Chapter 1
Found in The Sea

Mirielle of the southern water tribe was working with her mother to finish up the meal for the men of the house, the father a noble warrior walking the perimeter of the village, the son, young but considered a man on his first fishing trip. Mirielle was smiling but she was also thinking of what she will do tonight after her family was asleep. "Something on your mind dear?" Her mother asked. "No, nothing really," Mirielle answered. She wasn't sure on how her mother will react to her wanting to do more then just healing with her waterbending so she kept it to herself. "Alright" Her mom said "Are you almost done with the meat side of that meal?" "Yeah," Mirielle said smiling at her mother as she did finished up the meat. "You think your brother did a good job on his first solo hunt?" Her mom asked. "He probably did," Mirielle said smiling. "Mother Mirielle come quick" Her brother called. Mirielle looked at her mother when she heard her brother call before she got up and headed out to see what he wanted. When they went out and seen him, they found that he had a young man that looked like he had been in the water too long in his fish net. Mirielle was concern and moved closer to the net wondering who this young man could be and what was he doing in the fishing net. "I found him and the remains of a boat" Calder said. "Is he alright," Mirielle asked with concern. "I don't know" Calder said "He's passed out, but he's still alive" "Alright I'll check on him," Mirielle said softly as she moved to take the net off the young man. Once she had it off she found that he was still breathing but barely. "Help me get him inside and I'll see what I can do to heal him from whatever it is," Mirielle said to her brother.

The two then worked together to get him inside and on to the couch. As soon as she was sure the young man was settled she thanked her brother and began to work her healing water on the young man. The boy soon woke up however very slowly at first. Mirielle saw this but continued her healing until she was sure the young man was alright. "Wh-what happened?" He called softly as he got his bearings "Where am I?" "I'm not sure on what happened but you are safe here at the Southern Water Tribe. Who are you," Mirielle asked softly and looked into the young man's eyes once she was sure she had healed all she could tell. The young man's eyes were a bright blue; just like the ocean she loved so much, "The water tribe?" He asked "How did I get here? Last I remember I was fishing off the coast of the island" "Off the coast of what island," Mirielle asked not bothering to answer how he got there until she understood on what he meant. "The Kyoshi Islands" The man said. Mirielle's eyes widen and said, "I don't know what happened but you got here when my brother caught you in his fishing net. Can you remember what could have happened to cause you to be in the water?" "I don't know I was fishing I guess my boat capsized." He said "I got to get back to the island though eventually." He then tried to get up but fell back down to the couch. "Take it easy. You are still healing from your adventure in the ocean so you should rest a while. What is your name? Mine is Mirielle," Mirielle said gently pushing him back on the couch to show that she means for him to stay there until he was better. "Gaius" The man said softly, resting now on the couch. "It's nice to meet you Gaius now you just rest," Mirielle said. Since she was sure he didn't need her to heal anything more she began to get up. "Why did you save me?" Gaius asked.

Mirielle looked at Gaius with surprise in her own blue eyes and said, "Do people need a reason to help others now-a-days." "I thought the water tribe only protected its own?" Gaius asked. Mirielle smiled at Gaius and said, "That is normally true but we don't turn our backs on people who need our help either." "You said your name was Mirielle?" Gaius asked. "Yes," Mirielle said looking thoughtfully at Gaius. "Well thank you Mirielle" Gaius said. "You're welcome Gaius," Mirielle said smiling at him, "Now I'm going to let you rest." "Alright" And Gaius fell silent and laid down. "So who is he?" Calder asked when she walked into the kitchen. "His name is Gaius," Mirielle said and told her brother where Gaius said he was at. "That must have been his boat then" Calder said. "Yeah," Mirielle said smiling at her brother, "I'm letting him rest so don't bother him Calder." "I wasn't going to" Calder said "So is dad home yet?" "Not that I know of but I'm going to be near the ocean for a while," Mirielle said to her brother. "Be careful out there" Calder said "And I will call you when father comes home" "I'll be as careful as I can Calder and okay," Mirielle said smiling at her brother. Mirielle was making her way outside now and could see the dull tide coming up on the edge of the shore. Mirielle smiled as she watched the tide and began to make the motions of the waves. The water flowed just a little bit higher and stronger as she began to waterbend. Mirielle smiled and continued doing the basics of her waterbending. She soon noticed that her father was making his way home. Mirielle smiled and after a few more motions she stopped her waterbending and headed back to the house. She got in the back door as her dad went in the front.

Mirielle smiled and said, "Hi father." "Hello Mirielle how are you doing tonight?" He asked. "I'm doing fine but we have a visitor," Mirielle said. "Really?" Her dad asked "And who would that be?" Mirielle moved and showed her father Gaius as she went to check on him once more to be sure she didn't miss any injuries. Gaius was doing fine, she had healed his body nicely and he even smiled at her a bit when she walked in. "Did you find him in the water?" Her dad asked "His clothes are all wet, you'll have to get him some dry clothes or he'll get sick" "I'll do that but for now father go and eat. I'll be there as soon as I'm done," Mirielle said smiling at her father. She also smiled at Gaius. "Fair enough" Her dad said leaving the room. Gaius just watched her now. Mirielle smiled once more before she used her waterbending to remove all water from Gaius' clothes and got him a warm blanket. "How did you do that?" Gaius asked "I thought girls didn't waterbend?" Mirielle answered by saying, "Just because you never heard of a girl that waterbends it doesn't mean that their not around." "I thought the water tribes didn't allow it?" Gaius asked. "Only the Northern Tribe doesn't allow it. They think that females aren't as strong as the males I guess, but here we had both male and female waterbenders before the Fire Nation did raids here," Mirielle answered. She then looked at Gaius with worry and said, "Your not one of those that believe males are better at fighting then females are, are you." "Far from it" Gaius said "On my island the roles are reversed so I know where you're coming from" Mirielle smiled and said, "My family knows that I'm a waterbender but they do their best to make sure it stays a secret so that the Firebenders won't learn of me."

"That's probably the best idea" Gaius said "You don't look like the warrior type" For some reason that hurt Mirielle. She didn't want to feel like she couldn't protect herself. The hurt entered her eyes giving Gaius a brief glimpse before she turned away from him and looked at a nearby wall that had a pelt hanging on it. "No no" Gaius said quickly, he was used to girls that were tougher then her, "I didn't mean you couldn't fight just that you didn't seem the type that would fight. With those skills that just helped dry my clothes you would make a great fighter, I just don't think you would do it unless you had to" Mirielle just sigh and said, "I should be use to others not believing that I can take care of myself but each time something like that is said I get hurt by it." She then stood up. "At least your whole family knows of your secret" Gaius said "In my case only the one showing me knows and she is going to kill me if I don't get home as soon as possible" "You need to worry more about getting rest before you leave Gaius. I'll bring you a plate so you can eat and once you are done eating you should get more rest. My brother and I will help you as best as we can to get you back home to whomever you need to get back to," Mirielle said softly. Gaius relaxed a little bit, though he did so reluctantly "I guess your right" He said just as softly. Mirielle just shook her head sadly and move away from Gaius to go to the kitchen and get his plate for him. Gaius just watched her leave the room, she is such a caring girl He thought, and I got to be careful. After a few moments Mirielle returned to where Gaius was with his plate. She smiled at him and though sadness was still there her smile seemed to hide it. "There you go Gaius. I hope you enjoy your meal," she said. "I am sure I will" Gaius said, Trying to make her feel better about it and cheer her up. "If you're anything like the girls I know make you mad and we should run"

Mirielle couldn't help it. She laughed softly at that. Her laugh sounded like soft waves of the ocean and the gentle breeze of the wind. Gaius laughed when she laughed "Your laugh is just like I thought it would be" He said so softly it was almost hard to hear. Mirielle was able to hear it though and she looked at Gaius as she said softly, "It is?" "I like it" Gaius said simply smiling at her. Her dad came in now. "How goes drying his clothes?" He asked then he saw that they were already dry "Oh, you used water bending didn't you?" He looked at Mirielle. Mirielle looked at her father with her brightest smiles and just nodded. He could see the laughter sparkling in her blue eyes. "Are you sure you can trust him with that secret?" He asked. Mirielle looked at Gaius and said, "Yes, I trust him to not tell anyone." "Believe me I won't say a word about it" Gaius said "Alright then" Her dad said "Are you feeling better?" "Yes" Gaius replied "Though I don't know when I will be able to get out there and head home, that will be up to my healer here." He looked at Mirielle. Mirielle smiled softly and said, "If you rest well tonight you should be able to head back home tomorrow afternoon." "Sounds like a plan" Gaius said "Though I know my sister will worry about me in the night. Probably have the whole troop in boats looking for me" "As long as they don't cause any trouble it should be fine then," Mirielle said softly smiling her voice teasing. "I doubt she would ever think that I would drift this far" Gaius said "And they probably won't leave for the deep waters until tomorrow morning anyway" "Well then don't worry about it and eat your food and get your rest," Mirielle said gently but firmly.

"Yes Ma'am" Gaius said doing a soldier's salute and smiling at her. Mirielle smiled and laugh once more before she looked at her father. "It would probably be best if we all go to bed" He said smiling as well, "It is getting pretty late" "Okay," Mirielle said. She stood up once more and gave her father a hug. She turned and gave Gaius a smile before she said goodnight to them both and left the room. Gaius lay back down on the couch to get some sleep himself. Mirielle laid in her bed thinking and hoping that she was right to trust Gaius with her secret but she needed sleep so she let those thoughts flow out of her mind like water and went to sleep. The next morning came and as always Mirielle woke up just as her mom did and began making breakfast. Remembering that they had a guest Mirielle made sure that there was enough food for everyone. Once breakfast was cooked her mother went to check on the others to see if they were awake and she left Mirielle to wake up Gaius. Mirielle went to were Gaius was to see if he was awake so he could eat. Gaius was still sleeping soundly on the couch. Mirielle smiled and moved closer to him to gently shake him awake. "Time to wake up Gaius," she said. He smiled at her and woke up. "Already?" He said. Mirielle smiled and said, "I don't think you would want to miss breakfast." "Nope" Gaius said smiling. Mirielle smiled as well and said, "Well then here is your plate." Gaius looked at it and smiled before he started to eat it happily. Mirielle smiled and went to eat her own food so that Gaius can eat in peace. Everyone soon finished up their food, including Gaius who came in to give them his dishes. Mirielle smiled gratefully at Gaius and went to wash the dishes as she always does. "Looks like I am stable enough to stand now" Gaius said testing his legs. "Yes, I guess we should get everything ready to take you back home then," Mirielle said smiling. "Whenever you think is best" Gaius said.

Mirielle smiled at Gaius and looked at her father and brother. Her dad looked back at her and smiled. "Who is going to take him back?" Calder asked. "I will," Mirielle said smiling knowing how her brother and father will act especially her brother. He may be younger then she but he sometimes acts like an older brother. "Not alone you won't" Her brother said, quickly "I will go with you" Mirielle smiled and said, "Alright." She looked at her father. "He did great on his ice dodging and his first fishing trip." Her dad said "You should be fine without me, besides I have to go on patrol" "Alright then," Mirielle said smiling over at her brother. "Do you want to go ahead and go out to prepare the boat then?" Calder asked. "Yeah I'll do that but I have to pack some things we may need as well," Mirielle pointed out. She wasn't sure on how long they will be gone but she knew they will be better off prepared. "You pack and I will prepare the boat" Calder said smiling. "Alright," Mirielle said smiling back at her brother. She turned to look at Gaius. "What do you want me to do?" He asked. "If you like you can help me gather the things we'll need," Mirielle said. "Sure" Gaius said. Mirielle smiled and got Gaius to follow her to where she will be packing the stuff. Gaius did so and waited to see where he could help. Mirielle gathered the supplies and pointed out some of them that she could reach for Gaius to get for her like some blankets, sleeping bags, and canteens. Gaius did so and handed them to her to pack up. After a while Mirielle was sure she had everything that they will need and made quick foods that they could eat on the trip.

Gaius just watched her. Mirielle finally had everything packed and ready to go. She looked at Gaius and smiled before she got up from packing and got ready to take the backpacks out. Gaius carried a few to lighten her load. Mirielle was almost surprised at just how much of it he could carry on his own. Mirielle was surprised but she didn't say anything about it right away. She had a feeling she will be learning more about Gaius as they take him home. So she just followed him outside towards the boat that Calder would have ready. "Wow your pretty strong" Calder said when he saw all the weight Gaius was carrying "This isn't nothing compared to the other loads I've had" Gaius said smiling. "Really? What all did you carry before," Mirielle asked curiously as she worked on loading the boat. "Sometimes I have to carry the large rocks that my sister and the troops train with." Gaius said "Since they didn't want me to be earthbending like my sister my parents made me bulk up instead. I really wanted to earthbend though and could do without all this strength I have." "But if you can earthbend there is nothing they can do to prevent you from doing so. It's a part of you no matter how much they may wish it wasn't," Mirielle said speaking from experience. "I know that" Gaius said "But my mom and dad think that one Earthbender in the family is enough. Though since I can't join the troops I will probably wind up leaving the island eventually" Feeling like she over stepped her bounds Mirielle stayed quiet the rest of the way at putting things on the boat. "And you know I am ok with that" Gaius said, he didn't think that Mirielle had overstepped her bounds and he enjoyed talking to her about it, "I have always lived on that island I want to see the rest of the world, the other benders, even firebenders if it is safe to do so"

"Well we can't be sure on meeting a nice firebender really easily," Mirielle said soon after she had the boat loaded. "I know and I hope that if I ever go the fire country I don't run into any problems" Gaius said. Everything was soon ready for them to shove off. Mirielle looked at her brother to see if he was ready to go as well as Gaius before she smiled once more and move to get on the boat. "Yup we're ready" Calder said. "I'll push it off you two get in" Gaius said smiling. Calder did so and Gaius pushed them into the water before he climbed in himself. Mirielle made sure Gaius was on the boat safely before she used her waterbending to get a small wave to start them off. Calder then began to row them through the water once they were far enough away from shore. Mirielle smiled and went to the side of the boat so she can watch the ocean. "You said you lived on the Kyoshi Island's?" Calder asked "That's the island with the female earthbender warrior's right?" "Yup" Gaius said "My sister is one of them" Mirielle shook her head and smiled at her brother as she said her voice kind yet teasing, "What can you not believe that females can fight as warriors Calder." She knew that Calder will realize she was teasing. "It will be interesting see that's for sure" Calder said smiling at Mirielle's tease. "Let's just hope they don't go off the deep end seeing me with two of the water tribe" Gaius said. "Why would they go off the deep end? We don't mean any harm," Mirielle asked curiously. "True but they will first wonder why I am with the water tribe and how long I have been gone. Then they will realize that that can only mean I capsized the boat, which means they need to watch over me more." Gaius said "My sisters an older sister, she's a bit protective" Mirielle smiled and said, "That kinda reminds me on how Calder acts sometimes."

"He is a younger sibling though" Gaius said "It's a bit different when it's an older sibling that could very well scare you when she's mad" Mirielle giggled softly and said, "I'm sure everything will be fine Gaius." Gaius couldn't stop himself from staring into Mirielle's bright blue eyes when she giggled like that; he hoped he wouldn't offend her. Seeing Gaius staring at her Mirielle smiled softly at him and turned back to watch the ocean once more. Gaius just smiled back before she turned then turned to look at the water himself. Sometime later before Calder says "Hey folks" Calder called "I think we are close to land look." He pointed off in the distance and Mirielle could see the 'C' shape of the island mountains and the soft beach in the middle. "Yeah it looks like it," Mirielle said. "Let's hope things go well" Gaius said softly sighing gently. Mirielle moved over to Gaius and gently touched his shoulder and said, "Everything will be fine I'm sure."