Avatar: Bladesong

by WampusoWoo

The concept of people on the other side of the world was a prospect laughed off by most scholars in the prestigious university's of both the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. What kind of lunatic would make that journey? The Scholars were right. The other side came to them. And the world was forever changed.

2. Chapter 1: The Men in the Woods

This...may be a bad idea.

Avatar is heavily, if not blatantly, inspired by Asian cultural influences. This is plainly seen everywhere you look in this series. Sokka, Katara and the Water Tribes are primarily Inuit inspired. Aang and the Air Nomads draw heavy parallels to Tibetan monks. The Earth Kingdom and Toph draw from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Lastly, Zuko and the Fire Nation seem to be mostly Japanese. Bare in mind, I drew all this information from the Avatar Wiki, I am talking out of my ass, I have no authority on this.

So, why did I decide to write a Fanfic about a secret "5th nation" and base it off of European cultures? Why add white people to Avatar the Last Airbender?

I took a semester abroad to Ireland last year as a senior in college when I first had the idea for this story. I took a writing class and my professor said "Fanfic is good. Write whatever shitty idea you want, as long as you write it right." Of course, "Write(ing) it right" has a multitude of translations that mean different things to different people. For example, it could mean that they must write something factually correct, well researched and true to that ideology, culture, belief, etc. To others, it might mean that you have to just write for the sake of it, to explore and test yourself and your abilities as a storyteller. Both of those definitions are valid, as are any to be honest. Writing is creativity, expression, art. Art is subjective, and there is no truly correct way to make art. There are incorrect ways for sure, such as plagiarism, blatant theft, or AI generation. Art is the presentation of the soul, after all. To make something is to make art.

So, what do I believe? How can I write this idea, right? Well, here's my belief. I'm writing this story to explore Culture Clash. To show off culture and ideas mixing and matching different things to see what happens. For my fictional 5th nation in this fanfic for a fictional universe, I wanted to take inspiration like how the show did it as well, representing cultures not as "loud" so to say, stuff that isn't what people think of when they think European culture? It's taking stuff from Irish history, Culture, mythology, and more. And I'm not just doing Ireland. I want to explore Finnish/Slavic culture, Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean (Everyone knows Greek/Roman myth I know! But I think it's still kinda cool) and more underrepresented stuff. I want to use that, plus some healthy sprinkles of more traditional fantasy stuff like from DnD, The Witcher and one other franchise/series that I won't spoil cause it's awesome and gonna make a coooooool ass twist if I ever get around to it and not abandon this story to die a lonely death like all my other ones! Wow I am a bad writer.

So, thanks for clicking this, I guess, and welcome to Bladesong.

---

Come and sing a song, of a journey to change the world…

---

When Aang woke up that morning, he had a good feeling. It wasn't for any reason, like Momo sleeping next to Appa, Katara having breakfast ready, or Sokka being the one to pack up the camp early. No, his good feeling stemmed from none of those things. It was simply a deeply stemmed gut reaction, an infectious joy he felt.

"Morning guys!" Aang said, a smile in his voice as he shot up from the ground. He never slept in a sleeping bag, unlike his friends. They were from the water tribes. They were used to sleeping with as many layers on as physically possible. "Up and at em!"

"Grmpth…hllmmth." The grumbling of the large loaf of fabric named Sokka rang out as he tried to scrunch into himself, desperate to stay asleep for as long as he could. His sister, on the other hand, opened her eyes and sat up.

"Morning Aang. What-" She then yawned, smacking her lips before rubbing her eyes. "-time is it?"

"Early! Now come on, let's get moving!" Aang grinned as he packed up everything from last night's camp. The supplies that his friend Bumi had lent them were being put to good purpose, even if Sokka didn't get all the meat he wanted.

"You seem excited today." Katara commented as she got up from her bedroll and helped Aang clean. Sokka, finally fully awake, laid on his side.

"Too excited." He grumbled, before dragging himself up from his own bedroll. "If only you kept this up whenever the Fire Nation found us."

"Relax, Sokka, he's just waking up on the right side of the bed, unlike some people." His sister playfully sneered at him, to which Sokka just grumbled in response before getting up himself. Katara turned to Aang. "He is right, though. You're usually not this excited in the morning. Any reason?"

"I don't really know," Aang responded. "I just got a good feeling, y'know? Like today is going to be a good day."

"Yippee. Aang's feelings are telling us it'll be a good one." Sokka groaned as he looked up at the sky. Grey and overcast. It was going to be a chilly day. "Ugh, gonna be gross and ugly all day."

"Relax Sokka. A few clouds never hurt anyone."

"Yeah, but those clouds mean rain, and that means we're gonna have to find shelter tonight if it rains."

"I'm sure we'll be ok. Not like the rain is a sign or anything!" Katara remarked, only to be met with a blank stare from Sokka. "What?"

"I want you to remember that."

"Relax Sokka, nothing bad's gonna happen today, guaranteed!" Aang smiled as he airbent the rest of the luggage onto Appa. With his bison giving a groan and his friends hopping onto the saddle, Aang cried out, "Yip Yip!"

As Appa rose from the ground and into the air, the gut feeling Aang had grown bigger and bigger. Today was going to be a very good day.

---

The village that they landed near was small, by the seaside. The clouds hadn't parted since morning, and the air felt heavy with rain. Sokka, of course, kept grumbling about it, as he was prone to do in about every circumstance. With Appa outside the village, hidden by the trees and bushes, the three walked through the small streets into the market.

"Look, Sokka!" Katara pointed to one particular vendor, stocking blades and bows. Rarities to the southern water tribe, which relied on war clubs, boomerangs, machetes and spears for their choice of weapon. "Wanna go check it out?"

"I know what you're doing, trying to distract me from the weather, so I stop 'complaining' so much!" Sokka gritted out.

Katara smirked back. "And is it working?"

"Yes." Sokka bolted to the stand, asking a million questions to the merchant, much to their surprise and chagrin. Instead of joining her brother, Katara looked for a food stand. Katara looked for a food stand, searching for fruits, vegetables, breads, and meat to feed herself and Sokka—anything that would last for an extended period. The journey to the North Pole would be a long one, and the funds given to them by Bumi were growing smaller every day. Money would have to be spent wisely. As Katara did this, Aang wandered the stalls, perusing slowly each item offered. A knife, a toy set, a set of airbender tingsha, a strange vertical scroll…

He stopped and backed up. The tingsha. Tingshas!

"Excuse me sir, where did you get those tingshas?" Aang asked the merchant, a short, older man.

"Eh? These? Bought 'em a while back, thought they'd sell a good sum. Haven't gotten rid of them since."

"How much are they?" The old man raised his eyebrows at Aang before guffawing. "20 silver." A steep price, one that was more than half of Aang's current budget, it would put a significant chunk into the group's total funds.

"Done!" Aang practically slammed the coins onto the table before him and snatched the tingshas up. As the old man counted the coins, Aang walked away, staring, studying, examining the tingshas. They were old and dusty, with some chipped and cracked parts.

Exactly like he remembered them.

"Hey Aang, can I borrow a few silver pieces? Need to get some more carrots for the soup tonight." He heard Katara approach him from behind. She was carrying a few bags full of different vegetables.

"Sorry, I'm all out."

"How? We just split the silver pieces this morning." She then noticed what Aang held in his hands. "What's that thing?"

"These are-"

"Oh, don't tell me he spent all his money on some stupid junk!" Sokka yelled as he butted over Aang's shoulder to look.

"It's not junk, Sokka! They're Tingsha!" Aang replied, holding the thing closer to his chest. "It's an Airbender instrument."

Sokka's annoyance fell, so did Katara's questioning. Sympathy and pity washed over them like a southern blizzard. It had only been 2 weeks since their visit to the Southern Air Temple, and whenever the Airbenders came up, Aang would shoot up in excitement before going quiet and staring off into space. The siblings, therefore, decided to make the subject taboo.

"Totally not junk then, a great purchase!" Sokka stammered out. "Fantastic, really."

"Shut up, Sokka!" Katara hissed under her breath, smacking her brother on the shoulder, before turning to Aang. His face was blank, save for the mournful smile he wore. "Aang?"

"'Y'know, I have a…had a friend named Dorji. He was one of the older kids at the Southern Air Temple, and he always fought with the monks about everything. Why we shaved our heads, why we stayed at the temples despite being named Nomads, why we even wore the clothes we wore. But whenever there was an occasion to celebrate, he'd pull out his favorite Tinghsa's and make the wind sing."

Aang watched Dorji as the older boy bent the flames down in the oven. While he was not a firebender, that did not mean that he could not control the heat of the furnace with his bending. Small gusts of wind shifted and softened the fire, making them smaller, small enough to be a calm smolder, as the pot hanging above them reflected the orange light.

"Gyatso thinks that his Fruit Pies are gonna win the contest tomorrow, my Rasbari'll blow his outta the sky!" Dorji smirked as he stirred the pot with a spoon. Placing the lid back on, he turned towards the young airbender. He was tall, far taller than most of the monks in the temple. His face was lean and tall, his eyebrows sharp, his chin sharper. His gray eyes shone with a hint of mischievousness, and his head had the rough shallowness of shaved hair. While age was not necessarily important or discussed in the temples, Dorji could would've been 19. "So, what's got you all up in a huff?"

"I dunno Dorji, it's not something I can really say…" Aang grimaced as he held his knees close to his chest. However, Dorji interrupted Aang's brooding by sitting beside him, putting his arm around Aang, and starting to gently noogie him. "Ah! Stop, stop!"

"Nuh-uh, not till you tell me what's up! C'mon."

"Ok ok!" As Aang felt Dorji's hand leave his head, his smile faded as he told his story. "This whole Avatar thing. How do I know if I'm ready? I just feel like no matter what, I'll disappoint everyone."

"Ah, so you're nervous." Dorji said as he walked over to the oven, before lifting the lid off the pot and giving a small taste test with the mixing spoon. He shook in some salt before saying. "Tell me, did you feel nervous when you showed the stinges to the Air Scooter, to become a master?""

"...no…"

"What's that? Gotta speak up, I'm so old and withered and grumpy, I'll smack you with this spoon I will!" Dorji hunched over as he spoke this, mimicking the gruffness and posture of Master Tashi. "Another set child, you are too quick to temper, by my mustache I will see you all be masters of queefs!"

That did it in. Aang's barely held back smile failed, and he soon erupted into a full-blown belly laugh. Dorji, who rolled on the floor, clutching his stomach, as he nearly choked on his own tears in laughter, soon joined him! As the boys laughed and laughed, the pot above the fire began to give off a hiss of steam, which evolved into whistling! Dorji, still chuckling to himself, grabbed a long rod and scooped the pot up from the oven and out onto a table to rest.

"Aang, I guarantee that you'll be ok. You already got one element done and mastered! At your age, you'll probably master all the other elements by the end of the summer!" The older teenager remarked as he poured a bottle of lemon juice, freshly imported from the sister temple in the east, into the pot of boiling milk. "And if you don't, so what? You're a kid. You'll be alright."

"I guess, thanks Dorji." Aang said as the aforementioned teenager grabbed his Tinghsa's and clanged them together.

"Aang, you ok?" Katara's voice brought Aang back out from the lake of memories, and he turned to her.

"Yeah, I'll be ok." She smiled at that, and gave him a soft hug, one that he gladly returned. Sokka, unsure of himself, gave a small pat on the shoulder to the younger boy, before slowly pulling away.

"Do we wanna get outta here? Doubt that there's much left for us here."

"Yeah, that sounds good." Aang answered his friend, before the three of them turned around and began to walk to the village gates, back to Appa, back to the skies, back to the journey. They managed to reach the exit before they heard something. Voices, people talking. The bar behind them was small, more so a stand with a tent above it, but 2 men were talking amongst themselves.

"... third time this week! Cow-pigs goin' round and vanished! At this rate, gonna lose my house if I can't hunt for meat."

"Think that's bad? There's been trees cut down, and not by me and my boys. Can't explain it, no one around these parts getting those tree's."

"You don't think it's the Fire Nation?"

"No, no, no, no, not at all. Totally not. They don't come round here, not much to get."

"The sea's right there! They're gonna set up a new colony here, kill us all dead!"

"That's not gonna happen. We're gonna be fine." The second man said, before falling quiet as the two of them quietly sipped their glasses full of liquid, whether it be water or something else, was unknown. Sokka, having been paying attention to their conversation, walked up to them.

"Excuse me, what's going on here?"

"None of your business, kid. Get outta here." The first man spat out, logging out a splat of spit onto the ground. Before Sokka could respond, the second man shoved his friend's shoulder. "Hold up Moli. Kid could help us."

"Him? He's scrawnier than your nephew!"

"And do you see him doing anything?"

"... shut up, Fong." Moli faced Sokka, giving him a harsh glare, to which Sokka tried to return. It was not as strong, or intimidating, or even effective, but he gave it regardless. "Listen up kid, gonna only say this once. Past few weeks we've had a bunch of strange occurrences. Animals goin' missing or found dead, trees cut down without anyone doing something. Hell, we've had people swear they saw a ghost ship out on the water."

"A ghost ship?"

"Crazy, right? Big ol vessel, made of metal blowing off smoke like a Sword-Whale breaching off the surface. Next thing, Ol Sole's crying out about 'Metal Men' and them summoning thunder. Insanity, total insanity." Moli turned his back, focusing on his drink. His friend Fong then spoke up.

"Listen stranger, we'd be mighty thankful if you've and your gang go out and make sure it ain't anything to do with the fire nation. People hear all sorts of things and then rumors come out, and we don't want anyone panicking really."

"Yeah, yeah, I get you," Sokka said, almost absently, a fog in his voice. His eyes then lit up in determination as he faced the two. "And you can count on us!"

"Sokka, what are you doing?" Katara hissed as she came over to drag him away. But he stood his ground. Refusing to be dragged by the ear.

"Think about it, Katara, we need stuff! These guys could give us that! Plus, we'd be stopping the Fire Nation from whatever they're doing!"

"One, doing good things because you expect something in return is horrible! Second, we don't know if the Fire Nation is here!"

"Oh, come on, animals going missing, trees cut down, ghost ships? It's totally the Fire Nation." Katara kept the flat look going as Sokka had conniptions over this. "Remember Zuko and Kyoshi Island? We barely stopped him from destroying the place, and he was just after Aang. What'll happen if an entire Fire Nation force comes here? What'll they do?" He pointed to the town, to the small village they stood in with its people and animals and homes. It was a familiar sight to the three children.

To Katara, it was the Southern Water Tribe, her home, brought low and destitute by years of raids, of pain, of death. She clutched her mother's necklace, hung across her neck, it grew heavier by the second.

To Sokka, it was Kyoshi Village. Where he learned more than to be a better warrior, to be a better man. It was where Suki showed him the techniques of the Kyoshi Warriors, nearly wiped out by the Fire Nation.

To Aang, it was home, the Southern Air Temple. The kites in the sky, the smells of cakes, teas and sweets, the sound of distant horns and chimes, the air behind his ears blowing. His friends, his family, his home. Where was it now but gone? Ruined, Razed, Dead, by the hands of the Fire Nation.

"You're right." Katara said, her words full of nothing but determination and a hint of vengeful spite. "We need to stop them."

"If they're here." Aang added on, to which the siblings agreed too. So, as Sokka asked the two men where they should start looking, Aang looked out into the forest, the wilderness calling to him, beckoning. It felt like an icy hand was waving towards them, inviting them into the dark. Into the woods

---

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Sokka, Calm down!"

"We've been flying for three hours, and we've seen nothing all day! Where is the Fire Nation?" The eldest of the three screamed out, his sister trying to quiet him so as not to alert anyone on the ground, and Aang grimacing as he kept Appa steady.

It was near dusk now, the weather had turned to constant rain, hours since they had taken off on Appa to search for signs of the Fire Nation, and if one was there to witness the mood of the three, it would be called "tensely tired." For nothing had been found all day.

They had started with the logging site; it was close by for it to be the first one examined, and Fong, the logger, had spoken the truth. There were a significant number of stumps left behind. The cuts were jagged, as if cut by an ax or a hammer. But when did the Fire Nation use such implements? No one in the group had ever seen them wield them, so what could it be? The animals were up next; they followed a large herd of wild Boarcupines, but found that it was smaller than normal (according to Aang, Boarcupines traveled in herds of 8, there were only 5) and there were no predators for them in these parts.

"It's not fair! We've been all over the forest, and we've seen no proof of the Fire Nation. Where are they hiding?" Sokka groaned before slumping down onto the side of the saddle, wordlessly watching the forest blur by. Green, more green, trees, birds, smoke billowing out of the greenery, more grass…

"Wait over there!" Sokka pointed to the cloud rising into the sky. Appa veered around, slowly descending to the forest floor, obscured by trees and the setting sun. As the three disembarked, Sokka drew his war club. "Alright, we gotta be quiet here. No telling how many of them are there."

"Are you serious?" Katara hissed at her brother. "You expect us to take them all on, however many there are?"

"Of course not! We just gotta find them and see how many are here, then we ride Appa back to town and let them know, lickety split!"

"That is not 'lickety split' material right there, that is disaster material."

"Quiet!" Sokka raised his fingers. As the three of them hushed, they heard a distant rustling in the brush. Footsteps quaking the earth with each stomp. They were heavy, and the shink-shank of metal was easily discernible with each movement. Sokka began to creep ever closer to the sound, tense and springy. Katara, perplexed by her brother's actions, followed him, with Aang behind her, staff at the ready.

They soon came upon a small raised ledge, above which an orange flickering light seemed to be coming from. The camp was here. The three then counted to the third second before peering over the ledge to see something that would change their worlds forever.

They did not see Fire Nation soldiers, outfitted with a black and red armor, some with a skull mask. No, they did not see the faces of men who would burn a village to ash in the name of their Fire Lord. No, they did not see murderers and killers and thieves. No, they saw none of those things.

They saw men, most definitely men, but strange men.

Men with pale faces and peculiar hair, ragged red or shaggy brown. Men with blue and green eyes instead of the darker colors. Men with a skin lighter than all of them, pale and pasty. They did wear armor, but it was off to the side or half off, made of leather and a gray metal, covering their feet in chain links. They had swords to their sides, but straight and narrow.

They numbered 6. The rain continued to fall.

"Max, conas atá an fiach ag dul? Aon fheoil a aithnímid?" One spoke to an approaching man, holding a dead Boarqupine upon their shoulders, an arrow in its side. The new man dropped the animal to the ground before ripping out the arrow.

"Mar a bhí roimhe seo, torc níos neamhghnách. Bíonn an blas céanna air agus a bhíonn ar ais sa bhaile, áfach, cén fáth cúram?"

The language they spoke was strange, foreign. What were they saying? Who were these men?

"Cac, tá mé tuirseach de na rudaí seo a fheiceáil. Mar sin eolach, ach chomh aisteach. Cén fáth go bhfuil snáthaidí ann?"

"Cé atá in ann a rá? Tá na tailte seo iontach thar chreideamh. Gabh buíochas lenár n-aislingí gur féidir linn na hainmhithe seo a ithe fiú."

"Ár aisling? Níos mó cosúil le Valrik agus a buille faoi thuairim ádh. Cén fáth go bhfuil sé anseo fiú ar aon nós?" The first man spat out before pointing to someone a short distance away. The three of them followed his accusing finger, to see a young man, around Sokka's age, keeping watch away from the camp. He wore a suit of black and blue, formal from the looks of it, with leather bracers and leg guards. His hair was shaggy and unkempt, a colorful beige hue to it. The boy turned around, apparently hearing the two men's conversation, and wore a sneer across his face. His eyes were blue. On his back, there was a sheathed blade, and on his side there was…something else. A strange handle, but curved. It was not as long as the blade.

"Táim anseo, a shaighdiúir, mar mheas ár gceannasaí go raibh gá leis. Anois éirí as do thóin agus déan babhta." The boy spat out as he approached the first man, staring at him with a flat look and a malice in their throat. The first man shot up from his seat and stared down at the boy.

"Sea, fear beag? An bhfuil tú ag dul a dhéanamh dom?"

"Sin an Leifteanant duit, Maximilian. Agus déanfaidh mé." The two fell silent. Everyone in the camp stopped what they were doing, sharpening swords or feasting upon Boar, to watch as the two stared each other down. They slowly began to reach for the strange handles at their sides, hands resting right above them, twitching and curling their fingers in some sick anticipation. Aang, Sokka, and Katara watched intently, unable to look away.

"Cé hé an diabhal tú? Reo!" A voice from behind. They heard the sword being drawn before they saw it. Sokka twisted around to strike with his club, but was blocked by the straight edge of the sword. A man, older than them all combined, held it, his beard long and gray. By now, everyone from the camp was rushing towards them. The previous tension dropped in favor of arresting these new arrivals.

Sokka pushed his club forward, intent on overpowering the older man, but the man instead pulled back, sliding the sword away and causing Sokka to stumble forward, tripping on his own feet and falling to the ground. As he fell, the man attempted to plunge the sword down, but a blast of air from Aang's staff sent him flying into the brush.

"Cad é an diabhal a bhí sin?"

"Sean Súile Dearga! Tá an ceann cruálach tagtha dúinn!"

"Beir greim orthu!"

"Get up Sokka!" Katara yelled as she yanked her brother off his feet. Together, all three of them began to run into the forest, away from their pursuers. They leapt over fallen branches, scurried under massive logs, far and fast did they flee, but they heard the stomping of the boots behind. Stomp Stomp Stomp.

"Split up! I'll go this way!" Aang cried out as the three of them came upon a split in their path. He took the right turn, the siblings the left. The young airbender then bent a scooter below his feet and began to ride. Zipping his way through the brush, he felt the wind blow across his face as he traveled faster than anyone could even move.

But he was not fast enough to escape. For when he entered a clearing, to where Appa was, there stood the young man from before, along with three other men with big rods. All aiming at Appa, who growled and snarled at them with every moment. His sword was drawn, held in his right hand. His hand hovered over the strange handle, just like before.

"Géilleadh!" The boy shouted, "Níl aon mhian liom dochar a dhéanamh duit."

Aang aimed his staff at them. No matter what they were saying, they were after them. It didn't matter what they were saying, his men were threatening Appa. No one threatened Appa!

"No, you leave me and my friends alone!"

The boy looked confused, lost even, his head curled to the side as if questioning what he heard. Then, his eyes widened with realization, and he chuckled to himself.

"Go raibh maith agat as do theagasc a sheanathair, ní bheidh amhras orm go deo arís." Aang heard him mutter, before the boy then cleared his throat. "I…no wish…to harm you."

"Wait, you can talk?" Aang nearly shouted as his staff lowered. He was completely stunned, staggered, surprised. Any variation of the word! Since when could they talk? Why weren't they doing it before? What was with the weird accent?

"Surrender…no wish…to harm you." The boy spoke again, with his bizarre accent. His left hand still hovered over the handle. Aang didn't want to know what it was. He still kept his staff raised, pointed at them, but before anyone could do anything, another voice cried out.

"Aang!" Katara screamed as she and Sokka were led into the field, held by two more men. Sokka was held by the shoulders, squirming and wriggling, while Katara was grasped by the hands.

"Sokka! Katara!" Aang shouted, before re-aiming his staff. "Let them go!"

"No! Surrender, and your…friends…be no harm!" The boy shouted once more. Aang weighed his options. Outnumbered, most likely outmatched. He didn't know who these people were, where they came from, what they could do. Sokka and Katara held hostage. Appa surrounded by three men, holding strange large rods. He could airbend easily, get the three men away from Appa and then go for his friends. But these men were unknown. The Siblings could get hurt in the crossfire. He couldn't risk that, he couldn't get them hurt!

With a sigh, and a huff, Aang dropped his staff to the ground, with Appa also groaning as he stood down too. He heard the boy give a sigh of relief before shouting orders to the men. Deisigh na báid fhada, tabhair leat chuig an Tilleadh Abhaile iad."

---

The sun had set by the time they arrived at the shore. Aang, Katara and Sokka had their hands tied behind their backs, with Appa being forced to walk behind, trailed by spears. The leader, the boy from earlier, was in front, silent and grim.

"Faigh na bladhmanna réidh, beidh Seanathair ag iarraidh labhairt leis." He said, in his strange language, to one of the men. As they began to rummage through one of their bags, the boy turned to the prisoners. "You. Arrow." He pointed to Aang.

"Hey, leave him alone." Sokka growled. The boy glanced at him, flatly, before swinging a left hook into his face.

PLMTH

"Quiet." The boy said, as Sokka groaned, spitting out a wad of blood. Katara rushed to her brother's side, trying to help him, or as much as she could with her hands bound. The boy then pointed at Aang, snapping his fingers as he did so. "Captain…talk…you."

"I'm not going anywhere with you guys, not till you let us go!" Aang spat out, constantly glancing around, looking for opportunities to escape. Anything would work here, anything!

The boy looked unimpressed. He rested his hand on the hilt of the sword before turning to his men, who handed him a strange red tube. He gripped the top of it and yanked it down.

POMTH

A blast of red light shot out of the tube, high into the sky before dissipating into the air. The men had gathered onto the beach to look out into the empty sea, blanketed by a thick fog. Slowly, shape and form began to glide out on the water towards the group. This shape, small at first, grew larger and larger by the second. The three prisoners gaped and gasped in surprise at the now revealed…vessel. With a deep gray metal hull, it towered above them, reaching up high. It was vastly bigger than Zuko's ship, more than triple its size at the least! A ramp fell down from the side, angled just right for someone to descend.

"Hail Valrik, cén fáth a bhfuil tú ag glaoch orainn? Is é an lár na hoíche, agus millte tú mo kalsarikännit!" A voice in the night called out from the boat. The man descended the ramp. They were ragged, white clothes filthy and drenched, his hair shredded and greasy. He held a glass flask, sloshing with some liquid colored amber. He waved to the boy, who grimaced at the man's smell. The man chuckled in response before taking a swig of his drink.

"Rug muid ar an triúr seo ag breathnú orainn ag ár gcampa. Shíl mé gur mhaith le seanathair labhairt leis an gceann seo." The boy, now named Valrik, responded, pointing to Aang while doing so. "Conas atá sé, uncail?"

"Ceann de na maidineacha is fearr aige, a deirim. Is dócha go mbeidh sé in ann labhairt leis...is é sin mo bharúil?" The disheveled man almost gasped at the last part, staring at Aang. "Na marcanna céanna..."

"Níl a fhios agam go cinnte Uncail, sin an fáth a ghlaoigh mé." Valrik bent his head, contemplatively, and a bit shamed. "Tá a fhios agam nach raibh sé ceaptha a bheith ach le haghaidh éigeandálaí, ach chonaic mé na tatúis sin agus - "

"Tsk, maith thú Valrik. D'aontódh d'athair agus do dheartháir." The man held Valrik's shoulder, and clapped his cheek, raising his face to meet his eyes. "Tar, a thabhairt dúinn ar bord iad."

"Sea uncail Callum." Valrik turned to the prisoners, to his men, and yelled, "Beir leat iad!"

"Hey, watch it!" Sokka hissed as the guards began pushing the three of them up onto the ramp to join the procession. Appa groaned as he followed behind, guided by the points of spears. Aang hissed as he was jabbed with the butt of a spear, forced to walk ever forward.

The deck was large, larger than Zuko's ship. Men and women, some armored and some not, but all stern of face, were wandering about, performing tasks of maintenance or other such chores. Valrik had stopped the procession before a rather conspicuous cabin, the door massive and wide, as if built to squeeze a whole Saber Tooth Moose Lion through. Valrik had stopped before the door, and opened a small slit to speak through. Aang couldn't make out what he said. His language was unlike anything he had heard, and it wasn't helped that they spoke as quietly as spider silk.

Valrik turned away from the door, frowning as he approached Aang. "You. You enter, speak with our Captain." He spoke as he pulled out a dagger, straight and narrow. With it, he cut Aang's bonds. As the young boy rubbed his wrists, Valrick pushed him forward, up to the door. Nodding to two of the guards, they grabbed the sides, and with a great grunt, began to slide open the doors. The darkness awaiting Aang was pitch black. No shape could be made out in the shadows.

Aang felt someone's hand on his back. They pushed him forward. He stumbled forward, hearing Katara's protest and Sokka's challenges, but they were snuffed out when the doors slammed shut behind him, leaving him in darkness. Aang didn't make a sound; he dared not too. The sweat building up on his head was sweltering.

He heard something. Shuffling of some kind.

"Hello?" Aang called out. "Is someone there?" No answer, no sound came out from the darkness, but a pair of gray lights lit up, staring down at Aang from above. Aang stared into the eyes, trying to discern why they felt so familiar.

"When my grandson said that he had someone to speak to me, I never imagined that my eyes would lie upon you." A voice, deep and grand, emanated from the lights. They looked…amused. Amused? "Tell me, what do you call yourself, young one?"

"I'm Aang." He responded. "Nice to meet you, Mister…?"

"Oh, I'm sure you can guess my name." Aang kept a groan from coming out. Another name guessing? He had just done that with Bumi, and that had taken an entire day (even if it was his old friend and they went mail-sledding)! "But what about a little game between us newly met strangers?"

"Sure, I like games." Aang could have sworn they saw a smirk from the shadowy figure. "How do we play?"

"I propose a game of riddles. If you win, you shall hear my name, and be granted freedom from my vessel."

"And if you win?"

"You and your friends' lives are to do with as I please." Aang gasped in shock.

"Wait, you can't do that!"

"Oh, but I can! You are my prisoner, after all, and these lands are strange to my crew." Aang glared at the figure, but if it had any reaction to it, it gave no clarity away. "I shall go first. Workers, soldiers, sailors and schoolboys, this they all year for, but can only miss when away; what am I?"

Aang groaned. He wasn't the best with riddles, Bumi had proven that, and that was only solved because he was giving him clues throughout the challenges, and that Sokka and Katara were helping him. Here, he had no clues, no context. It was out of the frying pan and right into the fire with this one.

Workers, soldiers, sailors and schoolboys. What did they all have in common? Aang racked his brain for the answers as he paced around in the darkness. He could feel the gray eyes in the darkness stare at him with priggish intent.

But the answer came to him quickly. "Home. It's home!"

"Ah, he guesses rather easily, do you not?" The voice was boastful now, almost laughing out every single word. "But hold fast, our little competition is not over. The turn is now yours."

"Ok, Ok…Uhm…" Aang mumbled to himself as he nearly bursted his brain coming up with riddles. "Oh, I got one! I can be cracked, I can be made. I can be told, I can be played. What am I?"

"Oh, I've heard of this one before. Joke. A joke." The voice grinned out, the same pompousness as before.

Monkeyfeathers!

"I ask you now this, and do keep up:

I can bring tears to your eyes and a smile to your face. I form in an instant and last for a lifetime, but I can be forgotten. What am I?"

Aang grimaced at these words and fought back the urge to cry out in anger. He hated riddles! Flustered as he was, he still needed to think. So he sat down, cross-legged, frowning as his fist met his cheek in quiet pondering. "Ugh!"

"Is it too hard, young Aang?"

"No, I'm just thinking!" He stammered out quickly, before going back to his thinking. Tears and smiles. That was the key, and he knew it. When did those two go together?

Well, for him it was back at the Southern Air Temple, and whenever he thought of home. Heck, the Tingsha he bought today fit in the categories, and that was because he remembered Dorji…that was it!

"Memory! The answer is memory!" He shot up from the ground as he shouted this. The figure laughed in amusement, a great guffaw that echoed in Aang's ears. He couldn't help himself from laughing as well. The joy was infectious!

"Most excellent, young one! That one's been an old favorite of mine, stumped so many people before! Now, ask me again!"

"Alright. Uh…how about this; What goes up, but never goes down?"

"Oh, what's this? Let me ponder, young one, but be sure that I'll be done before the setting of the sun."

The shadowed man sat back, the sharp gray eyes leaned away from Aang, half closed in contemplation. He sat there for quite a while, long enough for Aang to think he had stumped him! But his hope, high as Appa could fly, sunk when the shape chuckled to himself.

"But of course, of course! The answer is Age. Very clever, young Aang, but not clever enough."

"Now, I think I'll ask again. This one's quite a doozie: We come as a pair, you could say that we're twins. We're shiny and crash when you play us, my friend. If you like to make noise and to march in a band, you'll love us 'cause we make those marches sound grand. What am I?"

By this time, Aang's head was beginning to ache. He had been thinking too much, and he was struggling to even comprehend a thought now, and he was asked to do more? Aang couldn't sit still, he couldn't stay still. He had to move; he had to make a noise, something!

He felt something shift in his pocket as he sat up to pace around. They had forgotten about it this morning, the Tingsha he bought. He pulled them out and looked at them. "These. This is the answer." Aang smiled as he dinged the Tinghsa together, the ringing like the cry of an Eagle Rabbit, soft yet loud, slicing through the silence.

The gray eyes in the darkness sat still, staring at the TIngsha. A sense of…longing passed through Aang's spine. Longing? How could that be? What, who were they?

"Excuse me, are you ok?" Aang asked, compassion in his voice and questioning in his words. The gray eyes flickered over to Aang, as if they were…surprised?

"Yes, yes, yes. I am well. You are correct, the Tingsha is the answer."

"Wait, how do you know what these are? These are Airbender instruments." The eyes were silent in their reply, no words to respond or to give an answer. Only a steady breathing, heavy and sorrowful.

"The riddle is yours to give, Aang."

The young boy frowned, unsatisfied. "Fine. How about this?"

"It's been around for millions of years, but it's no more than a month old. What is it?"

The gray eyes closed, as if to ponder. But they fluttered open quickly, almost as if they knew this by heart. "The Moon." Aang grumbled. That was too easy.

The voice almost seemed to lean away from Aang as it spoke, as if it was…afraid. Afraid?

"Between two pools there, plant the seed. Now branches on the tree, we'll roam together like a weed. Your bond with me is the key."

Aang was losing his patience now. Seeds? Tree's? Weeds? Not a very compact riddle. So Aang thought, pacing around the small dark room, before punching his head in frustration.

"Come on, come on!" He whispered to himself. What was he going to do? He was stumped! Katara and Sokka were counting on him! His friends were counting on him! He could already hear what Sokka would say to him right now if he were here. Unlike Katara, he wouldn't hold back on making fun of Aang, even if his sister put a stop to it.

Sokka, that was it! Sokka and Katara!

"Brother, the answer is Brother!" Aang cried out in relief! That one was hard, too hard. The Grey Eyes seemed content in this, regaining their former composure. "Ok, here's another riddle. There are four siblings in this world, all born together. The first runs and never wearies. The second drinks and is always thirsty. The third eats and is never full. The fourth sings a song forever."

The Grey Eyes grumbled to themselves. Intangible muttering and noises were all Aang heard, which gave him some sort of sick satisfaction. He didn't like the feeling, but he couldn't stop himself from feeling it. The eyes were stumped; they were struggling! He could win this! Save his friends and get out of here!

"I name your answer the elements. Water, Earth, Fire, and Air." And all that hope was gone. Aang felt his spirits deject, his wishes die in an instant upon hearing those words. Would this game go on forever?

"This will be my last question, young Airbender." The gray eyes said, voice succinct and dripping with anticipation. "And it will be one that I have given you the key for. Who am I?"

"What? That's not a riddle!" And it was giving him the biggest sense of Déjà vu. Bumi had seen to that.

"Oh, but it is! After all, I have given you the keys to success. Solve this now, or forever doom you and your friends."

Aang wanted nothing more than to bust out of this room, grab Katara and Sokka, and fly out of here on Appa's back. He was tempted, oh so tempted, to do that! But he knew that they were vastly outnumbered by these strange people. The ship they were standing on was massive. Who knew how many of these warriors were beneath him? So he steeled his nerves and began to think.

The keys to success, the eyes had told Aang, were already given to him. That had to mean the previous riddles. What were the answers again? Home, Memory, the Tingja and Brother. What a weird set of answers? How was he able to put them together? Home, Memory, Tingja, Brother. The eyes, they were connecting them together.

Aang remembered the Eye's reaction to the Tingja. They knew what it was; they saw it like an old memory. He reacted the same way to seeing Home. The memories he had, he felt the same way. The riddles were telling Aang who the Eyes were. Home, Memory, Tingja, Brother. Home, Memory, Tingja, Brother. Home, Memory, Tingja, Brother.

"I know who you are." Aang smiled at the Grey Eyes, who he could tell was smiling back. "You were right. You had given me the keys to the answer, and a bit more, Dorji."

---

Outside the door, Katara felt her brow grow more and more drenched with every minute. She and Sokka, forced to their knees by the strange ones, pale in skin with an incomprehensible language, they all watched the massive doors with great anticipation.

She glanced over at her brother, sneering at the leader of these men. Valrik, if she remembered right, was ignoring Sokka as he kept all his attention on the door.

"You think you're so tough, big guy? Cut me loose and bring it!" Sokka challenged the teenager, but was instead answered with silence.

"Hey, don't ignore me! I'm right here!" Valrik side eyed Sokka, defiant and bold, before scoffing at him.

"Leathcheann." He muttered to himself, before glancing away. Sokka's eye twitched.

"Hey, what did you just call me? I'll kick you butt!" He yelled at him, before turning to his sister. "Any idea what he called me?"

"How should I know?" Katara hissed back, before she felt her side be kicked by the guard looming above her. She grunted in pain, biting her lip to keep from making any noise.

"Ciúnas." They said, their foreign language barely heard over Sokka's indignant roar.

"Hey! Don't touch her!" He shouted at him, before being pushed to the ground, held in place by a guard's knee. They were armored in gray metal, a helmet in the shape of a bird's beak covering their face. "Get off me!"

"Sokka!" Katara shouted, before she herself was forced onto the ground as well. She felt the biting jab of metal on her back, her face smushed into cold gray metal.

"Go Leor! Níl siad le díobháil." She heard Valrik yell out, and the pressure receded from her back. She sat up, glaring at Valrik, tempted to spit at him. He looked at her and Sokka with disinterest, as if they were looking upon a pile of dirt.

A mechanical groan, like the crying out of a steel Boarcupine, echoed from the door. It was opening, swinging wide, the darkness inside was now visible. As everyone turned to watch, Katara felt herself rise up as she saw Aang step outside.

"Aang!" She called out, struggling against the bonds to free herself.

"Katara! Sokka!" He called out, before facing Valrik. "I did what you wanted. Let them go!"

"Why should I?" Responded Valrik, "You all our prisoners!"

"Because I say so, dear grandson!" A new voice, heavy and reverberating, came from the darkness. Katara watched in stunned silence as something rolled out behind Aang, a great platform, a dolly of some sort, adorned in gold and gemstones. What sat upon it was.. aweing, to say the least.

A massive lump of purple cloth was what Katara thought she was seeing, but she soon noticed the bulbous flesh wearing the robes. It, or he, was indeed a man, but a man in only words. It reminded her more of an Arctic Hippo, baby faced and full of fat, his body corpulent, hidden by the purple regalia he wore, his hands adorned by rings. The wrinkles were noticeable but faint, masked by lines of flesh covering it all up. His head was coated with a gray mane, well kept and revealing a blue arrow. Just like Aangs.

"Release them, my brash Valrik, and make not enemies out of friends!" The man said, to which Valrik grimaced, before pulling out a knife. Taking it to Katara's bonds, he cut swiftly, and she sighed in relief, feeling the rope fall away from her wrists. She heard Sokka say "Finally" to himself as he too was freed.

"Are you guys ok?" Aang approached them.

"We're ok, how about you?" She noticed his eyes lighten up as soon as she said that.

"More than ok, I'm doing great! You guys can't believe what's happened." She and Sokka glanced at each other in response to that.

"Uh, what is it, Aang?"

"You realized the glories of eating meat?"

"Better than both, remember my friend who I mentioned earlier today, Dorji?" Aang gestured to the bloated figure, who was busy lecturing to Valrik in their bizarre language. "I found him!" Katara could see Sokka's eyes bulging out of his skull. Hell, she felt hers too.

"Wait, you're kidding, right? That guy?" Sokka pointed at the cart. "He's like…fat. And old."

"I may be fat and old, boy." The man's voice lurched behind them, causing Sokka to jump. "But I am not deaf!"

"AHH!" Sokka screamed, as he shot up into the air for a good three feet, before landing hard, hitting the deck with his butt. "Oww…"

"Hahaha! Jumpy, this one is!" Dorji laughed, clutching his massive belly in order to contain himself from falling off his platform. Valrik sighed before approaching his grandfather.

"Daideo, cad atá ar siúl agat? Ní hiad ár gcairde iad, is príosúnaigh iad!" Valrik exclaimed, to which his grandfather sighed in response, holding his head in his large hand.

"Cén fáth a bhfuil tú ag troid liom seo, Valrik? Níl aon teorainn ar do chuid foighne, cén fáth a mbíonn deifir ort gníomhú nuair a bhíonn aíonna againn?"

"Aíonna? Piss air sin, is iad ár bpríosúnaigh! Rug muid orthu ag spiaireacht ar ár gcampa níos luaithe, agus sílim go mb'fhéidir gur gasóga iad." Valrik scoffed. Aang, Katara and Sokka struggled to keep up. The grandson and grandfather's argument was lost in translation.

"So, anyone have any idea what they're saying? At all?" Sokka remarked, as both he and his sister turned their heads to stare right at Aang, who was enraptured at the sight of his friend, before noticing the two staring.

"Why do you think I know what they're saying?"

"Haven't you been all over the world? You said it yourself!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Well, I've never been where these guys are from then I guess." Aang responded, to which Sokka grumbled in response. Meanwhile, Dorji was still speaking with his grandson, his tone harsh, lecturing.

"An bhfeiceann tú mo mharcanna? Inis dom, nach bhfuil a leithéid aige?" Dorji hissed before pointing right at Aang, more specifically at his tattoos. "Tá sé mo mhuintir! Mo dheartháir! Abair liom, an séanann tú gur leatsa m'fhuil freisin?"

"Ní féidir liom, ach-"

"Ansin éist le mo chuid orduithe! Is iad mo aíonna don tráthnóna, agus is sinne Caebrasil! Níl aon óstaigh níos mó ná sinne."

Valrik sighed, before standing upright and slamming his right hand, curled into a fist, to his heart. He walked away, barking orders at the crew to do something. The crew, a mix of men and women of all ages, scattered all around. Dorji watched it all, a glare resting on his brow, before releasing the breath he had been holding. He turned back around to Aang and gave a soft smile. "I am sorry you had to see that, Aang. I'm afraid Valrik has always been rather…tense."

"Jeez, what gave it away?" Katara muttered to her brother. He snickered in response. Aang gave a soft smile to his friend before speaking.

"It's alright, we did kinda sneak up on him and his group."

"Bah, He should have greeted you better. Regardless, I must ask you to stay awhile. We have much to speak about, and a feast to enjoy!" Dorji exclaimed with a fire in his throat, raising his arms high in elation. Sokka, for his part, perked up at the words "feast" as his eyes widened like a plate.

"Feast? Is there meat? Please tell me there's meat. I've been dying for some meat." Katara smacked him on the head, to which he stumbled in response.

"Oh, my young friend, there will be meat for you have never tasted before!" Dorji laughed, and Sokka squealed in excitement. Katara scoffed in response, before noticing a group of sailors run around the deck of the ship carrying tables, chairs, and dishes. They were arranging them, organizing it all. The tables were wooden, the chairs unfamiliar in style. Intricate details that she had never seen before. Spirals, crosses, arches, all strangely foreign. Who were these people? Where did they come from?

Dorji noticed Katara's glance, her confusion. "Calm yourself and sit. I will answer all your questions." A chair was placed behind Katara as he said this, and he beckoned her to sit down. As the three of them did, a table was put before them, and quickly after, meals covered in metal bowls were brought out, a shimmer on the steel domes. "But first, tell me all that has happened in the past 100 years. I haven't been home in quite a long time."

---

Colonel Zhang was not happy. Not happy at all.

It was easy to hate his situation right now. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere near some backwater earth kingdom town was not something that inspired any sense of morale. Nevermind the captain hoarding all the good food to himself. Something about him being a veteran of General Iroh's siege of Ba Sing Se? He doubted it.

The Watchtower was one of, if not the only, place for him to get some privacy on this rustbucket. Way too high up, no easy way to come down other than a rickety ladder, a perfect place for someone who didn't want to be bothered. He could say that he took over Cha's watch for the night, nobody would care. Cha was lazy anyway. They always got caught slacking on something, whether that be his lookouts or cooking. It was a wonder the captain hadn't thrown him overboard yet.

Zhang lazily gazed across the ocean, taking in the view with a strong sense of un-enthusiasm. Nothing would change, the nights would stay lonely, the days would stay long. Maybe he could suggest to the captain that they finally move in to take over that Earth Kingdom town? Sure, it wasn't that necessary. They had plenty of ports already and the town offered no value whatsoever, but it could be fun. The Captain could boast about another unimportant "accomplishment" and the crew could get off this rustbucket for a bit and stretch their legs for once. Win-Win as far as he saw it.

He huffed before blowing some hair out of his eyes. He felt tired, was tired. Late night watches were a mistake. He began to feel sleep begin to take him as he mockingly wished goodnight to the stars, goodnight to the boring ocean, goodnight to the mysterious light in the distance…

Wait, what?

His eyes shot open as he tripped over himself. Hitting the back of his head on the steel wall, he hissed as he tried to rub the pain away. He then grabbed a nearby telescope and looked closer. Was he hallucinating? Had a spirit got to him somehow?

The light was no trick. It was a boat! A strange boat. He had never seen the style before. Could it be a new earth kingdom ship? A new offensive? He had to tell someone, anyone!

"Captain!" He yelled, as hard as he could. He could hear a noise below him. The captain was sprinting out of his cabin. He peered down to see the captain slam open his door to look up.

"WHAT?"

"LOOK!" Zhang pointed to the light before tossing the telescope down. The Captain caught it and took a look through it himself.

"What is that?" The Captain muttered to himself, before looking up to Zhang. "Colonel! Sound the alarms and steer our course to the light! Get everyone ready for battle!"

---

The feast was strange.

Katara didn't recognize anything. The food, the music, the dancing, nothing was familiar. Her meal consisted of a strange soup, thick and full of barley, with chunks of some meat thrown in. The side was some strange clump of…stuff that was draped with a yellow liquid. It was oily but pleasant and light. The highlight was a whole roast…beast. It reminded her of a Moo-Sow, but thinner and no udders. Sokka seemed to enjoy himself, gorging on just about everything, while she took her time to eat. Aang, unfortunately, didn't have a lot to eat besides the white substance and some roasted corn. Appa was doing well though, regarded as an object of fascination for the crew as they watched in wonder as it ate haystack after haystack.

Dorji ate it all with such voracity that it frightened her a little. The man devoured everything with such gusto, laughing the entire time. It was strange seeing this. She had gotten used to hearing Aang talk about his culture, his people with reverence for their habits, to see an actual Air Nomad, one who survived the attacks 100 years ago, and they were…this. It unnerved her.

Music blared on in the background, all played by people in colorful getups, striped and plaid. They used flutes and drums, horns, and strange stringed instruments. It was all very irreverent. That was evident enough with the dancing. Sometimes people danced slowly with the tunes, almost romantic? Other times, they would jump and clap and cheer with glee as the music grew wilder and wilder, stomping their feet or prancing in a circle with held hands. She couldn't understand what they were singing. Whatever language they spoke sounded like gibberish to her.

"Haha! Of course, that rascal Bumi would still be alive, of course!" Dorji laughed as Aang told their story to him. The two of them looked the part of siblings reunited after years apart. For the second time in 2 weeks, Aang had a look in his eye. Was it nostalgia? Sorrow? Glee? Katara couldn't tell. She supposed it was all three. She watched as the two of them kept talking, before glancing to her brother, who was on his third leg of meat.

"Hey, Sokka?" She whispered into his ear. He gulped down his food before leaning towards her. "Don't wanna alarm you, but he's been staring at us all night." She pointed a table down to the topic of discussion.

Valrik sat there, glaring at them. It was like he was a tree surrounded by fire, the way he sat unmoving while everyone laughed and shouted. His brow was furrowed, and he had an energy to him that reminded her of Sokka a month and a half ago when Aang first showed up.

Scratch that, it was nearly identical.

"Well, ain't he being creepy." Sokka commented. The two of them saw Valrik glare further (somehow that was possible) before he pointed two fingers at his eyes, and then at the two of them. Sokka responded in kind, doing the same, to the teenager's exasperation.

She elbowed him for that, jokingly, of course. It was kinda funny.

Dorji chuckled as he wiped his mouth with a napkin before turning to her and Sokka. "So, Katara, tell me, what is the Southern Water Tribe like nowadays? I haven't been there in over…101 years, so I know it's a longshot but there was a place that made the best Kale Cookies, the guy who owned it went by Loka?" He frowned as he saw Katara and Sokka shift around, uncomfortable. "Oh, I see."

"I'm sorry Dorji, but the Southern Water Tribe isn't the same as you remember it from 100 years ago. We're just a loose collective of small villages now, spread out across the entire South Pole." Sokka said, his voice stern.

"I…that breaks my heart. But if it can still produce fine people like you two is a credit to its resilience! I'm sure your parents and teachers are very proud." Dorji smiled, but that fell away again at seeing their distress increase. "Oh…I apologize if I offended you."

"No, it's fine, you didn't know. It's just…we haven't seen our father in years and…we lost our mother when we were young." Katara said, unable to look him in the eye. "The Fire Nation raided us, looking for waterbenders…and I'm the last one."

"Oh, your poor children." Dorji croaked out. "Forgive me. I meant not to bring up terrible memories." He extended a hand to the two of them. "If there is anything I can do…"

"It's ok. Really."

"Nonsense! I insist, anything."

"Weeeeeeellllll…we could use some stuff, and things. Plus, these jerky things are really good."

"Sokka!" Katara smacked his shoulder.

"What? We need stuff. Stuff is good." Dorji guffawed at Sokka's comment.

"I'll see to it that you will be fully stocked for your journey, wherever it takes you." It was then that Aang decided to enter the conversation.

"Thank you, Dorji. That helps a lot."

"It is no issue, Aang. I have not been home for 100 years, and only now that I learn of its peril do I return. It will not do."

"Y'know, you still haven't told us where you came from. Like, who the heck are these people? I've never seen half the stuff on this thing!" Sokka interjected, mouth full of a bird's leg. Dorji chuckled to himself in response.

"Ah, forgive me, I've asked you three so much and nary have I given you any explanation. It's only fair." Dorji then took out a small wooden pipe and some strange metal thing. He flicked it, and a small flame lit up on the top. The behemoth took that flame and lit up some leaves in the pipe for him to smoke. Dorji inhaled, puffing some smoke rings out, before leaning back in his wheeled carriage. "Where do I begin? What can I tell you of Saoghal?"

"It is across the sea, far to the west. So far, I know that cartographers and explorers in the Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation have never conceived the idea of its existence. It was much the same there when I arrived, doubting the world's size, the possibility of life outside their narrow scope. It has only been 30 years since I convinced the Emperor that my words were true, my existence itself was put in doubt for a long time. But that is a story for another time."

"The Empire of Saoghal is split into four states, each based in a cardinal direction. In the North lies the mountain folk of Kylmanoitus, hardy and strong. They live by a code of power; the strong rule, the weak follow. It is a cruel belief, but their lands are crueler, as winter never ends up in that cold, cold north. Despite that, they prove excellent in the arts of war, and forging bonds with them is always wise. Their loyalty never ends."

"The east houses the people of Primport, as decadent as they are pretentious. They scheme and connive, for their lands are prosperous with food, gold and plenty. They hold great power in the Landsmeet, and they wish to spread their influence to the throne itself. It is a good thing that they hold themselves accountable by their own self-sabotage."

"South lays the great badlands and jungles of Jamil. They are more…unorthodox than the others. The sands are coarse, the wind harsh, and the verdancy unforgiving. Pleasure and opulence is they're passion, the sole export. If you desire to find something, Jamil will have it. Just be cautious and never go into the wastes alone."

"Last, but not least, is the West; Caebrasil. Rolling hills, great forests, rocky mountains, the shores wild and untamed. What can I say honestly about Caebrasil other than that it has become something that one must always value: Home. It is the home of the honorable knights and the ingenious scholars. Warriors and creators alike hail from these lands, and legends are born there."

"Within the center of Saoghal, upon where each of these lands intersect, is a city, sitting upon a great rock shooting out from the sea. This is the Capitol, Aternahm, where all the peoples of the kingdoms meet and mingle. Held to the mainland by the great chains of Teleroth, Capitol is where everything resides. Law-making, Book-keeping, Banking, Inventing, all come back to Capital. And there the Emperor and his house sit, upon a Throne made up from each kingdom's tribute: Marble from Primport, Wood from Jamil, Jewels from Kylmanoitus, and Steel from Caebrasil." Dorji finished his speech with a gasp, his mouth dry. He took a swig from his goblet, bitter in taste.

"Wow." Aang had stars in his eyes. "I can't believe it. There's an entire continent on the other side of the world!"

"Now hold up!" Sokka interjected. "You being Aang's long-lost friend, fine. I can buy that. Makes no sense how you're still alive, but I can buy that."

"Sokka!" Katara shouldered her brother, who continued ranting.

"But a '5th Nation' across the sea? Not a chance, no way, not happening, nuh uh. Where's the proof?" Sokka said, crossing his arms. Dorji, to his credit, did not bite back, but leaned back instead, stroked his chin, and thought of what to say.

"Tell me, Master Sokka, is it so impossible to believe? The world is a big place, after all."

"Yeah, but every map I've ever seen says that there are only 4 nations. That's it."

"And how many maps have you seen?" Sokka did not respond. "Furthermore, who made those maps? What's saying they lacked a certain…boldness to explore?"

"Who's saying they didn't?" The water-tribesman shot back, to which Dorji laughed in response.

"Hah! You amuse me, young master. Who can say, who can say? All I can tell you is that I speak nothing but the truth, for why would I lie? I have returned home after 100 years to find my friend, my kinsman, all alone in a world that hunts him down like a dog! There is no reason to mislead you, Sokka, and that goes for you as well Master Katara. I vow upon the last drops of Airbender blood I have that Saoghal will aid you in the war effort." Dorji raised his hand with this vow, and the pledge went across the ship. Every single member of the crew heard and looked at each other in confusion. All except for Valrik, who was simply stunned. "Tell me, Aang. Where are you three heading? I believe we might take you three there directly."

"We're heading to the North Pole to find me and Katara a Waterbender master, to teach us!"

"The North Pole? Have they entered the war effort? I remember them being rather…prickly." Dorji contemplated. However, as he began to speak again, Katara heard what sounded like the shrieking of some dying animal higher up.

"Long anaithnid ag teacht isteach ar an gclár!" The lookout shouted from above. Everyone was still for a second, just a second, before chaos erupted. Everyone burst from their seats, running about, away, towards, behind and besides to different places. Sokka grabbed Katara's hand to keep her close, and she grabbed Aang's.

"Faigh ar ais taobh istigh seanathair, beidh muid a láimhseáil seo!" She saw Valrik run up to them, ignoring the trio entirely to focus on his grandfather.

"ní thréigfidh mé-" Dorji began to speak, but he was cut off as he gazed at the sea. Valrik followed, following his grandfather's gaze. Aang, Katara, and Sokka did so as well, and their hearts grew cold.

A Fire Nation ship. Large, almost the size of the ship they were on, coming right for them.

"Bog!" Katara heard someone shout before-

*FSSHMMCRCK*

Her head was spinning as she struggled to get up. She felt someone's hands on her shoulders, shaking her. Everything was muted, fuzzy. She swore she could hear something yelling at her, saying something. Soon enough, her vision cleared, and Sokka was right in her face.

Her hearing soon followed. "-tara! Can you hear me?"

"I'm ok! I'm ok!" She got out, before she heard the entire world shake. Sokka grabbed her tight as the two siblings held on for dear life as the entire boat creaked and groaned. It was like an earthquake!

Soon, the vibrations stopped, but were replaced by shouting. Katara opened her eyes and saw that the Fire Nation ship was much closer. So close that it had rammed into the ship! They were being boarded! Fire Nation soldiers jumped across from their boat to theirs, and the strangers charged to meet them. Their strange swords, straight and narrow, clashed with the Fire Nation's more curved edges, as the two groups began to fight.

Blades clashed, scrapped and clattered and cut into each other. A swing, a crunch. A punch, a thwack. A hack, a scream. A clean hit, a messy kill.

Katara ducked, a body coming her way as she and Sokka tried to make their way to Aang, who stood next to Appa, trying to calm him down.

"Katara! Sokka!" Aang called out to them, but before she could react, she felt something hit her. Hard.

She fell, barely able to hear Sokka's panicked yell as the world began to spin and tumble. Katara could only look up in fear as a Fire Nation soldier was atop of her, holding his knife. She felt her blood turn to ice, her hairs rise, as the soldier raised his knife.

She swung her arm, not even noticing the ice forming around it, and smashed a condensed ball of ice into her attacker. He yelled, tumbling off of her from the collision, and she scrambled to her feet. Sokka ran up to her, helping her to her feet. "C'mon! We gotta go!"

The two began to run to Appa, to Aang, but two more bodies fell in front of them, trading blow after blow with each other. They leaped over the soldiers and made it onto Appa. "Aang, get us out of here!"

"I…I can't leave Dorji!" Aang shouted back, before leaping off of Appa and into the crowd!

"A-Are you kidding me?!" Sokka screamed in anger, before turning to his sister. "He has to be kidding me!"

"Sokka, we have to help them!"

"Not you two! They kidnapped us!"

"And right now they need our help!" Katara shot back, before leaping off of Appa to follow Aang into the crowd.

"Bu-Wha-oh come on!" Sokka groaned before smacking Appa on the horn and leaping off of the ship. With a roar of his own, Appa began to charge into Fire Nation soldiers, knocking them aside or overboard with his great strength. Sokka himself looked for his sister and Aang, but couldn't see them through the fog of war, the battle surrounding him.

*KTHUD*

Behind him, he heard the crash. Twisting around, he saw his captor, Valrik, being choked by another Fire Nation Soldier. The older man pinned the younger teenager to the ship's mast, off the ground. Valrik tried beating the mans arms off, but he held strong.

"Die, and know that Colonel Zhang kil-" Zhang would not end that sentence, for Sokka swung his War Club across the back of his head.

*WHACK*

Zhang fell to the ground, a small red tinge on the back of his head. Valrik fell to his feet, gasping for air. He looked up to Sokka, a hint of surprise and questioning in his eyes.

"Now ya owe me!" Sokka grinned, before turning around and helping another stranger fight another Fire Nation soldier. Valrik, for his part, grabbed his sword off the ground, and joined in the fight.

On the other side of the ship, Katara wade through the conflict as carefully as she could to follow her friend. Aang had the benefit of being a master Airbender, able to weave his way anywhere without a care. She, on the other hand, was neither an airbender, nor a master. She would have to be cautious.

She crawled underneath a table, barely avoiding it collapsing onto her from someone being thrown upon it, before rolling through two soldiers going at it. She stood up to see Aang right in front of her!

"Aang!" She called out, to which he turned around.

"Katara!" He responded, before a Fire Nation soldier was sent flying right at her. Aang bent the air to fling her towards him, and he barely caught her before they collapsed onto the deck of the ship.

"Thanks!" Katara said, before pulling Aang off the ground. The two of them sprinted towards Dorji's enormous form, as he was being confronted by 3 Fire Nation Soldiers. One of them wore what looked like a captain's uniform.

"By Sozin's comet, what a fat-looking cow-pig!" The captain laughed as his men pointed spears at Dorji's belly. "Where in the spirits did you all come from? Pale looking things you are."

"Us? Why, we were supposed to be travelers, coming to seek fortune and glory!" Dorji jovially responded. It was a false joy, as his eyes narrowed and he glared down at the pompous captain. "But now we are Díoltas do mo ghaolta. Vengeance for my people."

"What people? Answer me, you fat fool!" The captain sneered with every word, pointing his own Dadao at Dorji's neck, the blade slowly drawing a drop of red blood.

Dorji smiled in return and said nothing. He didn't need to, for Aang swept the wind from under their feet, knocking them to the ground. He then swung his staff and sent the four of them to the side.

"Dorji! Are you alright, why didn't you fight back?" Aang asked his friend.

"Aang, there are things that - look out!" Dorji pointed behind him. The Captain, his helmet removed and hair wild, grabbed Aang and pulled a knife, placing it behind his neck.

"Everyone back!" The Captain shouted. Katara and Dorji stood still as Aang struggled to free himself from the man's clutches. "Stay back!"

"Now young man, don't do anything foolish here." Dorji cautioned. Katara tensed. She felt herself call upon the water below them, the ocean.

"Shut up, you fat bastard!" The Captain screamed. "You and your pale friends are freaks! But I got the best freak prize right here." He smirked with crooked and yellow teeth at his prize. He held the knife tight and began to back away slowly. Aang kept struggling, unable to free himself from the man's clutches. "Once I get the Avatar to Commander Zhao, he'll reward me. He'll reward me and kill all of you!" He laughed. It was a gross laugh, desperate and afraid.

Katara wouldn't allow this. Aang had been captured once already by Zuko. She and Sokka had been taken hostage before, too. These people had taken them captive. No more captures. No more takers. No more killers.

She roared, swinging the water she had been building up behind the Captain all along, sweeping his leg. He screamed, dropping Aang and the knife. She then ran up to him and kicked him in the face. He fell quiet, his nose bloody from her breaking it. His head tilted to the side, unconscious.

She helped Aang up off the ground. "You alright."

"Yeah, I'm ok." Aang smiled. She hugged him, which he returned.

"Thank our dreams you are well, Aang." Dorji had wheeled up to them, his formerly pale neck stained a light pink. "And thank you, Master Katara, for that save. I believe we stand in the midst of a prodigy."

"Oh. Well, I'm not-I mean, not that good." She blushed at the praise.

"Nonsense! I see great things in your future." Dorji giggled, but it was sour, lifeless, no humor at all. "But I'm afraid that this little kerfuffle is about to end." He gestured to a group. Armored and bulky, they wore metal shirts and strange helmets, grand feathers on top. They numbered 4, and each held strange tubes.

The four men stood before Dorji, Aang, and Katara, as if to protect them. They took something out of a small pouch each of them wore on their hip and inserted it into the tube. The 4 men raised the tubes and flicked something. They aimed at 4 Fire Nation soldiers and then-

*BANG**BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

*THD**KMPF*PMPH*UMTS*

4 Fire Nation soldiers died.

---

The conflict ended soon after the Musketeers were properly suited up and fired upon the enemy. Valrik soon learned from his grandfather that they were the "Fire Nation." Whatever that meant. Who named a country after an element? He also heard things about a "Water Tribe." What next? Rock Country?

He prayed to the Dreaming and the Fae that that wasn't the case. This half of the world was already weird enough. He didn't need to be proven right anymore.

Valrik watched as the scouts he captured earlier that day were packing up that massive beast of burden they had. It reminded him of a Bison from Kylmanoitus, especially the ones that Cousin Edward brought back with him after his wedding. He was 9 back then, had little idea of the sheer size of the Empire back then, how small he was in the grand scheme of it all. Valrik laughed at the idea now, smallness. He was small then; he felt smaller now.

Still, a Second Son had been one of the first to find people outside of Saoghal. He, his grandfather, and over 60 of their best men and women had made history today. That was worth something, had to be. They would rejoin the fleet soon enough, establish outposts, and learn local customs. Valrik couldn't deny it, the prospect was exciting.

The youngest one looked disturbed, as if his world was shattered that day. Valrik supposed that it was the case. It didn't seem like this side of the world had any firearms to speak of at all. He thumbed his flintlock in his holster, flicking the safety on and off. It wasn't loaded, but the habit brought him some small comfort. The fact that he and the girl used magic - no. Magic was not real. Grandfather told him about this thing, Bending. He told Valrik when he was a boy, and now he was a man. Dorji regaled stories of his childhood, his life in strange temples with foolish old men, with giant beasts that could fly, and…"lemurs?" He didn't know what those were, but seeing the boy's smaller pet creature gave him an answer.

The girl was frazzled, but held herself together. It looked like she was the heart of this triad. She kept things neat, tidy in the massive saddle atop the beast. She was experienced with this work from the look of it. He had followed Grandfather's conversation with the three of them over dinner, despite his lack of intuition with the local language. Grandfather's lessons had paid off, but he was nowhere near considered fluent. He followed as he talked to them about their home, this "Water Tribe." He didn't like what he heard. Small villages, decimated by invaders, father at war, mother gone. It reminded him of Her. He didn't like it.

Lastly, the eldest boy was helping lift stuff up to his sister. He caught his name, Sokka, when he held them captive while Grandfather talked with the boy. Now that same Sokka had saved his life. Valrik hated that, hated that debt he now owed. He doubted he would see Sokka again, and that made him uncomfortable. Sokka caught Valrik looking at him and sent him a glare, one that Valrik shrunk away from in shame.

Dorji wheeled up from behind his grandson and spoke his Home tongue. "阿昂，能占用你一点时间吗?" The youngest turned to his grandfather. "我很遗憾我们的重逢不得不以这样的方式结束。请你原谅我."

"没关系，多吉，这不是你的错."

"尽管如此，我还是觉得自己有责任。请允许我补偿你，我坚持。

"真的，你不必这样"

"我必须，我必须！你需要什么，武器吗？食物？ 门... 其实我可以做到"。多吉挠着下巴说。"能帮我一个忙吗？把瓦里克带上吧，他很自大，但会帮你一个忙的。"

"真的吗？那个混蛋？不，不，不可能 不可能!" Sokka shouted at Dorji. Valrik tried to intervene, to teach this foreigner proper respect, but was shut down by the girl speaking.

"多吉，谢谢你的提议，但我们真的有能力再带上一个人吗?|

"呸！你可以用塞努阿的剑 而且，他不是还欠你们三个的人情吗？他应该为给你们带来的麻烦赎罪." Dorji turned his neck, looking at Valrik. "Grandson! A word, please."

"Yes, grandfather?" Valrik responded, approaching them. Hand on his sword, he looked up at Dorji, who always towered above him.

"Be a lad and pack your things. You are to join them in their quest."

Valrik felt his mouth slack, his eyes shoot open. It was like a bullet had struck him down. "What? You can't be serious!"

"Oh, but I am, dear grandson. After all, you did cause them great trouble earlier by kidnapping them." Dorji spoke with a mischievous smirk.

"B-B-But I was following proper protocol! You can't blame me for-"

"But you did also reunite me with my dear friend, so think of this as both punishment and reward! Don't tell me that the prospect of adventure doesn't excite you as it once did? Why else did you join me on our expedition?"

"That was for the honor of our house! Not because of-of childhood fantasies!" Valrik felt his face turn red, his forehead begin to run with sweat. He heard the three of them begin to giggle at his expense. Bastards.

He was taken out of those thoughts when he felt the heavy hand of Dorji placed on his shoulder. "Valrik, listen to me. You have always wanted this. Do not deny the truth. I'm sending you with them as a gift, the one you've always wanted back home but could never get."

"And what's that?"

Dorji looked at him with soft eyes. "A chance to prove yourself."

Valrik stood there, silent as a grave. Dorji removed his hand and looked down at his grandson, who contemplated it. It did not last more than a minute, but it felt like an eternity for the both of them. It ended when the young man looked up to his great-grandfather, and Dorji was reminded of the small boy he once was all those years ago.

"... Ok."

---

Dorji watched as Appa took off from the boat, the laughter of Aang bellowing in the wind, along with the terrified screams of Valrik. That boy was the first Saoghalian to ride a Flying Bison, an ancestral heritage, and he was screaming in terror at it.

Dorji laughed. He laughed and laughed, with glee and sorrow and fear and hope. Had he sent his Great-Grandson to his destiny? Or to his demise? He could not tell.

"Sir, we've weighed anchor and are ready to depart. What will be our destination?" The lieutenant asked, standing to his side. Dorji furrowed his eyes at the setting sun and spoke.

"Rendezvous with the fleet, Lieutenant Gregor. We prepare for war."

"By your leave, Sir." With that, Gregor stepped away and began to bark orders at the men. Dorji sighed as Appa's fading form flew away.

He prayed to the Spirits, to his Dreams, to the Gods, that he had not made a mistake.

---

Translations:

"Max, how's the hunt going? Any flesh we recognize?"

"As before, more weird boars. It tastes the same as back home though, so why care?"

"Shit, I'm tired of seeing these things. So familiar, yet so strange. Why are there needles?"

"Who can say? These lands are amazing beyond belief. Thank our dreams that we can even eat these animals."

"Our dreams? More like Valrik and his lucky guess. Why is he even here, anyway?"

"I am here, soldier, because our commander deemed it necessary. Now get off your ass and do a round."

"Yeah, little man? Are you going to make me?"

"That's lieutenant for you, Maximilian. And I will."

"Who the hell are you? Freeze!"

"What the hell was that?"

"Old Red Eyes! The cruel one has come to us!"

"Grab them!"

"Surrender!" "I have no wish to harm you."

"Thank you for teaching grandfather, I won't you doubt again."

"Get the long boats ready, call the Homecoming."

"Get the flares ready, Grandfather will want to talk to him."

"Hail Valrik, why are you calling us? It is the middle of the night, and you spoiled my kalsarikännit!"

"We caught these three watching us at our camp. I thought grandfather would like to talk to this one."

"How is he, uncle?"

"One of his better days, I say. He'll probably be able to talk to him...that's what I think?"

"Same marks..."

"I don't know for sure, Uncle, that's why I called."

"I know it was only supposed to be for emergencies, but I saw those tattoos and - "

"Tsk, Good on you Valrik. Your father and brother would approve."

"Come, let us bring them on board."

"Yes, uncle Callum."

"Take them!"

"Idiot."

"Silence."

""Enough! They are not to be harmed."

"Grandfather, what are you doing? They are not friends, they are prisoners!"

"Why are you fighting with me, Valrik? Your patience knows no bounds. Why do you rush to act when we have guests?"

Guests? Piss on that, they're prisoners! We caught them spying on our camp, probably scouts."

""Do you see my tattoos? Tell me, doesn't he have the same?"

"He's my people! My brother! Tell me, do you deny that my blood is yours too?"

"No, but-"

Then listen to my orders! They are my guests for the evening, and we are Caebrasil! There are no greater hosts than us."

""Unknown ship coming starboard"

"Get back inside, grandfather, we'll handle this!"

"I will not forsake-"

"But now we are vengeance for my people."

"Aang, may I have a moment of your time?"

"I am sorry our reunion had to end this way. Please forgive me ."

"It's okay, Dorje, it's not your fault."

"Nonetheless, I can't help but feel responsible for this. Allow me to make it up to you. Tell me, where are you going?"

"We're going to the North Pole to find a master for Aang and I."

"That's very far. Can I be of any further assistance to you ... Actually I can."

"Really? That asshole? No, no, no way. No way!"

"Dorji, thank you for the offer, but can we really afford to take another person with us?

"Bah! By Senua's sword, you can use the help, and besides, doesn't he still owe the three of you a favor? He should atone for the trouble he's caused you three."