Chapter Two
New Beginnings
" You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. "
- Mary Pickford
Alya watched worriedly as the sun began to set on the village. It was quite late, but Katara and Aang hadn't returned yet. Sokka was freaking out due to the flare he'd seen earlier. He was convinced that Aang was a Fire Nation spy who was out to get the Southern Water Tribe. Alya had gotten so annoyed with his accusations that she'd blown him into the pile of snow that was once his 'watchtower' with a firm gust of wind.
"Yay! Aang's back!" One of the girls said and Alya breathed a sigh of relief. Her little brother was impulsive and adventurous, and she didn't want to know the kinds of trouble he could get into. She was thankful he didn't end up in a mess this time.
Alya tried to get to the edge of the village first but was rudely pushed aside by Sokka, who looked like he was on a warpath. Alya groaned, knowing that this wouldn't end well.
As Katara and Aang approached the group of people clustered around them, Sokka began his rant, pointing an accusing finger at Aang. "I knew it! You signaled the Fire Navy with that flare! You're leading them straight to us, aren't you?" Alya rolled her eyes at Sokka's prejudice and took a deep breath to control her annoyance.
Katara immediately went to Aang's defense. "Aang didn't do anything. It was an accident."
Aang nodded. "Yeah, we were on the ship and there was this booby trap and well… we 'boobied' right into it." He gave a weak chuckle, which faltered under Alya's fierce glare.
"How many times do I need to tell you that you should think before you do something, Aang? Did you even realise how dangerous it could be for these people if the Fire Nation got to know that they lived here? You are so dumb, sometimes." Alya scowled at her little brother and cuffed him on the head.
"Alya's right. Katara, you shouldn't have gone on that ship. Now we could all be in danger!" Kanna shook her head disappointedly at her granddaughter.
Aang looked stricken. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Don't blame Katara! I brought her there. It's my fault." Aang hung his head, shame filling his features.
"Oh, Aang," Alya said, a little sympathetically. She thought that it wouldn't be a surprise if they were banished from the village for this incident. It concerned the safety of the villagers, after all. Alya would understand, but Aang would be devastated. He hated disappointing people.
Sokka immediately latched onto Aang's confession. "Aha! The traitor confesses! Warriors, away from the enemy!" he commanded the children, who moved away from Aang and towards Kanna. "The foreigners are banned from our village!" Sokka declared, pointing at the airbending siblings.
Alya scowled at Sokka as Aang drooped a little. She knew Sokka was partially right, but at least he could be a little more solicitous of Aang's feelings.
Much to her surprise, Katara stepped up with an indignant look on her face. "Sokka, you're making a mistake," she exclaimed angrily.
Sokka whirled to face his sister. "No! I'm keeping my promise to Dad. I'm protecting you from threats like him, and his sister!" He pointed at the airbending siblings. Despite her anger with the Water Tribe warrior, she sympathised with him. Alya could understand where Sokka was coming from. He had a responsibility towards his village, and he was fulfilling it.
"We aren't a threat to the village, Sokka. We never meant any harm. Aang is just… a little too boisterous sometimes and this time, he got into trouble," Alya said, glaring at her younger brother, who shrunk back a little.
"Ha, and I'm supposed to believe you, Miss Trapped-In-An-Iceberg? Do you think I've forgotten how you tried to signal the Fire Nation back then when we discovered you in the iceberg with that crazy bolt of light?" Sokka sniffed.
Alya's mouth twitched and she was just about to airbend Sokka into a pile of snow when Katara interrupted. "Aang and Alya are not our enemies! Don't you see? They've brought us something we haven't had in a long time. Fun."
Katara smiled softly at Alya and Aang. Alya only smiled tightly, while Aang grinned broadly, looking as though he was ready to fall at her feet. Alya just rolled her eyes at her brother's obvious crush.
"Fun?" Sokka scoffed. "We can't fight firebenders with fun."
"You should try it sometime." Aang gave Sokka his most winsome smile, but the older boy was not having it.
"Get out of the village. Now!" He ordered, pointing at the horizon as he glared imperiously at the siblings.
Alya's eyes turned cold. "Fine. Come on, Aang. Let's not linger in a place where we aren't welcome. Just so you know, Sokka, we never were with the Fire Nation nor were we here to stir trouble." She glared at the boy, who just stared grumpily back. "Katara, thanks for getting us out of the iceberg. And for the talks. It was wonderful knowing you. I'm only sorry we couldn't help you be a better waterbender." Alya smiled at the waterbender, who gave her a weak smile.
"Kanna…" Alya trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"Go on, Alya. I am so sorry we had to part this way, but Sokka is right. Going on that ship was forbidden, and your brother did. Besides, you have a long road facing you." Kanna nodded wisely and a little pensively. "Farewell."
"No, Grandmother, how can you let Sokka do this?" Katara cried. "Aang, Alya, please don't go!" Alya's heart ached for the young girl standing before her.
"Katara, stand back. You know the rules. They have to be banished. Sokka is right with his decision."
"Then I'm banished too!" Katara cried, rashly, moving over to stand with the airbending siblings. "Come on, let's go!" She told them, grabbing Aang by the shoulders and propelling him forward at a rapid pace.
Alya hurried after them, an annoyed frown marring her face. "Katara. Stop. Think about what you are doing."
Just then, Sokka hurried towards the trio. "Where do you think you're going?" He demanded of Katara.
Katara lifted her chin defiantly. "To find a waterbender. Aang promised that he and his sister would take me to the North Pole."
Aang looked confused for a moment before his face cleared up. "I did? Great!"
Alya sighed, and was about to talk some sense into the two when Sokka called out, "Katara! Would you really choose a couple of airbenders over your tribe? Over your own family?"
Katara sighed and halted, an uncertain look on her face. Alya came to a stop next to the conflicted girl and said firmly, but gently. "Katara, thank you for your support, but I can't allow you to make this decision. They are your family. We are strangers. The last thing I want to do is tear you away from your family." She put a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder.
"Alya's right, Katara. We can't come between you and your family." Aang's big grey eyes were sorrowful and a small pout tugged at his lips. Seeing him like this reminded Alya just how young her brother actually was.
"So… so this is goodbye? You're leaving the South Pole?" Katara asked in a small voice.
Alya nodded as Aang smiled at his friend. "Yeah… thanks for penguin sledding with me. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you."
"Where will you go?" Katara asked, turning to face Alya.
"Probably back to the Southern Air Temple," Alya said. Or what's left of it anyway… she mentally added. Kanna had told her about how the Fire Nation had wiped out the Air Nomads just to find her. It hadn't helped the guilt sloshing in her stomach in any way. She could only hope that some of them had survived.
"Yeah… woah, Alya, we haven't cleaned our rooms in a hundred years! Not looking forward to that," he said, giving a weak chuckle. Alya frowned. Her brother didn't know much about the consequences of the war. Heck, he didn't even know about the war itself. How would he take the death of the airbenders?
Alya propelled herself into the air and gracefully landed in Appa's driver's seat. "It was nice meeting everyone," Aang said with his usual smile, before getting on behind Alya in the saddle.
"Thank you for your hospitality," Alya added.
She faced Aang as Sokka taunted snidely. "Let's see your bison fly now."
Alya's annoyance with the Water Tribe boy got the better of her and she sent an inconspicuous breeze towards him which made him slip on the snow and land on his butt. She snickered a little, putting on a blank face as an enraged Sokka got up.
"Come on, Appa! Yip yip!" Alya tried to coax the bison into flying.
But Appa was still tired and just got on his feet, rumbled and began walking towards the water.
"Yeah, I thought so," Sokka said, a little gleefully.
Alya threw another dirty look towards Sokka and she caught sight of Pala, a little girl whom Alya had helped during the morning's chores, running towards Appa.
"Alya, Aang! Please don't go! We'll miss you!" She cried, tears shining in her blue eyes.
"We'll miss you too," Alya admitted, a sad smile on her face. "But we have to go now." She looked at Aang, who looked like he was almost tempted to stay back because of the girl's plea.
Aang looked at Katara one last time, before turning his sad eyes to Alya, who had an insistent look in her eyes that prompted Aang to turn his back to the village. "Come on, boy, let's go." Alya flicked Appa's reins and the bison began walking slowly, away from the village.
Alya kept her eyes on the sinking sun, refusing to look back at the village that meant so much to her, not just because of her past, but also due to the fact that they were the very first people to actually accept her after a very long time.
Alya rested her head against Appa's soft, warm belly as she stared up at the iridescent ice of the ring structure that she and Aang were resting in. The South Pole was a desolate, yet beautiful place and that was one of the reasons why Alya loved to visit it.
Appa grumbled beneath her, seemingly out of discontent. Alya sighed and shifted a little, understanding exactly was Appa was trying to say.
Aang articulated his thoughts. "Yeah, I liked her too, Appa."
Alya decided it was her time to speak and soothe Aang's guilt and loneliness. "Aang, I knew you liked Katara a lot—not just because she was kind or anything like that, but because she was the first person who didn't shun us after the whole Avatar thing happened to me—well, technically she didn't know about it, so…" Alya halted her ramble and got to the point, noticing that her brother appeared distracted, having gotten up suddenly. "Well, the point is, we've got to move on. The world needs the Avatar. The world needs me. You have to know we couldn't have stayed—"
"Shh," Aang interrupted her, still looking out into the distance.
"Excuse me? And here I was trying to make you feel better… ugh, boys." Alya huffed.
"Alya, there's a Fire Navy ship headed to the village! Stop rambling and grab your glider. We gotta go, now!" Aang exclaimed urgently.
Alya quickly shot to her feet, glider in hand. She spotted the black metal of a Fire Nation ship heading steadily towards the tiny village and her eyes widened.
"Stay here, Appa! We'll be back for you. Aang, c'mon, let's go!" She commanded, throwing her glider in the air and holding on to it smoothly as she soared through the air.
I've got to save them.
Turns out, the airbending siblings had strayed quite far away from the village and they had to travel for almost half an hour before they could reach the village. Alya flew at the fastest speed she could manage, but she knew it was too late to prevent the ship from entering the village as she approached the damaged wall, the hull of the menacing ship sticking out of it.
She could see Aang speeding below her on a penguin. Alya rolled her eyes at her brother's childishness, silently amused but also slightly disapproving of how childish her little brother could be in such serious situations.
But then again, she thought. He is a kid. Alya reflected pensively on how the events awaiting in her future might change her little brother's perspective on the world. She knew that the immediate future of the Avatar wouldn't be all flowers and rainbows, especially with the war on the verge of an unfavourable outcome and she also knew that Aang would refuse to leave her side—just like he had on the day of the storm. She only hoped that she could protect him as much as possible from the darkness that had taken over the world.
Her attention was drawn back to the village as she saw two figures charging towards each other—one was Sokka and the other looked like a high-ranking Fire Nation soldier if she were to go by the ostentatious armour he wore. Sokka appeared to be losing—and badly at that, as he was repeatedly hit in the head by the end of his own spear.
Alya heard the whooshing of something pass her—Sokka's boomerang heading back to its master—and grinned as she watched the boomerang strike the soldier's head and throw him off balance as his helmet was displaced. The soldier sprang back up, his stance furious.
At the same moment, Aang rocketed towards the Fire Nation soldier, knocking him off his feet. Alya outright laughed as the helmet was finally thrown off the guy's head and landed on his butt.
Alya swooped down low, landing next to a bunch of snow-covered (yet, cheering) kids and Katara, who gave her a big smile.
"Hey, Katara. Hey, Sokka." Aang waved cheerfully at the Water Tribe siblings.
Sokka turned towards Alya and said wryly, "Hey, Alya. Hey, Aang. Thanks for comin'."
Alya smiled, a little sardonically, before turning to face the Fire Nation soldier, who had gotten to his feet and was closing in on Aang. Perhaps they assumed that Aang is the Avatar rather than me.
Aang readied his staff to defend himself and blew a powerful blast of air in all directions to repel the soldiers. The soldier's one good eye widened as he looked at Aang. He shielded himself from the frigid wind that Aang had bended but stood his ground.
"No…" He muttered, as his expression twisted into one of disbelief. "You're the last airbender? You're the Avatar?" He asked.
Alya heard Katara's quiet gasp beside her. "Aang?"
"No," Sokka intoned.
That's when Alya decided to step in.
"Yeah, no," she quipped, airbending herself in front of Aang gracefully. "I'm sorry to inform you, hothead, but Aang is neither the Avatar nor the last airbender."
Alya watched his expression twist into an uglier one at her nickname. "Ha, so the Avatar's a girl? That's even more pathetic than the Avatar being a child," he spat, tauntingly. "I've spent years… training, meditating for this encounter. And you… you're just a teenage girl. You just made my job easier." He even looked like he meant.
"First of all, you're a sexist little prick. Secondly, I'm going to make you eat your words, hothead." Alya assumed a bending stance, waiting with baited breath for the soldier to strike. She studied him properly for the first time. His scar was the most prominent feature, standing out starkly against his partially bald head and pale skin. His eyes were a beautiful golden colour—more golden than any other firebender's eyes she'd ever seen. His armour indicated that he was probably from the royal family or a very highly ranked general. Considering he was so young, he must have been a prince or something of the sort. But what was a Fire Prince doing in the desolate tundras of the South?
Alya didn't have the time to wonder as the young firebender fired an onslaught of attacks on her. Alya smoothly bended them away from her, not letting her fear show on her face. She'd never really fought a firebender in a proper duel before.
The firebender kicked out, sending a powerful flame towards Alya. She gasped involuntarily and spun her glider in a circle, deflecting the flames. However, the flames were redirected towards the villagers, who screamed and flinched away from the flames. Alya, bending backward to avoid the onslaught of heat caught sight of the terrified expressions of the villagers and her heart clenched.
She immediately straightened up and faced her enemy, a determined expression on her face.
I will not let anyone get hurt because of me, ever again.
"Stop!" She yelled at the irate Fire Nation soldier. "Will you promise to leave everyone alone, if I go with you?" she questioned, her eyes never straying from his golden ones.
He didn't let his guard down though, looking at the Avatar intently. Suddenly, he seemed to make a decision, as he straightened up, gave a curt nod and gestured for his soldiers to capture Alya.
Her staff was grabbed from her hand and she was pushed forward by a rough pair of hands, towards the gloomy interior of the ship.
"Alya! No, don't do this!" Katara yelled, her blue eyes desperate.
Alya smiled reassuringly at her new friend. "Don't worry, I'll be alright." She looked significantly at Aang as she said the next sentence. "Take care of Appa for me, won't you? He'll need some exercise before sunset." She hoped her brother got the message as he gave her a tiny nod.
That was the last thing she saw as she was shoved into the glowing red corridors of the ship and the hull was raised.
"Head a course for the Fire Nation," the firebender ordered a satisfied gleam in his golden eyes. "I'm going home."
The Avatar was finally in the clutches of the Fire Nation.
"Who are you? Why are you so desperate to capture me?" Alya asked the Fire Nation soldier as she innocuously studied the rope binding her hands together. She didn't need her hands to escape the ship, but it would be helpful to have her hands unbound if she had to fight anyone. "I mean… I know why you want to capture me—Fire Nation hates the Avatar and all that—but why you in particular? You seem like you have better jobs to do."
"Be quiet, girl!" The firebender snarled, his fists smoking. "You're a prisoner, not a guest and I will use any and every means to stop you from escaping or doing anything remotely suspicious." His eyes glowed as he stared into Alya's defiant eyes.
"Hey, don't I have the right to ask some questions, at least? I remember the Fire Nation law— it said the prisoner had a right to defend themselves. Or has it changed in the past hundred years?" She asked, an eyebrow quirked. She heard someone chuckle behind the grumpy firebender and saw a genial-looking old man smiling in amusement at the scene playing out in front of him.
"No!" The firebender snapped. He whipped towards the guards and ordered them, "Take the prisoner to the prison hold and make sure she stays there! And don't give out any information!"
He snatched her staff from one of the guards and examined it. "This staff will make an excellent gift for my father. I suppose you wouldn't know your father, being raised by monks," he sneered. A frisson of pain shot through Alya at the thought of her father. A traitor. He betrayed everyone! The whispers were resurfacing in her mind.
"Take this to my quarters," he said, shoving the staff towards the old man.
The man looked vaguely insulted but calmly passed it on to a soldier. "Hey, mind taking this to Prince Zuko's quarters for me?"
So that was his name. Prince Zuko. Why in the world was the prince of the Fire Nation hunting for the Avatar? And what was with the scar? Alya pondered these questions as the guards led her to a drafty corridor, not really paying attention to their prisoner.
Alya bit her lip. She might be able to use this to her advantage. "So… I bet you've never fought an airbender before, right?" The guards didn't respond.
She smirked. "I bet I can take you with both of my hands tied behind my back," she boasted cockily.
"Silence!" One of the guards yelled.
They came to a stop in front of a door and the guard in front of her searched for the keys and stepped forward to open the door. Alya inhaled deeply, and exhaled with all her might, making the guard with the keys crash into the door with a loud clang.
The reaction force caused her to propel herself and the other guard backward right down the hallway and the guard crashed into the stairs, offering Alya a cushion as she quickly got to her feet and propelled herself upwards towards the deck.
Landing smoothly, she ran towards the only door she could see on the opposite side of the deck, using an airbending-kick to blast it open. She could hear a commotion on deck and she assumed that one of the guards had recovered and informed the crew that she'd escaped.
"Monkey-feathers!" She groaned, looking back apprehensively as she sped up a little. She just had to find her glider and then, she could get out of here. She only hoped Aang was following the ship with Appa and could pick her up.
She took a sharp turn towards a corridor to her right, hoping it would lead to the prince's quarters. After all, this was above decks and quite a bit less dingy than the prison hold. She suddenly skidded to a halt as she caught sight of three soldiers with their swords ready to attack.
"You wouldn't have happened to see my staff around, would you?" She asked weakly, between sharp gasps of air.
The soldiers just blinked and were about to charge when Alya airbended herself so that she was running on the walls and floor in corkscrew circles and escaped the three stunned guards.
"Thanks anyway!" She called out cheekily, chuckling. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and Alya felt thrilled. There was nothing more she enjoyed than using her skills to the fullest and especially in a dangerous situation like this. Gyatso used to call her an adrenaline junkie, a twinkle in his eye. Alya smiled faintly at the old memory.
She propelled herself upward to the next floor and was met with another guard, who thrust a fireball towards her. Alya quickly flipped into the air, angling herself so that her rope-bound hands would catch on the horn of the guard's helmet and break her free.
The guard fell down as Alya continued down the corridor, flexing her newly freed fingers as she opened all the doors littering the sides of the corridor, checking for her staff. She happened upon the old man's room and she grimaced apologetically when she saw him sleeping. She got the impression that he was only following Zuko because he loved the teenager and not because he supported him.
Besides, he seemed to have a good sense of humour.
"Sorry," she whispered as she gently eased the door closed.
She continued down the corridor, before coming to an abrupt stop as she finally spotted her staff in one of the more decorated rooms. She crept up to it, grinning victoriously as she almost neared it…
Only to hear the door slammed behind her. She flinched and turned to face her captor. Zuko.
"Oh. You," she deadpanned.
"Yes, me," he said, smirking a bit. He immediately took a bending stance and made graceful sweeping motions as he shot a stream of fire towards her. Even as she focused on getting away from him, she admired the grace he had as he bended—something she'd only associated with waterbenders and other airbenders.
She evaded most of his attacks by jumping high into the air or towards the side but quickly got annoyed as the fight was going nowhere. She smoothly slid beneath and away from the prince to stand behind him as he looked around the room for her. Alya took a bending stance, mimicking the prince's moves before he finally turned back and shot another fireball at her.
She huffed in annoyance as she was forced to airbend herself to every corner of the room using sharp gusts of wind as Zuko shot a continuous ribbon of fire. Alya hated being an airbender sometimes due to the fact the offensive moves were very hard to perform. All she could do was avoid and defend.
Finally, Alya landed beside a Fire Nation tapestry, which she grabbed quickly and spun it around the prince, tying a little bow at the back as a finishing touch. She smirked and wiggled her fingers in goodbye as Zuko scowled fiercely at her and snatched her staff, heading towards the door.
However, before she could escape, Zuko tore through the fabric of the tapestry and took a starting stance again, challenging her.
"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Alya asked in annoyance.
Alya levitated the mattress in the corner of the room towards Zuko, slamming him into the wall his left. He fell on the mattress with a groan. Just for good measure, she flicked her staff upwards and slammed him into the ceiling.
"And stay there!" She yelled as she finally escaped the room. She opened a hatch that led her to the bridge and laughed out in delight as she ran out towards the waning sunlight, mounting her glider. I'm free…
Suddenly, she felt a weight pulling at her leg, dragging her down. Zuko, again. Spirits, he's determined to capture me!
She slammed into the metal of the deck, groaning a bit as pain coursed through her. She gritted her teeth and got up.
"Spirits, you're stubborn, Prince Zuko. Tell me, why is the prince of the Fire Nation bothering with a mission to capture me?! Don't you have better things to do?" She yelled, thoroughly annoyed with the fact that her attempts to escape had been thwarted by him at every turn.
"Because my honour depends on it!" Zuko yelled desperately. Alya cocked her head to the side, a little puzzled. That was… not what she expected. Maybe he'd say that it was a pleasure project or a mission he wanted to pursue in his free time.
But he said that his honour depended on it.
Suddenly, she heard the familiar growl of her animal guide from behind her and Alya turned. She could just make out Appa's giant form as he swooped down towards the ship.
"Appa, Aang, you came!" She exclaimed joyfully.
But her momentary distraction was enough for Zuko to attack her. She barely managed to block the sheet of fire that the prince sent her way by spinning her staff. Zuko did not stop his offense though, forcing her to the edge of the deck. She almost overbalanced and fell into the water, but summoned a gust of air towards herself for stability. She was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Zuko began to attack again, relentlessly pummelling her with bursts of fire. Finally, she couldn't defend herself anymore and she overbalanced and fell into the icy waters below.
The darkness of the water surrounding her triggered a memory deep within her and as she sank deeper and deeper, a glow took over her eyes and bled into her tattoos as she rose in a vortex of swirling water.
Avatar Alya was back.
Zuko watched with wide eyes as the Avatar rose high above his ship, surrounded by a whirlpool of the icy waters. Her hair whipped in the wind, framing her face as her eyes and tattoos glowed a brilliant white blue. There was something so poetic and majestic about the Avatar in her Avatar State, though he doubted she could control it.
When he set out to search for the Avatar, he was prepared to face an old, experienced one—a fully realised Avatar with tremendous abilities. But she… she was just an airbender girl who'd only mastered her original element. Zuko thought it might be easier than expected.
But now, witnessing her prepare to destroy his ship, he realised that it might not be so easy after all.
She landed on the deck, right in the middle of his circle of soldiers. She bended the water swirling around her into a disk and smoothly thrust it outwards, towards him and the soldiers. He yelled as he fell overboard, desperately grabbing on to the sides of the ship, preventing himself from facing an icy death.
No, it wouldn't be that easy, after all.
Alya collapsed tiredly as the glow of her eyes and tattoos faded, feeling inexplicably fatigued right down to her bones. She remembered reading somewhere that when it was not done properly, the Avatar State was suicidal to the Avatar. She only wished that she'd stayed long enough for her to master the elements and learn to control the Avatar State. Who knows how different the world could've been, only if she'd stayed.
She felt the soft fabric of a pair of gloves pulling her up and supporting her and looked up to see Katara peering down at her concernedly. She smiled to assure her that she was alright and got to her feet unsteadily.
"Are you okay, sis?" Aang asked concernedly as he ran towards the trio, having landed Appa on deck.
"Yeah, thanks, little brother." She turned to the Water Tribe siblings with a smile and said, "Hey Katara, Sokka. Thanks for coming to my rescue." She smiled at the two of them.
Sokka rolled his eyes. "Well, I couldn't let you have all the glory, could I? Especially with how annoying you tend to be," he said, grumbling a little.
Alya laughed a little, ignoring the slight pain in her torso. "Just because I'm smarter than you, doesn't mean I'm annoying, Mr. Grump." She chuckled a little more on seeing his disgruntled expression at her statement.
Alya looked around for her staff, her grey eyes scanning the whole deck. "I dropped my staff," she intoned.
"Got it," Sokka answered, running towards said object.
He was just about to grab the staff and return to the group when a hand clutched the other end and Zuko climbed onto the deck, a menacing expression on his face.
"I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of this guy," Aang muttered to Alya before running towards Appa to get him ready. "Alya, get on Appa, we'll handle this! You're in no state to fight," Katara yelled at the airbender. Alya only sighed in agreement before making her way to the bison at a slower pace, mindful of her injuries.
"Ha, that's from the Water Tribe!" Sokka exclaimed as he managed to push Zuko back into the water.
Aang helped Alya into Appa's saddle and coaxed the bison up. Appa shook some water out of his fur and Katara was about to follow Alya when the guards on the deck got up, their weapons at the ready. She took a deep breath and stood in a weak waterbending stance. She swiveled the water on the deck towards the soldiers, trying to make a water whip but bended it towards Sokka instead, encasing his legs in a block of ice.
"Katara!" Sokka complained loudly before beginning to hack at the ice with his boomerang.
"Do it from the opposite side, Katara!" Alya yelled out from the saddle. Katara took her advice and turned towards Sokka, mimicking her move from earlier and moving the water towards the soldiers with her eyes closed.
She turned back to face the soldiers after a moment, only to see that all three of them were frozen to the ground, the nearest soldier's fingers twitching uselessly.
"Hurry up, Sokka!" Alya called out to the Water Tribe boy, who was still chipping away at the ice. He muttered something that sounded like 'just a guy with a boomerang' and 'didn't ask for all this' before finally breaking free from the ice before climbing up Appa's tail and into the saddle.
As they rose up into the sky, Alya could see the old man walking on the deck, rubbing his eyes as if he couldn't believe the spectacle. Alya gave him a cheeky wave, before facing front. She'd escaped. This time, at least.
Appa gave a loud roar as he turned and rose into the sky, heading away from the ship rapidly. Suddenly, Alya, who was keeping a lookout for any further attacks, suddenly said, "Aang there's a lot of fire headed this way! We've got to deflect it!"
The airbending siblings rose in harmony and used their staffs to send a powerful blast of air towards the fireballs to deflect it to the iceberg covering their left. Alya collapsed with exhaustion, watching as the iceberg crumbled and fell, blocking the way for Zuko's ship.
They'd won. For now.
Aang pumped his fist in victory before turning to face the other three in Appa's saddle, all of whom looked sombre and serious.
"Alya…" Katara began. "That thing you did with the water? It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. How'd you do it?" She questioned, wonder filling her eyes.
"I did it because… well… my life was in danger and my past lives didn't like it. They saved me, just like they did a hundred years ago by encasing me in ice," Alya answered, pulling her knees up to her chest.
"Well, you're the Avatar, then. Why didn't you tell us?" Katara asked, looking hurt.
Alya looked down shamefully. "When the monks told me I was the Avatar, they told me something else, too. Something that made me run away. In those moments, I never wanted to be the Avatar." Alya looked at the water drifting below them, a single tear slipping down her face.
"But the whole world's been waiting for you to put an end to this war, Alya," Katara said gently.
"I knew it then, I know it now," Alya answered taking a deep breath. "And this time, I won't run away from my destiny. I just… want to know how I can save the world. How can I master three elements? Where will I find the teachers in such a fragmented world?"
"You will. And we will help you. You have to master waterbending first, right?" Aang asked, a rare, serious expression on his face. Alya nodded at him. "Well, we did promise Katara that we'd take her to the North Pole. I'm pretty sure we can find you a teacher in the same place, am I right?" Aang asked the familiar silly grin back in place.
Alya rolled her eyes at her little brother before cuffing him on his head. "Idiot."
"Well, that's settled then!" Katara said, clapping her hands together. "We'll head for the North Pole, where Alya and I can learn waterbending. Aang, I'm sure we'll do some fun things along the way," she said, smiling at the younger boy. "Sokka, how would you like to bash some Fire Nation head?"
Sokka rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "I'd like that. I'd really like that."
Alya smiled her widest. "Then we're in this together."
"Speaking of fun things…" Aang intoned, producing a map after rummaging through their bags for a while. "We have some serious business to attend to here, here, and here." Aang proceeded to explain his 'fun activities' to an earnest Katara and an exasperated Sokka as Alya hid her giggles behind a fist, watching the sun sink beneath the water as they continued to head North, their destination firmly in mind.
"Good news for the Fire Lord," Iroh said calmly, as he kneeled on the deck of the ship, watching his nephew bow his head in defeat. "The biggest threat to the Fire Nation is just a teenage girl."
Zuko got up and stared at the avalanche of ice.
"That teenage girl, Uncle, just did this," he said, pointing to the ice. There was some amount of respect in his statement and Iroh raised an eyebrow.
Interesting.
"I won't underestimate her again," he muttered to himself, closing his eyes as he thought about grey eyes taunting him, besting him in a fight.
He took a deep breath and commanded, "Dig this ship out! We are to follow the Avatar!"
It was only then he noticed the soldiers firebending their fellow officers out of their icy prison. Zuko added uncomfortably, "After you're done with that, of course."
Iroh chuckled as he watched his nephew storm off the deck, thinking of the Avatar and her quick smile and the peculiar way his nephew reacted to her.
Interesting, indeed.
19.08.18
Hi, I'm back with another chapter. Nothing major happening here, mostly the same as the episode, but Alya and Zuko are introduced to each other! I couldn't really cut it out of the story. On that note, I might be cutting out some unnecessary chapters, like the ones involving the episode 'Imprisoned' or something like that, since it mostly focuses on Katara. I'll replace it with a chapter which focuses on Alya's personal story arc. There'll be much more original stuff in the future chapters.
Please review! Thank you to stkichi, Arianna Le Fay, Znkp and Guest who reviewed the previous chapters and encouraged me to continue this story. :D
~noelle