I've started this story after revistiting a concept I've sketched out years ago but never wrote after all, since I had other things to write at the time. When I picked this up again, I thought to give it a try and write it up, especially after seeing the comics and the Korra series, which finally gave me the needed ideas.
If you see the format you can by now see by my other works, that I've specialised in letting the canon story go in interesting directions by changing on factor, which ripples through the story. I found this gave me more freedom in my writing than other ways of doing so.
After positive feedback, I decided to go on with the story. I do rely on reviews to improve the story. So if you read it, please tell me your opinion.
Chapter-specific notes are always at the end of the chapter to prevent spoilers.
This one took me a long time due to a heavy writer's block and some changes in my work life. I'm glad it's finally done.
"Sozin's Comet will return by the end of the summer, and Fire Lord Ozai will use its power to finish the War, once and for all. If he succeeds, even the Avatar won't be able to restore balance to the world. Aang. You must defeat the Fire Lord, before the comet arrives."
-Roku
Chapter 7: The Fate of the World
Aang at first was frozen in fear. Leaving your body already was enough to make you freak. However, then being confronted with a big spectral dragon nearly made him run. Nearly, because the dragon, while impressive, was passive and just watched him in interest. Not that it helped lessen the fear he felt.
"Uh...eh... hello Mr. Dragon..." Aang stammered, unable to get out anything more.
The dragon seemed to understand Aangs fear and inched closer, until one of his whiskers gently touched Aang's forehead. Before his mind's eye, Aang saw someone riding this very dragon. Someone, whom Aang recognised despite never having met the man in life. It was Avatar Roku, the Avatar before him. The picture also helped rousing something in his memories.
Aang looked at the dragon in surprise. "You are Avatar Roku's dragon, Fang!... Although I have no idea how I know your name."
Fang was clearly capable of understanding human speech, as he nodded and Aang could have sworn to see a hint of a smile on the reptilian features. Fang then lowered one of his wings and looked first at Aang, then to the empty space on his back, sending the message what he wanted Aang to do.
"You want to show me something?" Aang asked, and Fang nodded again. "Uhm, OK. As long as it doesn't take too long. I have to rescue some of my friends, you know."
Fang gave him a look of understanding; a promise that it wouldn't take too long. Aang no longer felt afraid when he climbed onto Fang's back, nor when the big reptile lifted off. He felt that Roku's companion would protect him at any cost, which probably was something he knew from Roku. He hadn't even noticed in his excitement that Iroh had watched everything in amazement.
Aang was impressed at the speeds Fang was flying at, although not being concerned about air resistance certainly helped. The ocean below was zipping by in almost a blur. He's always wanted to ride a dragon ever since that time he and his friend Kuzon had met that green lady-dragon. Aang was so excited at this unusual ride that he completely forgot about what had happened before for now. The ride was even more exciting than riding Appa, although he would never tell this his friend. The big sky bison did have his pride after all.
Aang had no idea how much time had passed when an island appeared at the horizon.
Aang could see from afar that there was an active volcano on the island, thanks to the smoke plume. The island itself was shaped like a crescent moon. He saw a big stone bridge leading over the lava flows to a huge temple at flank of the highest peak. Aang gulped when seeing it was built in Fire Nation architecture, meaning that this place was located in the Fire Nation.
"Woah, stop!" Aang screamed when Fang flew directly towards the outer wall of the temple.
However, he then felt stupid when they simply flew through the wall. For a moment he had forgotten that they weren't physically present, so they could simply go through the wall as if it was not there at all. They then flew down a huge hallway to an equally huge gate. Thankfully for Aang's nerves, this one was open and they flew right into the central room of the temple.
"Roku..." Aang said, when seeing the huge statue of Avatar Roku in the center of the equally huge room. Dismounting from Fang, Aang looked around. "I don't understand. Why do I need to go here?"
Fang's whisker again touched his forehead and Aang first saw a huge fireball crossing the sky. He then saw the sun only having the least time in the sky, while the moon got the most. Finally, he saw himself standing in front of the statue, the light of the sun hitting its face, while the real Roku appeared. The vision then was over and Aang blinked, trying to make sense of what he had seen, which wasn't easy.
"A huge fireball in the sky... can't imagine what this could be. Shortest day and longest night... you mean the winter solstice?" He did remember this from when they were taught in the temple school. The solstices were very important dates after all.
Fang looked pleased, then pointed at something on the wall. It was a ornamental calendar. The dragon first pointed at one date, then at another, which was marked with a sun symbol. Aang needed a few moments before he understood and gulped hard. "The solstice is in two days?! How am I supposed to make it? This is in the Fire Nation!"
Fang calmly looked to the statue of Roku, then to Aang. Aang now knew what this was about. "You mean it's the only way I can talk to Roku? Oh, that's great, that's really great! Why can't anything be easy?"
Fang clearly understood his fear and frustration and gave him an encouraging look. Aang sighed. "I guess I have little choice if I want to talk to Roku and finally understand..."
Fang then lowered his wing, telling Aang that he would now return him to his body. Aang climbed up and they quickly left the temple. However, Aang paid it little mind, his thoughts returning to the huge fireball he had seen.
I don't know why, but this huge fireball scared me to no end...
...at the same time on the prison rig...
It had looked like a good plan, Katara thought, before again yelping in pain while the flogging continued and she tried hard not to cry in pain.
She had felt incredibly guilty that thanks to her, Haru had gotten arrested after helping to free the old man who had been trapped by an avalanche and was in danger of getting crushed. Therefore in her idealism, she had cooked up a plan to get onto the prison rig herself and make the inmates rebel and flee. After winning Toph over - which had been easy since the girl was itching for some action after being cooped up on Appa for too long for her tastes - the plan was hatched. Toph would make it look like they both were earthbenders and as soon as the guards would try to arrest them, Toph would trap them and then use force to get out where the rig was.
A seemingly good plan, which had went wrong right away.
How should she have known that there would be a giant of a guard, who quickly grabbed both of Toph's hands and lifted her off the ground, thus making her helpless? Toph was kept off the ground until both of them had been thrown onto a metal ship to get ferried to the prison rig. Any hopes were dashed when Toph said that while she could see through the metal fine enough with her seismic sense, there was no way she could bend it, as it was too different from earth and rock.
She had been horrified to see the actual conditions on the rig. The prisoners looked seriously underfed and all carried a look of defeat, their spirits broken by the cruel treatment and lack of any hope. The sadistic Warden having a sick prisoner murdered by chaining a metal weight to her feet and then having her thrown into the sea had been the horrible highlight of her introduction to the rig. Even Toph had become sick and thrown up after what they had just witnessed.
Haru's father Tyro had then told them, why no one reacted anymore. Captured on this rig with no earth anywhere near to bend, forced into hard labor and being completely at the mercy of the sadistic Warden and his guards, everyone had pretty much given up. Haru had asked his father if there was nothing which could help. Tyro replied that the only thing that could give people hope was a way out of this hell.
It was then when her idealism had struck again and she had decided to give everyone a motivational speech. It had not achived a lot but made the Warden single her out and have her shackled to a horizontal steel beam, leaving her hanging with her feet a few centimeters off the floor. The Warden had called out that they would make an example of her, before the flogging had started. She had never before felt so much pain. The back of her shirt and her chest wrappings were in tatters and she was sure that her back was a bloody mess by now.
At that moment, the flogging stopped.
"You think that's enough?" the flogging guard then asked the Warden, seeing how Katara's back was now criss-crossed with shallow wounds and quite bloody, although it was nothing life-threatening.
"Perhaps we should do the front as well, to drive home the message," the Warden said, while inspecting the shivering Katara.
"Bastard!" "AAAUUUUGH!" the Warden cried out when Toph, after being forced to witness everything, jumped out of the crowd and bit the warden hard into his arm. The warden quickly hit her with a fist, making her let go, before two guards seized Toph.
"You will be next for this, you little brat! Get her out of my sight!" the Warden called, while holding his injured arm, the teeth marks all too clear. The guards obeyed by simply dumping Toph down one of the chutes to the coal storage.
"Good, let her stew down there. Anyone else who wants to make trouble?" the Warden challenged the prisoners.
Haru was barely held back by his father. "Let me go. This fat bastard is gonna get it now!"
"Son, stop. You won't help your friends by doing this," Tyro warned him.
"How can you say this! Look what they have done to her!" Haru snapped, looking angrier with each moment.
Tyro sighed. "Don't you think that deep inside I want to tear apart these bastards? Yet, I have to think about the others as well. If you attack the Warden now, you just will be punished as well and not be there to treat your friend's wounds."
Haru trembled in helpless anger. "Damn it... damn them all!"
"Warden!" a guard called, "There is a ship approaching the rig! Fire Nation!"
The Warden raised an eyebrow. "There aren't any ships expected. Send some guards down to the dock to inspect the ship. No need to..."
-Brrrommmmomomlllmooommmmm-
Everyone froze when the whole rig started to shake like in an earthquake. -BRRROOOM-In a big explosion of blackness, a sheer neverending stream of coal shot out of the very chute where the guards had dropped Toph into. A huge pile of coal rained down onto the surface of the rig, forcing everyone to take some step back to protect themselves from the falling coal. When the dust cloud finally cleared, everyone was greeted by an imposing sight.
Standing on a tower of compressed coal was Toph, looking very pissed and sporting numerous bleeding scratches from tumbling down the chute and her hard landing in the coal pile. "All right, you made me really angry and gave me what I need! Now it's my turn!"
Coal clustered together, compressed into cannonballs, which Toph then blasted at the guards, her anger fueling her earthbending and making her unthinking of what so much force would cause. The sheer impact was enough to shatter bones and turn internal organs to mush. Those guards which were not smashed against the metal walls were thrown overboard, drowning due to being unable to swim after getting so utterly broken.
"She's just one girl! Set the damn coal tower on fire and- OW!" The Warden was stopped when getting hit in the head by a coal projectile.
"No, she's not alone!" Haru shouted, before turning the coal around him into a shower of dangerous projectiles.
"She's never alone!" Tyro barked, before crushing a guard with a compressed block of coal.
This finally broke the spell on the other prisoners. The years of desperation and hopelessness turned into an explosion of hatred. Being given the means to finally fight against their tormentors awakened burning bloodlust. Screaming like mad, they seized any coal they could get to get their final revenge. Of course the firebenders fought back, hot lances of fire smashing into the rioting prisoners, killing a number of them on the spot, but there simply were too few guards for a victory.
This doesn't look good at all! the Warden cursed, fear growing within him when seeing his men getting cut down.
He tried to flee to a lifeboat to escape, but got confronted by Tyro before he could go far. "Going somewhere?" Tyro snarled, before his fist smashed into the Warden's face. "Now, Warden, let me show you my opinion on how you run things."
Upstairs, things were winding down.
All of the soldiers were dead and the earthbenders, coming down from their high, collapsed, shivering, vomiting or starting to cry. Now that it was finally over, the years of mistreatment and the horror of how easily they had given in to complete bloodlust caught up with them. They only now realized how much they had lost.
Toph felt the anger slowly leave her system. Now that she did survey her surroundings, she 'saw' the dead bodies littering the deck. She had never before been confronted with the dead. She knew what living people felt like. Something was always in motion in them. These people were not moving, nor did anything inside them. They were unnaturally still. Even worse, she could feel how some of the bodies were mangled and all of a sudden she started shivering. Many people forgot that despite Toph being so tough, independent, brash and confident, she still was a twelve-year-old girl. As much as she wanted to deny it, she was a lot like other girls her age. Confronted with death by her own earthbending, she felt cold.
She now knew, these feet had killed.
Haru was desperately trying to get off Katara's shackles. The girl was in bad condition. Her back was a bloody mess, while her front was splattered with vomit from throwing up when seeing the carnage. Considering how the girl was shivering, she clearly had been horrified by the carnage she'd been forced to witness. She was sobbing and crying, trying understand that reality had just clashed horribly with her idealism.
"No, stay awake, Katara! I almost got you out of these!" Haru panicked, fearing the worst when seeing Katara's eyes roll up.
"Katara! Katara!" Katara thought she was hearing the voice of her brother, then merciful darkness claimed her.
o
"All men, out! Get the ship's doctor! Girls, help me with her!" Ursa commanded, while putting a blanket on the long table in the middle of her quarters. The heavy steel door then banged shut and they were alone. "Strip her naked, then put her belly down onto the table."
Mai and Suki did as told, while Ursa glanced to her bed where Toph, wrapped into several blankets, had fallen asleep in mental exhaustion. It was a grim reminder of the situation they had encountered when storming the rig - though not herself as she was no warrior, she had only seen the aftermath. The smell of death had been everywhere and everyone wanted to leave as fast as possible - of course after convincing the earthbenders that they weren't the enemy, which took quite some persuasion.
Right now they did have a boatload of traumatized earthbenders, Toph being shell-shocked and Katara having been tortured.
Ursa then turned to the task at hand when seeing that Suki and Mai had now laid down the now naked girl onto the table. In this state, her injuries were even more glaring. If nothing was done, it would leave a horrible mess of scars. The ship's doctor was still busy with treating the worst injuries the earthbenders had suffered, meaning it was up to her to help Katara until the doctor would come.
"Mai, get a sponge and some water. I need you to carefully clean her wounds," she commanded, before looking to Suki. "You stay with her. Should she wake up, tell her to stay still."
Ursa then turned her attention to the various sealed pots. Six years had helped her a lot to gain a much greater understanding of herbs than she'd had in her youth. Using herbs and other ingredients to create effective remedies and medicine which would not harm the patient was a very difficult science in itself. She did feel a little pride over the fact that she had become quite good at this. The crew did show her great respect for her skills, while the ship's doctor was very grateful that she was making medicine for the more common afflictions one could contact at sea.
Finally having located the correct pot, Ursa saw Mai return and start to clean Katara's wounds. It didn't look as bad without the excess blood, although it now showed what her back would look like without immediate attention: a mess of criss-crossing scars. While Mai was trying hard not to show how much the sight disturbed her, she didn't succeed. She'd seen numerous injuries over the years, but never such a recent one on a girl of her own age. It did hit closer to home than she wanted to admit.
"There, all done," Mai announced, trying not to look at the water in the bowl, which now was very red, as was the sponge. She felt unwell.
"She's still out like a light," Suki said, while gently caressing Katara's face. "I think seeing that carnage had been too much for her."
"Maybe it's better that way." Ursa then gathered white ointment from the pot. "This will mostly prevent scarring. -sigh- Sadly, the poor girl will keep a few of the worst scars. A sad reminder of this day. Help me to smear it all over her back. It will also soothe the pain should she wake up."
Both girls gathered ointment in their hands, then wrinkled their noses. "Yuuucck, this stuff smells like Sokka's worn socks!" Suki complained, making the other two females wonder how she knew what Sokka's socks smelled like.
Mai cursed that she had both hands full of ointment and couldn't hold her nose shut. "Does it have to smell this horrible? It smells worse than Zuko when he's missed a bath."
"Sorry, but the plants I made it from have a very strong smell that I can't remove." Ursa then walked up to Katara. "Now come, we shouldn't waste anymore time."
Katara groaned, a sign that she was starting waking up. Ursa hoped the girl would not move too much while they were working on her.
o
Sokka was trying very hard not to freak.
He had every reason to do so after what had happened today. First of course was finding out that his sister and Toph had decided to play the hero and as a result got arrested and sent to the prison rig. Then Aang did some weird Avatar thing and went totally still while his tattoos were glowing. Almost half an hour of unbearable waiting followed until they had finally reached the rig, only to be greeted with the sight of a nasty carnage. Toph looked like she had went in serious shock and Katara had been cruelly punished by the guards.
It now was almost an hour since he'd seen his sister being carried away for treatment.
Now they had a boatload of traumatised earthbenders who would depart as soon as they had hit the shore. Many of the men and women looked completely worn out, making no secret of the physical and emotional hell they had went through. These people would need lots of help to recover. Sokka still remembered when Haru's father had returned, his hands covered with blood and stating that the Warden had decided to depart. His voice was quaking, making clear he knew what he had done and needed time to come to terms that he had killed someone without regret.
Their own group was not faring much better. Aang was still doing whatever glowing Avatar-thing he was doing, causing some of the earthbenders to watch him in fascination. They could do nothing until he'd wake up. Toph had curled up and was shivering when they'd found her on the rig. Now she was in the care of Lady Ursa and was probably given something to sleep. It was disheartening how the tough girl had collapsed like that, a reminder that she still was a twelve-year-old. And then there was his sister. It took every bit of control to not lose it once he'd seen what had been done to her. She still was being treated and he couldn't help but to worry about her.
He looked over the deck, his eyes finally resting on Zuko and Iroh talking to Tyro, the spokesman of the earthbenders. Haru's father still looked jumpy around firebenders, no wonder after what he had went through, but seemed the most reasonable of them - or maybe the least damaged.
"It's not your fault, you know." Looking up, he saw Haru standing beside him. "I was there when it happened. I felt so angry and yet helpless. I was forced to listen to her cries..."
Sokka indicated to Haru to sit down. "You're an only child, right? Then you don't know how it feels to worry for your sister. If Suki hadn't held me back, I think I would have slammed my sword into corspses."
Sokka then sighed. Suki's presence would have helped him, but she was busy helping with treating Katara. For knowing her only for such a relatively short time, he sure had grown attached to her. Unlike his sister, she understood him so well and he really enjoyed spending time with her.
"Perhaps not. However, I do understand how you feel about being unable to help in any way about it. You want to do something, regardless what, to make yourself useful," Haru said, giving Sokka a knowing look.
Sokka sighed, not feeling like his usual self. He then looked to Aang. The young Avatar still hadn't moved. Any other time he would have found it amusing to see Momo sitting on Aang's bald head, trying to imitate him, but not now. "I wonder what's going on with him?"
Haru shrugged. "How should I know? This goes over my head."
Right then, Aang finally opened his eyes, the glow vanishing, and Momo jumped off his head. Looking around, he wasn't surprised by seeing the earthbenders - after all, he did see them before getting back into his body. Not that he minded, since it meant he was spared the bloody stuff. "Seems I missed everything while I was away."
"Aang..." Sokka knew Aang needed to know, especially considering how he seemed to spend most of his time with Katara.
Aang didn't allow him to continue. "Sokka, there's something really important I have to tell all of you. Where are the girls? We don't have much time."
"Aang!" Sokka finally stopped him. "There's something you need to know..."
Mere five minutes later, the door to Ursa's quarters banged open with a gust of wind. "Where is she? I need to see her!"
"Haven't you heard about knocking first?" Mai asked him, sounding more annoyed than usual.
Only now did Aang look around and saw Toph, wrapped up in several blankets, sleeping on Ursa's bed. Toph looked very pale and her sleep seemed uneasy. Aang then saw Katara. She was sitting up on the table in the middle of the room, grimacing while the doctor was securing the last bandages in which her whole upper body was wrapped up in. Thankfully she was wearing her pants so Aang hadn't stormed in at a bad moment.
"Sorry, we were unable to stop him!" Zuko called, while he and Sokka appeared behind Aang. "Brainiac here told him in the worst way possible."
"Sokka! You made it sound like Katara is dying!" Aang yelled at the boy.
"I just said she got hurt! It was you who imagined the worst!" Sokka shot back.
"JUST SHUT UP!" Zuko finally shouted, looking ready to breathe fire. This finally made both of them go silent. He then realized what he had done and looked to Toph. She still was out like a light.
"Way to go to make me feel better..." Katara groaned, her eyes showing how much the day had taken out of her. Witnessing something this harsh at such a young age was bound to leave invisible scars, not to speak of the visiblescars. "Aang, I'm not going anywhere, so don't worry. I'm not that badly hurt as well." She then took in his concerned looks. "Please not now. I'm still trying to come to terms with it myself."
Aang knew enough to see that Katara didn't want to talk about it, and instead walked over to Toph. "What's wrong with her?"
Ursa shook her head. "Despite how you told us she acts, she still is a twelve-year-old girl. The realization that she has used her earthbending to kill has hit her hard. I think she needs to spend some time with me to come to terms with it."
"-urgh- That's why I was so reluctant to take her with us..." Katara sighed, while slipping on a shirt that clearly was a loan from Mai, as her own had been beyond repair. She'd probably switch it with one of her own later. "I'm just glad this is over and we can soon again be on our way."
Aang then remembered what he had been about to reveal until Sokka had dropped that bomb about Katara and Toph. "Eh... there's something really important I have to tell all of you. I might have found a way to contact Avatar Roku."
"That's good, right? As a young child I did listen to stories that Avatar Kyoshi sometimes talked to previous Avatars for advice," Suki asked.
"Well, yeah. I really need to talk to him. However, there are two problems." Aang rubbed the back of his head, wondering how to explain this.
"Of course. As usual, one problem gets solved and three new ones appear in its place," Mai sighed, wondering why things could never be easy.
Aang knew to better spit it out. "Well, the first problem is, that it has to be done on the solstice."
Ursa quickly did the math. "The solstice is in two days. Please tell us the second problem isn't too bad."
Aang looked pained. "Look, I have to do it in a temple on a crescent-shaped island..."
Zuko's eyes widened, since he knew only one island that fit the description. "Wait a moment! This island..."
Aang grimaced. "I know... The island is located in the Fire Nation."
Now everyone looked troubled
...two days later at sea...
The sun was rising over the horizon, greeting a new day - the day of the winter solstice.
All this didn't matter much to the ship plowing through the ocean, the engines running under full power for almost two days now. Ever since they'd dropped off the earthbendes at the coast, where they would retreat into the forest for the time being, they'd taken a direct course which in the end would have gotten them to Crescent Island. Of course everyone knew the ship would not reach the island, but that wasn't the plan. They just needed to get very close to the sea border to the Fire Nation.
"Prince Zuko, in the sixteen years of your life, this is perhaps the most reckless thing you have ever done; trying to enter the waters of the Fire Nation after getting banished. I understand your determination to help the Avatar, but what about your personal security?" Iroh questioned Zuko, who was busy with checking the map.
"Uncle, I have to do this. Please understand," Zuko said, not looking up from the map.
"Well, what I do understand is, that there's no way that I'll let you go there without me to back you up. Regardless how stupid this plan is, I won't let you go alone," Mai told Zuko, her arms crossed.
Zuko sighed. "I know it's really stupid to violate the banishment, Mai. I remember us going through this multiple times. Can you understand my reasons?"
Mai's eyes softened. "I do. It's just..." It was difficult for her to admit being afraid, despite having become more open about her emotions.
Ursa put her hand onto Mai's shoulder. "It's because you are afraid?" Ursa saw that she had found the root cause. "Mai, no need to be ashamed of your fear. You don't want to lose Zuko and you have every right to be afraid, considering what we are about to do."
"We?" Zuko asked, finally looking up from the map. "I understand Mai, but what is it with this 'we'?"
Ursa gave Zuko a very determined look. "While you were busy, Mai was not idle. She came to me, then I talked with Iroh. Since you are determined to do this, we decided that if you go, we go as well. No discussion!" Ursa blocked off any attempt of Zuko's to get in a word. "Mai has decided to share her whole life with you, so having her help you is a given. Iroh and me have seen you grow up into the responsible young man you are. We would never leave you alone to face such a difficult task."
It took some moments, then Zuko felt moved that his family and beloved were willing to risk their lives to help him. "I... I don't know what to say..."
"Perhaps a 'thank you' would be in order?" Mai said, before giving him a one of these knowing smirks Zuko loved so much.
"I... Thank you!" Zuko said, before hugging Mai, not caring that the entire crew on the bridge could see. "This means so much to me. Especially from you."
Mai knew that Zuko was far more open about his emotions and generally expressed his affection for her in a more physical way. This still had taken her by surprise however, and she couldn't help but to blush at being held by Zuko in public. She always enjoyed these... but not here of all places!
Ursa couldn't help but to giggle girlishly when seeing how flustered Mai looked. It completely went against the image Mai had built and made her look downright cute. It was a good thing to see, too. The years had healed the invisible scars and Ursa had watched how the girl became much more comfortable with her emotions. She still didn't like to show them of course, so moments like these felt heartwarming to Ursa, since it showed Mai without her mask in place.
"It does warm my heart to see such young love. I think the royal line will be in for a great future," Iroh commented, unable to hide his smile.
Zuko finally released Mai when Lt. Jee ah-hemed to get his attention. "Prince Zuko, we are closing in on the border. For now our ship is still behind the horizon and I have ordered the engines to be stopped."
"Good. Drop the anchor, then wait for our return. If everything goes all right, we return in the night. Lt. Jee, I put the ship and its crew in your care. If any warships approach, drive away. We can find you, but the safety of the crew comes first."
He indeed has come far, Jee thought, while issuing the needed orders. He was a snotty royal brat when we left. Now he's growing into a true leader. It's a real shame his father had not seen these qualities.
On deck meanwhile, the group around Aang noticed that the ship had stopped.
"We've stopped. That means we'll take off soon," Suki observed, before looking to Toph, who was leaning on the railing, her sightless eyes staring over the sea.
"You're staying here?" Suki asked carefully. Toph had recovered from the initial shock, but still was not entirely back to her normal self. She was a lot quieter and sometimes seemed lost in thought.
Toph didn't turn around. "Nah, I don't feel up for it. I also heard that island is a volcano. No way I burn my bare feet. I'm good where I am and wait for you guys to return."
Suki was not fooled, but out of respect said nothing about it. "I hope you won't get bored while we are away."
Toph waited until Suki had left, before letting out a quiet sigh. Truth to be told, while she no longer was shell-shocked, the ugly truth that her earthbending could be and was used for killing had given her nightmares. She didn't dream the same way as others, as having to rely on her earthbending for vision meant that instead of colorful pictures, she saw monochrome outlines in her dreams. She didn't know it any different. However, while other people's nightmares would involve lots of blood, hers involved bodies that were mangled, unmoving, or both. That was horrifying for someone who could feel people being alive.
Having been shielded from these things for most of her life, Toph only now understood, that with her great powers also came responsibility. She had never considered that her casual usage of earthbending could hurt others, even if only accidentally.
Growing up and understanding all this stuff sucks, she silently whined, knowing that more like this would come and challenge her no-care attitude.
"I still think it's suicide. After all, I hardly think the Fire Nation will welcome us with wine and flowers when we cross the border. Why are we doing this again?" Sokka asked his sister, still thinking that this was pretty stupid what they were about to do.
Katara sighed. "We need to take every advantage we can get. Anything which helps Aang. I think it's worth the risk."
Sokka watched how Katara was still walking a bit stiffly. "I just don't want to see you get hurt again."
This was a side of her brother she didn't see often. It showed that he did care deeply for her, despite their differences. "Sokka... I... Thanks. I don't want to get hurt, either. I 'll watch out. Promised." Katara then looked too Aang. "You think Appa can manage the distance in time?"
"Oh Appa can fly long distances easily. It's that he has to do so as fast as possible which will wear him out. We should make it. Good thing we can take our time on the way back." Aang then gave Katara a concerned look. "Are you sure you're up to it?"
Katara knew that Aang was maybe even more concerned than her brother. His concern for her was adorable and she could not help but to admire what a good person her was, even though he had regular bursts of immaturity. His question also hit reality when Katara felt the bandages under her shirt. There were much less than two days ago, but the doctor had made it clear that she did need to wear them for a few more days to allow her skin to heal properly. Some scars would remain, a lasting reminder that she should not act impulsively.
"I feel a lot better. My back's itching, but otherwise I'm back to normal. I won't forget what I have seen, but unlike Toph it didn't take me by surprise. I'm having nightmares, but I won't become withdrawn. Having been on regular hunting trips while growing up makes it easier for me to come to terms with it," Katara explained.
Aang swallowed. Of course, Katara having lived at the South Pole, where everyone was expected to pull their weight and not leave some work to others, had been on hunting trips. Of course Katara had hunted animals and then also assisted in the butchering process. No wonder that she was easier able to come to terms with the sight of blood and other stuff which would make him hurl. It still hit her because people got killed, but she was better prepared for the aftermath.
His thoughts were interrupted when Zuko, Iroh, Mai and Ursa walked on deck, Ursa having changed into something more practical which looked like the uniform Zuko was wearing, just with a personalized chestplate to adapt to her female form. Ursa didn't have a wish to go into possible battle in robes, while Mai didn't care. Ursa also was armed. After all, she did reason she should be able to defend herself and has learned some fighting skills. A short sword was not the greatest weapon, but it would do since her firebending was next to useless.
"Please tell me your bison can carry this many people. I have no wish to take a bath in the ocean," Mai said when counting eight people who would ride in the saddle.
"Oh, Appa can carry a lot of weight." Aang then noticed the look Mai gave him. "Oh, eh, not that you are heavy or anything..."
"Mai, play nice," Zuko said to Mai. She give Aang one last, pointed look, before starting to climb into the saddle. Zuko gave Aang a knowing look. "Some good advice: no girl likes the topic of her weight."
Aang looked to Katara for a second. "Uhhh, OK!"
"Sokka, better never get the idea to ask me for my weight," Suki warned Sokka, while she climbed into the saddle.
"I wouldn't even think about it." No way Sokka would say this to her. Although at the same time... from his perspective Suki's climbing revealed she did have a really nicely shaped ass. He quickly shook himself out of it, feeling now wasn't the time for this.
Aang was about to jump onto Appa's head, but first gave Momo a look. "Sorry, but where we go, it could be really dangerous. Keep Toph company while we are away." The lemur looked a little disappointed, but obeyed and jumped onto Toph's shoulder.
A few minutes later, Appa was high in the sky - much higher than usual in order to be out of range for the weapons the Fire Nation employed on their ships.
"Captain! The Avatar is spotted! However, he's flying high enough that our weapons can't reach him and will pass the blockade soon," an ensign reported.
The captain didn't look pleased. "Send a priority message to Commander Zhao. The Avatar has passed the blockade. His goal is most likely as predicted. Advise to set course for Crescent Island at once."
"Yes, Sir!"
...hours later, approach to Crescent Island...
While running against the clock to reach the island in time sounded exciting at first, most of it was just long, long waiting. With eight people on Appa, this wasn't fun at all anf they were glad Toph had decided to stay behind. Mai was bored enough that she was balancing a stiletto on one finger, Iroh was taking a nap, Ursa was giving Katara and Suki some female advice, Zuko and Sokka were arguing about sword techniques and Aang was entertaining himself with small airbender tricks.
The hours had went by slowly and the sun was already inching towards the horizon, the blue of the sky was starting to give way to orange and red.
Aang had tested if he could create a miniature air scooter in his palm, when he saw something at the horizon. "Smoke plume ahead! We're almost there!"
Crescent Island then finally appeared from behind the horizon. Once they got closer, they saw how much of a desolate place it was. What little plants had managed to survive didn't look healthy and the island basically was just a huge rock in the ocean. The big volcano with the lava rivers flowing down its flanks certainly didn't help. From the docks, a path led to a long stone bridge, the only way to safely cross the lava and reach the temple. The true size of the temple revealed itself the closer they got, flying close the the surface to avoid detection. The building was huge and had the basic shape of a tower.
Appa landed on the far end of the island facing away from the docks, from where they could walk to the bridge. Appa looked ready to have a little nap while they climbed off. Moments later, he rolled to his side and clearly wouldn't be available for the moment.
Iroh held up a hand to hold the others back, while watching the temple. "It's a bit too silent. Normally, there should be sages guarding the outside of the temple. Their absence is suspicious."
"No guards?" Suki took a closer look at the temple. "You think they are expecting us?"
"Of course they do. They would have been stupid not to. They know that this date is important and are just waiting inside to let the trap snap shut," Zuko growled.
"Oh, that's great!" Sokka whined. "Just when we were making progress! How in all names are we supposed to get in now?"
"Perhaps I can be of assistance?"
It was only thanks to his training under Iroh that Zuko did bast flames towards the unknown speaker right away. All of them were on alarm right away, drawing their weapons while moving to put themselves between Aang and the unknown man. Said man turned out to be a Fire Sage in his mid-thirties who did not look alarmed at all when being confronted with so many weapons.
"Peace, I'm not your enemy," he told them.
"Talk is cheap! Why should we believe you?" Katara snarled, wishing her waterbending wouldn't be this underdeveloped.
The man seemed calm. "While it is true that I have my firebending, all of you together could kill me at any time. I am at your mercy. Had I wanted to harm you, I would have brought the other sages with me."
"Well, yeah. Still possible that you want to lead us into a trap," Sokka said, not daring to lower his sword.
The sage sighed. "I have nothing to offer but my word. I have been waiting outside for you to arrive, away from the other sages. I did wait many years for this day. The day when I would commit treason to the sages and help the Avatar to find his destiny." He then looked to Zuko. "I am surprised however, that I also meet the one true heir to the throne."
"Lower your weapons. I think we can trust him." Ursa then gave the sage a hard look. "If you truly want to help us, tell us your name first."
"I am called Shyu. Follow me, and I can lead you through secret passages into the temple."
They reluctantly followed, having little choice, still wary that this could be a trap. However, Shyu really led them to a hole in the rock that led into a tunnel. A big boulder beside the entrace showed how it normally was hidden. There was no darkness due to scattered lava pools off the wayside.
"Ohhh, this is really hot," Katara complained, wiping sweat from her forehead. She was not used to such heat.
Shyu saw this with a little amusement. "Sadly this can't be helped. Avatar Roku once called this temple his home and formed these secret passages out of the magma. The nature of the island can be quite unpleasant on the unprepared."
Aang perked up at the mention of Roku. "What do you know about Roku?"
"My grandfather knew him. Many generations of Fire Sages guarded this Fire Temple long before me. We all have a strong spiritual connection to this place," Shyu explained, before he grimaced. "A few weeks ago, an amazing thing occurred. The statue of Avatar Roku; its eyes began to glow! That was when we knew you had returned. The other sages wasted no time to report it to the Fire Lord."
"That must have happened when you lost it and almost flattened our village," Sokka threw in, then shut up when Suki gave him a dirty look.
"Oh..." Aang looked unhappy. "I guess I really blew it with that one."
"Do not be disheartened. You can't be held responsible for powers you never wanted and have little control over," Shyu consoled Aang. "Normally, the sages would have been the kind of people to help you. However, things have changed. In the past, the sages were loyal only to the Avatar. When Roku died, the sages eagerly awaited for the next Avatar to return. But he never came. They lost hope the Avatar would ever return. When Fire Lord Sozin began the War, my grandfather and the other sages were forced to follow him. My family never lost hope and never wanted to serve the Fire Lord like this. When I learned you were coming, I knew I would have to betray the other sages."
"You know... you are really brave. You know you are losing your home doing this, yet you don't hesitate to help us," Aang said in awe.
"I have practically waited all my life for this moment. Helping to save the world is worth this personal sacrifice." Shyu then looked to Zuko. "I have also waited a long time to meet you, Prince Zuko. You have no idea how important you are. It calms my heart to see that you as the true heir have decided to help the Avatar to right what has gone wrong."
Zuko gave Shyu an unreadable look. "Why me? It is not that I can make that big of a difference. I am helping the Avatar because it is the right thing to do. And what is it with this 'true heir'?"
Shyu looked down in sadness. "Our nation is bleeding out. Right now the successes in the war are still covering it, but soon even this won't suffice anymore. The war has ruined our people's prosperity. Sages on the mainland are reporting how poverty is on the rise and whole areas get devastated to keep the war industry running. The war has tarnished our nation. It can only end when you take the throne, which is rightfully yours. Your sister is no option at all."
Zuko gave him a long, confused look. "How? I'm just a banished prince. I command a rusty, small ship and that's it. Once they find out I'm helping the Avatar, I'll have nothing at all. How am I supposed to take the throne?"
Iroh put a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "You are not as alone as you think, Prince Zuko. You have those who care for you, your crew would sail to the end of the world for you and you are starting to gain the trust and respect of the Avatar and his friends. You are already gathering those who will help you. Just one battle at a time and it won't be as hard."
Trust my uncle to make the impossible sound easy, Zuko thought, although Iroh's words did move him.
Shyu gave Ursa a look. "It is a relief to see you here. Your disappearance had worried me greatly. You were never told, but the sages saw more than just your blood strengthening the royal line."
That was news to her. "Really? While some good has come out of it..." Ursa looked to Zuko, "I simply feel that all of my future was taken from me at that day. What more is there?"
Shyu looked pained. "I'm not proud the sages did this. Azuon and Ozai however were told something else that strengthened their resolve even more, to bind you to their line. The sages also saw that 'the descendant of Roku will come and bring change'. Fire Lord felt that they could stomp that out by making Roku's line theirs."
"So it could mean either me or my mother? After all, I sincerely doubt Azula will make any good changes," Zuko observed.
"Or both of you. Such predictions are always vague and both of you have the power to bring change. Of course I also feel relief that Lady Ursa has not come to harm." Shyu looked thoughtful. "Before I forget it... There is something else. It happened sixteen years ago, just a few days after Prince Zuko's birth. I was kneeling in front of Roku's statue after horrible dreams of destruction kept me awake. Then, all of a sudden, there was a shimmer in its eyes."
Everyone looked to Aang, who held up his hands. "Don't look at me! I was still on ice at that time!"
"I was surprised when I found myself in a room made of pure crystal and faced a young woman who clearly was from the Water Tribes." Shyu saw that Sokka and Katara give him a look of surprise. "I thought since water was the next element in the cycle, that the Avatar had been reborn. However, she corrected me quickly. She told me she would be the Avatar following you."
Mai snorted. "A message from the future. Sure."
Shyu gave the girl an intense look which made Mai very uncomfortable. "Young lady, you live in a world full of animals that define fantastic, real spirits and people able to bend the elements. Tell me, why you think this should be impossible?"
Mai swallowed hard, feeling very unwell and finally did something she did very rarely. "S-sorry. I take it back." Seeing the look Zuko gave her, she gave him a weak look that made it clear he should never mention this again.
Shyu turned back to Aang. "She told me that her whole world is being torn asunder and that she has meddled with the wheels of fate to give us a chance to avoid this fate."
"Meddled with the wheels of fate? You mean that she changed things? Changed us?" Ursa asked, uneasy with the idea.
Shyu shook his head. "She seemed desperate and was fearing her own destruction as well. Only our young Avatar, she said, could now save her. However, there is little we can do now about it... Let us concentrate on our current task." They had finally reached a tall staircase. "These stairs lead up to the inner sanctum. Once there, you can contact Avatar Roku standing in front of his statue while the sunlight hits his eyes."
The ascent to the top stair was fairly uneventful and soon the pushed open a floor plate to reveal that they were inside the temple. The big hall was empty, its only exits an arch with a big stairwell leading down and a huge set of gates at the other end. Approaching the big gates however, Shyu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"No... NO! The gates to the inner sanctum are closed! They were open when I left at the morning. The other sages must have locked them why I was away," Shyu gasped in disbelief, running up to the closed gates. "Now there's no way we can get inside..."
Suki looked at the huge gate and its strange locking mechanism. "What's the big problem? Can't we simply break open the lock?"
Shyu sighed. "You don't understand. These gates can only be opened either by five firebenders at the same time or a fully realized Avatar. At this moment, we have neither of these."
Sokka made a quick headcount. "Well, we only have three firebenders. Now what?"
"I have learned how to make two separate flame streams with my hands, however, I severely doubt that my nephew or Sage Shyu know how to this," Iroh said, while taking a close look at the gates.
"Oh, that's great. That's really great! So close and now we run into a wall," Aang groaned, ready to bash his head against the gates.
Mai gave Ursa a look. "Well, I see another firebender."
Ursa shook her head, looking really conflicted. "I wish I could help. However, have you forgotten that no fire left my hand since my early childhood?"
"It's not that you are crippled, you know? Sure, it got hammered into your head that firebending is too dangerous to use, but I think you can get past this," Mai told her, while giving Zuko a look that he should stay silent. "I know Iroh tried to help you, but you never tried at all."
Zuko gave Mai a hard look. "Mai, now is really not the time..."
"No, son. I... We talk later about this. Time is short and we at least have to try." Ursa swallowed hard. "This... this is not easy for me, but Mai is right that I at lest should try."
Zuko made no comment and they got into position to open the gate. "On three," Iroh counted. "One.. Two... Three!" Four flame streams hit the lock openings. However, Ursa's attempt failed, and the best she was able to produce was a small fireball that dissipated after three meters.
"Oh dear..." Ursa groaned when seeing her pathetic attempt at firebending.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yes, it's coming from the inner sanctum!"
"Oh no, the other sages have heard us!" Shyu gasped.
Iroh gave Ursa a pleading look. "Ursa, please! Remember all the love you feel for those you care for! We now only have one last chance!"
They tried again and Ursa tried to remember everything that could make her inner fire flare up. Her loving parents, holding Zuko for the first time after his birth, even Azula at a time where she still was innocent. Unlike nearly all her life, she did not try to hold down the small sun that was blooming within her and instead allowed it to grow. It felt like a blood was on fire, yet it didn't hurt when the power deep inside herself broke the chains it had been put into since her early childhood.
"YAAAAHHHHGHHH!" she screamed when a stream of fire left her palm. Due to her being untrained, it didn't last as long as it should have and had cost her much strength, but it did the trick. The lock snapped open and the gate opened a bit, before suddenly stopping.
"The flames didn't last long enough! Quick, run in before the gate closes again!" Shyu quickly told Aang.
Aang did need to be told twice and ran to the already closing gate. He did make it in just in time, before the gate slammed shut and the locks snapped back into place. As soon as the gate had closed, white light spilled out from behind it for a few seconds, then there was silence... At least until they heard voices and people moving up the stairs.
"That was the gate!"
"Hurry!"
"Quick! We must act as if we are fighting against each other to lessen the suspicion and we can backstab the sages when they least expect it!" Shyu said.
It would probably not look really convincing, but duping the sages long enough to deal with them was enough. As much as some of them disliked doing this, it was necessary to stop the entire Fire Nation from hunting down Zuko. Should they even get the idea that Zuko was helping the Avatar, he would be as good as dead. They also hoped that this would raise their chances of getting out alive.
Their mock-battle was difficult in that they had to use firebending and weapons without hurting each other. They heard people marching up the stairs and then saw the sages. However, someone else was with them... together with numerous soldiers. Zuko felt like the ground had vanished under his feet when he saw who it was.
"Zhao!"
o
Aang blinked. One moment, he had been in the inner sanctum of the temple, looking at the eyes of Avatar Roku's statue when the light reached them, and now he found himself on a mountain overlooking misty plains. Before him stood a man, high in age and wearing the robes of the Fire Nation. Aang knew who he was right away.
"Avatar Roku..." Aang felt overwhelmed by the presence of his predecessor.
Roku gave him a smile like a grandfather would give to his grandson. "Hello Aang. I've been waiting a long time for you. You can't imagine how much of a relief it is to finally meet you."
Aaang then remembered the reason why Roku had to wait for so long. "Roku, I..."
A simple gesture stopped Aang. "No, my boy. If there is someone to blame, it's me. It were my errors that started this mess in the first place. Also, there is a good reason why an Avatar should only be told of the fact at age sixteen, as you have experienced. We are supposed to enjoy life, before our duty calls."
Aang did remember how he had been shunned and how Gyatso had spoken on his behalf. "I know. My whole life became a mess when they revealed it so early."
"Sadly, it can't be helped now and I don't like putting so much responsibility on such young shoulders, but time is running out." Roku looked grim. "I've sent my dragon Fang to fetch you at the first opportunity, because there is something very important I have to tell you."
"Does it have something to do with the huge fireball I saw?" Aang wondered.
"It has. That was a comet, a cosmic wanderer that met our world. Back when the Fire Nation started the war, Fire Lord Sozin knew it would fly through our atmosphere and burn with an intense heat. He and the other firebenders used it for the devastating first strike that destroyed your people."
"That I know when we were told Sozin's story. He said the comet made them much stronger," Aang said, remembering what Iroh had told them.
Roku saw that Aang was beginning to understand. "Oh yes, much stronger. Each firebender got power equal to the firebending of the Avatar. You can see how they managed to destroy the Air Nomads in one strike."
All of a sudden Aang felt being locked up in an iceberg had been the lesser evil. "But, what does this have to do with now? After all, the comet is long gone, right?"
"I wish that would be the case..." Roku did show a hint of fear. "Sozin's Comet will return by the end of the summer, and Fire Lord Ozai will use its power to finish the war once and for all. If he succeeds, even the Avatar won't be able to restore balance to the world; a world where the Fire Nation rules supreme. Aang. You must defeat the Fire Lord, before the comet arrives."
Aang paled. This was a nightmare coming true. "How? I've not even started learning waterbending, not to speak of earth and fire!"
Roku sighed. "I know that for true mastery of the elements, years of training are needed. However, time is short and the situation is dire enough that we have to resort to unusual means. For now it has to suffice that you learn as much as you can about each element. Enough so that at the end you can unlock the true powers of the Avatar. Actual mastery can wait until the world is saved."
Aang shivered. He had known the task ahead was huge, but getting a time limit on top of it made it even harder. "Roku... you, you ask a lot of me. I barely know what it means to be an Avatar! There is no one left to help me understand!"
"Well, this is where you are wrong."
Hearing a woman's voice, Aang looked to his left and saw a young woman, who was clearly from the Water Tribes, standing there. "Who, who are you?" Aang had not expected company, but did remember what Shyu had told them. It was one thing to hear about it, but another to see it for real.
"Don't worry. I'm a friend. My name is Korra, and I'm here to help you."
Roku looked shocked. "How is this possible? I can feel the Avatar spirit inside you, yet it feels damaged in a way."
"This is because I am the Avatar from over 70 years in the future and I did something stupid that caused the damage." Korra saw their shocked looks. "Look, my time is short. Not only the world is at stake! The entire future is in danger! Many errors have been made and my world has been torn asunder; its very fabric unraveling. My time here is nearly up, but if you want Roku and the other previous Avatars to help you whenever you have questions or need advice, each of you take my hands."
Roku and Aang were confused at this sudden turn of events, but finally took hold of Korra's hands. Aang then gasped; the contact only having lasted a few seconds. "I feel so strange..."
"That's because I strengthened your connection to your previous lives." Korra then started to fade. "My time is up for now. We will meet again, Aang." Korra then was gone.
"That was weird," Aang said, looking at where Korra had stood.
Roku looked thoughtfully. "Yet she has told us the truth. I saw it when I held her hand. Her world, our future, was destroyed by forces beyond our imagination. I can feel my connection to you growing. Very soon we can talk whenever you need guidance."
Aang was glad for every help he could get, the task before him really intimidating. "I'm sure I'll ask you many things. This is all so confusing."
"The solstice is almost over..." Roku then felt something and in his mind's eye saw ships of war anchoring close to Crescent Island. "Your friends are in great danger. I can help you to keep them safe. However, you have to trust me."
Aang felt strangely calm, Roku's words giving him strength. His eyes and tattoos started glowing. "I won't let anyone hurt them!"
o
While Aang was inside the sanctum, things were going rather badly for the others.
They could not have been in a worse fix. While they could have fought off the sages with the element of surprise, having Zhao and a dozen highly-trained firebenders against them made this a fight impossible to win. At least not without suffering fatalities of their own. It took only moments for them to realize that they were in trouble and they dropped their weapons, before they were chained to the pillars, rendering them helpless.
Zhao took a look at his prisoners. "What an illustrious group... Two Water Tribe peasants who are not too old for a good spanking and a girl who thinks that she can play the warrior. Really pathetic. The Avatar must be really desperate to surround himself with such refuse."
He then turned his attention to the other group. "And here... An exiled prince who does not know his place, a woman who should have stayed dead, a bratty runaway girl and a man who has fallen from general to joke."
He then took a look at the final prisoner. "And finally a traitor either way. Regardless if you have helped the Avatar or felt a misplaced loyalty to Prince Zuko, the Fire Lord will punish you either way."
He was interrupted when a soldier approached. "Commander Zhao, we are unable to open the gate."
"What's the meaning of this?" Zaho asked one of the sages.
The sage did look a little intimidated. "It has to be Avatar Roku. He does not want us to be in there."
This finally broke Zuko out of his silence. "Ha! Admit it, Zhao. So close and yet you can't reach your goal. At this rate I'll catch him first."
If Zhao was bothered by it, he didn't show. "Oh, I don't worry about this, since after all he has to come out of there sooner or later. You should be far more worried about your own future, which right now is rather bleak. Your father after all will not be pleased to see you blatantly violating your exile. Oh, he won't kill you, but you will wish he does."
"My father does not scare me any longer, Zhao."
"Really? We will see." Zhao then took a look at Iroh. "How far you have fallen. From a hero of the Fire Nation to helping your disgraced nephew to violate our laws. I think your brother will be more than happy to lock you up in a dark place."
Iroh stayed remarkably calm. "The only dark place I see is the one you are in."
Zhao ignored it and took a look at Ursa. "You should have known better than trying to help your son. I think it will only take little persuasion to get the Fire Lord to allow me to keep you. It would be well worth it for you."
Ursa gave him a look of disgust. "This will be hard for you once I make sure you miss the needed body parts."
"Charming. Well, I can make you change you mind." Finally, Zhao stopped in front of Mai. "Well, it must have been quite an adventure for you, but everything has to come to an end." Zhao then forced her to look at him when she tried to ignore him.
"Take your dirty hands off her, Zhao!" Zuko snapped.
"Touchy? Well, you obviously saw something in her. Too plain for my tastes, but maybe my other officers..." Mai decided right then to show what she thought of him by spitting into his face. Zhao's gloating turned to anger. "You bitch..."
-slap!- "Ouurgh!" Zhao slapped her hard with the back of his hand, causing spit and some blood to fly.
Everyone of course knew that Zhao was a heartless bastard, Zuko's history with him and what he did on Kyoshi Isle was proof enough of it, but hitting a girl who could not defend herself was a new personal low. Zuko was almost literally foaming in anger jerking at his chains in a desperate attempt to get free and beat Zhao into paste.
"It takes a really great man to hit a girl who's tied up with chains," Suki growled, disgusted at Zhao and his violation of even the most basic forms of human decency.
"Yeah. Even Zuko there would never step this low." Sokka actually liked Zuko, but he could hardly say that.
Katara gave Zhao a dark look. "I guess I was right. Fire Nation officers need to be barbarians to get the job."
Zhao was no longer in the mood for holding the higher ground. "You'll change your tune fast once you know what kind of fate awaits you. Oh yes, you'll all get exactly what you deserve! All of you will beg to be slave labor in our coal mines once you know!" White light spilled from behind the gate. "Finally..."
"Damn it, Aang! NO!" Sokka shouted.
Katara's eyes were wide. "It's a trap! A trap!"
"FIRE!" Zhao shouted, when seeing a bright light through the open gate. Right away, ten firebenders concentrated all their firepower on trying to kill the Avatar.
They could only watch in horror when a huge wall of flames obscured everything inside the gate. Nothing could have survived this. Yet, all of the flames suddenly got sucked into a ball, held by an old man who looked solid, and yet glowed like a ghost, his eyes burning hot-white. Zhao gasped before the man released the fire, blasting him, all soldiers and the sages cleanly down the stairs, while the chains of the prisoners crumbled away.
"Avatar Roku...?" Shyu gasped while the others scrambled to pick up their weapons, completely overwhelmed by the sheer power the man radiated.
"We have little time..." One flick of his hand, and the entire outer wall was ripped away. At the same time he stomped down his foot and the whole island started to shake, smoke and dust clouds being thrown up while the volcano started to roar.
"Earthquake!" Sokka screamed, while trying to stay on his feet. Cries of panic from down the stairs hinting that there was a panic going on.
-fweeep- Roku did make a strange sound. "Your bison will come. It now is time for us to leave this place." their surprise they all were suddenly sucked into something that look like a giant version of Aang's air scooter, with Roku riding on it. They blasted outside and at some distance safely dropped into Appa's saddle.
They all looked in wonder at Roku, while Appa left as quick as possible. Zuko was most affected by this. "I can't believe it. You are really...?"
"You have achieved much, but your way is still long." Ruko then gave Zuko a smile. "I do believe in you, my great-grandson." then faded away with the solstice over, leaving behind a sleeping Aang.
After all the excitement, they couldn't help but to just sit there, while Appa was taking them away from Crescent Island. For some moments, no one said anything, until Suki finally decided to break the silence.
"I just hope whatever Roku told Aang was worth all this." She then leaned closer to Sokka. "If you excuse me, Sokka, but I'm only moments away from having a hysteric fit after this day and need something warm to hold upon."
Sokka didn't complain. Having a beautiful girl wanting you to hold her being something a teenage boy could never say no to.
Meanwhile, Zhao could only watch the collapse of the temple from his ship and the Avatar's bison vanishing behind the horizon. To make things worse, Zuko and the other traitors used the chaos to slip away as well. Without them, it was next to impossible to prove that they had violated their exile. He could hardly tell the Fire Lord of Zuko's part in this disaster, as it would reflect badly on himself.
"Commander Zhao, we were unable to find Shyu. Either he is dead, or he has fled," the head sage said, still shell-shocked at the loss of their temple.
"May as well have some use for him. He will take all of the blame for this disaster by helping the Avatar," Zhao growled.
Just wait for it, Prince Zuko. I'll get my chance to reveal your treachery and then hunt you down like the animal you are...
...later, back on Zuko's ship...
"Come on... What's taking them this long?" Toph worried, while walking in a circle on the foredeck of the ship. Momo watched her in fascination, trying to figure out what she was doing.
She would never admit it, but all the waiting started to get her real worried. Additionally to her early teenage-angst because of her recent actions, she now felt how it was to be concerned over other people's well-being. It did not mesh well with her ideas of not needing anyone else and it confused her more than anything else.
No one had said that the early onset on puberty would be easy and with all the recent baggage it become even harder for her.
Maybe I should have accompanied them, she thought, for a moment forgetting that she would have hurt her feet in the process.
Back at home, things had been very easy. Her parents were treating her like a helpless cripple, she felt she already was superior to all of them and she was well-prepared for the outside world. Now she did wonder if she was as ready as she thought she was after all. Toph was still ignorant of the fact that this also was part of the process of growing up: overestimating yourself until you collide with reality. While she was a great earthbender, she still had a lot to learn about the world.
She stopped pacing when she heard the growl of an approaching sky bison. The stampede of people approaching the deck only confirmed it. Only moments later Appa had landed. However, Toph got very mixed signals from her companions. They seemed shocked and scared.
"People, what's wrong? You didn't manage to get this mystical stuff after all?" Toph wondered.
"No, Toph, we did. Part of me now wishes we would have stayed ignorant." That was all Suki had to say about it.
Toph didn't understand, holding onto Suki's arm. "Isn't knowing a good thing? Come on, tell me!"
Suki sighed. "Toph, we want to tell everyone once they have gathered."
Now Toph was a bit freaked out. "Can't you at least give me a hint?"
At first no one answered, until Katara felt it was her job to break it to Toph. "We learned that things are MUCH worse than we thought..."
...in a place far removed...
A young woman watched all four elements dancing around her hand. It came easy to her. "By the elements. Whose Avatar I am."
Then however her features darkened and she sighed in defeat. "Or better, whose Avatar I was."
She looked around, the sparkling crystal walls reflecting in the circular pool in the middle of the room. The whole room was bathed in an unreal blue light, giving the illusion that it was under water. Apart from the pool which had water that not only stilled her thirst but also fulfilled all her nutrient needs, the only two things of note were a really worn out cot and a hole in the floor used for body functions better left unmentioned. Otherwise, it was bare, clearly not meant for someone living in it.
Merely existing would be a better description, Korra sighed.
The months she had spent in this place would have driven her insane, if not for Raava keeping her company. The loneliness in this place was the biggest problem, but by far not the only one. She had no idea when there was the last time she had eaten something solid. The water kept her well-fed, but it could not replace the satisfaction of real food. She often smelled like shit, since only irregularly she was allowed to get some pool water with waterbending and wash herself and her clothes - water she did have to dump through the hole afterward. Her hair was longer than ever and the only way to tame it was putting it into a long ponytail. When she did manage to find sleep, nightmares plagued her.
Korra didn't know how much longer she could keep up, but she could feel after meeting Aang and Roku, that her suffering would soon end.
Slowly walking through the only exit, she looked through the transparent crystal wall down to what used to be Republic City. A yellowish, thick mist was filling the ground, the buildings that did peek out of it showing signs of considerable decay, as if they were slowly melting. The ocean, where it was visible through the mist, was as black as tar and seemed to have the same consistency. The sky was a dark purple, the sun having faded a lot and its light no longer giving any warmth. The moon was also visible, but it was crumbling away, half of it already gone. Nothing was anymore alive in this hell, as well as on the other side of the gates in the spirit world.
"Everything is slowly fading and disappearing, as if it had never existed in the first place," Korra whispered, while watching what once had been her home vanishing a bit more.
"Curse you, Vaatu! Even in the moment of defeat, you didn't want us to enjoy our victory. You sore loser. Who are you to decide if you can't have the world, no one should? You made us think everything is all right, only to take it all from us when we least expected it, laughing from your prison at your late victory before you are destroyed as well. You took it all from me. My home, my family, my friends... my love." Korra didn't care that she was crying, as there was only one person who did witness it.
Korra's heart was hurting, but she knew she had to stay strong until the moment she would leave all this behind. "Oh Raava... I hope both of us can find the strength we're going to need."
Korra then watched another building crumbling, its remains vanishing into the thick mist.
to be continued...
Next Episode: "The long Path North"
Notes:
Now, in this chapter I did want to show that stuff like that does have consequences on people's psyche. Katara got a lesson that while idealism is good, she should better have a good plan at hand. And Toph, I wanted to show that despite her attitude she is still 12 years old and thus still quite vulnerable and ignorant of the world.
Now leaving Toph behind came when I realized things becoming too full in the scene. That Toph doesn't want to burn her feet was a good explanation why she was unwilling to come along, apart from the fact she was still recovering from her shell shock.
Finally we get a bit more information what's going on with Korra. I still try to be vague until Korra can give a more detailled explanation.