DISCLAIMER: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. What I DO own is this story and my original characters.
A/N: Okay, I surprised all of my readers with a fic in a category you had no idea I liked. I've been hooked on Avatar recently, but I'm too lazy to add it to my neverending list of faves, so deal. Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this fic! The basic idea is used a LOT (and I 3 it to death) but I added my own original twists, so you haven't read anything like this before!
Has anyone realised that every fic where someone travels to the Avatar-verse they gain bending powers, besides me?
│To Be a Warrior│
│Prologue│
Alina heaved the loaded barrel onto the cart. She wiped the sweat from her brow and pushed her medium-length dirty blonde hair from her chocolate brown eyes. She shifted her gaze up to the sky as if looking at the sun would make it stop burning. She looked back to the cart that was now filled with barrels and sighed thinking of the journey back home.
Normally that would be the least difficult part. But normally, Alina had Kayo with her. The thought of Kayo brought a scowl to Alina's face. Kayo was the boy who was Alina's only friend, and as they had recently discovered, an earthbender. Being as they discovered this fact in public while loading that same cart with supplies, word traveled fast enough for Kayo to take up residence in the palace that same day.
You may be confused. You see, Alina lives in a time three hundred years after the Great Fire War so benders are much scarcer than before. To be a bender was something that deserved power, prestige, and honor. Benders were the elite fighting force, those with the ultimate power only second to the Avatar.
After Kayo had left Alina, the blonde had tried bending more times than she could count. Much to her dismay, all attempts proved futile. Alina concluded she was just destined to be worthless.
Alina set herself back to the task at hand. She grabbed the handle at the back of the cart and pushed as hard as she could. She continued pushing the heavy cart at a slow and steady pace back to her foster home.
Suddenly something by Alina's feet caught her eyes. She paused her work and bent over to examine the piece. It was an intricately designed blue stone on a dark navy ribbon. The ribbon was frayed and the stone looked like had seen better times. It reminded Alina of the calm waves of the ocean.
"Someone has stolen the sacred necklace of Lady Katara!" someone screamed loudly, the sound causing Alina to avert her gaze. Alina knew who Lady Katara was. Everyone did. She was the great Water Bender who traveled by the side of Avatar Aang. She was the woman who helped save the world from the chaotic path it was traveling. Alina also knew how the artifacts from that time were ceremonially passed from one town to the other signifying peace among the nations.
Alina looked nervously to the necklace in her hand. 'Could it be?' she wondered incredulously, frozen in a state of shock. "You there!" the voice of a guard knocked her back to reality, "Hand over that necklace!" 'Calm down,' she reasoned, 'Just tell them you found it. Just…RUN!' Leaving the cart behind, Alina sprinted as fast as she could from the guards. She ignored the logic that she would look guiltier if she ran.
Lucky for Alina, she knew the layout of the town much better than the traveling guards. She evaded them by many alleyways, and finally stopped to catch her breath once she lost their trail. Her breathing was heavy as she opened the hand that was clenching the necklace. She admired it, gently caressing it with her other hand. 'This was touched by a waterbender. The greatest waterbender!' she thought in awe. Suddenly the stone started to pulse with light, startling Alina and causing her to drop it to the ground. The pulsing soon started glowing more rapidly and the dirty blonde backed into the wall.
As suddenly as it started, the pulsing ceased. Alina waited for a moment, unsure of what to do. Slowly and hesitantly, she kneeled to the ground. Alina extended her hand to the necklace, her breath quickening with every centimeter.
When Alina finally touched the stone, there was a great flash of light, and she was gone.
│Prologue End│
A/N: Ooh, how mysterious. I hope you liked it! Also, I watched the Waterbending scroll again to check, but as far as I can tell Zuko never returned Katara's necklace, right? I just want to be sure.
And rememeber, fics might be the fire that supplies with energy, but reviews are the coal the fuels it!
(I think I heard that somewhere...)