Author's Note: Hey guys! Wow, I'm SOOOO sorry about how late this is guys! Between my computer going caput on me, getting a new one, having to download word perfect on my new computer (I'm picky when it comes to my word processor), and having to somehow salvage the pages of this story I had saved on the old computer… the fates just seemed against me on this, I'm afraid.

Disclaimer: Avatar belongs to Nickelodeon, all the extra stuff belongs to me.

Chapter 7: The Truth is Told

The girl sat on her knees, her hands folded gently on her lap. She touched the blue arrow on the back of her hand briefly, then looked up into the stormy grey eyes of monk Oylu, staring down at her from his small platform. The three monks surrounding him regarded her with the same amount of scorn. The girl's eyes wandered over to monk Gyatso. He stood a distance away from the council, leaning against one of the many marble pillars that supported the temple. His expression was one that the girl recognized, and this frightened her. It was the same look he had worn when, after countless attempts, he had been unable to revive her mother and father. The girl turned away, unable to bear the pain on the monk's face any longer. She knew Gyatso had tried every way possible to reason with the other monks, but they would not be swayed. The girl frowned and looked up at the monks, her gaze unfaltering. This had been her decision, her doing. And now she would pay the consequences.

"You have lived in this temple for most of your life, have you not?" Monk Oylu's deep voice echoed through the room.

"Yes." The girl responded simply.

"Then you know very well the gravity of what you have done?" He asked, his eyes like poised spears.

The girl flinched. "Yes, monk Oylu."

"And you know what I must do now." He continued.

The young girl swallowed back the lump that had been growing in her throat, and responded. "Yes."

The monk's eyes softened. He really had hoped he would never have to take such extreme action against this girl. Many a time he had caught her practising fighting stances and looked the other way, but this... this was far too much.

"By breaking such an ancient and sacred tradition, I am afraid the council has no choice but to make the punishment severe." He paused for a moment. The three other monks nodded their approval to proceed with the chosen plan of action. Monk Oylu cleared his throat, "You have been henceforth banished from both the Southern and Northern Air Temples. We will give you the rest of the day to gather your belongings, then you will depart by flying bison with one of our riders. He will take you to wherever you wish."

The girl looked up at the monk with wide eyes. Her mouth had suddenly become very dry, and she felt as if she might choke. She attempted to speak, but no words came from her lips. Monk Gyatso as well seemed as if he had been struck on the spot by a bolt of lightning.

"But... but monk Oylu..." The girl whispered hoarsely, finally able to form words again.

"The council has already made its decision. You may leave to gather your belongings."

The girl stood up shakily, her eyes glazed, as if in a trance. Monk Gyatso quickly shuffled beside her, leading her to the door gently, a shaky hand placed on her shoulder.

"Wait." Monk Oylu suddenly called out.

The monk and the girl turned, daring to hope that he had changed his mind.

Monk Oylu paused, regretting what he had to say next. "You may not speak to your brother. He will be kept in his dormitory until you have left. And you may not try to contact him once you have reached your destination. We cannot risk the Av-... Aang's mind to be corrupted."

The girl drew in a quick breath. She could feel tears already welling up in her eyes, blinding her. Monk Gyatso quickly put his arm around her and held her tightly as she sobbed, salty tears drenching his robes. He stroked her hair softly, whispering comforting words into her ear as he lead her out of the temple. The girl stole one last look at the council, sitting straight and firm on their platforms, unaware of just how much damage they had caused.

They had taken away the only home she had ever known, and now they were taking her brother, the only family she had left. They might as well have ripped her heart from her chest.

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Zuko and Almika had gotten an early start that morning and by now had almost reached their camp, where they hoped Iroh would be waiting for them. Their concerns for Iroh's safety instantly vanished as they entered the camp. The old firebender greeted them with an enthusiastic hug, much to Almika's delight and Zuko's annoyance. While Iroh pressed his nephew about what had taken them so long, Almika busied herself with feeding the campfire.

"Uncle, I was able to get some information about the airbenders." Zuko said, lowering his voice.

"Did you?" His uncle responded, slightly distracted with watching Almika, who seemed only half interested in her work, and would sneak a glance at Zuko every now and then.

"Yes uncle, she told me their weakness, I may finally capture the Avatar!" Zuko said excitedly.

Iroh didn't take his eyes off the young waterbender. The look in her eye was one he recognized instantly. "Zuko," he said, turning to his nephew, "you must stop now. You have gone too far. I know you want the Avatar... but you mustn't do it at the cost of others."

Zuko was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"

"This girl has feelings for you my nephew... I can see it." Iroh looked at him sternly. "You must never tamper with the emotions of others. People are not pawns for you to use, Prince Zuko." With that, Iroh left to fetch more firewood for the struggling fire.

Zuko stole a glance at Almika, his uncle's words buzzing like an angry hoard of bees in his mind.

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Aang watched restlessly as Sokka began sharpening his boomerang with a stone. He felt as if he would burst if he was forced to wait another minute.

"Sokka, we should be leaving now! We have to find her as soon as possible!" Aang exclaimed, jumping up from his cross-legged position.

"We can't just burst into a fire nation camp and ask them politely to hand over their captive! We have to be prepared." Sokka said, not taking his eyes off his work.

"Sokka's right, Aang. We have to be ready for anything. It could be a trap for all we know." Katara interjected.

Aang sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, they were right. The only thing he could do was wait.

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Admiral Zhao walked irritably to the door of his cabin. He had been rudely awakened by a heavy pounding on the door. He opened the door slowly, brass hinges creaking, and scowled at the soldier who had interrupted his sleep.

"What do you have to report?" He barked.

"A ship has been spotted, sir. The captain is waiting for your orders." The soldier responded promptly, all too aware of the Admiral's short temper.

"A ship?" Zhao repeated. He had been counting on taking the water tribe by surprise, and while he believed in the power of his navy, he was not thrilled about facing waterbenders on the ocean.

"Tell the captain I'll be up shortly." He said, closing the door. The soldier nodded and ran up to the deck.

After hurriedly donning his uniform, Admiral Zhao made his way up to the deck. He quickly went over to the captain, who nodded respectfully as he approached.

"Isn't it peculiar that they would only send one ship?" Zhao asked skeptically.

"That's what I thought." The captain replied, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "I've put the lookout on the lookout." He snorted, entertained quite immensely by his own joke.

Admiral Zhao groaned and shook his head. This was not what he needed so early in the morning.

"Captain! Captain!" A wiry man called out, pushing past soldiers unlucky enough to be in his path.

"Ah, here he is." The captain said as the man ran up beside him, panting. He turned to the lookout. "What do you have to tell us?"

"The ship's Fire Nation, sir. Couldn't be one of ours though." He gasped, still out of breath.

"Perhaps abandoned?"

"No sir. There's a small crew aboard."

The Admiral took this in slowly, until a smile began to stretch across his face. This was beginning to be a good day after all. Not only would he soon go down in history as the conqueror of the great Northern water tribe, but as an added bonus, he would also take the Fire Lord's traitorous son into custody. This would certainly put him in the Fire Lord's greatest respects.

"Captain, bring us over to that ship!"

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Zuko sat down uncomfortably on a large stone, next to Almika. She looked at him curiously, trying to read his expression.

"I haven't been completely honest with you since I met you." Zuko said slowly. He looked into her wondering eyes, and for a moment, he didn't want to continue. He took a deep breath and looked down, threading his fingers together on his lap "There's something you should know."

Almika cocked her head sideways. "What is it?"

"The reason we were attacked in the city."

The girl shuddered and hugged her knees. "Zuko, please understand. If I'd thought for one moment…"

Zuko grabbed her shoulder, making her face him. "Listen to me, it wasn't your fault. It was mine."

She looked at him, startled by the gravity she sensed in his tone. "How could that be?"

This was the part that would be difficult. "While you were trapped in the ice... a war broke out. A war between the Fire Nation and the rest of the world."

Almika looked at him strangely. His expression was one of utmost seriousness. "There can't be a war... besides, I was only frozen for a few days. The news wouldn't have reached us yet." She said nervously.

"Almika, the nations have been at war for one hundred years."

She looked at him wide eyed. "That's impossible, that would mean... I was in the ice..." She choked.

"About one hundred years, possibly longer." He said slowly.

The girl began to tremble. "I need to go to the air temple, I'm sure they're finding ways to make peace..."

"The air temple is an uninhabited ruin. The air nomads are an extinct people." Upon seeing her stunned expression, he continued softly. "They were wiped out in the first few years of the war by the Fire Lord's armies."

"No, they couldn't... they couldn't have." Her voice quavered, "What about the monks? The children...?" Her eyes welled up with tears.

"They're gone. All of them." He clutched her hand. "I'm sorry I had to tell you, but you had to know some time."

Almika ripped her hand out of Zuko's grip and backed away from the rock, her back finally hitting the trunk of a tree. She stood there for a moment, leaning against the tree for support. Her eyes seemed to have glazed over, her breathing heavy. Zuko quickly walked over, making sure she was all right. This seemed to break the waterbender's trance. She turned on the firebender, anger seeming to emanate from her very soul. "They never hurt anybody!" She yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "They did nothing! The monks, the families! They did nothing! The children, they…" She broke down, sinking to her knees. "The children… my brother…" She put her face in her hands, sobbing.

Zuko found himself almost unable to move. This was the first time he'd actually seen the effects of the war close up. It struck him like an arrow to the chest, that all the history books he'd read, all the tales of "The Great War of the Fire Nation", were nothing greater than the glorification of the destruction of lives. Suddenly, from some source of power he didn't know he possessed, he knelt down beside the girl and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. To his surprise, she flung her arms around him in return, and clutched him tightly.

"He was just a boy…" She choked out, "he was just a little boy."

Zuko shut his eyes and let her cry.

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Okay, there it is! I hope I still have people reading this…