Bryke's world, my ideas...

47 The Avatar and the Giant

Tenzin slowly, cautiously descended the staircase. The farther down he traveled, the warmer it got, so much so that he took off the fall cloak he'd been wearing and left it on one of the steps.

As the bottom of the stairs came into view, he noticed something odd, light. He wondered how it could be so bright so far down. He cautiously rounded the last corner and it came into sight. "A spirit oasis." he gasped as his eyes landed on the lush green grass, colorful flowers and flowing water.

A strip of land reached out from the doorway to a larger, circular landing surrounded by water. At the center of the landing stood a statue. It was raised off of the ground by a three tiered square pedestal.

The statue itself was a couple. To Tenzin's right stood Yangchen in the same pose as the statue above the staircase, but this time there was someone in place to hold her hand.

A man was at her left, very tall and quite large. The two stood facing forward, but their heads were turned slightly toward each other and the looks carved into the stone were subtle but loving. Tenzin walked up to the second step and looked at the couple then he looked around. It was beautiful, peaceful. He sat down and looked at his surroundings.

"This is a lovely place, isn't it?" a voice said from behind Tenzin.

Before he'd remembered that he was alone he said, "Yes, it is indeed." then it struck him. The young air bender jumped up and turned around only to find himself standing before the hulking blue form of a spirit, not just any spirit, the man from the statue.

Tenzin jumped back and the spirit laughed haughtily. "Well hello young air bender. I am Jampa the Larger of the Northern Air Temple."

The young man looked at the giant spirit wide-eyed and bowed "Hello good spirit. I am Tenzin of Air Temple Island."

"Air Temple Island? Well Tenzin of Air Temple Island, what brings you here. You're the first visitor I've had in a few hundred years."

"A few hundred?"

"Yes, three or four, I'm not sure. I lost count." he said, looking down at Tenzin "So…woman trouble?"

Tenzin was startled "Why would you ask me that?"

"Well," the spirit said settling down on the base "It's usually only the lovelorn or those with relationship issues who tend to see me." he patted the spot beside him "Have a seat young man, maybe I should start from the beginning." Tenzin sat down next to Jampa "I was what you would call a late bloomer."

"You? You're a giant. That must have been one magnificent growth spurt."

Jampa laughed "I was always great in stature, but I was shy, and a bit of a slow learner. I didn't receive my arrows until I was eighteen. I was mortified when I found out they were going to do my arrows at the western temple and when I found out they were going to let a girl assist I almost had a panic attack. It only got worse when I saw her.

"She was beautiful. I begged my guardian not to let her be present, but Dorje assured me that they would not allow her in until my bottom half was done and draped with a sheet.

"When she finally came in I tried to hide the fact that I was in pain, as if she didn't know what it felt like."

"You didn't pass out?" Tenzin asked "My father says everyone passed out."

"That's what my guardian told me. The elders said I was the only one they'd ever seen who didn't. Nevertheless, she completed the ones on my arms. When she got to my right hand she sneezed, causing my line to be crooked." Jampa held out his hand to show a wide-eyed Tenzin a slight deviation in the arrow. "When she was done, she apologized for hours. I told her it was barely noticeable, but she said that she noticed, that she would always notice," he smiled, "then she blushed and ran away."

The next day, they announced her as the Avatar. It was ten years before I saw Yangchen again and she was more beautiful than I remembered, more amazing. I followed her around like a lovesick puppy." he chuckled "I actually tried to hide from her."

Tenzin pressed his lips together and raised an eyebrow "You're seven feet tall."

"Actually I'm seven foot two, but I did it. One day she walked up to me and grabbed my hand. She said 'I can fix that nick if you'd like me to.' I told her that she was the only one who noticed it. That was the start.

"We were married not very long after. She created this place for the wedding. I traveled with her for five years before I was killed in a raid. Our time together was short. She brought me back here to be laid to rest and erected this statue.

"My Love came here every time she was in the area. All I could do is watch as she lay on these steps and cried time after time. The first time she came after my burial was the hardest. She came to tell me she was pregnant. The next time she came she brought our infant son. After that she came alone.

"When my son came again it was to bury her beside me. That's when this became a spirit oasis. That's when the lovelorn started seeing me.

"The first to see me was my son, Rohan. He came down here to say one last goodbye to his mother and I was able to appear to him. The woman he loved didn't know he existed. For the first time I had a vision. I saw him, and my grandchildren." he smiled at Tenzin "I was able to tell him that everything was going to work out just fine for him.

"For over a century they came, even Kyoshi, but slowly people forgot about me. No one's been here in centuries, until you. So young Tenzin, I ask again, what brings you here?"

Tenzin went through the short version of the events of the last hundred fifty years. Jampa was overwhelmed.

"I've been in this place so long that I didn't know our people were annihilated." he looked at the young man next to him "So you are the first air bender born in over one hundred years, and your father is the Avatar. I knew you were special."

"I don't know about that, but I do want to show you something." Tenzin held out his right hand.

"You have the nick." Jampa said jovially.

"Yes, my father was exhausted and Avatar Yangchen stepped in to complete my tattoo. I'm the only one who ever noticed it, I was beginning to think I was being paranoid."

The large spirit smiled "My Love marked you. You are special." he stood up "and now I know why you are here. I have your message."

"You do?" the young man said as he stood up.

"Yes. Your soul mate is here, but she is not ready for you yet. Be patient, she will come to you and your life together will be wonderful."

With that, Jampa faded away.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Remembering his promise to little Pim, Tenzin ascended the stairs backup to the surface. He thought about what Jampa said. For years he had been sure that Lin was his soul mate, but the spirit clearly said that she was 'here.' He decided that he would just wait and see.

When he reached the top of the stairs he closed the entrance and headed out to look for Lee. As he passed the window he noticed a group of bison that included Appa. "Father's here already?" He ran out to the fountain, knowing that it was where Aang usually went when he first arrived. Tenzin was excited to tell him about the oasis.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

When he reached the fountain he was surprised that no one was there. He sat on the edge of the water and said "I wonder where he could've gone."

"Aang didn't come," a voice answered, "I did."

Tenzin's heart skipped a beat as he stood and turned around. There was Lin, draped in green silk with her wavy black hair flowing over to one side. "Hello Tenzin."

Just a little something that popped into my head. I love Jampa

Catching up on the names:

Philo (Kimi's husband) is a Greek name that means love

Hondo (Kimi's son) is a Shona (African) name that means warrior, fighter

Jampa is a Tibetan name that means loving kindness

Dorje is a Tibetan name that means indestructible