Katara was day dreaming as they flew over the ocean. She was very worried and troubled. Would the Water Queen really help them? Would she provide them with an army to invade the Fire Nation? And what about their new enemy. How could they fight against her when she can fight two master waterbenders at the same time and win? Deeply indulged in her troubled thoughts, she didn't notice Zuko putting his arm around her.
"Are you okay," Zuko asked.
"Yeah, just a little worried." she said, leaning against Zuko's touch.
"Don't worry, nothing's going to happen to us." he said leaning against her.
"I hope so."
"Aang look out!" Katara yelled. Ahead of them was a huge blanket of fog that covered the entire ocean.
"Can we go around it?" yelled Suki.
"Why?" asked Lea, "We're here."
"Are you crazy Lady?" yelled Sokka. "All there is around here is water and fog, I don't see any palaces or cities. I think someone needs to get their eyes checked."
"No Sokka, we are here!" yelled Katara excitedly. "This is Glacier Pass!"
"Glacier Pass?" inquired Zuko. "What's that?"
"Do you see where the fog starts right there?" she asked Zuko. Zuko nodded and she continued. "There are hundreds of ice glaciers along the pass that continue on for twenty miles, the fog is used to hide them. That way if an invasion fleet comes, they would not be able to maneuver into the fog and they would crash. It's said that only a waterbender who lives in the Water Kingdom can see through the fog." At the end of Katara's speech, Lea stood up.
"That's right girl," she said, "Avatar, command your bison to land in the water." After saying this, she leapt into the water. Landing on it, she bended a crystal floor from under her.
At Katara's surprised look she said, "Don't worry I'm not dark bending. Fifty years ago during the Winter Solstice, the Water Queen's Grandmother Keia changed the law, making it so that only residents of the Water Kingdom can crystal bend and only citizens of the great city of Antlantica can merbend."
She then turned to Aang, "Avatar, command your bison to follow my movements exactly." As she said this, she began to move through the water.
Appa followed her for a half an hour, barely avoiding huge glaciers. When they moved out of the fog, the group gasped at what they say.
Before them was a gigantic wall made of ice, standing at least 100 feet tall. In the center of the wall was the symbol of the Water Kingdom. On the top of the wall, was a giant statue of a fish and on both sides about fifty yards away, were giant statues of a man on one knee holding a staff.
"Behold the Aquatic Gates. They span for a hundred miles, leading to the beginning of the Sapphire Mountains that surround the entire perimeter of the Water Kingdom." explained Lea before pausing and continuing on.
"On each side where the wall meets the mountains is a tower. Each of the towers have at least twenty waterbenders. Three waterbenders stand guard on the wall, one in each statue. Keep in mind, that there is not any room to stand on the wall, for its insides are made of water. Upon seeing an intruder, the bender freezes the water in the wall as a warning and it continues to freeze until it reaches one of the towers. From there, the waterbenders are sent to investigate. While doing this, the bender in the fish statue sends a message to the Surface City to inform the water viceroy that there are visitors at the gates. The gates are impenetrable, the only known man that was ever able to break through them and take the Surface City was the Dragon of the West. However he was immediately defeated by the armies of the two under water cities." Lea turned and gave a disapproving glance at Iroh who just blushed and looked down.
"Water Viceroy?" asked Toph.
"Yes." answered Lea. "The Water Nation has a complex political hierarchy. There of course are the chiefs who rule the four tribes, then there is the viceroy who oversees the tribes and the Foggy Swamp Colony and is the ruler of the Surface City. Then there is the water governor who commands the armies of the Water Nation and is the figure head for the underwater city of Atlantis. And finally, there is the water queen who oversees everything, passes laws, declares war, and rules in the undersea capital of Antlantica."
"Wow." answered Zuko looking at Katara, "I never knew that your culture was so sophisticated."
Katara shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
"I think we have company," said On Ji looking forward.
As she said this, the water around Appa froze, trapping him. The Gang looked forwards on both sides as waterbenders came towards them, riding the waves. They stopped in front of the bison and one of them approached and spoke.
"You are trespassing on the waters of the Water Kingdom. What is your buisness here?" he asked in a gruff voice.
Aang stood up and addressed the man, "I am the avatar and these are my friends. We are not your enemies for if we were, we would not be able to navigate through Glacier Pass." Aang stopped and continued, "We have come to speak with the water queen."
The man looked at Aang suspiciously for a moment before turning around and waving his hand at the wall. Water poured from the fish's mouth and from the tips of the man's staff, cutting a hole in the gates large enough for a war boat to pass through.
The man turned back to Aang and spoke, "Go through the gates and travel north for twenty miles. You will arrive at the docks of the city, from there, an escort will take you to the palace to see the viceroy."
"Thank you sir." said Aang.
Appa swam through the water for a half an hour before On Ji cried out, "Oooh look."
The Gang looked forward as a huge city appeared before them. Appa swam through the bay and headed towards the beach. Zuko sat uncomfortably as waterbenders stared down at them from the two walls that separated the bay from the rest of the city. Before reaching the gates, Lea spoke.
"I have to go complete a few errands so I'll meet you in the palace." she said before disembarking and walking away.
The group walked from Appa to the city gates where they were met by a waterbender.
"Good morning Avatar." said the male waterbender. "Welcome to the Surface City. I've been ordered to take you to the viceroy, so if you can follow me please."
The Gang followed the bender through the streets of the city, passing by huge palaces and other buildings and temples. They kept walking until they passed over a stone bridge that was built over a river that led to a huge pond just underneath a giant wall.
"Where does that lead to?" asked Aang, amazed at what he saw.
"That wall separates the Surface City from the beach that leads down to the two great underwater cities." answered the bender.
The bender led them to a giant palace and when they walked inside, they were greeted by a man on a throne.
"My Lord," said the bender, "I have brought you the avatar and his friends."
The viceroy looked up and spoke out.
"Avatar! It's an honor for you to grace my halls with your presence. However as glad as we are to see you, your company was not expected. What may I help you with?"
"Great Viceroy," said Aang. "I am humbled by your words and I hope that what I say does not disrespect you. But we asked for an audience with the water queen, not the water viceroy."
The Viceroy looked at Aang, "Then I regret to bring you this news. The only way you would be able to see the Water Queen is to journey down to Antlantica yourself. But I'm afraid that cannot happen. The only way possible to reach the city is to merbend and judging by the fact that none of you are wearing the crystal pendant around your necks that distinguish you as citizens of the Water Capital, you cannot do so. Swimming of course is not an option because you would not survive the descent into the fathoms."
Seeing the disappointed faces of the group, he spoke again, "I can however permit you to journey down to Atlantis to speak to the water governor. The queen makes frequent trips to the city. Who knows, maybe she'll be there."
"Thank you so much!" said Katara.
"It is my pleasure. Roac!" the viceroy called, "Can you please escort the avatar and his friends to Atlantis?"
"Of course my Lord." said Roac. He knew better than to refuse, knowing well that it was a order, not a request.
"Good luck Avatar, I hope that your mission proves successful." the viceroy called after them.
Roac led them out of the palace, through a tunnel, and down a spiraling marble stair case. They were then led to a wide circular courtyard that faced the great wall. The wall was made of stone, but there was a narrow section of it that was made of crystal and engraved upon it was the symbol of the Water Nation. Roac approached the two benders that guarded the crystal section and nodded to them. In unison, the benders pulled the water from their pouches and bended it into the crevices of the symbol. The water flowed through it and began to glow. The two benders pushed their arms forward and the water was sent deeper into the wall. Water then poured from the symbol, cutting open a door way that led to open sunlight.
Katara stepped forward and gasped as she was standing on a large beach that was facing a vast expanse of water. She was even more surprised to see the amount of benders that stood along the wall, guarding the border to the cities. Roac stepped forward onto a pier and into a large canoe. After entering the canoe, the boat followed a current for about five miles that took them to a large rock. Roac stepped onto it and walked through an opening in it. They walked down a steep flight of stairs and into a vast water cave. They walked through it for about a mile before stopping in front of a huge water fall. Sokka proceeded to walk through it but Roac stopped him.
"You walk through the water and the benders on the other side of it will kill you instantly." he said darkly. "Only a waterbender can pass through it."
Roac raised his hand and the water formed into an archway and froze. Roac led them through it and up a flight of steps. Katara gasped at what met her eyes.
They were standing on a cliff side that was grassy and had tropical trees around them. There were two waterbenders guarding the entrance to the underwater caverns and another one was standing on the edge of the cliff side. Zuko took hold of Katara's hand and gazed in awe at the beauty that was Atlantis.
Atlantis spread over an underwater mountain that was entirely covered in water that flowed down the mountain in breath taking waterfalls. The great city lay in the middle of it with tiny islands in the water around the mountain, each with a little building on it. Iroh gazed in admiration as he spotted spectacular stone giants that stood on the edge of the mountain facing north, south, east, and west, protecting the city.
Roac stepped forward and spoke with the bender who stood at the cliff's edge. The bender turned to face the city and lifted his arms. On Ji watched in awe as a section of the waterfall rose to the cliff side and froze, creating an ice bridge from the cliff to the city. Once they were across, a waterbender on an island collapsed the bridge back into water. The group stepped onto a canoe that took them to the city entrance. Roac stepped forward, crossed a great bridge, and entered the city.
"Such beautiful architecture." Iroh whispered.
"Yeah it is," said Suki.
Roac led them into the heart of the city, up several winding stair cases, and into the palace. A guard led them to the governor's throne room and as they walked in, she rose to greet them.
"Hello Avatar and welcome to the city of Atlantis." said the governor proudly.
"It's beautiful ," said Aang. "But we did not come to gaze at the extravagant buildings, we came to speak to the water queen!"
"Absolutely not!" the Governor shouted. "You do not have permission to enter Antlantica without proper authority."
"Then I give it to them," said a voice.
The Gang looked around to see Lea walk through the door and were shocked to see the governor and her guards bow to her.
"Princess Lea," the Governor spoke. "I-I am honored."
"Stand up," Lea commanded with authority. "My sister is arriving soon to speak with the avatar."
"Wait a minute," Katara thought. "If Lea is the queen's sister and that makes her a princess, then that makes Marina a princess too!"
"Lea," Zuko began, "You're a…"
"Yes," she said and exposing her beautiful crystal pendant from around her neck. "These are quite common in Antlantica but only those of the royal family have pendants with a sapphire encrusted at the top."
At that moment, the pond in the governor's throne room swirled around and rose, creating the form of the water queen. Her very presence commanded authority as she stood before them. She was tall and had striking blue eyes with long black hair. She wore beautiful robes the color of the ocean and her tiara of sapphire jewels gleamed in the light. In her right hand, her silver scepter gleamed as it caught the light sending it dancing across the walls. It was diamond encrusted and had the pattern of silver dolphins on it as they led to a beautiful pearl at the top.
She waved her hand and the benders attacked. Together, the benders sent water at Iroh that encased his entire body and froze. The water queen stepped forward and spoke.
"It would be a long time before I thought I would see the Dragon of the West again."
"This is the life," Creaus said, swimming in one of the rivers of the palace.
"You said it bro," Sya said, lounging on the throne. "We get to stay here, living like royalty with no crazy witch telling us what to do."
While lounging back on the throne, she felt it turn to water beneath her.
"Craeus!" she yelled in fear.
"Sya! I can't move!" screamed Craeus in the water. He was in the middle of the river with his arms submerged completely.
The throne turned into water and reared up, slamming Sya forward on the path way. Craeus felt the water churn around him and the river exploded, sending him hard on the path. Gasping for breath, the two teens looked up in fear as the throne turned back into crystal as Marina stepped from the shadows.
"Did you enjoy your little vacation?" she asked, hatred emanating from her voice.
"Yes my Mistress," responded Sya. "But if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here? We did not expect you back so soon."
"Yeah and where's the avatar?" Craeus said rather annoyed. "I don't see him anywhere…unless he's dead."
Marina looked at the boy, smiled, and raised her arm. Immediately he began to writhe in pain and anguish. Sya immediately jumped to her brother's aid but as Marina lifted her left leg, she found herself unable to move.
"Do you know what I'm doing Craeus?" Marina asked sweetly. "I'm bending the water in your body to boiling hot. It's a nice little technique I learned by punishing a firebender."
She turned to Sya, "As for you, you cannot move because I froze your body from the inside. I can also do many other things as well. Such as drown you…"
Marina lifted her foot upwards and even though Sya was above water, she felt as if she was being pulled below the surface and was finding it increasingly hard to breathe. "Suffocate you…" she turned her foot to the left.
The feeling of being drowned disappeared as an even worse sensation appeared. Sya felt all the water move from her mouth to her stomach. Sya's throat began to constrict, restricting her air supply.
"Or even poison you."
Sya felt the sensation disappear and she began to feel very strange. She felt something creeping from her feet, moving to her heart. When the strange feeling reached her chest, Sya began to scream in pain as the feeling turned from cool to white hot.
Smiling, Marina let her foot fall to the ground and lowered her arm, releasing the two teens from her bending and leaving them gasping for air on the path way.
"I can even do something else as well." Marina said to them as she lifted both of her arms.
At that moment, Craeus and Sya felt all the water and blood be drained from their bodies and watched as it danced around them. Seconds from death, Marina returned the liquids back into the teenager's bodies. When the water and blood returned to them, they fell over, gasping for air.
"I can even make your bodies explode in water and blood. Water.." she twisted her wrists as Craues and Sya saw something moving below their skin.
"And blood." she moved her wrists again as the kids felt all of their veins expand.
Looking at their terror filled eyes, Marina released her bending powers.
"Now have you learned your lessons?" Marina asked dangerously.
"Yes my Mistress." they choked out together. "We are your servants."
"Excellent. Now go out and inform the captain to make ready the war boats. After that, go change into your armor."
"My Mistress…we're going off into battle? Where?" asked Craeus.
Marina looked into his eyes and answered in a voice that made his body run cold. "We're going to attack the Water Kingdom."
Turning her back on the teenagers, Marina walked down the hall. She removed her crystal pendant and watched as it caught the sun's ray and sent beautiful blue light from the sapphire along the walls.
Marina's an evil princess!! And again this shows how cruel Marina is even to her apprentices. REVIEW!!