Summary: Aang and the gang have almost reached the North Pole. But first, they need to pass through the realms of Sedna, Queen of the Sea. (ZukoxKatara)
Author's Notes: This is the fifth installment in a series of fake Avatar episodes that begin where episode 13, The Blue Spirit left off. To read my "new episodes" in order, please visit my profile page (justanotheravatarfan). I apologize for any confusion I've caused by posting my stories in this manner. Alas, I was a bit confused, but I get it now. I will only post one more individual story for The Book of Water. When I start The Book of Earth, I'll do things the right way, with all my chapters within the same story document, I SWEAR!
I've done some editing because the first version of this story really needed some help (I hope not to have any equivalents of that Canyon episode). Thank you for your feedback.
Please Review This Story … I Truly Need Your Help! Our journey to the North Pole requires me to create new characters, creatures and scenes. Yet I definitely want these "new episodes" to adhere to the basic aesthetics and rules of the Avatar world. Without your help, I might go off the deep end and ruin everything
Acknowledgements and Sources of Inspiration: If you are interested in my responses to your reviews for my previous stories, or my sources of inspiration for the current story (some of them from my fellow fan-fic writers), please read my Author's End Notes at the end of this story. For the rest of you, I will stop boring you to death and move on …
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The sun feebly attempts to rise, gives up, and sinks disconsolately below the horizon, leaving the world shrouded in perpetual winter twilight. Wispy cirrus clouds streak the glowing dark blue sky with shades of violet. Katara, Sokka and Iroh stand on the ship's deck and observe Zuko demonstrating the next set of forms to Aang. Without realizing it, Katara is mesmerized by the powerful, sinuous grace of Zuko's movements and follows him with her eyes.
The fire prince cries, "Hah!" and then hurls a bolt of fire that instantly demolishes the dummy that his men had set up as a target. He abruptly stops, looks up, and accidentally catches Katara's eyes. With a sharp intake of breath, the girl darts her eyes away, frowns, and pretends to peer at something just behind Zuko's right ear.
Zuko's eyes follow Katara's, but see nothing out of the ordinary. They flicker with puzzlement, and then flash upon Aang.
"Now, you try it," Zuko orders, as the crewmembers replace the charred embers with a new dummy.
Aang dances lightly through the forms with his usual swift agility. He abruptly lands where Zuko had stopped, and shouts, "Hah!" He then proceeds to fling a tiny, sputtering flame that doesn't quite reach the target.
Zuko snaps, "That's PATHETIC, Aang! Come ON! I've seen how fast you and Katara have gotten the hang of water just from studying that stupid scroll she STOLE from the pirates…"
Katara indignantly interjects, "HEY! The pirates stole it from a waterbender FIRST!"
Zuko glares at the girl, and then continues his tirade, "… I KNOW you're capable, Aang. So why aren't you GETTING this?"
The boy heaves out a sigh, then sadly responds, "Maybe I CAN'T master the elements out of order after all, Zuko."
Katara, Sokka, and Iroh sigh and heavily nod their heads.
Iroh declares, "The boy is probably right. And it's time for breakfast. Let's retire downstairs for some nice, hot jasmine tea and some delicious, sweet pork buns hot from the oven … and of course some vegetable buns for you, Aang." Aang is a vegetarian.
Zuko's jaw sets and his mouth forms a grim line, "So, is eating FOOD the only thing you can think of, Uncle?"
Iroh's eyes widen with surprise and he replies, "No, prince Zuko, I am also thinking about drinking tea."
Katara starts to giggle, then abruptly claps a hand over her mouth when both Zuko and Sokka swivel around and stare at her with annoyance.
Sokka exclaims, "Zuko DOES have a point. Admiral Zhao could catch up to us any DAY now."
Iroh reaches out his hands to pat Zuko's and Sokka's shoulders, and reassures them, "Yes, Zhao knows we're heading toward the North Pole and will certainly pursue us. But he first needs to recover from the damage we've inflicted."
Iroh continues, "Remember that I was once a General serving the Fire Nation. We have great strength, but also a lot of red tape to go through. We have at least a couple of weeks before Admiral Zhao can train new recruits and replace the equipment we've damaged. For now, we must get Aang and Katara to the North Pole so they can master waterbending and better serve our cause."
He glances at Zuko and Sokka, and then chuckles, "And in the meantime, there's no point in facing Admiral Zhao famished. We must eat in order to keep up our strength."
Zuko and Sokka grudgingly bow their heads in respect towards the older man, and then follow Iroh, Katara and Aang below deck.
Meanwhile, Admiral Zhao scowls fiercely at a map and mutters, "As soon as the supplies and new recruits arrive, we'll head for the North Pole. That seems to be where the Avatar is heading."
He then grits his teeth in consternation as he remembers the mysterious warrior with the blue mask who has foiled his plans for the second time.
"… And perhaps we'll encounter that band of rebels along the way and give them what they deserve," adds the Admiral menacingly.
After breakfast, Iroh, Aang, Katara, Sokka and Zuko ascend the stairs towards the deck. Katara eagerly leans against the rail of the ship, and shouts, "Look! I think that's the North Pole!"
Zuko skeptically mutters, "Yeah, right!"
But Katara points high up, and exclaims, "But … I think … that's the Northern Water Temple!"
They all look in the direction towards which Katara is pointing, and see a small, round pagoda-like structure with a layered roof and flying eves perched atop a tall, glistening cliff of ice and sparkling like pale, blue crystal in the sapphire, twilit sky.
"That's definitely it," cries Sokka. "But how do we GET there?"
The ship attempts to follow the jagged, wintry shoreline and weaves itself deftly around the numerous and treacherous icebergs.
As they dip around a bend, Aang yells, "Look! There's a town with a harbor!"
"Head for the harbor, Lieutenant," commands Prince Zuko.
But the entrance to the harbor is choked with ice. "We will need to cut the ice in order to keep going, Sir," The lieutenant informs Prince Zuko.
The ship abruptly slows down and a loud grinding noise shatters the air as the prow of the ship carves into the thick layer of ice.
Everyone on board involuntarily shudders as a dim shadow and a flutter of wings pass over them. They look up and see a gigantic, glowing white albatross gliding overhead, its wings spanning almost the entire deck of the ship.
"An albatross," comments Sokka.
Not a good sign," mutters Iroh.
They proceed through the harbor in total silence, except for the grating sound of the ship cutting through the ice. An eerie feeling settles in as everyone aboard notices that the harbor and town appear to be utterly devoid of human life. The ships and skiffs are covered solidly with ice, some with their sails still spread, and groan as the ocean waves press them against the surrounding ice. The entire town is also shrouded in a thick layer of ice. Judging from the open doors and upturned produce carts with cascading berries and fish frozen in motion, the former inhabitants had abandoned the place quite suddenly.
Aang suggests, "Why don't we scout things out and see if there's a way up to the top?"
Sokka gets the heebie-jeebies and murmurs doubtfully, "I don't know about this. It doesn't look right."
Aang exclaims, "But look!" and his eyes dart towards what appears to be an elaborate, twisting and turning flume carved into the icy cliff. "I bet they used to go PENGUIN SLEDDING on that!"
Zuko sharply retorts, "Penguin sledding? Admiral Zhao and Fire Lord Ozai seek to destroy the world as we all know it, and all you can think about are fun and games?" He snorts indignantly, "Some Avatar YOU are!"
Aang grins at Zuko and cheerily taunts, "Oh, so you're too SCARED to try it, Zuko?"
Zuko scowls at the boy and haughtily sniffs, "No, I'm not SCARED, Aang."
"Oh good!" cries Aang, "Let's go!"
He leaps off of the ship as the crew members lower the plank onto the ice so Zuko, Sokka and Katara can disembark.
"Have fun, kids!" Iroh shouts and waves cheerily.
Zuko turns to scowl at his uncle, and then runs after the others. Meanwhile, Momo chatters and screeches, while Appa groans in protest.
Aang brightly casts his eyes about and declares, "There don't seem to be any penguins around … but maybe we can find a nice, fat walrus. We could ALL fit on a walrus!"
"There's a walrus right there," exclaims Katara and points to the top of the ice-slide. The walrus gives them a mournful glance and stays put as though it had been waiting for them all along.
Katara, Aang, Sokka and Zuko clamber up the icy steps towards the walrus. Aang pats the walrus and gently pleads, "C'mon, big guy!" But the walrus doesn't seem to require much coaxing.
They jump onto the walrus in order of height with Aang first and Zuko last. They barely have time to cling to each other's waists as Aang urges the walrus forward. They swiftly plunge downwards, as the sparkling, icy landscape swooshes by them. Suddenly, they swoop around a hairpin turn and almost fly off the cliff, then Aang regains control and they crash back onto the track and continue. "Aaaaaauugh!" Katara, Sokka and Zuko holler as Aang whoops with glee. Then they abruptly slam into the bottom of the slope and crash into a snowdrift.
They pull themselves out, wipe the snow and ice from their eyes, and all start laughing. Even Zuko briefly joins the merriment, then awkwardly attempts to collect himself and resume his habitual scowl.
Then their heads all swivel around as they see the walrus plodding towards a barely visible cave entrance along the side of the cliff.
"Where's he going?" asks Sokka.
"Let's follow him!" cries Aang. "Maybe he'll take us to the water temple!"
Sokka gulps, "Um, I don't know about this, Aang."
Aang, Sokka, Katara and Zuko follow the fading form of the walrus into the cave entrance and find themselves inside of a tunnel. Their limbs grow increasingly heavy, yet they're still able to move. They plunge into total darkness, yet somehow, they can see. They feel like they are floating slowly through water, yet they can somehow breathe and walk. The cold murky gloom envelopes them and gravity seems to be suspended.
The walrus gradually accelerates its speed and they almost lose sight of it. But Katara moves more easily through this world than the others, and propels herself forward in the graceful, boneless manner of a seal while periodically looking back towards the others. She worries about Aang. The young airbender has never shown any sensitivity to heat nor cold, yet his teeth chatter and he shivers uncontrollably. Then he begins fading in and out of consciousness. Sokka and Zuko take turns letting Aang lean on them, and then begin carrying him.
Finally, the walrus stops, plumps itself down on a rock, and portentously arranges itself in a manner that creates a surprisingly elegant and regal effect. A fluttering strand of bluish-green seaweed hovers over the walrus' head and then twines around it like a delicate filigree crown.
Katara catches up, and waits for her cohorts to follow.
"Who are you?" she asks, "And where are we?"
The walrus responds, "First, who are YOU, where do you come from, and where are you going?"
Katara answers truthfully, "We come from the Southern Water Tribe on the South Pole. We have the Avatar with us. He needs to go to the Northern Water Temple in order to master waterbending. Then he needs to master earth and fire so he can oppose the fire lord by summer's end."
The walrus rolls its eyes for a moment, and then declares, "Ah, yes, Water Girl. The Avatar and I have already introduced our selves to each other. He has been communicating with me the way the water shamans from the temple do."
Oh, good, Katara thinks to herself and grins hopefully.
But then, the walrus hisses between its gigantic teeth, "But YOU want to master waterbending, too, DON'T you, Water Girl."
Katara glares into the walrus's beady, sunken eyes, "Well, of COURSE I do. It is my birthright. Which was STOLEN from me by the Fire Nation."
The walrus sighs, and then proclaims, "Until you master your ego, not to mention your TEMPER, you will never be able to master ANYthing, Water Girl."
Zuko and Sokka begin snickering, but the walrus suddenly blasts forth a deafening roar and cries:
"SILENCE!"
Its voice rasps on with a softness bordering on tenderness, "… Yet, your courage is admirable and has taken you a long way from home, Katara."
"How do you know my name?" asks Katara.
"I know more than you think. And that is why I forgive your failings. If all goes well, your bravery and desire to protect the weak – or those you perceive as having weaknesses – will enable you to help make your home safe for your loved ones someday," replies the walrus.
A tear slips from the corner of Katara's right eye as she thinks of her village and Gran-Gran.
Then the walrus continues, "Alas, you, my dear Water Girl, will never live amongst your people again."
Katara staggers backwards, collects herself, and then scowls at the walrus and snaps back indignantly, "Of COURSE I'll return back home when this is all over … assuming I am still alive. Where ELSE would I go?"
"I cannot see the details that far ahead. I only know that it is your destiny to help restore balance amongst the elements," the creature dreamily responds.
Katara snorts derisively, "Restore balance amongst the elements! That's AANG's job! I can't even balance my OWN stupid element!" She then heaves forth an exasperated sigh and adds, "Or even mySELF!"
The walrus frowns towards the water girl at first, then something resembling a grin spreads across whatever a walrus has for lips and the sly, mischievous expression on the creature's face bizarrely reminds Katara of Iroh.
The creature shrugs its flippers and proclaims ominously, "Well, if you can't balance yourself or your element, then maybe something or someone will tip the scale FOR you."
Fear flickers in Katara's eyes, and she inquires, "Who ARE you?"
The walrus replies, "You don't know, my dear? I am Sedna."
To Aang and Zuko's astonishment, Katara kneels, touches her head upon the sandy floor of the sea, and stretches her arms out before her. Their amazement increases as Sokka does the same.
"Sedna, Queen of the Sea, and Queen of the Underworld," Katara cries softly, "I grew up on the tales my mother and Gran-Gran told me about you."
The walrus grimaces in a walrus-ey smile and replies, "Alas, I am mainly Queen of the Underworld now. Here, we can purify ourselves with darkness and cold and then ascend towards heaven."
Katara's eyes widen with alarm as she exclaims, "But WHY are you no longer Queen of the Sea? The world hangs in the balance and tips towards evil. We NEED you."
The walrus tells Katara her sad tale:
"One hundred years ago, the comet gave Fire Lord Souzen strength, and he attacked. A few of the villagers and water shamans managed to escape. Their descendants maintain our customs and the Northern Water Temple to this very day.
But I, the Queen of the Sea, was unable to save our people. We were unprepared. The Fire nation devoured us with their flames. Those who could not escape to the temple perished.
With my help, the Water Shamans wreaked havoc upon the ice and waves and almost managed to destroy the Fire Nation fleet. But Fire Lord Souzen managed to get most of his people out in time.
They fled without giving my people the proper burial-at-sea. I howled and demanded the proper rites for my people.
I followed and clung to the bulwarks of the fire lord's ship with my hands and tried to tip it over, but he ordered his men to chop off my hands. I then clung to the bulwarks of fire lord's ship with my feet and tried to tip it over, but he ordered his men to chop off my feet.
I swam back to shore the way a fish swims. With my help, the Water Shamans encased the fallen in ice – since we had neither the time or resources to build kayaks for all of them – and washed them out to sea.
So here we all are, in the ice-cold depths of the underworld, between Earth, Heaven and Hell, waiting for the Avatar to return.
And that is why I only have flippers now."
Katara bursts into tears of sympathy, flings herself upon Sedna and hugs her, and then exclaims, "Poor thing! But you are Sedna! Queen of the Sea! Why can't you fight back? Or at least, can't you tell us how to get to the Northern Water Temple? Then maybe we can fight FOR you!"
"Alas," explains Sedna, "There is only one way to get to the Northern Water Temple from here. And there is also only thing that can reverse my enchantment and restore me to my full powers. I would have to be attacked by a past, present, or future lord of the Fire Nation. But that is unlikely to happen, since no one from the Fire Nation would ever come here, let alone a fire lord."
"Fine," Katara exclaims, "Help my friends and me get to the Water Temple via that ONE way you know about, and perhaps I can arrange for a firebender to free you."
"But how," burbles Sedna, "do I know you'll come through with your end of the bargain?"
Katara snaps back, "You CAN'T know anything. And nor can I! But you're a Water Goddess, and I'm from the Water Tribe. We just HAVE to trust each other because we have no other CHANCE!"
Sedna sighs, and disconsolately points towards a dim cave, and then tells Katara, "Fine, then, we shall all trust one another."
She continues, "There, you can go through a tunnel, and then find the stairway that leads to the Northern Water Temple. Your brother and his friend will lead. You and the Avatar will follow. If any of you turn around to see what's behind you, then you all stay here with me. Forever."
Katara points towards the cave, beckons Sokka and Zuko forward, falls in line behind them and waves behind her for Aang to follow. As they gradually ascend the slippery, narrow, stone stairway, their weight and breath begin to feel normal again. Meanwhile, the walrus sits upon its hindquarters watching them.
Suddenly, a pebble dislodges from somewhere, clatters down the stairs, and splashes into a puddle of water below.
Sokka jerks around and cries, "Katara?"
A rushing wave swiftly ascends the staircase as the walrus morphs into the form of a giant killer-whale and rides on the wave as knife-like teeth spurt forth from its voracious jaws. It hisses, "Now … you … are … all … MINE!"
"You FOOL!" Zuko snarls at Sokka. The fire prince then crouches to the ground, faces his inner-wrists together, fans his hands out into a V, whirls around, and blasts a wall of fire towards the she-Orca and the immense wave carrying her.
Katara whirls around and cries, "SEDNA!"
The killer-whale cringes away from the flame, shrinks, and then turns back into a walrus. The walrus' skin peels away like a parka drawn back with a zipper, piles in folds around its feet, and reveals a pale-skinned, platinum-haired mermaid.
The mermaid glowers at Katara accusingly, and inquires, "Why didn't you TELL me that in addition to the Avatar, you also have a fire prince with you?"
Katara replies, "I thought you already knew everything!"
Sedna bursts forth with a shimmering, silvery laugh, "Perhaps I did. Thank you, Katara, Aang, Zuko, and Sokka. We are free now." The queen of the sea then flips her tail and propels herself towards the ocean. Meanwhile, a host of sea lions, seals and walruses metamorphosize back into the people they once had been and ascend the staircase behind the others.
Aang opens the door at the top of the staircase, sees the gleaming inner sanctuary of the Water Temple, faints, and falls face-first.
Astonished, the Water Shamans who happen to be performing the rituals for the Northern Water Temple unanimously exclaim, "The Avatar!"
"Yes," replies Sokka, "And the rest of us too."
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Many Thanks: To Booter-Freak and Carmensasa for pointing out that Haru's father is named Tyro and that I had misquoted him in my last story (Chapter 17: The Sea Serpent). I've reworked that paragraph to reflect your input. Also, I do hope that Booter-Freak has noted the fact that I have addressed the … um … element … of doubt she expresses in the review posted for Chapter 16: The Unholy Alliance.
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Author's End Notes: So how did I come up with this story (and the next one)?
We know very little about the North Pole in the Avatar world, except that: (1) The Northern Water Temple, along with at least a couple of Water Benders still exist, since we caught a glimpse of them in Episode 2, The Avatar Returns; (2) The Northern Water Tribe probably has some similarities to the Southern Water Tribe, in terms of culture, dress, creatures, etc.; (3) The Avatar world's North Pole is probably more like the Arctic Circle or Antarctica than the actual North Pole in our world, from an ecological standpoint, since hardly anything – let alone mammals and humans – live on our North Pole.
Once I reached the conclusions explained above, I still remained TOTALLY stuck on how to move forward with the plot.
Then I read LadyAmaya's fan fic, Hunted Water. Although I've taken off in a totally different direction, her concept of a creepy, barren wasteland dominated by a terrifying, soul-sucking spirit TOTALLY fired me up.
I then proceeded to research and freely pillage from the cultures and folklores of the remote Northern Peoples who inhabit the arctic circle – including the Inuits, Aleuts, Ainu, Saami (formerly known as Lapps), and Norse (Vikings). Sedna is the Inuits' Sea Mother as well as the Goddess of the Underworld.
Yes, I know that to maintain authenticity, I should stick with the Asian traditions invoked by the writers of the actual show. But the Arctic Circle's environment is so radically different from those of China, Japan or India, and I hence found the culture, deities, clothing, folklore and general ways of life of the Northern people to be more consistent with what we know about the Water Tribes.