Hey! This is my first story and I would love all criticisms/comments. So I decided to introduce an OC(No, not a Mary Sue) who is….(drumroll) Princess Zara of the Fire Nation! She is Zuko's younger sister and 13 years old. I have tried to make her a real person. So…. Enjoy!
The Boy in the iceberg:
" It's not getting away from me this time. Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish," stated Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe.
Katara gave her older brother a doubtful look. Her cerulean eyes widened as she saw a fish swimming right next to her. She hesitantly removed her thick blue glove, revealing her light brown hand. Taking a deep breath, she moved the water so that it became an orb surrounding the fish.
"Sokka! Look!" she shouted, her voice full of excitement.
"Shh, Katara. You're gonna scare it away," Sokka replied, his light blue eyes never leaving his prey as he licked his lips. "Mmmm, I can already smell it cooking."
"But Sokka! I caught one!" Katara called out. Sokka ignored her, raising his spear to impale the fish. Unfortunately, his spear burst his sister's water orb, freeing the trapped fish and scaring away his own fish.
"Hey!" Katara exclaimed. Sokka moaned as all the water rained down on him. "Why is it that whenever you play with magic water, I'm the one that gets soaked?!"
Katara sighed loudly. "It's not magic, its water bending! And its-" Sokka interrupted her with, " Yeah, yeah! An ancient art unique to our culture, blah blah blah. Look, I'm just saying that if I were you, I'd keep my weirdness to myself."
Katara crossed her arms. "You're calling me weird? I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself whenever I see my reflection." Caught in the act, Sokka turned around, scowling. He was just opening his mouth to respond the canoe sailed into a rapid.
"GO LEFT! GO LEFT!" Katara screamed. Sokka went right. The canoe splintered as they crashed into an iceberg. Katara glared at Sokka. "You call that left?" Sokka scowled. "You don't like my steering? Well maybe you should've water bended us out of the ice." Katara's eyes widened incredulously. "So its my fault!" she exclaimed.
"I knew I should've left you at home." Sokka sighed. "Leave it to a girl to screw things up." Katara's admittedly short fuse blew at that moment. "You are the most sexist, immature, nutbrained…" The water behind her moved in sync with her movements. "I'm embarrassed to be related to you!" At this, the water cut a slice out of the giant iceberg behind her.
Katara continued her rant, unaware of the havoc she was wreaking behind her. "Ever since Mom died, I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier! "
Sokka's eyes became round as he saw what Katara was unknowingly doing. "Uhh…. Katara?" His soft sentence went unnoticed as Katara continued to shout.
"I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, NOT PLEASENT!!!!!" At this, the water behind her made twin giant cracks in the huge iceberg behind her.
"Katara, settle down!" her brother said, edging backwards. "NO!" she shouted. "That's it, I'm done helping you. From now on, YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN!" she finished. As soon as her last words were out of her mouth, the iceberg crashed open. Sokka and Katara both gasped. The resulting wave carried them a little ways away.
"Okay, you've gone from weird to freakish Katara." Sokka stated. "You mean I did that?" she inquired breathlessly, her eyes wide and disbelieving. "Yep. Congratulations." Said Sokka sarcastically. As he finished speaking, a strange blue light came out of the ocean right before their noses. The light was preceding a large bright blue iceberg with two shapes inside of it.
As soon as Katara saw that there was a boy in there, she rushed to help. "He's alive!" she shouted. "We have to help him!" she exclaimed, grabbing her older brother's club on the way. Sokka protested.
"Katara, get back here!" he bawled, following her across the smaller pieces of ice leading to the boy in the iceberg. Ignoring him, she banged on the iceberg repeatedly. On her fifth try, it burst open in a flash of bright light. "AAH!" Sokka and Katara screamed, falling backward.
The flash of light was seen by Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. His golden eyes widened, than narrowed. "Finally…" he ground out.
"Uncle! Do you realize what this means?" he shouted. "Zara, come over here!"
Iroh sighed. "That I won't get to finish my game of Pai Sho?" Zara bounced over, beaming. "What's up, Zuzu? Finally found yourself a life?" She giggled.
Zuko's face turned a faint pink. "No! It means my search is finally over! That light came from an incredibly powerful source! It HAD to be the Avatar!" Iroh sighed as Zara's face lit up.
"It's just the celestial lights. We've been down this road before, Prince Zuko. I don't want you and your sister to get too excited over nothing. How about a game of Pai Sho?" Responded Iroh. Zuko exploded. "I don't need any calming tea! I need to find the Avatar!" Zuko turned eagerly to his younger sister, hoping for support.
The aforementioned sister was currently dancing around ecstatically while clapping her hands, chanting, "We found the Avatar! We found the Avatar! We found the Avatar!"
Zuko turned triumphantly to his uncle. "Zara believes me. She won't give up until she convinces you to find the Avatar. You should give up now, Uncle."
Zara turned towards the crows nest. "Hey, Captain Ta Lin! Full speed ahead!"
Back at the iceberg, a boy with glowing eyes and arrows on his head stepped out of the smoking crater left by the spectacular eruption of the iceberg.
"Stop!" shouted Sokka. The boy did, collapsing onto the snow. Before he fell, Katara rushed over to keep him from hitting the ground. Sokka poked the strange boy's head with the butt of his spear, earning him an odd look from Katara.
"Stop it!" she exclaimed in an irritated tone, turning the tattooed boy's face upwards. He moaned, as eyes the color of storm clouds opened. The first thing he saw was a vision of Katara, blue eyes wide and hair loopies swinging in the wind.
"I need to ask you something." The gray-eyed boy whispered. "What?" asked Katara softly. "Please, come closer." Demanded the strange boy, his voice weak and trembling. "What is it?" asked a curious Katara.
"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" He asked, suddenly coming to life. Katara stared incredulously at the odd boy. "Uh… sure!" she answered, wondering what was happening here. A puff of air moved the boy to a standing position. Sokka screamed girlishly.
"What's going on here?" asked the kid. Sokka spluttered. "You tell us! You're the one who just burst out of an iceberg! And why aren't you frozen?" The boy shrugged, scratching his bald head. "I'm not sure." He replied, apparently unconcerned by the fact he had just come out of an iceberg.
He suddenly gasped and scrabbled up the edge of the crater. There was a low growl, and the kid laughed. "Appa!" he shouted happily. "Are you all right?" he inquired of the giant furry bison. "Wake up, buddy!" he commanded, peeling back a gigantic eyelid. The bison's eyes opened, then closed again. Grimacing, the boy attempted to open Appa's mouth. At this, the two Water Tribe siblings walked around the crater to see what the odd boy was doing. Upon seeing the giant bison, they gasped in horror. At that moment, Appa's giant tongue lifted the boy up to eye level. The kid laughed in apparent delight.
"You're okay!" he laughed in relief, hugging Appa's colossal nose. "What is that thing?" Asked Sokka, holding his spear in front of him. The boy smiled. "This is Appa, my pet flying bison!" Sokka quirked his eyebrow. "Riight, and this is Katara, my flying sister." Katara scowled at him.
Right after his sarcastic comment, Appa decided to sneeze all over the Water Tribe boy. Green snot now covered Sokka. He squealed in horror and tried to wipe it off in the snow. The boy watched him and smiled. "Don't worry, it will wash out." Sokka didn't look reassured.
Shrugging, the boy tried to make conversation. "Soo… do you guys live around here?" he asked. "Don't answer that!" Sokka shouted, paranoid. "Did you see that crazy bolt of light? He was probably trying to signal the Fire Nation!"
Katara smirked mockingly. "Oh yeah, I'm sure he's a spy for the Fire Nation. You can tell by that eeeevvil look in his eyes. The boy chose that moment to look as innocent as a baby mooselion.
"The paranoid one is my brother, Sokka. You never told us your name." said Katara. The boy smiled. "I'm AaaaCHOOO.." At that he sneezed, flying 10 feet into the air. Coming down he finished with, "I'm Aang!"
Sokka and Katara stared at him, mouths gaping open. "You just sneezed! And flew 10 feet in the air! Sokka yelled. Aang frowned. "Really? It felt like more that that…" Katara suddenly came to a realization. "You're an air bender!" Aang smiled. "Sure am!"
"Sudden light beams, flying bison, Air Benders, I think I've got midnight sun madness. I'm going home to where stuff make sense…" Sokka stopped short when he remembered that there was no way home.
"Well if you guys are stuck, Appa and I could give you a ride." Offered Aang. At this, he jumped onto Appa's neck and put his hands on the reins. "We'd love a ride!" exclaimed Katara, looking excited. "Oh no, I am NOT getting on that giant, fluffy snot monster." Said Sokka determinedly. Katara rolled her big blue eyes. "Are you hoping some other monster will come along and give you a lift?" she asked.
Once they were all on Appa, Aang shouted, "Alll right! All first time flyers, hang on tight! Appa, yip yip!" Appa groaned, but did not fly. After a few more failed attempts(and many sarcastic comments from Sokka) Aang decided to let Appa swim to Katara and Sokka's village.
On the Fire Nation ship, Zuko was staring out on the water as if the Avatar would suddenly burst out of the ocean depths. Iroh walked out. "I'm going to bed now." He said. Zuko didn't pay him any attention. "Yep, a man needs his rest." Iroh said, stretching. Zuko was too used to his attempts at subtlety to even care anymore. Iroh sighed. "Prince Zuko, you need some sleep. Even if you're right, and the Avatar is alive, you won't find him. Your father, your father's father, and your great-grandfather all tried and failed. "
"Because their honor didn't hinge on the Avatar." Zuko retorted, still staring at the ocean. "Mine does. This coward's 100 years in hiding are over." He said it so assuredly that Iroh almost believed .
On Appa's back, Katara and Aang started a conversation. "Hey." Katara said. "Hey." Aang replied. "Whatcha thinking about?"
Katara bit her lip. "I guess I was wondering, your being an air bender and all, if you knew the Avatar." She inquired softly, almost ashamedly. Aang's gray eyes widened. "Uhh…no. I didn't know him. I knew people that knew him. But I didn't. Sorry." He replied.
Katara shrugged. "Okay then. Just curious. 'Night!" she said. Aang stared down at his hands after she left, a look of shame on his elfin features.
Suddenly, the world is sepia. There is a storm, and Aang and Appa are flying through it. Appa can't hang on any longer, and they fall under the ocean. Aang lets go of the reins. He enters the Avatar state and forms an iceberg around himself and Appa.
"Aang! Aang! Wake up!" Aang woke up, panting. Katara smiled down at him. "It's okay. We're in the village now! Come on, get ready! Everyone's getting ready to meet you! She said excitedly, leaving the tent and pulling Aang behind her.
"Aang, this is the Village. Village, this is Aang!" Katara introduces with a flourish. The village is a group of tired looking mothers and young children and an imposing elderly woman leading the group. As Aang bows, the mothers hide their children.
"Uhh… why are they all looking at me like that?" asks Aang. The old woman walks toward him. "Well, no one has seen an air bender in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct." The old woman says. "Until my granddaughter and grandson found you." She finishes.
Aang's eyes widen. "Extinct?" he asks, his voice full of pained disbelief. Katara proudly introduces her Gran-Gran. Sokka stalks over, grabbing Aang's staff. "What is this, a weapon?" he asks. "You can't stab anything with this!"
Aang gives him a funny look. "It's not for stabbing, it's for air bending!" he explains. Aang presses a knob on the side that reveals the hidden wings of his glider. Sokka shrieks and steps back. Aang explains how his glider controls air currents to the children, which earns him general acceptance from the village.
Sokka, always the naysayer, says, "You know, last time I checked, humans CANT FLY!" Aang smirks at him. "Check again!" Following this statement he takes off, almost immediately crashing into Sokka's watchtower. This causes the entire tower to fall down, which makes Sokka almost break into tears. "My watchtower!" Sokka cries. "Great. You're an air bender, Katara's a water bender, together you can waste time all day long!" With that, he stomped off.
Aang' clear grey eyes stared up at Katara. "You're a water bender!" He shouted excitedly. Katara looked away. "Well… not yet."
"All right, no more playing. Come on Katara, you have chores." Said Gran-Gran, leading Katara away through the crowd.
On the Fire Navy Ship, Zuko and Zara practiced their fire bending. Or more accurately, Zuko practiced while Zara played with a fireball off to the side and cheered her big brother on, her adoration clear as day.
"Again." Said Iroh, his usually relaxed demeanor turned hard. "Gooooo Zuko!" cheered Zara, who had already mastered the move. "You can do it!" Zuko went through the repetition, shooting fire out of his feet.
"No!" exclaimed Iroh. "Power in fire bending comes through the breath, not the muscles!" Zara nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, Zuzu! That's why I can do this!" she inhaled a deep breath, and exhaled flames.
Iroh nodded approvingly. "Exactly, Princess Zara. The breath becomes energy in the body, and the energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire." At that, he shot flames out of his clenched fist. "Get it right this time." He finished.
Zuko whirled around. "No. I've been drilling this sequence all day. Teach me the next set." Zuko then turned to his little sister. "And stop showing off, Zara. We all know what a little prodigy you are, you don't need to rub my face in it." Zara's amber eyes filled with tears.
"I just wanted to help… I can't help showing off Zuko. It's who I am...who I was raised to be." she whispered, on the brink of tears. "Zuko! Do not take your impatience out on your sister just because she learned the sequence faster than you and tried to help you!" Apologize!" Zuko's scarred face hardened. "No."
"Then at least drill it again." Iroh conceded as Zara went below decks to her room. Instead of drilling the set again, Zuko kicked fire at one of his soldiers, knocking the man off his feet. "I will be battling the Avatar, Uncle! He has had a hundred years to master all 4 elements. I will need more than the basics to defeat him. YOU WILL TEACH ME THE ADVANCED SET!!!!" Iroh stared up at his nephew, an iron will showing in his golden eyes.
"Very well," replied Iroh. "But first, let me finish my roast duck." He said. Zuko's look of horror when his uncle started eating the duck messily and vigorously was a reward enough for the older man.
In the Water Tribe Village, Sokka was giving a speech . "Now men, its important that you show no fear when you face a fire bender. We're Water Tribe! We fight till the last man stands. But without courage, how can we call ourselves men?" The group of little boys stared blankly at him. One of them raised his hand. "I gotta pee! He said, apparently terrified of Sokka's wrath.
"Listen, until your father's return from the war, they're counting on you to be the men of this tribe! And that means NO potty breaks!" The child's ice blue eyes were wide. "But I really gotta go!" he said.
Sokka sighed. "Okay, who else has to go?" All the boys raised their hands. Katara walked over.
"Have you seen Aang? Gran-Gran said he disappeared over an hour ago!" Aang walked out of the toilet. Sokka groaned. "UGH! Katara, get him out of here!"
Aang had made a makeshift slide out of Appa's tail for all of Sokka's "warriors". "Stop! Stop it right now! We don't have time for fun and games with a war going on!" Sokka bellowed.
Aang jumped off of Appa. "What war? Aang asked, his gray eyes wide and innocent. Just as Sokka was about to answer, Aang saw a- "PENGUIN!!!" Aang shouted, sprinting towards it.
Katara walked around the penguins, looking for the AWOL air bender. She found him chasing penguins around, trying to catch one. Katara giggled and taught Aang how to catch them with fish. After having a conversation about going to the North Pole to teach Katara water bending, they both caught a penguin and rode through the ice tunnels.
Their ride led them to an old Fire Navy warship. "Whoa!" Aang exclaimed. "What is THAT?" Katara looked down. "That's a Fire Navy Warship." She answered.
Aang convinces Katara to go in by saying, "To be a bender, you have to let go of fear." Once on the trip, Aang sets off a flare, alerting Zuko to the location of the Southern Water Tribe.