Rising Above The Waves

PROLOGUE

83 AG

"I have to go, Dad!" the young woman cried. "They need someone to help! I can help!"

"I know you can help, Sakari! But someone else can go!" her father shouted back.

"But they shouldn't have to go!"

"Neither should you!"

The father and daughter were breathing heavily.

"I don't want you to go," her father said, breaking the silence. His voice then got even quieter. "I don't want you to be taken. You're safer here with the Northern Water Tribe, with your brother... with me."

Sakari sighed. "It's a risk I'll have to take. The Southern Water Tribe needs a waterbender. And I'll be okay. I learned from the very best."

Her father let out a small laugh. "That's very kind of you to say."

Her father wrapped his around his daughter. "I am so proud of you, Sakari. I love you, more than you could ever know."

Sakari smiled into her father's chest. "I love you too, Dad."

<><><><><>

It took Sakari time to assimilate to the warmer weather of the Earth Kingdom as well as the fashion as she made her way to the South Pole. She was nervous by the amount of Fire Nation soldiers stationed on the Earth Kingdom islands. Sakari had papers, but they were fraudulent and she didn't know how good they were. She would find out soon enough.

"Papers please, miss," a Fire Nation soldier requested. He was stoic and handsome like a statue.

Sakari responded with a small smile, probably a little too tight and a tad bit too suspicious, and handed over her papers with her soldier. He looked at them and then looked at her. He seemed unconvinced but handed them back to her. "Enjoy your stay, Lin."

Sakari nodded and thanked him. She was still close to the soldier when she heard another soldier speak to him. "Time for your break, Ren."

Sakari continued walking but she felt someone walking behind her. It was the soldier, Zakar.

"Would you like to play a game of Pai Sho with me, Lin?"

Ren held out a White Lotus Pai Sho tile in the palm of his hand.

Sakari pulled out her own White Lotus tile and presented it to him.

"I'd love too,"

<><><><><>

"What gave it away?" Sakari asked Ren as they played Pai Sho.

"Your papers aren't great," Ren said.

"I thought that they may have been a problem," Sakari replied, sipping her tea.

"Which is why I have these for you, Sakari," Ren said, passing over new papers that were real. "These should do the trick."

Sakaris smiled. "Thank you, Ren."

He smiled back at her.

"So, are you nervous to start a new life at the South Pole?" Zachari asked.

"A bit," Sakari admitted, "But the South Pole needs help. They don't have a single waterbender or a White Lotus member there."

"It's getting harder and harder to find more White Lotus members, especially within the Fire Nation" Ren commented. "So many of the younger generations don't even know that everything they're being told is lies.