Aang paced back and forth on Appa's saddle, panting and wringing his hands.
"Would you sit down?" Sokka called over his shoulder from Appa's head. "If we hit a bump, you're going to fly off."
"I can't help it!" Aang said.
"What's wrong?" Katara said.
"It's what Roku told me. How in the world am I supposed to master all four elements before the comet comes?!"
"You're the Avatar, Aang. It's probably not as bad as you think," I said.
"Yeah. After all, you've already mastered airbending. One element down, three to go," Sokka said.
"I haven't even started on waterbending, and the North Pole is still weeks of travel away!" Aang said.
Katara grabbed Aang and brought him down to her level. "Calm down, Aang. It's going to be okay. If you want, I could teach you some of what I know."
"Really?"
"Yeah. We'll need to find a good source of water."
"How about down there?" I said, pointing to a flowing waterfall below.
"That'll work."
"Let's start off with something basic. This move took me a while to perfect, so it's okay if you don't get it right away," Katara said. "You just push and pull the water."
Katara swayed her body and arms back and forth, pushing and pulling a small wave of water.
"Like this?" Aang said, mimicking Katara.
"That's pretty good. With a little more practice, you'll be-"
"Hey, look, I'm doing it!" A large wave moved back and forth with Aang's motions.
Katara dropped her arms. "Wow... I can't believe you got that so fast..."
"It's all because I have an amazing teacher."
"Thanks. Let's try another move."
Sitting by the waterfall, I raised my hand and pulled a thin stream of water out. As the water touched the air, it hardened to ice. I released my hand, and a long rod of ice landed in my lap. I sighed.
"Aaaang!" I heard Sokka cry, followed by a scream and a splash. I looked up and widened my eyes at the large wave rushing towards me. I jumped to my feet, landing in a stretching lunge, and thrust my fist forward. The front of the wave hardened to ice. The rest of the water crashed into the ice and lapped against the shore. I peered out from behind the ice. Appa, laying in the water, rolled over onto his stomach.
"Sorry," Aang called.
"You should be! You just waterbended all our stuff away!" Sokka said, spitting water out of his mouth.
"Maybe there's a market nearby where we can replace all this stuff."
We found a market near a port, which was bustling with many types of not so nice-looking people. Each wielded some sort of weapon that could chop us up, and each glared daggers at us as we passed.
"So, we have about three copper pieces left from the money Bumi gave us," Sokka said.
"Make that two copper pieces... I couldn't help but buy this." Aang held up a bison whistle. He blew into it, but the only response was an annoyed screech from Momo.
"You know, I have some money of my own," I said. I pulled out a small sack. Sokka took it and glanced inside, his jaw dropping.
"Where did you get this money?!" he said, shaking the bag at me.
"I got it from someone I used to know, and I've been saving it for as long as I can."
"And why exactly didn't you tell us sooner? We'll be feasting tonight!"
I took the coin bag and stuffed it in my pocket. "What part of saving don't you understand? I'll use this to buy us supplies, but we can't splurge and spend it all. Until we get some more money, we'll have to be frugal."
"Ursa's right," Aang said. "Let's go find some booths."
We left the alleyway of suspicious bystanders and to the ocean. We passed by a large, expensive-looking ship.
"You there!" A skinny man with long brown hair jogged over to us. "You kids look like you travel quite a lot. Perhaps you're interested in taking a look at special souvenirs from around the world?"
"Sounds interesting," Aang said.
The man laughed and draped his arm over Aang's shoulder and led him to the ship. "I like you already!"
"I'll go ahead and get some supplies," I said. Sokka and Katara followed Aang up the ramp and inside the ship. I continued down the path. I passed by a booth with different shapes and sizes of baskets and water skins. I stopped and walked back to it. "Do you have any double water skins?"
"Let me see..." the merchant said. He crouched behind the stall and pulled out two water skins connected on a thick, leather strap. "Will this do?"
I took the skins and examined them. I smiled and nodded. I paid the merchant and tied the leather strap around my waist. A water skin rested on each hip. I also purchased a large burlap sack with an over-the-shoulder strap. I expressed my thanks and filled the water skins at the docks. I bought fruits and vegetables from food stalls and placed them inside the sack. Gripping the strap with both hands, I continued to browse.
"Ursa!" voices screamed. I whirled around and saw Aang, Sokka, and Katara sprinting towards me.
"Guys? What's wrong...?" I said as they ran past me. Looking forward, I noticed the gang of pirates running towards us. I gasped, turned around, and ran to catch up with my friends.
We turned the corner and ran past villagers, who murmured curiously as we passed by.
"There they are!" More pirates blocked out way forward.
"Hang on, guys!" Aang threw his airbender staff into the air, turning it into a glider, and grabbed ahold of it. We jumped up and grabbed the ends of the glider, flying over the pirates and away from the village.
"Okay..." I said, setting the burlap sack of food down. "What happened back there?"
"I don't know. Everything was fine until we left the ship, and those pirates chased after us. They were angry with us for some reason," Aang said.
Katara smiled. "Probably because of this." She reached behind her and pulled out a scroll with the Water Tribe symbol on both ends.
Aang and Sokka gasped. "You stole the scroll?!" Sokka said. "No wonder they tried to cut us up and feed us to sea monsters!"
"Where do you think those pirates got this scroll? They stole it from a waterbender!"
"That doesn't matter. You put our lives in danger for the sake of learning some new dance moves!"
"Well... Now that we have it, we might as well use it," Aang said. Sokka threw his hands in the air and stomped away.
Katara opened the scroll and laid it out on a stump. I glanced over their shoulders and at the drawings.
"I'd like to try this move, and then I'll let you use the scroll." Katara pointed to a set of moves called, 'The Single Water Whip'. "Hold it up for me."
Aang held the scroll up, and Katara stepped back. Studying the moves on the scroll, she tried to mimic them. The water came out stringy and unstable, and when Katara tried to whip it, it smacked her in the forehead. She tried again, this time whipping Momo in the butt.
Katara growled. "Why can't I get it?!"
"It's okay, Katara. You'll learn it," Aang said. He stepped near the stream and performed the water whipping move perfectly. "See? It's all about shifting your weight through the-"
"Enough, Aang!" Katara snapped. "Sorry to break it to you, but your 'infinite wisdom' gets on people's nerves. Why don't we just throw the scroll out since you're so naturally gifted?!"
I was taken aback by Katara's outburst. She glanced over at Sokka, who shook his head.
"What?!" she said, looking back at Aang. Her anger melted instantly when she saw the hurt in Aang's eyes. "Oh, my gosh, Aang. I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." She sighed, rolled up the scroll and handed it to Aang. "Here, you use it. I won't let this happen again."
"It's okay..." Aang said.
That night, I woke up when I heard quiet footsteps moving around the campsite. I cracked my eyes open and saw Katara crouch down and slip something out of Sokka's bag- the waterbending scroll. She carefully tiptoed past us and into the forest. I crawled out of my sleeping bag, glancing back at Sokka and Aang as they snored peacefully, and hurried after Katara. As I trudged through the trees, I heard her growl and grumble under her breath. I stepped out of the trees and watched her angrily flail her arms around, trying to get a stream of water to do her bidding.
"Katara?" I said. Katara gasped, and the water fell back into the stream. She turned to face me. I glanced at the waterbending scroll resting on a trunk. "It doesn't look like you're done with that scroll."
Katara hung her head. "I'm sorry... I guess I'm a little jealous that Aang learns things so easily. I just want to be able to be as good as you and him."
I sighed. "Katara, I'm not as good as Aang."
"Of course you are. You're a-"
"I'm not a master! If I were, I wouldn't be stuck with only bending ice! Every drop of water I try to command freezes in an instant, and I have no idea why! Gran-Gran told me it had something to do with what's in my heart, but what does that even mean?!" I bowed my head. "That's why I don't like it when you say I'm a master. I don't think of all the things I can do, I think of the one thing I can't do."
I waved my hand in front of me and gathered water around my fingertips. The water froze.
"Calling me a master just reminds me of how much I'm not. How flawed I really am," I said. I dropped my hand to my side. The ice on my fingers slipped off and hit the dirt.
Katara walked over and gripped my hand. "I'm sorry, Ursa. When I call you a master, I always mean it as a compliment. I never thought it would hurt your feelings."
"I know you always mean well. But until I learn more about my icebending and how to thaw it, I'm the furthest thing from a master."
Katara nodded. Something large and metallic scraped against the dirt nearby. We looked at each other with wide eyes and crept over to a large bush. Separating the leaves and peeking through, we saw a Fire Navy skiff docked on the edge of the river.
"They found us?" I gasped.
"We've got to get out of here." Katara grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. "Let's go!"
Large silhouettes surrounded us: pirates and Fire Nation soldiers alike.
"What do we have here?" The crowd parted, allowing the scarred boy to approach us. "I think it's past your bedtimes."
The pirates and soldiers inched toward us. I thrust my arms out, and a large wave of water rushed towards those in front of me. The water solidified and rammed into some of the soldiers, knocking them to the ground. A pair of hands grabbed my arms. Katara thrashed around.
"Tie them up," the boy said. They forced Katara and I back-to-back and wrapped a thick layer of rope around our torsos. We sat on the ground, staring up at the Fire Nation boy. "Where is he?"
"What makes you think we'll tell you anything?" Katara hissed.
"Because... we're not so different. I need to capture the Avatar to restore something I've lost. Give him to me, and I'll give you back something one of you has lost."
The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out my flame headpiece. My heart leaped into my throat, making me gasp quietly. However, not quietly enough. The boy set his eyes on me and smirked.
"I see... so this is yours," he said.
"W-Where did you get that?" I said breathlessly.
"I found it. You do know what this is, right?"
Katara glanced back at me. "Ursa, what is that?"
"This, little waterbender, is not just any sort of headpiece. It is the symbol of the Fire Nation Royal Family." Katara's eyes widened. "There are only three of this kind, but one of them disappeared years ago." The boy shoved the headpiece in my face. "Where did you get this?!"
"It was a gift to me!" I cried.
"Oh, yeah?! What lowlife stole this for you?!"
"Don't call her that! That's my headpiece!" I thrashed against the ropes, ignoring how they dug into my skin. Tears fell down my face. "It's mine! It's mine! Give it back!"
The boy scowled. "What a child," he muttered, turning back to the pirates and soldiers. "Prepare the ship for departure, find the airbender, and bring him to me. He's somewhere around here." The boy turned around. "Guard the girls."
"Very well." My eyes widened when a pair of feet appeared in my peripheral. I trailed them up to the face hovering over me.
Iroh.
He glanced down at me, giving me the tiniest of a nod. He knows me.
"Find him!" the boy barked. The pirates hurried into the forest while the soldiers and the boy climbed back onto the Fire Navy skiff.
Iroh turned to us. "You've gotten yourself in quite the predicament," he said. He knelt next to us and ignited a tiny flame over his first two fingers. "Hold still."
"What are you doing?! Get away!" Katara said, forcing the both of us to lean away.
"It's okay, Katara," I said, my head bowed. "I trust him."
Katara stared at me with wide, confused eyes. Iroh carefully burned through the bottom layer of the rope and laid the top layer over it.
"Don't give yourselves away. When the time is right, you can break free," Iroh said.
"Thank you, Iroh," I whispered.
"You're welcome... Ursa."
He patted my shoulder with one hand and slipped something into the other. I gasped as my fingers closed around the three-pronged flame. I looked up at Iroh, who gave me a warm smile. Tears pricked my eyes, and my shoulders slumped. I stuffed the headpiece back in my pocket. Commotion erupted from the trees as the pack of pirates returned to the shore. The scarred boy, holding the waterbending scroll, and his soldiers climbed out of the skiff. Aang and Sokka were tied up and surrounded by the pirates.
"I'm so sorry, Aang. This is all my fault," Katara said.
"It's okay," Aang said.
"Give me the boy," the Fire Nation boy said. The pirates stepped forward with Aang.
"Hold on a minute!" Sokka said. "You're really going to trade the Avatar for some silly scroll?"
"Don't listen to him! He wants us to turn against each other!"
The pirate captain turned to Aang. "You're the Avatar?"
"He sure is! Just think of how much he's worth on the black market!" Sokka said. "Probably much more than a stupid piece of paper."
"Shut your mouth!" the scarred boy growled.
"Yeah, Sokka, what are you doing?" Aang said through the side of his mouth.
"What? I'm just speaking with common sense. Think of how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar," Sokka said.
The pirate captain smiled and turned to the Fire Nation soldiers. "Keep your scroll. Once we turn the Avatar in, we'll be able to buy one hundred of them."
The scarred boy scowled. "You're going to wish you hadn't said that." He and two other guards thrust their feet at the pirates, launching fireballs at them. The pirates jumped back. The pirate merchant from before sprinted towards the Fire Nation. He pulled out a couple of smoke bombs and threw them at the soldiers. They exploded, covering the area with thick smoke.
"Now's our chance!" Katara said. We leaned forward, and the ropes snapped off and fell in our laps. We slid the ropes off and climbed to our feet. Katara grabbed my arm and pulled my forward.
We navigated through the smoke, dodging flying weapons and fire blasts. We emerged on the other side unscathed and ran to the pirates' ship. Aang and Sokka followed closely behind.
"We can use this ship to get away," Aang said.
"How are we going to get it in the water?" Sokka said.
Katara perked up and turned to Aang. "We'll waterbend it out."
Aang smiled. Together, they guided the water underneath the boat and lifted it into the water. We climbed up the ladder on the side and sailed down the river.
"They're after us!" Aang said, pointing to the Fire Nation skiff quickly catching up to us. "Can't this thing go any faster?"
"I don't know how to do that! This isn't Water Tribe!" Sokka said.
The skiff cruise alongside us. Pirate leaped across the gap and climbed aboard the ship. Aang summoned a large wave of water onto the ship, washing most of the pirates into the water below. I hardened the water, freezing those who managed to stay on in their place. Katara, determination on her face, raised her arms and successfully performed the water whip, knocking a frozen pirate off the ship. I turned to her and shot her a thumbs up.
"Uh, guys?!" Sokka cried, pointing ahead. The river dropped suddenly, and I could hear the rushing of a waterfall.
"Don't worry! I got this!" Aang said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his bison whistle. Taking a deep breath, he blew into it as hard as he could.
"Are you crazy?! How is that going to help us?!"
The Fire Nation skiff rammed into our boat, launching us out of the ship and over the side of the waterfall. We grabbed onto each other as we freefalled.
"Look!" I cried.
Appa appeared and caught us. We landed inside his saddle and flew away. I looked back at the pirate ship and Fire Nation skiff as they crashed into the water below.
"See? This whistle does come in handy," Aang said.
"We totally owe you one, Appa," Sokka panted. "But he's not the only one who saved the day!" He reached behind him and waved the waterbending scroll in front of us.
"Nice job, Sokka!" Aang said, snatching the scroll away and opening it up.
"Maybe now you'll learn that stealing is wrong."
"Unless it's from pirates."
I stared down at the thin veil of clouds below us. A hand rested on my shoulder. I turned and looked back at Katara, her eyebrows knitted. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the flame headpiece.
"This was given to me by the one who accepted me into her home. She was like a mother to me." I closed my fingers around the golden metal. "I'm not a thief. You've got to believe me."
"Of course I believe you," Katara said. "I'm just... really confused about a lot of things. Who was that old guy from before?"
"I've known him for many years, dating back to when I had my friend. He's always been good to me." I shook my head. "What I don't get is why he's helping that pompous boy. There's got to be a good reason... I just don't know what it is."
"Maybe he'll tell you someday. Or, maybe you'll find out for yourself."
I cupped my chin in my hand and sighed. "Yeah..."