Chapter 3:
"Aren't you going with the boy's Katara?" the younger girl was sitting on her bed as the boys had left to see the general.
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"I can't see what Aang's putting himself through for this. I mean when ever he's gone into the avatar state he's been in some kind of danger." she admitted "It's scary."
"Katara, if something does happen to Aang, he's going to need you there to bring him back, calm him down and reassure him." Freya said as Momo jumped from her shoulder to a pillow on the floor, curling up.
Katara looked down at her knees, her hands wrapped around them as she frowned.
Freya sighed and she turned for the door before there was a bang. The two girls looked up surprised.
"What was that?" Freya demanded as the ground shook beneath them.
"I wonder what crazy thing they're trying now." Katara said before the entire room shook again.
"Uh Katara…" Freya said worried as more bangs and crashes sounded from outside the tower. Katara looked at her biting her lip.
"Maybe we should just make sure Aang's okay." she agreed and Freya nodded before the two girls ran for the door and left the room.
The two girls left the tower to see Aang running around the courtyard and earth benders lifting cylinders with square holes in the middle and throwing them at the air bender. Several of the guards rode on ostrich horses.
Katara and Freya shared a shocked look before they began to run down the stairs. Sokka was running down on the opposite side.
"Sokka!" Freya called
"What's going on?" Katara questioned as they came to the bottom of the stairs.
"The general's gone crazy. He's trying to force Aang into the Avatar state!" Sokka admitted.
"Not any more he's not!" Freya snapped. Katara followed the older girl as Sokka threw his boomerang which spiralled around until it knocked over a bender just before he could roll his cylinder at Aang. He knocked it over on his way down.
Aang ran from an ostrich horse and Katara flung her water out to cut the top of the spear it's rider had. She then knocked him off it's back and Sokka began to approach the beast.
"Good bird/horse thingy." he said, his arms out before him in caution. The animal pawed it's foot before Sokka managed to grab the reins and lift himself into the saddle.
The general was watching Katara before he was being thrown through the air to slam into a wall. He turned and Freya stood before him.
"What is wrong with you!?" she demanded
"We need this power! We need to end the war." the general said as he got to his feet.
"This wont end it. You'll just cause more casualties!" Freya snapped. She waved her hand and water left her new pouch and formed a circle around her. The general took his stance and Freya shot off bits of water that turned to ice at the general and he rose a wall to block her. Freya shot one off in an arc to her side and as the general blocked the oncoming, this one hit the side of his head, smashing in the process. The general stumbled sideways and Freya splashed water all across the floor to ice his feet in place. She knew earth bending was mostly done with the lower body.
The general struggled for a second before he ground his teeth and looked at her. Freya waited, on guard. The soldier rose his arms and Freya gasped as her feet suddenly sunk into the dirt. She fell forwards and her hands were clamped in earth to the floor, causing her water to fall to the ground around her.
Freya struggled against the hold as the General earthbended his way out of his ice. He smirked at her before Katara tried her water whip on him. General Fong rose some earth and the water was just turned to mud. Freya looked up as Katara was suddenly surrounded by the cylinders and General Fong stood before her.
"Maybe you can avoid me, but she can't." Aang, who was running up the steps of the tower stopped and saw Katara surrounded as the cylinders were turned to block Katara's escape.
The general suddenly took a stance and Katara spun around and sunk into the floor as if it was made of quick sand. Katara struggled and grunted to get free but to no avail.
"I can't move!" she exclaimed
"Don't hurt her!" Aang jumped off of the balcony and down towards General Fong. Freya pulled on her hands and willed the water splashed around her to move and free her but nothing happened.
Freya ground her teeth frustratedly as she looked up to see Aang send a wind blast at the General He rose a piece of earth and the wind collided with it before General Fong lowered it back to the ground.
He clenched his fist and Katara cried out as she sunk some more.
"Katara!" Sokka shouted from the back of the ostrich horse, coming to the opening of the cylinders. "No!" he charged the animal towards the general but the soldier sunk the beasts feet and caused Sokka to go flying through the air. He gasped as he slammed into the hole of one of the cylinders and hung there.
"Stop this! You have to let her go." Aang ran forwards and grabbed General Fong's arm.
"You could save her if you were in the Avatar state." the General confessed angrily.
"I'm trying… I'm trying!" Aang said desperately, tears filling up in his eyes.
"Aang, I'm sinking!" Katara was up to her armpits now, her hands just hovering above the earth.
"Stop it! How does harming people make you any different to the Fire Nation!" Freya shouted, shaking her hair out of her face as she continued to try and release herself, pulling on her hands and the rock. She could feel her wrists were beginning to blister painfully but she didn't care.
"I don't see glowing." the general said and he lowered his hand towards the ground some more, causing only Katara's head to be seen.
"Please!"
"You don't need to do this!" Aang shouted as he fell to his knees.
"Apparently I do." The general curled in his fingers and Katara disappeared below the earth just as Aang launched forwards to grab her. He missed and there was a pause as Freya felt rage and every piece of her turned hot.
Aang turned back to the general and his tattoos and eyes were glowing as he looked furious.
"It worked. It worked!" The general cheered.
A harsh wind began to blow from Aang and the General grinned before realising the seriousness of Aang's expression. The avatar swung his hand and a blade of air sent the General flying backwards and to the ground. Freya had ducked to avoid him. She stared at the man and ground her teeth before she balled her fists within their earth prison.
Freya suddenly cried out and the entire ground around her suddenly exploded. The earth went flying in rocks everywhere as sparks shot out from it and smoke erupted. Freya got to her feet and she stared at the general furiously.
"Are you happy now!" she shouted, her eyes blazing amber. They turned to Aang as the wind funnelled around him and then Aang was lifted into the air by dirt and air.
"Avatar Aang, can you hear me?!" General Fong shouted over the wind and up at the boy. "Your friend is safe!" He rose his arm and Katara emerged from the ground, gasping. "It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar state, AND IT WORKED!" he cheered.
Aang however didn't care. He spun around before the boy went flying into the ground. Freya ducked down and everyone but she and Katara were thrown off the ground as dust covered them. Blocks of the ground smashed upwards as if a wave went through the earth and knocked all the soldiers over. Several of the huts were damaged before the dust was all drawn back in to Aang.
Freya coughed and looked up before she saw Aang, transparent, floating up into the air. She watched as Roku and his dragon appeared and they flew around the sky before vanishing into the clouds.
"We need to calm him down!" Katara shouted
"There's no point." Freya said
"Why not?" she asked shocked
"Because Aang's in the spirit word. His consciousness at least."
"How do you know?" Katara questioned
"I just saw him with Roku." Freya said and she pointed to the sky. Katara looked up but there was nothing to see. She looked back at Aang worried
"Then what do we do?" she asked
"Give them a minute." she looked at Aang who wasn't moving for the second "He doesn't look like he's going to do much anyway." Katara looked at Aang and pursed her lips before she looked around.
Freya saw the dragon reappear as Aang was surrounded by a barrier of wind and it spiralled down towards them.
"Here he comes!" Katara looked up as Freya got to her feet and the dragon dove straight into Aang and vanished. Freya ran forwards and skidded to the floor to catch Aang as his glow and wind vanished and he fell to the ground.
"Are you alright?" she asked and the boy groaned in response.
He looked at Freya who watched him before he looked around. The cylinders had been thrown into the huts and walls and the ground was a complete mess. The roof of even the tower had been broken.
Aang sat down and brought his knees to his chest as Katara ran towards them. Freya collapsed back with a breath herself as Katara sat beside Aang and embraced him.
"I'm sorry, Katara. I'm sorry Freya." he looked at them both and Freya shook her head.
"It wasn't your fault." she assured
"Still. I hope you never have to see me like that again." he decided as General Fong walked up behind them.
"Hah! Are you joking? That was almost perfect! We just have to find a way to control you when you're like that." the general grinned before he started stroking his beard thinking.
"You're out of your mind." Aang decided as Freya glared up at the man.
"I guess we'll figure that out on the way to the Fire Nation." he continued, ignoring the boy.
Sokka was back on an ostrich horse and he rode up behind the General before suddenly clonking him on the head with his bat. Freya blinked as the General collapsed to the floor.
"Anybody got a problem with that?" The soldiers shook their heads surprised.
"Could you do it again?" Freya asked.
"Do you still want an escort to Omashu?" One of the guards asked as they bowed to the four and Katara, Freya and Aang got to their feet as Sokka jumped off the animal's back.
They shared a look.
"I think we're all set." Katara assured with a smile as Momo jumped down onto Aang's arm.
"Yeah, we'd better go before he wakes up." Freya said pointing over her shoulder to the general on the floor behind her.
"Sorry about the mess I caused." Aang frowned
"Don't worry. We'll have it fixed." they said
"We should probably get going then." Freya smiled and Aang nodded before he pulled out the bison whistle and Appa flew over.
The soldiers gave the group some supplies and a few others removed General Fong and put him into the dinted tower. When they were set, the four climbed onto Appa's saddle.
"Thanks for your help." Katara smiled
"We're sorry for the trouble we caused." they bowed
"That's alright. I'm not surprised this war sends some people into desperation." Freya sighed and the boys chuckled before they waved and Appa flew off with a flick of the reins.