This was basically inspired by the ridiculous play the Gaang goes to see in season three. Kinda...it's really weird, okay? Also, I wrote this before I saw Legend of Korra, so I guess ignore that ever happened? Oh well. Enjoy.
A New Kind of World
Ugh. History. Teirsa hated history. Okay, learning about the Avatars last semester had been pretty cool, but now they were studying the Hundred Year War. Which Teirsa knew little about, to be honest, but anything that went as long as a hundred years had to be super boring. Whatever. It included her favorite Fire Lord, Fire Lord Zuko, so hopefully it would be interesting enough.
"Good afternoon class!" Mrs. Took stated brightly. She was a small, petite airbender, who had wayyyyyyy too much energy for a normal thirty year old, and really liked history for some reason. Particularly ancient history. "As you all know, we'll be learning about the Hundred Year War this semester. We will be going in depth on the subject, but for today I'll just be giving a basic overview of what happened, so that we won't be too lost later. Now, what do you know about the Hundred Year War?"
Kisha, a complete know-it-all, raised her hand immediately. Teirsa rolled her eyes as Mrs. Took called on her, and waited for the barrage of boring facts sure to follow. "It was started by Fire Lord Sozin," she declared loudly. "He wiped out the Air Nomads in search of the current Avatar, an airbender child named Aang. However, Avatar Aang escaped to the Southern Water Tribe, was frozen, and didn't wake up for a hundred years. He was found by the dishonored Fire Prince Zuko, son of Fire Lord Ozai, son of Fire Lord Azulon, son of Fire Lord Sozin, and of Fire Lady Ursa, daughter of-"
"Yes, um, thank you," Mrs. Took cut her off, frowning. Teirsa held in a snicker. Kisha's answer went to long, and Mrs. Took simply did not have the attention span to listen to her lengthy description of the war. "Anyway," the teacher continued, turning on the overhead projector, revealing a map depicting the world as it was way back when. "As you all know, the world used to be split up by the four elements. There were the Air Nomads-" Using a laser pointer, Mrs. Took pointed to the four spots where the Air Temples had been located. "-the Water Tribes-" The red dot gestured between the North and South Poles. "-the Earth Kingdom-" Mrs. Took pointed to the largest continent of land, to the east. "-and the Fire Nation." Finally, the laser landed on the collection of islands that used to be known as the Fire Nation. "Now during these times, the Fire Nation was ruled by a Fire Lord. And as Kisha kindly stated, it was Fire Lord Sozin who started the war. Anyone know what he used to wipe out the Air Nomads?"
This time, Kisha kept her hand down, her brow furrowed as she tried to remember. Teirsa held in a smirk. She knew. Not because she liked history or anything, simply because her mother was very adamant on making sure she knew about their heritage.
When no one raised their hand, Teirsa sighed and slowly lifted her arm into the air. "Yes?" Mrs. Took called, looking excited that someone could answer.
"Fire Lord Sozin used a comet that later came to be known as Sozin's comet," Teirsa cited. "The comet gave all firebenders incredible power, allowing him to wipe out nearly all the Air Nomads in one, fell swoop."
"Very good!" Mrs. Took praised. "Sozin's comet used to return every century or so, but scientists have long since found a way to divert the comet's path away from our atmosphere, and it hasn't been seen in nearly 300 years.
"Anyway, back to the war, Sozin wiped out the Air Nomads, intending to kill Avatar Aang. However, records state that he managed to escape, and fled to the Southern Water Tribe. Unfortunately for the young Avatar, he was not welcomed, and the waterbenders of the tribe froze him in ice, where he stayed for close to a century."
That doesn't sound right.
Teirsa frowned. Where had that thought come from? She's never learned about the Hundred Year War before, except for the little tidbits she picked up while learning about her family history. Huh.
"Now during this time, the Southern Water Tribe was nearly wiped out. The Fire Nation began to establish colonies in the Earth Kingdom, and Air Nomads who had presumably fled their initial slaughter returned to the Northern Air Temple. They managed to keep the Fire Nation from invading again by secretly making and providing their army with weapons and supplies."
That definitely didn't sound right.
"But more on that later. As I said earlier, Avatar Aang was trapped in an iceberg for close to a century. Before he was discovered, Fire Lord Sozin died, was replaced by his son, Fire Lord Azulon, who was poisoned by his grandson, Fire Lord Zuko—though he was only a prince at the time. General Iroh, who led the six year siege on Ba Sing Se-"
Six years? Zuko poisoning Azulon? What?
"-was passed over, and Fire Lord Azulon's second son, Ozai, became the next Fire Lord. During his reign, his son, Zuko, disobeyed him, and sentenced him to an Agni Kai, an ancient firebending punishment, where Ozai challenged Zuko's honor and ultimately scarred him permanently."
Okay, this, Teirsa knew was wrong. And she knew how she knew it. Raising her hand, Mrs. Took gave her a surprised look before saying, "Yes?"
"Sorry Mrs. Took," Teirsa stated, "But an Agni Kai wasn't a punishment. It was a fire duel, between two firebenders. Fire Prince Zuko thought he was facing an old general, but was actually facing his father." How that ever happened, Teirsa could only guess. Wouldn't Zuko know who he challenged? "He refused to fight, so Fire Lord Ozai burned him, and banished him from the Fire Nation."
Mrs. Took looked annoyed. "And how, Miss Teirsa, do you know this?"
"Um…" Teirsa gulped and ignored the snicker from Kisha. "My mom told me. We're descended from the ancient royal fire line, and she kinda taught me about all the old traditional stuff."
"Well, these traditions must have gotten warped," Mrs. Took replied curtly. "An Agni Kai is not a fire duel. Such practices are barbaric! Not to mention, Fire Prince Zuko was not banished, at least not yet, and was merely dishonored. Though, he might as well been. So long as he was dishonored, he was no longer the heir to the throne."
Teirsa frowned, but didn't argue further.
Looking satisfied, Mrs. Took continued. "As I was saying, Fire Prince Zuko was dishonored. In a vain quest to regain his honor, he set out on a quest to find and capture the Avatar, despite the fact he had not been seen in a hundred years. Which brings us back to Aang.
"Now how Avatar Aang managed to survive in ice for a century, we still are not sure. What we do know was that he was discovered by two siblings, Sokka and Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, the children of Chief Hakoda. Katara was a waterbender, one of the two who still remained in the tribe. The other was an old woman named Hama, who was known for creating the art of bloodbending, which was later banned and made illegal. As far as we know, Hama was insane, and could not teach Katara nor the Avatar waterbending."
Uhhhh…
"Anyway, it is unclear exactly how Sokka and Katara discovered Avatar Aang, but it wasn't long before the Fire Prince Zuko found him as well. He chased them all the way to the North Pole, and at one point caught Katara and tried to use her as bait for the Avatar. Sokka and Aang managed to rescue her, however, thanks to a strange, masked figure, known as the Blue Spirit. To this day, the masked helper remains a secret."
Why does all of this seem wrong? What is going on!?
"The three traveled to the North Pole, so that Aang and Katara could learn waterbending. Not soon after, the siege of the north took place, and the Moon Spirit was killed. Many of you probably know the day as the Day of Black Moon."
Of course they knew. It was an international holiday, where they remembered those who died when the Moon was slaughtered.
"It was only through Katara's master healing abilities, and the Avatar's own power that the Moon was restored.
"After this, they left the North Pole and headed for the Earth Kingdom in search of an earthbending teacher." Mrs. Took looked at Teirsa and stated firmly, "It was then that Zuko was banished, for his failure for capturing the Avatar."
You're wrong. But Teirsa dared not say it aloud.
"In his place, his younger sister, Fire Princess Azula, began to chase the Avatar. She nearly caught him, but he was saved by a group of singing nomads, who used song to attract badgermoles from the earth and ward off enemies."
What? That's not right…
Seriously, where were these thoughts coming from? And why did she hear laughing in her head?
"Avatar Aang later found his earthbending teacher in Toph Bei Fong. You earthbenders here might recognize her as the greatest earthbender who ever lived, the one who invented metalbending. She's a particularly interesting bender. Anyone know why?"
Miko's hand shot up, an earthbender who knew anything and everything about the earth. "She was blind!" he shouted out before Mrs. Took could even call on him.
"Exactly!" the teacher agreed. "Old records state that Toph released a sonic wave from her mouth, which allowed her to 'see' just like any one of us."
Teirsa had to keep from laughing. Sonic wave? She felt the vibrations in the earth for Agni's sake!
Teirsa froze. How did she know that?
"Anyway," Mrs. Took continued. "Avatar Aang began to learn earthbending from Toph, while avoiding Fire Princess Azula. Zuko, meanwhile, traveled to Ba Sing Se, where he hid in secret until the Dai Li found him. The Dai Li were a group of elite earthbenders who protected Ba Sing Se from outside threats. They were the ones who created mindbending, an art that has been lost long ago. The Dai Li mindbent Zuko, and then sent him after the Avatar with the intent of mindbending him as well."
Now I feel like she's making this stuff up.
"Why would they do that?" Gris suddenly shouted out from the back of the class.
"Raise your hand when you wish to speak," Mrs. Took told him firmly. "And the Dai Li wanted to mindbend the Avatar so that they had him under their control.
"While mindbent, Zuko managed to find Avatar Aang and began to attack him. Azula, who had been tracking the Avatar for days, arrived as well and joined the fight. Seeing his sister snapped Zuko out of his trance, and he immediately stopped his efforts. Seeing his hesitation, Azula struck at him with lightning, before fleeing when she realized she was outnumbered. Katara healed Zuko, and the banished Fire Prince agreed to teach Aang firebending."
Not true! Teirsa's head screamed at her. But why? It's not like she was there! Why was she so sure nearly everything Mrs. Took was telling them was wrong? Zuko was never mindbent, Azula struck at Iroh, oh, and Toph saw with her feet!
Shut up! Teirsa screamed at herself, struggling to pay attention to Mrs. Took's lecture.
But she's wrong! Everything is wrong! Well, nearly everything. What are schools teaching you kids these days?
Who are you? Teirsa demanded, because she was pretty sure that the voice in her head wasn't her own.
Don't be silly. I'm you. If I weren't, you'd be going craaazy!
The voice was taunting her now. Teirsa wanted to murder it.
Aang wasn't frozen by waterbenders, he got caught in a storm and used the Avatar State to freeze himself and Appa—his flying bison—in a ball of ice.
Shut up.
You were right about Zuko, the voice continued. He was banished and just happened to be in the South Pole when he saw the light from Aang waking up. Teirsa suddenly had an image of gleaming, beam of light coming from a cracked open ball of ice. And the blue spirit was actually Zuko. He never captured Katara. Well, he did tie her to a tree for a night. And he had his uncle with him. Iroh, Dragon of the West, and Grand Lotus. You probably don't know about the Order of the White Lotus. Some people went through a lot of trouble making sure their existence was erased from the history books. Just as they did with the Avatar.
What are you talking about? Teirsa demanded.
What happened to the Avatar? The voice suddenly mused.
The cycle ended centuries ago. Teirsa responded without thinking. Well, she was thinking, but the response was immediate. Agni, she was talking to herself now!
Ha! That's just what they want you to think!
What do you mean? Teirsa asked. But the voice said nothing. Oh, so now you're silent! No response. Teirsa had to keep from screaming in frustration.
Calm down, calm down, I'm just having an off day. She tried to reason with herself. With great effort, she cleared her head and focused her attention back on Mrs. Took.
"-on the day of an eclipse. Avatar Aang used energy bending to take away Fire Lord Ozai's bending. Zuko defeated Azula and sentenced her to an Agni Kai, and later became the Fire Lord. After that was reconstruction, but that's a whole different story. For now, we're just gonna focus on the war." The bell rang then, and students began gathering there things. "Tomorrow we go over in detail on how Sozin destroyed the Air Nomads!" Mrs. Took called to them as they left the classroom. "Be prepared to take notes!"
Several hours later, Terisa slumped at her desk at home and rubbed her temple. She'd been getting weird images all. Day. Long. Ever since history class. Which she had third period!
With a sigh, Teirsa decided to tromp outside and practice her firebending. That always cleared her head. Changing into her practice clothes, she slipped into the backyard and began going through her basics. But despite how hard she tried, she just couldn't get the weird images out.
With a frustrated yell, Teirsa swung her arm, not really sure what she had been hoping to make. She froze when a gust of wind followed her movement, blowing her water bottle off the nearby table.
"Whut…" she mumbled, eyes wide.
Hehehehe.
Her eyes narrowed. You again!? Just who are you?
Haven't you guessed? I'm you. Well, a past you.
A past…me? Teirsa tried very hard not to choke.
You're the Avatar. As I was, once. Not the one before you. That Avatar didn't even know he was the Avatar. But that's the problem when the whole world is convinced the Avatar cycle is broken.
I'm…the Avatar?
Yes, now we need to get to work-
The Avatar?
Teirsa could almost hear the voice roll its eyes. We've established that. Now, there's work to do. Now normally, your past lives couldn't talk to you so freely. But with everything that's been going on, we've bent a few rules.
"The Avatar?!" Teirsa stated aloud.
Focus!
Give her some time, a new voice suddenly spoke.
Oh, great, now there's two of you? Teirsa grumbled internally. So who's the new guy?
Don't know? the voice teased. It seemed masculine, but it was hard to tell. You just learned about how I ended the Hundred Year War. Even if it was widely inaccurate…
Teirsa's eyes widened. You're Avatar Aang!
Hey, don't forget about me! the other voice grunted. I was Avatar Ikka!
Yes, and I'll take it from here, Aang informed her. Teirsa heard some grumbling, but Ikka's voice retreated from her mind. Now Teirsa, Aang said seriously. I know this is a lot to handle. But you're the Avatar. And the world kinda needs an Avatar right now.
Why? she asked. There's no wars going on.
That's not the problem. Ever wonder exactly how the Avatar cycle was supposedly broken?
Um…
Things are not as they seem, Aang continued. The world is out of balance, and it's up to you to fix it.
Teirsa took a deep breath. She was the Avatar. That much was obvious. No one could bend two elements, and she had definitely just airbent. The world needed her. Strength she didn't know she had until then filled her, and she suddenly straightened, feeling the importance of the situation weighing on her.
What do I have to do? she asked confidently.
If Aang wasn't smiling right now, she wasn't a firebender. You need to find the Order of the White Lotus…
Teirsa listened carefully, nodding as he spoke. She could do this. She would do this. Sure, she was only sixteen. Sure, she only found out five minutes ago she was the Avatar. And maybe it was just her past lives filling her with unwarranted courage, maybe she was getting in way father than she could handle, but she will do her duty to the world. She'll go down in the history books, just like Avatar Aang did. She'll restore balance to the world, and save everyone. She'll-
"Hey, loser!" Teirsa started, pulled from her thoughts as she saw Niko—her older brother—stick his head out the winder. "When you're done staring out at nothing, dinner's ready."
Right. She'd have to figure out how to get around her family first. As she headed back indoors, five people watched from far away, in a distant land of nothing, a place between places.
Aang sighed as he retreated from the young Avatar's mind, and turned to face his friends. "Well, that's done. We'll just have to hope for the best now."
"I don't like that teacher," Zuko grumbled. "Me, getting mindbent? Ridiculous!"
Toph frowned, blinking clear, green eyes. Blindness was a mortal affliction, and they weren't in the land of mortals. "I can't believe they think I released a sonic wave from my mouth. Seriously, how stupid is that!"
"That's how it was in that play we saw of ourselves," Sokka reminded her.
"Ugh, that play!" Katara groaned and banged her head against the misty, not-quite-solid table they were seated around. "That play deserves to go up in flames!"
Aang sighed. "Yeah, it was stupid. But you guys should probably go now. We're already pressing the rules as it is, allowing you to observe the living world. It's bad enough that I've spoken to Teirsa directly."
Katara nodded and stood, stretching. "See you soon," she said with a smile. "We'll be waiting for you."
"Don't get too involved Twinkletoes," Toph warned him. "You've already saved the world. Let someone else have a chance."
"Alright," Aang promised with a smile. "Buy guys."
"Bye Aang!" they chorused, slowly fading until they were gone completely.
With a sigh, Aang returned his attention on Teirsa, who was eating dinner with her family. "Alright Avatar," he murmured to himself. "Let's fix the world."