Author's Note: I really have to apologize for the lateness of this chapter! I was planning on using finals and moving as an excuse, but I happen to have had this written about two days ago. Not sure why it was just letting it sit there unposted. Maybe I thought something was wrong with it and was going to fix it? If that's the case--let me know if you see something out of place, so I can correct it, won't you?

Book I: Water—Chapter Two: The Avatar Returns

Sokka

I knew from the moment I saw the flare.

It was that airbender kid's fault—I was sure of it. He dragged Katara into that old Fire Navy ship and signaled the others. Gran Gran and the rest of the tribe agreed with me.

I was glad to see Katara walking over that hill—glad to see that she was okay—but the kid had to go. That was the second time he'd thrown up a sign for the Fire Nation, and for the first time since Mom's death, the firebenders would come to our village.

They would be ruthless—taking what they wanted and destroying what they didn't. Total annihilation is any firebender's goal.

I wasn't going to let that happen.

I knew from the moment I saw the flare that it was my time—time to prove myself as the last Water Tribe Warrior in the South Pole.

Time to keep my promise to Dad—I would protect Katara and our tribe, even if it cost me my life.

Aang

He just wants to protect his home.

That was a good excuse. I mean, I didn't really do anything to hurt them, but I did send out that flare, and get Katara caught in a booby trap. But I rescued her, too! Didn't that count for anything?

I was sad that I probably wouldn't be able to see her again. She'd seemed nice. But it was about time I got home anyway—Gyatso would be really mad when he found out where I'd been.

I'm kinda glad Appa wouldn't fly, because if I wasn't waiting for him to rest up, I wouldn't have seen the Fire Navy ship. Remembering what Katara had told me about the Fire Nation being at war—and not being able to forget all that her brother had said about them being evil—I knew that the village was in trouble!

Well, of course I couldn't let that happen. I mean, they only had Katara's brother there to protect them! And he wasn't even a bender!

I felt kinda bad for running into that Fire Nation guy—he looked a little like a friend of mine, except he had more hair and didn't have a burn mark—but seeing Katara again was worth it. And taking her village out of danger was definitely worth being captured. It wasn't like I was going to be there long, anyway.

Zuko

I had thought we could finally leave this frozen wasteland. I had thought that I would soon be back home, presenting the airbender's staff to my father as proof of who I had returned with.

Of course it would not be so simple.

My earlier expectations had been unfounded. The Avatar was not an old man with at least a century of skill behind him, but a child. I had thought this would work to my advantage.

Again, I thought wrong.

I only knew how wrong when the child drew himself up out of the water in a giant waterspout, casting me and my men overboard as if we were nothing.

I should have expected as much from the Avatar. I did—I had.

I underestimated him once. It will not happen again.

Katara

How did all of this happen?

I'm sitting now on the back of a giant bison—who is flying through the air—in the company of my brother and the Avatar of legend, telling him what he has to do to master the four elements. It's like something out of one of Gran Gran's stories! I'll bet Sokka is so mad—he's always telling me not to pay attention to them anymore; that I've got to grow up.

Well, what do you think now, Sokka? The legends are true! And we're a part of them, now! We'll go to the North Pole. Aang will learn waterbending, and maybe I could, too! Sokka will be happy as long as he has food and can fight the Fire Nation. I'm guessing there will be a lot of both on the road ahead.

I can't help but feel a little sorry for Aang, though. He's just a kid, but he's being shouldered with all of this responsibility. I suppose I wasn't helping much, asking him about the Avatar like I did, when he never wanted to be the legendary master of the four elements.

How would I feel, if someone just came up to me and said, 'It's your job to save the world and keep it in balance'? It would be hard to take, and I'm two years older than he is!

But this is the way things have to be. And if nothing else, Sokka and I can help Aang on his way to mastering the four elements. He won't have to do this alone; that, I promise.