Chapter One
The Land of Wind and Snow
A cool chill rippled the frigid waters of the sea, as Northern Winds picked up in the early morning. All around it was quiet, as though there was not a large city in it's wake. This city was comprised of tall buildings made of ice, and delicate water pathways which provided transportation. The round sun, normally surrounded by clouds, shed it's light on the city, making it sparkle brightly.
Here the Northern Water Tribe city stands brilliantly, against the darkest times of the world. Many find it to be the last glimmer of hope , and its proud citizens cherished and protected it. The war forged by the tyrannical Fire Nation had proved straining on all, and even they could feel the harshness of the war. The icy sea could never match how cold the world had become, all because of inequality and strife.
Kinta Agua was no different. She had grown long accustomed to surprise attacks and news of the war. It was not a surprise that the disappearance of her teenage daughter would prove any more shocking.
The small house was still dark inside, though light peaked in elegantly. With the light in mind, Kinta lit a single candle made of seal fat, and slowly climbed the icy stairs to her daughter's room. When she entered, she was reminded of her own neatness. She was proud that at least she had instilled one good trait.
The room was long and square, a fire lit safely in a coal pit on the opposite end. Thick quilts made of fur lined the walls, and a large wooden chest glowed faintly under the light from her window. In the center was a large wooden bed, everything in place but the figure of her sleeping daughter. Kinta's mouth pulled into a thin line as thoughts of her child filled her mind.
"I fail to understand this child sometimes." she stated blankly.
Behind her, a tall boy entered the room. His pale skin matched her own, and his light blue eyes held the same disapproving stare. He shook his brown hair out of his face. "What is it now Mom?"
Kinta sighed, shaking her head slowly. "She's out hunting again I'm sure."
"Aimee." he scorned, rolling his eyes.
Kinta turned and faced her son, eyes blazing with anger. "Aimee had better not miss healing class again...I swear I'll die of shame...if only she would have a shred of discipline! What should I do, Azule?"
Azule smirked. "I'd start off by not using 'Aimee' and 'discipline' in the same sentence."
In the distance a loud horn blared, and carried it's sound over ten miles away, to where a lone figure stood in the tundra.
Even alone, without anyone to accompany her, her appearance was quite different. Her body, short and thin, held prominent muscles seen even through her thick coat. Her slightly starved appearance made her large eyes stand out even more. What was so unusual about them was that they were a bright gold, a feature she proudly obtained from her father. Curly untamed hair trailed down her back, a large bun on the top of her head held together by a two animal bones. Her weak appearance was made worse by the dark circles that lingered beneath her eyes, her pale skin looking whiter than the snow.
She had grown used to walking the treacherous path up the icy slopes. This place was the only thing keeping her sanity..a safe place where her aggression was kept hidden by the mountains. She was warned by her mother not to come here again, but it wasn't like she cared that much anyway. She would misbehave worse if her anger couldn't come out somewhere. And now she stood, alone, animal against human.
Her eyes focused on something ahead as she slowly unfolded her long, bony hands.
"I know you're there..." she hissed quietly, her eyes narrowing as she slowly crept forwards.
"But I just need..." she added slowly, quickening her pace. She drew out a long whip of water from the ground, it looking sticky and clear in the now bright sun.
"To get..." she said even more quietly.
"Closer!"
She screamed a warriors cry, high and loud as she jumped over the large hill and down the slope. Her smile of triumph quickly faded as she realized her prey wasn't what she thought it was. Crying out, she slammed her water whip on the ground, propelling her away from her target, and onto the snowy, icy ground. She hit it, hard, some of the ice breaking even under her small body. Her stomach heaved as pain coursed through her.
"Nice one Aimee." she told herself sarcastically.
She looked over at the rock she had been trying to attack. "Looks like this rock isn't furry with teeth."
Groaning, Aimee sat up, rubbing her sides painfully. "And I thought I had him too."
She had been hunting a wolf for the longest time..and surely he was her greatest challenge. He moved elusively and quietly through the tundra..peaceful yet deadly. She recalled seeing him on her last trip, and after failing to catch him was determined and bloodthirsty. In some ways he reminded her of her life...things moving away from her faster and faster until she could never catch them. She frowned as she stood up, feeling again like she had somehow failed.
Aimee stood silently for a moment, feeling her anger start to build. "Why can't," she waved her arms, and as she did water jumped up violently,"I get this right?!" She scolded herself harshly, taking notice to the way the water around her bubbled. If she didn't become a better hunter, how was she ever going to catch more than fish for the family?She wasn't..that was for sure. And the fact that water seemed to have a mind of its own around her didn't make anything better.
Her thoughts were halted when she heard yet another horn, and her senses came back to her. That was the warning horn for the Royal guard to stop training and assemble at the gates.
"Oh no..." she gasped, looking up at the sun. It had to be mid morning. From the looks of things, she was missing healing class. Normally she would be thrilled, but a stern warning from her mother and the promise of being grounded forever echoed through her mind.
"Oh no oh no oh no." she groaned, gritting her teeth afterwards in frustration, and looking out onto the city.
"I know I'm not supposed to do this..but no time to lose!"
With a determined face, Aimee jumped high into the air. Out of the ice came a large flat plane , smoothed upwards at both edges. Aimee landed perfectly in the center, flicking her hands, and causing the ice to wrap around her legs for a safe grip.
"Hell, here I come."
Pushing her hands forwards, Aimee felt the lunge of her stomach as her homemade snowboard tilted downwards as she slowly started to move down the slope. This speed increased violently, and soon Aimee Agua was flying down the hills of the tundra, the wind whipping her harshly in the face, her hair blown back away from her forehead.
It was no time before the gates to the back of the city suburb came into view, and grunting, Aimee slammed her arms backwards and went soaring over the thick icy gate. Her body spun and twirled elegantly before hitting the ground.
"Hey watch it will ya!" came the gruff voice of a man she had almost hit on her landing. Aimee let out a bratty laugh and continued to speed along the street, tilting to the side and ducking as she avoided people, stores, and low hanging pots and pans.
"What in the name of Twi and La was that?" the victimized man asked, rubbing his arm from where her board grazed. His wife looked at him with an annoyed expression. "It's the Agua child."
"Ah I see." he said slowly, shaking his head. "Little devil she be."
All around she could hear the indignant yells and gasps of people making their way into the main city. The rush was incredible as she increased her speed. Ahead a bridge loomed, and Aimee cried out adventurously as she jumped up, grabbing her legs and spinning like a top over it, then landing firmly on the icy sidewalk again. At this rate, she would be nearing the healing hall in one minute or so.
With one last burst of speed, the site of her healing teacher and a few of the students came into view. Aimee grinned almost sinisterly and continued to speed on, until her teacher turned around and gasped. Figuring it was time to stop, Aimee let her arms drop, and the sled slowed down drastically. Unfortunately it wasn't enough, and gripping the ground firmly with one hand, Aimee let her legs spin opposite in a landing, knocking thick ice onto the teacher, and two of the snobbiest students.
Shocked, and not the least bit happy, Aimee stumbled to her feet, her eyes wide with apology.
In front of her was a woman known as Hagoda. She was a tall, bony woman with a cold face, and even colder eyes to match. She always wore a large white hat, making her appear even bigger than she was. As she stared down Aimee sternly, she could almost feel the scolding she was about to get.
Behind her were a few students, some looking shocked, and many looking wildly amused. It payed to go to class just to see the sometimes hilarious antics of Aimee Agua. One boy in particular, not a student but a helper, winked at Aimee playfully.
Aimee smiled guiltily at her teacher, but that didn't hide her from what was to come.
"What in the name of Yang do you think you're doing child?" she said in a deadly hiss. She was the kind of teacher who didn't have to be loud to get your attention. Just a small noise could freeze your insides.
"I was just trying to be on time for class..." Aimee responded calmly. This made some of the girls giggle, and the boy's smile widen.
Hagoda closed her eyes, and pointed to the small healing hut behind her.
"Inside. Now!"
"Fine." Aimee mumbled sulkily as she joined the line of kids entering the room. A warm gust of air hit her head on as her body became engulfed in heat. This was the place where she had been learning to heal...but if only they knew what she was really up to.
In the center of the room was a thin healing dummy, the areas of chi labeled in a scrawl. Aimee had resorted to calling the dummy ,"Tony." but the healer insisted that it was an outlandish name, and that she stop immediately. All around coal was lit in boiling dishes, casting their warmth across to the center.
"Funny one Aimee." she heard from behind her. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
"Thanks Kinto." Aimee responded with a grin, taking a seat near one of the girls.
Kinto had been her friend since the first day of writing school all those years ago. Aimee loved him dearly, but found that his childish pranks were irritating enough to make her despise him sometimes. But they always came crawling back to each other. In the dim light of the room, she was suddenly amazed at how much he'd grown. He was tall now, and fairly muscular. His neat brown hair sat on top of his pale face, always grinning. She wasn't the only one who noticed his sudden growth spurt. It seemed as though all of the girls were crazy about him...even much older ones.
Aimee made a desperate face as he stood up to leave her. "Don't worry..I'll get you out of here." he mouthed.
Hagoda stood in the middle of the room, her hands clasped, her look of annoyance still evident on her face.
"Thanks to Miss Agua..we'll have to rush this lesson today." she informed in a stiff voice, her gaze lingering on Aimee disapprovingly before focusing her attention on the class again.
"Today we are going to learn how to heal a muscle wound."
The class groaned. Muscle wounds were the hardest to heal, and in the early day no one felt like a grueling lesson.
"Now. Can anyone tell me what the difference between a regular wound, and a muscle wound is?"
One girl raised her hand. Aimee recognized her as Kaya. She was easily the most brilliant student in the class, but often had to leave due to her mother being sick. Aimee felt a pang of guilt, watching her eager face. She wanted to come to school, but never could.. . And here Aimee was, barely making it every day. Feeling utterly bad about herself, Aimee focused her attention back on Hagoda.
"A muscle wound is beyond all layers of the skin..the most common type of wound," she answered in her quiet voice.
"Very good Kaya."
Hagoda sat in front of the dummy, and pointed to the leg with one of her bony fingers.
"Learning to heal a leg wound is very beneficial, as it allows you to escape if attacked." she stated.
"Or you could just defend yourself with bending," Aimee muttered, a bit too loud. Once she realized what she just blurted out, a chill of apprehension shot up her spine.
Some of the girls in the class started to giggle, and Hagoda's merciless gaze fell on Aimee once more. Before she could speak however, Kinto interrupted her.
"Very very bad Aimee." he scolded, hands on his hips in an almost feminine way.
"How many times does the poor woman have to tell you, girls can't bend. Yang."
Hagoda who had taken a very friendly liking to Kinto blushed. "Well thank you my boy."
"No. . Not another word." Kinto said, silencing her.
"Aimee needs to have a lesson in manners. A talk is in order."
Aimee's shocked face quickly turned into a sly expression. "Oh yes. I've been bad, and need a terrible scolding." she agreed, smirking.
"Come on Agua. Let's go."
Kinto took her by her shirt, and looked back to Hagoda once more. "I'll take care of her. You just teach." He gave her one of his friendly winks, and shuffled Aimee out of the room into the cold.
Aimee turned around to face him, smiling brightly. "You're a genius, you know that?"
Kinto sighed. "Yes I know." Then he grinned. "But it doesn't change the face that you need a punishment. How about a good essay?"
A punch on his arm was all he needed to know that wasn't going to happen.
They made their way away from the healing hut, Aimee glad to be free. It seemed that she was always trapped in a world of responsibility and chores. Never did she have any free time to do the things she really wanted to. Aimee looked up at Kinto and studied his face, curiously wondering why he was leading her in the opposite direction of the hut.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
Kinto looked down at her. "You'll see."
She didn't care very much for the look in his eyes, that mischievous gleam that she could only associate with the various pranks he's pulled on her. Frowning up at him, Aimee then turned her head and crossed her arms.
"This better be good."
"Oh trust me," he responded," it will be."
The pathway they were walking seemed to become narrower and narrower as they neared the center of the city. Colorful articles of clothing, and gleaming jewels captured Aimee's attention. Everywhere she turned, tall stands seemed to be showered with goods and gold. Though, the amount was certainly less. Normally the shopping center was filled with shoes and hair ornaments, but they were becoming scarce as the Tribe put out more funds for the war.
"Why are we here?" she asked tensely, not understanding his intentions.
"There's something I want to show you."
He took hold of her hand, Aimee not liking the feeling of being controlled, and pushed his way through the busy crowd. He stopped in front of a small shop, and pointed towards the window. Aimee scowled and followed his finger to the direction of a large, silver spear. In the bright light of the day it gave her a deadly wink.
Her eyes widened slightly, and Kinto looked down at her, thrilled. "Would you like to have it?"
"I didn't know you could buy weapons in a jewelery store." she whispered in awe.
Kinto made a gruff sound. "Not the spear Aimee, the necklace."
He pointed more specifically to a small glittering string of beads. Aimee let out a harsh laugh of amusement. "That's very kind of you Kinto, but I'd rather have the spear."
Kinto looked disappointed , then the same gleam he had returned. "I should have known better than to put you and a spear within a two foot radius."
"That's right," Aimee informed, smirking. "But no matter. My fifteenth birthday is coming up soon.. and I can't tell you what to get me."
"True..true. But now I think I have a good idea."
Aimee sighed. "Please don't. I really can't understand how anyone could buy such things in these hard times."
She leaned against a building, looking up into his thin face. "And I don't see how I could ever use it..."
Kinto crossed his arms. "Maybe you will be able to one day." His voice was gentler as he addressed her. Suddenly she felt suddenly uncomfortable. Before she could say something, sharp cries were heard to her right.
A short, thin woman with graying hair shook uncontrollably as she fell to the floor in sobs. Her body seemed to writhe in this agony, and she screamed harder. Aimee's face filled with sadness and fear. Was this woman having a heart attack?
"Oh no.." Kinto aid with dread.
"Aimee look!"
Above the sobbing woman was a large poster.
NAMES OF THE RECENTLY DECEASED
Property of the Water Tribe Council for deceased Warriors
Suddenly Aimee's heart began to hammer in her chest, and she felt as though something had settled in the pit of her stomach. Those were the names of the dead warriors recently killed in battle...
Two grieving family members helped the woman to her feet, while many more were screaming and crying. Their voices rang in Aimee's ears, and for a moment she forgot where she was.
"Dad?" she gasped.
"Now relax. I'm sure your dad is okay," Kinto urged gently, but Aimee did not hear him. She threw herself away from the wall, and without any feeling in her legs came to stop in front of the poster, feeling as though her heart would explode from the dread.
Please please please don't be on here! Don't be on here!
Her finger shook as she ran it down the list.
Hanibo Grendoru
Jestay Moncho
Kito Muso
Ronjin Corday
"No Kinsoka Agua.." she choked. "No Agua.." she said, slowly sliding to her feet, face blank and expressionless. Kinto came to kneel beside her.
"It's okay. . See? Your Dad is okay..."
"But he's still out there...he's still out there fighting those bastards." At this sudden outcry, a large crack rippled it's way through the small Official building in front of them. Her emotions swirled and coiled inside of her, a mixture of anger, sadness, and hate. Kinto frowned deeply and moved away from her slowly.
"Calm down Aimee.." he commanded gently. He saw how out of control she could become, and along with her every source of water she came in contact with.
"I know you're mad that he hasn't been home-"
"In five years!" she cried. The crack deepened.
"Please calm down Aimee. Here..let me help you up-"
"No! I can do it myself!" she countered, stumbling to her feet and dusting her coat off. Powdered snow had collected on it, and Kinto couldn't tell where the snow began, and her skin ended. It was as though Aimee was water itself.
When she turned to face him, her thin face looked even whiter than usual, and her eyes seemed to deepen in color, almost turning brown. "Let's just get out of here..."
"Alright.." Kinto agreed quietly.
"COMPLETE IDIOCRACY!"
Echoes of murmurs suddenly hit their ears, and both teens stopped, looking back into a dark alleyway that formed between the small shop, and the deserted looking building. Forgetting her anger, Aimee stole away gently, running into the dark. Kinto gasped.
"Aimee! Where are you going?!"
Hearing no answer, Kinto shook his head and followed her into the alleyway. It was pitch black, and dark. Fear began to coil around him. Where was Aimee?
"Aim-"
"Shh!"
A thin hand wrapped around his mouth, pulling him down. Almost screaming with shock, Kinto trembled against her cold body.
"Just listen.." she hissed.
His eyes adjusting to the dark, he saw that they were settled in front of a small basement window. It had been cracked in a few areas, allowing some sound to reach their ears. Squinting ahead in the darkness, Kinto could make out the thin image of several men gathered around a table, many he recognized from the Royal Council. Confused about why they were all there, Kinto and Aimee continued to watch.
"We can't keep this information from them forever.." one plump man stated, his chin jiggling with each word. "The people have the right to know!"
Know what? Aimee wondered wildly.
"It would be dangerous! Without hope, our people will wither away. The Fire Nation knows this!" another man countered, his hooked nose glaring down at the plump man condescendingly.
"But what good does it do to lie to our people about the Warriors? What if they find out?" a mysterious figure asked at the back of the room.
A great outburst of talking resulted, voices blending together in the dim light.
"SILENCE!" someone shouted.
Aimee followed the sound to the image of someone she never would have thought she'd ever see in such filth. Master Paku.
"This tribe has been distressed enough. Once we find out who the missing warriors are..we'll wait. If we don't get a message in ten days time about their whereabouts- we'll tell the people."
Missing warriors...?!
There was a small murmur of agreement. "And when is the next hawk to arrive." the hooked nose man asked.
"At midnight in two moons. ...same time, same place." Paku responded.
How could they deny us this information?
Feeling her anger build again, Aimee felt as Kinto pulled her to her feet.
"Come on..let's get out of here!" he growled, pulling on her hand.
Aimee followed him running out of the alleyway, shaking with anger.
"How could they do this?" she gasped hatefully. "How could they lie to us?"
"The more important question is...who are these warriors?" he asked.
Tears started to build in her eyes, and she tried desperately to swallow them. She refused to be so weak in front of anyone. "I just don't understand why any of this had to happen..why they took my father away from me...why the world is the way it is..."
She shook, and gazed up into her friend's eyes. "Why is this war going on? Why is there such inequality everywhere...how come I end up being the one who suffers because of things that aren't my fault!"
"I don't know Aimee...I just don't know."
Kinto's hands tightened on her small wrists. "But I promise that we'll go to this 'meeting' and find out.."
"I promise..."
And in the busy marketplace, among screaming and crying, the two friends hugged against the uncertainty of their world. That was the only thing that made sense.