They sat in silence, Katara lost in her thoughts.

She was the Avatar. She was to be the one to stop the Hundred Year War. She could waterbend, firebend, airbend, and earthbend.

Her head swam, thoughts crashing into one another.

Could she even stop the war? Would she be able to master all the elements? What would her grandmother think? Will she be angry? The old woman wasn't that thrilled when Katara revealed to her that she could waterbend, but now all three other bendings too? She wasn't sure her grandmother's heart could take it.

She felt Sokka put a hand on her knee, trying to pull her back from her mind.

"Katara?" she could hear him say softly, but there was rushing in her ears. From the wind outside or the blood rushing in her veins, she didn't know.

Her hands were shaking in her lap, the heat leaving them as cold realisation washed over her.

She would have to leave.

She would have to leave the village to be able to learn the elements./

She would leave behind Sokka and their grandmother, her aunties, the women that raised her and Sokka next to their own children.

The children. Little Taruk and Rennae and Mizu and Seling and Hudoka and—

She closed her eyes tight, feeling the burn of tears as her mind brought their little round faces to the fore front.

Her and Sokka were the oldest of the children, the ones that were usually tasked with gathering food and fresh water. They were the young and agile ones, doing the tasks that the adults couldn't do, whether it be because of age or injury.

If she left, at least Sokka would still be here, along with Seling, who was just two years younger than Katara. Him and Sokka would be the ones to go out and hunt. Him and Sokka would be the ones to help the adults.

A tear rolled down her cheek.

She didn't want to cry, not in front of Sokka, and especially not in front of Shui and Mizu.

She went to wipe away the tear, but felt it being lifted from her cold cheek.

Katara's eyes shot open as she watched Mizu's hand, moving fluidly as the lone tear hovered in front of her face.

"Now," Mizu said gently, letting the tear fall to the ground. "There is no need for tears, Katara," her smile was as gentle as her voice, her blue eyes shining with understanding. "I know how hard it is, but I promise you, this will pass."

Mizu got to her feet with a groan, Shui shooting up immediately to help her grandmother.

Katara stood as well, grabbing Sokka's elbow so he could follow.

They exited the tent, the sun already beginning its decent past the horizon.

"Katara," Mizu turned to her, putting her weathered hands on the girl's shoulders. "Remember, this is for the good of the world. You cannot run from this, there is no point in running."

Katara bristled at even the mention of running. The thought had crossed her mind, she could admit, but she was planning to hide, not run.

"Aang didn't run," she said fiercely, hands clenching into fists at her sides. She could feel the heat coming back to them. "So, I won't."


"Shui and Mizu, the entire village. Entire village, Shui and Mizu," Katara introduced, holding her hand out. They were still shaking a little, though she was sure no one could tell with her gloves on.

The visitors bowed in greeting to the village people, though Katara was sure that the two must have introduced themselves to some of the adults, seeing as they we're talking to her grandmother when her and Sokka arrived.

Speaking of, Sokka was still being paranoid, questioning Shui on her staff.

"What's this for?" he asked, pointing at Shui's staff. "You can't even stab anything with this." He poked the blunt end of the staff, seeming dissatisfied with its lacklustre stabbing capabilities.

Shui scowled, angling her staff away from Sokka. "It's not for stabbing," she said, narrowing her dark grey eyes. "It's for airbending." A light sparked in her eyes, a grin slowly spreading on her thin lips. "Watch this!"

She must have done something since wings of wood and fabric sprang from the staff. It reminded Katara of a kite, but way bigger and lacking the string that prevented it from flying away.

"Magic trick!" little Hana exclaimed, getting the attention of the other children. "Do it again!"

Shui smiled at the little girl, bending at the hip so she was closer to her. "It's not magic, it's airbending!" she corrected kindly, pulling the end of her staff from the snow, revealing two smaller wings. "Just watch, I'm gonna control the air currents around me so I can fly!"

The children gasped in wonder. Sokka just scoffed. "Last I checked, humans can't fly." He crossed his arms, eyeing Shui's staff with wariness.

Shui just laughed. "Check again!" And she jumped, sending a torrent of snow as she took off. She reached an impossible height, and when she began to fall, she straightened out under her glider, hooking her feet on the smaller wings, and began to glide over their heads.

The children stared up at Shui in amazement, pointing as she twirled and swooped low, kicking up the snow with a gust of wind. She made a loop in the air, and then another, and another. With the fourth loop she crashed headfirst into Sokka's shabby watchtower.

"My watchtower!" Sokka cried out, running up to the ruined structure.

"Sorry!" Shui called, her head popping up from the pile of snow. She had a bashful smile on her face. "I'm still getting the hang of it," She climbed out, shaking the snow from herself, coincidentally hitting Sokka on the head as he tried to rebuild his tower. He just glared at her, not that it did anything to put off the girl's sunny attitude.

With the commotion of Shui crashing, the adults came to see what had happened. Upon seeing the fallen tower, Mizu sighed, swooping her hand in an upward motion. The snow from the tower lifted, putting itself back together, while Sokka just stared open mouthed at the new tower. Katara could admit, it looked much better than the one before.

When the tower was rebuilt, Katara turned to look at Mizu, awe in her eyes at the old woman's control over her bending.

Mizu must have noticed this, a sad smile coming to her lips as she made her way over to Katara.

"Would you walk with me?" she asked, tilting her head away from the gathering crowd who came to gawk at the new watchtower.

Katara nodded hesitantly, wondering if she had done something wrong.

Once the two were a sure distance away, the snow crunching under their feet, Mizu stopped and turned to face Katara, who looked at the old woman with barely concealed nervousness.

Mizu obviously saw this and placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. Katara forced herself to relax under the touch.

"I know you want me to be the one to teach you waterbending, I do not even need to ask," she started, smiling as Katara's eyes widened. Was it that obvious? "But unfortunately, I will not be the one to teach you. You will need to go to the Northern Water Tribe, if you wish to have a teacher."

Katara felt the disappointment sit heavily on her chest, forcing the air from her lungs and refusing to let any back in. "Why not?" she asked quietly, feeling too much like a small child being denied their favourite food.

Mizu caressed her cheek softly, something her own grandmother usually did.

"It is because I need to rally some old friends, and build alliances, now that the Avatar has been found." She removed her hand, straightening her posture and folding her hands behind her back. Instantly she became the fearless and strong warrior from the stories Katara heard as a child. It felt strange that it was only now that she was seeing Mizu this way, and not as the kind grandmother that had been first presented to her.

"Shui will be teaching you airbending as you travel," Mizu continued, a soft look piercing her hard expression. "She might not be a master, but she will be all you have."

Katara looked to the ground, pushing the snow with her toes. Her disappointment was still there, cloying in the back of her throat like slime, but she nodded anyway. At least she'll be learning a new element, though her heart ached to be taught by the woman who had taught the Avatar before her.

The two stood in silence for a moment before their attention was caught by Shui swooping down close to their heads, whooping in glee. The children chased after her on the ground, their little legs kicking up snow more than anything else.

Sokka came jogging behind them, out of breath like he had been doing this for a while.

"What…" he huffed, leaning his hands on his knees, hanging his head as he tried to regain his breath. "What… are you two… talking about?" he finally managed, straightening to look at the two, sweat glistening on his forehead.

Katara rolled her thumbs, not looking Sokka in the eye as she spoke. "I, I have to go the Northern Water Tribe to master waterbending…" She stopped when Sokka sputtered.

"What! You're going where?"

"The Northern Water Tribe," Katara repeated. "Mizu said that she can't be the one to teach me waterbending, so I have to go to the North with Shui."

Sokka scowled at Mizu, coming to step between her and Katara. He pointed a finger at her face. "No, you are not taking my sister anywhere. At least not without me."

Katara was taken aback by Sokka's statement.

"You're, you're coming with me?" Katara asked, she turned Sokka around by his elbow. "But who's going to take up our responsibilities? You know that Seling is too young to do what we do."

Sokka looked at her with a soft expression she hasn't seen in ages. It looked so much like their mother's. "He won't be alone, with two less mouths to feed, they won't need to go out as often, and if they have to, Hanoka can go with him."

The name brought the face of the woman who taught Katara how to braid hair, who taught her which sea prune was the ripest, who was there when she fell and cried. She was like the mother Katara wished she hadn't lost.

A gust of wind blew past them, bringing with it Shui and a torrent of snow.

"What's going on here?" she asked, oblivious to the moment between two siblings she had shattered.

Mizu cleared her throat as the teens looked to her. "Shui, you will be travelling to the Northern Water Tribe with Sokka and Katara to find a waterbending master to teach the Avatar." The way Mizu said this reminded Katara of a general giving orders to a soldier, not like a grandmother speaking to her granddaughter. "If you can teach Katara airbending before you arrive there, you have earned your tattoos and will become an airbending master."

Shui's jaw dropped as she stared wide eyed at her grandmother. "Really?" she breathed, her grip lax on her glider, the staff tipping to one side.

"Tattoos?" Sokka asked at the same time, a look of confusion and horror on his face.

"Our mastery tattoos," Shui explained, regaining herself a little bit. "You receive them when you master the art of airbending. They are arrows that are said to follow your chi lines, representing the flow of energy inside a bender. My cousin Hava got hers a few years ago, so I'm the only airbender without them. It's the most honourable achievement an airbender can receive." She broke out of her daze, face lighting up with eagerness as she pulled on Katara's arm. "C'mon, I'll show you some tricks—"

Mizu grabbed onto Shui's parka before she could get far. "No you will not," she pulled Shui back, holding her shoulder tightly. "You will leave immediately, it is impossible for us to be the only ones to have seen that blast of fire, there could be a fleet of Fire Nation ships on their way right now."

Shui's excitement sobered, a serious look coming over her joyful face. It was only there for a second though, before she pouted at her grandmother. "At least let me go penguin sledding before we leave. You've always been telling me how fun it is!"

Mizu rubbed at her forehead, something Katara thought she did a lot. She sighed at let go of Shui. "When I first met your great-grandfather, he asked me to go pet the polar bear dogs with him," she said fondly, her gentle smile returning to her face. "You may go, but be back before sundown, I do not have to tell you how cold it gets here at night, do I?"

Shui shook her head violently. "No, grandmother, but can Katara come with me?"

A sheen came over Mizu's eyes as she looked between Katara and Shui. "If you can manage it," she sighed, waving her hand in a dismissive manner.

Shui squealed and grabbed Katara's arm again, pulling her to the entrance gate of the village.

Katara looked back in time to see Mizu and Sokka walking off, a conversation brewing between the two of them.


"Ye-ah!" Shui cheered on the back of an otter penguin, sliding down a protruding iceberg, the snow spraying behind her as she went down.

"Haha!" Katara joined in, her penguin just behind Shui's. She squealed when the animal picked up speed, aiming for an outcropping of ice, using it as a ramp as they shot into the air, soaring over Shui's head, and landing in an explosion of snow several feet in front.

Shui gasped. "Hey! That's cheating!"

"I didn't do anything!" Katara called over her shoulder, voice echoing as their penguins sped into an icy tunnel, sliding up the smooth walls as the tunnel curved.

"You're penguin's a cheater then!"

Next thing Katara knew, Shui flew past her, a gust of cold air throwing up the hood of her coat. She cried out, hands quick to pull it back down just in time to see the bright light coming from the end of the tunnel.

She assumed the penguin would slow down, seeing as the ground sloped down just past the entrance. But the creature pushed its fins against the ice and propelled itself faster, shooting out of the tunnel, the two of them seemingly flying, before their descent began.

Katara screamed while the penguin honked in glee.

She threw her hands up, bringing a massive wall of snow to slide back down to the ground. The wall looped down and became a spiral, the penguin still honking.

Just as the two came to the end of the slide, Katara jumped from the penguin's back, not wanting to go any further. She landed with a tumbled, feet flying over her head as she dived into the snow.

"Katara!" Shui called out, jumping the impossible distance from the entrance of the cave to where Katara was digging herself out of the snow. "That was amazing! Did you see how high you were? And your bending was incredible!"

Katara shook the snow from her hair, not really listening to Shui's excited rambling.

She stood shakily to her feet, wobbling as she left the ditch she made. Though before she could get far, Shui grabbed onto her sleeve, pulling her back the way they came. "We have to do that again! Come on!"

They got a few steps away before Katara looked up at the sky, noticing how close the sun was to the horizon. She took hold of Shui's wrist, squeezing it to get the girl's attention. "It's close to sunset," she said when Shui turned to face her, now walking backwards up the slope back to the tunnel. "We should start heading back soon."

Shui pouted, kicking at the snow. "Awwww," She turned back around and began to walk sullenly back to the tunnel. Katara just smiled to herself, Shui reminding her of the children in her village.

Suddenly Shui spun around, throwing snow onto Katara. She had a troublemaker's smile, so different to the jovial one Katara had gotten used to seeing. "Hey, how about we…" Shui started to say, but her dark grey eyes looked at something over Katara's shoulder, her brow creasing. "What's that?"

Katara turned around to see what Shui was pointing at, though at first only seeing the vast whiteness of snow, before her eyes caught a patch of darkness. Her eyes widened, breath catching in her throat. Absentmindedly, she reached up and thumbed at her necklace.

"That," Katara's voice failed. She swallowed thickly, aware of the heated gaze of Shui on the back of her neck. "That is someplace we should never go."

She looked back to Shui, seeing the confusion on her new friend's face. "It's an old Fire Navy ship," she explained, feeling the weight of memories seeing the ship brought back. "From back when the raids started. The ship has been there since my Gran-Gran was a little girl."/

Her eyes felt drawn back to the ship, she refused to look back at first, but it seemed to call to her. "A similar one was used when the raiders attacked our village when I was younger. It's the reason me and Sokka have so many responsibilities."

"Oh," Shui said quietly, slowly walking back down the slope, toward the ship.

Katara reached to grab her orange parka, but she moved from under Katara's hand.

"Shui! Wait!" Katara called, kicking up snow as she jogged to keep up with Shui's light and fast steps. "We're not allowed to go there. It's dangerous! My Gran-Gran said that these things could be booby trapped."

But Shui made no sign of stopping, picking up her pace instead, causing snow to rain down on Katara.

"Shui, please!"

"Y'know, I used to be afraid of heights," Shui turned, a distant look on her face. "It got so bad that I couldn't get on Jian, my bison. When I thought I could never fully learn airbending because of my fear, Gran took me aside. She told me that if I ever wanted to be an airbending master, I'd need to learn to let go of my fear.

"She said that the currents will never let me fall, that I just needed to know how to ask them for help. The next day I took my glider and climbed onto the roof of our house. It was a windy day, coincidentally, and for a while, I just stood there, shaking, and paralysed from fear, then I thought back to what Gran said and asked the currents to help me."

Shui gave Katara an open smile. "Then I jumped. I had never felt a rush like that in my life, it was the greatest experience. And since then, I haven't trembled at the thought of heights again."

And then Shui turned back and jumped high, commanding the air to take her the rest of the way.

Katara looked contemplatively at the horizon. "Let go of fear…" she mumbled, feeling the chill of night starting to settle in, the sun close to setting.

The inside of the ship sent shivers up her spine, the chill in the air having nothing to do with it. The interior was trashed, rusted and frozen over. It seems like a pack of snow hamsters has made a nest in one of the closets.

Karata kept close to Shui, ready to pull her away at any sign of something going wrong. She remembered her Gran-Gran's warnings, keeping her steps light as the two made their way down a narrow and snow filled hallway.

"This is so creepy," Shui whispered, her breath steaming in the cold air. She looked over her shoulder at Katara. "How long did you say this was here?"

Katara stepped wide to avoid the knocked over stool, convinced that if she moved anything the slightest bit, they'd be trapped here forever.

"Since my Gran-Gran was little," she answered, looking at her feet to make sure she didn't step or trip over anything. "The elders tell stories about your great-grandparents teaming up with the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe to take down this very ship, to freeze it in the ice. They said that the waterbender was captured in the battle, taken prisoner. There hasn't been a waterbender from the South ever since." She finished, telling the tale like she was reciting it from memory. She paused, looking into the distance before she spoke again. "Well, until I came along…"

Katara's voice deepened, emotions waring insider her. "The raids my Gran-Gran told me about, with ruthless firebenders burning everything in their path. Huts, sleds, people…

"I never thought I'd see a raid myself, despite the constant fear my village has lived in since the war started. Until six years ago, when they came to my village, taking the children from their parents to be killed, looking for the next Avatar. Back then, Sokka was barely ten, but he managed to sneak most of us out."

Her voice trailed off, stopping in the middle of what looked like a weapons storeroom, the floor covered in fallen swords and spears. A long pole tipped with a wide, serrated blade leaned against the wall nearest to Katara. She caught sight of the weapon out of the corner of her eye, her heart beating faster at the sight of it.

Her hands started to heat up inside her gloves.

Shui had turned around, her joyful face sullen and shadowed in the dark room. Her fingers twisted in her parka like she was nervous.

"That's…" she paused, unable to find the words. "Did… did you ever go back?"

Katara gave a humourless laugh. "What was there to go back to? The soldier took whatever they didn't burn. Not to mention that they killed half the village. All we could salvage was food from the ice stores, some weapons, and materials to build new huts. Sokka went back to our home to see what he could bring back." Her hand came up to her necklace, smoothing the carved stone between her fingers.

Shui's eyes followed her movements, then widened when she realised what Katara left unsaid.

Tears pricked at her eyes. "It's all I have left."

Silence came over the two, none of them knowing what to say now.

"Katara…" Shui started, her eyes on the snowy floor. "I'm, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dragged you here, especially after you warned me the first time—"

But Katara was quick to wave her off, a gentle smile appearing on her saddened face. "No, no, it's alright, you were curious. I would be lying if I said I never wanted to know what the inside of this thing looked like."

The two girls shared a laugh, the atmosphere getting just that little bit lighter.

"But I get it," Shui went on. "Gran hasn't let me go to any of the Air Temples, though I've always wanted to see them. But… now that I heard what you told me, I'm not sure if I want to know what I'll find there."

Katara reached out and took Shui's hand in hers, squeezing it tight, but then a confused look came over her face. "How are you not freezing right now? I mean, you aren't really dressed for this kinda weather."

Shui just grinned. "It's an airbending trick my aunt Ikki showed me." She winked at Katara, her grin turning playful. "I'll show you later, but I think we should get going."

She nodded to the crack in the ceiling, revealing the stars peeking out from the clouds, the sky not yet dark enough to see them properly.

"Yeah," Katara chuckled. "Unless we face the wrath of Gran-Gran."

The two girls laughed again, this time with more cheer as they turned back down the hall, but something caught on Shui's foot, causing her to stumble. She would have fallen face first onto the floor had it not been for Katara still holding her hand.

A whir of something mechanical pierced the air, then a clanking sound before bars sprang up from the floor, blocking off the doorways.

Another louder clank came from somewhere above before the sound of rushing steam. After that was a loud bang, something bright and red shooting into the sky before exploding in a flash of light. Embers fell down and lit the room before the sun disappeared over the horizon.

The two girls looked at each other, wide eyed and open mouthed.

"Uhhh… what did you say about those booby traps?" Shui asking, cringing as the ship groaned. Katara gasped as the room tilted to the side.

"Who would you rather find us first?" Katara asked instead of answering. "Sokka or Mizu?"

"I dunno. We're dead either way." Shui shrugged, looking back at the crack in the ceiling.

Before Katara could say anything else, Shui grabbed a fistful of her coat. Katara yelped when her feet left the ground, a gust of wind ripping through the room as the two girls shot narrowly through the crack in the ceiling.

"SHUI!" Katara yelled, grabbing at whatever she could, watching the ship get smaller beneath them and then her stomach flipping upside down when they began their descent.

They landed in the snow, craving a deep trench as they came to a stop.

It was dark now, colder, but Katara could still see the plume of black smoke spewing from the ship's exhaust, showing no sign of stopping any time soon.

Shui shot up from under a pile of snow, shaking it off as she dug her way out, while Katara stayed frozen, eyes wide as she stared at the ship.

"Wow, that…" Shui blew out a breath. "That was something, huh Katara?"

She had her wide grin back, wading through the snow towards Katara, holding a hand to pull her up.

Numbly Katara took the offered hand, her mind still having not caught up fully.

"We, we should get back," Katara said instead, turning her back to the ship with great effort. "It's already past sunset. They're probably wondering where we are."

Shui deflated a little, following after Katara.