Water

The Refugee: Part 1

Narrowing her eyes, Katara slowly raised her arms. A swell of water rose after them and broke free from the ocean, forming a hovering orb. Clenching her jaw in concentration, she raised the ball higher and separated her hands, trying to divide the water into two parts. Instead, she lost control entirely, and the water collapsed on top of her. With a yell of frustration, she wrung out her dripping braid.

From behind her, Sokka snickered. "Now you know how it feels!"

Scowling, she turned back toward him. Sokka was sitting idly in the sand, tossing his boomerang from one hand to the other. Focusing with all her might, she drew a stream of water from the edge of the ocean and formed it into a sphere. Then, with a broad sweep of her arm, she sent the ball sailing across the beach and let it drop onto Sokka's head. When he spluttered and tried to dry his face with the sleeve of his coat, she smiled. Though she hadn't mastered much yet, she could usually manage to irritate her brother.

As she turned back toward the water, Sokka said sourly, "Aren't you going to watch Aang? He's been trying to get your attention for ages."

Reluctantly, she looked out to where the boy bobbed in the waves—sure enough, he was waving energetically at her. When Katara waved back, Aang cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled something to her.

She glanced back at Sokka. "Any idea what he's saying?"

He shrugged. His hair was soaked, but his coat had escaped with only a few wet patches. "No idea. But I think he's been trying to talk to us since he went out there."

Katara waved to Aang again. Whatever he was trying to say, she was sure that he would want an answer of some kind.

Sokka stood and shook as much water out of his hair as he could before coming to join her at the edge of the water. "You know," he said in an undertone. "I think we're still lost. We probably passed wherever the giant koi live a week ago, and Aang was just too embarrassed to admit that he couldn't find it."

"Maybe." Katara folded her arms. A twig snapped in the undergrowth behind them, and she looked back in time to see a small face peering out of the bushes. She grabbed her brother's arm. "Sokka, look!" There was a flurry of movement, and the child disappeared.

"What?" Sokka turned too late to see anything out of the ordinary.

"A little boy was watching us."

"So? At least he wasn't watching us sleep the way you and Aang watch me."

"We don't watch—" Katara's retort broke off when she saw Aang yelling to them again. This time, she could almost hear his voice, though his words were still impossible to distinguish. She waved again, and as if that were the sign Aang was waiting for, he began swimming toward shore.

"We don't watch you sleep," she finished. "Aang just thinks it's funny that you always mumble before you wake up."

"I don't mumble!" Sokka exclaimed, his voice sliding upward.

Katara patted his shoulder. "Keep telling yourself that, big brother."

Aang reached the shore a short time later, tired and disappointed.

"No luck finding the elephant koi?" Katara asked.

Aang shook his head.

"Maybe we're not at the right place," Sokka suggested. Katara elbowed him in the side. "Hey! It's just a thought."

"No," said Aang. "This is the right place. I remember it from when I was little." He walked back to their camp. "Maybe it's the wrong time of year," he called with his tunic halfway over his head. "And anyway, I can try again tomorrow."

There was another cracking sound from the undergrowth, and Katara turned, half expecting to see the little boy spying on them again. Instead, several green-clad figures rushed out of the bushes, and before Katara had time to react, she was flat on her stomach, a scratchy brown sack over her head, and she could hear both Aang and Sokka struggling. There was a hollow thump, and Sokka's voice stopped, then a second later, Aang yelled, "Wait! I don't have my pants on yet!"

A second thump followed, and everything was quiet.


"Ready?" Iroh's voice was grave.

Staring across at his opponent, Zuko gave a single nod. Lieutenant Jee certainly wasn't the strongest firebender he had ever encountered, but as sparring partners went, he was the best Zuko could hope for on this miserable boat. Jee nodded too.

"Then begin," said Iroh.

Zuko struck first—a series of quick punches sent a series of fist-sized fireballs at the lieutenant's head. With a sweep of his arm, Jee threw out a long scythe-like flame which blocked the prince's attacks. He produced another sweeping flame, which Zuko deflected with a powerful kick.

"Focus, Prince Zuko," Iroh said.

Snarling, Zuko ducked under one of Jee's fireballs and aimed his own attack low enough that the lieutenant would have to leap aside to avoid it.

"You aren't helping, Uncle!" Zuko shouted as he darted to the side to attack from a new angle.

"Focus! You cannot draw power from your breath if you are using your breath to speak."

Lieutenant Jee swung himself around, forcing Zuko to adjust his angle again, and threw a series of fiery punches. The prince ducked under the barrage and rolled out of Jee's reach before springing to his feet again and unleashing a towering wall of flame. Jee sidestepped the attack, then advanced, sending wave after wave of fire at his opponent. Grunting with effort, Zuko managed to disperse the flames before they reached him, but each wave drove him another step backward. Too late, he realized that Jee had cornered him. Grinning, the lieutenant fixed his stance, but before he was able to attack again, Zuko let out a bellow and shot two identical fireballs—one aimed at the lieutenant's left knee, the other at his right shoulder. Jee was in no position to deflect the attack, and he dodged, throwing himself off balance. Zuko aimed one last attack at the lieutenant's head, and Jee fell unceremoniously backward, leaving Zuko standing over the older man in triumph.

Iroh was unimpressed. "I have found, Prince Zuko, that it is unnecessary to yell before attacking."

"I won, Uncle. What are you complaining about?"

"You were careless," the general replied. "You allowed yourself to be cornered. And you continue to neglect your basics."

"I don't care about the basics! I need to capture the Avatar, and I can't do that with breathing exercises."

Iroh clasped his hands together, gazing evenly at his nephew. "How do you expect to master more advanced forms when you cannot maintain focus on your breathing?"

Zuko gave a roar of frustration and shot a fireball over the ship's railing.

Calm as ever, Iroh watched the flames disappear in the air. "As I have said before, Prince Zuko, fire comes from the breath, as does life. Without life, there can be no fire."

Zuko scowled. That made no sense, but he should be used that by now. Rather than argue with Iroh, he turned to Lieutenant Jee. "Have you ever heard a firebending master worry so much about breathing and meditation?"

Jee hesitated, glancing in the general's direction.

"No," he admitted. "I haven't." Zuko turned triumphantly toward his uncle, but before he could speak, Jee went on. "But I was never trained until I joined the military. I was a grown man when I met my first master, and he was nothing in comparison with General Iroh." The lieutenant turned pointedly toward Zuko. "Most of us weren't fortunate enough to have tutors from the time we were infants."

Zuko's eyes narrowed, and he took a small step toward Jee. "What does that mean?"

"It means, Prince Zuko, that if fighting a man who entered the military with no training is still a challenge for a prince who has been trained by one of the best masters in the world, there might be a reason why that master insists on breathing exercises."

"Or maybe my uncle just doesn't want to teach me more powerful firebending," Zuko snapped, turning on his uncle, eyes blazing.

Iroh stared placidly back at him. "I will teach you more when you show that you are ready. For today, you have practiced enough." Turning to Lieutenant Jee, the old man relaxed into a smile. "Maybe, Lieutenant, you would like to join me in a game of Pai Sho this evening?"

Jee nodded. "As long as the currents cooperate."

With a loud groan of frustration, Zuko stormed off in the direction of his own cabin.

"You are welcome to join us, Prince Zuko," Iroh called after him. "Some of the other men are planning a music night as well!"

Zuko slammed the door shut behind him. Iroh couldn't understand the importance of this mission or how difficult it would be to track the Avatar and the airbending boy. Zuko himself had watched them fly off on some sort of giant white beast. His ship was fast, but the Avatar wouldn't be bound to the ocean as he was. And when he finally caught up with them, there was the problem of capturing the Avatar and her friends. He had seen the kind of destruction that the girl was capable of, and for all he knew, the airbender could be every bit as powerful.

Fuming, he sat and crossed his legs. If mastering Iroh's ridiculous breathing exercises was the price of the lessons that Zuko sorely needed, he supposed that it was a price he would have to pay. He straightened his back and closed his eyes, still scowling deeply. Tomorrow, he would be more persistent. Tomorrow, he would refuse to stop training until Iroh agreed to teach him something more substantial, something would give him a better chance of bringing the Avatar down. But for today, Zuko told himself, his best option was to give Iroh what he wanted.

There was a slight tap at the door, and Zuko's concentration broke. Rising to his feet, he swung the door open with all the furious force he could muster. It was one of the lower-ranking men—perhaps a private, though Zuko couldn't be certain. He had never bothered to learn the names or ranks of his crew beyond what was necessary.

"What do you want?" Zuko snarled at the sailor.

The man gave a bow, then held up a scroll. "Forgive me, Prince Zuko. But we've just received word of the Avatar's location."


Katara was aware of being carried—there was a pair of hands looped under her arms and another holding her ankles. Whoever their attackers were, they were at least gentle. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on the sound of their footsteps. There seemed to be fewer of them than she had thought at first—enough to carry her and the two boys, but no more than that.

She couldn't be certain how far she was carried before the hands around her ankles loosened, and those at her shoulders propped her up against a pole of some kind. A rope wrapped around her waist, and through the coarse brown fabric of the sack, she thought she could make out the top of a head. That was unusual, she thought. She wasn't particularly tall herself, but this person barely came up to the level of her nose. Two heavy forms slumped against her legs, and Katara turned her head down. Aang and Sokka, she guessed. Their captors must have propped the unconscious boys up against her legs. Another rope wrapped around the pole, just below her knees, and then finally, someone spoke.

"That's enough for now." It was a female voice, and not a very old one. "They aren't going anywhere."

The sack lifted, and Katara saw a row of young women in matching green dresses and armor. They all wore matching makeup—or perhaps paint was a better word for it—and as she thought, one of the girls was significantly shorter than Katara herself. She blinked a few times.

"Where am I?" Katara asked. "Who are you? What happened to my—" She looked down, and saw Sokka leaning against her right knee, drooling a little on her skirt, and Aang leaning on her left knee, still not wearing any pants. "Are they okay? Why did you attack us? We weren't doing anything wrong. Who was that—"

"Whenever you're finished." It was the same voice as before, and its speaker looked much the same as the others, though her stance was undeniably firmer. Katara stopped talking. The other girl nodded. "Good. Now before we answer any of your questions, we have a few of our own. Understand?"

Katara nodded.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Katara."

The girl gestured toward the boys. "And they are?"

"That's my brother, Sokka, and our friend, Aang."

"And are you doing on our island? Are you Fire Nation spies?"

"What?" Katara asked, incredulous. "No! We came from the Southern Water Tribe. We're just trying to get to the North Pole." She struggled against the ropes. "Who are you people? What gives you the right to attack people and hold them hostage just for setting up camp on the beach?"

The other girl folded her arms. "We're the Kyoshi Warriors. This is our village, and it's our job to protect our people from intruders."

Katara craned her neck to the side. Sure enough, they were on the edge of a village, and a small crowd had gathered to watch the interrogation. With a groan of frustration, she turned to the warriors again. "My brother and I set up a tent while Aang was swimming. How does that make us a threat?"

"You could have been signaling a ship.'

"But we weren't!"

"Why, then? If you're all trying to make it to the other end of the world, why stop here?"

At that, Katara had to pause. The truth sounded absurd, and she knew it. "Aang thought that he could ride the elephant koi," she said quietly.

The warrior's painted eyebrows raised, and two of the girls glanced at each other and covered their mouths to suppress giggles. Their leader turned their direction with a fierce look.

"Why should we believe you?"

"If I was a Fire Nation spy, don't you think I'd have a better cover story?"

There was a pause, and one of the girls leaned toward the leader. "She has a point, Suki."

Suki didn't answer. Her arms remained folded, and she stared at Katara.

"See?" Katara said. "Besides, I'm a waterbender. I don't know if you were all there long enough to see me practicing—" Suki shook her head. "—but the little boy did. I saw him watching me."

At that, Suki uncrossed her arms. "What little boy?"

Katara shrugged. "I don't know. Just a little boy."

For a minute, Suki stood still and silent, studying Katara's face for any sign of deception. Finally, though, she turned back to the other girls. "Wake the others up," she ordered. "If their stories all agree, we check their camp for anything suspicious and move everything off of the beach."

The other girls sprang into action. Several of them drew out ornate golden fans and crouched, ready to attack, while two others ran forward with small glass vials and held them under the boys' noses. Suki folded her arms again, looking pointedly at Katara.

"Not a word," Suki said quietly. "Don't give them any hints."

Katara nodded and Sokka woke, arms and legs flailing as much as the ropes would allow. A few seconds later, Aang woke with a tremendous snort and a jerk so forceful that he smacked his head against the post behind them.

"Ouch," Aang said and blinked a few times.

Sokka looked around wildly. "What happened? Where are we?" He looked up and saw Katara standing over him. "When did you wake up?"

"She didn't wake up," Suki answered. "She didn't scream like a baby the way you two did, so we didn't have to knock her out. "

Aang looked down, saw his bare legs, and went bright red. "Does somebody have my pants?"

One of the girls unhooked the airbender's pants from where they hung on her own belt and tossed them across to Aang.

"Thanks." Aang wriggled until he could pull his hands free and slipped his pants back on. Then he noticed the alternating looks of confusion and anger from the warriors. "Oh, right. Sorry." He put his hands behind his back again and slipped them back into the ropes.

"Hold on a second," Sokka said, staring disbelievingly at Suki. "You're trying to tell me that a couple of girls managed to capture me?" He scoffed. "Seriously. At least ten men attacked us. Big ones."

Katara sighed, looking up at the sky. "Sokka, please stop talking."

Suki folded her arms again, glaring at Sokka. "Actually, Minori took you down without any help." The smallest of the girls smiled and gave a little wave.

"Her?" Sokka squeaked. Making an effort to speak lower, he added, "No. Not possible. Really, where are the warriors who captured us?"

"Um, Sokka?" Aang said, looking uneasily at the sharp edges of the nearest metal fan. "We're their prisoners. Maybe you should stop arguing."

"Wise choice," Suki said, turning toward Aang. "If you answer our questions, we might decide to let you go."

Aang nodded.

"So," asked Suki, "Why did you come to our island?"

"That's easy," Aang answered. "We were on our way to the North Pole, and we wanted to have some fun, so I decided that we should ride the elephant koi."

"Don't admit to that, Aang!" Sokka protested. "It makes us sound like a bunch of dumb kids." Katara kneed him in the side of the head, and he scowled up at her.

Suki ignored the older boy. "And who are you?"

"I'm Aang!"

"Where are you from?"

Aang hesitated. "Well, I was at the South Pole for a long time. But I'm actually from the Southern Air Temple."

Suki looked skeptical. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Aang freed his hands again and picked up a handful of pebbles. "I'm an airbender." As a demonstration, he caused the pebbles to hover between his hands and whirl around one another at an almost impossible speed. "Actually," he added slyly, seeing the look of wonder on two of the younger girls' faces, "I'm the Avatar. And Katara—"

She jabbed him with her toe and interrupted, "I'm a waterbender. I already told them that part, Aang."

Suki looked between Katara and Aang a little suspiciously, then finally turned back to the other warriors. "We'll take these two when we check their camp."

Minori, the littlest of the girls, gestured toward Sokka with her fan. "What about him?"

"He stays here for now," Suki answered, then smiled. "I'll leave you in charge of him, Minori."

"What?" Sokka yelped as the girls came forward to free Aang and Katara.

"You heard her," Minori replied, dropping into a fighting stance with a grin. "I'm in charge."


The warriors found nothing worthy of concern in their supplies and helped Katara and Aang pack away the tents and sleeping bags. When they returned to the village, the crowd that had gathered to watch the interrogation was still there, half watching in bemused silence as Sokka glared at the small warrior guarding him, half waiting for the others to return. In the short time that they had been gone, word had spread throughout the village that the Avatar had come, and Aang was instantly surrounded by admirers—one young man at the back of the crowd even foamed at the mouth in his excitement. Katara was nudged and elbowed away until she wound up next to her brother again. Even after he was freed, Sokka refused to make eye contact with her and stood sullen, his arms folded, staring after the warriors. Katara rolled her eyes at him.

A man named Oyaji gave them a room to use for the length of their stay, and while Aang reveled in the attention from the villagers, Sokka retreated to the room to sulk. By the time that night fell, Katara was sick of her brother's moping and thoroughly annoyed with Aang's attitude toward his newfound fame. When she woke up the following morning and both boys' behavior promised more of the same, Katara excused herself. There was a stream just outside of the village, away from Aang and his admirers and away from Sokka's increasingly bitter comments, where she could practice her waterbending. The way things were going, it seemed likely that she would have to continue teaching herself for a long time.

For nearly an hour, she practiced aimlessly, experimenting with different motions, testing herself to see what forms she could shape the water into. She pulled a thin tendril of water from the stream and formed it into a floating ball, then she stretched the ball out as long as she could. Part of the watery rope separated from the rest and fell to the ground, but she merely concentrated harder and brought her hands back together, drawing the remaining water back into a ball. Without ever having seen a master in action, it was hard to know what else to try—what else was even possible.

At that thought, Katara stopped herself. She had seen more powerful waterbending. Though her memory was unclear, the images of herself driving Zuko's ship away from the village still lingered in her mind. Taking a deep breath, she stared down at the stream, trying to remember how she had managed to create such a massive wave. Slowly, she raised her hands, and the water responded by lifting into an even swell. With a slight smile, she turned her palms forward, trying to push the swell of water up onto the opposite bank, but the wave only grew taller before crashing back in her direction, soaking her nearly to the waist. With a yell of frustration, she kicked at the water, only to hear a giggle behind her.

She whipped around in time to see a little boy—the same one from the beach—watching her. His hands flew up to his mouth, and for a second, Katara could do nothing but stare. The boy couldn't be more than seven years old, but there was an oddly critical look in his eyes, as if he disapproved of her technique.

"You're doing that wrong," the little boy said eventually.

"Thanks," Katara replied wryly, doing her best to bend the water from her skirt. "But I figured that out. Unless you know how to do it right, I really don't need your help."

"It's not that hard." The boy moved closer to the edge of the stream. "It's more like this." He raised his arms in a slow, sweeping motion, and the water lifted in response, then he swung his entire torso forward, palms turned outward, and the water rushed across to the opposite bank and splashed around the bases of the trees. Smiling in satisfaction, he turned to face Katara again.

She gaped at him. "You're a waterbender."

The little boy's eyes widened. "Uh oh." He covered his mouth, and his voice went muffled. "That's supposed to be a secret."

"It's okay," Katara said quickly as the boy started to retreat. "I'm not going to tell anyone. I had to keep my waterbending secret for a long time too."

Slowly, the little boy lowered his hand and relaxed into a smile. "Is that why so you're bad at it?"

"What? I'm not—" She glanced down. Despite her efforts, her skirt was still damp, and water was beginning to seep into her boots. "I just haven't practiced much," she corrected herself. "I never had anyone to teach me."

The boy shrugged. "Nobody taught me."

"So, you just figured it out on your own?"

He shook his head and studied Katara for a moment. "Do you want to see how I learned?"

In disbelief, she stared at him. The little boy grinned and came forward to grab her hand. "Come on. I'll show you."

He dragged her off down a narrow path that led deeper into the woods, curving alongside the stream and up a slight incline before the trees abruptly ended. At the center of the clearing stood a small house surrounded by a wide, flourishing garden. Smiling at Katara's surprise, the boy led her into the house.

"Mom, I met a new friend!" the boy announced.

"Oh, did you?" The boy's mother turned around with a smile. She was darker than the villagers Katara had seen so far, more reminiscent of herself and Sokka than the Earth Kingdom citizens who populated the rest of the island. The woman's blue eyes went cold the moment they landed on Katara. "Who is this?"

The iciness in the woman's voice and expression unnerved her. "My name is Katara."

"She's like me, Mom," the boy added, smiling. "She's a waterbender."

"Is she?" The woman stepped forward and grabbed her son by the shoulder. "In that case, I think I need to speak with her alone."

The boy protested, but his mother didn't listen. Not giving the boy a chance to follow, she propelled Katara back out the door.

"I'm sorry," said Katara as the door slammed shut after them. "Your son offered to show me something—if I had known that it was a problem, I wouldn't have followed him."

"Enough," the woman hissed, leaning in uncomfortably close. "I know where you're from. I know why you're here. And you can't have him."

Katara's mouth opened and closed a few times before she managed to produce a sound. "What?"

"My son will have nothing to do with waterbending. He has never set foot on the South Pole, and as long as I live, he never will." The woman's narrow face loomed even closer. "We owe you people nothing."

"Um." Katara took an uneasy step back. "I don't know what people you're talking about. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe, but I'm just visiting."

"They sent you here!" The woman advanced further, forcing Katara to back down into the garden.

"No one sent me! My friends and I are on our way to the North Pole, and we stopped here, that's all." When the woman grabbed a shovel and pointed it at her chest, Katara raised her hands and retreated a few more steps. "Why on earth do you think I would take your son?"

"Because this is exactly what happened last time."

The shovel jabbed closer, and Katara gave a small yelp. "Last time?"

"When they took my brother."

"Like I keep telling you," Katara said, "I'm not trying to take your son."

The shovel lifted several inches until it was pointed directly at her neck.

"And I'm not taking that chance. Leave. Now."

For only an instant, Katara hesitated, glancing from the blade of the shovel—not particularly sharp, but polished to a glossy point from years of use—to the woman's face. There wasn't a hint of doubt in the icy blue eyes, and Katara fled, turning her head back just long enough to see the little boy's face watching from a window as she ran.


Author's Note:

When I started working on this story, I set a bunch of ground rules for myself, and for the most part, I'm glad that I took that approach. But there are two self-imposed rules that I'm beginning to regret: specifically, "All chapters must be titled" and "Stealing episode titles is cheating". I like having chapter titles, and I like having reasons to set A Tale of Ice and Smoke apart from the original series, but dang. I'm not good at titles.

That said, I hope you enjoy it! This chapter was a lot of fun to write (although that last section was a royal pain to revise and edit), and I hope you stick around to find out what happens in Part 2! And as always, feel free to leave reviews too! I love getting feedback!

Thanks for reading,

SooperSara