Chapter 5: Northern Lights

The North Pole was much more than Sen had been expecting. It was certainly less expansive and brimming with life than Zaofu or Republic City, but of all the major cities Sen had ever visited, it seemed to possess the most charm. The city's streets and buildings were architectural wonders, each one beautifully handcrafted by master artisans. The city itself was a work of art, from the simplest homes to the grand palace that presided over the city.

Though the city was a masterwork, the people who lived in it were decidedly less artisanal. The beautiful architecture was a holdover of another age; the modern era belonged to the Shorewatchers.

One could hardly walk down the street without seeing at least one of the violent police men on patrol, holding their spear at the ready. The citizens of the North gave the Shorewatchers a wide berth as they walked. Ariak kept his head low, but a few of his former comrades recognized him all the same, though the most he got were sneers of derision. Ariak was no longer one of them; he did not deserve any acknowledgment.

Ariak ignored the rejection of his former comrades and proceeded onwards through the city. He had planned this walk in his head many times over, but he still hesitated.

"My brother lives in the city, near the Yoguda Hospital," Ariak said, trying to delay slightly. "He will know the lay of the land much better than us. As well, he has contacts within the Hospital. I feel that Sen may benefit from learning healing."

Sen nodded. Waterbending healing seemed like a useful talent to have, and there would be no better place to learn it than the Yoguda Hospital. It was the center of all waterbending healers in the world, built up from the same school that had once taught Katara. People came from all over the world to have illnesses and injuries treated.

"We might as well plan what the rest of us are doing while we're at it," Suda suggested. "I don't want to end up stuck on the sidelines while you and Ada go off training again."

"I will say right now that I am perfectly happy on the sidelines," Whistler declared. "So long as we're staying someplace with comfy beds."

"The North Pole is a big place," Ada said to Suda. "You'll find something to do. Just try not to date anyone who nearly gets us killed this time."

Suda gave a very sarcastic thumbs up and then kept his mouth shut. Ada turned to Ariak.

"Any place you can think of for me, Ariak?"

"I have a feeling you'll be interested in Master Yakkul," Ariak said. Ada nodded. He was one of the worlds four greatest swordsmen, and two of the other three had tried to kill Ada at one point, so her options were limited. He was also the most talented smith of the four, and would easily be able to repair Ada's well-worn swords. He stayed in the North often, despite being a native of the South. He was sympathetic to the Shorewatchers, which made him very unpopular in the more pacifistic South Pole.

"We'll look into him after we meet your brother," Ada said.

Ariak hesitated slightly before leading the group down the icy streets of the North Pole. Sen could easily sense the fear that Ariak felt over this long-overdue reunion. His family situation had gotten very complex in a very short time. Reconciliation with his father might be impossible, but Ariak still had a chance to reconnect with his siblings. Sen wanted to make sure that happened.

"Ariak, I don't mean to pry," Sen said. He kept his voice low, so as not to be overheard. "But when I talked to your father, he mentioned you had a sister. Should we see her too?"

Ariak opened his mouths slightly as if to speak, and then reconsidered. He thought intensely for a moment.

"My sister Tsunatak is…That situation is far more complex than I am prepared to explain," Ariak said. "Perhaps my brother can be more illuminating."

Sen shrugged. He wanted to be involved, but it wouldn't do to push the issue too far too fast. Better to approach these things at a steady pace. Sen patiently followed as Ariak led the way through the winding streets, before he came to a sudden halt at a seemingly innocuous door.

Ariak stared at the door blankly for a moment before stepping forward and knocking lightly on the wooden frame. He did not have to wait long for an answer.

The door opened, and Ariak's brother stepped forward, looking more than slightly surprised to see his younger brother. There was definitely a family resemblance, but Ariak's brother was certainly softer around the edges compared to his hard-lined sibling. Sen found that strange.

"Ariak," He said flatly. "I thought you might show up. I heard you left the Shorewatchers."

"Yes. I have my new, err, friends, to thank for that," Ariak said. He gestured to Sen and company. Whistler waved.

"Everyone, this is my brother-"

"Tlun."

Ariak looked at Tlun for a while and then nodded firmly.

"My brother Tlun," Ariak said affirmatively. Tlun seemed to smile slightly.

"If you're looking for a place to say, I only have one couch to offer," Tlun said. "You're welcome to stay, Ariak, but your friends will have to look elsewhere."

"Well, that is not, umm, completely what we are here about," Ariak said awkwardly. "Can we speak privately for a moment?"

Ariak stepped inside, leaving the rest of them outside in the cold. They tried to relax, but there was little to do while waiting on the curb. They got strange looks from pedestrians as they waited, and it made the entire experience very awkward. It only got worse when the sounds of muffled shouting began to leak out of Tlun's home.

After a few minutes of dull shouting, everything quieted down, and Ariak and Tlun returned from their brief yet intense debate. Tlun's face was red, and barely contained anger was visible on his features, so that answered the question of who had been doing the shouting.

"I'll see you at the Hospital at noon in three days," Tlun said to Sen. "Do not be late."

Tlun adjusted the collar of his coat and then went back inside his home, slamming the door behind him. Sen looked at Ariak.

"Is that it?"

"My brother can be impatient," Ariak said. "Better not to impose on his hospitality."

"Sounds like a real peach," Suda said. "Now what do we do?"

"Well my vote is to go see Master Yakkul," Ada said. "That's just me, though."

"No, no, I think that's the next step," Sen said. "Yakkul will have connections. We need to get ourselves a place to stay and some supplies. He should be the best place to start."

Sen commanded it, and they obeyed, marching away from Tlun's house and towards the outskirts of the city. Master Yakkul had situated his home at the far edge of the city, where there was more room to expand. Unlike many of the world's great masters, he was not a recluse; he took in a great deal of students and was deeply involved in society. Yakkul had built himself a large compound that allowed him to host a great deal of students as well as dignitaries and important guests. The massive structure was surrounded by a large gate that was, apparently, guarded.

A young man sprung to attention as Sen and company approached the gate. He had a sword in his hand, and he wielded it with apparent skill. Ada raised her eyebrow. His stance was excellent, though not perfect. They were clearly in the right place. As the group approached, the guard relaxed visibly. He seemed to be slightly younger than Sen.

"I see you're a practitioner yourself," The guard said to Ada. He glanced at her swords briefly, and then his eyes wandered to things other than her swords. "If you seek training, I can get you started. I happen to be one of Yakkul's star pupils."

Suda leered at the gate guard. Ada was less defensive.

"We have business with your master, actually," Ada said. She drew one of her swords and presented it.

"Ah, one of his works," The guard said, examining the damaged blade carefully. "This one has clearly been through a great ordeal, as have you. Such a fine masterpiece should never be so mistreated."

The guard swung the gate open and bowed theatrically.

"My name is Kunik," He said. "If you ever have need, merely call on me."

"I'll remember that," Ada said. She flashed him a quick smile. She had absolutely no interest in Kunik's obvious flirtations, but it always paid to have friends.

Kunik resumed his guard duty, sparing one last glance at Ada as she walked away, and then locking his eyes on the horizon. Ada led the way into Master Yakkul's expansive home. As artistic as the entire North Pole was, the home of Yakkul was a masterpiece among masterpieces. Sculptures and murals lined the wall, presiding above racks of training equipment and various memorabilia. There was a conspicuously empty spot above the mantle, the seat of honor in Yakkul's display. He had lobbied to be the caretaker of Sokka's sword, but the blade had ultimately gone to Zaofu, leaving a hole in Yakkul's collection. He was still sore about that.

Yakkul himself was found on the third floor. He could have been an impressive warrior; he was tall, muscular, with a thick head of black hair and a short beard. His ability to intimidate was, however, disrupted by the fact that he was planted in front of a Televarrick, watching a mover and eating snacks out of a large bowl. A thick layer of crumbs in his beard said he had been there for some time.

"Master Yakkul," Ariak said. "You have guests."

Yakkul shook the crumbs off and looked over his shoulder. His sharp eyes immediately locked on to Ada's swords. He shook his head.

"And today was supposed to be my day off," He sighed.

Yakkul kicked his feet against something, and a sword appeared seemingly from nowhere. Yakkul quickly snatched the sword off the ground and snapped to attention, brandishing the blade at Ada.

"Where did that sword come from?" She asked incredulously.

"Where don't swords come from?" Yakkul snapped back. He then stuck his hand in between two couch cushions and withdrew another blade. Yakkul was polite enough to allow Ada to draw her own swords before he went to work.

Suda took a slight step backwards as the sudden duel was carried backwards out of the room and into the main chamber of the compound. He watched the two swordsmen clash blades for a while.

"Is he always like that?"

"Not really," Ariak said. "He's actually quite disciplined when he puts his mind to it."

It was his day off, after all. Yakkul might have put the girl through some standard tests or made her do some paperwork on any other day, but this was the day he tried to relax and have fun. The duel, however, was less entertaining than he had anticipated. Ada was more skilled than his usual applicants.

Ada was fully aware from the beginning that this was no typical sparring match. Yakkul was testing her. Rather than attempting to win, Yakkul was following a set list of styles, seeing how Ada responded to them. He went on the offensive and gauged Ada's defense, then he allowed Ada to claim the advantage and saw how she handled her offense. He stepped lightly and moved quickly, evaluating her reflexes and footwork. Once he had run through the full litany of tests, he abruptly tucked both his swords into hiding places and bowed to Ada, ending the duel.

As the sudden clash of blades came to an abrupt halt, Ada found herself slightly confused by Yakkul's behavior. He simply sat down in a nearby chair.

"You're good," He said. "Good stance, nice offense. Defense needs some work. I've got a program for that. You need better swords, too."

Yakkul held out his hand and gestured for Ada to hand her blades over. Yakkul observed the damage blades carefully for a moment. A spark of comprehension filled his eyes.

"Ah, you must be Ada," He said. "I remember making these. What was it, five years ago now?"

Ada nodded. The twin blades had been a gift from Ko Rin, but Yakkul was their original creator. She was surprised that he recognized them after all this time. Yakkul took great pride in his work, and he recognized every blade, as well as its owner.

"You know, I talk with your master a lot," Yakkul said. That seemed to be common. Ko Rin had a startling number of connections. "He mentioned what you were up to. I suppose all of these ones are Team Avatar, then?"

Yakkul gestured to Sen and his gathered friends. Yakkul bowed slightly in Sen's direction before turning his attention back to Ada. He nodded to Ariak as well. The two of them had a passing familiarity thanks to the Shorewatchers.

"You should have mentioned that first. Would've skipped the duel."

Yakkul turned the sword over in his hand and examined the various nicks and scrapes along the run of the blade. He did not approve.

"Normally I'd chastise you for making such a mess of my work," Yakkul said. "But given what they're made of, I'll allow it."

"What are they made of?"

Ada was not aware that the blades were made of any unconventional materials. Yakkul elaborated.

"There's iron at the heart of those blades. There's an alloy layer around them, but the core is just plain iron. Hard to notice unless the outer layer is put under a lot of stress."

The pockmarks on the blade caught Ada's eye. Why would Ko Rin give her a blade with such an obvious defect? Her mind flittered briefly to the platinum-plated stones that Sen had once used. A bendable material hidden inside an unbendable one. Was there a similar intention to the iron in her blade?

"I can repair them for you, if you like," Yakkul suggested, snapping Ada back into her immediate problems. "Or we could get you a new set."

"If you wouldn't mind," Ada said. She was not particularly attached to her swords. Having a new set would certainly be a boon, especially considering her first pair seemed to be intentionally defective.

"I was actually hoping you'd say that," Yakkul said. "These blades have room for improvement. The length is a bit off. Ko Rin was, well…"

Yakkul rolled his eyes over Ada from top to bottom for a moment.

"He was expecting you to get taller."

Whistler started laughing. Everyone else wisely kept their mouths shut. Ada stared blankly forward as Whistler worked the laughter out of her system.

"I'd appreciate that," Ada said. Yakkul nodded and put the swords aside.

"I'll have one of my apprentices do a patch job on those, so you have something to train with in the meantime," Yakkul said. "You will be training here, won't you?"

"As long as you promise not to stab me," Ada said. "That was a problem with my last master."

Ada rolled up her sleeve and showed off the scar that Sorikami had given her. Yakkul was not impressed. It was fairly weak, as far as scars went.

"What kind of lunatic gave you that?"

"Master Sorikami," Ada said, rolling her sleeve down. "Hopefully I'll get to pay her back someday."

Yakkul's face suddenly dropped into an expression of sour displeasure and disbelief. Ariak had a similar look of surprise and sadness. Those who had known Sorikami looked around, somewhat clueless. Whistler had never met Sorikami, and so she was utterly clueless instead of only slightly.

"Ada…you should follow me."

Yakkul led the way into another room. It was less ostentatiously decorated than most of the rest of house. The only ornamentation on the walls was a single sword hung upon the walls, with memorial candles lit around it. Upon closer examination, Ada noticed two things about the sword; first, that it was broken in half, and secondly, that it was Sorikami's. She recognized the same blade that had once been driven into her arm.

"Why do you have this?"

Sorikami was jealous, paranoid, and isolationist. She would not give gifts, even of a broken sword. Something extreme must have happened for this blade to be in Yakkul's possession.

"In memorial," Yakkul said. "Because Sorikami is dead."

Ada took a few steps back. She'd held a grudge against Sorikami, certainly, but she had never wished the old swordswoman dead.

"What? How?"

"The same way as several others across the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation," Ariak elaborated. "They call the suspect the Black Beast. All his victims have the same wounds-"

"A massive slice," Sen interrupted. "Like they were cut by a giant blade."

"Yes," Ariak said. The Shorewatchers had been investigating the Black Beast, but the news was only a few weeks old, and Sen had been out at sea for most of that time. There should have been no way for him to know that. There was a look of fear on the faces of everyone but Ariak and Yakkul.

"General Rahm," Ada said quietly. Master Sorikami's worst fears were finally coming true. The General had returned to the mortal plane, and he had brought death with him. Sen quickly explained the situation with Rahm to Ariak and Yakkul, getting them caught up on the General's acquisition of Spirit Metal armor and his one-man war against the Seventh Kingdom.

"Rahm's alive," Yakkul said in shock. He had never served in the war, but he had been well-acquainted with Rahm all the same. The Black General had been reluctantly accepted as a master swordsman, one of the world's four greatest masters. Or perhaps it was three, now that Sorikami was gone.

"He must have escaped the Spirit World via the Southern Portal," Sen concluded. "While we were drifting at sea, he was going to work."

"That doesn't make any sense, Sorikami was on his side in the war," Suda protested. "Why would he go after her?"

"Because she wasn't there," Sen said. "You remember what he said. As far as Rahm is concerned, the war never ended. Everyone who didn't follow him to fight the Seventh Kingdom was a traitor."

"And now he's pulling his own twisted court martial," Yakkul said. "Punishing all the so-called traitors."

"All the victims so far have been former soldiers," Ariak said. "But he's been selective, skipping some soldiers arbitrarily."

"If I had to guess, I'd say he's only going after soldiers he served with personally," Sen deduced. He looked again at Sorikami's broken sword. "The ones he had direct command over."

"Then we're blessed that Rahm preferred to use small strike teams," Yakkul said. "I'll get in touch with my contacts and make sure authorities across the world are informed. We should be able to keep all of Rahm's known associates safe."

Ariak tapped Sen on the shoulder and called for his attention.

"If what you say about Rahm is true, then you will need all your strength to face him," Ariak said. "We should redouble our training."

"You can use my facilities," Yakkul said. "And you're all welcome to stay here as long as you need. We have plenty of spare rooms and training equipment. It should be more than sufficient."

Sen nodded and thanked Yakkul for his help. After that, he did not waste much time in accompanying Ariak to the courtyard and beginning a swift and brutal lesson in waterbending. His training had acquired a new sense of urgency. Sen had been avoiding facing General Rahm for a long time. Time was running out. One day, sooner or later, they would clash. Sen intended to win.