Part Four: The Avatar

The morning after Aang, Katara, and Sokka arrive, there is quite some commotion about someone called the Avatar. Mackenzie is invited to a feast in this Avatar's honour.

Mackenzie was on his daily jog, which he used to relieve tension from dealing with camp affairs and being cooped up in the camp. He also took Queen with him on occasion so she could get some exercise. Today, he was riding Queen through Kyoshi village on his way back to the 74th's camp when he noticed a lot of commotion surrounding the town square.

Investigating, he found that there was to be a feast the evening surrounding the Avatar. Mackenzie had no idea who that was, besides the mention of Avatar Kyoshi, after whom the island and its protectors were of course named. Assuming that this was a matter surrounding Kyoshi herself, Mackenzie went back to the camp to attend to the day's duties.

Part of these duties were compiling information about the regiment, and keeping himself informed about the happenings of his men. He kept track of who was sick, who needed more drill and who was causing trouble, atypically involved with the regiment for a colonel of the British Army. This was mostly because he didn't have superiors to report back to at the moment, but kept regular reports all the same. Mackenzie was worried about paying the men, though. The 74th did not carry much more money needed than to pay the men for their time on the ships, as the situation the 74th found itself in was unheard of.

Mackenzie started writing another weekly report:

September the Twentieth, In the Year of the Lord Eighteen Fifteen,

The Regiment has been quiet since our landing in the foriegn island, and the islanders have treated us well, gladly providing Food and other supplies while we conduct Repairs. The Company of Recruits have been stationed on land to be trained without Ammunition as much as possible to Shape them up into Proper soldiers. Soon, they will start Training with shot and ball.

Funds for Wages are running considerably low, and it is a real Possibility that pay will have to be reduced or cut altogether, and replaced with Promissory Notes until we reach Calcutta or another British Port. At such a time, the Soldiers' back pay will have to be acquired and distributed. I do not fear a Mutiny, as the men have been understanding of our situation and have given me no reason to consider any of them Disloyal. That said, I do not count such a Mutiny impossible if Wages are halted in favour of Notes.

Captain Donners estimates that repairs will take another month at most, while gathering enough rations to attempt a journey to India via the way we came-

Mackenzie was interrupted with a voice at the tent entrance.

"Sir," One of the guards spoke, "There is a lass here to see you."

"Let her in." Mackenzie replies, and sets his report aside. He looks up just as Suki enters the tent. "What can I do for you, Suki?" He asks as he stands up. He would have taken off his bonnet if it weren't on his desk already.

"The village is having a feast to honour the Avatar tonight, and the elders have invited you to join us." Suki told him.

Mackenzie considered this for a moment, then told her, "I would be honoured to attend. However, I know very little about the Avatar or what she has done. Could you be so kind as to tell me more about the Avatar?"

Suki told Mackenzie all about the legend of the Avatar, about how they are the only ones able to bend all of the elements, keep balance between all of the nations, and maintain peace and balance between the physical and spiritual worlds. She went on to describe a few notable Avatars, such as Kyoshi or Roku, and how the Avatar reincarnates as a different nation each time the old one dies, in a predictable cycle.

She also briefly mentioned recent history surrounding the Avatar, how the Fire Nation wiped out the Air Nomads to destroy the current Avatar, who would have been but a child and ultimately disrupt the Avatar Cycle permanently.

Mackenzie took a moment to soak all of that in. "I see, and from what you're saying, the boy, Aang, is-"

"The Avatar, and the last of the Air Nomads, yes."

"That is… Quite interesting to say the least." Mackenzie responded, sinking into deep thought.

The boy could not be any older than twelve, a few years younger than his beloved nephews, and had such a large responsibility thrust upon him. A newfound respect for the child grew as Mackenzie considered that he seemed to be bearing the weight of responsibility well, if taking solace in childish games more often than others his age might.

Mackenzie then questioned, "If the genocide happened one hundred years ago, how is the boy so young?"

Suki just shook her head that she didn't know.

Thinking on this, Mackenzie told her, "I'll be at the feast, with a couple of my senior officers with me."

Suki took this as a dismissal and said goodbye while turning to leave.

Mackenzie took a moment more to ponder on the mysterious happenings of this place, first a band of girl-warriors tasked to defend a sacred island, then a select group of people being able to manipulate the elements, and now a boy born a century ago, who happens to be one of, if not the most important person of wherever the 74th has found themselves, is still a child.

Shaking his head at the failed attempts to wrap his head around these mysteries, Mackenzie returns to his report,

-will take a further two weeks, then we shall be ready to cast off and return to duty in India.

That night, Col. Mackenzie, Captain Holland of the Grenadier company, and Mackenzie's company's second in command, Lieutenant John Garllie, entered the village a few hours before sundown to make a timely appearance to the feast. The officers were shown their seats and the feast commenced shortly after the Avatar and his friends arrived.

Right off the bat, Mackenzie could see that Aang was being showered with attention for being the Avatar, and he was loving it. It was clear, however, that his companions, especially Katara, were not. Katara was pouting while the girls of Kyoshi crowded around the boy and garnered for his attention and favour.

He turned back to where he and his fellow officers were seated, which was with the Kyoshi elders, and asked them about the legend of the Avatar. The three Scots listened to the Kyoshi elders while enjoying their meals, and the music played in the background.

The feast went on for some time before the meal was finished and the villagers began to drift away from the table and gather around a bon-fire. There, they sang and danced late into the night. It seemed that Katara was not in the mood for any more festivities after an evening of listening to Aang brag about himself to the Kyoshi Islanders, Mackenzie noticed as she wandered off while the rest of the villagers were getting ready to dance and sing. Mackenzie, Holland, and Garllie also retired for the night, stating that their duties prevented them from staying at the party the whole time.

The next two days were relatively quiet in the British camp, despite some bickering among the Avatar's companions and the boy soaking up his new-found fame. On the third day after the feast, a report came to the Colonel's tent, claiming to have seen ships on the horizon, ones ablaze with thick smoke coming from them.

Mackenzie passed along the message, not thinking much of it besides a burning ship that may need assistance. However, the response Mackenzie received was much more concerning; A request to meet in the village hall immediately.

I'm going to end that one right there, because it seems like a decent place to stop, and I need to put something out after a month of silence. Writing that feast scene was hard, and I'm sure it shows. I have high hopes that the next chapter will not only be easier to write but also of a higher quality than this.

Til then

God Save the King and Cheers,

~~Hellsta