Hey, this is C. Richard Crawg, and when I started writing this, the Legend of Korra hadn't come out. For a while after it did, I wondered whether I even wanted to continue this story. I've decided that this already takes place in an alternate universe anyway, so there's no reason not to go on. So, on that note...
Enjoy!
Chapter Two
Call to Arms
"…and then she called the Phantom Fox a terrorist." Thain nodded slowly. "Yep, I can just imagine what she had to say about the Fox; I'll bet our lectures were the same in that aspect." Thain observed Pela-Na struggling to cool down the bubbling tea in her hands. "You're putting too much effort into it; you don't void bend by using energy, just let the energy flow into you." Pela-Na tried to relax but couldn't. "You don't think they could be right, do you? I mean, what if-ˮ "The Phantom Fox is not a terrorist. He doesn't hurt anyone if he doesn't have to, and I'd say that's the mark of a noble man. Those nuns are just afraid to go to any source in the Earth Empire that can't be reached through the Order of the White Lotus."
Pela-Na's head shot up and the tea froze. "How do you know about the White Lotus?" Thain smiled mysteriously. "Oh, I have spies everywhere- these are dangerous times you know… plus I overheard your masters talking about it a few days ago." Pela-Na rolled her eyes and shook her head in amusement. "You know," Thain said pointing to the tea, "I know I told you to let the energy flow into you, but that gives 'iced tea' a whole new meaning." A devious look came into Pela-Na's eyes. "No it doesn't; here have a drink." Pela-Na quickly melted the tea with water bending and splashed it into Thain's face.
Laughter rang out from the far side of the room, signifying Chasta's return. "Uh-oh," Pela-Na said in dry, sarcastic despair. "The joker's back. Quick everyone hide before we die of corniness." Despite the coldness in the way she spoke, Pela-Na was very pleased to see Chasta return. He knew it too, but he never missed out on an opportunity to be dramatic. "What?" he said putting both hands over his heart and twisting his face into an overly large frown. "You mean you don't like me anymore? Oh the grief, the grief, it's too much to bear! I may as well commit-ˮ At that point Thain wacked him on the back of his head. "Shut up, you little drama king," he said trying to keep a straight face. Chasta just said, "Ow," and laughed.
"So, how'd it go for you guys?" Chasta asked after he recovered. Thain shrugged. "I think I charmed them into letting me stick around." "Don't be too sure," Pela-Na said. "Mother Toras-gol said that this was going to be the last time they'll tolerate this." Chasta plopped down onto one of the courtyard benches and leaned back. "Ah, those nuns worry too much. Avatar Aang was out saving the world from disaster at my age; I'm sure you could too." Pela-Na almost sighed. "Yeah, but instead I'm stuck in here like a mouse-rat in a cage." Thain burst out laughing. "More like a dragon on a chain." Pela-Na allowed herself to smile at that. "Sure, a water-breathing dragon." "A sea-serpent," Chasta said, "She's a sea-serpent on a chain." Thain and Chasta laughed together that time. Pela-Na forced her laugh to sound sarcastic, but the broad smile on her face portrayed her amusement.
"Well," Thain said bringing himself under control, "as much as I sympathize with you, there really isn't much we can do." Pela-Na brought back her usual glare. "It just isn't fair. The nuns, they just don't know what they want. They want me to stop the Earth Empire invasion, but they don't want me choosing sides; they want me to learn all forms of bending, but they haven't gotten me an earth bending teacher. It's like they're stalling."
There was a short silence. Finally, Thain stated quietly, "I really wouldn't be surprised if that's exactly what they're doing. Our country is very tense right now; a civil war could break out easily if anyone with power leans too far to one side or the other." Pela-Na sat upright and even Chasta's grin faltered. "Are you suggesting that the nuns are trying to figure out which side they want to be on?" "No," Thain said quickly. "No, but perhaps they're afraid of giving anyone the impression that they've chosen a side; you know, they're waiting, hoping for things cool down before letting you go."
The young Avatar scoffed and stared at the courtyard wall. "Well, if that's true, they've got another thing coming. I've seen what lies beyond these walls during my trips to the Northern Air Temple; an argument over who ordered what at the Go To Tuna could set them off." Chasta groaned, "That's probably why I sometimes feel like I'm the only fun person left in the world."
Thain started to nod in agreement, but then caught the implied insult and instead asked, "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying we aren't fun?" Chasta rested his chin on his hand and stared off into space. "Well, let me think… mm… well… no." This time, Thain hit Chasta in the head with a snowball. As always, Chasta said, "Ow," and laughed. "How about now?" Thain said preparing another snowball. "Well," Chasta said resuming his contemplative composure, "now that you mention it, there was that one time earlier today, when Master Menshuo-ˮ
This time when Thain threw the snowball, Chasta was ready; he ducked and it hit Pela-Na instead. This turned out to be a bad move. Pela-Na had spent these moments brooding and the snowball set her off. As Chasta prepared to poke more fun at Thain, he felt a strong chill from behind him that had nothing to do with the wind. Thain felt it too, and immediately the two of them ran for cover as Pela-Na's eyes began glowing, along with the wave-like tattoos on her body. "I'm tired of being stuck in here," she started saying, as the nearby snow melted and started spinning around her. "I'm tired of having people tell me what to do. I should be out there not in here!"
Thain lifted his head enough to see the watery vortex that now surrounded the Avatar. "Pela-Na, stop!" But Pela-Na gave no indication that she could hear him. Nuns started coming out to see what the fuss was about. Seeing that Pela-Na had entered the Avatar State, they started trying to subdue her, but to no avail. Pela-Na battered and froze them crying out her fury. Thain couldn't watch anymore; charging out from his cover he called to Pela-Na. She immediately looked at him with nothing but cold, empty contempt and froze him to the ground. But Thain didn't give up. "Pela-Na please listen to me. You've got to calm down. You could kill me or Chasta at this rate." Pela-Na turned and looked at him as one looks at a dog that won't stop barking, yet somewhere, beneath it, she started to hear him. "We're your friends, Pela-Na! Wake up; your anger is out of control!"
Slowly, both Pela-Na and the water fell to the ground. Cold and trapped, Thain tried to void bend energy from the air into himself, but there was very little to be found, so all he could do was watch as Chasta ran over to Pela-Na. "I-is sh-she o-okay?" Thain managed to ask through chattering teeth. "Yes," Chasta replied, "but she passed out. Woo, she really blew her top this time; she doesn't usually freeze this many people while in the Avatar State."
Pela-Na woke up some time later in her room. Standing over her were Masters Menshuo, Dorna, and of course, Toras-gol. In her dazed state, Pela-Na was unable to comprehend that she was in trouble; instead what she noticed was that her friends weren't with her. "Where… where are… Cha-… Chasta… and Thain?" she managed to ask.
Toras-gol and Menshuo exchanged a glance. "They're fine; Dorna has already seen to them." Pela-Na exhaled with relief, but Toras-gol wasn't finished yet. "You must realize, however, that you won't be seeing Thain again. I gave you your last warning earlier today, and yet you still let your volatile nature get the best of you." Pela-Na could have screamed in frustration except that she was too exhausted. "You can't get rid of Thain; there's no better Void Bender in the Northern Water Kingdom. I refuse to be taught by anyone less skilled than him." "You don't have a choice," Menshuo said, practically growling. "If you wish to be the Avatar, you will have to master the elements, and as long as you are under our protection, Thain shall never again be your void bending tutor."
If Pela-Na were more awake, she would've argued back that if they wanted her to be a true Avatar, they would have to keep Thain, or else she just wouldn't master the elements. But Pela-Na was too groggy to think that quickly, and even when she eventually did think of it, she knew the nuns would prove more stubborn than her on this. She was losing one of her best friends- just another day in a monastery prison.
Mentally, Pela-Na strengthened her resolve. She wasn't going to let it end this way; she was going to learn void bending from the best or not at all. Yes, she thought, she would find a way. Maybe she could communicate with Thain through Chasta, or maybe she could meet him secretly the next time she visited her family. Or maybe both.
A few days later, Pela-Na was allowed to visit her family's house. Like most of the Northern Water Kingdom, though, her family was rather divided over the war issue, and every time she came home, the topic was always the Earth Empire, the Phantom Fox or the war. The arguments were always respectful but heated, and after a while Pela-Na excused herself, claiming that she needed to go to the bathroom.
Her little brother, Sebal, didn't believe she really needed to go; she just wanted to get away from their parents' bickering. Well, he thought, if she can get away from this, then so could he. Interjecting into the conversation, Sebal said that he had some homework to do and asked if he could go to his bedroom. When they gave him permission, he went out into the hall and decided to spy on his sister.
Sebal was always looking for a way to show up his sister; throughout his life, he had been stuck in Pela-Na's shadow. People didn't think of him as Sebal the water bender, they thought of him as the Avatar's brother. So whenever Pela-Na was allowed out of the monastery to see them, Sebal did his best to give her a hard time every chance he got.
The six-year-old boy started looking around, and was surprised to hear Pela-Na speaking. Was she talking to herself? If so, that was some more embarrassing gossip he could spread around his school about her. He approached the door to the guest bedroom and peeked inside, hoping to hear something interesting.
But Sebal was not expecting what he discovered. Pela-Na was not alone; there was someone with her. The boy looked a bit older than Sebal's sister- tall, thin, dark-haired. They were speaking in hushed tones, but Sebal managed to overhear them anyway.
"-the only way. I'll be able to train with you, search for an Earth Bender to teach me the next element and fight the Earth Empire all at the same time," the Avatar was saying. The tall boy shook his head. "I agree with you, it's just… wow. Have you really gotten that desperate?" "Yes," Pela-Na replied, nodding her head. "I can't stay in that monastery anymore. I need to be in the action; the nuns are holding me back, just like you said."
Suddenly, Sebal realized what was happening: Pela-Na was going to run away and become a hero. Sebal started sweating and his throat went dry. If his sister left on an adventure, he'd be trapped in her shadow forever.
Pela-Na and her friend were still speaking. "We can't go alone," the tall boy said. "Are you really sure you want to leave Chasta behind? If we let him come-ˮ "If we let him come, he'll get killed," Pela-Na countered. "It's better if he stays here. Besides, I have a friend at the Northern Air Temple that I thought we could bring with us."
A friend? At the Northern Air temple? Slowly a plan started forming in Sebal's mind. The only way to be known for something other than being the Avatar's brother, he decided, was to get in on the action. Maybe it was time to beg his parents to let him visit Baang.
Sebal started to sneak away just as he heard his sister say, "It's settled then. I'll meet you at the docks at twelve o'clock tomorrow night. After we stop by the Northern Air Temple, we'll head for the Earth Empire and start looking for the Phantom Fox."