Well, this is my story. It takes place c.500 years before Aang, so obviously certain things about the Avatar world as we know it will be different. I hope you enjoy it :)
The Letters to Yangchen, A Memoir
I. South Pole
1.
Being old gives one a lot of time to think. All this thinking, over years and years, and only now have I finally been able to really decide, to pinpoint, the very day, the very memory, when my life really began. Not the day I was born. No one can remember that, but the day that changed my life forever. The day I met Yangchen. It is one of my most vivid childhood memories, two weeks after my ninth birthday, and one week until the winter solstice during the coldest time of the year.
The sky was dark, even in the late afternoon, and the entire palace courtyard was covered in a sheet of snow. Everything was still, as if the whole world had hibernated for the winter, sleeping away the freezing endless nights. In the middle of that courtyard was the fountain. It seemed massive to me, back then; deeper than I was tall, and the top where the water bubbled out seemed to be too high for me to see, disappearing into the thick grey clouds. However, despite the frozen tundra around it, the water still flowed. It was powered by hot coals which kept the water warm enough to prevent it from being solidified into a huge grey block. The temperature was freezing, with a bone piercing wind chill.
I followed Arin into the courtyard. Both of us tottering on over-layered legs and too long parkas. Our legs sinking up to our knees in the fresh powdery snow. Our eyes and pink noses the were the only parts of our bodies exposed as we tumbled into the snow laughing. We leaned against the fountain to catch our breaths, giggling as our exhales froze instantly in the air as little white puffs. I could feel the icy air chilling my strained lungs. We both stood there, hunched over and panting.
"Okay," said Arin finally, "I've got one for you, Rika." I squinted at her from inside my fuzzy hood. It was difficult to distinguish her features in the flickering lamps.
"M'kay." I answered.
"You're not gonna be too wimpy, are ya?"
"Nope."
"You're not gonna act like a possum-chicken?"
"Nope."
"You promise?"
"Yup."
"Kay, then I dare you to take off your parka and mittens." She crossed her arms.
"No way!" I protested. "That's crazy!"
"You promised…" she reminded me. She stood up straight emphasizing the fact that she was two years old than me, thus making her two years smarter.
I took a deep breath.
"Fine." I said grudgingly. I pulled back my hood and began unbuttoning my soft, warm blue parka. I tossed it onto the ground next to me. I was not that cold so I kept going. I took off my other two layers until I was down to just my thin undershirt.
"You don't have to do that—" but I ignored her. I took off my boots so my socks became instantly soaked with slush and my two layers of pants. I climbed up onto the fountain ledge wearing nothing but my undergarments then I removed my mittens and let them drop into the snow below. I bounced lightly on my chilled feet.
"I'm not even cold!" I said through shivering teeth that were gnashing together so violently I was afraid that they would crack. I felt as if my arms and legs were being poked with the quills of the porcupine-fish, and my feet were nothing but blocks of ice. "Ha, ha, ha!" I sang, dancing around the wide fountain ledge on my toes. "I win, I win!" Suddenly, a gust of win caught me in mid skip. I tried to regain my balance on the slippery icy surface, but instead I fell splashing loudly in the clear water of the fountain.
"Rika!" screamed Arin.
"I'm all right," I tried to choke out, but I felt as if my very vocal chords had frozen. I tried to kick, but my legs would not move. I reached weakly for the edge, but my numb fingers slipped. I felt a dizzy panic setting over me.
"Rika! Rika! Rika!" Arin shrieked. She clambered onto the fountain ledge and held out her hand. We made eye contact, and then it happened. Her pink tinged face seemed to go green as her breath caught in her lungs. She wheezed and her eyes seemed bulge. Her frantic gasping gave me a new burst of energy. I urged my legs to move and I gave one mighty kick propelling me to the edge. I clambered out and Arin and I tumbled down into the snow.
"Arin," I said as firmly as I could, "Arin, breathe. It's going to be okay." I shivered and she continued her rasping. "You can help me, calm down and waterbend the water off of me." I could see from her face that she wanted to, yet at the same time, she had a resigned expression as if she were ready to succumb to the unknown force that was preventing her from breathing.
"Please," I urged her. I put my cold hands on her sweating face. She closed her eyes and raised a shaking hand. I felt the water flow off of me, the glistening drops freezing back into the snow. I immediately ran to grab my clothes. I shoved my damp clothes over my dry body, and, as soon as I had my overcoat on, felt remarkably warmer. Arin was no longer hyperventilating. She was lying quietly in the snow. I knelt by her. Her eyes were closed. I shook her arm.
"Arin, wake up, are you okay?" I whispered. She sat up opening her eyes. Her blue eyes seemed bright with confusion.
"Y-you're alright." She stammered.
"Yes, thanks to you."
"I'm so sorry, Rika," she took deep breaths reveling the renewed usage of her lungs.
"It's okay."
"Rika, Arin, what are you two doing out here in the snow?" my mother came out of nowhere.
"Nothing, Mom," I answered. We both straightened up.
"What happened? You two look horrible," Mother commented.
"Nothing, Auntie." Said Arin.
"Well, come with me, you both need to get cleaned up. We have important dinner guests coming." I could practically feel my insides writhing with curious anticipation. Who were these guests that were so significant that Arin and I had to clean up especially for them? We did not normally get travelers down at the bottom of the earth and even when we did, most of the time the adults did not want us around. The only child who was ever permitted was normally my older brother Kaito, who was seven years my senior. We were never very close as siblings. Arin was an only child, daughter of my uncle, the current chief of the Southern Water Tribe and she never grew tired of reminding me which one of us was the princess, and which one of us was the princess' lowly younger cousin.
Mother bustled us into the warm palace interior and we washed up and prepared ourselves for our guests. We bathed and got into our nicest dresses. I loved mine. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. My father had brought it back from the Earth Kingdom, and the swirling greens and browns were so different from anything I had ever worn. I felt so beautiful when I wore it, which was limited to very special occasions. I had not worn it in for several months and I was overjoyed that it still fit. I twirled and twirled in front of the mirror joyfully. Arin, in her plain blue gown, thought I was being immature. Mother told me that she was just jealous.
"Who do you think is visiting?" she asked I looked at her reflection in the mirror instead of turning around.
"I dunno. But I sure am excited." I curtsied, enjoying how lovely the greens complimented my dark skin.
"Oh, move out of the way, you're blocking my mirror." I flounced out of the way and watched her preen herself. There was a knock on the door and my mother and aunt came in.
"Are you girls ready?" asked Auntie. We both nodded and followed them out. The corridors of the icy palace were surprisingly toasty. Bright fires crackled and reflected off the clear floor. I felt very elegant in my dress as if I were the princess, not Arin. Arin pouted.
The banquet room was very fancy. There were fancy ceramic bowls opposed to the wooden ones we normally used. Everyone's chair had a decorative cushion, and crystal glasses filled with a sweet smelling juice. My stomach grumbled. Mother showed Arin and me our seats at the end of the table and she and Auntie went to sit down at the other end of the table where the adults would sit. There were many places set, and I wondered when the guests would arrive. I began to grow bored of waiting. I played with the hem of my beautiful dress until Arin kicked me under the table.
I looked up to see the most interesting looking women I had ever seen.
They filed into the room in a perfectly straight line behind my father and uncle. There were six or seven of them, all tall and thin, with straight brown hair that fell to their waists. All of them wore loose fitting orange and yellow robes despite the freezing temperatures and they decorated themselves with carved-wood accessories. Their serene grey eyes seemed infinitely knowledgeable and they walked with so much grace it was almost if they were gliding. The tops of their heads, I noticed, was shaved revealing a intriguing blue arrow. My first thought was to giggle at the way it pointed to their nose and filled up their entire foreheads, but it had such a serious and powerful aura to it that the giggle stayed stuck in my throat. Arin kicked me again.
"It's rude to stare!" she hissed. I looked down at the lap as they took their seats.
"Who are they?" I asked her, but she did not answer for at that moment, the woman seated to the right of Uncle spoke.
"I hope you don't mind," she said, "but we needed to borrow a parka for our youngest member." She indicated the only empty place left at the table with an eloquent sweep of her hand.
"Oh, it is not a problem," chuckled Uncle, "honestly, I can't believe that you can stand this weather with what you are wearing." The woman's thin lips pressed together in a small smile.
"We thank you for your hospitality," she answered. "We don't normally travel all the way to the South Pole." Her voice was low and mellow sounding, yet it had an oddly powerful edge to it. It was mystifying to listen to.
"Finally!" exclaimed another one of the women staring past me at the doorway. I turned to see a scrawny girl in a too large parka trying to sneak in. She was one of the women, yet she was different. She had the same long straight hair (though hers seemed knotted and mangled) and I could see the same orange and yellow robes poking out from the bottom of the coat. She did not have the arrows or the wooden carved jewelry nor did she have that refined elegance like that of her superiors. She seemed a bit older than Arin, and I wondered why they had brought her along. She reminded me of the rabbit-swan. I had seen pictures of it in the library. As an infant it started out with ugly brown feathers, and too large clumsy feet—much like the girl walking with her head down to her seat. Then, when the rabbit-swan grows up, it becomes elegant, its feathers turn a pearly white, and its feet become proportionate to its body—like our visitors.
The girl bowed apologetically when she reached her seat.
"You may sit, Yangchen," said the woman who had spoken first. Yangchen sat wordlessly. Two servants brought out a large pot of soup and set it in the middle of the table.
"This is a special vegetable soup made especially for our visitors." Explained Uncle as the servants began ladling it into our bowls. It smelled magnificent. "If I understand correctly, you don't eat meat?"
"That would be correct." Answered the same woman, the one sitting on Uncle's right. "It is the custom of the Air Nomads to keep a vegetarian diet." I was confused.
"Wait, you don't look like the other Air Nomads who visited here before…" I blurted out. Everyone at the table stared at me and I blushed and looked at my lap. Arin kicked me for the third time. Surprisingly, a few of the Air Nomads laughed.
"The last time Air Nomads visited, they were from the Southern Air Temple," explained Uncle, "remember, niece? They were men. They visit once or twice a month but we don't normally have a fancy dinner for them. Usually they just deliver news about the rest of the world."
"Oh," I felt my cheeks burning with humiliation. "But you're all airbenders, right?" I tried to redeem myself.
"Yes," she answered with a smile. "We have traveled a very long way from the Western Air Temple." I nodded and then occupied myself with my warm soup to avoid any other discomfiture. It was very tasty and I tried my best not to slurp. The adults made conversation at the other end of the table and I did not pay attention. Yangchen, the young girl, looked nearly as bored as I felt. She was sitting next to Kaito, towards the middle of the table, several seats away from me.
Looking back, I wonder if, at that time, the other Air Nomads knew who she really was; who she would become. I wonder if anyone would have ever guessed that this scrawny child would become the powerful avatar, master of all four elements, responsible for balance in the world. I, of course, had no idea.
After some time, the adults allowed Arin and I to be excused from the table. Uncle sent us off with the explanation that the adults needed to talk about some "adult things." Arin pouted, but I was eager to get away from the table.
"Take Yangchen with you," commanded the Air Nomad who had answered my question earlier. I had concluded that she was the head of the little group. Yangchen hopped up with a small burst of air and followed Arin and me out of the room. We headed into Arin's and my room in silence.
"So," said Arin when we got there, "you're an airbender?"
"Yep," answered Yangchen, and she sent a gust of air at the mirror just to prove it.
"Well, I'm a waterbender." Bragged Arin.
"Congratulations,"
"Hey, if you're an airbender, then why do you not got those tattoos?" I asked.
"Don't have any tattoos," corrected Arin.
"I don't have them," she giggled, "because I'm still a kid, like you guys. I'll get them when I'm an adult."
"How old are you?" I asked her.
"Eleven."
"Oh, I'm eleven too!" exclaimed Arin. "And Rika's just a little kid. She's only nine."
"Hey!" I protested. "I'm not that little." Yangchen smiled.
"I know." She said. "How do you guys live down here? It's freezing?"
"I guess we're just used to it." I shrugged. "Though I almost froze to death today."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I had to save her," said Arin. I rolled my eyes but I did not have the heart to contradict her.
"Though, it may be cold here, but it's much colder in the North Pole." Said Yangchen.
"You've been to the North Pole?" Arin looked astounded. Yangchen nodded in response.
"We were just there before we came here. Their feast wasn't as good as the one we just ate. They tried to give us fish."
"Wow…" Arin tried to look sympathetic.
"And after we ate they made me talk to this horrible boy, who was really irritating. Not like you guys. I like you two." She grinned and I grinned in response proudly. "Unfortunately, we're probably going to be leaving in the morning."
"Aww…that stinks." I said. "Do you think you're ever going to come back?"
"How am I supposed to know? I just go where Kelisiting tells me." She giggled. "But as I said before, I like you guys, so I've got a crazy idea."
"Tell us!" Arin urged her.
"Okay, so, you can read and write, right?"
"Yes! I'm eleven years old."
"Just checking, anyway, you know how your dad mentioned that monks from the Southern Air Temple visit once or twice a month?" Arin and I nodded. "Well, after they visit you, they travel around and then they come and visit me. We could keep in contact if whenever they visit if you give them a letter—a written message—and tell them to give it to me. Trust me, they know who I am." She giggled again. "And when I get yours, I'll give them one to bring to you and we could keep it up so then we always know what's going on with the others." There was silence when she finished as Arin and I mulled the idea over.
"That sounds interesting…" said Arin after a few moments.
"So, you'll write to me?" asked Yangchen. Arin nodded.
"Me too!" I added. Yangchen laughed.
"Of course." Yangchen bowed as if to seal the deal. Arin and I followed suit.
Avatar belongs to Viacom, and Nick. Not me!