A/N A little background on Rina
Rina and Katara dragged their feet back to the village, Katara mentally cursing herself the whole way. She should've known better than to go on the stupid ship. It's one thing to be an airbender and get over your fear of heights. It's another to go on a dangerous enemy ship.
"I knew it!" Sokka exclaimed as soon as they stepped into camp. Katara hadn't seen him this outraged in a long time. "You signaled the Fire Navy with that flare! You're leading them straight to us, aren't you?"
"Rina didn't do anything," Katara protested. "It was an accident!"
"Yeah," Rina agreed. "We were on this ship, and there was a booby trap, and we...boobied right into it."
If Sokka looked mad, Anuri looked like she was on a whole different level. "Rina," she said in a deadly calm tone. "I believe that we agreed that you would go penguin sledding. Not that you would sneak onto a Fire Nation ship. Now we're all in danger. We must leave immediately." Katara knew that "we" included her.
"But you told me that being a bender meant letting go of fear," Rina argued.
Anuri threw her hands up in frustration. "Fear, I said! Not common sense!"
"But..." Rina protested.
"No buts. Now if you'll excuse me, I will work on fortifying the defenses." She took a stance and bent ice all around the small wall. Sokka looked more than annoyed at having his months of work outdone in mere seconds.
"Well, since you obviously don't need any help, I suppose I'll be getting ready to face the firebenders," Sokka muttered.
"What's his problem?" Rina asked.
Katara shrugged. "What should we do?"
"Rina, take Katara to Sang and get her out of here," Anuri responded.
"Who's Sang?" Sokka asked.
"My bison. He can fly."
"Right," Sokka scoffed. "So can Katara."
"She can, probably, when-" Katara clapped a hand over Rina's mouth.
"You aren't seriously considering this, are you?" Sokka asked.
"I don't have a choice."
---
Katara and Rina were gone. Sokka wished he hadn't let them go so easily, but he'd promised Dad he'd keep Katara safe. And 'the general direction of a firebender' was definitely not safe, especially for the Avatar.
He stood tall on the ice wall Anuri had constructed, waiting for the firebenders to land. Suddenly, the ground started shaking. A huge Fire Navy ship emerged from the fog, getting closer every second.
The ship pierced the wall, and Sokka slid down the broken pieces. He raised his club, bracing for the inevitable attack.
Deep down, though, he knew he couldn't fight an entire ship of firebenders.
Once again, he'd have to watch his home burn to the ground.
---
"We have to help," Katara said as she watched the Fire Navy ship pierce the ice wall. "We can't just sit here and do nothing."
Sang, Rina's flying bison, roared in agreement. Or Katara thought it was agreement. She'd never seen a flying bison until an hour ago.
"What would Gran say?" Rina asked. She lowered her voice into a convincing impression of Anuri. "Your duty is to save the world, Avatar Katara. You can't do that if you're too busy saving small villages."
"What about Rina?" Katara asked. "What would Rina say?"
"The Fire Nation is made of a bunch of bullies, and they need to be stopped."
The two girls looked at each other.
"I'm the Avatar, aren't I?" Katara asked. "This is what the Avatar is supposed to do. Help people."
Rina grinned. Sang growled, and turned back towards the village.
---
"Where are you hiding the Avatar?" the lead soldier demanded. Katara and Rina crept through the village, waiting for an opportunity. Sokka lay in the snow nearby, rubbing his head. Anuri and an older soldier were locked in a bending duel, exchanging blows and pleasantries.
"It's good to see you again, old friend," the older firebender said, sending a blast of fire aimed at Anuri.
Anuri nodded as she sent a wave of water to block the attack. "If only it wasn't in the midst of battle, General Iroh."
Suddenly, the lead soldier grabbed Sokka from where he lay. "A little younger than this peasant here, capable of bending all four elements."
No one responded. Everyone looked at each other, pale with fright.
"I know you're hiding them!" the soldier snarled. Sokka let out a battle cry and threw his boomerang. The soldier simply ducked.
"Show no fear!" Zaluq cried as he handed Sokka a spear. Sokka sprinted towards the soldier, but he simply snapped the spear in half and bonked Sokka on the head. And then the boomerang returned, hitting him squarely in the back of his head.
Katara wanted to laugh. And then she saw the soldier take a firebending stance.
"Sokka!" she whisper-yelled. "I'm going in."
"No," Rina whisper-yelled back. "Stay here. I have a plan."
She charged at the soldier and slid under his legs, knocking him onto his back. The children cheered as they saw Rina.
"Hey, Rina," Sokka said as he got up. "Thanks for coming."
The soldiers surrounded Rina. Katara knew she had a plan, but she still crept closer.
"Looking for me?" Rina challenged.
"You're the Avatar?" The soldier asked. "I've spent years preparing for this encounter...training, meditating. You're just a child."
Rina frowned. "You're just a teenager."
As Katara looked closer, she saw that Rina was right. Her attack had knocked his helmet off, and Katara was surprised to see that he looked much younger than she'd imagined - maybe sixteen. And he had a pretty nasty burn scar on his face. She felt a stab of pity, knowing how painful it must have been. Then she reminded herself he was a firebender.
The soldier shot a burst of fire at Rina, and she blocked it with a gust of air from her staff. "That staff will make a nice present for my father," the soldier spat as he sent a particularly strong blast of fire that knocked Rina to the ground.
"Prince Zuko, don't kill her!" the man Anuri called Iroh cried.
"I won't," the soldier, Zuko, spat. "I'm just showing the Avatar whose boss."
Rina was shaking, but she still stared down Zuko. "Yeah, we all know I'm boss." The prince shrieked in anger, but before he could char her, Katara stepped out.
"Wait!" she yelled. "Rina's not the Avatar. I am."
"Aaand there goes my entire plan," Rina muttered.
"Katara!" Sokka yelled. "What are you doing here?"
Katara didn't allow herself to look at him. "If I go with you, will you leave the village alone?"
"You have my word," Zuko promised. He grabbed Katara and pulled her towards the ship.
"No!" Rina cried. Anuri helped her up.
"Don't worry," Anuri said. "It's not easy to keep an Avatar locked up."
Katara refused to look back as she followed Zuko inside the ship. But just before it closed, she allowed herself one more look at the village that had been her home for six years. And now she'd never see it again.
Well, unless she escaped.
Which was doable. Judging by Zuko's "you're just a child" comment, he was underestimating her.
"Finally," Zuko monologued. "I have finally found the Avatar. Father will welcome me home with honor." Honor count: 3 He turned to a soldier. "Take her to the prison cells."
"Come on." A pair of soldiers flanked Katara.
For the first time since they'd lost their parents, Katara wished Sokka was there. He would probably be able to figure out an escape plan in two seconds.
Think, Katara told herself. What would Sokka do?
She could practically hear Sokka's voice in her head. "There's only two of them. You have the advantage. Act before they get you to the cell."
Katara gave no warning before she sent a blast of fire at the two soldiers, mimicking the motions she'd used on the iceberg. The soldier on her left screamed as the full force of the fire hit him. The soldier on her right instinctively loosened his grip.
Katara refused to look at the burned soldier. He's unconscious, she told herself. They'll treat his wounds and he'll be back to bother me another day.
She wouldn't believe the alternative. That she'd killed someone.
Fortunately, she had no time to ruminate on that, because she was already sprinting for the exit. She wished she'd asked Rina to show her some airbending techniques. Surely there had to be something that could help her go faster.
She reached the top deck and jumped to the side as a blast of fire hit where her head had been a second ago.
"So you've escaped," Zuko sneered. "Never mind that. I won't underestimate you again."
He sent another burst of fire, and Katara leaped to the side. Water, she thought to herself. I need water. She wasn't particularly good at waterbending, but at least she had experience.
She backed up as Zuko sent another blast, realizing that she'd backed herself into a corner. Soldiers surrounded her, and her back was to the water.
Before she could decide whether to attack or not, Zuko made the choice for her. A ball of flames headed straight for her head, and she jumped back to avoid it.
Over the edge.
This was a bad idea.
---
"We have to go after that ship," Sokka urged.
"Sokka-" Rina said.
"I don't care if you're coming with me, but I have to rescue Katara. I promised I'd keep her safe, and I broke that promise."
"Sokka!" Rina yelled. "Whoa, sorry. I didn't mean to yell. But are you going to talk, or are you coming with me?"
Before Sokka could respond, Rina pulled out a bison-shaped whistle and blew into it. Almost immediately Sang descended from the sky and landed in the snow beside them.
"Where do you think you're going?" A stern voice called. Sokka and Rina slowly turned to see Anuri and the rest of the village, the pair trying to look innocent.
Rannae loaded a bag of supplies onto Sang's back. "You'll need supplies if you'll make it to the North Pole."
Sokka looked at the bag, confused. "Won't you need the supplies for the winter?"
Rannae shook her head. "You need it more." She kissed Sokka on the cheek before letting Anuri step forward.
Anuri handed Rina her staff. "I'll be heading north to alert my allies of the Avatar's return."
"You're not coming with us?" Rina asked, slightly surprised.
Anuri shook her head. "Zuko is blinded by his anger and hatred. As long as you proceed with a clear head, you will succeed. After you break Katara out, head for the Southern Air Temple. See if she can trigger any of Aang's memories." She pulled Rina into an embrace. "If only your great-grandfather could see you. He'd be so proud." She turned to Sokka. "And you, little warrior. Be nice to your sister. Now get going."
Rina grinned and jumped onto Sang's back. "Come on!"
"You just love taking me out of my comfort zone, don't you," Sokka grumbled, but allowed Rina to help him up.
"Fly, Sang!" Rina yelled. Sang roared and flapped his tail, flying into the air.
"He's flying!" Sokka yelled. "Rina, he's-" He stopped when he caught the smug look on Rina's face and instantly changed his expression into a bored one. "I mean, big deal. He's flying."
---
Katara's eyes were closed as she floated in the water, fighting to stay conscious. As the last bubbles of air left her lips, her eyes opened, glowing white.
Without thinking, she raised her arms, and the water rushed upwards, carrying her with it. She landed on the deck of the ship, sending a blast of water at Zuko, knocking him overboard.
As the guards surrounded her, she wasn't afraid. A simple twist of her wrist sent a wave of water surrounding their ankles and turning to ice.
As the strange rush of power left her, her eyes returned to their normal color, and she collapsed onto the ground.
"Katara!" Sokka called out. "Are you ok?"
"I could've used you a few minutes ago," Katara said weakly. She rose to her feet, and felt something tug on her ankle. She turned to see a soaking wet Zuko. She raised her arm and smacked him across the face. Not with waterbending or anything, she was too exhausted for that.
"That's from the Water Tribe," Katara spat as Zuko lost his grip and fell back into the sea.
"Come on," Rina said. "We have to get out of here."
The soldiers started to rise to their feet, but before Katara could do anything, Rina shot a blast of air at them. Unfortunately, it hit Sokka instead, slamming him into the wall.
"OWW!"
"Sorry!"
"I'm just a guy with a boomerang. I didn't ask for all this flying and magic."
Katara managed to freeze the soldiers near her in ice, and then ran for Sang. "Hurry up, Sokka!"
He climbed on board Sang. "Fly!" Rina yelled, and Sang rose into the air. The ship shot bursts of fire towards them, one of them hitting a glacier. Rina sent a blast of air to push and Katara used her waterbending to pull the glacier onto the ship.
"That should stop them," Katara said triumphantly.
"Good news for the Fire Lord," Iroh said, shielding his eyes. "The Fire Nation's biggest threat is a fourteen-year-old girl."
"That girl, Uncle, just did this." Zuko gestured at the ice covering their ship. "I won't underestimate her again." He turned to the crew. "Dig this ship out and follow them!"
Several crew members were busy unfreezing the frozen ones.
"As soon as you're done with that," Zuko added.