Two siblings were out on a canoe, floating lazily on the icy waters, towering icebergs passing by them as the brother held up a spear, ready to impale a fish. "It's not getting away from me this time," the brother muttered, priming his spear as he focused on a fish just below the water's surface. "Watch and learn Katara," he said to his sister. "This is how you catch a fish."

The sister, Katara, just rolled her eyes, already regretting coming on this trip with her brother. They have been at this for two hours already and have only caught two fish. Katara leaned on the edge of the canoe, looking at the water. She stopped listening to her brother almost an hour ago, when the last fish had evaded his spear, and he blamed Katara, saying that she had rocked the canoe.

Katara sighed, bringing her gloved hand to wipe the chill from her cheeks, when something in the water caught her eye.

It was a fish, its fins barley breaking through the surface as it swam past their canoe.

She was about to get her brother's attention, but he was too focused on the fish on his end of the canoe. Hesitantly, she removed her glove, moving her hand in a fluid motion, up and down as she lifted the fish, encased in a bubble of water.

Katara gasped in joy, keeping her focus on the bubble as she floated the fish over their canoe. "Sokka, look!" she said, now using both her hands to keep the bubble stable.

But her brother, Sokka, barely looked up. "Sshh! Katara you're gonna scare it away." He shushed her, raising his spear above his head, the fish coming close enough. "Mmm… I can already smell it cookin'." He licked his lips and adjusted his grip.

Katara's face contorted as she started to lose control of the bubble, its round surface trembling, the fish swimming around frantically. "But Sokka!" she said, now moving her arms from side to side, moving the wavering bubble with it. "I caught one!"

She scrunched her nose, losing her focus as her irritation for Sokka's lack of reaction took over. She floated the bubble towards him, intent on showing him her caught fish. It was hanging above him now, Katara struggling to lower it, but the bubble burst when Sokka lifted his spear, breaking the round surface, causing a rush of icy water to fall on him, coincidently, he hit the fish as well, sending it flailing back into the water.

"Hey!" she yelled, indignant.

Sokka gasped as the cold water hit him, rocking the canoe as he spun to face Katara, the spear still held above his head. "Why is it," he started, irritation clear in his voice. "That every time you play with magic water, I get soaked?" Sokka clenched his fists, water dripping from his soaked gloves.

Katara scowled back at him, her own irritation growing. "It's not 'magic', it's waterbending! And it's—!"

Sokka cut her off, waving his hand. "Yeah, yeah, "an ancient art unique to our culture," blah blah blah." He took of his gloves, ringing the water out of them. "Look, I'm just saying that if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself." He turned his back to her, hand reaching to twist the water from his wolf knot.

Katara crossed her arms, lifting her eyebrow sceptically. "You're calling me weird?" she shifted on the bench, pulling her feet closer to her. "At least I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water!"

Sokka, who had been doing just as Katara said, rolled down his sleeve sheepishly as he looked away from the reflection of himself in the water. Katara just gave him a smug look. He went to bite back a response, but the canoe hit a chunk of floating ice. The two siblings fell forward as the current picked up, carrying the canoe down a channel between icebergs at a fast pace.

Sokka started to paddle in an attempt to stay clear of the ice chunks, but this made the canoe pick up speed as it narrowly avoided the collision of two icebergs, setting them right in the path of another.

"Watch out!" Katara called, eyes wide as she saw chunks of ice crashing into one another in front of them. Sokka continued to row furiously as he steered the canoe away from oncoming chunks, the canoe rocking dangerously. "Go left! Go left!" Katara yelled as they neared the iceberg blocking their way to open ocean, ice chunks battering the sides of the canoe. Sokka tried to steer the boat to the left, but the current was too strong. The canoe veered to the right, pinning itself between three large chunks of ice.

The canoe cracked; water began spilling in. Sokka grabbed his sister as the two of them jumped from the canoe, onto one of the ice floes that crashed into them. Katara's feet slipped from under her as she landed, nearly sliding off the other side into the water. She scrambled, having lost her hold on Sokka. The two reached out for one another, Sokka lying on his stomach as he held his hand out to her, but she was too far away, he couldn't reach her.

Katara's feet were dangling off the edge of the floe when she came to a stop. She breathed heavily as she lifted her head, looking around.

They were stranded now, floating on one floe among dozens, their canoe gone, along with the two measly fish they caught.

She shuffled her way to the middle of the floe, next to Sokka. He still had his spear, turning around so he could pull it from where it had landed tip first in the ice.

"You call that left?" Katara snapped bitterly, still out of breath.

Sokka looked at her from over his shoulder. "You don't like my steering?" he turned back to the spear, grabbing onto it as he started to pull. "Well, maybe you should've waterbended us out of the ice."

Katara got to her feet, facing Sokka as he struggled to dislodge his spear. "So, it's my fault?"

Sokka huffed in annoyance, turning around to he could point his finger in Katara's face. "I knew I should have left you home!" He steps closer, nearly touching Katara's nose with his accusing finger. "Leave it to a girl to screw things up!"

Katara's face contorts in fury, pointing her own finger at her brother, "You are the most sexist, immature, slushbrained—" she starts to wave her arms, unknowingly causing waves to crash against the ice floe. "I'm embarrassed to even be related to you!" she switched topics when she ran out of insults, her rage growing. "Ever since we left home, ever since Mom and Dad died, I've been the one stuck doing all the work around camp while you run off to play soldier!" Her face grew hot, blood boiling as the waves grew stronger. "I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks!?"

"Uh, Katara?" Sokka spoke up, holding onto his still stuck spear as the floe began to rock violently, but Katara was too caught up in her rage to notice the water spilling onto the floe, wetting their shoes.

Katara felt something rising in her, something hot and searing. "Let me tell you, not pleasant!"

She threw her hands up in the air, a tension snapping in her that she never knew of.

She felt lightheaded as her vision flashed white and twin blasts of fire erupted from her raised hands, shooting high into the sky above them.


Leagues away, on a Fire Nation Navy ship, Prince Zuko watched as a massive jet of fire shot into the air. He narrowed his eyes, turning to his uncle who sat at a low table. He played a board game Zuko couldn't remember than name of, and a pot of—probably jasmine—tea on a tray next to the game.

"What's a firebender doing in these waters?" he asked his uncle Iroh, just as the old man took a sip of his tea.

His uncle shrugged. "It may just be the polar lights. The only other Fire Nation ship is too far away for us to be able to see any firebending."

"Exactly," Zuko said, turning back to where he saw the jet of fire. He furrowed his brows in thought. "Perhaps there is another firebender here." He looked back at his uncle. "Perhaps… the Avatar."

"We've been down this road before, Prince Zuko," Iroh sighed, pointing out past claims. "Your father has been searching for fourteen years."

Zuko approached his uncle, lowering himself so he was at eye level with him. "His honour didn't depend on finding the Avatar. Mine does." He placed his hands on the table, leaning in close to his uncle. "Do you know what this means?"

"I won't get to finish my game?"

"My search is finally about to end!" Zuko shot up from his crouched position, walking across the deck as he settled his gaze once again on the spot where he saw the fire. Hope rose in his chest, though he fought it. If all went well, in a few months' time, he'd be home.


Fortunately for the two Water Tribe siblings, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation was not the only one to see the burst of fire.

"It has to be the Avatar!" Shui exclaimed, pointing at the fire.

"Do not get ahead of yourself, granddaughter," said the elderly woman sitting beside her. It had been over a century since the day she first met Avatar Aang, and now she'd see him again, in this new incarnation. She couldn't help but smile to herself.

"But Gran, that fire didn't come from a ship. Do you see any ships?" the young girl asked, waving her hand to the open expanse of the ocean, where only icebergs and floes could be seen.

"Just because there is no ship, does not mean that it did not come from a firebender." said Shui's great-grandmother, Mizu, a waterbender from the Northern Water Tribe. She has lived a long life, having met Avatar Aang when the two were still young. She was even the one to first teach him waterbending, though in secret, for it was forbidden for women to fight with their bending. A few years after meeting him and his friends, a Fire Nation Commander led an attack on the Tribe, bringing with her a band of combustionbenders.

Mizu was one of the first to act, uncaring that her fighting abilities were exposed as she protected her home. She was the one to confront the Fire Nation Commander, a woman named Asuko. The two fought in a great battle, with blow after blow lying waste to their surroundings.

After a devastating blow from Mizu, Commander Asuko was thrown into the icy sea, never to be seen again.

The Fire Nation soldiers were quick to retreat after the fall of their Commander, leaving the destroyed Water Tribe in their wake.

But the Tribe rejoiced in their victory, Avatar Aang painted as their saviour, for he had taken the brunt of the attack, isolating it to just the harbour.

But Aang, sweet Aang, had naively said that it was Mizu who had secured their victory in her fight with the Commander Asuko, outing her to the Tribe. He had looked so confused and betrayed when Mizu was banished, having broken one of the Northern Water Tribe's sacred laws.

Mizu had resigned herself to her fate, packing what she could before she took a boat, ready to sail wherever the current took her. But to her surprise, Aang and his friends followed her, leaving the Northern Water Tribe behind as they began their search for Aang's earthbending teacher. They were all still teenagers, barely of age when they set out to see the world.

Later on, when they were much older, when the war seemed to meet its end, Mizu and Aang married. They only had one child, a baby boy, named Tenzin. He was so much like his father, though he took things a bit more seriously than Aang. Her heart ached for her son, her husband, both taken from her, before she was ready.

Tenzin left behind his wife, Pema, and his four children, Jinora, Ikki, Meelo, and Rohan. And Aang… he died fourteen years ago.

Mizu had dedicated herself to finding the new Avatar since the day he finally confronted Fire Lord Azulon. That day, Aang didn't die at the hands of the Fire Lord, but his youngest son, Ozai. He had shot Aang with a bolt of lightning, stopping his heart right there, before Ozai killed his own father, crowning himself as the new Fire Lord in the aftermath.

Since that day, it has been Mizu, Shui, and her sky bison, Jian.

"We should at least investigate." Shui urged, breaking her grandmother from her thoughts. "What do we have to lose?"

Mizu sighed. The answer was, they had so much to lose. If they were spotted, it would alert the Fire Nation of their presence. And both of them would be appealing targets to them.

But…

They could hide Jian. He was still small, for a sky bison, and young.

They could find the nearest settlement, cross it off their list, and be off again, at peace with knowing that they took the chance, even if they came out empty handed.

What could go wrong?


The two siblings were still stranded, stuck on the ice floe as Katara tried to waterbend, while Sokka paddled with his spear, finally having got it free from the ice.

They hadn't said much since Katara's… outburst, having silently agreed that they couldn't stay floating there much longer.

Katara could still feel the heat of the fire on her hands, her fingers tingling. She took off her gloves when her hands became too hot, stuffing them into her pocket as she did the same fluid motions with her arms as she did when she caught the fish. It was working… kind of. It was doing more for them than Sokka's paddling.

She had wanted to say something, but the look of terror on Sokka's face made her stop, made her take a step back, almost falling off the edge of the floe.

She knew why he looked at her like that, she knew it just as well as the rest of their village knew. Nothing good ever comes from firebenders.

After the Fire Nation soldiers had attacked their home, killing or capturing all the men, as well as a large portion of the women and children, the survivors were left without a home, forced to walk the icy terrain for a place suitable to rebuild what they had lost. They found that place in a sheltered cove, close enough to the water, with enough tiger seals around to get them through the impending winter.

Both of their parents died in the attack.

An attack to find the Avatar.

To find her.

"We tell no one," Sokka hissed when they neared land. "You're just a waterbender. You can't bend any other element. We lost out boat. Nothing else happened."

Katara understood his concerns, saying nothing as they crested the hill before entering the village. As soon as the Fire Nation hears that the Avatar is back, they'd come back, more vicious than before. If they were to come back, they'd kill everyone.

Still, if she was the Avatar, she doubted that it would stay a secret for long. She knew that Fire Nation ships still patrolled the waters, and it'd be very unlikely that at least one didn't see the fire she created.

Katara could hide, but she couldn't hide forever.

"It's Sokka and Katara!" Taruk called from the watch tower, waving his arms, and pointing at them.

The children of their village swarmed to them, crowding around their legs, Katara couldn't help but laugh, a tiny glimmer of light shining through her dark mood.

"Did you bring any fish?" Rennae asked, tiny hands twisting in Katara's skirt.

"Nope," Sokka said, directing the children away from his path. "Our boat crashed, no thanks to Katara."

Katara felt her irritation come back, her hands heating. "Excuse me," she snapped. "You know my waterbending isn't that strong."

"Waterbending?" asked a voice, unfamiliar to the siblings. Their heads shot up to see a on old woman and a young girl. The woman had a weathered face, like their Gran-Gran, and was hunched like her too. The young girl was bouncing on the balls of her feet, her face lit up in excitement.

"Oh!" little Rennae gasped. She looked up at Katara with a bright smile. "We have visitors!"

Katara nodded placatingly at Rennae, removing tiny hands from her skirt.

"Hi!" the young girl said cheerfully, brushing away the strands of hair from her face. Katara thought she looked like the Earth Kingdom traders that used to frequent the harbour of the old Southern Water Tribe, but her face had a softer look, more rounded.

As she brushed away her hair, it revealed the shaved half of her head. Katara was sure the girl's head got cold easily, especially in this weather. Speaking of, what the girl wore was extremely unsuited for this environment, her orange parka looked too thin, blowing in the icy winds.

"I'm Shui!" the girl said before she extended a hand to the woman next to her. "And this is my Gran. We were hoping we could speak with you two."

Sokka and Katara shared a glance, cautious of the newcomers.

"Alright…" Katara said carefully, walking up to the two.

"Are you crazy?" Sokka hissed at her, reaching to grab her arm. "They could be firebenders!"

He looked at the two with trepidation, pulling Katara back as he adjusted his grip on the spear.

The old woman just sighed, turning slightly to face a mound of snow, lifting her hand as she did. The snow rose up and formed something with the likeliness to a tiger seal, not paying attention to the wonder filled gasps from the children. "There," she said with finality, turning back to give Sokka a stern look. "Satisfied?"

Katara had gasped along with the children, but for a different reason. "You're a waterbender?"

"Yes," the woman nodded. "And we have reason to believe that the Avatar is here, so if you know anything that can help us, that would be much appreciated."

She felt Sokka stiffen beside her. He still held her arm as he pulled her closer.

"Or a random firebender," Shui spoke up, plunging her tall wooden stick into the snow. "We saw a burst of fire, and the only Fire Nation ship we saw was still far away, so we figured it was the Avatar." Her words were rushed, hands waving in the air as she talked.

Sokka narrowed his eyes. "Wait, what's this about a Fire Nation ship?"

The old woman nodded. "That is way it is imperative that you tell us anything you know about the Avatar, so that we may hide them before the Fire Nation gets wind of their return."

Katara felt something rise in her chest, something light and tingling. She rubbed her hands, the phantom feeling of the fire still clinging to her fingers. Her heart fluttered with anxiety. She could firebend and had almost burned Sokka just hours before. What would happen if she left it unchecked, if she remained untrained? Would she snap again and set their whole village ablaze?

"Let's talk in private," she said, surprised at how even her voice sounded, betraying nothing of the blizzard of emotions roiling in her. "Our tent is this way." She took Sokka by the elbow before he could protest, leading the newcomers to the small tent.

Sokka mumbled something about the Fire Nation, still not trusting the strangers. Katara didn't know if she wanted to agree with him or hit him.

"Are you seriously going to tell them?" Sokka hissed through his teeth, trying to keep his voice low. "What if—"

"Sokka, please," she turned her head slightly to him, not wanting to make their conversation too obvious. "They can help, with… y'know." She lifted her eyebrows as she wriggled her fingers, imitating a burning fire. "And why would they warn us of the ship if they were Fire Nation?"

"To get you paranoid and make you come with them!" Sokka shot back, failing to keep his voice down.

"You know we can hear you, right?" Shui called from behind them, skipping beside her grandmother. "And no, we're not Fire Nation. To be honest, the Fire Nation kinda sucks." She shrugged, like it was a common thing to say.

The grandmother chuckled at the bluntness of Shui's claim. "Not everyone in the Fire Nation is bad, granddaughter. Just most of them. My old friend Kuzon was one of the greatest people I have ever met." Her eyes glazed over slightly, as if caught in a memory, a fond and reminiscent smile pulling at her lips.

Sokka stumbled over his feet. "Wait," he turned around fully, facing the two behind them. "Kuzon? As in one of Avatar Aang's friends? That Kuzon?"

The grandmother blinked before she nodded, her smile turning smug and prideful. "Yes, that Kuzon."

Katara's eyes widened, realisation dawning on her. "Then that means…" she said open mouthed, pointing a lax finger at the grandmother, hope and awe blooming in her chest. If she was a waterbender that knew Kuzon…

"You may call me Mizu," the grandmother said, nodding her head.

Katara made a squeaking noise, much too similar to a baby otter penguin. Her eyes grew wide. "The Mizu?"

"How many other Mizus do you know?"

Both Katara and Sokka pointed to a little girl standing at the entrance of a tent across the path, a snot bubble blowing from her nose as she stared at them. When the two pointed at her, she made a squeak like Katara and disappeared inside.

Mizu, the old woman, laughed in surprise, a blow of hot breath steaming in the cold air.

She looked back at the siblings, an easy smile on her face. "Well," she started, inclining her head. "You have my name. May I know yours?"

Katara bit her lip, rolling it between her teeth. "I'm Katara," she said finally. She took Sokka's elbow again as she pulled him forward. "And this paranoid kelphead is my brother Sokka."

She ignored Sokka's offended "Hey!" as she started to lead them into their tent.

They sat in the cramped space, Shui had thankfully left her wooden stick outside, Katara was sure if she brought it in it would poke a hole through their roof.

"Do you still think we are Fire Nation spies, Sokka?" Mizu asked, looking far to smug for this situation.

Sokka pouted, crossing his arms like a child. "No," he admitted reluctantly but then perked up as he pointed a finger at Shui. "But what about her? How do you know she's not planning to stab you in the back?"

Katara rolled her eyes. She really wanted to hit Sokka now, but mercifully she held back. "Yeah right, like the granddaughter of Avatar Aang is going to go behind her grandmothers back and hand her over to the Fire Nation. You can really tell by the evil look in her eye."

"But—! She's wearing yellow! And orange! Y'know, fire colours!" Sokka sputtered, waving his hand in Shui's general direction.

"That's because they're also Air Nomad colours," Shui spoke up, surprising Katara with her calmness towards Sokka's accusations. "I'm an airbender."

A silence came over the tent, Sokka and Katara staring at Shui with wide eyes, dumbfounded.

"An… airbender?" Katara questioned, voice barely heard over the wind slamming against the sides of the tent.

"Shui is actually my great-granddaughter," Mizu stated, settling a hand on Shui's slim shoulder. "Aang's great-granddaughter. She inherited his airbending abilities."

The two siblings nodded along, no longer as suspicious of the strangers.

"Now," Mizu took a deep breath, looking Sokka and Katara in the eye. "What do you know about the Avatar?"

Katara stiffened, her heart racing again as she thought of the fire, of potentially being the downfall of her village. "Well…" she started, interlacing her fingers so she could roll her thumbs nervously. She glanced at Sokka, a silent plea.

"So, you see…" Sokka trailed off, waving his hands in a circular motion, at a loss for words. He was being so helpful.

"I think I'm the Avatar?" Katara blurted out, words tumbling from her mouth. She winced after she said it, embarrassment filling her as she saw the unamused look on Mizu's face.

"You think?" Mizu repeated blandly, raising her eyebrow.

"Unless it's normal to bend both fire and water?" Katara's voice went up an octave, clenching her hands tight. She pulled her shoulders up to her hears, feeling rather like she was being thrown in the deep end.

"Then yes," Mizu sighed, her thumb and fore finger massaging circles in her temples. "I too think you are the Avatar."

Katara stared at her hands, clenched tight as emotions raged in her chest, rising and falling like the tides of the ocean, each wave a crash of something different to the one before.

The Avatar.

She was the Avatar.

"Moon and ocean," Sokka muttered, eyes wide. "You're the Avatar."