The night was pretty beautiful. The stars were beautiful. And the view of the galaxy she got from lying on deck was amazing.
She sighed, ran a hand through her loose white hair which spread around her head. Neva was sleeping next to her, but sleep, she wasn't lucky to get it. She felt a little rumble from below. Appa must have turned in his sleep.
Yue and Arnook had given them a boat for further travel so Appa won't have to take all the strain. And she had also questioned her bending preference. Since Yue was now being groomed to be the next chief, the first female chief, of the Northern Tribe, Iris had counted her as an ally and confided into her and her father about her true nature. Arnook was shocked, to say the least, to know that energybenders were still around. Well, he didn't need to know the truth, hehe.
So Iris had shrunk the boat until they were out of icy waters, after which she put it back to its original size, charmed one of the rooms with expanding charm so Appa can sleep peacefully.
Ever since she got the letters, she could hardly sleep. She was too anxious to read them, but also too anxious to not read them too. The kids were sleeping below in their room. So that gave her some piece.
she exhaled again.
Neva chirped and cuddled to her which brought a small smile to her face. she sighed again and conjuring a small Lumos ball, so it won't disturb Neva's sleep, she pulled out the letters from her jacket's pocket.
she tore open the envelope and pulled out a bunch of parchments held together by a small string. Note to self: get them a stapler.
Dear Iris Annabelle,
It's so good to hear from you after so long of nothing. You almost gave me a heart attack, young woman. Once you return, we will be having words about disappearing from the entire dimension to another overnight with just a meager letter.
Edward, though he prefers Teddy, after his grandfather, dearly misses you. People around him have been telling him your stories and to say it in the most simple way, he looks up to you a lot and couldn't wait for the day you'd return. He drew you a drawing that I've enclosed.
I'm so sorry to hear that you got sucked into another war, darling. If I didn't know better, I'd say that the Fates have a bone to pick with you. I mean after everything you were subjected to here and now another war in a whole another world? I know asking you to forget everything and return home while there is still a chance is useless. so all I'm going to ask you is to stay strong and fight like you always have. You are more than a soldier or a war general, Iris. You are you.
And like you asked, I have not informed anyone that you've written to me, other than Teddy. Hermione and Ron have been quite distraught ever since your absence. I can see that they miss their third piece. They've been working pretty hard to bring a change into our world and to make the vision you three saw for this world, a future we deserve.
George is recovering well and even opened his second shop at Hogsmeade and he bought Zonko once they ran out of business. Last week he released a new line of products, named after you and Teddy was the first recipient of the same. This reminds me to have words with him so he can lend his hand in cleaning the house after the mess Teddy makes with the toys he gave him. He recently, just last week, proposed to that girl from your quidditch team, Angelina. Last I heard from the couple, they are planning an Autumn wedding. Though when that would be, I've got no idea.
Percy got married last year. Audrey, Percy's wife, is a very down-to-earth and sweet girl. You'd like her. She works at the Ministry, quite closely with Hermione.
Charlie has still his mind on remaining a singleton for the rest of his life. I swear to Merlin, that boy loves dragons more than anything.
Bill and Fleur became proud parents to a little blonde girl, Victoire. She's the first blonde Weasley to ever be born. And one with 1/8th Veela blood? She's going to quite a lot to handle, I'm telling you, once she grows old. She's not even two months and her parents are in talk of having a second child. Did that boy learn nothing after having 6 siblings?
Teddy is quite attached to Victoire and also a little protective. Don't worry, I'm not thinking of a betrothal between the two. I'm not that bad, Iris. I'm old, not old-minded. And I certainly will not make any such decision until you return.
Draco started visiting me. Even Cissa did once. Apparently, my dimwit sister finally grew balls and decided to dump the sorry arse named Lucius Malfoy. Their divorce was finalized 13 months ago. Lucius is rotting in Azkaban and Cissa collected her things and moved to Port Grimaud, France to live the rest of her life away from drama. Draco stayed behind. He comes to see Teddy. I was a bit skeptical at first, with his past and all, but he really did seem like a changed man. He took the position of Teddy's uncle and has been quite supportive of me with raising him. When he heard of you leaving, he seemed a little upset, said he was deeply sorry for everything he did to you. And he asked me to not say anything to you. As if.
Minerva is now running Hogwarts the way it should be for the first time in ages. She had asked me to be the DADA professor. while I was a little skeptical to take the job, I eventually agreed. I have to say, I never thought I'd enjoy teaching as much as I do. Teddy lives with me on Hogwarts Grounds. And apparently like his parents and godmother, he's developing a linking for quidditch. I'd suggest you make it back in time so you can be here for his first game.
Kingsley is being very proactive with bringing change and a wave of revolution. He was properly elected this time around and he's doing a good job. Especially abolishing discriminatory laws against werewolves, vampires, centaurs, and merpeople. Remus would be happy to see this.
I checked in with the Gringotts after the letter. Was that much in the trust vault really necessary? And you opened two vaults for him. Really? I understand as his godmother you'd want to spoil him, but this might be a little bit excessive, Iris. We'll also be having words about the same once you return.
Molly...has been quite upset. I don't know what you wrote in the letter to her, but she seemed to understand that you left partially because of her. Because she couldn't make you feel welcomed and part of the family. Fred's death has been hard on all of them and had been beating herself that she neglected you. All of us have been telling her that it is not the case that you left for other reasons. The situation has improved but not to a great extent. Arthur has been very supportive and The kids have been making sure she remains occupied. She made you a sweater this Christmas and told me she'd be keeping it close until she can personally give it to you.
Your new friends sound interesting. And so do the rules of the world you are currently in. Energybending, you say.
I've also sent the books you asked for. Though it does pique my curiosity, why would you need them?
Also, Neva is such a precious little thing. She immediately bonded with Teddy, who also loved her company. I'd also like to know how you got hold of a blue phoenix. She seemed very tired after the inter-dimensional travel and stayed here for three days resting.
Keep fighting, Iris. I have faith in you.
And you better return the way you went. in a single piece and perfectly fine and healthy.
With Love,
Andromeda
Iris blinked back the tears in her eyes. It felt great to hear that everyone was doing amazing. She wiped her tears and flipped the parchment. there were another envelope and a drawing.
The drawing wasn't great, but she was not the one to judge. He was roughly 18 months and a way better artist than she could ever be. And he had drawn her. They were stick figures with names written on top. Her stick figure had black hair, green eyes, and glasses. She chuckled. But then again, he drew her from the stories her friends told of her. She hadn't worn her glasses since her fifth year when Fred and George, with Sirius, dragged her to an Eye healer and got her eyes magically operated on.
She ran her fingers softly over her, Teddy, and Andy's drawings. On the other side of the paper were the Weasleys. All of them. And a dragon(?) she guessed on the top right, for Charlie, she guessed.
She inhaled sharply and ran a hand over her face before pulling the envelope from the string, opening it, and emptying the contents. The books enlarged themselves as soon as they came out of the envelope.
Charms of Defense and Detterences, Quintessence-A quest, Standard book of spells-Grade VII, Defensive Magical theory, Guide to Advanced Occlumency, Anthology of Eighteenth-Century Charms, Guide to Medieval Sorcery, Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes, and History of Magic.
Well, that would most certainly do it. She exhaled and opened her bag, she placed the letter and the drawing in a separate zip with a preservation charm on them. she placed the books in another expanded pocket and zipped it, locking it with some more protection spells. She was just about done when she heard something. She looked towards the source, pushing the Lumos ball a little behind her face to see Aang.
"Kid?" she whispered
Aang looked towards her and smiled softly, before making his way to her. She noticed Katara behind Aang but slightly shook her head. She got this. Katara nodded with a smile and went back in.
"you aren't sleeping? Is everything okay?" he asked, sitting in front of her
She shrugged, extinguishing the ball of light with a silent Nox and gesture of the hand.
"Katara told me that you wrote to your family"
Iris took a deep breath and crossed her legs, "Yeah. everything seems fine with them. They are all great. I was just reading the letter," she shifted and pulled up her one knee resting her chin on it
"What's up with you?"
Aang shrugged as he relaxed a little and looked towards the sky
"Kid," she softly urged
"Nah." he shrugged and sat back forward but slouched, "Just a nightmare."
"I know how they feel" she snorted, "So what did you see?"
He looks up at the galaxy sky, "I was in the Avatar State, but I was outside my body watching myself. It was scary. I was scary." he looked at her, "I saw you too. At Roku's temple. I don't think your eyes were supposed to glow like that"
"That makes two of us." Iris tilted her head, looking at Aang before something clicked. She looked up in the sky as the moon shone.
"You know, back in my world, the man managed to reach up to the moon"
Aang looked at her, excitement quite visible, "Really?"
"Yeah." she scratched her cheek, "Pretty sure it happened about 20 years before the year I left. I could be wrong, though"
"How did they do that? Did they use energybending?"
Iris laughed softly, "No. The major population of my world is non-benders. Non-benders managed to go to the moon and walk on it. They used science"
"It sounds awesome" Aang muttered
"Yeah it does"
"There it is!"
Iris rolled her eyes, putting her now chest-length hair in a french braid. Thank you, Molly.
"Iris, we are closeby!"
"Yeah, just me a couple of minutes" she called back, going through her bag. Redshirt, nope. Pink one, a couple of wears away from tearing into seams. Mauve top...uh, no. most of the rest she were winter clothes. The summer ones she had were either in the palette of reds and maroons or wait a second.
She pulled out a piece of clothing she was pretty sure she hadn't packed since it was made of...wool. But it was very light wool, almost something that could be worn in summer. And lavender in color. Okay. She placed it on the floor. Where did the top come from?
She checked the rest of her bag and found a small note.
Hope you like it. -Yue
Iris just chuckled before she quickly changed into her sports bra, she kept the dark grey leggings and then her sport shoes. She pulled the new purple top over her torso and she had to say, she looked good.
She packed the rest of her bags and then walked out to find the other three huddled at the edge as the boat closed to the Earth kingdom. Once the boat was close to the shore, Katara waterbended them to dry land. Then Iris and Aang opened the deck latch for Appa to come out. He peeked out and took off a little, hovering over the boat. Once they all vacated the boat, Iris shrunk it back to pocket-size and bagged it.
"We have to get to the other side of the wall," Sokka said
They heard some rustling and soon were greeted by some Earth Kingdom soldiers.
"Hello?" Aang tilted his head
"We are here on the behalf of General Fong to guide you" One of them informed
"Lead the way" Iris shrugged
The soldiers led them via huge gates that closed in after them. Appa flew in over the wall and laid down, quite tired.
Iris smiled, patting his big furry leg, "You deserve some time off, buddy"
Appa just grunted.
Iris then rejoined the gang who were now greeted by some guy in green with a pretty long beard. Like rivaling-Dumbledore beard.
Iris also perispherically noticed Aang, who was upfront, fell back slightly behind her, making her be the front one. Oh, joys of being the oldest.
"Welcome, Avatar Aang!" he greeted graciously
"I am General Fong. And welcome to all of you, great heroes!" he added way too gleefully, "Appa, Momo, brave Sokka, the mighty Katara, and the powerful Iris."
""Mighty Katara"? I like that." Katara muttered from behind her as she went to rub her temples a little. Great. Another title. That was all she needed right now.
She jumped with a yelp when fireworks exploded behind them. She turned around to see a group of four Earthbenders step forward, lifting small, green orbs from the ground and launching them into the air with their fists.
Iris suddenly felt her breath shortening and her body tense up. She could hear her heart beating so hard as if it was trying to jump out of her rib cage. Her palms began to sweat as she repeatedly clench-unclenched them.
She vaguely heard Neva trilling to her, but she was as if paralyzed to even move a finger.
Then she heard some more trilling, followed by
"Iris!"
But the fireworks kept going.
"Stop the fireworks! Now!"
"Iris?"
The sounds were reverberating in her ears
"Iris, look at me. "
Suddenly someone held the two sides of her face and forced her to look in a certain direction. Someone stood in front of her.
"Close your eyes. Take deep breaths"
Inhale. Exhale. In-Inh-Inha-No. No, she can't do it. she clenched her closed eyes.
"Count with me. One. breath in. Hold. Two, breath out. Good. Three... ...Five..."
Iris tried to sync her breathing with the counting and the voice of the person in front of her. They may be reached up to fifteen or was it twenty-five(?) when she realized that her nerves had calmed down.
"Can you hear me clear?"
she exhaled and opened her eyes to see Sokka in front of her, looking at her, concerned but determined.
The fuck had just happened?
"Is she alright?" she heard a rough manly voice
"We...hope so" Katara. It was Katara who spoke.
"Could you please point out our accommodations to us?" she recognized Aang's voice
"Of course."
The soldier, whose name they learned was Huan, led them to a small cottage.
"Thank you" Iris softly smiled. Huan nodded back and left the four to their devices. Sokka sat her down on a bed and Katara offered her a glass of water.
"Thanks" Iris muttered as she drank it.
"How are you feeling?" Aang asked
Iris blinked twice, "I'm not so sure I feel fine."
"It's alright. You went through some tough shit"
Iris exhaled and tiredly glared at Sokka
"I know. Language"
"We'll get our stuff," Katara said and with Aang, left to get their stuff from the courtyard
Iris exhaled and slightly shook her head before looking back at Sokka, "How did you know how to calm me down?"
"In the middle of an anxiety attack? My dad taught me." Sokka sat next to her, "After," he exhaled looking at the ground, "my mom died, Katara used to have them, since she was the one to find mom. Sometimes I used to have anxiety attacks. So dad taught me how to calm myself and Katara, or any other person in our tribe who might have an anxiety attack.
Dad told me that it was pretty common for warriors and soldiers to have attacks like that with triggers." he looked at her and smiled, "You already went through one war, and after what happened back at the Water Tribe, I don't blame you. Those fireworks must have been the trigger."
Iris smiled as her eyes began to tear slightly and she quickly hugged Sokka, burying her face into his neck.
"Thank you" she muttered
Sokka hugged her back, "You are family, Iris"
Iris smiled and pulled back just as the other two returned.
"Hey, the general was asking if you were fine," Aang said
"I'm better than before, yeah" Iris smiled, softly hugging herself.
"Good for lunch?" Aang asked innocently. She looked at Katara, who rolled her eyes, and then at Sokka, who too looked way too happy hearing about lunch.
"sure. Lunch sounds great"
The lunch was okay, considering everything, after which they were led into another room. By that point, Iris had gotten most of her composure back and was feeling a bit better.
The room was large, with green-lit columns on each side of a central walkway. A desk was at the far end, with a large banner showing a green circle and a brown square inside of it hanging from the ceiling.
"that's the Earth Kingdom insignia, right?" Iris whispered to Aang, who nodded back
The four sit at the only viable place, the center of the room with a mat while the general sat at the desk
"Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole." the General began, slowly stroking his beard thoughtfully, "I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power." he stopped, eyes locked at Aang, "It's an awesome responsibility."
"I try not to think about it too much." Aang humbly replied, "Besides, it wasn't all just me. Iris too helped. And so did Katara and Sokka."
Iris narrowed her eyes when the General smiled. She could tell the plasticity of that smile, considering she grew up along purebloods for some time.
"Avatar... you're ready to face the Fire Lord now."
Iris was pretty shocked when she heard that.
"What?! he's not!"
"What?! No, I'm not!"
They both yelled.
"Aang still needs to master all four elements," Katara added
"Why?" General demanded
Iris could tell that "No!" was to the answer he wanted nor what he was gonna accept. He was worked up alright.
He slowly rose from his desk, "With the kind of power he possesses—power enough to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes—he could defeat the Fire Lord now!"
Iris perispherically saw Sokka raise his hand timidly and she gave him a grunt of approval,
"But, sir, the thing is Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar state."
"See, it's this special state where—" Aang began to explain only to be interrupted by the general.
"I'm well aware." he snapped before lowering his voice gently, "Your eyes and tattoos glow and you're able to summon unbelievable power." he walked around the desk and slowly towards them.
Iris's fingers flexed and suddenly she was all on guard
"Without you, we'd be slaughtered before we even reach their shores. But with you leading the way as the ultimate weapon, we could cut a swath right through to the heart of the Fire Nation." he pointed at the map, drawing a line with his finger from the Earth Kingdom to the Fire Nation.
He took another step forward and soon found a hand pressed into his chest plate
"One more step and you'd be invading our privacy"
Pretty sure no one missed the ice in Iris's voice
"Aang, here, is a kid. A 12-year-old kid. Irrespective of whether he's the Avatar or not. What were you doing when you were 12? chasing skirts or leading armies?"
If she was impressed by the way General's face kept changing color, she didn't show it.
He opened his mouth to say something but she raised his finger and waved it on his face, "I'm not done talking" she deadpanned
General's mouth shut and his jaw tightened.
"Only one person gets to decide when Aang's ready to face the Firelord and that is Aang himself. No one else. Not me, Katara, or Sokka, and most certainly not you. We were told that you'd help us reach Omashu. There were no details about you or anyone else, for that matter, trying to help us regarding any other thing." she took a deep breath
"We are sincerely thankful for everything you've provided to us so far. But I'm afraid we'll be leaving before dusk. We need to find Aang his earthbending teacher as soon as possible."
General opened his mouth to say something but then shut it and then opened again,
"I can some of the finest earth benders at my disposal who would feel honored to teach young Avatar Aang"
"Unless you have King Bumi at your disposal, I'm afraid we'd have to politely decline." she smiled and Fong grew another shade redder.
Finally, he exhaled,
"May I show you something?"
Iris furrowed her brows and she looked at three who shrugged.
"Lead the way?" Iris shrugged slightly
General nodded and turned around and started walking.
"Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on," he said and Iris clearly heard the condescending tone in his voice.
He led them to a circular window overlooking two orange-roofed buildings. A large crowd was standing outside one.
"That's the infirmary, and those soldiers are the lucky ones. They came back."
Iris took a deep breath and then looked at Aang, who looked guilty. Well, she can't blame the kid there.
"Every day the Fire Nation takes lives. People are dying, Aang! You could end it, now! Think about it."
With one final glare towards Iris, he turned and walked away.
It seemed that she was now trying to make a record of pissing people off by defending Aang. First Pakku and now, this General. She exhaled, rubbing her eyes slightly.
Iris sat on her bed as she brushed her hair, a book open in front of her. She heard footsteps and saw Aang come in.
"How was the walk?" she asked
He shrugged and fell on the bed. Iris exhaled and turned to face him.
"Kid, whatever happened to those soldiers, it is not your fault."
"But I could have prevented that"
"Really? How?"
Aang opened his mouth to say something but then didn't. Then tried again. That was a pretty cool imitation of fish, and noting the fact that he was possessed by the Ocean and Moon spirit a while ago, he was almost nailing it.
"We already established that everything that happened in your 100-year absence was not your fault." she tucked some white hair behind her ear as it spread over her shoulder.
He looked at the ground, "Is this the consequence I'm supposed to live with?" he looked at her, "What if going into Avatar state would finishing all my problems at once?"
Iris nodded numbly
"Do you remember when we were at the air temple and you found Monk Gyatso's remains? I could tell how horrible and traumatic it was for you. You got so upset that you weren't even you anymore." she exhaled, "I'm not saying the Avatar state doesn't have incredible powers. Helpful, at times, powers. But you have to understand, for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary." she tilted her head, "and that's coming from someone who has had one on one with enormous beasts." she muttered the last part.
Aang looked at her, "Every day more and more people die. I'm already a hundred years late. Defeating the Fire Lord is the only way to stop this war. I have to try it."
Iris took a deep breath, "there's a war. A bloody war. And war always has casualties. You cannot prevent it, Aang."
Aang didn't look convinced so Iris got up and sat on the ground in front of him as he sat up.
"You know, I started fighting my war when I was 11."
"When Voldytort possessed your teacher, right?"
she chuckled humorlessly, "Yup. and it's Voldemort." she inhaled sharply, "People like you and me, or even like my best friends, Katara and Sokka, we see things at such a small age that we don't understand their actual significance.
I took the first life at 11, yet didn't understand what death actually meant until I was 14, I think. It's messed up, Aang. Very messed up. Back then I, a kid in every sense, thought it was my job to get rid of the tyrant. To defeat the evil. It wasn't until I grew up until the war ended that I realized that it was never my destiny. Sure, I had to play a key role in his defeat, it wasn't my job to carry the entire burden. No adult helped me."
She sighed, "Sometimes I wonder how much could have been avoided only if some sensible adult had swooped down and stopped me from doing the stupid mistakes I did." she folded her legs and hugged her knees, "Coulda saved a bunch of lives." she looked back at him,
"The only difference between you and me, it is your job to maintain the balance. But you don't have to do it alone or march to someone else's beat. You don't have to face Ozai if you don't think you are ready. Aang, marching there, half-cocked, half prepared is going to be counterintuitive. It can get someone badly hurt."
"Can't you do anything about it?"
"Like what?"
Aang shrugged, "Like lead us?" he asked meekly
Iris smiled softly, "I've had a fair share of leading armies to last this lifetime, kid. Besides, this ain't my war exactly. Sure Energybenders originate from this world but we have long since settled in mine. Here, I'm gonna be following your lead"
"What do you think I should do?" he asked after a long pregnant pause
"Do what you think is right. Not one of us or the General. You."
Aang looked down at his shoes for a solid few seconds.
"I think I need to learn earthbending and firebending before I face the Firelord"
"Fair enough" Iris nodded
They sat there for a few moments and then she spoke again
"I know it is not easy to take such a decision. But trust me, choosing between what's right and what's easy, is where your true character shows." Iris reached and kept a hand on his, "The times are not easy and they are not gonna get any easier. You have no idea how many times I wanted some person, someone, more mature than me, to tell me if what I was doing was right or wrong. To guide me, explain things to me. I wouldn't have made so many mistakes then." she inhaled, "Kid, "she exhaled, "Aang, I don't want you to make any mistake even remotely similar to the ones I made."
Aang nodded, "I understand."
"Good" she patted his knee and got up. She went back to her bed and bagged her book. Wish someone had explained things to her like that.
Dumbledore saw her as a means to an end. McGonagall, Flitwick, and some others weren't in the loop half of the time. Snape hated her. Sirius was imprisoned and then kept separate from her. So was Remus. There's only so much you can write to each other when one of them was a convicted felon. Molly and Arthur had enough on their plate and simply, she didn't expect much from them above everything they were already doing for her without expecting anything in return.
She missed Sirius.
Katara groaned in sleep and turned. Iris looked at her as she dimmed the Lumos ball and moved it next to her head towards the wall so others won't be disturbed.
While they had originally planned on leaving at the dusk, it had gotten pretty late and Appa wasn't in 100% condition to fly to Omashu. The General managed to convince them to stay the night so the four could leave at dawn. She was sharing a bunk bed with Katara above her while the boys shared one.
She flipped the page, twirling the pen between her fingers. She underlined another sentence and made a small note near the margin.
She swept all her hair over to one side and flipped another page when she heard a gasp. she leaned a little and looked around to see Aang sitting upright on the bed and panting.
He quickly turned
"I..." he looked at her and paused
"Kid?"
He looked at her, eyes quite restless.
"Is everything okay? Nightmare?"
Aang meekly nodded
"You were right. Bringing the Avatar State would be a bad idea"
"Hate to be that person, but I told you so" she grimly smiled and then got off her bed and walked to Aang who had taken the upper level.
"We'll leave tomorrow morning. Alright?"
Aang nodded back.
"Good. Get some shut-eye"
"You too"
Iris smiled, "Yeah, okay"
By dawn, the four had readied themselves, packed their bags, and loaded everything on top of Appa.
"Sure I can't change your mind?" The General asked
Aang nodded, albeit a little guilty, "I'm sure. I can only reach the Avatar state when I'm ready."
"I see." the General muttered
"Great." Iris exclaimed jumping off Appa and came to stand behind Aang, almost intimidating, "Finally glad you could see our point. Now we must be on our way."
She turned to walk back to Appa when she almost stumbled. She looked down to find her foot encased in rock. She looked back at the General,
"I'm afraid that is not an option."
She heard loud yelps as Katara and Sokka were grabbed by the soldiers.
She quickly shattered the rock around her foot only to be grabbed by soldiers as well.
General stomped heavily as a small sharp rock emerged from the ground and then he pushed it towards Aang who managed to break it with a very sharp gust of wing.
"Aang!" Sokka called, wriggling out of the soldiers' grasp but in vain.
"Men!" the General angrily pointed at Aang, "Attack the Avatar!"
Iris could see the shock on Aang's face.
Well, to be honest, she can easily kick-arse around here, grab the kids, and leave. But she wouldn't.
Lately, she had come to a realization that the kids were quite dependant on her. And while she didn't hate it, rather the opposite, she also knew she wasn't always gonna be there to solve their problems for them. She had already been a little homesick and the letter just increased those feelings. She had always known she had to return home one day and in that case, having a bunch of kids solely relied on you is a bad, bad idea.
So she relaxed. She won't act until absolutely necessary.
General again sent a wave of moving earth toward Aang. He leaped over it.
"What are you doing?" Aang demanded
General looked at him, a sinister expression on his face.
"I'm freeing you from her control and trying to show the reality of the world!"
Iris blinked confused when she found the General's finger pointed towards her.
"My control?" she straightened, "You think I'm controlling him?"
He sneered at her, "Not only are you controlling the Avatar with your manipulations, but you are also holding him back from facing the Firelord"
"If that's what you think, you have officially," she rolled her eyes, "lost your mind"
He straightened back, but the sinister look never left his face.
"We'll see about that"
"Aren't you gonna do something?" Sokka asked
"Iris, he needs help!"
"Eventually, maybe. Right now, no. I wanna see how kid handles it" she replied back.
As if that was the cue, six earthbenders on either side of Aang lifted circular discs of the earth, then hurled them at Aang. The first two rolled toward him from both sides, and he stepped backward, avoiding them. He leaped into the air and spread his body horizontally as two discs flew above and below him. He soured forward, then landed and peered over his shoulder. Other Earthbenders stood ready with more discs behind him.
"I am not your enemy! I won't fight you!" Aang yelled out but that only got four disks hurled towards him.
"Now?"
"Nuh-uh"
"Come on!" Katara exclaimed
Aang leaped over the four disks as they collided right where he was standing. He landed on one of the upright discs, and another flew from the left and knocked it over. As he fell, two of the other upright discs closed in around him. With Aang scrunched in the square holes in the discs, they began to roll. The discs rolled into an Earthbender, who shattered them. Aang went flying and skidded along the ground. He stood up, surveying the troops around him.
"Now?!" Katara asked
Iris shushed them with a glare. Sokka rolled his eyes.
"Well, then, I'll handle it" he muttered and he lifted his legs up and slammed his feet on the guards holding him, which immediately freed him. Katara quickly opened her water skin and water whipped her holders into freeing her.
But as soon as the siblings tried to make their way towards Aang, in the middle of yard o' doom, they stopped.
Iris shrugged and looked at the soldiers holding her, stunned them both, and then joined the siblings.
"Don't know where to interfere, huh?" she asked, folding her arms
The trio watched as Aang ran between two groups of soldiers.
"Okay, that's it" Sokka muttered and pulled out his boomerang and tossed it. Right as he's about to throw his disc at Aang, the Boomerang hit the earthbender's helmet and knocked him out cold-causing his disk to fall over too.
"bullseye" Iris muttered. She never actually knew that Sokka had such a great aim.
And now, Aang was running from some horse-bird hybrid thing, whatever that was. mounted on top of that animal is an earth bender, his spear aiming for Aang. Katara quickly sliced it with her water stream.
"Good bird/horse thingy."
She turned to see Sokka trying to coax one of those hybrids. And once in reach, he grabbed the reins and leaped on its back. Katara was kicking Earthbender ass on her own and Sokka was great with his own tools. She didn't have to do much so just stood on the sidelines, Neva on her shoulder as they watched the entire thing. Now that Aang had kinda learned 2 elements, maybe she could start sparring ti him a little to keep his edges sharp.
"Maybe you can avoid me, but she can't."
That sentence struck Iris weird. And before she could gather her thoughts or reach for fans or daggers, she felt rigidly constricting and that feeling moved upwards her body. She looked down as Neva took off, to see earth molding around her encasing her to her chest. She squirmed, but the mold just tightened.
Now Iris could think of a few spells that could get her out of this moldy situation but now came to her mind that wouldn't hurt her own body too.
"hold on" Katara called and water whipped the mold. Iris winced, closing her eyes, expecting the effect but instead of a crack and spiking pin followed by freedom, she felt weird and yucky. She opened her eyes and looked again to see that the earth mold around her body had now turned into mud.
Oh, gross.
Maybe not entirely bad. She quickly tried to move her arms to free herself but the muddy earth-mold solidified again around her.
"Oh, fucking crap" she muttered, squirming and struggling to get out.
Wait. What if she apparated?
That sounded right and a good idea.
Before she could even twitch her finger, the ground under her started to sink. Her eyes widened as she continued to struggle.
"No, no, no, no!" if her voice went over a few octaves, she didn't register it. That was bad news. She cannot apparate if her destination was clear without horribly splinching herself. she cannot have a clear destination in her head if she can't focus. And she can't focuses if she was almost half buried alive.
"Iris! No!" Sokka yelled
"Stop this! You have to let her go." Aang demanded from Fong
"You could save her if you were in the Avatar state." General maliciously replied
Aang turned to look at Iris, who was buried almost until her waist, struggling to get out. He was frustrated and desperate and he had no idea what to do!
"I'm trying... I'm trying!" Aang cried out.
"Merlin!" she grunted as her body was almost shoulder-down buried and way too busy to focus on what was going around her.
"Don't hurt her!"
"I don't see glowing." General sneered and when got no reaction, he pushed his fist towards the ground.
Iris yelped loudly when the sinking increased speed and ow as chin deep in the earth.
Aang dropped to the ground near General's feet, "You don't need to do this!"
"Apparently I do." he grimly replied, "I have to free you from under her control so you can see your true destiny and defeat the Firelord." he sneered, "You owe us that much, Avatar."
She was almost chin down now. Okay. It sucked. she quickly held her breath and closed her eyes and so the restricting feeling was all over her face.
She couldn't move at all. She couldn't breathe or open her eyes.
Okay. Okay. Deep breaths.
No! Do not take deep breaths.
Calm down. She tried to find her energy and located it very easily. And then she went out to look at other energies. The closest she found was Katara's, so that's where she focused. It took a little longer and it was a bit harder but eventually, she got enough to apparate safely(hopefully). And then she apparated.
The moment she appeared over ground she heaved out a long big breath. Her vision which had to begin to blur was slowly returning to focus. It took her a few minutes until everything was pack in place and that was when she felt the strong currents. The currents, she was vaguely familiar with.
"It worked. It worked!"
Iris winced when a strong current hit the General who managed to shield himself. But Aang was standing in front of him now, billowing.
And Iris had to admit, Kid did look terrifyingly scary and pissed. Something that was clearly reflecting on the General's face. Inside the swirling vortex of wind that surrounded the kid, and his tattoos glowing and the look on his face, every sane man moved out of his way. But then again, Iris was pretty sure from the start that the General wasn't sane.
Instead, that idiot cupped his mouth and began shouting.
"Avatar Aang, can you hear me?! Your friend is safe!" He raised his arms and nothing came out. And he panicked.
He started unearthing various blocks of Earth and with each negative result, he began more and more panicking.
"Please please please..." Sokka muttered, standing close to Katara
Iris took a staggering deep breath and kept a hand on Sokka's shoulder, who yelped.
"Iris!" Katara exclaimed
"Are you okay?" Sokka asked
"Somewhat, yeah. I managed to, well, apparate"
Katara ad Sokka shared a look, then looked at Aang and then shared another look and then looked at her.
"Are you gonna do something?" Katara asked
"Not sure what or how" Iris replied grimly when with a loud bang, Aang slammed into the ground, a cloud of dust shooting forward. General is sent flying. Large chunks of the earth rose from the ground, sending Earth Kingdom soldiers into the air. The wave of destruction crashed into the buildings around the base, cracking them apart.
Iris managed to put out a shield in front of the three as they faced away from the effect. when the trio looked back, they found Aang's body inside an air sphere but not moving like before.
"what's going on?" Sokka asked
Iris truly wished she had the answer.
After a few minutes, during which no one dared go near the sphere, there was a slight twitch by his body and Iris realized something. He somehow went into spirit world. The twitch was so minute, she wasn't sure anyone else noticed it.
Aang's body grew limp and he fell to the ground, out of his Avatar State. He tiredly looked up and looked at the destructed base.
Iris blinked and the next thing she knew, she was rushing to Kid. She dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Aang, who return the gesture, albeit quit strongly.
"I'm sorry, Iris. I hope you never have to see me like that again," he muttered
She smiled and gave him one squeeze before she pulled.
"Are you okay?" Katara asked, to which Aang nodded
"I really don't wanna do something like that again" he sadly muttered.
"Hah! Are you joking?"
The four looked as General walked to them, "That was almost perfect! We just have to find a way to control you when you're like that." he grinned, "It proves that you can be brought from under her control and y-"
There was a loud clang, then a crack followed by a thud.
Every person looked at Iris, who had not only kicked the General in his jewels but also kneed him square in the jaw and knocked him out as he laid on the ground moaning in pain.
"That was for burying me alive, you manky cunt." she deadpanned before she looked at the trio, "Dare not repeat a word I said right now"
The three just nodded. Sokka looked around,
"Anybody got a problem with that?"
All heads are shaken in unison.
"Great" Iris muttered with also cheer
Soon they were approached by another soldier, who bowed to them first, "Do you still want an escort to Omashu?"
The four shared a look
"I think we're all set," Katara replied
Book 2 is here!
This was due quite some time, so here you guys go. Also, I won't be posting for some time since I'm going through some shit in my life namely college and house shifting. Also, the 'n' key of my laptop broke and came out so I've got to get that repaired.
You know the drill: Read, Review, Fav, and Follow.
Ciao