Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Avatar. Maybe if I married one of the creators then divorced him I'd have a bit...insert evil laugh
Author's Note: This story is basically just my own little tale of what'll happen next in the whole thing. It would probably translate to the next book of the story, or maybe the next 2 books. Anyways, it's all after Crossroads of Destiny and all, hope you like it folks.
Also, I am decent at spelling but my grammar is terrible! Please don't hold it against me. :(
Chapter 1: Dreams and Prophecies
"Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you."
Frank Tyger
Azula walked the streets of Ba Sing Se. It was the more upper class portion and she was surrounded by the Dai Li but even alone and in the poorer district she would've felt safe. She wanted to survey her newly acquired kingdom while she worked.
"That ship had better be ready by morning. I don't want the Avatar's trail to grow cold. The War Minister should be here by then allowing my counterparts and me to depart."
"Yes your highness." The peon replied as he left to do her bidding.
"And how exactly are you planning to find the Avatar Azula?" Zuko asked.
Azula gave Zuko a patronizing look. "His bison sheds so much I'm sure they'll leave a nice little trail for us. The main concern is reaching them before they get to the ocean. It's harder to track them there."
"Still," Mai said from her other side. "Where can they possibly go?" She asked in her usual flat tone.
"Maybe this old lady will know." Came a cheerful voice from a distance behind them.
All three turned to see Ty Lee reading a sign on one of the houses. "Madame Kan." She stated.
Mai blinked as her brain processed the name. "I've heard of her. She's talked about in court. Said to know all." Mai sounded skeptical about this.
"A fortuneteller? Really Ty Lee I doubt she's anything but a fraud." Azule stated.
"And your anything but a queen yet Princess Azula. You however strut around like one."
All four turned to the old woman standing before them on the road. No one had heard the old woman walking, one would almost assume she had simply appeared out of thin air. She held a wooden walking cane in one hand and a basket heavy with groceries in the other. "I also can't tell you where the Avatar is if you don't ask."
Madame Kan proceeded to walk around the lot. Zuko noted that the Dai Li actually moved to let the old lady past. Zuko pondered this action a moment as the old woman passed Ty Lee.
"Oh, to answer the question your really pondering dear, yes there is a chance. Possibilities are endless in love." Kan said in a matter of fact tone to Ty Lee.
The circus girl let out a squeal at first before realizing that she hadn't asked a question to begin with.
"I don't want to know what that was about..." Mai stated.
A few minutes later Zuko watched as the candle flames reflected in the crystal ball. The reflections seem to dance across the surface. "If your a great seer, why do you need a crystal ball?" He asked.
"Your a firebender but to shoot fire you have to go flipping around like a rabid hogmonkey. Why do you have to do that?
Ty Lee snickered and Mai seemed to grin a bit at the statement while Azula's eyes narrowed at the old woman.
Kan took no notice and placed a tray in front of the four. Hot tea and sweet cakes resting on it.
Zuko took a tea cup out of habit and courtesy. The smell made his heart ache. Ginseng...Uncle's favorite...
"Now then, you all have questions. Some in your minds and some on your hearts. I'll try to answer all of them but..."
"We're only seeking information about the Avatar." Azula stated. "Where he's heading, his condition, his allies, everything." If it hadn't been for the fact that the old woman knew her title and name without hearing it she wouldn't have even graced the old crone's presence.
Kan cocked an eyebrow at Azula, "Are you sure it's the Avatar's conditions and allies or your fathers you want to know?
Azula's eyes widened just slightly. Even Zuko didn't notice the reaction to the old woman's words.
"The Avatar's old woman." Azula stated in a sharp tone.
Kan started waving her hands around the ball. Zuko could've sworn the hand motions were from different bending forms.
"Ah," Kan said as if in understanding. "I see the Avatar."
"Where?" Ty Lee asked looking at the ball in different angles. "All I see are reflections."
Kan seem to concentrate more. "The Avatar flies south east, to hide and heal amoung the ghosts of the Air Bisons."
Azula didn't pay attention to the ghost part. The Avatar was flying south east.
"It is not however...the Avatar you should worry about."
Azula blinked at the old woman. "What do you mean?"
"The Avatar has decided his path. As have his companions."
Mai rolled her eyes, "You make no sense lady."
"When the Avatar descends upon the Fire Lord's armies, he will have his own army."
"We already took his army away from him though." Ty Lee said in confusion.
"Not all armies are soldiers and made of thousands child. This army is different. The Avatar will lead this small band. Composed of so few but with more destructive force then you can imagine."
"Probably just his three little friends." Mai scoffed.
"One who listens to the earth, a moon kissed wolf, and a great healer. Yes they're with him now. There are three more though. An ancient red dragon, one born of fire but who dances on the wind, and a dragon of white fire."
"There is no such thing as white fire." Azula stated in a matter of fact tone. "Your making things up now."
Kan sent Azula a withering look. "For such a supposedly great firebender you certainly don't know your element do you girl?"
Azula flicked out a finger and held a blue flame on the tip. "I'm very educated in my element old woman. I know all the colors of fire." With this statement Azula started shifting the colors of the flame. "See? No white."
Kan smiled a bit. "Ah but your looking in the wrong place your highness. Look at the heart of the flame."
Azula's eyes narrowed and she stared at her flame.
"It's white." Zuko stated suddenly understanding the old woman. "The heart of a flame is always a bright white, but no firebenders have ever been able to make an entirely white flame."
Azula almost ground her teeth together. She thought about roasting the woman were she sat for daring to prove her wrong. She was the princess of the fire nation and knew her element!
Suddenly the old woman's eyes shifted and rested on hers. Azula blinked and swore she saw herself in the eyes. Not herself as she was that moment but when she was smaller.
Azula blinked but found herself staring at a familiar scene. Two men arguing, a long dead but familiar voice seemed to whisper in her mind...
"You will know your brother's pain..."
"Enough," Azula said sharply putting the fire out as she mentally shook herself. "Tell us who these people are so we can take them out and be done with it."
Kan shrugged. "The old one sits chained in the dark waiting for release, the wind dancer is hiding amoung the trees, and the white dragon sits dying from old wounds that are infected."
Now Azula ground her teeth. "I want names not riddles old crone." She hissed.
Kan sighed. "I can't tell you what I don't know highness."
"Then your useless." Azula stated and headed for the door. Ty Lee and Mai followed behind quickly while Zuko came more slowly.
"Prince Zuko."
Zuko stopped and looked back at Kan.
"A path isn't chosen until one follows it heart, mind, and soul. Your sister's lesson for you about honor is the key to freedom."
"Um..thank you." He said confused as to what Kan was talking about.
"Also, yes she can heal your scar."
Zuko paled a bit, "I didn't..."
"You don't have to ask child. I can read hearts and minds and all the questions in them."
Zuko gave the old woman a small bow before leaving feeling throughly confused.
As soon as the door closed the woman suddenly stood up straight, the white hair suddenly colored itself black, wrinkles faded, and it seemed even her bones changed. The only constant was the eyes. They kept their ancient look even though the color of them changed. "Granted," said the person now standing in Kan's place. "It's probably not the scar your thinking of."
Then the person turned around and completely disappeared.
Later that night Zuko sat in his room simply staring at his candles. He had been attempting to meditate but Kan's words kept drifting back into his mind.
Giving up he moved to his bed and flopped onto it staring now at the ceiling. His mind refused to rest as it jumped from thought to thought.
"Your sister's lesson for you about honor is the key to freedom."
Zuko snorted a little. The only time his sister had talked to him about honor really was right after...everything.
"I thought you had changed!"
The hurt and anger in that one sentence was haunting him.
"Yes she can heal your scar."
Zuko instinctively touched the burnt flesh he was thinking of, remembering the Water Tribe girl offering to try. He wondered for a moment what would've happened if his uncle and the Avatar hadn't busted into the cave at that moment. If she had gone through and tried what would've happened to everything else.
"It does no good to sit and dwell on the past Nephew."
His uncle had told him that once, not long after he had been banished. He had been staring down into the ocean, his scar still had bandages on it, and he was thinking how no one had found the Avatar. Part of him had even been pondering just throwing himself overboard.
"I wish I'd never gone into that war room..."
"It does no good to sit and dwell on the past Nephew."
He hadn't even known his uncle was behind him. Hadn't known he'd said his thoughts aloud.
Now his uncle was sitting in a cell, waiting to get transported to the Fire Nation.
The thought make Zuko's heart hurt.
Just breathe. He told himself. He closed his tired eyes and concentrated on his breathing. In through the nose and out the mouth, until he finally dropped off into a troubled sleep.
Katara stared at the horrible sight before her.
It was dying. The poor thing thrashed about in pain not realizing that doing so openned up it's wounds and made them worse. Blood was splattered everywhere and continued to rain as the dragon roared and spat fire everywhere. She couldn't even tell what color it's scales where it was in such bad shape.
Part of Katara's mind told her to simply leave the beast. It would kill her if she even tried to help it, but her mothering instincts were stronger then her fear of it.
So she stepped forward out of the bushes and carefully took a couple steps toward it.
The creature spotted her in an instant. It growled and bared fangs at her as she took another step. As she took another step the beast spat a stream of fire that missed her by inches.
"It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you," Katara whispered soothingly. "I just want to help you." She took another step and the beast pushed away from her. It had no where to go but it pulled itself into a ball as she advanced still snapping and spitting at her.
Katara reached out a hand finally and touched the beast's nose. She expected it to lash at her again but her touch seemed to calm it. It huffed and snorted in a disgruntled way but let the water girl stroke it's mane as it set it's head wearily on the ground.
"You poor thing." She said as she stared at the horrible wound on it's face. Blood still oozed out of it and a nasty infection appeared to have set in. She couldn't even tell what kind of wound it was from all the blood and puss.
"It's ok." She whispered soothingly as she stroked the cheek on the beast's good side. "I promise I'll take care of you. No one will hurt you ever again."
One golden colored eye blinked at Katara and there was a sigh as the dragon relaxed completely.
A sudden roar caused Katara to turn around. There stood another dragon, this one blue. It roared angrily at her and her new friend.
The injured dragon tried to stand and roared weakly back at the blue, but it was too injured and too tired to do anything but lay there.
The blue jumped over Katara and sank it's claws and teeth into the injured dragon. The injured dragon roared in pain and stared at Katara for a moment before it's golden eyes closed and it's heart stopped beating.
Katara could do nothing but scream at the carnage. Then stare in horror as the blue turn to her, it's mouth and claws covered in blood as it took a breathe and spat a lightning bolt at her.
"Katara wake up!"
Katara blinked up at the blind girl standing over her. Toph wore a look of great concern on her face.
"Are you ok? Seemed like you were having one really bad dream."
"I'm ok Toph." Katara assured her as she sat up. "How's Aang doing?"
Both girl's look over to where Aang lay asleep in one of the sleeping bags. He hadn't regained conscienous since that brief moment after Katara had initially healed him.
"Still asleep." Toph stated.
Katara sighed. They had set up watches on Aang just in case his condition got any worse. Nothing had changed in either direction though. "I'll stay up with him now Toph. After that dream I don't think I'll get anymore sleep tonight."
"That bad huh?" The blind girl asked.
"Yes, and that confusing." Katara stated.
"Weird confusing like food eating people or confusing as in believable but never gonna happen?"
Katara chuckled a bit remembering how a couple nights ago her brother had woken up yelling about food coming to eat him again. "Both oddly enough. I'm fine Toph don't worry about it."
The blind girl nodded and settled onto the ground falling asleep quickly.
Katara sighed and poked some of the embers in the fire with a stick, stirring the fire back into a good size to keep everyone warm. Soon her mind started to wander much to her dislike, for her mind kept wandering back to Ba Sing Se.
The thought of the event made Katara give an ember a particularly vicious stab.
At least now she knew better. With the exception of the old man who'd helped Aang and her escape and a few others, all firebenders were scum. They all deserved to rot. One in particular.
Katara all but growled in anger as she stabbed the stick into the ground next to her, her mind racing down a long list of insulting things to call a certain prince.
She was only thankful that Aang had arrived when he had or she might have done something stupid, like try to heal his scar. Where had he gotten that thing anyways? Probably being stupid in training. Stupid firebenders, they ruined everything and took loved ones away like her mother.
"That's something we have in common."
Some of Katara's angry rage faded. She remembered how sad he had looked telling her about his mother. For a moment there, they hadn't been enemies, just two people who understood each other's pain. For a moment she thought they could've been allies, if not friends.
But then he had to go and side with his stupid sister... Katara thought as she started stabbing at embers with the stick again.
Her mind and emotions continued to loop around the situation until Katara got restless and started making breakfast.
They had long ways to go till they got to the Eastern Air Temple. Specially if they wanted to lose the Fire Nation before they got there.
Yay! done with chapter 1! Tell me what you think pretty please!