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Book One: Water

Chapter Three

Kyoshi Island

The ship docked shortly after dawn the next day at a small port that had once belonged to the Earth Kingdom until Fire Nation troops had taken it over. Thus, there was a robust system of resupplying and refueling for their coal-run warships, which was why Rika had sent a messenger hawk ahead to inform the port's overseer of their arrival.

A tall, wiry man clad in Fire Nation red stood astride the dock as Rika, Lieutenant Soh, Prince Zuko, and General Iroh disembarked the ship. Dockworkers and soldiers already bustled to and fro, shouting orders as the coal and supplies were brought aboard. As the captain, Rika took the lead and gave a curt nod to the man.

"The overseer, I presume?" she said.

The man grinned, showing off a silver tooth that matched his gray-streaked black hair. "Aye. And you must be Captain Rika." His burnt orange eyes raked her up and down. "A little young for a captain, eh?"

"Yet a captain all the same," she said with a thin smile. She gestured behind her. "It is my honor to introduce Prince Zuko and the retired General Iroh of the Fire Nation Royal Family. We have some questions for you and your workers if you don't mind."

The overseer's eyes widened before he dropped into a sloppy bow. "Of course! Who would I be to refuse members of the royal family? Please, have a look around. Ask away."

"Thanks," Prince Zuko said, striding past the overseer before he could say anything more and heading deeper into the port. With a small sigh, Iroh followed him.

"Er, I'll be here to supervise the resupply," the overseer said to Rika and Lieutenant Soh after he'd straightened. "Please find me if there is anything else you need."

Rika nodded, and he moved away toward the ship. She began walking in the opposite direction. Lieutenant Soh melted to her side like a shadow. Prince Zuko and his uncle had disappeared into the flurry of activity covering the port, but she had confidence that the prince's angry aura would keep any ne'er-do-wells out of their path.

She frowned at the last spot where she had seen the prince, the memories of last night's spat resurfacing. She'd tossed and turned all night, regretting that she had spoken so recklessly in front of the prince, banished or no. She'd been apprehensive that morning when they had come face to face again, but the prince had acted like she wasn't even there, and that nothing had ever happened.

Foul-tempered and confrontational, she thought as she and Lieutenant Soh strolled the length of the dock. Small wonder he and Father don't get along, though they possess the same streak of arrogance…

"Captain," Lieutenant Soh said. She looked up and met his flat copper gaze. "Shouldn't we be inquiring after news of the Avatar?"

"You may if you wish," she said, returning her attention to the crowded port. Merchant stalls and soldiers were crammed together like matches. One spark and they would all go up in flames. "My methods of seeking out information are much different than banging on doors and interrogating civilians."

"Captain?" he asked.

She tapped the side of her head. "Listen, Lieutenant, and the answers will come to you."

He gave her a skeptical look, but she paused at a radish stall and picked up one of the bulbous vegetables.

"Fresh outta Earth Kingdom soil!" the merchant declared proudly when he spotted Rika. He hustled over, squeezing his wide girth behind his stall. "Finest radishes this side of the sea!"

"They look lovely," Rika remarked. "Which part of the Earth Kingdom are they from?"

The merchant's chest puffed out. "Just south of Omashu!"

"A long way from here." Rika raised an eyebrow. "What news from the Earth Kingdom interior?"

"Good rains; good harvests," he said with a shrug. "The usual. Although," he leaned in and lowered his voice, "the farmers been sayin' that the Avatar's returned! Can you believe it?"

Lieutenant Soh opened his mouth, but Rika silenced him with a subtle hand movement. "The Avatar, you say?"

"Oh, yes. Everyone's been talkin' 'bout all these statues in the temples across the world, you see. Glowin' eyes and the like. Word spread that it's 'cause the Avatar's back!"

Rika exchanged a look with Lieutenant Soh. "Interesting, indeed."

The merchant rocked back on his heels. "Sure is. Say, whaddya think about five coppers for a pound of radishes?"

They stopped at several more stalls and heard the same things: the Avatar had returned, statues of past Avatars across the world had announced his arrival, and that every vegetable was on sale. But Rika was more interested in what the merchants weren't saying.

No one dared to say it aloud in a port controlled by the Fire Nation, but she sensed the murmurs in the air, the undercurrent of secrecy and excitement. The Avatar had returned to stop the Fire Nation. The Avatar was going to defeat Fire Lord Ozai and end the hundred-year war. But what she really wanted to know…

"The Avatar's on Kyoshi Island! Heard it myself just this morning from the fisherman I buy my fish from! Said he heard it from someone who lived on the island!"

Rika paused next to the stall of fish on her left. The fish were already beginning to stink in the morning sun, but she pretended to be interested in a rainbow-tipped tuna while she listened, Lieutenant Soh beside her.

"Kyoshi Island?" a merchant across the way from the fishmonger echoed. "Eh, guess it makes sense. That Kyoshi woman was an Avatar hundreds of years ago. Maybe this new Avatar just wanted to see himself dressed up in a skirt again."

The stalls roared with laughter, and Rika took the opportunity to slip away with Lieutenant Soh.

"Well, there's one lead," she said. "Kyoshi Island. That's not too far from here."

Lieutenant Soh sniffed. "I wouldn't put too much faith in the words of peasants."

She frowned. "Even the poorest civilians have access to things we don't." At Lieutenant Soh's doubtful look, she elaborated. "Trust from their peers. Especially in areas that were once independent of the Fire Nation. Have you ever met someone willing to speak openly in front of Fire Nation soldiers?" She continued when he didn't answer. "I wouldn't scoff at the words of 'peasants' just yet."

"It's nearing midday," he said instead. "We should get back to the ship. They should be done refueling by now."

They reboarded the ship just as Prince Zuko and General Iroh returned. Prince Zuko stalked over to them without preamble.

"Well?" he said. "What news of the Avatar?"

"We found a lead regarding Kyoshi Island," Rika said. "You?"

Prince Zuko scowled. "We heard the same thing."

She nodded thoughtfully. "Multiple sources telling the same story could point to a possible lead. Shall I inform the helmsman of our new course, Prince Zuko?"

"Yes," he said, his eyes flicking over to her at her overly-polite tone. "I want us there by tomorrow."

"Very well," she said stiffly. She turned to the observation tower. "Helmsman! Set a course for Kyoshi Island!"

The man obeyed swiftly, and within moments, the gangplank was being raised and they were prepared to launch.

Rika crossed her arms and met Prince Zuko's glare head-on. "Let's hunt ourselves an Avatar."

That night, Rika swallowed her pride and made the short journey to the deck just above her own quarters. After sending the coordinates to Kyoshi Island to her father via messenger-hawk, there was nothing left for her to do to delay the inevitable, and so she resigned herself to her next dreaded task.

Only two rooms were occupied on that particular deck, and each stood guarded by two armed and helmeted soldiers with helms covering their faces and large spears in their hands. Rika stopped outside one of the doors and squared her shoulders.

"I'm here to speak to Prince Zuko," she said in her most authoritative tone.

One of the guards merely knocked and stepped inside the room without speaking a word to her. Through the crack in the metal door, she heard the guard.

"Captain Rika wishes for an audience, Prince Zuko."

Rika refrained from making a face. An audience? She just wanted a conversation.

Royals, she thought distastefully.

"Send her in," came the prince's reply.

The door squeaked open, and the guard motioned her inside. She stepped into a finely furnished room lit with an abundance of firelamps. Prince Zuko himself sat before a low table lined with candles and incense, a flag of the Fire Nation pinned to the wall in front of him with two curved swords mounted beneath it. His eyes were closed, and he was in a meditative position. The flames of the candles rose and dimmed in time with his breathing. She recognized the grounding meditation that firebenders practiced from watching the soldiers around her all those years, and she swallowed down the needling sensation at the back of her throat.

"Leave us," the prince said, and the guard exited the quarters without hesitation, shutting the door behind him. The prince kept his eyes closed and his hands clasped before him. "What do you want?"

Rika cleared her throat and straightened her spine. "I came to make sure that we're on the same page, Prince Zuko."

"About what?"

She narrowed her eyes, glaring at a spot in between his shoulder blades. "We are allies, Prince Zuko. Our goal is the same: to catch the Avatar."

He sighed deeply, and the candles flamed. The heat fanned her face. "Your point?"

"Having conflict between us when we're working toward the same thing is unreasonable."

"And so you came to apologize?"

Her jaw worked. She was tempted to turn around and walk back out, but she needed him to trust her. "Yes."

He dropped his hands and opened his eyes. "Save it." He stood and faced her, his golden eyes narrowed, but the calmest she had seen them thus far. He swiped his hand, and the candles went out. "I don't want your empty words."

He crossed the room toward a small wardrobe bolted into the floor, and Rika stood, uncertain. "Um. Right." She shook her head. "So what do you want?"

He paused with his hands on the knobs. "My honor. My throne."

"And catching the Avatar is how you can get that," she surmised.

He opened the wardrobe. "Yes."

She clasped her hands behind her back. "Well, you're close to getting it. We should reach Kyoshi Island tomorrow before sundown."

"If he's even there," the prince pointed out. He shucked off the sleeveless black tunic he'd been wearing, leaving him only in his gray uniform pants. Rika averted her eyes from his lean and well-toned back, suddenly feeling like an intruder. The heat from the firelamps did little to quell the heat that flared in her own face, and she very much wished she could open a window at that moment. "All we have to go off are rumors."

"Rumors can be useful," she said, staring at the ceiling.

He extracted a red silk sleeping robe and shut the wardrobe again. "We'll see about that." He turned, and her eyes went back to the ceiling at the taut muscles of his exposed chest and torso. She prayed to every last incarnation of the Avatar that she wasn't blushing. She'd been around soldiers all her life. Bodies were nothing foreign to her. But he was the prince of her nation, and to see him in such a state of undress felt like a violation of the law. She wouldn't be surprised if the guards were to barge in and burn her to a crisp. "Have your men ready the rhinos. I want to strike quickly before he has another chance to escape."

"The twelve-year-old boy," she said. "Yes."

"The Avatar," he said with a scowl as he finally, thankfully, tugged on his robe, but she withered when he left it open. Her execution would be coming any moment now, she was sure of it. "My uncle says that age is a minor factor. Experience provides the most wisdom."

"Your uncle is wise himself," she said, her voice slightly strangled.

Prince Zuko scoffed. "Not wise enough to take Ba Sing Se from the Earth Kingdom."

"Well," she said, edging toward the door, "I'm glad we've resolved our problem. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Prince Zuko."

Without waiting for dismissal, she flung the door open and marched down the hall. Once she reached her quarters, she shut the door and slid to the floor, breathing a sigh of relief.

She couldn't wait for all of this to be over.

The sea glimmered before Katara, calling her home. The water was calm now, betraying nothing of the giant, eel-like monster the villagers of Kyoshi Island called the Unagi when it had tried to eat Aang only moments before.

Katara wheeled around and fixed the last airbender with a stern glare as he sheepishly pulled back on his yellow and orange monk's robes. Sensing Katara's look, Aang quickened his pace and avoided eye contact.

"You don't need me to tell you that attempting to ride the Unagi was stupid and dangerous, do you?" she asked, settling her hands on her hips.

Aang chuckled nervously, running a hand over his bald head and the blue arrow tattooed into his skin there. "No. I think I learned my lesson." He dropped his hand and sighed. "Katara, I'm sorry. It was stupid and dangerous. I just, I don't know…let this whole Avatar thing go to my head."

Katara softened. Aang was a good kid, she knew that, and she understood that life was new and strange for him after emerging from an iceberg after a hundred years. She'd only been worried for his safety—not as the Avatar destined to save the world, but as a friend. Though it had only been a few weeks since they'd met, Aang had quickly become as close as family with her and Sokka.

"I know," she said, reaching out and putting her hands on his shoulders. "And I accept your apology. Just…try to be more careful, all right?"

Aang nodded, perking back up again. "I will. I promise."

"Well, isn't this a touching scene?"

Katara and Aang whirled immediately, sinking into defensive stances. A Komodo-rhino decked in Fire Nation colors stomped down the beach toward them, and Katara's heart skipped a beat. Had Prince Zuko found them already?

Astride the rhino was a girl perhaps a year or two older than Katara, dressed in typical Fire Nation armor with a sash of gold across her chest, a dagger at her waist and some device Katara didn't recognize belted at her thigh. Her long black hair was braided away from her narrow face, and her yellow eyes shone out at them like lanterns. Katara sank lower. She'd never seen this girl before, but it was clear she was there to try and capture Aang.

"Aang, run back to the village and get help from the Kyoshi Warriors!" she said. "I'll hold her off!"

"You may want to think twice about that," the girl said with a flat smile. "I brought some friends ashore with me. Perhaps you know one of them? Prince Zuko?"

"Go, Aang!" Katara said. "It's our only option!"

Aang glanced at her. "Katara—"

With a roar, the rhino charged at them, kicking up sand with its powerful feet. Katara and Aang dove out of the way, forced apart by the rhino's horns, but Katara gasped when the girl leaped from the rhino's back at Aang, slashing down with her dagger.

Aang rolled, coming to his feet and bringing his hands together in a clap of air. The wind threw sand into the girl's eyes, and she cursed, taking a step back.

"Come on!" Aang cried, and Katara used the diversion to sprint to Aang's side before they raced into the trees beyond the beach, heading back toward the village.

Thudding footsteps chased them, the trees splintering and echoing with the Komodo-rhino's roars. Birds took flight with startled shrieks, and Katara gasped.

"Aang, there's smoke coming from the village!"

Beside her, Aang's gray eyes narrowed. "Zuko."

Katara willed her legs to go faster. Where was Sokka? Was he okay? Was her brother fighting Prince Zuko and his Fire Nation soldiers?

Katara and Aang cleared the trees and found themselves in pandemonium. Houses burned, and Fire Nation soldiers and Kyoshi Warriors clashed in the streets, flames against fans, red against green. More rhinos rampaged through the village, and screams and cries from the villagers pierced the smoke-clogged air.

"This is all my fault," Aang said, watching the violent scene with horror. "I brought this upon them. Their village is burning because of me."

Before Katara could say anything, Aang dashed for the main street of the village, where the fighting was thickest. "Aang! Wait!"

Something slammed into Katara's back, and she went down with a yelp. A strong arm rolled her over before she was pinned down. The girl from the beach leaned over her, her knees pressed painfully into Katara's sides and her dagger hovering only inches from her face.

"I don't want to fight you," the girl said, though her coiled muscles said otherwise. "Give up the Avatar, and we'll be on our way. No one has to get hurt."

Anger boiled Katara's blood. "You're Fire Nation! All you know is violence! Why should I believe a word that comes out of your mouth?"

"Bold talk for a girl with a knife at her throat," the girl said. She squeezed Katara's middle tighter, and she involuntarily squeaked in pain. "Where'd the Avatar go?"

A violent surge of wind ripped the girl off Katara, and Katara leaped to her feet. The girl rolled a few feet before she dug her dagger into the dirt and righted herself, a snarl on her face.

Aang twirled the staff of his glider several times before planting it firmly on the ground, his young face deadly serious. "I'm right here."

The girl pushed herself to her feet, extracting the long, slender device from the holster at her thigh. With a click, it sprouted into a full-length spear, its tip crowned with a serrated point sharp enough to saw through bone with ease.

"Fine, then," she said, lifting her spear in one hand and brandishing her dagger in the other. "I guess that means you're all mine."

She charged. Aang sent out a slash of air, but the girl was faster than she looked despite the weapons in her hands. She vaulted over the attack and came down upon Aang, landing and rolling easily when Aang ducked back.

"Katara, help the villagers!" he said between dodges and leaps as the girl kept coming after him, relentless. "I can handle her!"

A blast of fire arced over their heads, and Katara gritted her teeth when she recognized the scarred face of Prince Zuko running toward them, hurling fireballs at Aang's head and feet.

"Captain!" Zuko bellowed. "Leave the Avatar to me!"

The girl leaped over another forceful push of air and brought her foot down in a vicious kick aimed at Aang's head before he stopped it at the last minute with a shield of wind. "We can take him together!"

As Zuko and the girl both rushed Aang, Katara uncapped the skin of water at her hip before hesitating. What should she do? What would be the best way to help Aang? She wasn't an experienced waterbender at all. Maybe if she created a puddle at their feet and froze it—

Aang somersaulted to her side, dodging a fistful of fire from Zuko and a thrust of the girl's spear simultaneously. They both prowled closer as Aang spoke.

"Katara, go find Sokka, Appa, and Momo," he said. "I can deal with these two."

"But—"

"If we leave, they'll follow us and leave the village alone. It's the only way."

Katara swallowed back her protests and gave a firm nod. "That's a good idea." She squeezed his shoulder and leaned in. "Split up Zuko and the girl." At his questioning look, she nodded to the advancing duo. "Watch them closely. They're not in sync at all."

Aang's eyes widened. "Divide and conquer."

Katara nodded. "Exactly. Good luck."

"See you soon."

Katara turned and ran toward the village. Several homes were now entirely engulfed in flame, and her heart ached at the scared eyes that followed her from the sheltering villagers. She could only hope that the houses on fire had been abandoned beforehand.

With the painted and fan-wielding Warriors of Kyoshi holding their own against the Fire Nation soldiers, Katara was unhindered as she ran through the smoke-filled streets, her voice growing hoarser with every shout. "Sokka! Appa! Momo! Where are you?"

"Katara!"

She rounded a corner and almost smacked into her older brother. He wore the same green armor and skirts as the Kyoshi Warriors, and his face was colored in their traditional war paint. She thought it best not to question him about the get-up until they were out of harm's way.

"Where are Appa and Momo?" she asked. "We have to get out of here before this whole village is destroyed!"

"They're just up the hill," Sokka said, grabbing her hand and taking off. "Suki's fending off any soldiers that come their way."

Katara had never been more grateful for the leader of the Warriors of Kyoshi as she and Sokka crested the hill. Three Fire Nation soldiers lay unconscious in the grass. In front of them stood Suki with her fans splayed, defending the giant, furry form of Appa and the chittering Momo atop his horns.

"Suki!" Sokka said as he and Katara ran over. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," the short-haired girl said with a quick smile. "You should leave, now, before more soldiers come."

Katara wrapped the warrior in a tight hug. "Thank you for everything. I'm so sorry we brought this upon your people."

Suki hugged her back. "It's not your fault. Be careful out there, Katara."

With a last smile, Katara climbed onto Appa's head and took the reins. Below, Sokka and Suki talked in low voices before they kissed briefly. Katara's mouth dropped open as Sokka leaped into the saddle behind her.

"Oh, stop gawking," Sokka said. Katara imagined that if it weren't for the paint, Sokka's face would've been cherry red. "Get us out of here!"

Katara shook her head and snapped the reins. "Appa, yip yip!"

The flying bison took to the sky with a growl. Katara directed him to where she had seen Aang last, giving a last wave to Suki. She could only pray that they would be fine.

"There!" Sokka pointed to the base of the hill, where blasts of air and fire collided against each other with brutal force.

"Appa, down!" Katara said, steering the bison toward the ground.

Aang came into view, leaping and twirling through the air while below, Zuko and the Fire Nation girl pursued him.

"Don't let him get away!" Zuko yelled.

"That's what I'm doing!" the girl shot back.

"Aang!" Katara called. "Come on!"

Aang snapped open his glider and gave a running start. Katara watched, her heart hammering in her chest, as fire roared to life in Zuko's hands and the girl hefted her spear, ready to let it fly.

"Stay out of my way!" Zuko shouted at the girl. "You're in my line of fire!"

"You're in mine!" the girl said. "Move!"

"Aang!" Katara cried as the boy finally took to the air, soaring toward them.

Below, the girl released her spear, but her arm knocked against Zuko's when he prepared to launch a volley of fire. The spear veered off-course, and the girl's momentum carried her into Zuko. The two went down in a pile of tangled limbs and shouts of surprise, and Aang landed safely on Appa's back.

"Appa, go!" Katara said, and the bison shot into the air, leaving Zuko and the burning village behind them.

Katara peered over her shoulder as they gained altitude. Aang's eyes never once left the smoke pouring into the sky, and her heart twinged.

"I know it's hard, but you did the right thing," she said. "Zuko would've destroyed the whole place if we'd stayed." She offered a comforting smile. "They're going to be okay, Aang."

Aang stood. "They will be."

He dove off the side of Appa. Sokka let out a strangled yell, reaching for him, but Katara shook her head. "Wait, Sokka."

"He just jumped to his death!" Sokka said, gripping the sides of his head. "Katara, we just watched the Avatar kill himself!"

"Wait, Sokka," she repeated, firmer this time. Below them, the sea bubbled and broiled. Appa hovered, his large tail keeping them afloat, and they all watched as the giant sea monster, the Unagi, broke the surface and roared.

Water gushed from its mouth in a giant wave that swept toward the burning village on the hill. Astride the Unagi's head was a familiar arrow-headed boy, directing the water where to go. The fires on the hillside were quenched easily, and the Unagi sank back below the surface. Aang reappeared moments later on his glider.

"I know, I know," he said to Katara's look as he climbed back into the saddle. "That was stupid and dangerous."

Katara smiled softly. "Yes, it was."

Appa soared into the setting sun, but their moment of peace shattered quickly upon Sokka asking, "So, who was that scary girl with Zuko?"

Rika boarded her ship furious, drenched, and ready to pick a fight.

"Take the rhinos we have left back to the stables," she ordered. "Helmsman, lift anchor and follow that bison! Don't lose sight of the Avatar!"

Her men scurried to obey, undoubtedly disturbed by the barely concealed rage in her normally composed tone. She whirled on the sodden figure behind her and met Prince Zuko's equally incensed gaze.

"You idiot," she said, marching right up to him. "We could've had the Avatar by now if you hadn't gone and ruined everything!"

"Me?" he demanded, his hands balling into fists. "You were the one who got in my way!"

"I had the shot!" she snapped back. "If you had just let me taken it, we would've captured him and avoided getting doused by a damned sea monster and losing half our soldiers and mounts!"

"The Avatar is mine!" he shouted. "Everything I want back hinges on me capturing him!"

"What is the meaning of this?" General Iroh's voice said behind them. He came upon Rika and the prince standing nearly nose to nose, their faces contorted into equal expressions of fury. "Prince Zuko?"

"Ask her," he snarled, stalking past Rika and making sure to clip her shoulder with his own.

Rika turned and met General Iroh's concerned golden eyes, and her face heated. How dare that spoiled brat of a prince make her look bad in front of one of her nation's most high-ranking figures? How dare he make her lose to a child, Avatar or not?

General Iroh sighed as Prince Zuko disappeared below deck. His gaze was sad when he faced Rika again.

"I'm sorry if my nephew spoke out of turn, Captain," he said, bowing his head. "I will speak to him."

Rika attempted to gather the remains of her composure again, smoothing back damp strands of hair that had escaped her braid and fallen into her face. "No need, sir. I can handle Prince Zuko just fine."

He seemed uncertain. "If you're sure."

She nodded and made her way to her own quarters. After shoving her door shut with her foot, she retrieved a scroll of parchment and some ink and began to write an update to her father.

She wasn't going to fail again. Prince Zuko may have gotten in her way that day, but no more. His honor and his throne may rely on the Avatar's capture, but he wasn't the only one with something to prove.

She took her finished correspondence and ventured to the observation deck where the helmsman and navigator resided. After curt nods to both men, she entered the adjoining deck where the aviary was and selected one of the sleek messenger-hawks all Fire Nation soldiers used to communicate tactical information with one another. She slipped the scroll into the carrier on its back, took it to the outer deck, and let it fly south.

She stood on the deck for a long time after that, even when she had begun to shiver in her wet clothes, watching the sun sink below the waves and the stars appear with tiny pricks of light.

How did I get here? she thought. She stared at the stars. She'd had a dream once, a calling. She couldn't remember what it had been, but sometimes the echoes of it still tugged at her, still beckoned her. She wondered if she'd ever be able to remember it again, or if it was lost to her forever.

If the stars had any answers, they certainly weren't willing to tell her. She watched them for a few moments more, letting the remnants of memories trace her skin like the whispers of spirits before she turned and left them all behind.

Please review! I'd love to know what you all thought!

Until next time!