Author's Note: This is the start (sort of) of my first 'finale', but realistically it's just me finalising this part of everyone's adventures. After it's all done, I'm really excited to move onto Book 2: Earth as I have some really cool ideas I want to play around with. This is also my first chapter where I'm showing both Aang's story and K+S+B's so please leave some feedback and tell me if you liked this style or not!
NOTE: To recap with Zuko's story, by the time this chapter takes place I am going to say that Zhao has already tried to assassinate him, Zuko stows on a Fire Nation ship, yada yada yada, so that I don't have to completely just rewrite that storyline in here word for word.
Aang could tell they were getting closer.
Whether it was the gradually colder temperatures of the atmosphere, the occasional patches of drifting ice or the nacreous clouds shining with the evening sun, he could tell he and Appa were edging further towards the North Pole.
They had spent the better part of two days flying, and both airbender and bison were exhausted. Appa had been flying non-stop and despite the decreased weight on his back with only one passenger he was extremely tired. Aang shared a similar sentiment despite his easier run of luck and work required. He had been struggling to maintain rationing his meagre food supplies for he and Appa, as he had ended up overfeeding Appa to compensate for his high work load. Whatever food he had left he also had to share with Momo, who was unfortunately being a picky eater and would turn his snout up at most delicacies placed in front of him.
The loneliness had not done Aang any good either. His pastime of staring up at the clouds had bored him to death and he had begun talking to Momo. Journeys like these, he fully realised his desire for Katara and Sokka to be travelling with him and lately, he had been gripping onto that necklace for his salvation to retrieve the memories of his family and to usher away his sensation of loneliness.
Fortunately, the isolation gave Aang ample time to practice bending. He slowly began to perfect the water whip with sea water he had collected from the cliffside he was at before, and learned that in order to make it more powerful he really had to let his energy flow, something that was fairly familiar to him as an airbender. He also spent his time meditating and trying to learn more about the Spirit World, often spending hours at a time sitting with his legs crossed, trying to escape his physical confines. It did him no good, however. He figured he was still too spiritually inexperienced enough to tap into the strange reality at will, much like his inability to summon or control the Avatar State.
That was a question that he had pondered more than once as well. What was to happen if he were to enter the Avatar State, if Katara was no longer there to calm him down and snap him back to reality? For the past few months, Katara had solidified herself as Aang's anchor to reality, the only one able to tame his spirit when he found the deceased body of his father figure, Monk Gyatso. Now that he was without her, he worried about what would happen if he were to lose control, with no one there to help him contain himself, how much carnage he could bring upon the world. The thought made him shudder. It scared him, as an airbender, to possess such power and to have the ability to cause harm and take lives with such easy. But such was the burden of being the Avatar, he supposed.
The boy and his animal companions drifted further through the morning skies, and Aang noted that the number of icebergs he could see was exponentially increasing. We must be close, he thought to himself. Whether it was out of knowledge and intuition or from hope and vain, he could not tell. But he urged Appa to descend towards the sea level, to investigate the icebergs more closely.
He heard them before he saw them. A rumbling from below Appa awoke Aang from his passive state and pulled the reins to the right just as a large tower of ice shot up from the water below them. Aang was yelling and gripped Appa's reins with such intensity that his knuckles were turning red. Before Aang could react, another blast of ice emerged and entrapped Appa's leg, causing him to lose momentum and crash into the sea.
Aang and Appa tried to react quickly but just as Appa had returned to an upright position within the ocean, the water around them froze solid trapping the bison in the water. Aang swivelled his head left and right in search of his assailants, grabbing his glider in one hand and holding it defensively in front of him.
"Who's out there?" Aang bellowed, his airbending projecting his voice over the vast sea. "I'm just trying to get to the North Pole to find a teacher! I'm the Avatar!"
At that, wooden canoes adorned with intricate moon carvings began to appear from behind various icebergs. Each held about eight people, all wearing blue fur coats and boots and all of them had black hair, much like Katara and Sokka. The realisation hit Aang suddenly.
They must be waterbenders! His mind was racing, excited at the prospect of his journey finally being over. We must have found the Northern Water Tribe! He blasted into the air and landed lightly upon the small ice field.
The tribesmen standing upon the canoes looked at Aang with a mixture of wonder, bewilderment, and disappointment. Yes, he was the Avatar and after 100 years he had finally come to visit the Northern Water Tribe but there were still those among the waterbenders, specifically the older generations of men there, that felt betrayed by the Avatar's disappearance and they wore that disdain on their faces. Out of the group of men, a sole figure stood from the boats onto the icy plain. He was tall, taller than Sokka, with a well-defined physique and most of his shoulder-length jet black hair loosely tied into a ponytail, with a long braid dangling over the left side of his face.
"Greeting, Avatar," the man said, approaching Aang. "I welcome you to our humble domain, on behalf of Chief Arnook." He extended a hand and Aang shook it. "My name is Ren. I apologise sincerely for the ambush but as you know, we are at war. We must take every precaution." He turned around and dissolved the ice around Appa so that he was free to swim, but leaving a large patch of frost where he and Aang stood.
Ren bent himself a wave and rode it over to his old canoe. "Come," he beckoned, "follow us to the Northern Water Tribe. Arnook and Pakku will be pleased with your arrival."
Aang airbent himself back ontop of Appa and followed Ren's canoe, which had just taken off into the chilly waters. The rest of the boats surrounded Aang and Appa, their occupants eyeing the airbender warily. Aang just smiled and waved.
Before long, Aang arrived at an enormously large wall with an emblem of the moon and sea etched into its surface. It connected two large cliffs that stretched abnormally high, with small guard posts placed on each. The wall was also fortified albeit a lot more heavily than the cliffs, with guards upon guards milling around the top. It spanned about 10 metres wide and was compromised of thick, compacted ice, a likely reason as to why the Fire Nation had never been able to properly breach the city.
A hole in the wall was bent open by the canoe riders, allowing the bison access to the Northern Water Tribe. Ren and the men in canoes remained outside the entrance, presumably to return to their posts, and nodded to Aang as they entered the hole. Aang stared up at the ceiling in wonder, as if its icy concavity were the greatest feat of architecture he had ever seen. After making their way through a great canal lock and a large gate that was retracted by waterbending, Aang was able to truly appreciate his surroundings.
Houses, buildings, bridges all spanned the expanse of the canyon-esque hole the Northern Water Tribe sat in, and all of them were made from the same crystal ice. People milled about, children played, traders mounted on top of buffalo yaks marched, and all of them turned their heads to view the Avatar and his procession. Canals spanned the entirety of the city, the flowing rivers intersecting every block of land and all of them leading up to the furthest point of the city, where a terrific monument of ice sat towering above the lowly buildings of the citizens. Aang could not see it in great detail from his distance and due to parts of its majesty being obscured by residential houses but the great totem poles of ice guarding the front stairs to the palace indicated that it held cultural importance to the city.
Katara and Sokka would've loved it here, Aang thought. His mind went back to the Southern Water Tribe and its current decrepit state due to constant Fire Nation raids. The two tribes could not be more disparate physically, and he wondered why the Northerners did nothing to help their sister tribe these past 100 years, a point he would certainly put forward to Chief Arnook if he met him.
As he and Appa were being led through the canals towards the palace, he noticed a strange lady travelling with a waterbending escort on a gondola. What was strange about her was not only the fact that her coat was a light purple in contrast to the hues of blue found on other jackets, but her snow white hair, something Aang had never seen in a Water Tribe citizen before or after his 100 years in the iceberg. She wore an ornate hairpiece to model her white locks and hidden below her collar, Aang could spot a betrothal necklace, much like Katara's. He immediately grasped for it, wanting confirmation that he had still not yet lost it and that it had not suddenly teleported itself around the girl's neck. Sokka would've liked her, she's very pretty.
A few minutes later, Aang's escort stopped at an igloo on the outskirts of the royal palace, to his surprise. He had assumed wrong that he would receive an immediate audience with the Chief, but he was to be rudely denied right off the bat. Instead, he grumpily followed the escort as he brought them to what he assumed was their temporary home, with a large stable outside suitable for Appa.
"Your residence, Avatar." The escort bowed before them, ushering them to the door with his hands. "Please make yourself at home. The Chief has invited you to a special feast in honour of your arrival at sunset. Until then," the escort looked back up with an earnest smile, "is there anything I can do for you?"
Aang contemplated, glad that he would soon see the Chief and hopefully find a waterbending teacher soon, but annoyed that after two days of non-stop travel, he'd have nothing to do.
"Do you have any way of sending letters up here?" he enquired.
"But of course, Avatar! Would you like me to send a message to someone?"
"Yes please! But I, uh, I need to write it first so if you wouldn't mind… uh…" Aang paused, hesitant to be asking for things so soon after arriving. But his escort paid no heed.
"If you need paper and ink, they are located just inside your hut. When you wish to send your letter, find me at the feast tonight and I will mail it immediately!" The escort briskly nodded and headed back to his gondola, leaving Aang to his words.
With brush in hand and parchment on the desk in front of him, Aang contemplated what to write. He had at best about three hours until he had to head to the palace for the welcoming feast, and he decided to use this time to write a note to Katara and Sokka.
His first problem was figuring out where to address it to. He last knew that Bato, Sokka and Katara were heading towards Chameleon Bay to plan the invasion and meet their father, but he was unsure if the letter would reach them by the time they arrived. But he had no other guide to go off of, and just in case, he chose to write a second letter that he would take with him and hand-deliver to the Water Tribe children when he next saw them.
He dabbed his brush onto his ink palette and wrote 'Chameleon Bay' alongside the date so that Katara and Sokka could keep a timeline of his progress.
To Katara and Sokka,
I hope you guys are safe back at Chameleon Bay reading this and that you're reunited with your dad, and that your journey there was alright.
As for my journey, you'd never believe what the North Pole is like! It's this massive city of ice and there's so many waterbenders. I should find a master up here no problem! I also met a firebender the other day named Jeong Jeong, who used to be a member of the Fire Nation army. He went into hiding and he taught me a little bit of firebending before I accidentally burned Appa. Oops? Anyways, I think we should try and find him for the invasion, he's a really strong man and I reckon he'd help us. If you want to find him he's in the Northern Earth Kingdom near a Fire Nation colony.
I still miss you two all the time. I forgot how boring flying alone was until you two left. Now I'm spending days at a time not talking to anyone and it's not exactly the most entertaining thing.
Sorry, I went a bit off track. Just know that I miss you both so much.
From yours truly,
Avatar Aang
(P.S. Thanks again Katara for the necklace, it really helps me a lot and reminds me of you.)
The sun had begun to sink over the jagged cliffs of the city as Aang strided towards the main building of the city, holding his scroll in his hand and his glider in the other. As he walked, he could feel the questioning gazes of almost everyone in the city. They wondered who he was and why he wore blue arrow tattoos across his body and for those who recognised him as the Avatar, they wondered why he only turned up now.
He arrived at the palace and jumped up a great flight of icy stairs, almost slipping after a shoddy landing. There, a procession of watertribesmen awaited outside the main entrance and all turned to face Aang upon his arrival. Within the procession Aang could recognise Ren, standing beside a slightly aging man with braids and a thick beard. He wore a necklace embellished with sharp teeth and a large emblem of the tribe, the moon and ocean, and Aang realised that this must mean he was the chief.
"Welcome, Avatar. My people and I have been awaiting your arrival for the past 100 years," the chief exclaimed. He wore a warm smile and extended his hand for a shake. "I am Chief Arnook. Alongside me here is Ren, who I believe you've already met." Aang looked over at Ren. He stood deadly still and wore a blank expression, nodding briefly upon hearing his name.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Aang," he replied, returning the shake with a toothy grin.
Arnook placed his other arm around Aang's shoulders and gently pushed him inside. "This way, Aang. The feast is about to begin."
Aang was led through to a large open-air banquet hall, with long tables situated around a central area where a large carcass of meat was being cooked. Opposite Aang's table was an elevated platform with an exquisite water fountain behind it, splaying water into the evening air. Appa and Momo were permitted at the feast, and Appa was served an exuberant amount of leaves to eat to the left of the head table. Momo just sat on Aang's shoulder, nibbling off his scraps.
The chief, who had been sitting to his right, stood up to give a direct address to the crowd at the banquet. "Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of someone who many of us believed disappeared from our world until now." He motioned his arms toward Aang, who awkwardly smiled and waved. "The Avatar!" His speech was met with applause and cheers from the guests.
"We also celebrate my daughter's sixteenth birthday," Arnook followed, stepping backwards and displaying his daughter who had just arrived. Aang recognised her immediately from the gondola he had passed by earlier during his entry to the city. The chief then followed, "Princess Yue is now of marrying age."
"Yue smiled and took her turn to address the crowd. "Thank you father. May the great Ocean and Moon Spirits watch over us during these troubled times."
Arnook beamed fondly at his only daughter and continued. "Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform!"
Aang's gaze turned towards the platform, where an old man with long, fraying hair stood with two younger men, one of which Aang recognised immediately as Ren. He stood to the left of the master and the three waterbenders began an intricate dance, weaving a large glob of water between them in an impressive feat of waterbending.
As the feast subsided and the benders finished their dance, Arnook beckoned Aang towards the old master who stood by his lonesome near the fountain. The chief took it upon himself to introduce the two faces.
"Master Pakku, meet your newest student, the Avatar."
Aand bowed respectfully to the old master, who regarded him with an unimpressed gaze. "Just because you're the Avatar, don't expect any special treatment."
Aang glanced back up, unfazed by Pakku's meagre daze. "I can't wait to start training with you, after I relax for a couple of days." He shrugged nonchalantly, a gesture that didn't please his new master.
'If you want to relax, then I suggest visiting a tropical island. If not, I'll see you at sunrise. Goodnight." Master Pakku turned on his heel and began to walk out of the banquet hall. Aang looked back to Arnook, who could do nothing but shrug at Pakku's attitude.
Aang continued to walk around the palace, admiring the careful craftmanship that went into the design of the building before stumbling upon Yue, who was wallowing in her own solitude and staring at the moon upon a balcony. She wore a sad expression, and Aang's curiousity got the best of him.
"What are you doing up here?"
Yue jumped in her skin, never hearing the young Avatar approach. She groaned, annoyed that she had been caught alone but entertained by the childish nature of the airbender.
"I'm sorry, I just needed some time to myself. Today is a hard day for me. I am Princess Yue," she sighed, looking into the storm-grey eyes of Aang.
"I'm Aang," he replied nonchalantly, before cocking his head and noticing the small pools of tears collected in the corner of her eyes. "What's wrong?"
Yue sighed, returning her gaze back up to the moon. "As I'm sure you heard from my father, I'm now of marrying age. I am to marry Hahn, who is a great and brave man." But there was something in her voice, the slight inflection in her voice when she said 'marry', her downcast expression upon acknowledging what should be excellent news.
Aang put two and two together. "You don't love him, do you?" He may only be twelve, but he was no stranger to recognising these emotions.
Her face fell into her hands, and he heard a gentle sob. "You're right, I don't. But I have to do it for the tribe. It's my duty to my people."
Aang walked up to the railing Yue's elbows were leaning on and rested his own arms on there, his chin resting on his forearms. "I know how that must feel. I never really wanted to be the Avatar and now everyone's expecting me to save the world but I'm still just a kid." He took a deep breath. "You're very selfless to take on that responsibility for your tribe. Your dad must be really proud."
Simple words of support from a twelve-year-old, yet to Yue they signified so much more. No-one in her tribe fully understood the position she was in but she was glad that she could find solace in this young Avatar. Glancing over at him, she saw his eyes drift upwards to the moon, his eyes grey as storm clouds. But something blue, contrasting with his red and yellow robes, caught her attention.
"Why are you wearing a betrothal necklace?" she giggled, a small smile creeping on the edges of her mouth. "Aren't you a little young for that and… you know… a boy?"
Aang was startled, much like Yue ever. He sprang upright and his right hand reached for the necklace and gripped it tightly. "What, this? Oh, no it's not mine, it's my friends. It used to be her mothers who got it from her mother – She gave it to me to remember her by while I'm away but I'm planning on giving it back to her – well, not giving-giving it back to her, I'm not proposing or anything – well at least not yet anyways – besides I don't even think she likes me that way and-" He clamped his hand over his mouth. "I really need to stop talking so much. I'm sorry for unloading all of that, I didn't realise I'd had all that trapped up inside me."
Yue laughed, unable to keep a calm demeanour around the clumsy airbender. "Oh Aang," she chortled, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just so…" She paused her laughter to think of what to say. "This girl, does she know you like her?"
Aang's shoulders slumped and he returned to his position on the railing. "I don't know. I've never told her."
Yue pondered. "Well, I think she does and if she doesn't, she's a foolish girl," she smiled, enjoying talking to the Avatar as if he was a baby brother in need of love advice.
His face lit up. "You do?" He coughed and composed himself, and this time he tried to speak with a lot less enthusiasm and delight and tried to sound more laid back. "You do, huh?"
"Sure. A betrothal necklace is a very sacred thing to everyone in the Water Tribes, so your friend must care about you a lot if she gave you hers. What's her name?"
Aang hesitated before continuing. "Katara. From the Southern Water Tribe. I was travelling with her and her brother for two months or so before I came up here, and we had to split apart so that they could find their dad. You would've loved her, Yue," he said dreamily, clearly fantasising about this girl Yue had never met.
"I'm sure I would've, Aang. Maybe after this war is over you can come back here with her and you can introduce me?"
"Of course! Once the war is over I'm gonna visit all over the place so I'll make sure I come by!" He grinned broadly at the princess, his moods clearly brightened. His positivity was intoxicating, Yue felt. Just by looking at his expression of delight she had already lifted her spirits regarding her marriage.
"Well, Avatar Aang, it was a pleasure to meet you for the first time. But I really should get going, my father wanted to talk with me." She bowed before Aang, and trotted back inside the palace. Aang remained outside on the balcony for a few minutes longer, pondering what Yue had said to him.
"Does she really like me too?"
"You're moving the water around, but you're not feeling the push and pull."
Aang closed his lips tightly together as he struggled to keep the water under his control. "I'm trying!" he breathed, through his clenched jaw. He hated all of Pakku's cryptic teachings and sayings like that. He had to deal with them all morning and they were somehow getting to his nerves. He was even worse than Monk Gyatso!
Pakku slurped up his bowl of squid and noodles that he had been slowly stirring and glanced over at the airbender, clearly struggling with waterbending. "Maybe that move is too advanced for you. Why don't you try an easier one?"
Aang threw his water to the ground and grunted in anger. It wasn't normal for Aang to lose his calm demeanour like this, but Pakku was just so infuriating. He wasn't even telling Aang what to do and how to feel the push and pull, he just assumed Aang would have to figure it out for himself.
Pakku sighed and stood up. "You are too out of tune with your own chi. You are used to, as ain airbender, of being free of your own physical and environmental limitations. But you must understand that as air is the element of freedom, water is the element of change. One is not interchangeable with the other. You must let the chi in your body flow freely and adapt to change, rather than evading and escaping. Turn your opponent's attacks against them, let your own body flow. I'm sure by now you would have heard of jing?"
Aang hesitated, then nodded. "I'm familiar. Positive jing is about attacking, negative is about defending or evading, and neutral is all about patience."
Pakku nodded. "Indeed, Avatar. Airbending relates to negative jing in that you only resort to attacks with absolutely necessary, otherwise you will prefer to evade attacks than rebut them. Waterbending is about both positive and negative jing and the fluidity in which you change from one to the other. Turn your offence into your defence, and vice versa."
The cogs were turning, albeit slowly, in Aang's head. "So to waterbend well I have to sort of flow and adapt as I go?"
Pakku nodded. "Precisely." He began to walk off towards the palace entrance. "I suggest we take a break. Return in half an hour."
But Aang didn't listen. He spent his break training, letting the water flow, his body adapting as he manipulated the liquid around his body. Unbeknownst to him, a familiar set of eyes was watching this promising display.
Aang heard the footsteps before he saw Ren. The young man walked towards Aang with an unreadable expression on his face, striding without purpose nor laziness. He approached Aang, eyeing him up and down as he paused his waterbending routine. "Widen your stance and limber your legs," he said in a monotonous voice. "You'll be more free with the water."
Aang did as he said, and let his thighs slacken. He tried the movement again and as he waved his arms around his body he felt his chi move through his body more fluently, reflecting an increased speed in his water movements.
"Uh, thanks, Ren," Aang stammered, unsure what Ren's intent was. He had remained the biggest mystery of the Northern Water Tribe to Aang so far, never letting any emotion escape him whatsoever and always acting in an extremely civil, courteous manner. Aang received a curt nod from Ren as he stood with his hands transfixed, watching the Avatar waterbend.
He gave no negative criticisms of Aang's techniques, only improvements he could Aang. He spoke matter-of-factly, and would give a short nod when Aang performed a move smoothly. And up from the top of the stairs of the palace, Master Pakku gave a rare smile, watching his greatest protégée train his newest pupil.
Ren arrived into the throne room-esque area, where the council made all their decisions and laws, at exactly midnight just like Pakku had asked. He had not been told of the contents of the meeting precisely, but he knew it was of grave importance.
In the throne room stood only two members: Pakku, who was one of Arnook's closest advisors, and Arnook himself, who stood with his arms crossed, muttering something obscure to Pakku. His head tilted towards Ren upon noticing his arrival, and Pakku followed suit.
"Ren. Glad you could make it," Pakku said with a troubled frown.
"I came as soon as I could. What would you like to discuss?"
The two elders glanced at one another before Arnook started. "We have some very bad news for you and the rest of the Water Tribe. A scout from the icecaps has recently informed us that a Fire Nation fleet will arrive at the North Pole by tomorrow. We suspect that they want the Avatar."
Ren was shocked. "I knew it!" He cast an annoyed glare towards the two and continued with an out-of-character tone of anger. "I told you years ago that if the Avatar ever came, we should not welcome him. I said he would only ever bring bad will between us and the Fire Nation, and now look at this!"
Pakku furiously eyed down Ren, causing him to back down from his relentless anger. "Watch your tongue, boy. None of us could have predicted this would happen and you knew that if the Avatar chose to come here to learn waterbending, we would have no choice but to accept him and bring him within our walls."
Arnook took up where Pakku left off, in a more sympathetic tone. "The Avatar is our best chance at ending this war. We could deny him entry if it meant our temporary survival and now that he is here, we believe that we must do everything in our power to protect him. If he dies then the Avatar Cycle will forever be thrown out of balance, as no one will be able to teach the next reincarnate airbending."
Ren grunted but he knew they were both right. "So what? Did you call me down here in the middle of the night just to tell me this?"
Pakku frowned. "Of course not. You're a smart boy, you know better. When the firebenders breach the wall-" Ren was about to protest before Pakku raised a hand, "- and they will break the wall, our ice cannot withstand their fire for that long, I need you to make sure that all citizens are secure in their homes. I would recommend getting another soldier to do this for you, as we have another task for you."
Ren arched an eyebrow. Arnook continued again. "I ask you, Ren. Not as a chief and not as your friend, but as a father… I need you to watch Yue and make sure she is safe." He grimaced. "I know it is selfish for me as Chief to care more about my own daughter than other citizens but I cannot lose her."
Ren nodded in agreement, understanding the significance of Yue's survival. Arnook brought him in for a great hug, wordlessly conveying his gratitude towards his most loyal and subservient warrior.
Ren broke the embrace after a minute. He could see that Pakku looked uncomfortable and that something else was on his mind, but he realised it may be best to discuss whatever it is in private if he was hesitant to bring it up in front of Arnook. Ren cleared his throat. "I think it's best if we all go to sleep now. It seems we will all have a long day tomorrow." Arnook agreed, bidding the two a good night and walking up the steps towards his living quarters.
Once Arnook had disappeared up the stairs, Pakku walked and approached him. He gestured with his eyes that they should discuss this outside rather than indoors, so Ren chose to sit on the top of the great flight of stairs, with Pakku standing behind him.
They remained like that for a minute, neither party wishing to talk. Finally, Ren broke the silence. "What was bothering you in there so much in there, Master?"
"You did a good job of training with the Avatar today. He seems to be learning a lot better from you than he ever was with me."
"Where are you going with this?"
The old man sighed, stroking his thin grey beard. "As I'm sure you're well aware, the Avatar must leave soon." Ren nodded to acknowledge his understanding. "You may also have noticed thst our Avatar is far from a waterbending master." Ren's eyes gradually widened as he put together what Pakku was asking of him. "So, as much as I regret asking, I-"
"No."
Pakku looked slightly taken aback. "No? But you didn't even know what I was going to ask!"
Ren stood up, turning around so that Pakku could meet his glare. "You were going to ask me if I would go with the Avatar to train him, right? Well, my answer is no. My life is here in the Northern Water Tribe and I'm not going to leave for some kid."
Pakku's rage was growing. He spat, "This kid you're discussing, is not only the most powerful person on the planet spare the Fire Lord, but the only hope we have in ending this war. So I suggest you put your personal needs behind you and think about what needs to be done for the greater good."
Ren stood his ground. "When my father left the tribe, I swore an oath of loyalty willingly to Arnook. My duty goes to him first and foremost, and any child Avatars will have to settle for second."
Pakku was overcome with anger by this point. "You selfish boy! I didn't train a baby!" His words cut through Ren's confidence like a hot knife through butter. Pakku took a minute to compose himself, and continued. "I know that your service is devoted to helping Arnook, but are you really helping him by not protecting our one chance of ending this war? I know it's much to ask of you but just like your role in protecting Yue tomorrow, you are the only one capable of this feat."
Ren contemplated this for a moment before coming up with a feeble excuse. "Why don't you go instead?"
Pakku just smiled. "The days for this old bag of bones ended a long time ago. You're twenty. You've got age, strength, everything on your side. And it won't be too long until you've surpassed me in waterbending as well, I believe." His tone got serious again. This is your destiny, Ren. You will play a bigger role in this war than I could have ever thought possible, but the Avatar's arrival has confirmed it."
Ren sighed, understanding properly what was asked from him, yet one thought still lingered in his mind. "What is I… what if I see him again?"
"You will know if the time comes." Pakku was about to leave before whipping back around. "Follow me," he said. "I believe I have information that could be of great use to you." Pakku paused when they reentered the palace, and stared Ren intently in the eyes.
"Have you ever heard of the Order of the White Lotus?"
Ren was sure that by now, he had explored every nook and cranny within the palace. Clearly, he was very wrong.
Pakku led him down into the depths of the palace, before turning a knob hidden behind a bookshelf to reveal a secret room illuminated with candles and adorned with pictures of a flower. A white lotus, to be exact.
"First and foremost: you are not to tell anyone aside from the Avatar what you have seen here tonight. This room is to remain a secret to the world, and so is everything I'm about to tell you." Pakku's words were filled with dread and concern.
Ren was short for words. For what felt like the first time in a while, he was completely lost and had lost all sense of a calm demeanour. "Master… Master, what is this?" he asked in bewilderment, beginning to look around the room properly.
"The Order of the White Lotus is a secret society that transcends the borders of the four nations. We as a society seek the beauty and truth of the world, and choose to share ancient knowledge across political and national divides."
Ren was walking around the room in wonder and disbelief, admiring the maps posted on the walls with circles or dots pinpricked across the parchment, or scrolls tattered at the edges stacked in heaps upon table tops. It certainly seems secret society-like, thought Ren. "So why bring me here to your hideout?"
"At times, our society has been tasked with protecting and training the Avatar. Most recently this happened after the death of Avatar Kuruk, when the world was in disarray and Kyoshi was in potential harm. We believe that Aang is in a similar scenario, so we have decided to begin to secretly intervene with the path of fate.
"I am one of the highest ranking members within the Order. Within my rank are masters of the highest calibre of all kinds of combat: waterbending, earthbending, firebending, even those without bending. They have all sent word to me warning of a growing prescence of the Fire Nation within the Earth Kingdom, leading me to believe that they will aim to finish this war quickly."
Pakku stopped again, unsure whether to continue with this next part. Ren was listening intently, understanding the situation his master was in. While still surprised about his master's involvement in a secret society, he appreciated that he was concerned with the safety of the world.
And so he continued, careful not to mince his words. "As you are his waterbending teacher now, Aang must quickly find an earthbending and firebending teacher to train him in time for the end of the war. My brothers in arms will be willing to teach the Avatar alongside you."
Pakku walked over to an ancient wooden closet, and grabbed a large scroll resting against its frame. He unfurled it upon the table to reveal three circled spots, among many smaller crosses. "Here on this map, I have scribed the location of some of the Order's safehouses across the planet but also the three people who I suggest approaching about tutelage. When you leave with Aang, you are to take this map with you as well as," Pakku reached over to a small drawer and removed a Pai Sho tile, "this. This tile will grant you access to our safehouses."
He pointed to the first circled area, in the south-western Earth Kingdom. "There lies the city of Omashu. King Bumi is an earthbender who was once a friend of Aang." He moved his finger further north to a small colony, where a circle with a cross was placed. "Here lies a firebender named Jeong Jeong but he is no longer willing."
Finally, Pakku moved his finger to the final circle, placed outside the map with question mark sitting next to the marking. "We don't know where this member is exactly at the moment, but he is my final suggestion."
Pakku paused for a third time and closed his eyes, his breathing slowing. Ren was growing ever curious and prised further. "Who is it, Master? Who's the third circle?"
Pakku slowly reopened his eyes, gazing thoughtfully at the map.
"Iroh," he said adamantly. "General Iroh, of the Fire Nation. He will teach the Avatar firebending."
Despite his initial predisposition, Pakku had to admit that the boy had serious skill. Only once did he see natural ability even remotely close to that of the Avatar, and that was of the young man he had trained from the age of five.
Aang had already mastered several of the forms he and Ren had set for him, yet despite the continuous flow of new challenges and objectives, the Avatar still found the time to goof off and become distracted. So Pakku had him spar against his older, more disciplined students in order to test his abilities and even though he still retained his tendencies to evade, he managed to best them all without raising a sweat.
Pakku sighed. He held such potential yet couldn't comprehend the vast capabilities of his powers as Avatar. His childish tendencies still interfered with his duty as the Avatar, a trait that would surely be kicked out of him when his training really amped up. Pakku could understand now why Avatars were normally announced at 16 rather than at Aang's premature age. They still needed time to enjoy their youth and grow as a person, yet the responsibilities were choking Aang's free-natured spirit.
His eyes drifted to Ren, who was silently surveying Aang's progress in training. He knew Ren bore a heavy burden upon him, now having to travel with the Avatar and conceal the secret that was the Order. Ren was a capable man, and Pakku had already discusses with Arnook of his arrangement to leave with the Avatar, but a nagging in the back of his mind felt that Ren was still not yet ready to see the world, still not yet ready to risk facing his past. But Pakku held his esteemed student in high regard and if anyone could teach the Avatar waterbending, it would be him.
But something snapped Pakku out of his thoughts. Ren noticed it as well, from his standing position at Pakku's side. And Aang noticed it also, after a brief session of playing in the snow with his little flying lemur.
He didn't want to believe it. But he knew it would have happened sooner or later.
Grey snow was falling. Soot.
The Fire Nation had arrived.
It had been over a week since the unfurling of tensions between Bato and Hakoda's children, and things had been flowing smooth as ever. They had made decent progress through the Earth Kingdom (but not quite on the same level as Appa would've, Sokka had told him when planning their route) and were greeted with welcoming attitudes from all Earth Kingdom villages they had visited thus far. As he liked to say, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend,' and this statement had never been more true until now.
They had collected tokens of appreciation throughout their travels, like clothes dyed in green and brown hues to blend in with the locals and various morsels of food, as well as gold and silver pieces to pay whatever Fire Nation patrols wandered by that claimed they were 'collecting tax.' They were just about sick of these scombags invading the Earth Kingdom that Katara couldn't help but wish that the invasion day was closer just so she could get some payback.
Sokka had greatly appreciated Bato's involvement in the group. He had grown up for the past sixteen years without a father figure of any form to look up to, so he was eager to learn what it was to be a man from the Southern Water Tribe. Bato taught him how to read and write maps, how to improve his boomerang technique, how to hunt more efficiently and most importantly, how to talk to girls. Sokka considered this last bit vitally important should he ever miraculously stumble upon Suki again. He didn't want to be the same clumsy fool he was back on Kyoshi Island, where he had insulted her and her culture. He still kept the headpiece he wore as a Kyoshi Warrior, the rest of the uniform had been sold for money not too long ago in a desperate trade. It was a nice memento of the girl he had left behind in the war.
Katara also enjoyed Bato's prescence more and more, but could never quite shake the feeling that he had replaced Aang. It was annoying, she knew, and such feelings of dislike would surely come back to bite her but she couldn't help it. She still missed the airbender but her emotions had tamed quite a bit since their initial split.
Their ostrich horses had also received a light upgrade. They had received proper saddles with reins and storage compartments, features that were a great improvement upon Katara's makeshift plant-based solution.
Over the last two days, Bato had been telling extravagant tales of his maraudings through the Earth Kingdom, and his life as a warrior in the war. Initially, Hakoda had been hesitant to leave the South but after Kya was killed by Fire Nation troops, he felt compelled to seek out revenge for his late wife. He and the other men in the tribe left to the southern and western parts of the Earth Kingdom, where they acted as a paramilitary group and taking it upon themselves to engage in guerrilla warfare against the invaders.
Bato told them of how they would sometimes leave large bombs in river mouths that would detonate upon the touch of a warship, or how they would sneak up on squads of men and ambush them stealthily, using their previous hunting expertise to their advantage. But they always sat on a back foot for two major reasons. One, the Fire Nation was always prepared. Whether it be the higher standard of equipment they carried or the seemingly endless droves of troops that came onto Earth Kingdom soil, the watertribesmen were almost always underprepared. Second, their group had a notable lack of waterbenders. All the waterbenders in the South spare Katara had been taken by the time of Kya's death, meaning that the warriors were outmatched individually by a firebender. With a solemn voice, Bato told them of the men who had passed away during their conflict including his younger brother.
Bato was in the middle of telling them of his penultimate fight with a firebender that led to his hospitalisation within the abbey when the trio spotted a small Earth Kingdom village up ahead. The sun was beginning to set, and they unanimously agreed without saying anything that resting there for the night was the best course of action.
The town was relatively small, much like the settlement they visited that was being plagued by the spirit, Hei Bai. The town was centred around a large cultural building serving as a hall and meeting place for its inhabitants and had a few wide streets leading down towards with houses and stalls lining the sides. It would have been a quaint town, perhaps a peaceful place to settle down.
The trio wandered down the main street and looked around at the various stalls. There were people selling many things: hats, quill and ink, cabbages, even 'spiritual' totems that were meant to ward off evil. They weren't quite alone in the street however, as a pair of firebenders began to saunter down the main street towards the booths. They stopped in front of a merchant selling exquisite jewellery, and from Katara's distance she could vaguely listen in onto their conversation.
"It's time to pay up, Pa Ming," the first of the two demanded, sneering. He wore Fire Nation armour with a golden headband, making it clear to all who liad eyes of him that he bore more positional power than the regular Fire Nation troop accompanying him wearing the typical skull-like helmet. "It's time to pay up. Your protection tax is due."
The man named Pa Ming raised his hands in protest. "Please, business has been slow lately! I don't have any money to give you, just let me-" He never got to finish.
The helmeted firebender snatched all of the jewellery left lying on the red velvet cushion displays and threw it all into a linen sack, while the unmasked one's hand lit up with a small flame. "Such a shame about your store. Without that money, we weren't able to protect it." He sniggered, and threw his fire onto the wooden beams supporting the blanket acting as a roof, setting the place alight instantly. Pa Ming quickly scampered out the back of the hut, whimpering, as the Fire Nation bullies laughed and began to walk back out of the village.
Katara watched this all with shock and regret. How could they be so mean to a poor villager? But more importantly, why didn't she do anything to help? She knew that if Aang had have been there that stall surely wouldn't be alight any longer.
Unbeknownst to Katara, Bato and Sokka, the nearby hat salesman had witnessed the affair as well. He gave a loud cough and once the trio had noticed him, he beckoned them quietly to come over.
"You guys aren't from around here, are you?"
They all were taken aback at how quickly their disguises had been found out, but Sokka carried on. "Of course we are! We're Earth Kingdom, born and bred! Boy I just love the earth and its dirtiness and hardness and-" Katara put up a hand to hush him.
"You're right, we're not. We're from the Southern Water Tribe." She beckoned towards Sokka who had his mouth agape from Katara slipping their secret and Bato, who was looking over his shoulders to see if any unwanted ears were listening in. She continued. "This is my brother, Sokka, and our friend, Bato."
The face of the salesman lit up. "Aha! People from the Water Tribe! How wonderful!" His face suddenly distorted to a negative look, eyes glancing furtively around the empty street. "Y'know, the other day, we saw someone from your tribe around these parts."
It took a second to register, but the three travellers all gaped. Bato was the first to react. "But who? All the men would have been travelling with Hakoda and as far as I know, everyone else would still be at the Southern Water Tribe. Unless…" He moved from his position as lookout and pushed past Sokka and Katara's shoulders. "Were they a waterbender, per chance?"
The salesman opened his mouth, then quickly shut it, contemplating whether or not to expose his secrets. After much deliberation, he replied. "Y'know, this probably isn't the sort of thing I should go around telling strangers, but yeah I think they were a waterbender. I saw them making a big pot of stew just down the road that-a-ways and they were stirring it without a spoon and if that doesn't mean they're a waterbender, then I'll be!" He laughed a tad at the end, before his eyes darted back towards the town entrance. "But y'know those firebenders that were just here? They took her hostage a few days ago and I reckon they're taking her back to jail. She was an escaped convict, y'see," he explained. "But that's all I got for ya. I hope you lot have a great night!"
The trio paused, absorbing all this new info. Not only was there a chance to rescue one of their tribal sisters, but Katara had an opportunity to learn from an actual waterbender now, not to mention the potentially invaluable information that prisoner had.
"I know that we should be laying low until we find Dad, but… I say we break that lady out. Who's in?" Sokka asked, breaking the tense silence between the three. Katara and Bato looked at one another, then back at Sokka.
In unison they replied, "We're in."
Story Notes: Yes, just to clear up any form of confusion regarding continuity with the story, I decided to slightly fast forward the timing of Zhao's invasion upon the Northern Water Tribe.
Also, tell me what you think of Ren and if there's anything you think I could change about him! More about him will be revealed later in the story.
And on a final note, there will be something in this story that is very different to what we are told in the original story. I won't spoil it because I think it's a really great idea, but at some point in the future get ready to expect the unexpected!
Also, to reply to Ashley Barbosa (Guest), I've rated it M because I'm still not 100% certain what path this is going to take so I'm rating it that in case of any future violence, yeah. Rating will likely decrease but I just want to stay on the safe side for now.