Book Two: Earth
Chapter Five: Avatar Day
Xena was sleeping peacefully when the loud rumbling woke her up. She jolted into a sitting position and looked around with sleep blurred eyes. Four men on komodo rhino's had them surrounded.
"Give up!" One of them orders. "You're completely surrounded."
Xena jumps to her feet and stumble slightly before regaining her balance just in time to avoid several flaming arrows.
"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Sokka shouted, running towards Appa.
Aang grabs Xena's arm and pulls her up onto Appa before they both grab Sokka and pull him up. They turn to help Katara up, but suddenly she stops and spins around.
"My scrolls!" Katara cried out as one of the men spun a guan dao, slamming it into a fallen tree where Katara had been sleeping earlier.
"My staff!" Aang shouted, spotting his forgotten staff.
Katara froze the guan dao to the tree, snatched up her box of scrolls and ran back towards Appa while the man was staring at his frozen blade in mild surprise. Aang jumped off Appa and ran towards his staff. One of the riders knocked a tree down in front of him, but he just somersaults over it. He grabs his staff and suddenly has to knock a small bomb that had been thrown at him away.
"Yip-yip!" Aang shouted, urgently jumping onto Appa's head just as the bomb blows up.
The duck as a rider launches a fireball at them with bending.
"Wait, my boomerang!" Sokka shouted as he stretched his arm over the saddle as if to grab it.
"There's no time!" Katara said.
"Oh, I see!" He snapped. "So there's time to get your scrolls and time to get your staff, but no time for my boomerang?"
"That's correct," Katara confirmed.
Sokka bowed his head in defeat. "Oh…"
"There's a reason I sleep with my swords on," Xena comments dryly, pulling her hair back into a ponytail with an orange ribbon.
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"Sorry about your boomerang, Sokka," Aang apologized to a sulking Sokka.
"I feel like I've lost a part of identity…" Sokka muttered sadly then he jumped up and tilted the straw hat Aang was wearing back so he could point at his tattoo. "Imagine if you lost your arrow or Xena lost her swords, or Katara lost her…hair loopies."
"Here's your produce, ponytail guy," The merchant said cheerfully as he put the basket of supplies on the stall's counter.
"I used to be boomerang guy…" Sokka sighed dejected, lifting the basket and walking back to Appa.
Xena watched him silently for a moment before paying the merchant.
"Hey, Water Tribe money!" The merchant stated in surprise as he inspected the blue coins.
"Is that okay?" She asks, tilting my head.
"So long as it's money," The merchant replied, tucking the coins away. "Have a nice Avatar Day!"
Aang turned around and looked at the merchant interestedly. "Avatar Day?"
"You guys are going to the festival, right?" The merchant asked.
If this turns into another incident like on Kyoshi I swear I'll kill someone. Xena sighed and followed Aang as he went to tell the others.
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"There's a holiday for the Avatar," Aang said with a grin as he shrugged his shoulders. "Who knew?"
"Look!" Katara exclaimed, pointing at a large Kyoshi float. "They made a giant Kyoshi float!"
"And here comes Avatar Roku!" Sokka stated as he pointed at the large wooden statue.
"Having a huge festival in your honor is great," Aang commented happily. "But, frankly, it's just nice to be appreciated!"
"And it's nice to appreciate their deep-fried festival food!" Sokka said as he took a large bite of the pastry in his hand.
"Aang, look!" Katara exclaimed as she pointed at a giant float of Aang coming down the street.
"That's the biggest me I've ever seen!" The younger Airbender said as the float rolled past.
Xena crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as a man with long hair and dressed in a green loincloth, ran down the street with a lit torch.
"Now a torch, that's a nice prop. It's bright, dangerous…" Sokka praised as he sniffed the air. "Smells manly. But I'm not sure I could pull it off."
"A torch is a useless weapon. All it's good for is a light source or setting things on fire," Xena replied dryly.
"Hey, what's that guy doing?" Katara asked curiously as the man reached the float of Kyoshi.
The runner gave a loud shout as he lit the Kyoshi float on fire, soon followed by Roku.
"Down with the Avatar! Down with the Avatar!" The crowd chanted loudly.
"I'm somehow not surprised," Xena mumbled and then dropped her hands to her side. "We should go, the last thing we need is to be in a town that hates the Avatar."
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Zuko ran across the rooftop along the quiet street, where a man and woman were walking. He quickly leapt from the roof and landed in front of the couple, unsheathing his dao swords. He lunged at the man carrying two baskets suspended on a long pole, swiftly cutting both baskets off in a single fluid motion. He grabbed the fruit the woman held and then ran off into the woods before they could react. He pulled off his mask and hid it in a hollow tree with his swords before walking into the clearing in front of the cave where Iroh was sitting next to a fire. He dropped the food at his uncle's feet.
"Where did you get these?" Iroh asked curiously as he looked at the food.
"What does it matter where they came from?" Zuko retorted angrily, stomping back into the woods.
He wasn't proud of his stealing, but it was the only viable option he could see short of selling Xena's bracelet.
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The runner threw the lit torch into the left eye of the Aang float, causing the crowd to cheer in approval. Katara scowled, ignored Xena's advice, and ran to the front of the crowd, bending the water from two large pots nearby to extinguish the flames.
"That party pooper's ruined Avatar Day!" One of the villagers shouted accusingly.
Aang airbended himself to the top of his own float.
"That party pooper's my friend!" Aang shouted angrily at the crowd then he took of his straw hat and threw it to the ground, revealing his arrow.
"It's the Avatar himself!" The mayor exclaimed as he pointed up at Aang in horror.
"It's going to kill us with its awesome Avatar powers!" A village cried out in fear as the crowd stared up at Aang in terror.
"No, I'm not, I…" Aang said quickly as he raised his hand and several of the villagers cowered in fear, while the villager that had spoken threw himself into the crowd.
He quickly lowered his hands.
"I suggest you leave!" The mayor shouted up at Aang then began waving them away with a gesture of his hand. "You're not welcome here, Avatar!"
"Why not?" Katara demanded. "Aang helps people!"
"It's true!" Aang stated desperately as he dropped down beside Katara. "I'm on your side."
"I find that hard to swallow," The man commented calmly then his voice rose to a shout, "Considering what you did to us in your past life! It was Avatar Kyoshi; she murdered our glorious leader, Chin the Great!"
"You think that I…murdered someone?" Aang asked in complete shock.
"We used to be a great society before you killed our leader," An old man with a lisp slurred angrily then he pointed at his haggard-looking face. "Now look at us!"
"Aang would never do something like that. No Avatar would" Katara said as she placed her hands on the younger monk's shoulders. "And it's not fair for you all to question his honor!"
"Let's tell her what we all think of the Avatar's 'honor!'" A third villager yelled.
The man turned around and shook his rear at Aang, blowing a raspberry as he did so and the other villagers cheered loudly in approval. Xena growled and took a step forward, but Sokka grabs her arm in warning.
"Give me a chance to clear my name!" Aang pleaded.
"The only way to prove your innocence is to stand trial," The mayor stated coolly.
"I'll gladly stand trial!" Aang replied confidently.
The mayor smirked. "You'll have to follow all our rules. That includes paying bail."
"No problem." Aang said.
A second later Aang found himself in jail, head and hands cuffed in a wooden panel, unable to pay bail.
"How was I supposed to know they wouldn't take Water Tribe money?" Aang offered his friends apologetically.
Xena scowled and leaned against the wall.
"So some people don't like you, big deal!" Sokka ranted exasperatedly. "There's a whole nation of firebenders who hate you. Now let's bust you out of here!"
"I can't."
"Sure you can!" Sokka said as he jumped away from the bars and began making imitation airbending with his arms. "A little swish-swish-swish! Airbending slice! And we're on our way!"
"I think what 'Master Swish' is trying to say," Katara added, "Is that you're supposed to be saving the world. You can't do that locked up in here."
"I can't do that with people thinking I'm a murderer either," Aang retorted unhappily, "I need you guys to help prove my innocence."
"How're we gonna do that?" Sokka asked dryly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "The crime happened over three hundred years ago."
A sly smile appeared on Aang's face. "That's okay, Sokka. For some reason, I thought you were an expert detective."
"Well, I guess I could be classified as such," Sokka replied.
"Yeah!" Katara said, playing Sokka's ego. "Back home, he was famous for solving the mystery of the missing seal jerky."
"Everyone wanted to blame it on a polar leopard, but I figured out it was Old Man Jarko wearing polar leopard boots!" Sokka bragged. "See, a real eight hundred-pound polar leopard would have left much deeper tracks. Okay, I guess I am pretty good."
Xena slapped her forehead in exasperation and slid down the wall into a sitting position.
"So, you'll help me with my case?" Aang asked.
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"Fine," Sokka agreed as he put his hands on his hips. "But I'm going to need some new props." Sokka spun around quickly then turned back around wearing a blue hat with a monocle attached to it. Katara started laughing and Xena stared blankly at him.
"What?" Sokka demanded at Katara, lifting his monocle.
Xena shake her head slightly. "I think I'm gonna stay here with Aang, while you and Detective Monocle here work on proving him innocent," She tells Katara, sending her into another bout of laughing at her nickname for Sokka.
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Zuko watched as the carriage drew closer before jumping down from the tree into their path. Before the guards can recover from their surprise he punches one in the face knocking him unconscious. The second one grabs his sword and swings downwards, but Zuko swings around one of the support beams of the front seat and kicks him out onto the dry ground. He then jumps onto the top of the carriage and slashes through the roof with his swords. A fat nobleman whimpers and flinches back, holding his chest of gold up to him. Zuko snatched the chest from the man and disappeared back into the forest.
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"Look what we have here," A rough voice called out, catching Xena's attention. "You've got some killer tattoos... You're going to fit in real well around here."
She slides forward to look through the bars noticing a tall mean looking man with green snake tattoos. Two others step forward and start asking Aang questions about himself including his love life. Smiling, she sits back against the walls and listens to their conversation.
"This girl you're talking about? She'll come around; you just gotta hang in there."
"You think so?"
"Sure."
"Yeah."
"You're a catch."
"I don't know…" Aang said doubtfully.
"Hey! You're smart, handsome, funny. Not to mention you're the Avatar!"
"You guys are great," Aang said happily.
"Don't be afraid to tell her how you feel."
Xena sighed and rests her chin on my knees. Aang was definitely going to get his girl. She can't say the same for Zuko and her though. She jerks in surprise at the thought. Where had that come from?
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"Honorable Mayor, we've prepared a solid defense for the Avatar," Katara said respectfully. "We did an investigation and found some very strong evidence."
Sokka grinned broadly and leaned towards Aang, pointing at himself to emphasize that he was the one that had discovered said evidence. Xena rolled her eyes and elbows him in the ribs.
"Ow!" He protested, glaring at her.
"Evidence?" The mayor waved his hand dismissively. "Hmph! That's not how our court system works."
"Then how can I prove my innocence?" Aang asked curiously.
"Simple. I say what happened," The mayor explained and pointed at himself then he pointed at Aang. "Then you say what happened, and then I decide who's right. That's why we call it justice because it's 'just us.'" The mayor laughed as he left.
"I'm so going to murder him," Xena growls, reaching up to pull a sword. Katara shakes her head 'no' and she sighs in disappointment.
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"Everyone loved Chin the Great because he was so great," Tong said emotionally as he stood in the center of a small amphitheater with the statue of Chin and temple on the edge of the cliff. "Then the Avatar showed up and killed him, and that's how it happened."
"The accused will now present its argument," A guard drawled in a very deep bored monotone.
"You can do it, Aang," Sokka encouraged quietly. "Just remember the evidence."
"Right…evidence," Aang muttered as he looked to his left and tried to remember what to say, and then he cleared his throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen…I'm about to tell you what really happened! And I will prove it with facts. Fact number one!" Aang said enthusiastically and raised his finger, but his mind goes blank. "Uh…"
"The footprint!" Sokka whispered urgently.
"Oh, yeah! You see…I have very large feet," Aang said then glanced down at his small feet.
"Furthermore…your temple matches your statue!" Aang continued and the villagers looked from the statue to the temple, clearly unsure where the young Avatar was going with his argument, "But…I, uh, was in a painting at sunset. So, there you have it, I'm not guilty!"
Aang quickly ended his argument with a large smile on his face and the unimpressed villagers stared at him blankly.
"He's dead…" Sokka muttered.
"So dead," Xena mutters back as Momo hisses in her lap before curling around her neck.
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"Looks like you did some serious shopping," Iroh commented as he walked into the cave and picked up the large, gold-colored teapot. "But where did you get the money?"
"Do you like your new teapot?" Zuko asked evasively.
"To be honest with you, the best tea tastes delicious whether it comes in a porcelain pot or a tin cup," Iroh stated as he put down the fancy teapot then walked over to his nephew and kneeled beside him."I know we've had some difficult times lately. We've had to struggle just to get by."
Iroh reached out and put a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "But it's nothing to be ashamed of. There is a simple honor in poverty."
"There's no honor for me without the Avatar."
"Zuko…" Iroh started then sighed quietly. "Even if you did capture the Avatar, I'm not so sure it would solve our problems. Not now."
Zuko turned away from his uncle, his eyes downcast. "Then there is no hope at all."
The prince made to stand up, but Iroh grabbed him by the shoulders. "No, Zuko! You must never give in to despair," Iroh chided gently. "Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts."
Zuko bowed his head and closed his eyes as he listened to his uncle. "In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength."
Zuko sat in silence for a few seconds before standing up and leaving. He would regain his honor . . . one way or another.
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"Mayor Tong, I'd like for the court to hear one last testimony," Katara said as she stood in front of the seated villagers.
"I already told you, it's just me and the accused," Tong snapped in irritation. "You can't call any witnesses!"
"This isn't just any witness. I'm going to call…" Katara paused. "Avatar Kyoshi herself!" Katara sat back down as Aang stepped back into the amphitheater dressed in Kyoshi's clothes.
"What are you doing?" Sokka asked in a whisper as he leaned towards his sister and pointed at Aang.
"Well, she is Aang's past life." Katara replied hopefully. "Maybe wearing her stuff will trigger something."
"I do believe in the power of stuff."
Tong looked at the dressed up Aang angrily. "This is a mockery of Chin Law!"
"Please!" Katara called out pleadingly. "If you could just wait one more second, I'm sure Kyoshi will be here!"
"Hey, everybody!" Aang called out in a high-pitched voice, hiding behind a fan. "Avatar Kyoshi here!"
"Oh Agni, he's going to die," Xena whimpered, face palming in disbelief.
"This is ridiculous!" Tong shouted as he walked over to Aang. "For the murder of Chin the Great, this court finds the Avatar-"
There was a large surge of energy and Xena gasped, doubling over in sudden pain. Unlike the time when Avatar Roku took over Aang's body this was painful as her connection to the Avatar Spirit was through Roku and didn't extend to any of his past lives. She closes her eyes as the pain grows to an unbearable level, her crescent moon tattoo glowing slightly. Sokka grabs her arm in concern, but she's in too much pain to even recognize it. It feels like an hour goes by before the pain leaves her and she slumps against Sokka weakly.
"What happened?" She asked quietly, noticing Katara over by Aang.
"He confessed," Sokka says sadly.
Tong stood up and faced Aang.
"And I find you…" He paused to brush himself off then pointed accusingly at Aang. "Guilty! Bring out the Wheel of Punishment!"
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"Uncle…" Zuko said walking to the cave entrance, ,"I thought a lot about what you said."
"You did?" Iroh stated. "Good, good."
"It helped me realize something," Zuko continued calmly as he bowed his head slightly. "We no longer have anything to gain by traveling together. I need to find my own way."
Zuko looked at his uncle's back then grabbed his pack and began walking back into the forest.
"Wait!" His uncle hurried after him leading the ostrich-horse over to him. Zuko took the reins and mounted the ostrich-horse looking at his uncle one last time before riding off. Xena would have yelled at him for what he did. He grumbled lowly and shook his head. Why was he thinking about her?
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"The accused will now spin the Wheel of Punishment to determine his sentence," A guard said as he stood beside the large wheel that depicted various forms of punishment.
"I said I would face justice, so I will," Aang declared then took a deep breath and spun the wheel, waiting with bated breath to see what it would land on.
Several villagers called out their preferred punishment while Katara pleaded for community service. Xena narrowed eyes furiously and tiny wisps of smoke rose from her palms. It was all she could do not to send the wheel up in flames. The wheel finally slowed to a stop.
The guard peered at the wheel then turned back to the crowd. "Looks like its 'boiled in oil.'"
The villagers cheered loudly. Aang looked at us in fear and shock. Suddenly the ocean exploded upwards and the villagers screamed as freezing salt water rained down around them. Xena ignores the glares that Katara and Sokka send her way. Hands clenched into fists, she is almost too consumed by frustration and anger to sense the commotion behind her. Her anger with the unfair trial vanishes as she stands, slapping a small grenade with the flat edge of a sword. She mentally cheers when it hits the statue of Chin.
"We've come to claim this village for the Fire Lord. Now show me the leader so I may…" The firebender paused with a smirk as the grenade blows up, destroying the statue. "Dethrone him!"
One of the villagers pointed at Tong. "That's him over there!"
Mayor Tong squealed in terror and dove behind the Wheel of Punishment.
He peeked out from behind the wheel as he addressed Aang in a commanding tone, "You, Avatar, do something!"
"Gee, I'd love to help," Aang replied apathetically as he stared blankly in front of him. "But I'm supposed to be boiled in oil."
"There, community service!" Tong said, turning the wheel one slot over and pointed at the five men on rhinos. "Now serve our community and get rid of those rhinos!"
Aang smirked slightly then rushed forward at the guan dao wielder. Confident that he could handle himself, Xena hang back, watching in amusement as he throws the rider over the cliff.
"Rough Rhinos, to the town!" The leader ordered as he pointed back to the village.
"Let's go before they burn the town down," Xena shouts, taking the lead.
Aang heads after the leader, Katara after the guy with the chains, and Sokka after the archer and guy with the bombs while Xena quickly puts out fires before they spread. After she's done with that she goes to help Sokka, who had managed to make the bombs blow up with the help of the archer's fire lit arrows. The archer aims an arrow at him, but Xena grabs the pipe from Sokka's belt and throws it, capping the arrow and putting the flame out. The archer stares at his arrow in shock not noticing when Katara cuts part of his saddle with a water whip. His foot gets caught in the stir up when he falls so he's dragged behind his rhino when Katara whips its flank.
"How is it that you're such a bad ass?" Sokka asks still shocked about in shock about the pipe.
"Practice," Xena replies cheekily.
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"From now on, we'll celebrate a new Avatar Day in honor of the day Avatar Aang saved us from the Rough Rhino Invasion!" Mayor Tong exclaimed grandly later that night as fireworks went off in the village and he gestured towards the group of teens.
Xena frowns down at the bowl in her hands, staring at the Aang-shaped pieces of uncooked dough.
"What is this?" Sokka asked as he looked into his own bowl.
"That's our new festival food!" Tong said, his hands clasped in front of him. "Un-fried dough. May we eat it and be reminded of how on this day the Avatar was not boiled in oil."
"Happy Avatar Day, everyone," Katara said with a weak smile and ate the dough.
Xena's frown deepens as she watches Aang eat one with a disgusted look
"This is by far the worst town we've ever been to," Sokka stated as he stared at the dough in his hand skeptically.
Sighing he ate it. Suddenly Xena got an idea and smirked. Cupping the ceramic bowl in between her hands, she heats it up with firebending.
"No fair," Sokka whines.
Xena frowns again and sighs.
"I think I would've preferred the dough," She says, flipping the bowl upside down to pour out the ashes. Her friends laugh at her as they notice the damage on the bottom of the bowl. Two perfect handprints were scorched into it.
"Nice one, Xena," Aang teases.
"Oops," Xena mumbles as the mayor glares at me.
Another chapter done. I used to hate this episode but after rewatching the episode and writing this it has become one of my favorites.
Whatever1993- Xena's in denial and Zuko's just too naïve to realize it.