The Storm
"Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and I crossed paths with the new Avatar, an Airbender named Aang. And although his Airbending skills are great, he has a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone. But I truly believe that Aang can save the world."
{Dream}
I pulled up the hood of my cloak and walked into the palace. I spotted Iroh in the crowd and ran right to him.
"Where is he?" I asked, looking around.
"He's coming." Iroh answered.
I was nervous. This was a legit Agni Kai, and my best friend was one of the participants.
"There." Iroh pointed.
I saw Zuko enter the room, practically radiating confidence. I smiled and ran towards him.
"Zuko." I called, grabbing his wrist.
I pulled the hood of my cloak down and Zuko smiled. "Phoenix, you made it." he noted.
I nodded. "I wasn't just gonna sit at home while you fight an Agni Kai." I told him.
"But how did you know?" Zuko asked.
"My dad sat in on the meeting, taking notes for the general he works for." I answered. "The general was with his wife and newborn daughter."
Zuko nodded and placed a hand on my shoulder. "It means a lot that you're here." he told me, smiling.
"What kind of best friend would I be if I wasn't?" I replied, smiling. "I'm rooting for you all the way." I pulled the collar of my cloak down and pointed to the necklace he gave me. "I'll always be on your side."
"Thanks Phoenix." Zuko said.
I threw my arms around his neck in a tight hug, laying my cheek on his shoulder. "Anytime." I replied, tightening my grip. My fingers brushed part of his black hair and I relaxed into him.
Zuko returned the embrace, his arms lacing around my waist and upper back. He was taller than me so his cheek rested on top of my head.
I pulled away and looked up into his twinkling gold eyes and felt myself smile. "Here's something for good luck." I chuckled. I leaned up and pecked his left cheek.
I pulled away from his embrace and stood by Iroh, keeping my eyes on Zuko the entire time.
That day has haunted me since then. I could never erase the fear I felt, nor the pained sound of Zuko's scream as his own father burned him.
{End dream}
Momo jumped on my stomach and I shot up, screaming.
"What's going on?" Sokka asked, groggily. "Did we get captured again?"
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and sighed. I went to reach fro my necklace, before realizing that it wasn't there. Zuko still had it, along with Katara's, and I wondered why he was still holding onto them.
"It's nothing. I just had a bad dream." Aang said, answering Sokka's earlier question. "Go back to sleep."
"Don't have to tell me twice." Sokka agreed, falling right back asleep.
"I second that." Tom added, yawning. He turned over on his side and closed his eyes.
I smiled and pushed some hair from his face. "Nice to know one of us can get back to sleep." I thought.
Pyrae was curled up into a ball between my brother and me, her brown tail covering her nose.
I smiled and laid back, lacing my hands behind my head. The stars twinkled in the sky, and I would guess there was still an hour or two before dawn. I closed my eyes but I couldn't get back to sleep.
Once the sun rose, we were all up and ready. We packed up our belongings and threw them into Appa's saddle.
"Look at those clear skies, buddy!" Aang exclaimed, sitting on Appa's head. "Should be some smooth flying."
"Well, we better smoothly fly ourselves to a market, 'cause we're out of food." Katara noted.
I nodded in agreement. "Sounds like a good plan." I added. "We can stock up on food and make some serious headway traveling to the North Pole."
"Guys, wait." Sokka halted. "This was in my dream. We shouldn't go to the market."
"Why?" Tom asked. "What happened in your dream?"
"Food eats people!" Sokka warned.
We all shook our heads in dismay.
"Also, Momo could talk." he added, turning to the lemur. "You said some very unkind things."
One we were all in the saddle, Appa flew off towards the nearest village.
Tom and I browsed through the market, determining what we might need on our way to the North Pole.
"Sis, are you alright?" Tom asked.
I looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine." I replied.
"You seem a little off today." he noted, walking up to me. He gently grabbed my arm. "Did you have a nightmare last night?"
I sighed. "It was nothing." I reassured, ruffling his hair. "Come on, let's regroup with the others."
"Out of food and out of money." Sokka sighed. "Now what are we supposed to do?"
"You could get a job, smart guy." Katara advised.
An old couple was fighting on the docks, a Fisherman and his wife. The wife was saying how a storm was coming, but the Fisherman wasn't buying it.
"I'll find a new fish hauler and pay him double what you get!" the Fisherman exclaimed. "How do you like that?"
"We'll go." Sokka volunteered, raising his and Tom's hand.
"You're hired." the Fisherman replied.
"What?" Sokka questioned, looking back at us. "You said get a job.
"And he's paying double." Tom noted.
"Double?" the Fisherman repeated. "Who told you that nonsense?"
Sokka and Tom didn't argue, instead they just followed the Fisherman to his boat.
Clouds started to roll in just before Tom and Sokka were about to set out.
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea." Aang noted. "Look at the sky."
"We said I was going to do this job." Tom reminded.
"Yeah, we can't back out just because of some bad weather." Sokka added.
"The boy with the tattoos has some sense." the Fisherman's wife agreed. "You should listen to him!"
"Boy with tattoos?" the Fisherman repeated. "Airbender tattoos. Well, I'll be a hog monkey's uncle. You're the Avatar, ain't ya?"
"That's right." Katara and I answered, smiling.
"Well, don't be so smiley about it." the Fisherman spat. "The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years! You turned your back on the world!"
"Don't yell at him!" I defended, stepping forward.
"Aang would never turn his back on anyone." Katara added, standing firm.
"Oh, he wouldn't, huh?" the Fisherman questioned. "Then I guess I just have imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering."
"Aang is the bravest person I know." Katara rebuked. "He's done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him."
Aang slowly backed away.
"It's not his fault he disappeared, right Aang?" Katara questioned, turning around.
Aang continued to back away. "Aang, what's wrong?" I asked.
He didn't answer. Instead he just opened his glider and flew away.
"That's right! Keep flying!" the Fisherman yelled after Aang.
"You're a horrible old man!" Katara spat, jumping on Appa. She flew off after Aang.
"Are you gonna follow?" Pyrae asked me.
I shook my head. "No." I answered. "Katara's better at getting through to him like this." I admitted.
The Fisherman's wife invited me into their home, so I followed her. I glanced over my shoulder as the Fisherman set sail, with my brother and Sokka along for the ride.
The wife put on some tea and I stayed out of her way.
"Somethin on your mind, child?" she asked, sitting down across from me. She was holding a tray with a teapot and two empty glasses.
"Just a lot on my mind." I replied, pulling out my red cloak and wrapping myself up in it.
Pyrae jumped on my lap and cocked her head to the side.
"From the looks of your clothes and that little SaberCat of yours, you're from the Fire Nation." the wife noted.
I nodded. "Yes, I am." I confirmed. "I'm also a Firebender."
She poured some tea into one of the glasses and handed it to me. "How old are ya child?" she asked.
I took the tea glass from her and set it down beside me. "Fourteen." I answered.
"What's a young girl like you doing traveling with the Avatar?" she questioned.
I looked at her. "I ran away okay?" I snapped. "I'm sorry, it's just-" I looked away.
"Sweetie, I've been around a while." the wife told me. "I can tell when something's troubling someone. Tell me what's on your mind."
"Where do I begin?" I sighed, pulling my knees up to my chest.
"At the beginning." she answered. "Why did you run away?"
I picked up the tea glass and took a sip. "Because I didn't want to live in a nation ruled by a heartless monster." I answered. "Something happened to my best friend and that was the last straw for me."
I gripped the cloak tighter around me, biting my lip to hold the tears back.
{Flashback}
I was twelve years old and I was content with my life in the Fire Nation. My dad was serving under an esteemed General and was highly respected. That was partially why we had a nice house on the mainland. There was a perfect view of the Royal Palace from our front yard. The other reason was because he was old friends with Fire Lord Ozai, they grew up together.
It was through that connection that I became best friends with Prince Zuko. He was two years older than me, but that didn't matter, we clicked instantly. I always found some excuse to leave the house just so I could spend a few minutes with Zuko, just the two of us.
There used to be four of us, but one of our friends, Fire Lilly, had to leave due to family issues. Our other friend, Lang Sue, just vanished one day. So now it was just Zuko and me.
Our usual spot was a large Amber Oak near the ocean view side of the palace. I found him leaning against it, waiting for me.
"Hey Zuko." I greeted, smiling.
"Glad yo could make it." Zuko replied.
"Well you said it was important." I reminded.
We sat down at the base of the Oak.
"There's an important war meeting starting soon, and I'm gonna sit in on it." Zuko told me, smiling.
"My dad's gonna be there." I informed. "The General he's serving under for the time has a new baby and is on leave for a few months." I stretched out my legs. "Anyway, those meetings always sound like a total bore if you ask me."
"I just wanna know what those old guys even talk about." Zuko admitted, lacing his hands behind his head.
"Military junk probably would be my best guess." I guessed. I took a deep breath and exhaled.
"So, have you had that same dream again?" Zuko asked, changing the subject.
I looked up at him and nodded. "Yep. Same one." I answered. I shifted positions and rested my head on his lap, now looking up directly at him. "It's always the same. The clear blue sky all around me, the ocean below me. The sense that I'm floating." I placed my hands on my stomach. "Then I hear the voice calling my name and it's coming from a giant Phoenix, hovering right in front of me, the sun shining behind her."
Zuko chuckled. "Well that's probably symbolic of your name." he suggested.
"I was named after the flower, remember?" I reminded, giggling. "But, my mother has always called me 'little bird'." I sighed. "I just don't know what it means."
"Isn't your mom good at deciphering dreams?" Zuko questioned, draping my ponytail over my shoulder.
I nodded. "Yeah, and when I told her about it, she said it means I'm in for a long journey ahead of me." I answered. "The Phoenix is supposed to represent me. And the face that I was probably flying means travel. It's what she told me after that's really got me confused."
"What did she tell you?" Zuko asked, stroking my hair.
I sighed. "That the time of my destiny is drawing near." I answered. "That I would have to make a difficult choice." I turned my face into the palm of his hand, letting him caress my cheek. " 'Fly the path of your destiny, little bird. For the time is coming. You're destiny is bigger than you. In time, you will figure it out. But, you have to be willing to make tough decisions.'" I repeated verbatim what my mother had told me.
"Destiny huh?" Zuko repeated.
I nodded. "I'm so confused, and honestly, a little scared." I sat up and looked into Zuko's eyes. "What do you think I should do?"
Zuko shrugged his shoulders. "It's your destiny Nix, not mine." he reminded.
"You're not helping." I told him.
Zuko smiled and stood up, offering his hand. I took it and rose to my feet. "I would just say, follow your heart." he said, honestly. "You've always had good instincts for choosing the right thing to do."
I smiled and bowed. "Thanks for the advice, Prince Zuko."
Zuko smiled and pulled me into a hug. "Phoenix, you're my best friend." he reminded, looking into my eyes. "You don't have to address me so formally."
I nodded. "Right." I agreed. "Well, I have to be getting home. Have fun at the meeting."
"See ya." Zuko replied, waving as I walked away.
If only I had known what was to come after that meeting.
{End flashback}
The Fisherman's wife poured me another glass of tea. "So this friend of yours sat in on a meeting with his father and father's co-workers." she deducted.
I never mentioned Zuko by name, or the fact that he was the Prince. I used vague descriptors. But I nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, my dad was amongst those co-workers." I added, sipping the tea. "My friend had spoken out against a strategy and well, it wasn't his place to." I looked away. "And the consequences were severe."
{Flashback}
"Agni Kai?" I repeated, setting the salad bowel on the table.
My father nodded. "Yeah, and the prince agreed." he informed, sitting at the table. "It's gonna happen in a few hours."
"Are you going?" my mother, Dalia, asked.
"Of course." my dad answered. "Everyone present at the meeting is attending."
My shoulders sank as I took my place at the dinner table. No matter what, I was getting into that Agni Kai, I had to make sure Zuko would be okay. Needless to say, dinner was quite that night.
As I was cleaning up after dinner, my mother tapped my shoulder. "Phoenix sweetie, why don't you take these bread scraps and leave them for the birds."
I nodded. "Okay mom." I replied, taking the basket of leftover bread, which was only like two pieces.
I walked out to the front yard and broke the bread into littler pieces and tossed them by the birdbath.
"Good evening Phoenix." I head someone greet.
I turned around and saw Iroh, Zuko's uncle, approaching my home. He was holding a red cloak with gold trim over his arms.
"Evening General Iroh." I replied, continuing tossing out bread crumbs. "Not so sure it's good though."
"So, I take it you've heard about what happened at the meeting." Iroh guessed.
I nodded. "Yeah, my dad told us all." I answered, lowering my head. "I'm worried."
Iroh walked up and put his hand on my shoulder. "If you want to come see, you can use this to sneak inside." he handed the cloak to me. "I came to tell you that I know it would mean much to Zuko that you were there."
I hesitantly took the cloak and held it. "Are you sure?" I asked.
Iroh nodded. "It starts in one hour." he told me. "I'll meet you by the entrance to the palace, should you decide to come." and on that note, Iroh turned and left.
I sat on my bed with my knees pulled up to my chest. My mind was racing with so many questions.
"Well, are you gonna go?" Pyrae asked, looking up at me.
I exhaled. "Yes." I jumped off my bed and grabbed the cloak, pulling it tight around me. "You stay here girl."
I slipped out through my window and ran towards the palace.
{End flashback}
"I snuck out and went to watch the Agni Kai anyway." I said, leaning against the wall. "I had to go, to be there for the only friend I had left. If only I had known what it was I was about to witness." I looked out at the grey skies, which personified what I was feeling that night as I watched the Agni Kai.
"Is that when you decided to run away?" she pushed.
I met her eyes and nodded.
{Flashback}
I pulled up the hood of my cloak and walked into the palace. I spotted Iroh in the crowd and ran right to him.
"Where is he?" I asked, looking around.
"He's coming." Iroh answered.
I was nervous. This was a legit Agni Kai, and my best friend was one of the participants.
"There." Iroh pointed.
I saw Zuko enter the room, practically radiating confidence. I smiled and ran towards him.
"Zuko." I called, grabbing his wrist.
I pulled the hood of my cloak down and Zuko smiled. "Phoenix, you made it." he noted.
I nodded. "I wasn't just gonna sit at home while you fight an Agni Kai."
"But how did you know?" Zuko asked.
"My dad sat in on the meeting, taking notes for the general he works for." I answered. "The general was with his wife and newborn daughter."
Zuko nodded and placed a hand on my shoulder. "It means a lot that you're here." he told me, smiling.
"What kind of best friend would I be if I wasn't?" I replied, smiling. "I'm rooting for you all the way." I pulled the collar of my cloak down and pointed to the necklace he gave me. "I'll always be on your side."
"Thanks Phoenix." Zuko said.
I threw my arms around his neck in a tight hug, laying my cheek on his shoulder. "Anytime." I replied, tightening my grip. My fingers brushed part of his black hair and I relaxed into him.
Zuko returned the embrace, his arms lacing around my waist and upper back. He was taller than me so his cheek rested on top of my head.
I pulled away and looked up into his twinkling gold eyes and felt myself smile. "Here's something for good luck." I chuckled. I leaned up and pecked his left cheek.
I pulled away from his embrace and stood by Iroh, keeping my eyes on Zuko the entire time.
I was expecting to see the General that Zuko had spoken out against to be his opponent, but that wasn't the case at all. It was his father, Fire Lord Ozai, that Zuko was facing.
Zuko immediately got down on his knees. "Please, Father." he begged. "I only had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart. I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!"
Ozai approached Zuko. "You will fight for your honor.
Zuko was still on his hands and knees. He was begging for mercy. "I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son!"
Tears fell from my eyes as I watched what was unfolding.
"Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" Ozai ordered.
"I won't fight you." Zuko replied, not meeting his father's glare.
Ozai continued to stare down at Zuko, who was kneeling at his feet, in tears. "You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher." Ozai's fist became engulfed in fire.
At the last second I looked away, turning into Iroh chest, hearing Zuko scream in agony behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw him clutching the left side of his face. With tears streaming down my face, I ran away as fast as I could.
It was then I realized what I had to do.
{End flashback}
"I wrote a letter for my mom to read, telling her I was beginning to understand what she told me." I said. "I wrote a second one to my friend, explaining why I was leaving." I wiped the tears from my cheeks. "I packed whatever I could fit into my bag and left in the dead of night, when my family was asleep. I ran away and didn't look back."
{Flashback}
Pyrae stopped by the wall of the palace garden. I used her as leverage to jump over the wall.
Zuko's bedroom window was open slightly and I saw the white bandage over his left eye, and I felt moisture well in my eyes. I carefully slipped inside and set the rolled up scroll on his nightstand. I froze when I turned to leave.
I turned back around and looked at Zuko, sound asleep. I softly caressed his cheek with the back of my hand. "I'm so sorry Zuko." I whispered. "I can't stay here anymore." I leaned down closer. "We'll see each other again someday." I added in a low voice.
I softly pecked his lips and pulled back. "Goodbye."
I jumped out the window and ran back to Pyrae. She ran through the forest and jumped off the cliffs edge of the mainland. We were out of Fire Nation territory by sunrise, and I didn't even once look back.
{End Flashback}
A loud crash of thunder sounded, making me jolt.
"Man, it's really coming down now." I noted. The storm had grown intense.
I looked back at the Fisherman's wife and she was visibly worried.
"I think we should go find Aang and Katara." Pyrae suggested.
I nodded in agreement. "Right, let's go."
We ran to the front door and Pyrae jumped outside, increasing in size. I jumped on her back and helped the Fisherman's wife climb on. Pyrae then flew off towards where Katara had flown Appa.
We found them in cave not far from the town.
"Aang! Katara!" I called as Pyrae landed inside the cave.
"Help!" cried the Fisherman's wife.
Katara ran up to us and helped the wife inside. "It's alright you're safe." she assured.
"But we have bigger problems." I told her. "Tom and Sokka haven't returned yet." I informed, just as another crash of thunder sounded. "They should have been back by now. And this storm is becoming a typhoon! They're caught out at sea."
Aang stood up. "I'm going to find them." he promised.
"We're going with you." Katara added, motioned to her and me.
"I'm staying here." the wife sat down by the fire, crossing her arms over her chest.
I used my bending to strengthen the fire just a bit. "We'll be back soon." I called to her as Pyrae and Appa flew out into the storm.
"Where are they?" Katara asked, bracing herself against Appa's saddle.
The storm was so intense that Pyrae couldn't handle flying. I had jumped into the saddle and held onto her tightly. Appa was even having trouble flying steadily and hit the water a few times.
I opened my eyes and spotted the fishing boat not too far. "Aang there they are!" I pointed out, yelling as loud as I could.
Aang flew towards the ship and tossed out a rope for the Fisherman, Sokka, and Tom to grab on to. We pulled them into the saddle just in time before the boat was destroyed. But, a giant wave washed over us, throwing us into the water. The only thing I remembered after that was holding onto my brother as tightly as I could. Then, I felt a calmness wash over us and we were back in the air again.
I coughed and caught my breath, leaning over the side of the saddle. When I opened my eyes, I saw Zuko's ship heading off towards the eye of the storm. Zuko was standing on deck, watching us, his eyes meeting mine. Soon, his ship was out of sight.
We returned to the cave where husband and wife were reunited.
"You owe this boy an apology!" the wife yelled.
"He doesn't have to apologize." Aang replied.
"What if, instead of an apology, I give him a free fish and we call it even?" the Fisherman suggested.
"Actually, I don't eat meat." Aang informed.
"Seriously, you're still going to pay us, right?" Sokka asked, motioning to him and Tom.
The Fisherman handed Sokka a bag of fish that would probably last us a few days. A few minutes later the storm cleared up and, after taking the Fisherman and his wife home, we took off North, continuing our journey.
It's been over two years since I left the Fire Nation, and I'm just figuring out what my mother was telling me about my dream. It was a difficult choice to make, deciding to leave home. And about my destiny being bigger than me, I was starting to understand that too. But, I still had a lot more to learn…
