Fire. Earth. Water. Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Water Tribes attacked...
Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished.
A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. And although his bending skills are great, he is haunted by the memories of his world...
But I believe Aang can save this one.
Avatar: The Last Firebender
Based on Distorted Reality by Ogro
Written by Carrotine Clara
Book 1: Fire
Episode 11
The Eruption
Act I. - Ursa
Furious drums announce the entrance of a mysterious warrior. The royal courtyard is filled to the brim with Fire Nation nobles and weird sages, who wear crimson robes. The Fire Lord is sitting on an elevated balcony, enjoying a sip of tea while the spectacle hasn't started yet. He can determine the entrance of the mysterious character by the gasps and whispers in the audience. The hooded figure is wearing crimson and golden robes without sleeves and with extra fancy materials. The figure, surrounded by the adoring audience, finally reveals herself to be Azula, as she removes her hood. The Fire Lord grabs everyone's attention by a simple arm gesture.
FIRE LORD: Please, take a few precautionary steps back. We don't want Master Azula to hurt anyone.
The audience complies and Azula smirks. Aang, Ty Lee and Zuko are all cheering her on. Aang especially, applauding her in his older, more muscular body.
FIRE LORD: Begin.
Azula commences forth, demonstrating an impressive array of fire and flame, all performed with the strength and elegance she has learned on her travels with Aang. None of the flames seriously endanger anyone, yet their size and heat are still impressive. The Fire Lord gives her a warm smile that reminds her of her father. After her display is over, she bows to her ruler with a traditional hand gesture. The court applauds loudly. She looks back at her friends with a smile, Zuko and Ty Lee smile back. Aang is gone.
AZULA: Aang?
Ty Lee shrugs.
ZUKO: He said he had to leave!
Azula is frozen on the spot. She looks around her. Everyone is gone. The cackling laughter of the Fire Lord alerts her.
AZULA: What have you done? Where are they?!
He will not stop laughing her in the face. Tears run down her cheeks.
AZULA: WHERE IS AANG?!
The laughter subsides and the Fire Lord simply... dissolves, leaving just a puddle of water and empty clothing. Kenora appears behind. Azula frowns.
KENORA: Sorry. He's already with me.
The waterbender turns around and walks inside with a smug look on her face. Azula grunts with fury.
AZULA: Come back, you-
The door in front of her opens, in fact all four doors in the square courtyard open. Waves of water start streaming in, hitting Azula from all sides. The flooding gets worse and worse, Azula can barely keep her head above the water. She tries bending to no effect. As the water keeps rising, she gets devoured by the masses, pulling her further and further down, slowly strangling away her air...
A scream of terror stuck in her throat, Azula wakes up in cold sweat, feeling the heat pulsating from her palms. Gasping for air, her desperate wheeze wakes up Zuko next to her. Half asleep and with one eye open, he moans at her.
ZUKO: What is it...
She turns away her face, not wanting him to see her like this.
AZULA: I- I thought I saw a rattlesnake. But it was just a stick.
Zuko nods very softly and goes back to sleep. Azula lies back down as well, although her eyes remain open for a few more hours. Aang doesn't notice any of this, as he remains in Appa's saddle, sleeping removed from the others.
Aang stretches himself while still half asleep, indicating that his body wakes up faster than his mind. He does eventually manage to rise, climbing down Appa after giving him a good pet on the forehead. He finds one of his three new friends missing on this warm, windy morning.
AANG: Where's Azula?
He looks at her empty sleeping bag, inside which Sabachi is burying herself. Zuko seems too focused on cooking breakfast/checking out a little booklet to answer. Ty Lee steps in eventually.
TY LEE: She went to the cliffs. Said she wanted to get some training in before we leave.
Ty Lee does some ballet-like stretching exercise.
TY LEE: We could do that too Aang, huh?
Aang looks to the side, where Azula is mindlessly pressing fire blasts into her surrounding air. It reminds Aang of the incident in Mai Sa Lu and he gets a bad feeling in his stomach.
TY LEE: Aang? Are you even listening?
AANG: Hm? Sorry, I was... thinking about something.
Ty Lee pouts at the boys standing to her left and right, annoyed at both of them being distracted. She crosses her arms with a jolt.
TY LEE: Why is everyone so quiet today? I don't like this aura!
Zuko gasps very abruptly, dropping his spatula.
TY LEE: Zuko?!
Aang and Ty Lee rush to his side. He has to sit down on a rock, with Sabachi climbing on his legs.
AANG: What's wrong?
Zuko sighs very loudly.
ZUKO: I almost forgot. Today is the anniversary.
Aang frowns in confusion.
AANG: What?
It takes Zuko quite a lot of strength to answer.
ZUKO: Mom's death.
Ty Lee breaks into tears, hugging Zuko, who himself even shows some. Aang's heart is sinking to his boots.
A window smashes into pieces in a local Earth Kingdom village not too far away. The recent pirate presence has the village up in arms, and the locals seem to mostly hide inside their houses, allowing the high-risk merchants to trash the squares and markets. A wagon filled with vegetables gets knocked down while the attackers howl and cackle at the frightened man dressed in green crying after his lost merchandise.
CABBAGE MERCHANT: My cabbages!
In the relative center of the town, Kenora is eyeing up the mountain ahead of her, finding its shape quite interesting. Her blue coat is waved by the wind.
PIRATE: Captain?
Kenora flinches slightly.
KENORA: It's... not officially captain yet.
The pirate flinches with a smirk.
PIRATE: Well, you are a captain to us. Is something wrong?
Kenora oversees the chaos her crew is causing and thinks about Sokka's concern, though she quickly shakes the feeling off.
KENORA: Just... be sure to follow my orders and not hurt anyone. We'll get out of here as soon as possible
She finally turns around.
KENORA: Any updates on the Avatar?
With a casual shrug, the pirate shakes his head.
KENORA: Very well. We'll just continue heading north then.
She is about to literally and physically walk away from the conversation.
PIRATE: Well... we've also been wondering something else.
Kenora frowns in confusion.
KENORA: Go ahead.
The pirate clears his throat.
PIRATE: Some of the uh... men have been wondering whether or not we can trust Sokka.
Kenora is shocked, but in all honesty has been wondering the same thing.
PIRATE: He doesn't like our methods. I know he's the prince and all, but... still...
Kenora calculates a response. She can see Sokka standing by a corner of a flower shop, his eyes focused on something Kenora can't quite make out.
PIRATE: You know, I was just wondering-
KENORA: You are right. He is your prince, and you should respect him as you respect me.
The pirate nods reluctantly and walks away. Still yet, Kenora can't shake the feeling off that something is going on with Sokka today.
It took Zuko a few hours to find the correct spot, or rather what he deemed one, and even then Azula had to rudely convince him to just get it over with. Ty Lee and Aang were invited to join, though neither really felt ready for the commemoration. Aang had never seen a picture of Zuko's mother in his own world. The prince had vaguely mentioned the story of her disappearance, yet her true fate remained unknown to him. Aang dares not to utter it, but the sibling's mother bears a striking resemblance to Azula. Only a little calmer. After putting down her picture frame and what appears to be a broken headpiece, he positions a set of incense sticks next to it. He gestures for Azula to ignite them.
AZULA: No.
Zuko takes the answer like a gut punch.
ZUKO: Please. Azula.
She looks away with a stark frown on her face. Aang, for one of the first times, feels like he should intervene.
AANG: I can light it if you wan-
Before he can finish his sentence Azula stamps up to the incense, igniting it quickly with the tip of her index finger and thumb. Aang suspects that this a very familiar motion for the girl. Aang also notices the mountain in the distance and feels like he knows it from somewhere.
ZUKO: We love you mom.
Zuko has meanwhile gone down on his knees. While clenching his fists in an attempt to stop it, tears still go down his cheeks, if only a few.
ZUKO (crying): I'm sorry we couldn't be there to help you.
Azula walks off. Neither Aang nor Ty Lee stop her, Zuko doesn't seem to care, making Aang assume once again that this isn't the first time this has happened. The acrobat can't take it any longer, deciding to sit down next to Zuko, stroking his back lovingly. While Aang had expected Ty Lee to cry a river, she seems surprisingly calm. Zuko eventually leans in on her and accepts the hug. Aang, the only one left, goes after Azula. Looking one last time at the framed picture he can't help but to notice just how similar the two look.
A strange shaking in the ground alerts Sokka, snapping him back to reality. A booming, high-pitched noise sounds in his right ear, he simply tries to ignore it.
PIRATE: Hey! I'm talking to you!
He gets alerted to a man on his left. He swiftly hides the necklace in his pocket.
SOKKA: What?
PIRATE: Sorry your... highness. I asked you if you could help me with this barrel.
The crew of mercenaries has begun taking some supplies from the village, loading it on to a wagon pulled by an ostrich horse. Sokka reluctantly helps with the barrel, trying to ignore a man getting assaulted for trying to stop another pirate from stealing his expensive-looking furniture.
SOKKA: Alright. Let's just-
The moment they pick the barrel up it falls over, spilling fish all over the town square. Both the villagers and pirates roar at the prince in unison, though it quickly devolves into a messy fight between pirates and villagers. A loud whip cracking sound gets everyone's attention. This was of course done by Kenora and her waterbending, which has in the meantime long outperformed any expectations Sokka had.
KENORA: Everyone - calm down.
One angry villager, wearing a green, elegant robe, waves his fist at the waterbender.
VILLAGER: How about you get out of our village and don't tell us what to do!
The man gets quickly knocked down by a pirate, yet any further action is avoided by Kenora's hand gesture.
KENORA: We're very sorry for causing such a fuss here.
She helps the man back up.
KENORA: But our mission is very important. And I'm pretty sure this village swore its allegiance to the Water Tribes.
The villagers seem to accept the speech, at least long enough until the pirates are gone.
VILLAGER: If you are going to steal from us for your precious mission, you could at least not spill it all over the floor.
She looks at a single fish in front of her.
KENORA: We'll... try to be more careful.
PIRATE: Not "we".
Her attention is shifted to the pirate who points his finger at Sokka.
PIRATE: Our prince can't muster the strength to lift half a barrel! I wonder why he even came with us on the mission in the first place.
Sokka frowns in anger, intending to challenge his low-ranking accuser.
SOKKA: Now you just wait-
VILLAGER: Prince? Well, I'll be a hog monkey's uncle - you're Prince Sokka, aren't you?
Sokka's anger evaporates, transforming into a full-on smirk.
SOKKA: Well, yes, finally someone able to recognize royalty-
VILLAGER: Well don't be so smiley about it. The Water Tribe Prince never had his Ice Dodging. How laughable of you to even call yourself royalty!
Kenora feels the need to intervene on Sokka's side.
KENORA: Hey, don't yell at him. He's still of royal blood, the blood of Great Chief Hakoda.
VILLAGER: Oh? He is? Then I guess that rumor about his lack of bending skills is false, huh?
Sokka clenches his fist, walking up the villager, and falling flat on his face as he slips on the oily fish water. To make things worse - everyone, including the pirates and some villagers, start laughing at the prince's misfortune. Already on edge for today, the prince gets up and runs away.
VILLAGER: That's right! Keep running!
Kenora angrily bends fish water into the man's face, removing herself from the conversation right away. The villager spits in disgust.
VILLAGER: Your captain isn't too polite, is she?
The pirate shrugs.
PIRATE: That's what we like about her.
The pirate and the villager eventually leave. What's left is Kenora, who spots a betrothal necklace in between some fish on the ground.
Azula stumbles through the woodwork with no sense of direction or care for it. Her stupid brother made her go all this way and now she has no idea where she is. She has always hated the commemoration. She used to look forward to it, it being the only occasion where she was allowed to use her firebending at home. But things have changed now. The fact that they went through this with Aang...
AZULA: Ow!
She trips over a root, falling on to not-so-soft ground.
AANG: Azula?
She gets up quickly, trying desperately to maintain her confidence.
AZULA: What?!
Her response shoots out like poison, deeply upsetting Aang. This is not the Fire Lord...
AANG: You don't look alright. Do you want to talk about it?
She switches quickly to crossing her arms.
AZULA: I don't see how it concerns you in any way. You're here to defeat the Great Chief and that's it.
Aang is shocked.
AANG: Azula-
AZULA: I don't know everything about you, you don't know everything about me. We should keep it that way.
AANG: Why?
AZULA: BECAUSE THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU!
Zuko and Ty Lee have finally arrived at the scene, standing behind Aang with a similar mix of confusion and fear.
TY LEE: Azula, we're here for you.
AZULA: Don't pity me, circus freak.
Ty Lee gasps. Aang can feel the tension building up in his muscles. His heart is racing as he keeps reminding himself of why he needs to stand down. This is NOT the Fire Lord...
ZUKO: Azula, that's enough.
He walks closer towards his sister.
AZULA: Don't act like you're our uncle, Zu-Zu.
He is genuinely put down for a moment. Yet he moves closer in on her still, trying to intimidate her with his height.
TY LEE: Why are you doing this?
Her voice sounds feeble and disturbed, which doesn't seem to concern Azula too much. She instead scoffs in the most over-the-top fashion possible.
AZULA: Because we are wasting time - AGAIN! First some tournament for Zuko, then an island for Zuko to meet some girl...
Ty Lee flinches a bit.
AZULA: And now we're wasting our time with some stupid ritual that has no purpose!
ZUKO: It's our mother, Azula!
AZULA: And lighting some candles isn't going to bring her back! So, I don't understand why you even bother.
ZUKO: Then you didn't love her the way I did!
She slaps him straight in the face with full force. With a swollen cheek he stares at his sister's eyes getting wet, right before she runs off. Everyone just stands in their spot for a second. Aang feels a strange, strange parallel that he can't quite put into context. It takes a few more moments before Ty Lee finally speaks up with a weak voice.
TY LEE: We should... probably go look for her.
Aang nods. A very, very dark and buried part of him wants to find Azula to prevent any more damage once and for all.
Act II. – Sunnier days
Zuko and Ty Lee stroll aimlessly through a very beautiful yet fading forest. The lush greens are starting to lose their color to the changing season and firm autumn winds are making Zuko uncomfortable.
TY LEE: Do you know how to get back to Appa?
He somewhat absentmindedly responds.
ZUKO: Yeah...
She walks closely behind him, occasionally looking left and right, trying to spot the firebender.
TY LEE: I don't think you should've said that Zuko. That really hurt her feelings.
Zuko sighs.
ZUKO: I know...
She pouts with multiple questions on her lips.
ZUKO: She's always like this. But it has gotten worse.
Ty Lee feels the weight of that statement weighing down on her.
ZUKO: I think we should split up. I'll go back to our camp.
Ty Lee nods in agreement. Somewhere in the distance, Sabachi is flying towards a small cave near the mountain, though neither of the two notice.
Sabachi enters the cave and finds an angered Azula sitting on a rock with her legs and arms crossed. Not even the presence of the lemur can cheer her up, making the pet appear quite saddened.
AANG: That lemur is smarter than it looks.
His voice is not very upbeat either. It in fact sounds a lot more intense than Aang would like to have led her on. His body is screaming to get ready for a fight with the Fire Lord, yet his mind triumphs.
AZULA: I guess.
She turns even further away from him, despite her back already turned towards Aang. The Avatar thinks for a few seconds what to do, yet his thinking process is cut short.
AZULA: Why are you here? I told you to stay out of my personal stuff.
Aang sighs. He finally lets his guard down.
AANG: Alright Azula. What's going on? We get along well for like two weeks and then you act like you're my enemy-
Those words hurt Aang more than he anticipated. Azula can only merely let out a high-pressure scoff.
AZULA: I think you still owe me, Avatar. You lied to me first.
He notices the weird phrasing.
AANG: So, this is about you lying?
She notices her blunder and starts reconsidering. Aang doesn't quite know what to make of it, her body language, her facial expression. The only other time he saw her like this was in Changchun.
AZULA: Do you... do you trust me?
A thousand thoughts rush into his head. He decides to go with the one that appeals the most to him.
AANG: Yeah, of course I do. We're friends. Why do you ask?
She shrugs with a lot less confidence than she had a few moments ago.
AZULA: Trouble understanding. You know my shortcomings.
Aang finally decides to sit down in front of her.
AANG: They're not shortcomings. You're just different than other people and that's okay.
Azula doesn't quite seem to agree with the sentiment.
AZULA: I...
The words get stuck in her mouth as if she were chocking on them. She sighs in frustration. Yet Aang seems to be patient, petting Sabachi in front of her. She takes a breath.
AZULA: I want to tell you. But just you. No one else.
Aang understands the gravity of this statement. He can't remember having a friendship this intimate with anyone from his world. Not even Katara. But Azula is a different beast, and it seems the beast is opening up for a rare moment in time.
AZULA: I'll never forget the day it happened. It was beautiful, sunny morning...
The silhouette of a leather ball sits in front of the early morning sun. Eventually, a tiny foot kicks it, sending it flying over a net and into a funnel-shaped goal, guarded by a 10-year-old Zuko.
ZUKO (KID): Ow, man!
A little girl, two years younger with raven-black hair and a flower lei on her head, stands triumphantly across her much taller and older opponent.
AZULA (KID): Hahaha! Azula seven, Zu-Zu zero!
Zuko kicks the sand in frustration.
ZUKO (KID): I hate this dumb game!
Kid Azula can be seen enjoying the sunlight warming up her skin. A figure suddenly steps on the playing field, a woman who looks very similar to Azula and who gives the young lady a smirk.
AZULA (KID): Mom, can you make Zuko play with me? I can't play waterball on my own.
ZUKO (KID): I am not playing with you! You keep winning and that's unfair!
URSA: Kids, please stop fighting.
Her soothing voice calms them both down. She kneels down next to Azula.
URSA: Azula, is there something you want to say to your brother?
She crosses her arms in spite.
AZULA (KID): Only that he's a looser and sucks at waterball...
This of course only upsets the boy further, but also their mother, who frowns in a serious manner.
URSA: Azula!
She finally gives in.
AZULA (KID): I'm sorry, Zu-Zu. I just miss playing with Lu Ten. At least then it was fair.
Zuko seems similarly upset about the topic of discussion.
URSA: Lu Ten is older now. He has responsibilities as an adult. I'm sure he misses playing with you too.
ZUKO (KID): I miss him too, Azula.
Azula looks at his face as if she were a house cat eyeing her owner.
URSA: You see Azula, your brother misses playing with Lu Ten the same way you miss him. Maybe you can understand why he is so upset then.
Kid Azula nods.
AZULA: She had her way of explaining things to me that just made sense. Dad didn't like that. He wanted us to be fierce and strong, show no weakness. But he was just a chieftain of some unimportant island. He eventually took some of the men and travelled to the Earth Kingdom, to join the fight. We stopped getting letters a year or so ago.
Aang begins to understand why this Azula, while still cruel and arrogant, didn't turn out the same as the Fire Lord in his world.
AANG: I'm... sorry.
AZULA: Don't be. Zuko and I accepted it a long time ago.
She leans back a bit, letting out a deep sigh. Aang guesses that this was all on her mind for years and she has only now been able to express it properly.
AZULA: I envy your upbringing. You never had to deal with parents.
Aang scoffs, thinking about some distant memories. Fun times he had with Gyatso, or just getting in trouble in general.
AANG: This one time me and some friends played hide and seek in the library. I tried hopping from one shelf to another, but my airbending was too strong and I accidentally knocked a bunch of them over. I got two months of extra chores for that.
The story makes Azula chuckle.
AZULA: I wish I could've met you when we we're kids.
Aang smirks at the comment.
AZULA: I wonder what happened to the other Aang.
Now his brow shoots up.
AANG: Other Aang?
AZULA: The one whose body you're currently occupying?
He remembers her theory, a clever explanation for having ulterior visions at the Air Temple. Now Aang too wonders how similar his life was in this world.
AANG: I assume the same things that happened to me.
Azula nods. It seems like the conversation will shift back to being serious.
AANG: What happened next?
She takes a deep breath again.
AZULA (voiceover): We went back home.
URSA: Chieftain Ozai send us a letter from his expedition to the mainland. He met some people fighting in the resistance.
Azula grunts.
AZULA (KID): Chieftain Ozai. Can't you just call him "dad"?
Ursa tries holding back her emotions.
URSA: He is still your father, young lady. Don't disrespect him.
Kid Azula sincerely does not seem to care about the inquiry as they enter the village.
AZULA (KID): Whatever.
ZUKO (KID): Is Lu Ten out hunting?
URSA: I don't know. But I suppose you could ask your uncle if-
ZUKO (KID): I'm first!
AZULA (KID): No, I'm first!
URSA: Azula, can you wait a second?
She stops reluctantly, allowing Zuko to take the lead.
AZULA (KID): But mom! Zu-Zu is winning!
Ursa pouts, going on one knee.
URSA: I know, I'm sorry. But I wanted to ask you something.
Azula stands firmly next to her mother, trying to give off the impression of a stern leader.
URSA: Why are you standing here with your arms crossed?
AZULA (KID): Because I am a proud firebender. I want to seem important.
Ursa chuckles at her overly serious daughter. This seems to upset the raven-haired girl.
AZULA (KID): Don't laugh...
URSA: I'm not laughing at you. I just don't get why you think crossing your arms and puffing your chest will make you look more important.
The girl shrugs.
AZULA (KID): I don't know. I saw all the men do it before they went to war.
Ursa rolls her eyes over.
URSA: Yeah, some men feel the need to appear more important than they are...
Azula gives her mother a flat smile.
AZULA (KID): You don't have to be scared of dad anymore, mom. He's gone all the time now.
The fact that her daughter is telling her that makes Ursa shudder.
URSA: You're not supposed-
AZULA (KID): I know. But we kept wondering why you were sad all the time, so we asked Uncle Iroh and he explained it.
Ursa gives her a half-smile.
URSA: At least Iroh told you. You can always trust your uncle.
Now Azula rolls her eyes over.
AZULA (KID): I know. Alright, why'd you stop me from beating Zuko in a race?
URSA: Well, I wanted to ask if you want to come pick flowers with me. I'm working on a big lei, you know.
Azula's grunt is a very clear answer.
AZULA: I don't like picking flowers, it's boring. Why don't you come and have lunch with uncle and Lu Ten?
Ursa gets back up.
URSA: Uh... because I already had it?
Azula gasps comically.
AZULA: No...
URSA: Yes. Guilty as charged.
Azula pouts angrily, but breaks up into a smile, when her silly mother makes a funny face.
URSA: Now go and catch your brother, you little fire mouse.
AZULA: Fire rat. They're more vicious.
Ursa seems perplexed at the comment.
URSA: Uh... alright. Then go, you little... rat.
Azula makes a weird hissing noise with her arms up like claws. Most people in the village find all of this quite strange, but her mother always smiles at it.
Aboard the pirate ship, its crew is celebrating their collected loot and recent raids, hoisting Kenora on board while singing a cheerful sea shanty. Kenora enjoys the attention. She enjoys the company of this lively group of people, even if they are smelly and sweaty men.
PIRATE: Raise your pints to Captain Kenora of the South!
The brooding men cheer with their raspy voices. Kenora tries to appear humbled.
KENORA: Thank you, thank you. I don't deserve this. I'm not a real captain.
GREEN PIRATE: Don't play yourself down! You earned this crew and this victory!
It's not much of a victory when you steal from a defenseless village. Kenora doesn't utter this thought, as she still needs the manpower. She needs to earn her place. She signals the big hunk of a waterbender to let her down again. The pirate dressed in green, a unofficial lieutenant to an unofficial captain, offers her a pint of a bubbling liquid.
KENORA: Uh... no thanks.
The green pirate shrugs.
GREEN PIRATE: Fine by me.
A different pirate passes by and grabs ahold of the beverage. Kenora doesn't quite know what to think of that.
GREEN PIRATE: So, what are our orders, captain?
Her sigh gets stuck halfway through her throat.
KENORA: Um... celebrate. It's been... quite rough lately. We'll sail at dawn.
Green pirate lifts his pint.
GREEN PIRATE: Aye to that.
He almost leaves her completely, nearly disappearing in the crowd of loud and tipsy men. Kenora suddenly comes up with a thought.
KENORA: Where did Sokka go?
The green pirate scoffs.
GREEN PIRATE: Sulking alone on his ship.
Kenora looks over the edge, spotting the Matariki docked at the coast right next to the more impressive pirate ship. The waterbender grabs a nearby rope, swinging off deck on to the catamaran, stepping foot below. Without her presence the kitchen area looks gross and unclean. Not that Kenora herself is such an overly cleanly person, however she would have drawn the line at flies buzzing around. She arrives at Sokka's cabin, where a simple knock-
SOKKA: Who is it?
She is almost startled by the sudden response.
KENORA: It's me. Kenora.
SOKKA: Come in.
She opens the bamboo door and finds him lying on his hammock bunk bed. She was glad at the presence of a second sleeping area aboard the ship when she first joined his crew. She scoffs at the thought.
KENORA: Seems like so long ago.
SOKKA: What does?
KENORA: Just us? Alone on the hunt for an undefeatable Avatar and his amazing friends? Now we're getting closer every day.
Sokka shrugs slightly. This is when Kenora remembers the betrothal necklace she found earlier, seating herself at small stool next to his hammock bed.
KENORA: I really hope this isn't for me.
She reveals it, alerting Sokka.
SOKKA: Where did you find it?
KENORA: You dropped it when you... fell.
He grabs it away from her, guarding it like a treasure.
KENORA: It's very pretty.
She really, really hopes it isn't meant for her.
KENORA: So, who's the lucky gal?
He doesn't respond, declining her offer of eye contact.
KENORA: Lucky guy?
SOKKA: Stop.
He sighs quietly.
SOKKA: I wouldn't be allowed to.
She smirks.
KENORA: Wouldn't stop me.
He sighs, as if a wall inside him had collapsed, causing a wave of dust.
SOKKA: It belonged to my mother. Before she... left.
Kenora's brow shoots up.
KENORA: Left?
It takes her a few moments to realize it.
KENORA: I always thought the Chief Headwoman-
SOKKA: Died? Yeah, that's the official story.
He lies down all the way, staring at the ceiling, or... other hammock. Kenora ponders. She hasn't told Sokka her full story yet. It wouldn't be fair. Yet...
KENORA: What about your story?
The phrasing intrigues him.
SOKKA: Hm?
KENORA: I mean... it's not a coincidence that you're looking at your mother's...
She stops herself.
KENORA: I mean... your necklace. Why are you so interested in it today?
He sighs loudly.
SOKKA: I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you ahead of time, but you seem so busy recently. Managing all the pirates as their captain...
She smiles in embarrassment.
KENORA: I'm not... really captain.
SOKKA: The pirates think so.
Kenora doesn't quite know what to think about that either.
KENORA: So, what day is it then?
SOKKA: The anniversary...
A much younger and arrogant looking 11-year-old Sokka marches through a frozen palace, decorated with the same Water Tribe art as a Navy ship, only here it seems to be even more expensive and fancy. The prince attempts to enter a door when he is rudely stopped by two spear men.
SPEAR MAN: Now what is this going to be about, huh? We don't allow little children in here.
The two men cackle at their meanness, while the child in front of them is switching between anger and crying.
KANNA: Good evening, Prince Sokka. You look wonderful, tonight.
The men seem to be scared by the sight of Kanna.
SPEAR MAN: Chief Headwoman, we were-
KANNA: Entertaining my grandson and future heir to the throne. I assume that's the case at least, because if you were mocking him or not letting him inside...
The spear men shiver comically and Kanna scoffs.
KANNA: Well, I don't know what my husband would do to you.
The mean men step aside in a sliding motion.
SPEAR MAN & OTHER SPEAR MAN: Please enter, it is an honor to speak to you, Prince Sokka!
Kanna nods, then winks at Sokka, who seems happy about it. The two enter the Whale Belly, the largest dining hall in the Southern Palace, equipped with a gigantic whale-rib-cage-chandelier-hybrid, illuminating the icy, blue halls with a haunting yet comforting aura. The long table is already stacked with every important member of the royal court, every Chief worth mentioning, some just very lucky and successful merchants. At the very end of it, the royal family is seated, with the elderly Great Chief overseeing the dining table. To his left, Kanna sits down reluctantly, to his right sits Hakoda, his face not quite illuminated by the chandelier. Sokka takes a seat next to his younger sister.
KATARA (KID): Why didn't the guards let you in?
The boy frowns, poking angrily into an arctic hen.
SOKKA (KID): Because they're dumb.
He a takes off a bite way too big for his small mouth. Katara meanwhile ponders.
KATARA (KID): Do they not like you?
Sokka swallows violently, then sighs.
SOKKA (KID): They don't respect me. They think I'm weak because I'm not a waterbender and all the heirs are supposed to be waterbenders.
Katara comes up with a silly plan.
KATARA (KID): I could stand behind something and make some water float while you hold up your hands!
The idea doesn't cheer him up.
SOKKA (KID): You're not allowed to bend.
Now Katara is also grumpy.
KATARA (KID): Yeah, this sucks...
KYA: What's with your long faces?
Hearing their mother's voice behind them instantly cheers the kids up again.
SOKKA (KID) & KATARA (KID): Mom!
The get up and rush to hug her. The additional noise does not really disrupt the dining table.
KYA: How are you doing, my little angels? Are you looking forward to our vacation?
KATARA (KID): Yay! I can't wait to see the play!
Sokka does not cheer.
SOKKA (KID): Vacation?
BATO: I'm sorry to interrupt, Kya. But I'm afraid Sokka won't be coming along.
Sokka frowns and his mother glares at the younger soldier.
KYA: On whose authority?
Bato tilts his head to the side, signaling towards Hakoda. Sokka shudders a bit at the thought.
BATO: Sokka needs more intensive training if he wants to lead an army one day. Prince Hakoda insists on it.
Sokka looks at his mother with tears in his eyes. She suppresses her own, getting down on one knee.
KYA: Oh, my little angel.
She gives him a tight hug.
SOKKA (KID): I don't want to train for a stupid army. I want to come with you and Katara.
Now his sister also cries. Kya rubs the boy's back lovingly.
KYA: I promise you, next time you'll be coming with us.
She gets back up, with Bato putting his hand on Sokka's shoulder.
BATO: I will watch over him closely.
None of this seems to make Sokka or his little sister happy. Kya tries to mask it all in a warm smile.
KYA: Don't worry about it. I'm sure it will be fun.
Secretly, Kanna is listening in on the whole conversation while enjoying her meal.
KATARA (KID): I'll try to find someone to paint you a picture of the Ember Islands. I heard it's really pretty!
Kenora's reaction is one of horror.
KENORA: Ember Islands...
She can finally connect the dots in her head.
KENORA: The Ember Island massacre. The royal family was attacked by terrorists. The Great Chief died a few days later.
SOKKA: Wrong. He died in the attack. But that would have made the Water Tribe seem weak, so we pretended like he was alive for a few more days.
Kenora shudders at the thought. She dares to open her mouth.
KENORA: I heard the next Chief Mother also died in the attack.
She hesitates to continue.
KENORA: That was... your mother-
SOKKA: I know. But that's not what happened...
SOKKA (voiceover): While mom, Katara and the Great Chief were off to the Embers Islands, I was forced to stay behind and train with Bato, my private tutor. Dad would eventually reward him for his efforts by making him my lieutenant.
The young prince is forced to quickly tie a knot, setting his sail correctly on a boat docking in a southern harbor.
BATO: Good. Good.
He complies quickly, yet when trying to change the sail's direction a rope gets loose, allowing the fabric to wave in the freezing air. Bato sighs.
BATO: You almost had it. You just need to try harder.
Sokka grunts with anger.
SOKKA (KID): I'm a prince. I'm going to have subjects to do these things for me.
Bato rolls his eyes.
BATO: Suppose you will. But a crew will only respect you when you are ready to sacrifice as much as they do.
KANNA: Wise words, Bato.
Kanna has invited herself aboard the vessel. Bato quickly pounds his chest.
BATO: Chief Headwoman? It's an honor. How may we be of service?
Kanna lets her brows jump up once.
KANNA: Well, I just made a huge plate of cookies and I need help finishing it. Would you be interested in helping me out?
Bato does not seem to approve.
SOKKA (KID): Yes! Yes! YES!
BATO: But Prince Sokka, we haven't finished our training.
SOKKA (KID): What's that? Say that again.
Bato is confused.
BATO: Uh... Prince Sokka-
SOKKA (KID): Yup! I'm a prince! And I say we eat cookies!
Kanna smirks a bit at the rhetorical trick. Bato grunts.
BATO: Fine. But I'm also having some.
He leaves.
SOKKA (KID): Maybe!
Now Kanna chuckles warmly with her grandson.
KENORA: Your gran-gran seems to be nice. Where is she now?
Sokka only now realizes how mean he was to her at their last encounter.
SOKKA: I don't know. I hope she's doing well...
Aang is almost frozen on the spot, desperately hoping that Azula won't ask him about Ozai or whether or not he knows him. A sudden rumble in the earth alerts all three of them.
AZULA: What was that?
AANG: It... might have been an earthquake. I don't know.
Azula scoffs mockingly.
AZULA: I thought you're an earthbender.
Aang responds jokingly.
AANG: Well, I'm not a clairvoyant.
Azula chuckles, fading out into a frown.
AANG: What happened next?
Azula sighs quietly.
AZULA (voiceover): Not much. It was a day like any other.
The sound of something breaking alerts Azula as she enters her uncle's hut. She finds her brother with ceramic fragments all around his feet.
ZUKO (KID): Oh no! Uncle's tea pot!
He tries picking up the fragments, with an older boy, already a man of age, helping him with the fragments. Lu Ten's hair has a greyer shade of black, bound together in a top knot and with hints of sideburns starting to grow.
LU TEN: It's fine, Zuko. I'll help you with this.
He puts the pieces into a burlap sack, explaining to Zuko that he needs to pick them up carefully, as to avoid cuts. Lu Ten finally notices his cousin in the door frame.
LU TEN: What're you looking at?
His smirk sends a smile to her face as well.
AZULA (KID): Oh, just admiring Zu-Zu's clumsiness.
Zuko grunts angrily.
LU TEN: I don't think your brother appreciates that nickname.
Azula shrugs arrogantly.
AZULA (KID): Oh, he'll grow out of it, trust me.
She notices the plate of sweet pastries, her hand already extending. Lu Ten gets an idea.
LU TEN: Is that a new lei on your head?
She sighs, admiring her headgear.
AZULA (KID): No, dumb-dumb, it's the same one from yesterday. You know, you would know these things if you spend more time-
LU TEN: I'll be taking that.
He picks up the plate with the pastries, high enough so that Azula can't reach them.
AZULA (KID): Wait! WAIT! GIVE IT BACK!
Lu Ten and Zuko chuckle at the little screeching girl in unison.
AZULA (KID): Give it BACK! It's not FAIR!
LU TEN: The Fire Nation thanks you for your contribution to the war effort.
IROH: Hey, what's all the noise in here about?
A cracking noise under Iroh's boot reveals a ceramic shard, now broken up into even more pieces.
ZUKO (KID): Uncle, I'm so sorry - I wanted to pick it up and it slipped-
IROH: Oh... don't worry about it Zuko.
He takes his nephew into his arm to calm him down.
IROH (comically): I know I shouldn't cry after a teapot, but it's just so sad...
AZULA (voiceover): Our uncle was always more of a father to Zuko than our real one. He was angry and frustrated all the time as a kid, but when he spent time with uncle Iroh, he felt...
AANG: Peace?
Azula shrugs.
AZULA: I guess.
Aang ponders about Prince Zuko and wonders if he had also been different if his uncle was more prevalent in his life.
AANG: Your cousin sounds... nice. What happened to him?
Azula shrugs and sighs at the same time.
AZULA: Well, dad eventually came back and rallied the men in our village to help with the war effort. He went missing two years ago and we haven't heard from him since. Everyone presumes he died.
For one of the few times so far, Azula shows actual weakness with the statement. Aang expresses his compassion by gently grabbing her hand.
AANG: I'm sure he's fine.
AZULA: Maybe. He was a prolific fighter. He taught Zuko...
AZULA (voiceover): He even did it that day...
Four stump sword blades clash against each other on multiple occasions. Azula quietly admires her male kinship training on the beach while the rest of the village goes about its regular activities. Lu Ten is clearly holding back, yet that is exactly what Zuko needs for his training. The lad is suddenly pushed back too hard, falling on his behind.
ZUKO (KID): Ow!
LU TEN: I'm so sorry! Are you okay?
He nods.
AZULA (KID): I want to try.
Neither of the boys are very surprised to hear that. Zuko scoffs.
ZUKO (KID): I'm not fighting you.
She smirks.
AZULA (KID): Yeah... it wouldn't be fair.
Lu Ten shakes his head.
AZULA (KID): What?
He walks up to her, getting down on one knee.
AZULA (KID): I wish I was taller so that people would stop doing that.
LU TEN: Yeah. But you don't need a sword Azula, we both know that you are more special than that.
The implied mention of her bending powers does somewhat upset her. She is usually not allowed to talk about it with anyone besides her mother.
AZULA (KID): But I'm... I'm not supposed to do that.
LU TEN: I know. But I also know that you do it regardless.
She blushes at her revealed secret, then switches to grunting angrily.
AZULA (KID): Fine. But I still want to try fighting you.
He scoffs at her.
LU TEN: That's the spirit. But you don't need to cry about it.
She frowns at the remark.
AZULA (KID): What?
She notices the droplet on her cheek and before she can remove it, several more droplets of water land on her face. Within a few seconds, the sky darkens, and stormy clouds cast an ominous shadow over the island beach head.
LU TEN: Oh no...
Azula's voice quivers.
AZULA (KID): Lu Ten... what's going on?
LU TEN (to Zuko): Zuko! Get Uncle Iroh! Tell him to rally the men!
Azula looks around her, her breath speeding up as the villagers seem to go into a panic. The rainfall intensifies.
LU TEN (to Azula): Azula, you need to listen to me. Go grab Zuko and your mother, lock yourselves in our hut. Can you do that?
She nods frantically.
AZULA (voiceover): It was all happening so fast. Zuko had to grab me instead, as I just stood there, frozen.
ZUKO (KID, as he grabs Azula's arm): Come one! We need to get inside.
AZULA (voiceover): Lu Ten and the other men grabbed whatever weapons we had. Uncle Iroh had told us that the Water Tribe wouldn't raid a remote island such us ours. But that day they did.
Kanna finds herself entering the royal palace kitchen with a lantern in her hand, curious what caused the noise in the middle of the night. She holds it in front of her face, spotting a small boy with a wolf-tail haircut, his face stuffed with seal jerky. The old woman chuckles.
KANNA: I see you have the appetite of a prince.
Sokka swallows with a very loud gulp, embarrassed to have been caught.
SOKKA (KID): Bato thinks I'm terrible at stealth training.
KANNA: I'm sure you're trying your best.
She puts the lantern down on a kitchen counter.
KANNA: Can't sleep?
Sokka shrugs.
SOKKA (KID): Bato says when father returns, we'll all go on a hunt.
Kanna shudders at the thought. Such a young boy taken into the brutal tundra.
KANNA: And you don't want to go?
SOKKA (KID): Did... did dad not take me with him as a punishment?
Kanna can see the tears in the young boy's eyes and rushes to a hug.
KANNA: Oh, no. No, no, no...
She takes him into his arms.
KANNA: Your father just has a lot of... responsibilities. He wants what's best for you.
The sound of footsteps alert Kanna. They seem to come closer, as do more lantern lights.
KANNA: Get behind me.
The boy complies.
SOKKA (KID): What's happening?
Bato and a few dozen armed soldiers enter in a hurry. Bato's face reeks of pure fear.
BATO: Where is the prince?
KANNA: Why?
Kanna suspects something bad. Yet Bato's expression does not reveal a foul plot. It is instead one of horror.
BATO: There was an... incident at the play. The royal family got attacked.
He gulps. Sokka gasps quietly.
BATO: The Great Chief is dead.
Now Kanna gasps. Her hand quivering.
BATO: I'm... sorry, Chief Mother.
Sokka finally reveals himself behind his grandmother.
SOLDIER: The prince!
Sokka rushes towards Bato with even more tears in his eyes.
SOKKA (KID): What about father? And my mother? And my sister?
Bato sighs.
BATO: Hakoda is fine. He will be crowned Great Chief when he returns. Your sister is also alive.
Sokka sighs in relief. Then he realizes.
SOKKA (KID): And mom?
Bato falls silent.
KENORA: So, she did die.
Sokka doesn't respond.
KENORA: Sorry...
SOKKA: It appears she did. I waited almost two whole weeks.
Zuko desperately barricades all the doors, with Azula still in disbelief and on the floor. Her hand accidentally leans on a ceramic piece, which gives her a cut that starts to bleed. Zuko doesn't even notice. The rainfall clashes against the flimsy walls, as if not just the Water Tribe, but water itself was waging war. Azula grabs her head in shock, touching the lei, supposedly having forgotten it was even on there. Then it hits her.
AZULA (KID): Mom.
She gets up, running to the backdoor, which she quickly unlocks while Zuko is on the other side of the room
ZUKO (KID): Azula! Wait!
She turns around, shouting.
AZULA (KID): Mom. Mom. Mom! Mom!
ZUKO (KID): Where's mom?
AZULA (KID): MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM!
ZUKO (KID): AZULA! WHERE DID SHE GO?!
AZULA (KID): Flowers...
He sits her down, rushing outside, in between the palm trees and away from the beach, where full-on fighting has erupted. She gets up, wanting to leave.
She gasps for air. Her heartbeat bangs in her ears. She collapses on the floor, deciding to remain seated inside the house, while the backdoor is closed by the wind.
Act III. – Moving on
Aang is speechless. Azula's breath in the present is just as crass, although it seems to be fueled more by pure anger.
AANG: Azula, listen... i- it wasn't your fault.
AZULA (filled with rage): OF COURSE IT WAS!
She gets up, letting harsh bursts of fire from her mouth and fists, almost hitting Aang and Sabachi in the process. The Avatar is back on his feet, trying to calm down Azula. For once, because she is her friend, and secondly, because he wouldn't know what to do if the other Azula ever emerged.
AANG: Azula... you need to calm down. I'm telling you - it wasn't your fault.
AZULA: BUT I WANT IT TO BE!
Tears run down her cheeks as she hugs herself. Aang frowns in disbelief at her.
AANG: Bu- but why?
AZULA (crying): Because if it's my fault, then I can fix it. I just need to get stronger. Braver. If it's not my fault-
A howl escapes her mouth, announcing that her crying is only getting worse. Aang quietly and carefully walks up to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.
AANG: And if it's not your fault, it's out of your control.
She stares into the wall, while Sabachi hides behind a tiny rock. Her fixating look indicates she's concentrating on something.
AZULA: Or too late.
AZULA (voiceover): Zuko told me what happened. The fighting was already over, and the soldiers had left. None of our men died. But mom didn't come back.
In the middle of the night, a grieving village sits united around a campfire on the soaked beach. Lu Ten's face reflects the horrors of what he had seen. Iroh and Zuko also cry.
AZULA (voiceover): They thought I fell asleep and left me alone. But I snuck out.
The nine-year old Azula can be seen escaping in between the palm trees and into a flat section of the island, a few hills with dry grass. A mushy sound alerts her. The ground below her is filled with water, a small, artificial puddle in front of her. The pale moonlight reflects flowers drifting on the surface. The little kid stares at it with horror.
The same cold stare that Azula carries in the present.
AANG: That's why you trained this morning.
AZULA: That's why I do all of this.
She goes away a few steps and stares outside the cave, into the sunlight.
AZULA: I will get stronger, Aang. I will be... the most powerful firebender to have ever walked the earth. And I will burn the Water Tribes down.
A hint of familiarity alerts Aang.
AANG: Vengeance won't bring her back.
AZULA: Neither will a stupid ritual!
Aang pauses for a few seconds.
AANG: But it's how he deals with it.
Drawing a parallel between her and her brother starkly reminds Azula of her mother, and she slowly lets her guard down.
AANG: Just how you train to be stronger, he deals with it by doing a prayer. We all have different ways of dealing with grief.
She scoffs but understands.
AANG: Nothing we ever do will bring back the people we lost. But we have to start by accepting it. And not blaming ourselves.
Azula breaks out in tears again, though now they seem to be quieter.
AZULA (crying): It sounds so dumb when you say wise things in a kid-voice.
The comment catches Aang off-guard and the two smile at each other again.
SOKKA (voiceover): One day they finally returned.
A hasty kid Sokka rushes across the frozen dockyards of the mighty south. A small crowd of people has gathered both in celebration and in grief. Sokka runs past by the guards, who block him at first, but quickly let him past as soon as they realize who he is.
SOKKA (KID): Dad! Katara! MOM!
On deck of the large cruiser, the entourage and soldiers don't seem to care a lot about his presence, walking past by him with supplies and tired faces. The prince finally finds his sister residing in a palanquin, hugging her legs and staring a hole in the ground.
SOKKA (KID): Katara!
He runs up to his sister, hugging her tightly, yet getting no response. The girl's face expresses heartbreaking sorrow.
SOKKA (voiceover): I will never forget the face she made. It haunts me to this day.
SOKKA: Our dad told us she died. That was the official story we ran with. But I never believed it. I think something else happened. And Katara thought it too.
Kenora nods. The waterbender finally gets up, sitting down on the other side of the room, getting a better reading of Sokka's face.
SOKKA: A few days after I was supposed to join father for a hunt. But I didn't go. I stopped having training with Bato. I started travelling a lot. Seeing some of the islands, buying expensive stuff, meeting exotic girls...
The last part gains him a skeptic frown.
KENORA: You... probably shouldn't call girls "exotic". We're not objects.
SOKKA: Sorry.
He cringes in shame.
SOKKA: Also, it wasn't just girls...
He scoffs in self-pity. Kenora nods respectfully.
SOKKA: I spent a lot of time isolated. I tried to be liked by the other men in the Tribe. I tried to be one of them. But they always had these... impossible expectations.
He sits up, throwing his arms in the air.
SOKKA: For Sedni's sake - I'm the prince of the Water Tribe and look at me! I can't even be taken seriously by pirates!
He crosses his arms in a gesture of self-doubt.
SOKKA: My crew left me for my lieutenant. I was mean to the only person who ever treated me with respect...
Kenora suspects he means Kanna.
SOKKA: I'm a failure.
KENORA: No, you're not.
SOKKA: Evidence suggests otherwise.
She pouts for a second then gets up with energy.
KENORA: You... freed slaves! I mean, you took their gold, but you did help save them! And you escaped Vice-Chief Puwati, who, arguably, is pretty scary.
Sokka lets out half a smile.
KENORA: And you've captured the Avatar, multiple times! Almost.
SOKKA: You did that.
KENORA: We did that. You always let other people make decishous-
She comes to a hold. Almost as if choking.
KENORA: Dethi- dethith-
She averts her face.
SOKKA: I know what you mean-
KENORA: No!
She shakes her head, gesturing that she will finish it herself.
KENORA: De-ci-sions. Other people make them for you all the time.
She walks over to him, offering a hand to get up.
KENORA: And you let your weakness define you. Don't. Choose your own fate, Sokka.
He nods, feeling the warmth in his stomach boiling up.
SOKKA: Kenora, I've been meaning to-
BOOM! A loud crash and shockwave knocks them both over. They run outside, finding themselves on deck, looking with dropped jaws at the mountain ahead of them.
SOKKA: A volcano...
The massive heap spews ashes, with lava running down the side.
BOOM! Aang catches Azula, paralleling their first encounter in this world. Sabachi climbs on to the Avatar's shoulder, cowering in fear.
AZULA: Was that you?!
AANG: No. Why is every earthquake supposed to be me?
For a fleeting moment the two share a few seconds of very quiet eye contact, Azula loosing herself in Aang's grey pupils.
ZUKO: There you are!
AANG: Ah!
He drops her in shock.
AZULA Thanks...
ZUKO: Azula! I'm so sorry!
He runs up to her, engulfing her in a tight but loving hug.
ZUKO: I'm so sorry I said that to you - I didn't mean it, I was just-
AZULA: No, I'm sorry. I just... didn't appreciate what you're trying to do for me.
He let's go, looking at her with a confused expression.
AZULA: Not just today, but... in general.
Aang smiles in the background.
ZUKO: Thank you. But we don't have time.
He runs back to the entrance of the cave, where Appa greets them with a deep growl.
AZULA: Hey big guy.
AANG: What's going on, what was that-
And in that moment, Aang connects the dots in his head. Memories of the fortuneteller, and the village about to be engulfed by lava.
ZUKO: The volcano erupted.
AZULA: Volcano?!
ZUKO: Yes! And I still haven't found Ty Lee! She went the other way to find you and-
His hysteria is calmed down by a shoulder touch from his sister.
AZULA: Let's go get her.
They climb on to Appa's saddle, with Aang still hesitating.
AZULA: Aang, come on!
Aang spins up on Appa's head, hoping that the village either doesn't exist, or is evacuated in time.
AANG: Yip-yip.
Kenora swings back on to the pirate ship, with Sokka awkwardly climbing after her.
KENORA: Everybody! The volcano erupted!
For a brief moment the pirate-party is interrupted, with the crew staring in awe at the ominous cloud of smoke in the distance.
KENORA: You are pirates, but you're not murderers! We'll go back to the village and help with the evacuation!
A moment of silence. Then the pirates erupt into laughter. Kenora looks shocked at Sokka.
GREEN PIRATE (in tears of laughter): Oh, boy... that was a good one, captain.
GREEN PIRATE (addressing the crew): Alright! Let's pack it up and leave.
PIRATES: Aye!
Sokka is little surprised, yet Kenora is genuinely appalled.
KENORA: What?!
GREEN PIRATE: With all due respect captain, pirates are murderers. We didn't hurt anyone when we looted it on your orders, but I'm afraid we're not firefighters or vigilantes.
He turns around and walks away from the waterbender, who looks down in shame. Sokka too is ashamed, ashamed not to know what to say now.
SOKKA: Kenora, we-
She grabs a rope and swings back on land.
GREEN PIRATE: Captain?
He sees her running towards the village.
GREEN PIRATE: CAPTAIN?!
Sokka decides to grab a rope too.
SOKKA: Don't leave without the captain.
GREEN PIRATE: I'm not taking orders from you!
In a very swift motion Sokka takes his machete, holding it up to the pirate's neck, dangerously close.
SOKKA: I'm not asking again.
And with that, the prince swings onshore.
Kenora arrives in the village just as the mountainside gate is engulfed by the slowly encroaching lava, a majority of the houses destroyed by volcanic debris. The sky is darkened by the ash, colored in a horrifying shade of orange. People scream and run in a hurry, some able to take their belongings with them. Others just running with nothing. An angry villager, the same one shouting at Sokka earlier, takes note of her presence.
VILLAGER: It's you!
She looks at him in shock.
VILLAGER: You and your pirate scum took everything we had - and now the universe in punishing us!
More angered villagers gather around her.
KENORA: No... I-
FEMALE VILLAGER: Now we're on the run and without supplies! What do you have to say for yourself?
Kenora finally starts having regrets about the pirate strategy. The mob closes in on her.
KENORA: No, please... I-
SOKKA: We don't have time for this!
The angry mob seems more confused than anything.
VILLAGER: Aren't you the-
SOKKA: Who cares who I am - we came back to help you get out of here. Let's go!
The villagers reluctantly agree.
What follows is a series of small heroic acts performed by Kenora and Sokka that help the villagers escape. In one instance Sokka helps an injured person get to safety from his collapsed house, in another Kenora makes an ice slope for a couple to get out of the second floor. Sokka grabs an innocent pet about to be engulfed by lava, Kenora extinguishes a fire, allowing a child to run into her mother's arms.
CABBAGE MERCHANT: HELP!
In the back alley next to the flower shop a man is surrounded by lava on all sides. Kenora rushes to his aid, making the dreadful realization that her water pouches are empty.
CABBAGE MERCHANT: It's coming closer...
KENORA: Hold on!
She tries to come up with an ulterior solution - she grabs a wooden plank, putting it on top of the lava, only to see in incinerated in seconds.
KENORA: Oh.
CABBAGE MERCHANT: Please! I'm begging you, help me!
The lava closes in further and further. Kenora panics. Then she gets a rather stupid idea, seeing a watering can standing among the shop's flowers. In a swift motion she tries bending what little water is left inside, somehow amounting a massive heap of liquid, splashing it on to the lava, cooling it down long enough for the man to step over it and run to safety.
CABBAGE MERCHANT: Thank you!
Kenora looks perplexed. She checks the flower shop once again, discovering all of them dried out and dead, when they seemed fine just a second ago.
KENORA: What?
Sokka meanwhile coordinates more people to get to the main gate, where the village has gathered.
WOMAN: Lee! He's still inside!
The woman looks at Sokka with teary eyes, pointing at a building that's about to collapse. Sokka sighs, running inside, finding a little boy cowering in fear.
SOKKA: Lee?
The boy nods.
SOKKA: Um... come on?!
The boy moves, getting through the unstable house, only until they reach the doorframe. At that moment, the structure collapses further, almost crushing Sokka and the boy, if it wasn't for the prince holding up his hands, stopping the debris from burying them. He grunts in pain.
SOKKA (in pain): Get out! NOW!
The boy runs to his mom. Sokka can feel the weight pushing down harder and harder. His muscles and bones are on fire. Then the weight is lifted slightly.
KENORA (in pain): Is everyone safe?
SOKKA (in pain): Yup.
VILLAGER: Not everyone.
The villager from earlier is followed by a whole plethora of helpers, keeping up the structure up long enough for Sokka and Kenora to get out. The villagers help the two to get to the gate. Sokka's shoulder seems to be seriously injured.
KENORA: Thank you. And... I'm sorry.
The villager tilts his head to the side.
VILLAGER: I hope your mission is worth it.
CABBAGE MERCHANT: What's that?
The man points at the sky, where a flying bison soars across to the other side on the volcano.
KENORA: The Avatar...
Kenora looks at the injured Sokka, then back at Appa. She sighs.
KENORA: Let's get these people to the shore. You should be safer there.
She looks at Sokka, awaiting his response. He nods with half a smile.
ZUKO (raspy): Did you see that village? Should we-
He starts coughing vigorously. Aang gets the brilliant idea to create an air shield, as to avoid breathing in the volcanic fumes. He curses himself for not doing it sooner.
AZULA: The village was abandoned. We should look for Ty Lee first!
AANG: THERE!
They point at the little pink dot in the woodwork who manages to run away from the lava in time but seems to be suffering from a severe cough too.
AANG: Ty Lee, can you-
Aang breaks the air shield, accidentally inhaling smoke himself, trying to cough it out while steering Appa closer to the airbender in the woods. A tree burning at the base from the surrounding lava falls over, almost crushing Ty Lee, who appears to be almost paralyzed by the volcanic toxins. The acrobat tries cooling down a patch of lava closing in on her but doesn't muster enough strength to do it completely. Azula takes the initiative and jumps off Appa once he's close enough to the ground. A second tree is about to fall on Ty Lee, but misses her barely, with Azula tackling her away to safety.
AZULA: Can you get us up on Appa?
She nods, but still has to cough. With a sloppy spin-jump the two girls land safely on Appa's saddle.
AZULA: Aang, go!
Aang doesn't react, as he seems to have caught a very nasty heap of ash. Azula grunts, gesturing him to back inside the saddle, taking the reins.
AZULA: Come on, yip-yip you big, hairy hero!
Appa grunts, flying up in a straight line. Azula steers to the left when another massive eruption spews lava right ahead of them. For a moment, seconds feel like minutes and Azula instinctively creates a massive fire ball, blasting away the molten danger and allowing the bison to fly over the village to safety. As Azula does so, she looks down at the villagers, glad that such a large number of people is escaping. For a brief moment her eyes meet Kenora, and the two girls exchange a cold stare, before the bison ultimately races to safety.
Marching through the forest, the destructive red shades of the eruption are replaced by similar colors reflected by the ocean. The villagers look beaten down and tired, many of them suffering from a cough.
SOKKA: At least we got everyone out.
Kenora shrugs.
KENORA: We got some out, they mostly did it themselves.
Sokka shrugs back, but grunts in pain as he shouldn't move his shoulder.
KENORA: How is it?
SOKKA: It's okay. I won't be able to spare with you for a while.
Kenora smiles at that.
KENORA: We should be doing that sometime again. Feels like our last one was a while ago.
Sokka smirks back.
SOKKA: I'm just glad to travel with you, no matter how or what we do.
Kenora smiles but doesn't quite know what to think of that statement. Her thoughts are rudely interrupted by some of the villagers in the front sounding scared. Kenora and Sokka push to the front, finding their pirate crew ahead of the caravan.
KENORA: I thought you would've left by now.
The pirates somehow seem cowardly or ashamed. The green pirate clears his throat.
GREEN PIRATE: We uh... we wanted to apologize for not helping you out, captain. We really screwed up.
One of the pirates snivels. Sokka blinks comically.
KENORA: Yes. You really did.
The pirates shudder.
GREEN PIRATE: Is there something we could do to make up for it?
Kenora looks at the disgruntled villagers and gets a cocky smirk on her face.
KENORA: Yeah. We took all their stuff, now their village is gone. We should give it back.
The pirates murmur with each other, then get back to their captain.
GREEN PIRATE: That's okay with us.
The villagers start cheering, with the pirates joining in for some reason. Kenora smiles with a confused expression, sharing that happy side with Sokka, whose heart beats faster because of it.
Everyone on Appa except Azula and Sabachi coughs comically much. Azula, steering the beast, starts getting annoyed by it.
AZULA: Alright, I get it. You caught too much volcano... air... I guess.
Sabachi chirps.
TY LEE (raspy): Thank you for saving us, Azula.
AANG (raspy): Yeah.
The airbenders continue coughing.
ZUKO: (raspy): She would be proud.
The comment kind of silences everyone, as they don't know how Azula will react. The firebender simply shrugs with a smile.
AZULA: I know.
She looks ahead with confidence, steering along the coastline, heading north. Her smile disappears as the coughing doesn't stop.
AZULA: This is going to be a long one...
Appa grunts.
AZULA (to Appa): Shut up!