"Remember, the Avatar must be captured alive," Zuko said coldly. "You will not attack anyone without my permission. If any of you so much as singe the hair of a native before I give the order, I will kill you myself. And if any of you show even the slightest hesitation after I give the order...I will do the same. Understand?"
"Yes, Prince Zuko!" his soldiers barked in unison before sliding on their skull facemasks.
As expected, the ship had met no resistance whatsoever as it splintered the very shores outside the village, plowing through the fragile mounds of ice and snow that the locals apparently called "walls".
The bow ramp creaked before crashing down into the snow with a loud thud, steam spilling forth from the exit to act as an intimidating smokescreen. Zuko stepped out into the light, two soldiers flanking him and six more trailing.
A single fighter, his young face covered in war paint, greeted them with a battle cry as he charged up the ramp with a primitive war club. He seemed around Zuko's age, and the prince took pity on him as he simultaneously disarmed and knocked aside the suicidal boy with a single kick. The fall from the ramp would be sufficient punishment.
He approached the crowd of villagers, made up entirely of defenseless women and children. "Where are you hiding him?" he roared angrily. He was in no mood for proper introductions.
"The men aren't here!" squeaked a defiant child's voice. So this was actually the entire village. Zuko had thought the Avatar would be above such dishonorable, cowardly tactics. But there was little time for nonsense. He grabbed the old lady.
'You're the leader?" he asked menacingly. He took her lack of response as a "Yes". He looked back at the mob. "He'd be about this age, master of all elements."
No response. Zuko threw out a warning arc of fire over the crowd's head, no doubt singing a few hairs here and there.
He formed a fire dagger and brought it to his hostage's throat. "I know you're hiding the Avatar."
A familiar battle cry echoed from behind Zuko. The village's sole warrior now weaved through the thrusts of the rear guard's spears with admittedly some degree of skill, but it didn't take much for Zuko to duck under the amateur's unfocused charge and hurl him in front of the crowd. The old lady slipped out of his grasp, though, and ran back to embrace one of the older girls in the crowd.
To the kid's credit, he recovered quickly. "Show no fear!" a little village brat screamed as some boys tossed a spear towards their last hope.
The warrior handily caught it before unveiling some curved weapon that he promptly threw wildly at Zuko, missing by a large margin. Did these barbarians never give up?
"Idiot!" he seethed, lighting up two fire daggers. "I'm not here for waterbenders. Just give me the airbender, and I'll be merciful."
Something struck Zuko from the back of his helmet, and it managed to disorient him long enough that he almost didn't react to the spear surging straight for his chest in time. He cut the spear into harmless pieces with his daggers before taking a swing at its wielder; the stubborn bastard managed to avoid the flames but lost his balance in the process.
If this savage wanted death, well then, that was his problem. Zuko strolled menacingly up to his prey...
Only to be knocked to his feet by a sudden gust of wind. He quickly recovered, but the crowd had already erupted into unruly cheers as a speedy little bald boy on an otter-penguin made his dramatic entrance in front of his defeated friend.
"Hey, Katara!" the new boy, even younger than the previous one, chirped. "You okay, Sokka?"
"Nice timing," the older boy groaned as he stood up.
The slammed the ground with his staff, knocking over the soldiers attempting to surround him with a wave of snow. "Looking for me?" he taunted, staring straight at Zuko.
Zuko's eyes widened, his heart pounding in confusion. No, it couldn't be. Not this...boy. But it was. His clothes, his weapon, his tattoos...he was an airbender. And that meant...
"You're the Avatar?" Zuko managed to rasp.
Murmurs of wonder and shock rippled through the villagers. Of course, they must not have known, either.
Zuko frowned in disgust. "I've spent years preparing for this encounter," he hissed. He kneeled into a combat stance. "You're just a child!"
The Avatar tilted his head in curiosity. "But...you're just a teenager."
Zuko launched a series of fire blasts at the insolent brat, who casually deflected them with his staff, flakes of fire spraying off to the side and scaring off the crowd. To Zuko's surprise, the airbender seemed to notice this, as if...but did Zuko have the courage?
Yes.
"Kill them all!" he roared. His soldiers didn't hesitate and immediately took a step towards the villagers.
"Wait!" the Avatar cried. Zuko almost smiled as he ordered his men to stand down.
The last airbender held out his staff. "If I go with you, will you promise to leave this village alone?"
Of course. Airbenders were born pacifists. They foolishly held all life as sacred; what did he expect? He gave a nod and wave, and the Avatar didn't resist as the soldiers tied him up and grabbed the staff. With a tired sigh, Zuko began marching back to his ship.
"No!" an older girl from the crowd cried. "Don't..."
"It'll be okay," the Avatar lied as Zuko's men shoved him up the ramp. "I'll sort this out. Take care of Appa, okay?"
When the bow ramp finally groaned shut, Zuko suddenly felt his armor become three times lighter. His fingers skimmed the patch of scarred skin that was the left side of his face. It was over. After three torturous years, his honor had been restored. He rolled the staff along his fingertips and then tightened his grip. The Avatar was firmly in his grasp, but he couldn't let his emotions get the better of him. He couldn't loosen up just yet.
"This staff will make an excellent gift for my father," he sneered, turning to study the actual Avatar. "I suppose you wouldn't know of fathers, being raised by monks."
The boy didn't react. Zuko frowned. "You two, take the Avatar to the prison hold. And you, take this stick to my quarters."
The soldier bowed as he took the airbending staff. "And sir, the helmsman requests..."
"Tell him...we're heading home." Zuko said slowly, going over each unbelievable word with satisfaction.
Sokka had long ago become an expert at an Katara's blabbering, but right now the occasional word or two seemed to slip into his ears. Usually "Aang" or "rescue."
"Aang is the Avatar...Aang saved our...return the favor..."
He grabbed his spear reluctantly and headed to the canoe. He hated when she was right.
"Oh, so it's back to normal with you?" she . "You don't even care that -"
"Katara!" he finally cut her off. "Are you gonna talk all day, or do you want to save your boyfriend?"
"He's not my...Sokka, you're amazing!" He nearly fell as his sister slammed him with a warm hug.
"Whatever," he said with a shrug.
She looked back at the canoe. "But we'll never catch him in that thing."
"What do you two think you're doing?" an accusing old voice snapped.
"Hey, Gran-Gran," Sokka blurted. "We were just...umm..."
"Take that flying ox thing over there," she said with a smile, pointing at an enormous shadow rushing towards them in the distance. She handed each of her children a sleeping bag. "You forgot these, too."
"Appa!" Katara exclaimed. "Perfect!"
Sokka scratched his head. "You two just love taking out of my comfort zone...wait, how do you know it can fly?"
Gran-Gran's eyes seemed to twinkle. "I've heard stories," she said quickly. "Katara, my little waterbender you've given me hope. You've given this village - no, the whole world - hope. You found the Avatar for a reason. Your destiny is intertwined with his. And before you say anything, don't worry about us. There's a whole world to save."
"I'll miss you, Gran-Gran."
"Be nice to your sister."
Sokka sighed.
The Avatar's pet, unfortunately, was not quite as perfect as Katara had hoped and exactly what Sokka expected. Climbing aboard the furry thing was a challenge itself, and once again, Appa refused to fly, choosing instead to paddle the water at a leisurely pace. At least the saddle was quite comfortable.
"Go," Sokka shouted in a bored tone, lazily gazing at the clouds. Perhaps they wouldn't be able to rescue the Avatar "Fly."
He could hear his sister having her own little conversation with the animal at the front.
"Up," he continued. "Ascend. Elevate."
"Please, Appa...Aang needs your help."
A stupid idea grew in Sokka's head. "What was it that kid said to you?" Sokka asked the shaggy thing. "Yee-haw? Hup-hup? Wah-hoo? Uh...yip-yip?"
Sokka resisted the urge to dive into the frigid waters below as the beast suddenly began to stir out of its half-slumber, taking a few moments before leaping towards the sky...and staying there.
"You did it, Sokka!" Katara cheered.
Sokka laughed ecstatically as he felt the beast rise higher and higher. "He's flying! He's flying! Katara, he's -"
Katara's arrogant little smirk killed his joyous mood immediately. "Eh, big deal," he said nonchalantly.
"The Avatar's escaped!"
Aang dashed frantically through the corridors. Surrendering so easily was obviously an error, but it was nothing he couldn't correct. Escaping the first two guards was relatively easy; they'd bound his hands, but they forgot to restrain pretty much everywhere else. Aang always wondered what those breath-based airbending exercises were for.
He let out a small yelp as he turned the corner to see three sword-wielding soldiers facing him menacingly in the middle of the corridor. He probably wasn't going to get anything out of them...
But that didn't mean he couldn't try. "You haven't seen my sta-?"
The soldiers pounced, and Aang had to run spiral along the walls and roof to avoid them. Which was fun, but still more work than he would have liked. "Thanks anyway!"
He continued his way up the ship, peering into every door along the way. Another guard along the way was kind enough to lend Aang the sharp end of his helmet, which he used to cut his bindings as he somersaulted over the man's fire blast. He opened what had to be the millionth door, only to find...
"Sorry!" he whispered. Poor man was sleeping.
It took another minute or so before he finally found what he was looking for He slunk into the room...
The metal door slammed shut behind him. The teenager with the nasty-looking face stood in the corner. What exactly was this person's problem?
"Looks like I underestimated you," he growled. And then he struck.
The heat of the initial two blasts corralled Aang into a corner, but he swiftly spun out of the trap, dodging a third burst with a quick duck and sudden roll behind his foe. He kept himself in that blind spot, circle-walking as his furious opponent kept on trying to blindly swing backwards.
A fiery backwards sweep of the leg forced Aang from safety, but he already had an idea of what do next. He dispersed a flurry of fire with a defensive air shield and then jumped up and kicked, using his opponent's head as a stepping stone to gain the necessary height to create an air scooter. Riding the ball of wind, he zipped across the room, Smashing and breaking and setting ablaze random furniture and decorations.
A precise arc of fire whipped through Aang's air scooter, throwing him against a tapestry-covered wall. Thinking quickly, he unhooked the tapestry and threw it over his foe. He lunged across the room to grab his staff and re-positioned himself into a combat stance.
The other boy snarled as the tapestry spontaneously combusted and flew in all directions. Aang took a step back before swinging his staff left, causing a mattress in a corner of the room to fly with enough force to slam his attacker into a wall, followed by a powerful swing upward that caused angry teenager and mattress alike to hit the roof.
Aang felt a pang of regret for hurting someone like that, even if he had no choice in the matter, but now was not the time. He sprinted out of the room as fast as he could, airbending a hatch above him open. He leapt up and took a quick look around as he dashed towards a balcony in front of him. So this was the...control area? As he opened his glider and leapt into the air, he realized he never learned proper ship terminology. Perhaps...
His thoughts were cut short as he felt a pair of powerful, burning hands grab his left leg tightly, the weight of his unwanted passenger sending him plummeting back to cold metal. Panicked airbending only slightly cushioned the blow, and Aang's head felt dizzy from the hard fall. He turned to face his latest assailant.
The same as the old one. Monkey feathers!
Aang suddenly looked up as something in the sky let out a familiar roar.
"Appa!" he exclaimed. Of course. Would he have done any less if Appa was the one captured?
So enraptured was he by that speck in the sky that he didn't immediately notice he lethal ball of fire heading towards him. Caught off-balance, he tried deflecting it with his staff., only to realize that his hands were empty. Terror filled his heart as he airbent with his hands in a final, futile defense.
The flames didn't reach him, but a crushing wave of heat sent him flying back. He felt himself falling, felt himself engulfed by waves. He felt the ocean greedily consume him, reclaim him as its own. Most of all, he felt oddly at peace. His body welcomed the lonely darkness with open arms.
"Aang" a pure voice cried out from somewhere far away, knifing through the fog in his mind. "Aang! Aang!"
It was not his time to leave. Aang's body curled in pain and screamed, joining a chorus of a thousand silent voices singing from within him. He opened his eyes, and the darkness withered away before their light.
"Aang!" Katara cried out to the ocean below one last time, despair creeping into her heart. They were so close, but close hadn't been enough. Aang was gone once more, for good this time.
Appa let out a sad moan and began circling the Fire Navy ship, lost in its own sorrow.
She turned back to face Sokka, wiping the tears from her eyes. He was staring intently at the waves, as if he was unwilling to believe that the world's last hope against the Fire Nation was gone.
"Sokka..." she began, but her thoughts, too, were lost in grief.
Sokka's eyes widened. "Something's happening to the water."
Katara nearly fell off Appa as the beast made a sudden, sharp dive. Something was indeed happening: a patch of water rapidly turning from gray to bright blue, the waves breaking apart into a slow, spiraling current. Was Aang...
The Avatar shot out from the sea, his glowing body half-covered by a towering water vortex. The whole ocean seemed to bend to his will, unnatural waves rocking the metal vessel violently. Katara's heart soared.
As Appa continued descending, a bit more cautiously now, Katara could see two people on the ship, the boy who had captured the Avatar and an older man, attempting to mount some sort of defense against the coming onslaught. Perfectly synchronized, they combined their powers to fire a powerful blast directly at the Avatar.
The Avatar slapped it aside with ease, sending the blast into a cliffside to his left. An avalanche of ice and snow quickly buried the bow of the ship.
The tornado of water seemed to suddenly curve downward on to the ship, and the Avatar's struck its deck with awesome force, visibly denting the metal and violently scattering the surviving Fire Nation soldiers into the icy waters with a shockwave.
She noticed a small streak of blood crossing a part the deck and caught herself shuddering. These were the people who had killed her mother - killed countless mothers - yet something sour and sore still wormed through Katara's heart.
But by the time Appa had landed on the battered ship, the ocean had returned to its natural state. Aang lied curled on the deck, no longer glowing, alive but exhausted. Katara carefully slipped off Appa, helping Sokka down before running towards Aang.
"Aang!" she whispered worriedly, kneeling down beside him. "Are you okay?"
Aang smiled weakly. "Hey, Katara. Hey, Sokka. Thanks for - Do you see my staff?"
"Couldn't let you have all the glory," said Sokka as he ran off to grab Aang's weapon.
Katara scooped up Aang and clumsily pushed him up a Appa, who gave made some growling noise of approval.
Three soldiers burst forth from a hatch close to the bridge. Katara began cautiously bending a puddle on the floor beneath them, and the men gasped, suddenly leaping back in fear. She prayed silently that she wouldn't fumble her water whip.
"Katara, what the fuck!" screamed Sokka. Katara spun around and saw Sokka boots encased in ice. Damn, she could never get it right!
No doubt realizing that she was far from a master waterbender, the soldiers behind her continued their approach, albeit very cautiously. Squeezing her eyes shut, she swung her arms behind her with all her might.
She slowly turned her head around to peak behind her. She leapt back at the sight of a frozen pike, shuddering in the wind as if it had a killer mind of its own. She took a few more steps back from the frozen soldiers before jogging back to Appa.
"Hurry up!" she shouted urgently.
Sokka muttered something to himself as he chipped away at the ice that rooted him to the ground with his boomerang. "Fly, Appa!" he cried as he crawled up Appa's tail. "Yip-yip, yip-yip!"
Iroh wiped the bits of snow melting in his wet beard with a towel. He offered it to Zuko, but the stubborn prince refused.
"Good news for the Fire Lord," said Iroh. "The Fire Nation's greatest threat is just a little kid."
Zuko stood up and set to work burning through the mountain of ice and snow that now encased the ship's bow. "That 'kid', Uncle, just did this," he hissed. "How many lost?"
Iroh closed his eyes. "Lee, Kashi, Ai, and the Lang brothers are all missing. Most unfortunate."
"They will not be easy to replace. I won't underestimate him again."
Iroh sighed and looked at his nephew sadly.
Zuko didn't seem to notice. "Men, dig this ship out and continue pursuit!"
Iroh turned to watch the surviving soldiers working on freeing their three frozen comrades, carefully melting the layers of ice. He could also almost feel the rage they felt at the Avatar. And at Prince Zuko.
"As...as soon as you're done with that," Zuko said in a slightly embarrassed tone. "But...there might still be survivors under here too."
Iroh sighed and walked up next to Zuko, giving his nephew a small smile before blanketing the entire pile of frozen debris with a thin sheet of fire.
"How did you do that? The bending? It was...the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"
"Katara's right, that was unbelievable! And I almost never say that!"
"What, me being right or something being unbelievable?"
"Both!"
For what had to be a whole hour since their escape, the loudest sound Aang had heard was Appa's breathing, but she and Sokka had suddenly decided to shatter the blissful silence.
"I don't know," muttered Aang, his eyes downcast. "I just...did it."
"Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?" asked Katara, her voice suddenly serious.
Aang glanced at her face but immediately turned away. He didn't know the answer to that question. "Because...I guess...I never wanted to be."
A pause.
Aang felt Katara's hand on his shoulder, and a weird knot in his chest that he didn't realize he had loosened itself. "The world's been waiting for the Avatar," she said firmly. "It's your destiny to end this war."
"And I'm supposed to do that by..."
"Mastering the four elements. You seem to have air down, so I guess there's water, then earth, then fire. I think?"
Aang turned to face Katara. "Yeah, that's what the monks told me."
Katara slowly smiled, an idea flickering behind her eyes. "Well if we go to the North Pole..."
"We could learn it together!" Aang said cheerfully.
"Then we're in this together!"
"Hey, what about me?" Sokka waved a hand from the back of the saddle.
Katara giggled. "I'm sure there's plenty of firebender heads to knock along the way."
Her brother leaned back, seemingly content. "Sweet."
Aang turned his attention back to steering Appa, a newfound sense of hope and purpose rising within him. He wondered what the Southern Air Temple was like these days. Would anyone even recognize him?
A familiar and wicked feeling nibbled at his heart. Would anyone even be there? it asked.