Chapter 4: Cracking the Surface

Early Autumn 99 AG

The woman who frequented Sokka's dreams was always angry.

In a world void of light, her vague silhouette hovered above, cast against the stark black night. Her face and the finer details of her form became eclipsed by the darkness, and yet, she reigned the sky, taking the place of the bright moon with just her eyes— little beacons of light tinged with a sky-blue tint, radiating with the brilliance of a million stars and lighting up her long white hair, which billowed sharply behind her like streaks of lightning reaching out in all directions. She would glare down at the empty world, down at him as if expecting an oblation as he watched from eons away with awe and powerlessness. He was but a mesh of goosebumps, a mere mote of dust hidden away by the dark in comparison, his face illuminated only by the equally fierce light of the moonstone in his palm.

He had long resorted to wondering if she hated him more than who she could be, this mystery woman who never showed herself yet displayed her power in quiet rage. Maybe she was an Avataresque figure who consoled people in dreams instead of making actual changes in a war-torn reality. Perhaps she was a subconsciously-created image of false hope spurred on by the narratives of the shamans, who eagerly awaited the descent of the next tribal Avatar, basing their predictions on the lore of the moonstone and continuously harping on his and his sister's destinies. It could even be that she was a figure sculpted by the theories of his parents; they insisted the moonstone could be a representation of Tui, who they believed was a spirit superior to the Avatar, and according to them, perhaps the Avatar cycle was broken for good, and the fate of the world now rested in Tui's hands.

No matter, Sokka still refused to disclose his dream and endure additional "prophetical nonsense", only resorting to clambering over to his window, looking out at the moon and the star-filled sky, pondering the dream away until it came back the next month or week. And he would shake his head, chanting, "Same old nonsense."

He'd given up all hopes a long time ago. Katara, though, was annoyingly optimistic sometimes, adamant in her enthusiasm. He lauded her love for hope but refused to rely on any kind of savior himself. So long as the war raged, he would protect his tribe and be the man his father wanted him to be when he went off to fight, leaving him behind.

"It's a hundred years too late," he griped. "There's no way."

The stream of Pakku's monotone instructions summoned a rather large hunk of a man into the sparring circle. His bulky appearance stripped the Northern chief and chieftess of their enthusiasm; they looked worriedly over to Shaman Kirqut, who merely smiled in reassurance. He cast his attention over to the other end from where Princess Yue stepped in. The Arctic sunrays spilled over her, coating the white sheen of her hair in a glimmer. As she cast her overcoat aside, she took note of her opponent's raised eyebrows at her calm demeanor.

"Remember, you are not to refer to your psychic abilities for this exercise," Pakku told her.

"Yes, Master."

Turning to the tribesman, "Do not take a single step back, Suviq. Right now, she is not your leader. She is your opponent."

"Oh, of course," he gave a curt smile, "But I will still take special care to not offend you, Princess. I understand women are more sensitive in certain departments."

Ahnah and Arnook appeared visibly relieved at the tribesman's standard of mercy, but Kirqut gave a mere scowl in response. Yue only raised her eyebrows, wearing a grin of amusement.

"Commence."

The princess's immediate impatience was to be expected given the tribesman's purposeful stalling of his strike. He merely walked the circumference of the sparring ring, donning a smug look.

"Any reason you're dancing around, Brother Sivuq?"

"You'll get what's coming for you soon, Princess," the tribesman assured, and after another minute or so of prawling around her, he made a decisive forward lunge, sending a water whip in her direction to grab at her wrist. The princess humored him by dodging his efforts a couple of times before delivering her strike: a wave of great volume and magnitude that circled around him before swooping under him, picking him up and flipping him in mid-air. The tribesman tried taking control of the whirlpool beneath his feet, but the force of it was too much even for someone of his build. The princess sent him sprawling across the snow facedown, his fall nearly shaking the ground beneath their feet. Shaman Kirqut beamed and cheered like a young boy in spite of his age and experience, which fueled Pakku's annoyance.

The tribesman pulled his head out of the ice, the snow beneath him imprinted with his frown. He heaved himself up to his feet and sent icy spikes in her direction, which she effortlessly melted and redirected, both ends of the tendril grasping his wrists and binding his hands together. He toppled backward, finding the tendril splitting in two, the other half binding his feet together. The snow beneath him lifted to catch his falling form, freezing him to a bed of ice.

Yue let go of her breath before positioning herself back into her original stance. Pakku nodded in approval, drowning out the claps of the Northern leaders and head shaman. "As usual, the princess is the winner. Sivuq, I must say I'm surprised. I figured you wouldn't lose in the first two minutes alone."

Yue melted the ice that bound the tribesman. He dragged himself up, a sheepish look on his face. The princess merely widened her grin, "I'll be sure to keep your defeat a secret. I understand you're more sensitive in certain departments."

To which Pakku's expression visibly soured. The tribesman, however, held down his head, "My apologies, Princess." He gave a respectful bow before being dismissed by the waterbending master.

"Well then," Pakku sighed, "You've kept your record as always. No surprises here. Though it would be nice if you held your tongue as I always advise you to do."

"I've barely spoken, Master," came Yue's reply tinged with a chill beyond what the Arctic was capable of exuding. "I haven't even breathed."

Pakku swallowed. "You are free to take the rest of the day off. My other class will also be dismissed early for the Autumn Festival. You may use this time to brush up on your cooking lessons, perhaps."

"Of course, Master."

Kirqut broke through the tension and approached the princess with, "Well done, well done, Princess Yue! Day by day you're becoming even more of a pleasure to watch."

Arnook and Ahnah followed, wearing proud and relieved looks on their faces. The chieftess couldn't stop herself as she threw her arms around her daughter. "Oh my Spirits, you were so brave! Weren't you terrified of that man?"

"Do you know who's scarier than a man with a large body, Mother? A man with a large ego. Such men will cripple entire societies."

Pakku scowled, "Alright, be on your way now, Princess. I don't want to keep you from your lessons."

The princess gave a victorious huff and sauntered away without another word. Pakku took a deep breath, reorienting himself as he glanced at Chief Arnook. "You first approached me so that I may teach her self-defense, and my instruction has steadily progressed into teaching her combat. At your further requests, I have taught her advanced moves, but now, there is nothing else left for me to teach her. You saw for yourself your daughter's performance. She is just as knowledgeable, if not more compared to a male prodigy." Turning to Kirqut, "You must be happy now, Honorable Kirqut."

Sensing the man's disapproval but ignoring it anyway, Kirqut smiled, "Truly she is very gifted. I have watched her nearly every day. There is no other area in which she needs more improvement. Why would we expect anything less? She is the Moon's Chosen, after all. Destined for great things."

"She has attained mastery four years ago and hasn't had much of a role in my institution other than sparring with my other students," Pakku confirmed. "It's about time she moved on to her next milestone."

Which obviously pointed to marriage.

"She will be turning sixteen in the upcoming months, and she has grown into a beautiful young woman. Save for that occasional arrogance of hers that she calls 'pride.' It seemed we had it under control but apparently not. You need to find someone who's willing to tame that wild polar-mare of yours."

To which Arnook and Ahnah appeared visibly worried.

Look who's willing to talk about arrogance, Kirqut frowned at the waterbending master.

"I have been searching for strong warriors, mark my word," Arnook noted. "But he can't be just any tribesman. He must be who is eligible must be capable of protecting my daughter and the nation."

"It is often said that the stars will cease to align in your favor the longer you keep a daughter in your household—"

"It is also said that the universe itself will end if the Avatar refuses to acknowledge her duties to the world, but of course, no one seems to care about that," Kirqut remarked, earning uncomfortable looks from Yue's parents.

"I understand that it is not easy to find a worthy man for someone like your daughter," Pakku trudged on, ignoring the shaman, "But I highly recommend that you expedite your search. If she is not to pursue her Avatar duties, a point which you both have made very clear," shifting his firm glare to Kirqut, "she must be married off and encouraged to rear the future leaders of the tribe. It is what's best for her and the tribe."

"We know that you mean well, Master Pakku," Chieftess Ahnah said, "And for that, we are grateful—"

"Mean well, my foot. Marriage isn't the only thing people look forward to," Kirqut snapped, "I say she is to be given the freedom to choose what she wants to do next. I don't remember the last time she had fun ever since she joined your class, Brother Pakku."

"And what will fun accomplish exactly? Fun doesn't give a woman a sense of fulfillment. Only a child of her flesh and blood in her arms will."

"You speak as if you have a womb and a pair of breasts."

"I submit to you that she will bring shame upon her in-laws if the wild in her is not curbed," Pakku raised his voice, not caring if he was speaking in a harsh tone. "What do you think a proper family of the groom desires? An annoying excuse of a woman playing with toys and running around engaged in high-pitched giggling in the streets?"

Yue giggled and jumped and clapped at her accomplishment as the ring she tossed landed around the object of her desire: a stuffed panda-turtle. The players beside her smiled at her enthusiasm and complimented her aim, failing to recognize her as their demure princess thanks to her mask and the hood of her overbearing cloak.

"Marvelous, Miss!" the man behind the stall handed her the panda-turtle, "Congratulations! Would your sister like to play the next round?" He turned to the woman standing beside her, "Fingers crossed that she takes her skills after you!"

Everyone around them chuckled, but the woman beside the princess simply gave a polite smile and declined the offer before dragging Yue with her. She fumbled to cover her badge indicating her name and status as the palace maid, and simultaneously, Yue made sure her white hair and most of her face were covered. They both then traversed a secret path through the otter-seal caves, reaching a particular area that was frequently blocked off to the public. Yue took her seat beside the group of otter-seals she had befriended over the years, reaching into her fur bag and laying out treats by the ice. She was greeted by grunts and barks, the large creatures nuzzling against her in greeting.

The maid crossed her arms as she kept some distance, "I should be awarded all the riches in the tribe for sneaking you out, Princess."

"Once I become the chieftess, that will be the first thing I do," Yue beamed at her, "Though your loyalty to me does not preclude you from having fun. You should've played the next round. What was the rush?"

"Why, so our covers will be blown?"

"Our covers won't be blown, Chuska. No one was suspicious—"

"Well we never know. If anyone has a single suspicion, this matter will be investigated into. I'll be fired from my only job. If I'm not executed first."

"Well it sounds to me like you don't trust me enough," Yue frowned, "You think I'll just stand around and let that happen?"

"I know you won't let anything happen to me, but this is the only chance of freedom you have," Chuska noted, the look on her face turning soft. "Why put that at risk as well?"

Yue said nothing more, tossing her the stuffed panda-turtle before an otter-seal had the chance to swallow it up. "Give it to your baby brother. His birthday's coming up, right?"

"But…"

Yue smiled, "I won it for him."

"He'll appreciate that," Chuska smiled as she hugged the panda to her chest. "You know, the palace is buzzing like a glacier-bee about your marriage."

"Ugh," the princess rolled her eyes.

"You don't want to get married?"

"If I wasn't as straight as the polar horizon, I probably would've married you and called it a day."

"Well damn, there goes my chance at stealing the kingdom."

The princess snorted, but Chuska kept pressing, "But seriously, why aren't you excited?"

"The kind of man my parents are going to choose for me is likely someone whose personality is as exciting as Master Pakku's," Yue said. "Can't smile to save his life, born to ruin others' happiness."

Chuska laughed, "Well what if it's a nice tribesman?"

"I've stopped believing in nice men. Nearly every man in the Water Tribe is pretty much a Pakku. Controlling, demanding." Frowning, "It's only a difference in degree. And besides, is forced marriage all I have to look forward to?" She leaned against an otter-seal that was snuggled up beside her, her arm wrapped around it to rub its back. The seal whimpered, chewing the fishy treat the princess had brought for him. "I want to do something, Chuska. I want to achieve something. And…and I know I have a lot to do. I just don't know how to go about it…how to break out of this prison…"

"What is it that you have to do?" her friend asked. "What will anyone even let you do?"

"Well...that's a secret," she said, a knowing twinkle in her eyes, "But whatever it is, I know I haven't even scratched the surface of the iceberg yet."

Winter 99 AG

"Mooooom!"

"The fish aren't gonna—" BUUURRP "—catch themselves!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming, hold on," Kya hurried out of the igloo, her heart jolting in the direction of her children's outbursts. "Alright, my loves, you know the drill. My brave warrior, be safe and keep your sister safe."

"Oh thank the Spirits my big, strong, five-hundred-pound bodybuilding brother is here to save me!"

Sokka frowned. Kya turned to her daughter, her expression morphing from soft to strict, "And you, no bending."

"I won't bend, Mom—"

"You say this every time, and you disobey me every time. It's not safe!" Placing her hand on her son's shoulder, "Make sure she doesn't bend, sweetie. And be nice to your brother, Katara. He has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders—"

"Responsibilities, huh? Where do you think your brave warrior was when we were out scrubbing the sealskin? Where do you think he is when we do all the chores around camp? That's right, his spoiled butt was running off playing soldier with the village babies—"

"I'm training them to be warriors, woman!" he managed amid voice cracks.

Kya sighed, "If you're not going to get along, I'm not having you go with your brother, Katara—"

"Fine. I'll be good."

They waved and trudged along the snowy path that led to the banks of the South Sea. Sokka whipped out a few pieces of seal jerky from the small bag he'd stored in his pocket. He began to wolf them down simultaneously.

"It hasn't even been five seconds," Katara raised her eyebrows.

"A man's gotta eat if he wants to have a five-hundred-pound body to protect his bratty baby sister."

"Right."

Upon the shallower waters, Sokka had his canoe docked. He began to untie the rope around the nearby glacier that held the canoe in place only for Katara to freeze the water beneath the canoe, stilling it.

"At least wait until we cross the water!" Sokka chided.

"There's no one here," she stepped into the canoe.

"You don't know that for sure, so keep your bending to yourself. No splashing magic water, no catching the fish, no sabotaging the fish I catch!"

Katara huffed, melting the frozen ice beneath the canoe as Sokka began to row. "This isn't fair. We're entitled to bending in our own land."

"Yep. Too bad we're not in the middle of a war or anything."

Frowning, "Well it's only until the Avatar gets here. He'll knock all firebender heads faster than you can blink. I'll get to learn actual waterbending and not rely on you for once."

Shaking his head, "I still can't believe you still believe in this Avatar stuff. Be realistic."

"We of all people shouldn't be talking about realism, Great Master of Science," she pointed out. "The two of us can literally pick up a glowing stone that no one else in the tribe can. And if the prophecy is true, maybe I can learn waterbending sooner than later. Maybe we'll really be able to help the Avatar."

"Avatar Schmavatar. Wake up and smell the smoke. The world's burning, and your Avatar hasn't shown up at least once in a hundred years."

"Well maybe he or she will in the near future! Just admit it. There are things in the world that just can't be explained, and the Avatar's disappearance and reappearance is probably one of them—"

"But most things in this world can be explained. All you need is a little logic and a bit of reasoning, and my logic tells me that it's unlikely an Air Nomad— let alone the Avatar— escaped the genocide. If he did…well he's pretty lucky. And probably very old."

"Okay, then what about the moonstone? That glow? Can you explain that?"

"That's moon stuff, it doesn't count."

"But you're secretly fascinated. You've been obsessed with it ever since you were a baby—"

"I was drawn to it because it was shiny," he reasoned. "Babies like shiny things."

"Oh," crossing her arms, "Then what were you doing holding it last night? I mean, to be fair, you still kind of are a big baby—"

"That stone goes against all the laws of science I know of," he enunciated firmly, "and I'm interested in finding out what other science can explain it. It's as simple as that." With an exasperated sigh, "Look, all I can say is that if the Avatar cycle isn't broken, and if there's really a competent, full Avatar out there—"

"Fully realized Avatar—"

"Whatever. He's gotta be an Air Nomad himself. 'Cause if it's anyone else, it has to be at least someone who can learn airbending from someone else, which isn't a possible option thanks to the genocide."

"Well I haven't lost hope yet," Katara insisted. "There has to be a way. The Avatar is the protector of the planet. He has to be out there."

"Sure he is!" Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, "Bet he's frozen in time in an iceberg just waitin' for ya."

Turned out, the boy they eventually found frozen in time and cocooned in an iceberg was an airbender named Aang. At least, those were the pertinent details that Sokka was able to extract while in the throes of what he believed to be Midnight Sun Madness.