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To Be a Warrior
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Disclaimer
I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I do own my original character and original ideas.
Summary
Alina is a normal girl in a world, 300 years after the Great Fire War, where benders are rare and treated like royalty. She believes that she can amount to nothing without bending, but will a trip to the past change her perspective?
Author's Note
I reread my prologue and all I can say is EW! I didn't realize how repetitious and mundane I sounded. It's been fixed in this chapter though.
And thanks to my reviewers Khazia and Evangeline-Angel. You people rock!
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Chapter 1
Confusion is Inevitable
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Alina squeezed her eyes shut at the intensity of the blinding flash. When the light finally subsided, the blonde fell to her knees and examined her surroundings. Instead of finding herself to be sprawled out on the middle of an Earth Kingdom street, however, Alina was surprised to discover she was in some sort of forest. Apparently there had been some sort of a time lapse, seeing as the blazing sun was replaced with a crescent moon.
"Katara, did you see that?" a masculine voice urgently whispered through the darkness.
Alina's body froze at the sound, and not just from wanting to remain silent and hidden. Ever since the time of the Great Fire War, it had been an unspoken rule to be named or called by that of the hero or heroine. For the boy to refer to his friend by that name so casually made Alina's blood boil. 'How dare they!' she mentally fumed, outraged that they defiled Lady Katara in such a manner. Unconsciously, Alina gripped the sacred necklace tighter in her hand.
"That big flash? Yeah, I did. I'll go check it out." a feminine voice replied in a softer manner.
Alina was all too aware of the footsteps drawing nearer and nearer to where she sat, but still could not bring her body to move. It was not until she was met face-to-face with an exotic brunette that she bolted as fast as she could.
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Katara could only catch a glimpse of the retreating figure before it was out of sight. She was almost positive that it was a female, but most else was discernable due to the lack of enough moonlight.
She heaved a sigh, then headed back to their makeshift camp. Sokka and Katara had stayed with Appa while Aang went to the local marketplace. His reasoning was that not only was Appa too noticeable, but less people ('Including the store owners,' Katara had huffed) were also a nice asset. Katara had insisted that either she or Sokka go as they would attract less attention, but Aang had been insistent.
"Did you see anyone?" Sokka questioned a bit impatiently.
"Yeah," Katara answered, "but I couldn't get a good look. It looked female."
There was silence as Katara slipped into her sleeping bag. "We better keep a lookout then, it could be a Fire Nation spy. Do you want me to stay up and keep watch?"
Katara shook her head. "Don't worry about it Sokka. She seemed more scared of us than us of her." She rested her head to the ground and heard a soft thump that caused her to believe her brother had done the same.
Still, she couldn't help but feel uneasiness in the pit of her stomach.
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"Rise and shine, Prince Zuko!" Iroh's voice rang from outside the Fire Prince's door. Creasing his brow in annoyance, Zuko groggily rose from his bed, annoyed at the actions of his uncle.
Sighing in annoyance, he spoke, "What is it, Uncle? It better be important to wake me at this ungodly hour of the morning."
"First of all, Prince Zuko, this is no 'ungodly hour' as you have said and it is hardly morning. The time would now be noon. I simply woke you figuring you would like to join me to Port Zhu Se's marketplace. We're getting rather low on supplies, as you know."
Zuko held his head and trudged over to his dresser with a quick, "I'll be ready soon, Uncle." Ever since that night, the night he had rescued the Avatar from Commander Zhao, his sleep was restless. The young prince couldn't help but wonder if he had done the right thing.
After quickly changing into his clothes, Zuko somewhat reluctantly followed his Uncle to the marketplace.
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Alina woke when the sun was high in the sky. She rubbed her eyes, the light of the sun reminding her of how she had arrived at this place. 'What is this place, anyway?' she wondered, still confused on exactly what happened and still questioning whether or not she was dreaming.
Last night, after running a safe distance from the girl she had encountered, Alina had collapsed to the forest floor. The dirty blonde still wondered what had caused her to be so tired. It was then she realized somewhere along the way she had misplaced the necklace, causing her to move about in a frenzy. After locating the said necklace, Alina decided very grudgingly that the necklace would be safest around her neck. As the Earth Kingdom girl fastened the piece around her neck, she still felt guilty about the act.
Alina had finally conceded into sleep near the trunks of a tall tree.
Now, Alina raised her arms high above her head in a mighty yawn. She rose from the ground, brushed herself off, then proceeded to explore. After walking a bit less than a mile, Alina encountered her first signs of civilization.
The marketplace was teeming with life; people talking of this and that, furious customers haggling with shopkeepers, shoppers running to and fro, and workers heaving various packages. It reminded Alina of home, though this marketplace she could be more appreciative of considering she was not one of the underpaid workers. (Alina was especially underpaid considering she earned no pay for her work whatsoever.)
She stood in sheer amazement of it all – it all looked so full of life, unlike her small town. The sacred necklace danced with light in the sun, catching the attention of two certain travelers.
"Thief!" rang out across the marketplace, and before Alina had a chance to process anything, her arm was roughly seized by a teenager with a gruesome scar across his left eye.
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Ooh, a cliffhanger! (Well, sort of…)
Hopefully you can tell a difference between the prologue and this chapter. (Once again, sorry about that. This is my first third person writing.)
Also, in case you couldn't tell, this takes place AFTER The Blue Spirit, but BEFORE all the new episodes. (My plot would be somewhat obsolete if Zuko didn't have Katara's necklace in possession…)
Oh, and would you people rather have a mention of Zutara, a mention of (err…) Kaatang (?), or just no mention of either? I'm just a'wondering since it's not really essential to the plot. (I might not even include it at all, I'd just like to know your preference…)
Thanks, once again, to all my reviewers! I LOVE you people!