As Katasi packed their supplies, Aang eagerly explained her home. "Just wait til you see it!" she said. "The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world!"
"I know you're excited, but hasn't it been a hundred years since you've been home?" Katasi reminded her gently, not wanting her to get her hopes only to have them crushed. He wasn't even positive anyone would still be there after all this time. Unlike Aang, he knew the story behind how the war started: With the genocide of the Air Nomads.
"That's why I'm so excited!" she retorted with a bright grin on her face. Of course she dreaded finding out what happened to her people in the last century, but it couldn't all be bad. Monk Gyatso had undoubtedly passed, though, and it saddened her to know he had gone off into the Spirit World without knowing what had happened to her. That was something Aang couldn't help but feel guilty for.
"Yeah, but...a lot can change in that time," Katasi tried to explain. In his defence, how exactly was he supposed to bring it up? 'Sorry, Aang, hate to break this to ya but the Fire Nation slaughtered your entire race'? Yeah, that'll go well....
"I know. But I have to see for myself," she stated firmly. She just hoped the new Air Nomads didn't cast her out for abandoning them years ago. Aang jumped off of Appa and glided to the ground before she walked to Sokka, who was snoring loudly, still sound asleep.
The young airbender raised an eyebrow at her, slightly annoyed that Sokka was sleeping in when they had to head off for the Air Temple. "Come on, Sokka. Air Temple here we come!"
Sokka grunted sleepily in response. "Sleep now, Air Temple later," she yawned. And with that she rolled back over and the snoring started up again.
Aang frowned, then she thought up a plan and it turned into a smirk. She grabbed a stick and tickled Sokka with it. "Quick, Sokka, wake up! I think there's a prickle snake in your sleeping bag!" she cried, sounding the part of shocked and scared.
And with that, Sokka's eyes popped open as she screeched. "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" She continued to scream as she jumped up in her sleeping bag, and seemingly forgot she was in it when she tried to run from the imaginary prickle snake, hopping forward before face-planting onto the ground.
As Katasi laughed at his sister, Aang announced with a cheery grin, "Great! Now that you're awake, it's off to the Air Temple!"
🔥
As Zuleika and her uncle walked off their ship in desperate need for repairs after their recent fight with the Avatar, she eyed around warily. She wasn't exactly comfortable being around all these unfamiliar soldiers, them following a different commander. Her crew happened to be more trustworthy and reliable considering they had been together for almost three years. "Uncle, I want the repairs done as quick as possible," she told him in a hushed tone, her eyes darting around her to anyone who may be listening. "The longer we stay, the more we risk losing her trail."
"You mean the Avatar," he muttered.
"Don't mention her name on these docks!" she hissed. "The minute word gets out that she's alive, every firebender will be out looking for her! And I'm not letting anyone get in the way." If someone else captured the Avatar, there went her glory, her honor, her ticket home.
"Get in the way of what, Princess Zuleika?" A voice cut in. Though it was said as a question, Zuleika sensed a hidden meaning in his tone that she couldn't quite figure out. Possibly something along the lines of, "Drop dead," or, "I'm better than thou." She and Iroh over their shoulders to spy Captain Zhao, a man known for being against Zuleika since her banishment.
As she greeted him coldly, he almost immediately corrected her, "It's Commander now. And General Iroh, great hero of our nation." He bowed to Iroh in respect.
"Retired general," Iroh waved him off, bowing as well. Zuleika knew he didn't exactly like Zhao, but unlike her, he wouldn't display this distaste out front, and thought it no excuse to be disrespectful.
"The Fire Lord's brother and daughter are welcomed guests anytime. What brings you to my harbor?" Zhao asked, a curious glint in his eyes.
"Our ship is being repaired," Iroh explained to his niece's chagrin, pointing to the vessel.
"That's quite a bit of damage," remarked Zhao with a raised brow.
"Um, well, yes, it's a funny story how that happened. You would hardly believe it," Zuleika stammered out, looking to Iroh for help. "Uncle! Tell Commander Zhao what happened!" Surprised at being put on the spot, Iroh glanced at her in annoyance at how she shoved that responsibility onto him.
"Why, yes, I'll do that. It was incredible! What, did we crash or something?" he questioned his niece.
"Indeed we did, Uncle! Right into an Earth Kingdom ship!" Zuleika added quickly. Nice save, she thought sarcastically to herself. Great, even her subconscious knew what a horrible story they were painting.
"Really? You must regale me with all the details," Zhao stated. "Join me for a drink?"
"Love to, but we should be going now," the princess answered, stepping around him, fully prepared to wait aboard the ship instead while it was repaired.
"Princess Zuleika, show Commander Zhao your respect," Iroh scolded much to her dismay, grabbing her shoulder. Then again, can't have the commander getting suspicious. But at the same time, Zuleika was never exactly discreet about her dislike of the man, so it shouldn't have looked that out of place. "We would be honored to join you. Do you have any ginseng tea? It's my favorite." As Iroh and Zhao went ahead, discussing teas, Zuleika groaned to herself in frustration.
🔥
Aang, Katasi and Sokka rode Appa in the air, with Aang steering the reins and Katasi sitting beside her, smiling widely at the wind blowing in his face. This was the farthest he'd ever been from his village, and he couldn't help take it all in. The scene around them was absolutely breathtaking, clouds breezing by. It was so serene and quiet. Until Sokka's stomach growled.
"Relax, stomach, alright? I'm trying to find us some food," she muttered to herself, scrounging through their sack. She had been hungry all morning since in Aang's excitement, she had rushed them before Sokka could eat breakfast. She held the sack upside down and shook it when she couldn't feel anything inside, only crumbs tumbling out of it.
"Hey! Who ate all my blubber seal jerky?!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, that was food?" Aang sounded sheepish and guilty as she admitted, "I used it to start the campfire last night?"
"You what?!" Sokka cried, looking ready to murder the young airbender for a moment. "Oh, that was why the flames smelled so good!"
Katasi rolled his eyes at her whining while Aang turned back and tried to her. Her attention was drawn to a spot of land before them. "The Potala Mountain Range!" she exclaimed. "We're almost there!" In contrast, Katasi winced and glanced at her out the corner of his eye, still haven't gotten the courage to tell her the truth.
"Aang...about the Air Temple.... I think there's something you should know about the airbenders."
The younger girl looked back at him, her brows raised in confusion. "What about them?"
"Well, um, just be prepared for what you might see. The Fire Nation is ruthless," Katasi told him, his voice growing soft and his gaze far off as he was obviously reminiscing something painful for him. "They-they killed my father, and they could have killed your people, too." Aang was silent for a full few moments, making him worry, but then she turned her back to him, her mood now solemn.
"Just because nobody's seen an airbender doesn't mean the Fire Nation killed them all. They probably escaped!"
Katasi placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard to accept, but-"
"No, you don't understand, Katasi. The only way to get to the Air Temples is by flying bison. And I doubt the Fire Nation have any flying bison," explained Aang, her dampened mood brightening with the new thought of denial. "Right, Appa?" Appa groaned in agreement. "Yip-yip!" she commanded, snapping the reins making him fly higher. As they flew above the clouded, they caught sight of a breathtaking blue temple. "There it is! See?"
"It's beautiful, Aang!" remarked Katasi enthusiastically, but at the same time, the anxiety gnawing at him worsened.
"We're home, buddy. We're home," Aang told her pet, fondly patting his head.
🔥
"And by year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be under our rule," Zhao finished as they drank their tea. Well, Iroh was drinking tea, Zuleika was scowling and glaring a hole into Zhao's head. "The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war."
"My father is a fool if he thinks the world will follow him willingly!" Zuleika growled, despite knowing that the last time she spoke out on matters of war, it earned her banishment and disfigurement. Zhao strode over to her, a smirk playing on his features.
"Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue since you've clearly have yet to learn that a little girl's opinion that wasn't asked shouldn't be heard. So how is your search for the Avatar going?" Zhao asked mockingly, knowing very well the answer. Iroh, shocked by the sudden question, knocked over a set of spears hanging on the wall.
"Uh, my fault entirely," he apologized as attention was drawn to him.
"Well, we haven't found him yet..." she grumbled reluctant, bitter at the memory of her failure.
"Did you really expect to? The Avatar died a hundred years ago, along with the rest of the airbenders," Zhao stated in that patronizing way of his. Zuleika averted her eyes, eyes narrowed, which only served to make her seem more suspicious. "Unless you've found evidence saying otherwise."
"No, nothing," she spat out, turning her scathing gaze to him.
"Princess Zuleika, the Avatar is the only thing that can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have any ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell mange what you found," Zhao tried to coerce her.
"I found nothing! Like you said, the Avatar probably died years ago," she snapped. WIth that, she stood and began to storm over to the exit, having had enough. "Come on, Uncle, we're going." However, as she was a step from the exit, two spears blocked her path.
"Commander, we interrogated the crew as instructed," a soldier said as he entered the tent. "They confirmed the princess had the Avatar in custody but let her escape."
"Her? The Avatar is female?" Zhao blinked.
"Yes, sir," the soldier confirmed with a nod.
Zhao turned and strutted over to Zuleika whose eyes were wide as she realized her predicament. "Tell me again, how exactly was your ship damaged?"