Chapter 13
Spirits part 3: Warning

"Your request has to be within reason and within our power." La said, speaking for the first time. I noticed her voice was as silvery and light as her appearance.

"And that means..." Lung laughed, the sound reminded me of a powerful wind blowing through trees.

"Just chose one of us, and you can bend whatever element you want."

I looked at the spirits thoughtfully. All I had to do was choose one of them and I could bend whatever element I wanted. My eyes flicked between Angi and Lung. No offence to Tui and La but water wasn't one of the elements I was interested in, besides we already had a waterbender on the team, we didn't need another. I paused when I looked at Lung. I had felt a connection to airbending since the first time I saw it. On the other hand, firebending would be an amazingly powerful element. Still, I would have no one to teach me until season three, late season three at that. I didn't want to be wandering around with little to no control over my bending. That was when another thought came to my mind. I knew that no matter what I chose Prithvi wouldn't be happy, but what about the others, would they attack too?

"You said my request just has to be within reason and your power, so... you can give me something else besides a bending ability?" I asked curiously.

"Could you send me home?" There was silence. Then, slowly Agni replied.

"I'm sorry Maddi. Even with all of our powers together… the chances are small and even then… you might die." I forced a smile, shrugging it off with a painful laugh.

"It's okay," my voice cracked, I coughed and continued, "I didn't think anyone would be able to."

"We don't have to give you a bending ability," Agni stated softly, "we could-"

"Why would you choose something else when you could have an entire element at your fingertips?" Lung asked. I frowned. Something was off with Lung but I couldn't quite make it out. For a moment there, I thought I had seen desperation in his eyes.

"So hypothetically if I chose... water." I kept a close eye on the other spirits. Agni looked disappointed, Prthivi didn't seem to care and Lung... I shivered and looked away. The look in his eyes worried me. I took a step back and began to think. I had read several books about mythology, Norse, Greek, Egyptian. All of them had one thing in common when two gods or goddesses asked for you to choose between them it always ended with those not chosen outright attacking you. Could I afford to make enemies of such powerful beings?

I took a deep breath, I needed to decide but I also didn't want to make enemies because it wasn't just me anymore. Deities in legends and lore wouldn't stop themselves from hurting a friend or relative to get even with the one who scorned them. I couldn't do that to my friends. No matter how badly I wanted to bend. I felt like my heart was ripping in two. The choice, the only choice that was safe was clear to me now. That wasn't the problem. I wanted to be a bender so badly that it hurt.

Think of Aang. I thought desperately, think of Sokka and Katara, would you ever forgive yourself if they were hurt? I looked up, even though it hurt I spoke.

"I've decided."


Aang

"It's good to see you Aang. What took you so long?" I sighed at Roku's appearance.

"Roku." I replied. Roku didn't waste any time, he quickly began speaking.

"I have something important to tell you Aang." Roku stated, face serene and calm.

"Is it about that vision? That comet? The one Fang showed me?" I asked. That question had been burning to get out since I had seen the image of the comet in my mind.

"Yes and no. That is only part of why you are here. But I will address that first." Roku looked me straight in the eyes.

"A hundred years ago a comet was used by Fire Lord Sozin to begin the war. This particular comet passes by the world every hundred years. Sozin used the comet's energy to make himself and his army strong enough to destroy the Airbenders. Now Fire Lord Ozai plans to harness the comet's power for his own ends." A sudden realization struck me. If Fire lord Ozai was planning to use the comet that meant the comet was arriving soon.

"How long?"

"The comet will arrive near summers end." I froze in shock. The comet was coming near the end of this summer. I had to master three elements in a little less than a year.

"But I haven't even started to learn waterbending! Let alone earth and fire! And who knows where I'll find a firebending teacher." I exclaimed. Roku smiled and stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"You can do it Aang. After all you have done it before and you aren't alone. You have friends and you have an advantage that no other avatar has had before." I frowned. I had an advantage that no other avatar had? What was that?

"I am not at liberty to tell you everything Aang. All I can say is simply trust your friends, even if they cannot tell you why they are asking you to do something. Be patient and wait for them to explain themselves and their reasoning." I opened my mouth to ask who he was talking about when he stepped away.

"Our time together is coming to an end." Roku closed his eyes. I paused then did the same.

"A great danger awaits you at the temple. I can help you face the threat. But only if you are ready."

"I'm ready"


Madison

I took a deep breath and then spoke, my fingers wrapped tightly in my dress.

"I'm not going to say who I'm choosing or what my gift is right away so just wait a moment." I turned to Prithvi, looking him straight in the eyes.

"I'm just assuming by the way you've been acting around me since the beginning that you're not going to give me a gift if I begged. Right?" Prithvi gazed at me before nodding once. I returned the gesture and then moved on to Tui and La.

"I really appreciate what you do and what you represent," I admitted solemnly, "but I don't feel a connection to your element. Besides," I added with a smile, "I don't want to steal Katara's thunder."

I turned to Agni next. I tightened my grip on my dress and locked my knees, trying to hide my trembling.

"I love firebending, it's both power and life. It is beautiful and has so much potential. However," I stopped for a moment to let my words fully sink in, "if I was to choose your element there would be a lot of issues. You're just giving me the ability to bend, not the training of how to use it. I would be an untrained firebender with no hope of a teacher until three maybe four months before the end of summer. I don't know whether I can teach myself or what might happen if I try to. Above all, I can't endanger my friends." I turned to Lung my entire body was trembling. If my assumptions about this spirit were right he was not going to like my next words.

"Don't say a word," Lung said with a grin, "your wish-"

"I'm not choosing airbending." Lung froze, literally, even most of his swirling vapours stopped moving. He had the biggest look of shock on his face that I had ever seen.

"I pride myself on being educated, intelligent and logical" I explained. Any thought of hiding my trembling was gone and now tears pricked my eyes. I wanted airbending so badly it hurt. "And choosing airbending isn't logical." Looking around I noticed all the spirits looked shocked, even Prithvi though he looked impressed as well.

"If I am to live in this world for the rest of my life I need to think about my future. Even after the adventure is over." I explained, trying to reason with them.

"Whatever strange phenomena I went through to get here, gave me the ability to understand the common language when spoken. It failed to give me the ability to understand the written language. I don't know why, I don't know how. I don't know if someone transferred me here why they would think reading wasn't important." I felt tears prickle at my eyes and something wet run down my cheek. Part of me wanted to scream and say that I still wanted airbending but I couldn't do that. Lung was moving again and there was a dangerous look in his eyes.

"For a girl who is so proud of her education not being able to read is hard and if I have to live here, my means of entertainment is in the written word. The only way people are entertained here is by music, theatre, stories and reading. Music… well I enjoy it but besides that it is out of the question, theatre…" I trailed off. Inside my mind the image of a man with dark hair and shining eyes standing on a stage, performing with all his soul appeared. Perfectly in character, twisting every heart with his speech. A man who used to make all sorts of funny voices for his giggling daughter as she requested all her favourites. My father.

"I learned about the theatre from my dad," I admitted, my voice cracking, "he was a natural and he taught me as much as he could. I don't have any acting talent but I can write a good script which is how I was able to improve upon Katara's awful one back at Haru's village." I was feeling strength return to me as I became more sure of my decision even as Lung's face twisted to fury.

"Stories, well I can tell stories I've heard but I like to keep them true to the original telling, meaning writing them down. And reading requires that I know how to read. But this isn't about entertainment, I'm not stupid I can find ways to entertain myself. Reading is an important skill, one that I'll need if I'm to survive in this world." My body had stopped shaking and I stared boldly at Lung's darkening face.

"So I ask from all of you, or any who are willing to help, to give me the ability to understand the written word of this world. I want to understand the language." There was silence all around me before Agni smiled and stepped forward.

"So be it." Tui and La looked at each other at the same time, nodded and stepped forward in sync. To my surprise Prithvi came up as well. Lung's face was completely contorted. With a snarl he vanished in a whirlwind. There was a bright flash and everything went back for a split second before returning to the same white plain.

I blinked and looked up. Prithvi stood in front of me. He had lost a lot of his former height, now standing only six-foot four. It was still taller than me but more comfortable than his earlier towering height. I half expected to have to scramble to my feet, but I was looking at Prithvi from the same view I had blacked out in. I was still standing on my feet. Deciding to leave logic behind on that confusing point for fear of my head exploding I instead turned to Prithvi.

"Why did you join? I thought you hated me?" The god of the earth just snorted.

"Hardly, I don't care for you but I don't hate you. Consider ourselves neutral." I narrowed my eyes, but nodded.

"Then why am I here?"

"The others believe that you are asleep still and will awaken later, in reality I have held you behind so we could talk privately." I leaned back slightly, crossing my arms.

"Talk about what?" I challenged. I wasn't angry with Prithvi, just suspicious. I didn't understand the motives of these spirits and that was making me wary.

"Your choice. I commend you, very few humans can boast of besting a spirit, let alone four." He replied, chesty voice humming like a drum.

"I wasn't besting them," I replied frankly, "I was being logical."

"You denied yourself something you wanted greatly all for the sake of your friends and a suspicion you had. That requires a great amount of self-control. You are a surprising human, Madison. You found the only option that would keep you and your friends in no more danger than before." I blinked and looked up at Prithvi in shock. That had been my goal but I hadn't realized that I had succeeded so well.

"How?" I asked.

"I was out of the question, I wasn't willing to give you a gift and you weren't going to choose earthbending anyway. Water was your best bet, Agni would have gotten over the disappointment since you are officially one of the water tribe's people. I would have remained neutral and Lung... his reaction wasn't going to change no matter what you chose. Choosing Agni would have had Tui and La attack you along with Lung and if you had chosen Lung..." Prithvi raised himself to his full height and looked down on me.

"If you had chosen Lung you would have regretted it quickly. I would have gone after you with all my power. My brother and I do not get along well." I gaped at Prithvi in shock. Lung was his brother, I knew deity family trees could get confusing but the two seemed so dissimilar. I would have never guessed.

"Agni is quick to forgive. She is the youngest of all of us and goes were her passions take her. Tui and La are often to concerned with the other to be of much use." Prithvi continued lightly.

"So what? You still haven't answered why you're here." I pointed out. Mentally I set aside all this knowledge for examination later, it was intriguing.

"I am here to give you a warning." I looked back at Prithvi's face. His dark eyes seemed to hold great depths to them, as thought I was looking into the centre of the world.

"Lung is not to be trusted. He may seem kind and friendly but as the wind his motives and intentions are ever shifting. He has his own agenda and he keeps his coin sack well hidden." I grimaced at the strange metaphor until I realized it was this worlds way of saying that he keeps his cards close to his chest.

"As I told you before, fire follows where her passions lead and water and moon are to involved with each other to pay attention. I however, am the earth. All creatures living on my surface are mine, no matter what nation. I am ever watching, ever waiting. I am aware of much more than you know." He gazed at me with a stern expression before saying.

"You cannot trust every spirit blindly anymore then you can trust every person. Think before making you choices and remember, sometimes enemies come from the most innocent in appearance."


Sokka

There were a lot of things I was expecting when Aang ran through the temple doors. A blue light to shine and lock the doors, sure why not? For the scar-faced prince Zuko to tie us all up? Yep, totally saw that coming. For Pala to collapse into a dead faint at the exact same time the doors shut? That was the single event that had me surprised. We could get away from Zuko, we had done it before after all but I wasn't sure what I could do to help Pala. Chained next to my sister on one of the carved poles in front of the doors I couldn't help but keep glancing over at Pala. She was unusually pale and her breathing was shallow. She didn't look healthy. She looked like she had when she had first appeared on the shoreline of our village, on the verge of death. Seeing her that way brought back memories of the day I had found her.

I clambered up the wall of snow to look out over the village and the surrounding area. I placed my gloved hand on my forehead and peered out, feeling like a warrior, guarding the village. It was my duty-

My daydream was cut off when something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Turning, I saw the unmistakable body of a human half washed up on the shore. I shouted in alarm, calling for help from the village and jumped off the wall.

Tearing across the snow-covered plain I ran to him. The person didn't move. Slowing I noticed several things at once. One, the person had long hair covering his face. Two, his left arm was bent at an angle, leaving no doubt in my mind that it was broken. Three this person was wearing practically nothing, some sort of purple rag over one shoulder, a pair of pants made out of a strange material, and one sock. I didn't have much more time to examine him because at least four women from the village including gran-gran ran over and pushed me aside. As they passed me I noticed something which caused my face to become hot. I quickly averted my gaze as I realized my 'him' hadn't been male.

Over the next few days I had managed to convince myself that if she found out I had been the one to find her she would be grateful. I found myself fantasizing about the sort of person she was. If I told that to Pala, she would have told me it was to be expected, I was a teenaged boy who hadn't seen a girl his age other than his sister since he was nine. Still, remembering how I had acted caused my face to heat up.

"Well you look at that, two birds, one stone. The firelord will be pleased." Katara and I looked up at the new voice. Another fire nation man, this one with brown hair and sidburns sauntered up to where Zuko had been interrogating Shyu with a smug smile on his face.

"What are you doing here Zhao?" Zuko snarled. I could feel the hostility radiating from the two fire nation warriors. I couldn't care about their personal oppions for each other but I was worreid for what this meant for us.

"I came to pay a visit." The stranger, Zhao replied, "Your little trick with the smoke failed." He smirked then spoke to his soldiers. "Tie him up with the other traitors." Zhao's soldiers moved forward to do as requested and Zuko was forced against the pillar opposite us. The pillar with Pala.

I felt like hours had passed before anything happened. Finally, near sunset the door opened.

"Aang!" Katara screamed, pulling against the chains binding her to me and the stone. My heart sank. There was no way that Aang would make it. Several streams of scorching fire were shot between the doors.

To everyone's shock the fire formed an orb, bending around Aang. That didn't seem quite right to me. If Aang had been airbending shouldn't the fire have evaporated? It was then I noticed the man standing in the door's entrance wasn't Aang. He was tall and old, with a long white beard falling to his chest and he was dressed in red robes.

"It's Avatar Roku!" One of the sages screamed in panic. My heart stopped for a split second before jumping into erratic pounding. Wasn't Avatar Roku dead? And where was Aang? A wave of pure heat pressed past us, uncomfortably warm but not hot. When I opened my eyes and looked down though, all the chains had melted away. There was no way that was possible, the heat it would take to melt steel should have left us like burnt warlrus-seal, little more then charred flesh. I was distracted from my thoughts when I noticed Pala's unconscious form laying on the ground. I abandoned Katara and Shyu, running to where she lay. Zuko was gone but I didn't really care. I picked Pala up, groaning. She was heavier than I expected and I nearly dropped her. Wincing I shifted her so she wasn't going to fall. Then I turned to Katara.

The sages had vanished as had Zhao. When my gaze shifted to the door I expected to see Roku again, instead Aang was there with Katara. The next thing I noticed was that a huge seam of lava separating Pala and I from my sister and Aang. Katara and I locked eyes and nodded then we took off to the large window behind the pillars, each with our charge.

"Appa!" I heard Aang call. Peering past the edge of the window I recognized the familiar fuzzy monster flying toward us. Appa passed by Aang and Katara's part of the window first. Both jumped, easily making it onto the giant. Grimacing I tightened my hold on Pala and jumped.

I landed roughly, instinctively I curled around Pala to protect her from the fall. I lay there on Appa's saddle for a while just breathing. Katara and Aang both were to busy trying to find out what was wrong with Pala to notice me. I could deal with that, I was worried about Pala too. Finally I sat up, wincing as I moved my shoulder. It felt like I had pulled a muscle. I gently rubbed it while watching. Finally Pala shifted slightly and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"What's wrong?" She asked, completely oblivious to how worried we all were. Katara started filling her in on what had happened while I tried to make them laugh by over dramatizing everything Katara said.

"Then Sokka picked you up-" Katara started before I cut her off with a grin.

"Yeah, do you know how heavy you are?" Silence. It didn't take me long to figure out that I had defiantly said the wrong thing.

"I mean you need to gain some weight is it healthy to be that light?" I back peddled in alarm. Apparently my attempt to fix the situation only made it worse.

"I mean that... compared to Katara-"

"SOKKA!'

"Sokka," Pala stated very softly, "I recommend you shut up before you dig your own grave." I wisely followed her instructions and closed my mouth. Aang turned to look at me.

"Why are they upset?" He asked in confusion.

"I don't know? Who knows why girl's act the way they do?"

"SOKKA!"


Poor Sokka. Anyway, I just want to let you guys know that near the end of September, early October my updating for those two weeks might be a little erratic as my family will finally be moving out of an apartment into an actual house. I know you all wanted Maddi/Pala to get a bending ability and to be honest, so did I. The problem was that I just could not reasonably see Maddi choosing a bending ability, as badly as she wanted to and with the plans I have for Lung (some of which you saw with his reaction to Maddi's speech), it would be unfair to leave Maddi burdened with that. In making this decision I was also worried that if I made Maddi a bender she would slip into Mary Sue-dom which I have been activly avoiding since the beginning. I want Maddi to be a realistic character to whom anyone can understand and giving her a supernatural power (even one so minor as bending) was going to take away from that part of her. Even so it was a very difficult choice and I actually found myself emotionally drained by the time I finished that scene. Actually this entire chapter was that way. I'm probably going to lose some people for that choice but it had to be made, I couldn't go around being wishy-washy anymore.

Now I'm going to address a guest's review.

Guest

I don't want to be rude, but Agni is a male god, not a goddess. Just google it... Oh and should La be death or something.
Otherwise good chapter.

First of all you're not being rude, you made a very good point. I did google it and yes, Agni is a male hindi god, he has two heads, is the messenger god as well as god of fire and rides a ram. However, there is no way of knowing if the Agni in Avatar is supposed to be the same as the way he is portrayed in our world. Personally I prefer Agni as female because that is always how I have imagined the god/goddess of fire in the avatar world. That is the only reason. Secondly why would La be the goddess of death? In the avatar world she is the goddess of the moon. If you mean should she be the goddess of death because of what happened with Yue... well I have something very special planned for the last three episodes of season 1 and let's just leave it at that. Anyway thank you for reviewing and I hope you continue to enjoy my story.

Oh yes, one last thing. I have had two people approach me with this and I don't want a similar misunderstanding to occur. the gods and goddesses (Lung, Prithvi, Tui, La and Agni) weren't representing the nation but the elements themselves. The gods and goddesses can make a conscious choice to pay attention to the nation that corresponds to their element but they don't have to. So Lung isn't the god of the air nomads, but the god of air (personally I think that the air nomads don't believe in a god but follow more of a Buddhist belief system which may alienate Lung from them). As for how Lung was acting I have a very good reason and you guys will find that out later. In my opinion wind can be more dangerous then fire. Wind pushes fire into firestorms, it can cause tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunami's and hundreds of other storm systems. Anyway I hope that made my intentions clear and I'm sorry for any misunderstanding I might have caused

Princess Kassie Out.