TW: night terrors, starving oneself, suggestive comments, description of gore
Polu struggles to keep his eyes open as the group trudges through the forest. He yawns silently as Katara finally breaks the silence.
"This should give us a good idea of what's around here." The teen approaches a marketing pop-up.
"See if you can find a menu," Sokka groans. "I'm starving."
The prince rolls his eyes. "When are you not?"
"I'm just trying to make up for food you're suddenly rejecting." Sokka huffs as he approaches the board.
Aang rushes forward. "I bet we'll find something to eat here: the Fire Days Festival."
Polu blanches as his friend rambles. You've got to be kidding me. Another town taken over by the Fire Nation?
"Look at this." Sokka tugs Polu to the other side of the board, leaving Aang and Katara to follow behind.
"Hey! A poster of me!" Aang's eyes dart to the upper left corner of the wood. "Polu, you have one too!"
The Advisor's heart stumbles as he stares at the drawing of himself. "Wanted posters."
"I think we better keep moving," Katara mutters. She spares a glance at a shaking Polu.
"I agree with loops," the prince adds.
Aang stares between his friends. "I have to learn firebending at some point, and this could be my only chance to watch some up close."
Polu shakes his head wildly. "It'll be out of order. Nothing good ever happens when the Avatar learns the elements out of order."
"But Polu, if we never have a firebender willing to teach me, what then?"
The tallest boy stares down into his best friend's pleading eyes. "Fine. Go check it out. Nothing could possibly go wrong."
"What?!" Sokka lurches forward. "You want us to walk into a Fire Nation town when they're all fired up with their, you know, fire?"
Katara smiles. "We'll wear disguises. And if it looks like trouble, we'll leave."
Sokka frowns as the younger children walk away. "Yeah. Because we always leave before we get into trouble."
Polu groans and grabs Sokka's hand before tugging him along.
A few minutes of walking later, the group stops atop a hill overlooking the town.
Aang turns to face Appa and Momo and instructs them. "You guys stay here."
"I'm stayin' back too," Polu volunteers. "No way in hell I'm going down there." The boy chuckles as Appa tries to hide behind a bush.
"Ready disguises," Aang smiles.
The Advisor raises a hand. "One minute, Aang." The teen approaches Sokka and crosses his arms.
"What's up?" Sokka hesitantly questions.
"Spar me," Polu commands. His voice is calm, but his eyes scream that he's raging.
Sokka raises an eyebrow. "Are you serious? Even sleep-deprived and half-starving, you'll probably beat me in ten seconds."
Polu snorts humorlessly. "Might I remind you of what you said to me, not even a week ago?"
"Oh, right." Sokka's face heats up in shame. "I guess I had this coming, huh?"
"Yep."
"And there's no getting out of this?" Sokka follows Polu away from the edge of the hill.
Polu turns to face the nonbender, a wholly unimpressed expression on his face. "Not unless you want me to be like a firebender in temper, too. I'm not bending, so it's not like I'll instantly one-up you."
Sokka sighs and nods. "Yeah, alright."
The pair fall into defensive stances.
After a moment, Sokka steps forward with a punch aimed at Polu's gut.
The latter takes a step back to avoid it. Not missing a beat, Polu throws a roundhouse kick toward his friend's head.
Sokka ducks and jabs the prince's side.
Polu stumbles but quickly rights himself. Time to make old Rumbling Rhino proud. The teen leaps into the air. As he soars over Sokka's head, he turns to face the boy's back and shoves him.
Sokka trips forward.
The prince grabs one of the nonbender's arms and yanks it. With his other hand, he grips Sokka's opposite shoulder, twists his arm, and forces him to the ground. "I win," he smirks.
The boy rolls in favor of his captive arm. He uses his free hand to push on Polu's shoulder and uses his force to swap their positions.
"No, I think I've won this one."
The angry energy escapes Polu's body, leaving behind a heaving, exhausted boy. "Fine."
Sokka's brow creases. "Really?"
The older fights a blush at their positions by turning his head away. "Don't get used to it. Now, get off of me."
"Right- right, yeah." The brunette slides to the ground.
As Polu sits up, Sokka's face falls into concern. "You don't look so good, Polu. Is everything okay?"
The prince stands and bends loose dirt off his blue clothes. "I'm fine," he fibs.
"Are you-"
"Yes, I'm sure," he interrupts. "Go with Aang and Katara, Sokka."
Sokka watches helplessly as Polu stalks toward Appa.
The prince grabs his parka and curls into it. He ignores the murmuring of his friends as he attempts to drift into a dreamless sleep.
Unfortunately for him, the universe is rarely kind.
~~~~~
A twenty-year-old Azulon smirks across the table at a twelve-year-old Polu. "You will be my bride one day, girl. Best prepare for a world of heat."
The pre-teen cringes away from the firebender.
"Now, that's no way to treat your future husband. Bow to me, Princess."
The earthbender shakes his head violently as he backs further away.
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear."
The younger royal feels his eyes widen in terror when his back comes into contact with a pair of legs.
"Bow to me."
Polu shakes fearfully as he does as he's asked.
"There's a good girl," Azulon coos.
The legs against Polu's back vibrate as their owner speaks. "And now, you shall always belong to the Fire Nation."
The prince scurries away from the towering admiral. "What a pretty boy," he taunts.
"No, I'm not- I'm not pretty. You don't own me!" The ground under Polu cracks and groans.
Zhao ambles forward. "You'd make such a beautiful prize. Let me take you home."
A shudder rumbles through the teen's body when the man's provocative tone violates Polu's entire being.
"No! Don't get any closer!"
From behind, hands take firm hold of the boy's arms. The person lifts him up and into their arms.
"Come, let us create the Final Avatar. Then, you can sit beside the most powerful man in the world." Azulon grins suggestively at the teen in his arms.
"No!" Polu smacks the Fire Lord in his nose. He rolls out of the man's grip and stumbles to his feet. Polu's eyes frantically dart between the two men, his arms outstretched as if to keep them at bay.
"Stay away!"
The adults continue to approach the prince as though they hadn't heard his words.
"You belong to the Fire Nation," Zhao crows from the right.
At the same time on the left, Azulon smirks, "You will be my bride."
"NO!"
The ground shoots up on all sides of the men. Like a single unit, the two masses crush both firebenders.
Blood sprays into the air and sprinkles down like midday rain. The sound of Polu's scream of horror fails to mask the distinct sound of bones crunching under the pressure.
When the rock falls back into the floor, two piles of blood and skin collapse into a puddle.
All the teen can do is stare between each, helplessly frozen with abhorrence and dread. He can only watch as blood seeps into the cracks in the ground, gifting the earth an iron-sufficient drink.
Out of nowhere, the piles burst into flames. Now, the scent of burning flesh floods the air. Crackling overtakes Polu's frantic breathing.
All around him, the voices of Zhao and Azulon begin to echo.
"Property of the Fire Nation."
"My beautiful bride."
"Such a pretty boy."
"Let us create the Final Avatar."
The teen releases a blood-curdling scream.
~~~~~
He jolts to consciousness, lungs burning as he screeches. After he stops, his stomach churns uneasily. Polu slides to the ground as soon as he can bear to move.
Not even a foot away from the bison's tail, the prince loses the little bit of dinner remaining in his gut from the previous night.
I'm never sleeping again. What the hell was that?
Polu shakily wipes his mouth with a clean set of bandages he'd set out for his chest. Suppose I won't be using those anymore. At least I still have the ointment from Mother Superior.
The teen attempts to climb up Appa's tail only to find his strength depleted.
The bison groans and lifts his tail so that Polu can simply slide onto the saddle.
"Thanks, buddy," Polu mutters. "I owe you one."
Appa groans again.
Momo lands on Polu's shoulder as he takes a swig of water from his drinking flask. Polu leans over the side of the saddle and spits it out. "Spirits, let's never do that again. Whatever that hellscape was, I don't wanna go back."
The bison groans and lifts off the ground.
"Appa? Where are you going?"
Appa snorts before soaring over the town.
Polu slaps a hand to his face. "I'm talking to a bison. Why did I think I was going to understand what he said?"
The prince stares at the town as they fly overhead. It's almost beautiful. Polu begins to grin before remembering that the town is originally from the Earth Kingdom. Too bad firebenders ruin everything.
"Appa, down here!"
The boy watches his friends' figures slowly come into detail.
The bison growls loudly as he lands. He turns around just before he makes contact with the ground and slaps his tail to the earth.
Polu snorts as the firebenders go flying. "Get on!"
He reaches down to offer a hand to the curious man his friends had run into.
While the group soars into the air, the man launches a bomb into a box of unlit fireworks.
Nobody speaks again until they're far away from the town.
"Nice touch setting off the fireworks," Aang smiles.
Surprisingly, Sokka also compliments the man. "You seem to really know your explosives."
Polu narrows his eyes. He ignores the stabbing sensation that strikes his chest.
"I'm familiar," the man replies.
"You're a Fire Nation soldier," Sokka realizes.
The Earth Prince snarls and moves to stand between his friends and the soldier. "Who are you, and why should I allow you to stay on this saddle?"
The man grins innocently. "I was a Fire Nation soldier," he corrects. "My name's Chey. I can help your friend here learn firebending."
"Who says we need you?" Polu pulls his hardened lava knife out of his satchel and points it at Chey's face. "I'll ask you again. Why should I allow you to stay?"
"Polu, enough!" Aang jumps and lands between the men. "He helped us escape those firebenders."
The teenager scoffs and stares at Chey over Aang's head. "That doesn't mean we can trust him. Nobody from the Fire Nation is trustworthy."
Chey sighs and holds his hands in the air. "I can tell you everything you need to trust me, but can we land first? I'm not too fond of being thrown off a flying bison."
The earthbender scoffs again but comes to a sit on the saddle nonetheless.
~~~~~
"I serve a man," Chey begins. "More than a man, really, he's a myth- but he's real."
Polu raises an eyebrow, already at his wit's end.
"A living legend," Chey continues. "Jeong Jeong the Deserter. He was a Fire Nation general. Or wait... was he an admiral?"
"He was highly ranked, we get it," Polu huffs. "Get on with your story, ashmaker."
The man seems unperturbed by the teen's hostility. "Yeah, way up there! But he couldn't take the madness anymore. He's the first person ever to leave the army and live."
Polu's interest is piqued. "He left the army?"
Chey nods energetically. "I was the second person to leave and live, but you don't get to be a legend for that."
Now the ex-soldier turns to Aang. "Jeong Jeong's a firebending genius," he praises. "Some say he's mad, but he's not. He's enlightened."
Polu rolls his eyes, his intrigue in the conversation dying quickly.
Aang, however, is the opposite. "You mean there's a firebender out here who's not with the Fire Lord? We've gotta go see him!"
"Just because he's against the Fire Lord doesn't mean he's with us, arrows," Polu interrupts. "We still don't know that we can trust him."
Sokka nods. "We're not gonna go find some crazy firebender."
"He's not crazy!" Chey objects. "He's a genius!"
Are they in love or something? Polu raises an eyebrow. He's oddly defensive of this man.
A word cuts through the prince's thoughts. "Wait, how do you know Aang is the Avatar?" He stands and holds his knife to Chey's throat.
"He did some airbending trick at the festival! Totally threw the performer's show, but it was incredible! That's why I followed him!"
Aang shrinks as Polu's furious gaze slowly turns to the airbender. The Advisor's voice is low as he speaks. "You did what?"
"Oops?" Aang grins as apologetically as possible.
Sokka moves to stop Polu from smacking his friend's bald head. At the same time, the tan boy responds to Chey. "Look, thanks for the help, but we're leaving for the North Pole in the morning."
The prince nods in agreement, still not breaking eye contact with Aang.
Despite the death stare, Aang continues to contest. "Sokka, Polu, this could be my only chance to meet a firebending master who would actually be willing to teach me."
Polu sighs loudly. "Even if we trust this man, Aang, there are dangerous consequences for Avatars who learn the elements out of order. Kyoshi-"
"Kyoshi wasn't in the middle of a war!" Aang shouts. His eyes widen when he realizes how loud he'd been.
"Fine," Polu hisses. "Just know that I tried to warn you."
The teen scoffs as Sokka raises a hand to stop the prince from nearing Aang.
Sokka stares in momentary confusion as Polu leaps into the air. Then, a spear is pointed at the boy's throat.
The rest of the group is surrounded by a number of men.
Polu lands and wraps his arms around a man. He effortlessly lifts the enemy off the ground, causing him to flail in fear.
"Don't move," one man demands.
"Ditto, shitbag." Polu commands the group's attention. As all eyes turn to him, he lifts a razor-sharp rock to his captive's throat.
The man who spoke narrows his eyes at the earthbender. "I suggest you release him."
"And why should I? We owe no loyalty to ashmakers."
"The Avatar needs us."
No increased blood pressure. No rise in heart rate, more than it already was. He's telling the truth, but... Polu drops his hostage to the ground.
The man takes greedy breaths as he clambers away from the prince.
The attacker's leader nods firmly at Polu before leading the group down a path in the forest.
Why does Aang need them?
~~~~~
Polu trudges at the back of the group. Every so often, he uses his seismic sensing to ensure that no more Fire Nation people had joined them.
"Jeong Jeong told you not to look for the Avatar," the leader scolds.
I like this Jeong Jeong already. Polu almost smirks at the thought. Ha! Me liking a firebender. What a joke.
Polu hardly listens to the conversation of the others. He only registers the leader's (Lin Ye, he learns) dislike for Chey.
The prince has to hold back his laughs as the others trip over branches hidden by the darkness of the forest.
Finally, half an hour later, the group breaks out of the trees.
Polu is mildly impressed by the camp on the river. More so that they haven't been caught than anything else.
"Is that where Jeong Jeong is?" Aang's query breaks through Polu's train of thought. "I need to talk to him right away."
Polu slaps a hand to his forehead as Lin Ye drops his spear to stop Aang.
"No. You wait here." The leader shoves Chey forward.
This one isn't so bad either. Huh. Polu walks next to Lin Ye as the man leads the children to where they're meant to stay for the night.
Once the others are asleep, Polu sits up and practices slashing with his knife. Out of the corner of his eyes, the prince notices Aang's restless tossing and turning.
The teen sighs, unwittingly predicting the thoughts running through his friend's mind. He continues his practice for a few more minutes before deciding he's had enough.
Polu slips his knife into his satchel and crouches next to Aang. He whispers, "Don't expect much from Jeong Jeong, A. I know you're hopeful, but any bender truly committed to their element knows that balance is a must. With that balance comes knowing order."
The Avatar huffs as he rolls to face his friend. "I know, I know. I need order to maintain balance and to maintain order, I need to learn the elements according to the Avatar Cycle."
"Exactly. I know you don't want to hear it, but I don't think this is a good idea."
"This could be my only chance, Po!" The monk whispers. "What if we never meet another friendly firebender?"
The prince takes several calming breaths as Chey approaches the pair.
Aang jolts upright. "What happened? Can I see Jeong Jeong now?"
"He won't see you." Chey slumps against the wall of their structure. "He's very angry that I brought you here. He wants you to leave immediately."
Polu struggles to bite his tongue. I told him so...
"Finally!" Sokka, it seems, does not have the same problem. "Let's hit the road."
"Why won't he see me?" Aang returns his attention to Chey.
Polu listens in as he addresses the items in his satchel. Air nomad robes... check.
"He says your friend is right. You're not ready."
The Advisor feels a pair of steely grey eyes stare into his back.
"Says you haven't mastered waterbending and earthbending yet."
I'm liking this firebender more and more. Ugh, I hate that. Polu stops his lips from curling into a smile despite facing away from Aang.
My flasks are still here. New and old Kyoshi Warrior gear...
"How does he know that?"
Mother's necklace is tied in. Thank Spirits I haven't lost that yet.
"He saw the way you walked into camp. He can tell."
Dammit. This guy's awesome. Polu rolls his shoulders as he checks for the rest of his possessions. Bumi and Aang's necklace is still on, and the bracelet I made for Bumi is fastened around my wrist. I feel like I'm missing something...
"I'm going in anyway."
Polu's head drops with a sigh. How did I know?
The prince closes his satchel and crawls back over to Sokka and Katara. As for whatever I'm missing, I'm sure it wasn't important.
With a deep breath, Polu finds himself falling into a blissfully dreamless sleep.
~~~~~
Despite his exhaustion, Polu wakes up to the first vibrations around the camp. He groans and follows his friends to the edge of the river.
The noirette chooses to tune out the lecturing of the firebender. In the back of his mind, Polu vaguely registers some level of respect for the elderly man, but he elects to ignore it.
Instead, he watches Katara's movements as she bends water around her.
He does his best to copy her. For some reason, each attempt results in uncoordinated orbs spinning around Polu.
"Look at your friends. Are they talking?"
Polu grunts as his water once again splashes to the ground.
The firebender continues. "Even that oaf knows to concentrate on what he's doing!"
"Hey!"
Katara and Polu exchange amused glances. The two quickly return to their bending, though not as silently as before.
"Try adjusting your stance," Katara suggests.
Polu scoffs. "What's wrong with my stance?"
The brunette frowns and points to her feet. "Watch how I move, then watch how you move."
Polu does as he's asked. His lips crease in concentration as he repeats his earlier steps. "I don't get it."
"You're moving like an earthbender," Katara sighs.
"Uh... yeah, because I am one?" Polu stands upright and crosses his arms.
The waterbender shakes her head. "But you're not bending earth. You're trying to focus on water. They're opposites in that sense, right?"
"Oh... Yeah. I hadn't ever thought of it that way." Suddenly, Polu is much more responsive to Katara's criticism.
The pair spends the rest of the day working on loose, flowing stances as opposed to Polu's stiff, forceful ones.
By the time Aang returns to the camp, Katara and Polu have made significant process. One thing still remains, however.
"I still can't make it smooth like you can. It's all choppy, and I can hardly focus on the softer force!" Polu huffs as his water soaks into the dirt.
"I don't understand," Katara murmurs. "You can use individual molecules to see what you can't with your eyes, but you can't properly perform the gentler moves? It doesn't make sense."
"I know!" The Advisor throws his hands into the air. Behind him, a circle of water shoots into the air. "What the hell is wrong with my bending?"
The younger waterbender inspects Polu's movements. "Your stance is as good as mine. You should be able to do what I can..."
"Master, there is trouble!"
Katara and Polu relax from their scrutinization to listen.
"What's going on?" Aang asks.
Jeong Jeong follows after the soldier with a command to the Avatar. "Concentrate on your leaf!"
Aang pulls a face at the man's back. "This is the worst firebending instruction ever. All he does is just leave me alone for hours to concentrate or breathe."
"Lucky you," Polu snorts. "I used to have boulders thrown at my head. If I didn't catch them, I'd have a headache for days."
The younger benders stare at their friend with concern.
Polu shrugs. "What? It's normal training."
Katara turns back to the airbender. "I'm sure there's a good reason."
"But I'm ready to do so much more," Aang complains.
"Not if your master doesn't think so," Polu mutters. "But hey, what does anybody know?"
A popping demands Polu's attention.
"I did it!" Aang cheers. "I made fire!"
Katara walks closer to the Avatar, Polu close behind. "Aang, that's great, but you should take it slow."
Polu's eyes widen as the flame burns hotter and bigger. "Oh, shit..."
"Now that's firebending," Aang grins.
Katara and Polu spare each other nervous glances as the boy shoots a spire of fire.
"Aang, you'll hurt yourself," the girl warns.
"You don't have a master around to control it," Polu adds. "If you lose control, who knows how badly you could get injured?"
The teens watch worriedly as Aang tosses the ball of fire between his hands.
"I wonder how that juggler did it..."
Spirits, no. Whatever that man did, Aang should not be-
Polu watches in horror as Aang flings his arms out, the flames following suit in a ring.
"Katara!" On instinct, Polu moves in front of his friend and throws his arms to the sky. The water explodes into the air.
One moment too late.
Polu lets out a scream as burns and blisters take hold of his hands and arms.
Behind him, Katara shrieks as the ends of the flames lick her fingertips.
I couldn't even protect her. How did I fail to protect her?
"Polu! Katara!"
This is why I hate firebenders.
Polu falls onto the dirt, desperately trying to keep his arms from touching anything. The teen's face heats up as tears flow down his cheeks. It hurts so badly. I need to get to the water, but-
Polu gasps for breath. I can't see through my damn tears! Where's the river?
"Katara, Polu, what's wrong?"
Polu vaguely registers Sokka's voice. He distantly hears Sokka lecture Aang, and he feels something pass by his face. A thud sounds on the right side of Polu, but he can hardly bring himself to care.
"Polu, let's get you away from here." Katara speaks softly.
The prince can hear the shakiness of her own voice, and he's sure she hurts as much as he does. The teen nods and allows her to help him stand.
He hisses in pain when she touches the underside of his arms.
"Spirits..." Katara mutters. "Just bear with me, Polu. I'm so sorry." The brunette wraps an arm around Polu's waist and helps him walk.
After a few seconds, Polu's tears finally clear. He can see in front of him, and he can see the redness of Katara's skin. "Loops, your fingers..."
"It'll be okay. We'll figure something out. Can you heal yourself?"
Polu shakes his head. "My arms are pretty much useless right now. With how little control I apparently have over waterbending, I think I'm down for the count."
Katara sighs deeply as she helps Polu sit next to the river. "We'll have to figure something out," she whimpers. Instinctually, the girl dips her hands into the water.
The pair are amazed as her hands glow brightly.
Polu proudly grins through his pain at the sight of her healed skin. "Katara, you-"
"You have healing abilities," Jeong Jeong interrupts. "The great benders of the Water Tribes sometimes have this ability."
The man sits next to Katara. "I've always wished I were blessed like you- free from this burning curse."
Firebenders feel that way too...? Polu's eyes widen in astonishment as the man continues to speak.
"You're a great master," Katara compliments. She pauses and bends water over Polu's arms. "You have powers I'll never know."
Polu nearly moans as the soothing sensation of water eases the pain and slowly heals his burns.
"Water brings healing and life. Fire only brings destruction and pain."
Polu feels a little, minuscule part of his heart reach out to the elderly man. They're not all burdened with the same anger and violence that Sozin and Azulon were... Are there more I've misjudged?
"...Eventually, we're torn apart."
The three sit in silence.
Katara lets the water surrounding Polu ebb away.
Polu grins as he flexes his limbs and finds that they hardly even ache.
The peaceful moment is disturbed by a length of fire surging toward them.
Jeong Jeong leaps to alertness and protects the two teens from danger.
Katara and Polu both take a step back when they spot the three boats barreling toward them.
"Go get your friends and flee!" Jeong Jeong commands.
"But what about you?" Polu finds the compassion for the firebender odd, but the man had proven himself trustworthy.
The master shakes his head. "Don't worry about me. Get out of here!"
Polu bows quickly and respectfully before chasing after Katara.
~~~~~
Katara reaches Sokka first.
"Katara! Are you alright?" The boy turns to face his sister and his friend. "Polu?"
The girl nods once. "We're fine. We've gotta get out of here."
Polu frowns. "Where's Aang?"
Sokka huffs and jabs his thumb over his shoulder.
Katara and Polu share an understanding look before the former races into the camp.
"Are you really alright?" Sokka's frown deepens and he reaches out for Polu's hands.
The prince allows his friend to inspect his pale skin. "Yeah. Turns out Katara can heal, too."
A moment of awkward silence passes. Polu bends himself to be level with Appa's saddle and inspects the items on and behind it. "Everything is packed?"
Sokka nods when Polu turns to him. "We just gotta get Katara and Aang back here."
"Good luck," the elder snorts. He points to where a yellow blur dashes along the shore. "There goes my knucklehead. I'll go get him."
Polu chases after the Avatar before Sokka can protest.
By the time he catches up to his friend, Polu can clearly spot the wall of fire blocking him from Aang. Dammit. I bet this wasn't A's doing, either, so who's he fighting?
The Advisor can faintly register a familiar, animalistic grunt. Zhao! The teen lifts himself onto a platform of earth and carries himself through the river and onto the nearest boat.
"Ahoy! I'm Admiral Zhao!"
Polu snorts as he watches Aang taunt the firebender. "I think it's pronounced Zou, kid."
The airbender giggles when he spots his friend. "I think you're right, Po!"
Zhao growls and sends a blast of fire at the pair.
Polu and Aang duck behind the cabin, smiling all the while. They leap to the second boat and continue to tease the grown man behind them.
"I don't know why, but I thought you'd be better than Zuko," Aang jeers.
Polu shakes his head with fake disappointment. "Zuko even has better hair days than you - and he's practically bald!"
The pair yelp and all but melt into the deck of the ship to avoid another flame.
"Sloppy," Aang smirks. "Very sloppy."
"He should know." Polu nods very seriously. "He was a firebender in his last life."
The friends giggle as they jump to the third boat.
Aang leaps through the window of the cabin to escape the fire.
Polu darts inside and prepares for Zhao.
Almost on cue, the firebender lands on the roof of the cabin.
The Advisor can hear Zhao land in front of Aang. "Nowhere to run now, you little smart mouth."
Polu exits the cabin, leaps onto the roof, then flips off and lands behind Zhao.
At the same time, Aang bends himself up and over both of them.
Zhao doesn't even realize he's missed his opponent until his face collides with the metal of his ship.
"You've lost this battle," Aang observes.
The firebender grunts and attempts to shoot a fireball at the Avatar.
Polu raises a foot and stomps on the offending limb.
"Are you- crazy?" Zhao huffs. "You haven't thrown a single blow!"
Polu scoffs. He removes his foot and nudges the man's face, allowing him to glance at the boats he'd set ablaze. "No, but you have."
"Jeong Jeong said you have no restraint," Aang sings.
Then, it's just Polu and Zhao.
"I could kill you, you know. Right here, right now, and none would be the wiser."
The firebender huffs frantically. "So do it."
The prince hums. "I wasn't raised to be a coward who kills their enemies to protect myself. I'll let you live knowing I can kill you, I just prefer to see your life slowly fall apart."
Polu pulls away and makes a show of wiping off his feet. He climbs onto the bow of the ship. Before he leaps down to the shore, Polu turns back and gives Zhao one last message.
"Plus, your blood is the last thing I'd want to dirty my feet."
The boy lands on the earth as the admiral shrieks with fury.
Sokka's voice cuts through the noise. "Polu, come on!"
Polu grins and launches himself onto the saddle. As soon as he does, Appa lifts into the air.
"Where's Jeong Jeong?" Aang panics.
Sokka frowns. "He disappeared. They all did."
The group shifts their gazes to the abandoned camp below.
Huh. They really are fugitives. And they really are against the new Fire Lord. Good firebenders? Polu shivers at the thought. How odd.
~~~~~
An hour later, the group lands to make camp for the night.
Nearly as soon as they're done, Sokka and Katara collapse into their sleeping bags.
Aang, on the other hand...
Polu worries when he notices his friend missing from the camp. After a few minutes, Polu stands and uses his bending to search for the Avatar.
The prince finds the monk curled on a rock overlooking the valley.
"Hey, kiddo. How are you doing?"
The Avatar doesn't meet his friend's eyes. "I feel awful. I burnt you and Katara. I'm never firebending again."
"Kid, we're okay. Katara managed to heal us." Polu frowns. "Besides, you'll have to firebend eventually. It's part of the Avatar Cycle."
"I won't." Aang shakes his head, still staring into the distance. "It's an awful element. I get why you hate it now."
An uneasy, familiar feeling settles in Polu's gut. "This isn't just about today's incident, is it?"
Aang hesitantly leans into his friend's side. "I'm the last airbender. The firebenders wiped all the others out."
Polu wraps an arm around the younger boy and rubs his thumb along Aang's arm to comfort him. "I get that. I can't imagine how much it hurts, A, but you'll have to learn the element eventually."
The Avatar shakes his head. "I won't. I... I feel like I'd be disrespecting my people."
"Right..." Polu rests his head on top of Aang's. "I kinda get that. It's not the same, obviously, but I feel like I'd be betraying my people if I trusted a firebender."
Even though Jeong Jeong might be an exception...
The Avatar's nodding head bounces Polu's. "Because you ran, and then they were hurt by firebenders."
"Yeah..."
The kids sigh as their eyes droop heavily.
"I'm sorry, A. I won't pressure you to learn the element. I can't imagine how painful it is."
The Avatar yawns quietly. "Thanks, Po. That means a lot."
"Of course, A." Polu heaves a deep breath before bending a wall for the pair to lean back on. "I'm always gonna be here for you."
Fun fact: Polu's new nickname for Zhao (Zou) means "elephant" in Japanese.
This is to be the last chapter released before the end of the July, as I'll soon be undergoing intensive recovery from surgery.
There will likely be a hiatus of a month or so to get me back on my feet - literally.