Hey!
Welcome to my ATLA Fanfic :-)
I've had this idea for a very very very long time and now, I'm motivated again to write it. Thanks to posts on Facebook in the ATLA Fan group :-D
It's the Avatar story in a new light. Like a "What if Aang had been a girl?"
But there will of course be changes in comparison to the cartoon.
Like, there will be a Book 4.
The characters are a bit older than in the cartoon.
My story is also more mature regarding the language or other things.
And although I like Aang very much and originally, I wanted to include him (I like Kataang), he will not appear in my story.
But just read for yourselves ;-)
I'm writing this FanFic also in German, so please be patient with me. I'll try to update as fast as possible.
Pairings: ZukoXOC (Amaya), KataraXOC, SokkaXSuki – and others :-)
Link to the character descriptions (without the spaces):
animexx. de / fanfiction / 399273 /
(You can also find it on my profile. If it doesn't work, please let me know)
Summary
Water. Earth. Fire. Air.
The war between the four nations is raging for a hundred years by now.
The prospect of peace seems impossible, until Katara and her brother Sokka discover the new Avatar on the South Pole: a young airbender named Amaya.
Together, they go on a journey where Amaya has to learn to master the other elements, to eventually stop Fire Lord Ozai and end the war.
Always on their tracks: the banished crown prince of the Fire Nation.
Zuko is willing to do anything to capture the Avatar and regain his honor in the process.
So, fate takes its course.
But in other ways anyone could have ever imagined.
Amaya - The Last Airbender
Book 1: Water
Water.
Earth.
Fire.
Air.
My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace.
Back then, the Avatar kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation and Air Nomads.
However, when the Fire Nation declared war, everything changed.
Only the Avatar had the power to stop them.
But when the world needed him most, he vanished.
A hundred years have passed and most people believe that the Avatar was never reborn and that the cycle is broken forever.
Still… I won't lose hope.
I have faith that someday, the Avatar will return to save the world.
Chapter 1: The Girl in the Iceberg
Somewhere on the South Pole…
"Please remind me again why we're here?" A young woman with dark brown, braided hair and crossed arms asks frustrated.
She'd rather be home right now, in her warm cabin or at the campfire.
Even if she was born here, she never liked the cold very much.
Her thick, blue and white coat and the gloves only provided limited protection from the cold temperatures.
"We have to hunt, Katara." Her brown-haired companion, who's also wearing a blue and white coat and gloves, answers concisely.
He's kneeling on the frozen ground, focusing intensely on the water before him.
With his left hand, he's supporting himself on the ice; his right hand holds a spear that is raised into the air, ready to fight.
If a fish decides to come this way, it wouldn't stand a chance, the young man is sure about that.
"You mean to say, you have to prove what a great warrior you are." The girl named Katara mumbles annoyed.
He doesn't listen.
To pass the time at least a little bit, Katara approaches the water, takes off her gloves and begins – slightly skeptical – to move her right hand up and down.
Suddenly, rings are forming on the water surface and the next moment, a fish, trapped in a water bubble, is rising up in the air.
"Sokka, look!" She screams happily as she lets the animal float around.
"Shut up, Katara! I have to focus." The young man named Sokka rebukes her, still not paying her any attention.
Like her, he has his eyes set on a fish and prepares himself to strike.
"Yes, come here little fella." He grins triumphantly and in anticipation of a tasty meal.
"But I just caught one." To present her catch to him, Katara is guiding the fish enthusiastically to the young man.
Unfortunately, right in this moment, he wants to attack with his spear and is unintentionally stabbing the water bubble that is above him.
"Look out!" His companion warns him but it's too late.
She has to watch the bubble bursting and the fish jumping back into the water.
"Great." She says disappointed and lets her arm fall back onto her side.
Sokka on the other hand is angry because, due to the water bubble bursting, he got wet.
He too is no fan of the cold, especially of ice-cold water.
"Do you do that on purpose? Every time you do your magic water tricks, I get wet." He complains and clenches his fists, his drenched gloves making a funny sound in the process.
"This isn't a magic trick, it's waterbending. An old-" Katara wants to explains but gets interrupted.
"An old craft you inherited from our ancestors. Yada, yada, yada. You're a weirdo, that's all there is. You shouldn't tell anyone about that, otherwise they'll declare you a crazy person." Sokka replies while wiping his wet face and wringing out his hair that is tied into a wolf's tail.
Angry, Katara crosses her arms.
"I'ma weirdo? Which one of us is bragging with his arm muscles every time he sees his reflection?" She teases and grins knowingly.
Sokka, who's admiring his arm muscles in the water's reflection, looks at her sulkily.
"Hey, there's another one!" She now screams excitedly.
"Hah! You won't get away this time." The young man announces confidently, raising his spear once more.
"No, let me do it."
"So that I get wet again? No way!"
"Come on! It was an accident. This time, it'll work, trust me." Katara pleads, giving him the puppy eyes.
"Alright. But don't get me wet again!"
Eagerly, the young woman starts to move her hands up and down.
And indeed. The fish, trapped in a bubble, raises up from the water.
"Good job, Katara! Just a little more." Sokka cheers her on, but his excitement soon turns into a know-it-all attitude as she guides the animal in the (in his opinion) wrong direction. "No, no! More to the left. The left!"
"Don't tell me what to do!" Katara is angered; still, she lets the fish float in the suggested direction.
"If you're doing it wrong, I have to tell you. Otherwise, you'll never get it right."
"You wanna tell me that I don't know how to waterbend?" The young woman asks enraged, now giving the boy her full attention.
"Ye- No, it means that if you'd stayed at the village, I would've already caught a few fish. Girls and hunting, that just doesn't match." Sokka grumbles.
"As if you could do it any better!" Katara rants and smacks the fish right into his face.
"See, this is what I'm talking about." The young man says grumpily while taking the animal off his face.
The fish slips out of his hands and finally falls back into the water.
"Girls are too emotional. You don't need that while hunting."
That's when Katara bursts with anger.
"You are such an immature, self-opinionated idiot! I can't believe we're related!" She shouts, gesturing maybe a bit too strong with her arms.
The last motion is so powerful that it causes an ice wall nearby to get a dangerously long crack.
Furious, the young woman continues since she doesn't notice any of it.
"After the death of our mother I had to take on all the tasks in the village! While you were out there playing soldier!"
Sokka, who certainly noticed, is only able to stare terrified at the giant white entity, although the Fury in front of him is just as scary – if not more.
"Uh, Katara-"
"I even wash all your dirty clothes! Did you ever smell your socks? I can tell you one thing: rotten fish is nothing compared to that!"
Sokka, apparently her brother, is now completely stunned by her (unintentional) vandalism; this is why he tries to soothe her. Of course it backfires immediately.
"Katara, please calm down!"
"I don't wanna calm down! I'll scream all I want! Because I've had it! I'm having enough of you always lecturing and bossing me around! From now on, get your shit together yourself!" She finishes her truly impressive rampage and executes the ultimate ice-wall-breaking-blow.
Shocked, Katara finally faces the ice wall. She watches as cracks grow all over its surface and after that, a big ice boulder falling (like in slow-motion) from its top.
Her brother is just as thunderstruck.
They don't have much time to dwell since the impact of the boulder causes the ground to break as well and therefore, they get cut off from the main land and swept away on an ice floe.
"Alright, you're not a weirdo. You're completely crazy!" No longer surprised, Sokka is already back to being angry.
"I did that?" Katara is stunned.
"Yeah. Well done, sis." Her brother smiles; yet pretty sure he means it rather sarcastically.
Then, they paddle back to their starting point. Well, easier said than done since it doesn't really exist anymore.
Everything is turned into ice floes swimming on the water surface, making the way back to the main land very difficult.
In addition to that, the ice wall has turned into an iceberg that's also floating in the water.
Suddenly, the siblings notice a bright light that slowly enlightens the whole iceberg that is now right in front of them.
Curiously, Katara nears the edge of the ice floe she's standing on to get a better look.
Inside the iceberg, she can see the silhouette of a… girl? She frowns doubtingly.
However, right in this moment, the girl in the iceberg opens her eyes and starts to glow.
"She lives. Quickly, we have to help her." Katara reckons agitatedly while grabbing Sokka's spear and begins smashing the ice.
"Katara, she could be dangerous." Her brothers warns alarmed.
"Just help me!"
Sokka huffs resignedly, he knows there's no way he can convince her otherwise. So, he uses his boomerang that is strapped to his back as an icebreaker.
After a few strong hits the ice cracks for good, sending a bright ray of light into the sky.
At the same time, a young man is standing on deck of a big ship.
He's wearing a red and black Fire Nation uniform. His black hair is mostly shaved, the remaining hair is tied into a ponytail.
His amber-colored eyes are focusing on a certain spot in the distance.
Unexpectedly, the burn scar above his left eye starts to hurt a little but he chooses to ignore it.
As fate would have it, he also sees the ray of light near the Southern Water Tribe.
"Finally." He speaks with a grim expression on his face, then he turns around.
"Uncle, do you know what that means?" He asks an older, already grayed man who sits at a small table, set with tea and a game.
"That I can't finish my game?" The man asks calmly while glancing up from the gaming piece in his hand.
"It means that my search is nearing its end." The younger one, apparently his nephew, answers and turns around to focus again on the ray of light.
"Hmm." That's all his uncle named Iroh says as he's placing the piece in his hand on its rightful position in the game and taking the next one.
"The light was exceptionally bright. This time it has to be him." The young man continues convinced.
"Or maybe, it was just a common heat lightning." Iroh is undeterred and gestures towards the sky.
"We've seen that many times before, prince Zuko. Please don't get your hopes up." He gives the second gaming piece a position in the game.
"Why don't you sit down and have some jasmine tea? It will calm you down."
"I don't need to calm down! I need to find the Avatar!" Zuko yells heatedly but the older one is unimpressed by that.
"Navigator, course towards the light!" The prince commands sternly.
His uncle seriously stares at the new gaming piece in his hand until he finally sets it down onto its place on the board.
"Don't move!" Sokka warns empathically, holding his boomerang towards the glowing girl who stands amongst the few remaining ice blocks.
But surprisingly, she stops glowing and falls exhausted to the ground.
Suspiciously, the young man taps the girl's body with the front of his right boot.
"Stop it! She's not an animal." Katara scolds him and resolutely shoves him to the side.
Then she kneels down and leans the mysterious brown-haired girl against a piece of the former iceberg.
Shortly after, the girl opens her grey-blue eyes.
"Hnn… Where am I?" She asks with a hoarse voice.
"At the South Pole." Katara answers smiling.
"At the South Pole?"
"Yeah, at the South Pole. Did the ice get in your ears or something?" Sokka talks irritated, prompting his sister to scowl at him.
"That's so cool!" The strange girl is unexpectedly very fit and literally flies to her feet.
Katara can only look at her confused.
Sokka though is holding his boomerang once again belligerently towards the girl.
"I'm Amaya." The girl introduces herself friendly.
"I'm Katara and this is Sokka, my paranoid brother."
Sokka huffs poutingly.
"Nice to meet you! And thanks for getting me out of the ice."
"You're welcome!" Katara smiles joyfully.
"How did you get in there, anyway? And why didn't you freeze to death?" Sokka wants to know mistrustfully.
"I have no idea." Amaya responses baffled.
Suddenly, the three youngsters hear a loud growl and ultimately, a large furry head looks up from behind a big ice boulder.
"Appa!" Amaya shouts cheerily and runs over to it. "Are you okay?"
"…"
"Wake up, buddy! Nap time's over." She speaks softly as she doesn't get an answer and pats his big nose.
Katara and Sokka simply stare at them puzzled.
Only a moment later, the big furry animal wakes up and greets its friend by licking her face.
"I'm glad you're okay." Amaya briefly presses herself against Appa's head and pets him, before he stands up to shake the ice from his body.
"Uh… what is an… Appa?" Sokka points slightly frightened at the giant animal.
"Appa is my sky bison, of course." Amaya laughs amused. What kind of a question is that?
"Uh, yeah, sure. And this is Katara, my flying sister." Sokka scoffs sarcastically and points at the mentioned girl who gives him an annoyed look.
Speaking of flying…
"Ah… aah… aaaah… ACHOO!"
Amaya unexpectedly has to sneeze but with such force that she flies a few meters into the air and hovers there momentarily, just to then land gently on her feet.
"And what was that?" Sokka's distrust grows only stronger.
As if that wasn't enough, Appa's big nose suddenly twitches suspiciously.
"Watch out!" His friend warns the others, but it's too late.
The bison is already shooting green snot out of his nose. Of course, straight onto Sokka's coat and face.
"Bless you." The young man mutters resignedly while wiping his face with his left hand.
"I'm sorry! But don't worry, it comes off with water." Amaya apologizes smiling.
"Amaya, you're an airbender." Katara concludes perplexed.
"Yes, I am."
"This is impossible…"
"Do you guys live nearby?" Amaya asks curiously, delaying the conversation from the previous subject.
"Don't answer that, Katara! The light from before must have been a sign for the Fire Nation." Sokka is sure about that.
"Yeah, sure, she has to be a Fire Nation spy. You can tell from miles away." Katara responds mockingly.
The other girl simply smiles at them innocently.
"I have to apologize for my brother. Sometimes, he behaves like a complete moron."
"Hey!" Sokka complains indignantly. "I'm having enough of this! I'm going home."
He wants to take his leave but now realizes that he's trapped on a big ice floe surrounded by water.
"We can fly on Appa. He'll get us out of here." Amaya offers expectantly.
"That sounds great, thanks!" Katara agrees eagerly.
"No way! I'm never ever getting onto this furry sneezing-monster!" Sokka objects.
"If you wanna wait for another monster that can take you home and save you from freezing, be my guest." Katara's mocking attitude doesn't go over his head.
Therefore, both are soon sitting in Appa's saddle, waiting to take off.
Katara highly excitedly; Sokka on the other hand defiantly and with his arms crossed before his chest.
"Hold on tight! Appa, yip-yip!" Amaya yells and gives Appa a very gentle smack with the reins that are fastened to his horns; the sign for him to start.
The bison roars before he pushes off the ground with the help of his big tail.
Against all expectations, he doesn't fly but let's himself fall into the water with a loud splash.
"Come on, Appa! Yip-Yip!" His friend commands.
However, the bison calmly continues swimming.
"Wow, that was impressive." Sokka says sarcastically and briefly claps his hands.
His sister merely looks at him angrily.
"Appa's just tired. He has to rest until he can fly again." Amaya explains smiling.
"No problem. This is pretty relaxing." Katara answers contently.
Her brother mumbles something unintelligibly that she ignores.
Minutes pass where they're gliding through the water and don't speak until the waterbender breaks the silence.
She leans on the front edge of the saddle and eyes her new friend, who's sitting on Appa's head, a little worried.
"Amaya, can I ask you something?"
"Sure!" The airbender turns around a bit to face her.
"Do you know what happened to the Avatar?"
Startled, Amaya stares at her for a few seconds but soon regains her composure.
"I… No… I don't know. I'm sorry." She reckons rather seriously and quickly turns back around.
"It's okay. I was just curious." Katara doesn't show her disappointment.
She was really hoping that Amaya knew something about the Avatar.
Due to the Avatar-cycle, he should be an airbender. Still, that was a hundred years ago.
Consequently, the Avatar would be over a hundred years old. Amaya probably doesn't even know him, even if they're both Air Nomads.
Katara sighs.
Nevertheless, she refuses to give up hope that someday, the Avatar will return.
"I'm going to bed." Iroh declares and yawns.
It's already late at night.
"Prince Zuko, you should get some sleep as well. Maybe you're right and the Avatar is actually alive. But how do you know that you're going to find him? Your father, grandfather and great-grandfather, all of them have tried and failed."
Zuko's still standing on deck and staring obstinately at the horizon.
His back is turned on his uncle as he replies sternly.
"But I'm not like them. Me regaining my honor depends on capturing the Avatar. And now, after a hundred years, it's time he finally comes out of hiding. At all costs."
She sleeps happily in Appa's saddle.
But a thunder startles her. Bewildered, she looks around.
It's raining heavily, there's a storm and lightning everywhere.
She screams.
And suddenly they're surrounded by water.
Appa tries to come up to the surface.
He succeeds.
Yet only for a short time.
A large wave is forcing them back underwater.
She holds on tight to Appa's reins.
However, her energy is fading fast and so she can't help but let go of the reins.
They're sinking farther and farther into the depths of the ocean.
And then something's happening.
Her eyes and tattoos are glowing.
She clenches her fists and pushes them together.
An airball is forming around her.
Appa immediately gets dragged into it.
It's getting cold and dark…
"Amaya..."
"Amaya, wake up!"
She startles from her sleep.
Slightly confused, she looks around the hut. A hut?
Then she recognizes Katara.
So, it was just a dream. And it's already in the morning.
"Good morning." Katara smiles.
"Good morning." Amaya returns the smile.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine, thanks."
"Okay." The waterbender is unconvinced but she changes the subject anyway. "Are you hungry? Breakfast is ready and after that, we can go outside. Everyone is dying to meet you."
Half an hour later the two young women are standing in front of the residents of the Southern Water Tribe.
"Amaya, this is everyone. Everyone, this is Amaya." Katara introduces.
Amaya bows smiling.
The residents don't react the way she's expecting though.
"What's wrong? They seem to be afraid of me." She notices.
Subsequently, an old woman approaches her.
"For a hundred years we believed airbenders to be extinct. But now, here you are." She says friendly.
"Extinct?" Amaya is shocked. What is she saying?
"Amaya, this is Kanna, my grandmother." Katara clarifies.
"Call me Gran Gran."
"Nice to meet you, Gran Gran." The airbender responses politely. "But what do you mean with 'extinct'?"
"Are you serious?" Sokka, who was sitting in front of the hut and listening to their conversation, now approaches them disbelieving. "You don't seem to know much."
Amaya looks at him frowning. Then she recognizes the staff in his right hand.
"Hey, my glider!" Amaya reaches out to grab the object.
Sokka however takes a step backwards and at the same time, he pulls his arm back so that she can't reach it.
"Is this a weapon?" The young man examines the staff critically.
"No, I need it for airbending." Amaya answers and with the help of airbending, she's retrieving her staff.
Then she unfolds it and it shows that it's indeed a glider.
"A magic trick! Do it again!" A little girl shouts excitedly.
"This isn't magic, it's airbending." Amaya explains smiling. "As an airbender, I can control the air and this is why I can fly."
"Prove it." Sokka challenges her.
He doesn't have to tell her twice.
Amaya pushes off the ground, takes off and eventually, she's flying a few rounds above the camp. Finally, she's landing right in front of Sokka, literally knocking him off his feet.
"Okay, you win! You're an airbender, Katara's a waterbender. From now on, you can do your bending stuff together." He reckons a bit embarrassed, not looking her into the eyes.
The airbender merely smiles and reaches out her right hand to him.
First, he hesitates but takes it after all. She's helping him to his feet and he mumbles a 'Thanks' before walking away.
"Is that true? You're a waterbender?" Amaya turns to Katara.
"Well, not yet. I have to practice." Katara answers humbly.
They get interrupted by her grandmother who speaks a bit strictly.
"Katara, as you know, you have chores to do."
"Yes, Gran Gran." The waterbender sighs. "See you later." She waves at her friend.
"I told you. I was right, she's a real bender." She says to the older woman as they're strolling along.
"Katara, don't place all your hope in this girl."
"But she's special, I know it. You just have to give her a chance."
"Enough now, child. Get to work."
"Yes, Gran Gran." Katara doesn't object anymore.
Still, she's sure that her gut feeling in regards of Amaya isn't deceiving her.
Smiling, she takes another look at the airbender.
"And this is how you make a snow angel without leaving a handprint." Amaya explains cheerily while floating back to her feet.
Laughing, the children of the Water Tribe let themselves fall into the snow to imitate her.
"And go!" Iroh orders loudly.
He's standing on deck of their ship, watching as his nephew gets attacked with fire blasts by two Fire Nation soldiers.
Zuko easily dodges their attacks by doing a flip to the side and while in the air, he's shooting a few flames in their direction. After that, he lands gracefully on his feet.
"Pretty good. But it has to get much better." His uncle declares, observing the training eagle-eyed.
"Pretty good? It was perfectly right!" The prince complains.
"The movements, yes. But you have to use your breathing as the source of your strength and not your muscles. In the body, the breath gets turned into energy, the energy gets transferred into the limbs and becomes fire." Iroh explains while making the fitting movements and finally shoots a fire ball out of his fist, directly in front of Zuko's face. Yet without really hitting him.
"Again!" He commands, his nephew doesn't agree though.
"No, I've been practicing this sequence the whole day. I'm ready for the next one. Teach me!"
"No! First, you really have to master the basics. As always, you're too impatient."
Furious, Zuko turns around and does a fire kick, knocking out another soldier in the process.
Then he talks once again quite harshly to his uncle.
"The Avatar is the last living airbender. He had a hundred years to master all four elements. This means I need to know more than just the basics of firebending to defeat him. So, you will teach me the next higher stage."
"As you wish, prince Zuko." Iroh agrees rather seriously.
However, the following moment he's grinning widely.
"But first, I need to finish my fried duck." He adds, picks up a bowl from the table behind him and begins eating.
His nephew can merely watch him flabbergasted.
"Now, men. If you come face to face with a firebender, it's important that you don't show any fear. We are the men from the Water Tribe, we are brave warriors. We'll fight 'til the last man standing. If we don't, how can we call ourselves men?" Sokka states proudly.
The little boys sitting in front of him only stare at him bored and blankly.
"I have to pee!" One of them declares but Sokka ignores him.
"Listen! Your fathers are fighting in a war, this means you're the men of our tribe. So, no bathroom breaks!"
"But I have to go really bad!"
"Ugh! All right. Anyone else?" Sokka gives in as every boy raises a hand.
He facepalms speechlessly and sends them their way.
Meanwhile, the other kids of the village have found a new toy: Appa.
They're using his tail as a slide, eventually landing in a snow pile and having the best time.
"Katara, Amaya has to leave. She's distracting everyone from their duties." Sokka says annoyed.
"Duties? They're children, Sokka." Katara laughs.
Her brother is still moody. This is why he walks over to Amaya who's happily watching the kids sliding off Appa's back.
"What's wrong with you? We're at war and you're here wasting our time with silly games."
"What war? What are you talking about?" The airbender asks confused.
"You're joking, right?"
But Amaya isn't listening anymore.
"How cute! A penguin!" She yells excitedly and runs.
"That was a joke. Right?" Sokka turns to his sister who's now standing beside him.
They can only look at each other uneasily.
"Amaya?!" Katara eventually finds her friend amongst a herd of penguins.
"Hey, come here. I won't hurt you." The airbender speaks softly while trying to pet one of the animals.
The penguin escapes and Amaya falls into the snow. She quickly gets up as Katara approaches her.
"I love animals so I could never hurt them. Let alone eat them." The airbender smiles.
"I could help you catch one."
"It's okay. But how would you do that? With the help of waterbending?"
"No, unfortunately, I'm not a fully trained waterbender yet."
"Why not? Isn't there a waterbender in your tribe who could teach you?"
"No, I'm the only waterbender on the whole South Pole."
"No way! This is like not being allowed to breathe. Impossible! I'm controlling the air so you have to control the water." Amaya is indignant.
"Isn't there a water tribe on the North Pole? Maybe the waterbenders there could teach you." She realizes.
"Yes, maybe. There's only one problem. We haven't had any contact with our brothers and sisters in a long time. And it's not just around the corner, you know. They live on the other end of the world."
"Appa and I could fly you to the North Pole. Then, we'll find a master for you and you'll become the best waterbender ever."
"I wish it was that easy. But unfortunately, it's not. I've never been away from home and I have responsibilities here."
"Okay… Just think about it." Amaya smirks.
Then, she bends down, gathers snow in her hands, molds it into a ball and throws it at Katara.
"I haven't done that since I was a child!" Katara screams beaming with joy as she and Amaya are having a frisky snowball fight.
"Then it's about time!" The airbender replies laughing, throwing another snowball at her friend.
Once they're taking a break, they're unexpectedly standing in front of a big shipwreck.
"Whoa! What's that?" Amaya is impressed.
"A Fire Navy ship. And many bad memories for our tribe." Katara explains slightly sadly.
"Amaya, don't! There could be traps in there." She warns her friend who's now walking towards the ship to enter it.
"It'll be fine. Trust me!"
The waterbender is eyeing the ship anxiously. Still, she follows Amaya into the wreckage.
Inside, they're walking along the cold hallways and pass by many different rooms. One of them is filled with weapons. They enter it cautiously.
"This ship has tracked my tribe since Gran Gran was a little girl. It was part of the Fire Nation's first attacks." Katara clarifies.
"What do you mean by 'Fire Nation attacks'? I have friends all over the world, even in the Fire Nation. They would never attack anyone. This doesn't make any sense." The young airbender is completely bewildered.
Why is everyone talking about a war?
"Amaya?"
"Yes?"
"How long have you been in that iceberg?"
"I don't know. A few days?"
"I think it was more like a hundred years."
"What? That… That's impossible! Do I look like a 115-year-old woman?"
"No, but think about it. You don't know anything about a war that's been going on for a hundred years. The only explanation is that you were in that iceberg the whole time. For whatever reason."
Totally shaken by this information Amaya lets herself fall to the ground and leans against the cold steel wall.
"A hundred years? This can't be real. How is this possible?" Tears well in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Amaya." Katara comforts her friend compassionately while placing a hand on her back. "Maybe there's an upside to this."
"And what's that?" Amaya can't face her.
"You're still alive. Otherwise, you probably would've been killed along with the other Air Nomads."
"Am I really the last airbender?" A tear rolls down Amaya's face.
"So it seems. Once they learned that the new Avatar would be an airbender, the Fire Nation set off to kill every Air Nomad."
Amaya sobs. The stories they've told in the village are all true.
"You wanna hear another good thing?"
The airbender merely shrugs and wipes away her tears.
"You've met Sokka, me and our tribe." Katara smirks softly.
Her friend finally looks at her.
"You're right. I'm glad I met you." Amaya smiles slightly.
"Come on. Let's get out of here." The waterbender suggests and reaches out her hands.
The airbender grabs them and they get back up.
They leave the creepy room and continue walking through the dark hallways.
And then it happens. Amaya accidentally triggers a trap. Due to this, a door behind them closes with a grid.
"Oh shoot! Was this one of the traps you mentioned earlier?" She asks ruefully.
But Katara isn't able to answer since the devices in the ship suddenly start working and eventually, they're firing a flare bomb into the sky.
"Oh no…" Amaya whispers as the two young women watch the bomb explode from a window.
"We need to get out of here." She grabs Katara's hand and drags her under a hole in the ceiling.
Fortunately, it's big enough and leads straight outside.
"Hold on tight and don't let go." Amaya advises while Katara clings to her right arm.
With one jump they're back outside and finally, they're standing on the snow-covered ground.
"Are you okay?" The airbender wants to know since her friend is still nervously clinging to her.
"Yes, I think so." Katara answers smiling and at last, she let's go of Amaya's arm. "Now we really need to leave."
The whole thing doesn't happen unobserved because at that same time, a certain prince is looking through his telescope and noticing the two people who are literally flying out of the wreckage.
"There he is! The last airbender. Despite being over a hundred years old he's still pretty quick and agile." Zuko reckons pensively.
"You! Tell my uncle I've found the Avatar." He then orders a soldier.
"As well as his hiding place." He mutters as he's looking around a little more, discovering the small village on the South Pole.