Impossible Fate (slow updates)

C.5 | The King of Omashu

"What is wrong with that child?"

"You're a monster."

"Chin up, sweet girl. You write your own story."

"Run the drill again!"

"Why would you do such a thing?"

"Now, Ani. Why did you let your brother win that spar?"

"I wouldn't do that, father."

A rough hand grabbed her upper arm. "Don't lie to me."

"Don't be pathetic, like our dear brother."

"You're really going to just leave like that? No goodbye?"

"I have to go, Azula. I'm sorry."

Ani shot up in her sleeping bag with a quiet gasp. She took several quick deep breaths, trying to remind herself where she was and who she was with.

"You're okay, Ani," she whispered as quietly as she could. "You're safe. You're far, far away from him. You're with friends."

Although she knew she wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep, she leaned back against Appa's leg and stared up at the stars, still in her green clothes she'd bought at Kyoshi Island.

She loved stargazing. Although she didn't remember much about her mother, she remembered how much she loved the stars and the stories she would tell. Ani hadn't known it when she was a toddler, but her mother had either made them up or had heard them from her own mother.

Sometimes Ani wondered if her mother was with the stars, or if she was looking up at the same sky that she was. Maybe the moon could give her mother a message, and maybe she would get one in return.

A melody began to play in her head. It was one she couldn't remember the words to, but she could remember her mother's distant voice singing it to her as they walked through the courtyard when she was young.

She began to quietly hum along to the melody as the sky to her left began to slowly pick up some color. It wasn't too much longer before Aang woke up, seeing Momo snuggling on Ani's lap. Katara was next to wake up and, unsurprisingly, Sokka was last.

The sun was already rising high in the sky by the time they had packed up their stuff on Appa. Omashu wasn't too far from where they had made camp as they had flown right by the city before landing last night. They walked on the snow over a hill, revealing the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu just up ahead.

"The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu," Aang declared.

They were still far off, but the city had its own beauty to it. They couldn't spend too much time there, though, as they still had to get to the North Pole. Preferably sooner rather than later.

"I used to always come here and visit my friend Bumi," Aang told them. While Ani found the city beautiful to look at, it didn't compare to the awe that both Katara and Sokka were feeling.

"Wow, we don't have cities like this in the South Pole," Katara said as her eyes widened at the view of the city.

"They have buildings here that don't melt," Sokka exclaimed. Ani raised a brow and looked over at him.

"They had those on Kyoshi, too, birdbrain."

Sokka looked at her and scowled. Ani crossed her arms and smiled tauntingly at him while Aang continued to move toward the city.

"Well let's go, slow pokes! The real fun is inside the city."

Aang leapt high into the air and then landed on the side of the hill, starting to slide down on the snow when Katara called out to him.