Disclaimer – all original Avatar: The Last Airbender characters in this fanfic (excluding my OC's) are the property of Bryana Konietzko and Michaela Dante DiMartino.
Chapter 10. A Secret Teacher.
Year 71 AB – North Pole, Northern Water Tribe, Agna Qel'a, Royal Palace.
One year ago, Hama left the Southern Water Tribe and began her journey to the North Pole. Choosing to head alone, since an escort would draw unwanted attention, the waterbender ventured into the Earth Kingdom territory. Eventually, she encountered a group of earthbender soldiers. It was easy for Hama to prove that she was a waterbender who needed to find the Northern Water Tribe to help fight the Fire Nation and persuade a random soldier to give her an ostrich horse as a means of transportation.
While the journey was long and hard, Hama reached the north shoreline of the Earth Kingdom and the Northern Sea. From there, she once again created a boat made of ice, like before, and headed towards the North Pole. Soon, she was found by the members of the Northern Water Tribe, who patrolled the area and taken to the Northern Water Tribe.
Just like the South Pole was important to the Southern Water Tribe, the North Pole was of great spiritual importance to the Northern Water Tribe, and a locked spirit portal was located at its center. Most of the North Pole was covered by a massive stretch of arctic tundra, which was primarily mountainous and inhabited by diverse fauna. The valleys of arctic mountain ranges also hosted small settlements.
In contrast, the coastal arctic plains were highly treacherous. Only skilled arctic hunters traveled on the open plains but only stayed for short periods. Heavy winter blizzards constantly pelted the tundra, and unstable ice sheets often gave way under the slightest pressure. Even experienced waterbenders and warriors thought twice before venturing into this environment.
Unlike the Southern Water Tribe, the North never succumbed to foreign invasions and raids; thus, the tribe was much bigger, more populated, and advanced. Canoes steered by waterbenders were used to navigate the city's expansive system of canals. These interconnecting waterways played a crucial part in the tribe's defenses. Water-locking chambers acted as the only entrances into the main city; boats traveled through the gates, and, once the boats were in, waterbenders raised the water levels, lifting the boats until the vessel finally reached the waterways of the Northern Water Tribe. This special entrance ensured that no unwanted ships could make it into the city. Because of these special security features and the city's location, the Northern Water Tribe could fend off numerous Fire Nation attacks.
The capital of the Northern Water Tribe was called Agna Qel'a and was located at the shores of the Northern Sea. It was protected by high walls of ice and an ice gate, as well as a canal lock system passable only by the use of waterbending. As the capital of the Northern Water Tribe, Agna Qel'a contained armory, healing huts, and the Spirit Oasis, which housed Tui and La, the Moon, and Ocean Spirits.
The city also hosted the Royal Palace, a large structure built on top of the highest tier of Agna Qel'a, which was one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city. It was seen from almost anywhere in the city and stood like a monument, representing strength and power. Its design mimicked that of a tiered pyramid. A large staircase, which was bordered on either side by a decorative pillar, led to the front of the entrance. A pool of water and several artificially designed waterfalls surrounded the building, giving it a unique ambiance.
Before the staircase was a spacious courtyard where the residents of the tribe gathered to visit the palace and get a sight of the Royal Family members. In this courtyard, the tribe's waterbending master trained his students, utilizing the dual pools present and the openness of the area for his advantage.
As she was escorted by the guards, Hama spotted two people who stood before the staircase that led to the palace. One was older and the other much younger. As she approached them, an older man with gray hair, a scar on his forehead, and blue-colored eyes smiled at her and gestured the guards to leave them.
"I welcome you in Agna Qel'a, sister from the southern tribe, I'm Chief Arnook," he said and gestured to the young man in his twenties, who stood right next to him. "And this is my son, prince Arnook. What brings you to our tribe?"
"A mission of great importance, Chief Wattuk," Hama answered and introduced herself. "My name is Hama and I'm the last waterbender from my tribe. I came here to teach the young waterbenders a new skill, which will help them against the Fire Nation and could even turn the tides of the war."
Chief Wattuk narrowed his eyes. "I'll notify the Council of Elders," he said and looked at his son. "Go and tell Master Pakku to come to the palace." Arnook nodded and ran off.
Chief Wattuk led Hama to the throne room, a spacious and intricately designed room where the chief and his advisers made decisions. Since it was evening when Hama arrived, it was already nightfall by the time everyone gathered. Chief Wattuk, his son Arnook, and Master Pakku sat in one row on an elevated ground while the four elderly members of the Council were perched slightly higher behind them.
"When prince Arnook informed me about a waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, who came to teach waterbending, he failed to mention it was a female," Pakku commented with a displeased tone. "It's forbidden for females to learn waterbending unless it's connected to healing."
While Hama saw Master Pakku for the first time, she knew who he was since Kanna told her about him when they were younger. Hama was aware that he was the reason Kanna fled to the Southern Water Tribe since she did not reciprocate his feelings, primarily due to his support of the tribe's patriarchal traditions.
"I'm not here to learn, but to teach," Hama stated decisively.
"That doesn't change anything," Pakku replied stubbornly. "If other females will witness a female teaching combative waterbending, they might get... ideas. If you want to teach healing though, feel free to do so."
Hama already didn't like that man and understood why Kanna left him. She actually wanted to bring him down a notch or two, and the idea to simply yank him off the elevated spot with her bloodbending was very tempting. "Are you scared that my waterbending will turn out to be more superior and your students will decide to take lessons only from me, Master Pakku?" she asked with a smirk, making Pakku scoff.
"Hardly," he replied disdainfully. "I highly doubt that you can do anything that I can't in terms of combat."
"There's a full moon tonight so how about we settle this argument like waterbenders," Hama suggested, gesturing towards the exit. "Since you're a master, you surely will be able to beat me and the ultimate technique of waterbending."
Pakku snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh, and what is this ultimate technique?" he asked.
"You can face me outside if you're brave enough to experience it firsthand," she said simply and turned around. "Or you can stay here if you're just all talk." With that, Hama left the throne room.
Hama descended the staircase and looked around the courtyard. It was a perfect place for a fight, but she didn't plan on using too much of the standard waterbending. She didn't wait long as Pakku, Chief Wattuk, and his son descended the staircase shortly after she did. The elders were not far behind them. They all wanted to see if Hama really had a new powerful waterbending technique.
"Alright, let's get this over with," Pakku said, taking a fighting stance.
Hama took a deep breath and used waterbending to pull two streams of water from the pools. She combined the streams and hurled the water at Pakku, who redirected it back at Hama. The woman swung her arms, turning the ice before her into water. When the two streams of water collided, Hama froze it, creating a large ice mass with many sharp spikes.
She would love to fight longer with him and enjoy a friendly duel with a fellow waterbender, but she needed to end this quickly since there was too much at stake. Hama raised both her arms towards Pakku. Suddenly, his body was yanked forward, and his limbs began to twist in all directions. "What?! What's... what's going... on?!" the man had no idea what was going on. He had no control over his body. It was painful and definitely unpleasant.
Hama pulled Pakku towards the ice mass before he could do anything. He was about to be impaled on one of the spikes, but she stooped him in time. "I think I've won, Master Pakku," Hama stated, allowing the man to move freely.
Pakku, and everyone who watched the very short fight, was shocked. "What was that?!" Pakku asked.
"Bloodbending," Hama answered with a proud smile. "Since your body is filled with water, I can control every muscle and every vein in your body. I learned this technique when I was locked in the Fire Nation prison."
"Okay, I think that's enough demonstrations," said Chief Wattuk. "Let's return to the throne room, and you can explain everything."
Hama explained in detail her story. Of course, everything she said was from her point of view, which didn't show Yan Zu and the villagers in a good light. Everyone listened to Hama carefully, and considering the reputation of the Fire Nation, it wasn't hard for them to believe her.
"That's why I came here," Hama said, ending her story.
"A sad story," Chief Wattuk said and looked at Master Pakku, who nodded and spoke. "Indeed, but I have a few worries about this... bloodbending. The technique seems dangerous and cruel. I'm not against whipping students with water whips, burying them in snow, or encasing them in ice, but the feeling of being held like a doll while my arms were being twisted was unpleasant to say the least."
"But even if we disregard that," Pakku continued with a stern look. "My earlier opinion remains the same. You cannot teach waterbending, that's against our tradition."
Hama was ready to argue, but Arnook spoke for the first time, drawing everyone's attention. "What if Master Hama would only teach bloodbending and only to male students. She apparently has the most experience, so she would be careful not to hurt them, and since it can be used only during the full moon, we could keep it a secret."
Chief Wattuk pondered for a moment. "Hmmm... it's a good and reasonable idea," he said and looked at Pakku. "And she'd train your students only one time during a month." The tribe chief looked back at the elders, who nodded approvingly.
Pakku wasn't entirely okay with that, but he couldn't argue that it was a good idea. Not to mention he was outvoted anyway. "Ehhh... fine," he agreed. Hama sighed and bowed her head. Her bloodbending would be passed on.
Year 80 AB – Nighttime – Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation Colonial Village.
As the Hundred Year War raged on, the Fire Nation established more and more colonies across the continent. The population of those colonies steadily increased due to aggressive efforts in forcing citizens to leave for the Earth Kingdom. As Fire Nation forces encroached the Earth Kingdom's numerous territories, these colonies grew into prosperous settlements, which supported the Fire Nation's war effort through the supplement of food and war supplies.
One of such colonies was located in the northwestern Earth Kingdom. It was a small Fire Nation village renowned for its beautiful cultural events, like the annual Fire Nation Day Festival. The whole village was surrounded on all sides by hills and an expansive forest with a small river, which ran through it. A wooden, rectangular wall separated the forest from the town, and a single gate at the front was the only possible entrance.
The village was filled with grandiose and brilliantly extravagant architecture. The settlement's landmark buildings were the three pagodas located at its center. The central pagoda was the largest, while the two identical ones to its sides were smaller. They were all three stories tall and had a yellow exterior with slanted black rooftops. Other smaller but similarly-designed structures surround the pagodas. The buildings were all centered around a wide and spacious square, at which many of the town's paved stone streets culminate. Several facilities and shops were based in and around the square, allowing it to thrive as a bustling commercial and social center.
The guards had a calm night so far without any thieves or thugs disturbing the peace. A young male guard, who stood at the gate with his older colleague, yawned and stretched his arms, looking at the full moon above them.
"Another boring night," he commented.
"Don't complain," said the older guard. "We have an easy job unlike the soldiers fighting at the front lines. Chasing thugs or thieves is the hardest thing we can experience here. Unless you really want to fight earthbenders with melee weapons?"
"I'll pass," replied the younger guard. "I rather not end under a boulder or buried alive."
When five hooded figures began to approach the gate, the two guards weren't alarmed at first. However, the older guard noticed their specific, warm attire as the figures got closer. The citizens of the Northern and Southern Water Tribe wore blues, purples, and whites as their general palette, representing the nation's cultural heritage and the practice of waterbending. The guard also noticed the water skins, lightweight pouches used to store water. It wasn't hard to realize that the figures were from the water tribe.
"What the?!" the older guard squinted his eyes and took his spear in both hands. "Stop!"
When the younger guard took his spear in a similar fashion, he was suddenly yanked from his spot and hurled against the older guard. Both men landed in the bushes as the figures passed the gate and entered the village. "Hey! Intruders!" the older guard yelled and tried to get back to his feet.
The guards inside the village heard the commotion and rushed towards the gate. Some villagers woke up and opened their windows to see what was happening. At least ten guards armed with spears and swords created a half-circle in front of the figures.
"You don't belong here!" stated the captain of the guards, pointing with his finger at the intruders. "Surrender now!"
One of the figures stepped forward and pulled down the hood, revealing a face of an elderly woman with a scar on her left cheek. Neither of the guards knew her, but it was Hama, a bloodbender from the Southern Water Tribe. "It's funny you say that since we aren't in the Fire Nation," Hama replied with a scowl. "The ones who don't belong here, is you!"
Hama extended her hands towards the captain, and the man's arms began to twist. "What is this?!" He fought against his body, but Hama held him like a puppet on strings, chuckling sinisterly. She tossed the captain against a nearby building with one swift motion, effectively knocking him out.
The four figures behind Hama did the same, each taking hold of one guard and hurling them against each other like ragdolls. The villagers realized that the guards had trouble, and panic broke out. The people began to lock their windows and the ones who were outside quickly ran back to their homes.
The guards who weren't under the control of bloodbending charged at the figures, but Hama raised both her hands, and the guards were stooped in their tracks. In a span of nine years, Hama increased her skill with bloodbending and was able to control more people at the same time. She raised the guards into the air and slammed them into the ground.
Without firebending, the non-bender guards had no chance against five waterbenders empowered by the full moon. Especially if they were capable of bloodbending. This wasn't even a fight, more like a cat and mouse play. Hama stepped back, allowing the other four to practice on the guards.
"Focus and sense the water inside their bodies," Hama instructed. "You have to be precise. Whereas waterbending uses flowing motions with the arms, bloodbending requires a more rigid and abrupt form of movement."
A rustling sound caused Hama to look behind her, noticing the two guards from earlier. They managed to get back up and charged at Hama, but a stream of water hit the two guards before she could deal with them. The water instantly froze, encasing them in a block of ice.
Hama noticed a sixth figure, who came out of the forest and entered the village. "Glad you decided to join us, Master Pakku," Hama said with a smirk.
The waterbender looked at the four members of the Northern Water Tribe and shook his head. "Is this really necessary?" he asked with a displeased tone.
"You were the one who insisted that we should not use bloodbending on each other because it's dangerous and painful," Hama answered. "So with these little 'puppets' around, young bloodbenders can practise to their hearts content without the risk of hurting each other."
"Practise is one thing, but this," Pakku gestured towards the four bloodbenders, who literally played with the guards, tossing and twisting their limbs with bloodbending. "This is not how a civilized bender should behave. We're better than this."
"If firebenders would have this power, they would have no qualms about using it against us," Hama replied, turning to face the four waterbenders. "If they'll conquer the Earth Kingdom, they'll turn their sight on us. It's not a matter of if, only when, and we need to be prepared."
"That doesn't give us an excuse to behave like that," Pakku argued. "We can't simply attack a village and use the guards like guinea pigs. Look towards the windows, the innocent villagers, who just live here, are terrified."
"They're from the Fire Nation," Hama pointed out, not even considering looking at the buildings, and gestured all around her. "This whole village isn't even supposed to be here. They're invaders and monsters. Those 'innocent' villagers don't give a hoot about us so we need to send them a message to stay away from other nations. Chieftain Arnook agrees with me and my methods."
"Tch... because you know he cares deeply for the welfare of his people and you used that to convince him to let young waterbenders use bloodbending," Pakku stated accusingly. "Ever since you came to our tribe nine years ago, you whispered your advise into his ear when he was only twenty one-years-old, knowing he'd become the next chieftain after his father would pass away. It was no surprise to me when you became one of his advisors."
"I'm sure that must have upset you, Master Pakku," Hama stated. "After all, a woman waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe wiped the floor with you and even began to teach the young benders something else than healing. It must have shattered your whole patriarchal social structure along with your manly ego. No wonder you have so many prejudices against me."
"That has nothing to do with it!" Pakku argued and pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "Listen, I remember what you told us about your past and I feel for you. However, I suspect that everything you do has less to do with the desire to protect our tribe, and more with using us as your tools for vengeance."
Hama quickly turned towards Pakku and approached him. "Then what would you do in my place?!" she snapped. "I was kidnapped from my home and placed in a prison! I had to everything I could to survive!" Hama pointed at her scar. "My own son did this to me! A six-year-old boy, who was everything for me, was turned against me by his father! I had to fight and I injured my own son by accident! I don't even know where he is now or if he's okay! I don't want any other mother to experience this! So forgive me if you doubt my intent and that my actions don't fit in your moral compass!"
Pakku couldn't answer her question, so he simply looked away. Hama exhaled and looked at the star-filled sky. Without any more words to Pakku, she turned towards the four waterbenders. "Alright, that's enough for tonight," she said. "We must return to the North Pole before the sun comes up. It would be troublesome to run into a Fire Nation cruiser during the day."
The four young members of the Northern Water Tribe complied and dropped the guards, who were sore and exhausted. The six waterbenders left the village and went back into the forest, heading towards the shore where they left their boats, leaving the villager in shock and fear.
Many hours later – North Pole, Northern Water Tribe, Agna Qel'a, Royal Palace.
Hama, Pakku, and the four young waterbenders returned to Agna Qel'a and headed straight towards the palace. Chief Arnook waited for them at the courtyard along with the parents of the young waterbenders. It was natural for the parents to be concerned, so they were relieved and glad when their sons returned unharmed. Of course, they had no idea that the students used bloodbending since, just like it was agreed, everything remained a secret. Officially, Pakku led the group, and Hama joined them as a healer.
Chief Arnook was also pleased that everything went well. The parents took their sons home, leaving the two master waterbenders with the chief.
"I trust everything went according to your plan, Master Hama," said Chief Arnook.
"It did," Hama confirmed. "The young students got a lot of practise and we send a proper message without harming villagers like you asked. The guards and the villagers will inform the Fire Nation about our terrifying power."
"Let's just hope they won't decide to retaliate after that attack," Pakku remarked.
"I already told you, Master Pakku," Hama looked at the waterbending master. "The Fire Nation will attack us sooner or later regardless if we stay here doing nothing or launch raids of our own from time to time. But after such a display, the soldiers will be scared of facing us."
"Bloodbending can only be used during a full moon," Pakku pointed out. "So even if they attack us during the day and we resist until nightfall, there must be a full moon to use bloodbending."
"True, but they don't know that," Hama stated. "As far s they could tell, we simply have a new power. They don't know how it works or when we can use it. We can even prepare some attacks during normal nights to throw them off."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," replied Chief Arnook. "The more often we'd attack, the greater the chance the Fire Nation could prepare a trap for us. One time a month is enough for now."
"As you wish," Hama nodded.
The two waterbenders left the courtyard and went their separate ways. Hama was pleased. She had not one but four students who learned bloodbending. True, they weren't from her tribe, but she couldn't be picky. They would pass on that technique to the younger generations when she'd pass away and who knows, maybe Hama would live long enough to witness the fall of the Fire Nation.
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