Chapter 1: the avatar

84 AG- Year of the Dragon

As the full moon reaches its highest point in the night sky, a small cry reverberates off of the ice walls in the capitol city. The attending midwife hands a small bundle to the exhausted woman. As she and her husband look down at their second baby in a trance of joy, they are oblivious to the water freezing in the pot over the fire.

90 AG- Year of the Dog

"Ha! You can't catch me!" The older of the two girls yells over her shoulder, running farther away from the city. Her sister struggled to keep up using her much shorter legs. The gap between them was widening slowly. In a desperate effort, the six year old reaches out her hand to try and catch the parka of the girl in front of her. Suddenly, her sister sprawls onto the snow, her head buried in a pile of the white fluff. A small patch of ice lay directly behind where her feet left the ground.

"Mikki!" The small girl reaches her sister in seconds and begins pulling her up by her arm, only to be pushed away indignantly.

"That's not fair! You cheated with waterbending!" Mikki's tan face was red with anger and embarrassment.

"I didn't- I didn't do it on pur-purpose," the little girl mumbles hurriedly. Her small hands clasped tightly in front of her waist, ashamed of what she had accidentally caused.

"Whatever," Mikki began walking back to the walls of ice, her arms crossed angrily with her sister stumbling after her yet again.

94 AG- Year of the Tiger

"Haha! You thought they'd let a girl learn waterbending? Get real!" Three boys, none of which could be over the age of fourteen, pointed at the girl in the middle of the group and laughed harshly. With each taunt and jeer, her face scrunched up even more while turning several shades redder.

"Oh look! She's gonna cry!" The tallest of the three shouted. Before the girl let a tear fall, she snatched off her gloves and lunged in his direction, fists flying. A heap of fur rolled around in the snow. It wasn't until an adult rushed over and separated the two children that they finally stopped punching each other. The girl looked up at who had hauled her up and instantly regretted her decision to engage in a fight.

"Kailani! I'm surprised at you! You know how unlady-like it is to fight. And to be fighting a boy! Just wait until your parents hear what you've gotten into..."

Hours later, sitting alone in her room with a snowball pressed against her busted lip, Kailani noticed the throbbing pain slowly stop to ebb until it was nonexistent. Gingerly, she touched where the boy had punched her earlier and felt nothing but the pressure of her fingers. The split in her lip was gone.

96 AG- Year of the Horse

Kailani studied the scroll for what felt like the millionth time, focusing on the shift between each illustration. Bending was supposed to be stronger at night, especially under the full moon. So why was this taking forever? She placed the scroll on top of her pack once more and assumed the beginning stance. Lift arms and relax wrists. Shift weight to back leg. Maneuver water in a thin stream... The water fell with a disappointing flop once more. Kailani let out a frustrated shout and stomped a booted foot in the snow.

"Kailani? Is that you?"

There was no mistaking the sound of her father's voice. She'd been found out. The faces of her parents, sister, and uncle appeared under the light of the moon with the aid of a torch. Council man Puriq picked up the scroll and examined it for just a few seconds before realizing his daughter had done what they had forbidden of her.

100 AG- Year of the Monkey- Present

"Thank you for your help today, Kailani. This would have taken much longer between Reka and myself."

I smiled and put my arm around the closest student, my cousin Mara.

"And thank you for letting us assist you. I think the girls learn a lot more from hands on experience rather than hearing me talk all the time. What do we say to Healer Kuma?" I raised a sharp eyebrow at the group of girls behind me.

"Thank you, Healer Kuma," they chorused happily. I led them out of the infirmary after promising to come back by in about two weeks. Between warrior training and hunting, injuries seemed to pile up on the daily. Mara grabbed my hand on the walk back to our healing hut, nearly skipping with joy.

"What's got you in such a fine mood?" I asked as the other girls chattered away. Her cheeks instantly flushed a light pink.

"I got to heal Uruk today," Mara barely got the words out before dissolving into a fit of giggles. Uruk was one of the boys my students found especially cute. I had noticed her taking a little extra time with him, though I thought it was due to his various bruises and cuts. Apparently, he and his brothers fight a lot. I squeezed Mara's hand as we continued on. The other girls were in line with us, walking slower than before.

"I wanna marry Kuriq one day. I hope that's who my parents pick when I turn sixteen," one of them said excitedly, a look of hope flashing across her eyes. I nearly opened my mouth to say that she should be able to pick whomever she wants to marry, but bit my tongue instead. I didn't want to lose my position as Yugoda's assistant. My teaching was the only outlet of waterbending I had at the moment, and speaking out against tradition was sure to have that taken away. It made me hot as a fire poker to think of all the ways I couldn't live my life freely under the weight of customs and tradition. The men of our tribe didn't have that problem, so why should the women? I was so deep in angry thought that I didn't realize someone was speaking to me.

"What?" I said, feeling like I'd been woken up from a dream. Or maybe a nightmare. Yuri, my best student so far, repeated her question.

"I said, who have your parents chosen for your engagement?"

I didn't want to think about getting married to someone I didn't know, so I had been trying my hardest not to think about the fact that my birthday was in a few weeks. It just made me more upset.

"They haven't chosen yet. It's still a little early, and if I recall correctly, there's quite a few men to choose from," I sighed. Luckily, none of the girls seemed to pick up on my less than enthusiastic tone. Each of them would probably have a handful of suitors as well. Most-likely people they knew. But since my father was a member of Chief Arnook's council, there were quite a few vying for my hand in marriage. I didn't know half of them.

Back at the healing hut, Yugoda was finishing up her lesson with the beginner class. I paused outside the doorway and addressed my group.

"All of you did a very good job today. I'll be sure to pass it on to Yugoda. Don't forget, we'll meet again day after tomorrow!"

There was hardly any time to get the words out before everyone disappeared. Even the younger class hurriedly streamed out and away to their homes in groups of three or four. Sometimes, I wished I was that young again, instead of nearing sixteen. I could be penguin sledding rather than preparing for an unwanted engagement. Once inside, I helped Yugoda put away the mannequin she used for instruction. She was getting too old to manage by herself, which prompted me to assist in anyway possible. As we ducked under the draping to leave, she lightly touched my arm and turned toward me.

"Any news on the engagement?" she smiled warmly. The wrinkles around her still bright eyes were deeper than when we'd first met. Skin around her jaw drooped low. Yugoda was the grandmother I had never had, but really wanted. My mom's mother was a sour sea prune of a woman. I didn't have the heart to tell her how I really felt about the whole thing.

"It's a bit early to know right now, but my mother tells me I have quite the handful of decent suitors to choose from." If they even let me choose. Given my previous defiant behavior, that was a slim chance. By the way, decent suitors= wealthy, politically motivated, ambitious, accomplished hunters, brave warriors, or all of the above.

"That's wonderful," Yugoda pulled me into a surprisingly firm hug. I sheepishly squeezed her back. How could I tell her that I was one hundred percent dreading mybirthday? She was almost as excited as my family in regards to a future wedding.

On my way home, that was all my mind could think about. Everyone in the city shared a much more upbeat attitude, like there was something to be happy about. Meanwhile, it was like a large gray storm cloud was hovering over my head. Believe me, I'd tried to think of ways around this whole mess. I wasn't very good wife material in the first place. My sewing skills were mediocre at best. I could only cook basic staples for meals, not the food that a husband of a councilman's daughter would be accustomed to. The only things going for me, at this rate, were that I wasn't ugly and I was fertile. Which, if we're honest, are what is really important in arranged marriages. I was good with children, at the very least. But actually bearing children? I still felt like a child myself sometimes. My sister Miki had already birthed one child and was pregnant again at only nineteen. It was a relief to find that she could even have children. Imagine basing your life on whether you can continue your blood line.

Upon entering my home, I noticed two things that were completely out of the ordinary. Mom wasn't in the kitchen and there was no food set out to be prepared for dinner. My father was usually home before me, but he was also missing. I can count on my hand the amount of times that mom hasn't had dinner ready by the time me and my father arrived, two of those occasions included seal-sickness.

"Mom?" I called out hesitantly.

"Back here!" her voice drifted from the upstairs loft, where my room and the guest room were located. For a second, my blood ran cold as ice. What was she doing in my room? Was she searching it, prying into my business? Rummaging through my possessions? If she found my scrolls... I tried to control my walking as I made my way up the stairs, though it was nearly impossible. Inside, I was relieved yet surprised to see the contents of my wardrobe lain across my bed. Not just one or two dresses, but every evening kimono and parka that I had. And there were quite a few. Ones from noble birthday celebrations, official banquets, the list goes on.

"Any particular reason why all my clothes are laying around?" Mom was hidden between the pelt of my closet, still pulling out clothing. She was frantically tossing more onto the already large pile.

"Yes, in fact, there is," she huffed while depositing an armful of sashes. "The Avatar is here!"

For a second, I thought I had simply misheard. The Avatar?

"Pardon?" I raised my eyebrows and expected to hear something different than what I'd thought. News of the Avatar's reappearance had only just arrived, and now he was here?

"You know what I said, now quit standing there with your mouth gaping like a fish. There's going to be a banquet tonight to honor his arrival as well as a to celebrate Princess Yue's sixteenth birthday. So we have to find something..." she trailed off while picking up and examining a light blue outfit with deep purple trim. Holding it out on front of me, mom scrunched her eyebrows like she did when she was deciding what to cook for lunch.

"Nope, this isn't it," she continued rearranging, pulling different pieces and then replacing them until settling on one: a dark blue dress with white yak fur trim and a parka to match.

"Here, pull this on. Don't worry about messing up your hair, I've asked your sister to help with that."

Great. Ever since Miki had gotten pregnant, she'd been ten times as bossy as usual. And that was saying something. She'd always been on the mothering side, being older and all. But it was like marriage had really taken things to the next level. As if having a husband and kids made her superior to me. Maybe she'd be in a good mood, though that almost seemed too much to hope for. I shrugged off the parka I had worn for healing lessons and pulled on the much more stylish one mom handed me.

"This sash should match perfectly. Turn around so I can fasten it."

I obliged, only to have the sash yanked around my waist.

"A little tight there," I gasped, feeling like my ribs would snap any moment.

"Oh, hush. I presume some of your suitors may be present tonight. We want to give a good impression, don't we?"

We? Did she have a snow crab in her pocket? She compromised with a tight tie that gave enough room to breathe and move, but only just. Miki must have just gotten here, judging by the sound of a crying toddler in the living area. I hurried out to greet them, mostly so I could see my niece.

"Rivka! You've gotten so big!" She was hardly three and tall for her age. Almost all her teeth showed when she grinned widely. Once again, let it be known that I love kids, as long as I can give them back to their parents.

"You've got things to do," mom took Rivka and nudged me back towards my room. I huffed in frustration, though Miki didn't give me a chance to protest. She had already grabbed my arm and pulled me back. That was how she was. Large (from the baby) and in charge. And I resented her for it.

Once seated on a stool in front of my bed, Miki sat behind and began brushing my hair. The comb caught on tangles here and there, but I'd gotten used to it by now. What is it they say? Beauty is pain? If that was the case, I'd be drop dead gorgeous before the night was over. The more still I sat, the better everything went. Miki was pulling the top layer of my hair back into a bun when she began to talk.

"So, who's the lucky guy going to be?" she asked. I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth before I could stop myself.

"I really wish everyone would stop asking me that. I don't know who I'm marrying any more than I know whether it'll snow tomorrow," I snapped. Miki was the third person to bring this up and the one that knew most how much I was unhappy about it.

"Geez, I was just wondering," she mumbled between the pins sticking out of her lips. That was a total lie. She never "just wondered" about anything. "You should really try to act more enthusiastic about it though. No one's going to want to marry a bitter woman that wants to fight like a man."

My sister knew how much I wanted to learn waterbending and she also knew how to get under my skin. She didn't understand. I was the only bender in my immediate family. They all seemed to think it was some trivial trick I could perform whenever they needed a cut healed or water fetched. But it was so much more than that. I hated having to keep it to myself.

"You probably should work on your cooking skills too. What man wants sea prune stew for every meal?"

Having babies, lecturing, and fixing hair was what Miki had a talent for instead of waterbending. In an effort to survive the next half hour, I leaned back against my stool and let her continue on some spiel about being a pleasing wife.