Water. Earth. Fire. Air. My Grandmother told my siblings and I about the days when the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads lived in peace and harmony. That all changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
The Southern Water Tribe was once a beautiful nation filled with culture, prosperity, and joy. I was proud to come from a tribe of people with such a history. Of course, that was history. I didn't remember anything other than war and struggle. My older brother would bring out the realist side of me, reminding me that we can't get out of the war. Meanwhile, my older sister Katara, would tell me that there was a still hope. Hope that the Avatar-the master of all four elements-would return and save the world.
I didn't know who or what to believe. All I knew was that the Fire Nation started this war. That was why I hated them. I would spit on the ground whenever someone would mention Fire Lord Ozai and Fire Lord Sozin. We were all equal, and one nation couldn't overpower the other. That was what my Father told me.
They attacked our tribe when I was a little girl. The only thing I remembered was black soot falling from the sky-a sign that danger was coming. Everyone knew who they were coming for: my sister. She was the last known Waterbender of our tribe, or so they believed. Little did they know that I would be possess the ability to control water, something that was once common amongst our tribe. Gran Gran told me that all the Waterbenders were captured by the Fire Nation. It ended in a bloody battle, and she said she couldn't be more hopeful when she discovered my talents.
That was when that spark of hope reignited in my heart. I still clung to it, even though I believed it was very unlikely that we could ever defeat the Fire Nation. We couldn't change history and save the Air Nomads, but we could make history. When Sokka, Katara, and I discovered the boy in the iceberg, I knew things were about to change.
Our lives were intertwined with his.
