breath and let it out quietly. "Sure. Good luck finding dinner."
"Are you implying I can't fish? I'm an excellent fisher," Damon defended himself as Stefan began to row them forwards.
"Of course you are, Damon," Stefan appeased his sixteen year old brother. When Damon was looking away, the fourteen year old ceased his paddling and started to move his hands, bending the water to push them ahead instead. A grin lighted his face and his green eyes sparked with a moment of glee; he hadn't been able to do this technique as cleanly before.
He frowned as he realized dodging ice flows was more difficult without the paddle than he'd initially thought. "Hold on tight," Stefan warned and at the last minute, tried the paddle again to maneuver them to safety; but it was too little too late. The Southern Watertribesmen crashed into a large glacier, putting a large crack in their canoe and sending them careening off course.
"Damn it, Stefan!" Damon snapped angrily. "What did I say about the magic water?"
Stefan cursed silently and tried with both his bending and the paddle, but their canoe was not to be stopped. In a hurried attempt to save their lives, Stefan threw his arms out in front of him and something cracked loudly. Their canoe rammed into newly formed ice and the brothers were pitched head first onto a rounded glacier.
Stefan blinked the blurriness from his eyes and focused right ahead of him; the circular glacier had cracked and opened, sending steam into the air. Next to him, Damon was winding up for a long lecture, but soon he stopped and merely gazed at the ice, stupefied.
"What'd you do this time?"
"Why do you always blame me?" Stefan asked half-heartedly.
"Because you're the one with magic fingers," Damon spread his hands and wiggled his fingers and his brows suggestively.
Stefan glowered. The steam continued to rise from the sphere, and so Damon hopped up and started forwards.
"Damon," Stefan hissed urgently, "What are you doing?"
"Getting a closer look," Damon rolled his eyes and climbed up and then slid out of view. Panic rose in Stefan's belly, prompting him to follow soon after. "Hot damn," Damon breathed a moment later, and Stefan hurried faster.
There in the center of the frozen sphere, was a girl about Stefan's age with pin straight, long brown hair. She was tan, despite having been frozen in ice, and she was curled within the grasp of a ten ton . . . furry . . . thing. What was very curious (besides the being frozen part) was the girl's tattoos; there was the tip of a blue arrow just on her forehead that was a little less than a hand's breath in width. An arrow on each arm wound down and the heads sat on her curled hands.
While Damon was still with shock, worry shot through Stefan's heart; he slid down the side of the glacier and checked the girl's pulse; her heart was still beating.
"She's alive!" Stefan shouted and was then joined by an incredulous and disbelieving Damon only seconds later.
"You're not kidding," Damon muttered as he felt her heartbeat with his own fingers at her pulse. "How in the hell is that possible?"
The girl started to groan a moment later, her limp form shifting around in the melting ice and snow. Damon and Stefan put a little space between their bodies and the girl's, giving her room. She blinked open eyes – big, platypus-bear brown eyes – up at the brothers.
"Where am I? Ari?"
"I'm Stefan and this is my older brother, Damon," Stefan introduced quietly, his tone placating, "You're in the South Pole. The Southern Watertribe is just a bit that way." He pointed behind him. He could hear Damon cursing him for giving away the location of their home, but surely this girl wasn't dangerous.
"I'm Elena," The girl yawned and sat up. She shivered in her orange-yellow tunic. Immediately, Stefan started to shed his overcoat and he put it on the girl's shoulders. Flushing, she thanked him.
"That's my brother, the chivalrous one," Damon said snarkily and Stefan glared. "Now, where are you from, Elena?"
Elena blinked. "The Western Air Temple." She twisted around and checked the flying monster's eyes and patted its nose. "I'm on my way to see my brother, Jeremy."
"Where does Jeremy live?" Stefan asked after a moment of silence.
"The Southern Air Temple. I got caught out in a storm . . . everything's a little fuzzy after that," Elena admitted.
"So you're a waterbender with airbending tattoos?" Damon demanded.
"What?" Elena asked and then snapped, "No."
"Then how did you bend the water to protect yourself? You can't have just entered a glacier without some kind of waterbending," Damon pointed out against Elena and Stefan's protests. Stefan stilled when Damon's reasoning sunk in; his brother was right. The tattoos were the ancient print that the Air Nomads had used, but since they were gone, exterminated by the Fire Nation . . .
The girl paled a little and then took a deep breath. She stuck out her chin defiantly and stated very plainly, "I'm the Avatar."
Damon and Stefan's jaws dropped in sync.
There really wasn't a delicate way to phrase this. "You've been missing a hundred years," Stefan said quietly.
Elena blinked. "No, that's impossible. I just – I just found out I was the Avatar. I came to talk to my brother about it and got caught in a storm. I must – I must have entered the Avatar State or something. I can't have been in the ice for more than a few days." She was babbling, her dark eyes nearly popping out of her skull as she began to piece together the truth she was trying so hard to deny.
"Sorry, Elena," Damon said tactlessly, putting that emphasis on the Avatar's name again, "but if you're really the Avatar – and clearly you are if you can waterbend and airbend – you've been stuck here for a long, long time."
"Damon," Stefan hissed angrily, "you can't just – can you at least pretend to sympathize?" Or have a little tact?
"You must be mistaken," Elena's voice was strained. "I'm going to go to the temple and everything will be the same. If you'll excuse me –" She stood and brushed the snow off of her strange orange clothes, handing Stefan back his heavy coat.
"I'll go with you," Stefan said suddenly, surprising even himself with the words. Damon glared, but Elena gave him a tentative smile.
"Are you sure?"
"No," Damon said flatly.
"Of course," Stefan nodded.
The brothers exchanged furious glances.
"Yes, I'm sure," Stefan repeated and ignored Damon's spluttering. "How are we getting there?" Elena was going to be horrified at the carnage that awaited her at the Southern Air Temple, and Stefan wasn't about to let this girl out of time face it by herself.
"Ari, my flying bison," Elena patted the furry monster's head. She twisted her arms in a strange kata, airbending herself aloft and onto the bison's massive head. Stefan started forwards and climbed into the saddle. Both the Airbender and the waterbender blinked large and round eyes down at Damon's sour form on the ground.
The dark headed water tribesman threw up his arms and stalked forwards to climb aboard. "If you think I'm going to let you go off with some weird stranger, Stefan, your water magic has made you crazy."
Elena whipped around and she smiled. "You're a waterbender?"
Stefan flushed. "I don't know much."
"He just kind of flaps his arms around and when he's angry enough, the water moves," Damon said nastily, pouting in the back of the saddle.
Stefan's ears turned red.
"I'm sure we could learn together," Elena said decidedly, nodding her head, "after we get my brother from the Air Temple." She turned back and murmured, "Yip, yip," to the bison, and Ari sluggishly moved forwards. Stefan shot a look at Damon and his older brother only shrugged. Elena didn't want to believe the truth, but there wasn't much they could do until she saw it for herself. The only thing left of her brother she might find at the Air Temple was his brittle bones.
"I thought you said this fluffy monster could fly," Damon drawled as Ari only flopped into the water and began to swim.
"She's tired," Elena excused her bison.
"After sleeping for a hundred years?" Damon asked dryly.
"It wasn't more than a few days," Elena said, staying firmly rooted in her denial.
When it looked like Damon was about to make another snarky comment, Stefan intervened. "What's your temple like?"
Elena shot him a look that said she knew what he was doing, but she humored him. "The Eastern and Western Temples are for the Nuns and young airbending girls. The Southern and Northern Temples are for the Monks and young boys. The Western Air Temple is close to the Fire Nation and the architecture was build upside down, beneath ground level. It's beautiful."
Stefan wondered how they'd built the temple like that.
"All the temples are different, but the only way to get to any of them is by a flying bison," Elena explained confidently when Stefan didn't say anything more. "That's how I know the Fire Nation couldn't have gotten to my people. Even if they had, there are evacuation routes, bison, and gliders to get everyone out before an invader could have the time to scale the mountain."
Stefan nodded but Damon only snorted derisively. A mountain came into view and Elena's face softened with a smile; just looking at her grin made Stefan blush again. Damon noticed and smirked.
"Come on, girl, yip, yip," Elena murmured to Ari, and at the sight of the familiar temple, the bison groaned tiredly and used its tale to propel them into the air. Stefan grabbed onto the sides of the saddle and Damon's eyes nearly popped out of his head as they became airborne.
"We're flying," Stefan murmured, in complete awe as Elena laughed delightedly and Damon's jaw was someone around his feet in shock.
The Southern Air Temple got closer and closer, and as they searched for a landing space, noticed that many of the trees and shrubbery dead and black. They touched down in what looked like it had been a courtyard, but was now filled with snow, fallen trees, and wreckage from the temple itself like walls and shattered glass.
Elena's face drained of any color as she floated to the ground from Ari's fluffy head. Stefan swallowed hard and followed her, mindful of the glass. Damon slid off behind Stefan.
"Well, this place is a dump."
"Damon!"
Elena paid their argument no mind as she stood stock still in the courtyard, straining her eyes for any signs of life. She took a tentative step forwards and then before the brothers realized she was leaving, the Airbender had taken off at a run aided by her natural element.
"Elena, wait!" Stefan shouted and ran after her.
"Damn it," Damon sighed. "Why am I the only one with any sense?" He shoved his trusty boomerang into its carrier at his hip, and held a water tribe dagger in his other hand as he trotted off after his brother and their new companion.
He found them in a large room only lit by the waning sunlight. The room was round and the ceiling wasn't visible at all; there were statues that spiraled up for as far as the eye could see –farther, even. Elena and Stefan stood in front of one of the statues, a female in ancient Fire Nation clothes.
"Are you talking to inanimate objects now?" Damon asked dryly.
"My mentor told me that I could talk to the Avatar before in a room like this, when I was ready to see her," Elena explained quietly.
"Well, that makes sense," Damon said sarcastically, "I mean, she's dead and all, but I'm sure you're able to recall the deceased back whenever you want a chat. But! Only in this very special room."
"Stop being a dick," Stefan said harshly, green eyes sparking as they cut to Damon's form. "Please."
"Her name was Katherine," Elena murmured quietly, apparently not having heard the bickering around her.
"There's no plaque, though. How did you know?" Stefan turned back to his new friend.
"I just . . . knew," Elena shrugged helplessly.
"Great. Spiritual intervention – the Avatar can sense dead people's names," Damon said to himself. Spiritual mumbo jumbo – he didn't believe in any of it. What was next?
"I need to find my brother," Elena said a moment later and Damon face palmed. Really?
"If this place isn't proof enough that you were stuck in that ice berg for a hundred years, you really are thick," Damon snapped, "Let's say the Fire Nation didn't really attack this Air Temple. I still really doubt your brother – who would be over a hundred years old by now – is just sitting up in his room waiting for Big Sister to come and find him."
Elena spun around, eyes narrowed. "I'm going to find my brother. You can stay here or come with me, but I will find him." She pushed passed him and rushed out of the room and ran up some winding stairs, leaving the Water Tribe brothers alone.
After she was out of earshot, Damon turned to his brother. "Stop encouraging her," Damon pointed accusingly at Stefan. "You know there's no way that her kid brother is still alive. It's only going to hurt her worse when she finds out the truth, or rather when she finally believes what's right in front of her face."
"When did you start caring?" Stefan snapped and brushed passed him, not waiting for an answer.
Damon sighed and wondered if he banged his head against the wall if that would do anything to wake him up from this wretched, strange dream. "Probably not," He drawled to himself. Something lit up in the corner of his eye and Damon turned his head to see what the problem was now.
Every statue's eyes were lighting up with the same white-blue light that had exploded from Elena's ice berg when she'd been awakened. Around and around they went, straight up in the spiral formation they'd been built in, lighting up the entire room. Damon felt his heart quicken.
"Elena and Stefan," He breathed and then cursed his little brother and the Avatar both. Without another second's pause, Damon vaulted himself out of the Avatar's Sanctuary and headed towards the part of the temple that contained a live tornado.
Debris was flying off the mountain face and in the center was Elena, tattoos and eyes glowing both, controlling the sudden storm. Clinging stubbornly to a large rock rooted in the mountain was Stefan, his blue tunic and trousers a beacon on the dry, grey land. Though he would deny it later, panic filled Damon at the sight. He charged forwards, frantically attempting to climb, but at each attempt he would slide back down or be knocked off course by the raging windstorm.
A deep rumbling sounded behind him and Damon's sharp blue eyes darted towards it; Ari the flying bison was standing there, seemingly waiting for him. Damon grinned. He changed course and headed towards the bison, slipping atop its head and muttered, "Yip, yip." Ari jumped into the air and flew them towards Stefan's form.
"What happened?" Damon shouted over the noise.
"She found her brother's body!" Stefan called grimly. He ignored Damon's proffered hand and started forwards – towards the Avatar.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"I'm going to help her," Stefan said insistently and he weathered the harsh winds until he was just behind the hovering Avatar. Damon squinted and cupped his ears, but could barely make out the impassioned words that his little brother said to the enraged Airbender.
Slowly, the winds slowed and Elena floated back to the ground, where Stefan wrapped the girl into a hug. She clutched at him, crying, and the tattoos' glow faded. Damon landed Ari and jumped off of her head, walking towards the couple in front of him. He paused when he reached them and patted Elena's shoulder awkwardly.
"There, there," Damon winced, but Elena smiled gratefully through her tears.
"Do you want to come stay the night at the village?" Stefan asked her quietly.
Wiping her tears, Elena nodded. "That sounds great." Stefan and Elena released each other, but she stayed close to him. Damon walked on her other side and the three headed towards Ari, ready to return to the South Pole. Elena paused, stopping the brothers in their tracks. "I want to thank you," She said quietly, "for pulling me from the ice and staying with me even though I didn't believe you."
"It's fine," Stefan reassured her and even Damon reluctantly nodded his head.
"Well, thanks anyway," Elena said, voice stronger. She floated up to the top of Ari's head with some quick bending katas and then waited until the brothers jumped up into the saddle. "Yip, yip." The bison lifted off once more; they left the Southern Air Temple behind them and Damon thought to himself, things were not going to be the same ever again.
He did not know how right he was.
.
.
.
Elijah stood back as Klaus used his spy glass to locate the Avatar, his Pai Sho game completely forgotten. Klaus was practically breathing fire and there was steam rising off of the younger man's bare shoulders while he paced back and forth, urgently searching the skies for any signs of the returned airbender.
"Might I suggest clothing yourself before we meet with the Avatar?" Elijah deadpanned. Klaus waved an impatient hand in Elijah's direction, making the latter sigh. "Brother."
Klaus stilled and there was a tense moment between the brothers before the younger finally turned to face the elder. "I'll do you one better, brother, and will put on my armor," Klaus drawled, "Do keep a look out, will you?"
"Yes, Prince Niklaus," Elijah said smoothly as he was handed the spy glass. Klaus stomped off below deck, leaving Elijah with the Helmsman and a few other active crewmen. Elijah straightened his crimson wrist cuffs and then delicately put the spy glass to his eye. There was nothing in his immediate vision, but as the ship continued to sail and land got closer, the Crown Prince could see what seemed to be a mound of snow . . . but upon closer inspection, Elijah spied smoke drifting skyward.
Civilization.
"So that is where you are hiding," Elijah murmured. Had the Avatar traveled to the remnants of the Southern Water Tribe in hopes of finding a waterbending teacher? The last one had been found and exterminated some eight to ten years before, so there was nothing for him or her there. "Set course for the Water Tribe," Elijah commanded and immediately the ship turned in the direction of the small village. "Full speed," He added after a moment and just minutes later they were barely a mile out from the tribesmen.
Stomping feet approached and the spy glass was snatched out of Elijah's hands. "Why are we altering course?"
"The Southern Water Tribe is as good as any a place to start searching for the Avatar," Elijah replied smoothly.
Klaus nodded thoughtfully. "He must be one hundred and thirteen years old by now; he can't be moving very fast."
"Don't underestimate him," Elijah warned quietly, "or her. Avatar Qetsiyah lived to be over two hundred years old, and she was a fearsome opponent until her death. Which, may I remind you, was not at the hands of any foe; she died in her sleep." Klaus barely acknowledged Elijah's warnings, only pressing the spy glass closer to his eye. The older man sighed, but said nothing else; if Klaus refused to listen, there was nothing Elijah could do about it.
At the edge of the village was a large brown and white beast; a sky bison. It confirmed that the Avatar was an airbender at least, and that he was nearby. The village itself was just a small collective of igloos and wooden huts within a snow wall that circled around them. The wall was nothing as impressive as the Great Walls around Ba Sing Se, or even like those at the Northern Tribe. That was expected though; without waterbenders to actively maintain the snowy architecture, the once great ice city of the Southern Tribe had fallen into ruin.
"I want five men with me," Klaus commanded and five soldiers fell into line as they neared the village. "Elijah, I want you at my side." He tossed the spy glass off to Lieutenant Trevor, who fumbled with it. Thankfully, his friend (Elijah privately called her his keeper), Rose, caught it. "He's had a hundred years to master all elements, but I believe we are well trained enough to handle him."
Elijah said nothing. Their ship, The Vampire, named ironically by Elijah (those of the Earth Kingdoms and Water Tribes often called them soul-sucking fire fiends, but that had been too long, so he'd coined the phrase vampire from some of their ancient folk tales of blood-sucking monsters) crushed through the ice and snow, breaking the small wall surrounding their village. The gangway was released slowly, letting the heat from the ship escape as steam in the frosty air.
A crowd had gathered in the center of the village, nearly entirely consisting of adult women and small toddling children. The only two boys over the age of six looked to be two teenagers, who stood in front of the crowd with a young woman around their age in orange. The men have all gone off to war, Elijah realized. It would be easier for them to capture the Avatar; the less interference the better.
Prince Niklaus led the way down the gangway with Elijah at his right side, five firebending masters marching behind them. The group included Rose, but not Lieutenant Trevor (thankfully; they didn't need him bumbling to his death out there). As they got closer to the village, the more frightened the children became, but it was clear that the Water Tribe people were too afraid to take them to safety; the Fire Nation was ruthless after all, Elijah thought wryly, and any sudden movements might urge the fire fiends to lob flames at them.
"Where are you hiding him?" Subtle, Niklaus was not. When it appeared no one was going to answer, Klaus surged forwards and snatched an elderly woman away from the bunch. "He'd be about this age, master of all four elements!"
The group of young teenagers stiffened, drawing Elijah's attention once more. He narrowed his eyes; now that he looked, the girl had blue on her forehead and arms . . . arrow tattoos. Elijah met her eyes and the girl refused to look away; there was certain fierceness in her brown orbs that he had to admit was admirable.
But all the same . . . "Brother. I believe she is the one you are searching for." Elijah inclined his head towards the girl and her companions instantly went on defense. "She has the tattoos that were customary for airbending masters."
Klaus' gaze instantly shot to the girl. "She does," He observed and without a second thought, strode forwards.
"I don't think so, buddy," The oldest of the group said and he launched a metal weapon at Niklaus; it missed, and Klaus made sure to gloat, but the teenager only smirked. Elijah saw why seconds later; it returned, hitting Klaus in the back of the head in the process, dislodging his helmet. The five soldiers leant forwards as if to defend their prince, but Elijah held them back. Klaus would handle himself; they were only back up.
Klaus roared and flames licked the air in front of the boy's face, and then Klaus charged forwards. The younger brother's eyes darkened angrily and it was he, not the elder to meet Klaus' attack. He raised his arms and water followed his lead, shooting towards Klaus' feet. Elijah only had a moment to be surprised that there was still a waterbender in the South Pole. Klaus was frozen in place for the moment – but only a moment. He melted the ice and brought forth another flame in his hand and shot it wildly over the heads of the villagers. The sight and heat of the fire elicited terrified screams.
"Enough!" Klaus yelled and his face was red with fury. "If you don't want your village burned to ashes, you'll hand over the girl. If you don't, I'll make sure there are no survivors."
Instantly the fighting stopped as the young woman with arrow tattoos pushed forwards. "It's me, it's me! I'm the Avatar," She stood firmly in front of Klaus and Elijah, shaking but brave. "I'll go with you if you swear to leave this village alone."
A cruel smirk curled Klaus' lips. "Deal, little girl."
"Elena, no!" The waterbender yelled.
"It'll be fine, Stefan," Avatar Elena falsely assured him. The other teenager grimaced and clenched his fists, but said nothing. He was smart, Elijah thought, or just helpless, another voice said in the back of his mind.
"Bind her," Klaus commanded and Rose stepped forwards to do the job, and then led the girl up the gangway. Klaus smirked at the village people, but he focused on the two teenagers. "It was a pleasure doing business with you." He turned around and called, "Back to the ship!"
The other four soldiers loaded up next, followed by Klaus and then finally Elijah. The Avatar was settled between the princes, each with a hand on her shoulders as the gangway drew back up. Elijah confiscated her staff, while Klaus commanded she be taken to the brig.
"Finally," Klaus breathed as they stood in the deck, the Vampire pulling out of 'dock'. "I'm going home." Elijah inclined his head, but didn't voice his own thoughts about their return to the Capitol. The Firelord would not be pleased, whatever Klaus may think, though their younger sister Rebekah might; it really depended on her mood and the lies their father told her. Their brothers Finn and Kol would be indifferent.
Their mother was gone.
There was a sudden commotion below deck, making the princes simultaneously turn their heads; the Avatar had somehow managed to evade her guard and was airbending her way towards them, her face set firmly into an expression of utter determination.
"I'll be taking my staff back," She announced and Elijah had to admit; she was better than they'd initially given her credit for. Well, the rest of them, anyway; Elijah knew that she had to have some more tricks up her sleeve than just surrendering.
"I don't think so, Avatar," Klaus hissed and he launched a volley of crimson fireballs in her direction. She used her airbending to twist her body away from them and push herself high into the air; she landed just behind Elijah, where she plucked her staff away. Klaus bellowed and chased after her, bombarding her with flames. Elijah moved to help him close the girl into a corner, but a low grumbling was heard above them.
"Ari!" Elena shouted with a grin on her face.
"What, no welcome for the actual rescue team?" The older boy drawled as he leapt down and bared his teeth at the Fire Nation soldiers gathered.
"Ari did all of the heavy lifting, Damon," The waterbender, Stefan, said dryly as he came after him, water at the ready.
"Enough of this!" Klaus snapped and executed a spinning kick, shooting flame at the Water Tribe peasants out of his left heel. Stefan was knocked to his knees while Damon deflected some of the fire off of his boomerang. Elena performed an airbending kata, spinning a miniature tornado at the Lieutenant and Rose that knocked them off their feet. Elijah decided now was the time to join the fray; he shot blue fire at Damon, sending the boy overboard.
Stefan glared and shot water at Elijah, which he was able to artfully dodge. Klaus took to battling Avatar Elena one on one, which would have been quite a sight to see; his ferocious straight-forward tactics put against her dodge and flight evasions. As it was, Elijah focused his attentions on putting down the waterbender.
"I'm sure my father would be interested in hearing about you, little waterbender," Elijah murmured to him as his blue flames licked Stefan's feet and heated the steel beneath them. "But even I'm not that cruel," He admitted. Mikael would not be kind to the last waterbender of the Southern Tribe, especially one that had evaded the last of the raids. "A quick death it will be; unless you'd rather bow out now and save you and your brother?"
Stefan narrowed his eyes and sent a wave of water at Elijah. "Damon and I aren't going to abandon Elena for anything." At the last moment, the water turned to ice, freezing Elijah into place from the neck down.
"Clever," Elijah allowed. "But not-" He paused when Stefan's eyes rounded and focused behind Elijah's body. In his peripheral vision, the Crown Prince caught sight of the Avatar rising in the water, eyes and tattoos glowing as she forcefully took out Klaus and the remaining crew. Elijah stilled. And waited.
When the Avatar Spirit saw everyone out of commission, it left Elena and the glowing ceased. She was helped onto the bison by her Water Tribe friends, and then they took off quickly into the sky. Elijah then released his breath of fire, melting his body of its icy casing.
"Elijah! Help me!" Klaus screamed as he climbed back onto the ship. Elijah gave him a hand up, and then, together, they performed the steps of a familiar kata that launched a giant blue and red fireball after the flying bison. But before their very eyes, the Avatar spun around and reflected the fiery mass back towards them with just her glider. It hit the mountains and sent snow vaulting down in an avalanche towards their ship, locking them in place and destroying much of the exterior of their steel home.
"The good news is that the Avatar is just a thirteen year old girl," Elijah said mildly when everything settled.
"But look what she did!" Klaus snapped angrily, "She destroyed our ship! And she only knows airbending!"
Elijah refrained from saying, I told you so as the bison and the children's forms shrank into the distance, turning into tiny specks in the darkening sky.
"We'll be prepared next time," Klaus swore, "I will return home and regain my honor."
"Of course, Prince Niklaus. Now let's get the crew and dig ourselves out of this snow."
.
.
.
"So where are we headed to next, Team Avatar?" Damon drawled from his place sprawled in the back of the saddle. Two packs and three sleeping bags were tied down behind him, enough to keep them until they could find another village.
"Well, Stefan and I need to learn waterbending," Elena said from Ari's head, "and since Qetsiyah Island used to be a mix of Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom people and it's fairly close, I think we should start there."
"If there are no waterbenders at the island, we'll have to go to the North Pole," Stefan said grimly. "That will take weeks."
"Okay, Debbie Downer. What's the rush anyway?" Damon asked almost cruelly, "The war's been going on for a hundred years; I doubt it's going to end any time soon."
"I still need to learn the last three elements as quickly as possible," Elena said flatly, getting used to the incoming signs of an imminent fight between the brothers, and acted quickly to avoid it, "so that I can end this war as soon as I can. The violence, this bloodshed – it has to stop."
"Qetsiyah Island it is, then," Stefan said quietly.
Elena's fingers gripped the reins a little tighter and she focused her gaze ahead of her. The events of the last two days were catching up to her; she was tired, not just in body, but in mind too. It was just a few days ago to her that she'd been told she was the Avatar and she'd headed off to tell the news to her brother. Her brother, who was now dead because of her. Because she hadn't been there to stop it the invasion that had wiped out her people.
Elena narrowed her eyes. Well, she'd be there this time; she'd save the world with her two new friends at her side, and bring balance to the world.
Just like she was supposed to.
.
.
.
Reviews are lovely things for an author to receive Especially if they are kind.