Chapter Nine - Winter Solstice Part 2: Running the Blockade

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Iris started flying away out of sight. After a small moment she was back in the village she had met Aang while they were both in the Spirit World. Everything seemed so much brighter in the village. The sun was yet to come out. She finally spotted Aang at the front yard of the village trying to pull Appa who for some reason wouldn't move at all.

"...Look, I'm sorry, but Katara and Sokka aren't coming to the Fire Nation with us. If they got hurt, I'll never forgive myself and if Iris had managed to escape she'd already be here. So get your big butt off the ground and let's go!" Aang exclaimed with another one effort of pulling the ropes to make Appa move.

"I think his big butt is trying to tell you something," Sokka's voice heard. Aang turned around to see his two friends with some of the villagers staring at him.

"Please, Aang, the world can't afford to lose you to the Fire Nation," Katara said "Neither can I,"

"But I have to talk to Avatar Roku to find out what my vision means. I need to get to the Fire Temple before the sun sets on the Solstice, that's today!" Aang said and he jumped using his air bending and reached Appa's head.

But before Aang was about to start flying Sokka and Katara stopped them getting in front of Appa blocking his way. "We're not going to let you go to the Fire Nation, Aang!" Katara said.

"At least not without your friends," Sokka said.

"And not without your sister," A female voice heard from behind making everyone turn around and glare at her.

"Iris!" Aang shouted happily and he jumped from the bison's head back on the ground.

Sokka and Katara turned around and they smiled widely seeing the two siblings finally being able to hug each other. Iris wrapped her brother into a tight hug. She wasn't much taller than Aang but still she had to lean a bit.

"I missed you so much, little brother," Iris said as she felt her brother's face resting on her shoulder.

"I missed you too, sis," Aang said soaking in his sister's warmth and sinking in her embrace. He thought she was dead and she thought the same. She had mourned a lot for her brother's loss, but who could have known after all these years the two siblings would meet each other again. Sokka and Katara couldn't help but smile and feel the fraternal warmth. Sokka passed his hand behind Katara's back to her shoulder half-hugging her.

When the two siblings finally fended away from each other's embrace they turned and looked at the other two.

"You didn't tell me you had a brother," Sokka said raising an eyebrow.

"I thought he was dead," Iris said passing her hand behind her brother's shoulder.

Katara noticed Iris's hand hanging from her neck and the bandages tied around it saying "What happened to your arm," She asked.

They all looked at it. She hadn't even notice any kind of pain at it the whole time and she had somehow forgotten about it. "It's just a burn," She said.

"Who did it to you?" Aang asked worryingly.

"I was in a Fire Nation ship, Aang, with Fire Benders for almost a week, there are many ways to get burned," Iris answered trying to cover Zuko for a reason.

"Zuko wasn't it?" Sokka snapped angrily.

She sighed "Yes," she answered knowing that he was right to be angry and she hated herself that she wasn't angry with him. Zuko had apologized and she had forgiven him but that didn't stop the others for being angry about it.

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