Okay, here is Book Three of my Avatar Niella series. Now, this part does not have a lot of action, this is more of a break so we can explore serious character depth, and add another plot twist. This whole first chapter is very dark, and told entirely from Quin's point of view.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar or any of its characters.

WORD COUNT: 1312

The cold wind cut through Quin's shirt like a sharp knife. While he was grateful that the Fire Lord had given him some clothes to replace his old Black Phoenix uniform, he still wished they were a little warmer. But Fire Nation clothing simply wasn't made for such cold temperatures. They could see land from here; Niella had even spotted her home village. Quin wondered how the girl could stand growing up in such freezing weather. He was much more used to the warmer climate of the Fire Nation.

Thinking of home brought a sharp pang in his chest. Mom and Dad were gone, killed while trying to escape their burning house. Liya, his kind sister-in-law, had also lost her life in the horrible raid. Even worse, just a week ago, Quin's dear brother Jang Tsu was taken away from him too. At least, thanks to Niella, he'd been given a somewhat decent burial, and hadn't burned up in the house fire on Kyoshi. Little Kichona, Jang Tsu and Liya's three-year-old daughter, was all he had left. If Azula hadn't killed her by now, of course. If she was gone, he didn't know how he would be able to live with himself.

A small gust of wind hit him, and Tae Xing, who was standing very closely on his left, shivered and budged a little closer to him. As had become their usual, Quin concentrated, and his body temperature rose slightly, warming them both a little bit.

"I see Aleikka!" Niella shouted suddenly, waving at someone on the pier with a big smile on her face. The ship docked a minute later, and Niella was the first down the gangplank. She was met by a small gaggle of teenagers, including some apparently love-struck guys. "Aleikka!" she greeted one of the girls, "I missed you!" The two of them hugged tightly, laughing. Niella turned to Quin and Tae Xing. "Guys, this is my best friend Aleikka. Aleikka, meet Quin and Tae Xing."

One boy came up from behind Niella. "Hey," he whispered loudly. As soon as the young Avatar heard his voice, she turned an interesting shade of red. She spun around to face him.

"H-Haeno!" she stammered, "Um... Hi! It's so good to see you!" She grasped his hands and moved closer to him, but was interrupted by her wave of friends. Quin couldn't help but be reminded of how Liya had acted when she and Jang Tsu were younger. She would stare at her feet and mix up her words, and he would trip and fall the next step he took. Those memories only depressed him even more.

Fire Lord Zuko suddenly appeared at Quin's right side. "The last time I visited," he said quietly, "It was Niella's sixteenth birthday, the day she found out she was the Avatar. I distinctly remember her crashing into me when she ran out crying."

"Why was she crying?" Tae Xing asked.

"Being the Avatar is a huge responsibility, one Niella didn't want."

"But she doesn't seem to mind now."

"Only because she's more used to it, and she's made significant progress with Earthbending and Firebending." Quin completely agreed with the Fire Lord there. He hadn't gotten the chance to see much of Niella's Earthbending, save for when she'd created Jang Tsu's grave back on Kyoshi, but he'd sometimes joined in on her Firebending training. Of course, she was still a beginner, but she'd only started about a week ago.

Quin felt a nudge on his back and realised that the Fire Lord was lightly pushing him forward. "Come on," he said, "We're getting off." Quin and Tae Xing slowly made their way down the gangplank, both pointedly ignoring all the people staring at them.

A pair of younger pre-teens pushed their way through the crowd, both wrapping their arms around Niella. "Niella!" they cried in unison. Niella grinned and hugged them back.

"Yue! Kanna! Oh, I've missed you, too!" Quin noticed that both girls looked almost identical – the same pale complexion and the same blue eyes – except for the colour of their hair. One had dark brown hair, while the other's was more of a brownish red. Niella turned them to face Quin and Tae Xing. "These are my cousins," she explained, "They're Sokka and Suki's daughters." Quin remembered Niella's aunt Suki from Kyoshi, and everyone knew that Sokka was the name of the chief of the Southern Water Tribe.

"Come on," the darker-haired girl insisted, pulling Niella towards the village, "Aunt Katara's waiting for you!" Pretty soon, Niella was the one pulling her cousin along behind her as she raced over to the second-largest ice building. The redheaded sister ran after them, motioning for Quin and Tae Xing to follow.

Inside, it was surprisingly warm. Several oil lamps were lit, giving off a gentle glow; various furs and pelts were hung up on the walls; and a woman was kneeling beside the fireplace, her back to the door. "Mom!" Niella cried, throwing her arms around the woman's neck.

The woman turned in shock. She had big blue eyes and soft dark brown hair in a long braid down her back. Upon seeing Niella's face, her eyes welled up with tears. "Oh, Niella!" She returned the embrace. "You're back!" After a minute or so, she finally noticed the two shivering guests. "Oh, hello. My name's Katara." She stood and extended her hand, and Quin hesitantly shook it. "I'm Niella's mother – well, foster mother."

Niella rolled her eyes and shrugged. "What's the difference?"

At that, Katara pulled her in tighter, a huge smile stretching from ear to ear. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that," she whispered tearfully. Niella whispered something back in her ear, too soft for Quin to make out.

Seeing Katara and Niella reunited reminded Quin of his own mother, Hiko. She'd always looked after him, and remembering her only brought back the horrible reality that his family was gone. He turned and left, not saying a word. The crowd had quickly dispersed, so there was no one around to bother him as he ambled towards the waterfront. The Fire Lord's crew was too busy unloading supplies from the ship to notice him there.

Quin wondered how his family would react if they saw where he was right now. Dad would go on and on about how he'd never left the village his entire life, then clap him on the back for fighting alongside the Avatar. Mom would shiver at the thought of him being so far away from home, but remark that she was proud of him. Jang Tsu would smirk and say something like: "Bring me back some of that blubbered seal-jerky, would ya?" Liya would tell him to put on a coat or something before he froze to death, and Kichona would give him one of her trademark toothy grins, before saying she wanted to go, too. Little Kichona, always speaking her mind, no matter what her opinion was.

And now she was the last one left. Quin wondered where she was now. Were they feeding her? Was she alone? Did she know her father was dead? Was she even alive? What if Azula and her followers had already killed her? What if they'd already done the deed before Quin and Jang Tsu had even left the base?

All these questions raced through his mind at once. He held his head and dropped to his knees in defeat. The tears soon came, pouring uncontrollably from his eyes. It was all too much. The more he thought about it, the less likely it seemed that Kichona could be alive. He looked at the water in front of him. It was steel grey in colour up close, and undoubtedly freezing cold. He wondered how long it would take if he slipped in and never came back out.

Now how was that for a serious chapter? Yes, Quin is more than a little obsessed, but he pretty much lost his whole family, for crying out loud! Everything he experiences is going to lead back to his loss in his mind.