While Aang, Katara and Sokka enjoyed all the attention they got at dinner, I decided to take a stroll through the tribe. My job was to get Aang safely to the North Pole, and I did. I felt content but I wasn't at ease. I was sent away from here a few years ago and I will never forgive them for it.... Well, I'm sure I won't be here long anyway. The question is where I'll go up next.
I rubbed my hand together and brought them to my face, breathing steam in them to warm them up. I grunted when I looked around, literally everything was made out of ice. It's pretty impressive, but just not very... ideal. After my legs were freeing for walking round two hours, I returned to Aang, Katara and Sokka. They were already in bed when I stepped in the room. The fire was burning out and I quickly threw on some more wood and woke the fire. I sighed loudly and stepped into my fur bed.
When I woke up in the morning, Aang, Sokka and Katara had already left. I stretched and got up, trying to get some breakfast When I finished my bowl of rice, I went down to the training grounds to see Katara and Aang practicing their water bending.
On the way, I felt the eyes of the people burning in my back.
"That's the fire nation general's daughter." I heard them whispering against each other. Defeated I looked down and I was happy when I finally approached the training ground.
On my way there, Katara angrily stormed up to me. "Where were you?!" She asked angrily. "Sleeping in, why?!" I replied irritated, already regretting my decision to come have a look. Katara sighed. "I'm sorry," She said quietly and looked down, "Master Pakku won't teach me water bending because I'm a girl."
"Wait, what?" I replied, genuinely shocked, "why?"
"Women should learn how to heal, not fight." Katara replied quietly and sighed, "I guess I'm gonna make my way to class now." I turned around to say something, but I could not come up with any words. Angrily I made my way to the practicing grounds. "Hey Istari!" Aang said, waving at me.
I ignored him and made my way to Pakku. "Why won't you teach Katara?" I asked with gritted teeth.
"Because she's a woman." Pakku replied.
"Does that matter? She's the only waterbender of the Southern Watertribe left, a damn good one too." I replied seriously.
"We have different rules here." Pakku replied.
"Then change the rules, we are at war! We need every fighter we can get," I replied seriously. I looked up at him, "please."
Pakku frowned and shook his head. "You will not tell me what to do... You are not even from the water tribe. Because of your nation, we are at war! You are not welcome here!" Pakku said.
I clenched my fists and I felt them getting hotter and hotter. I took a deep breath and looked up to hm. "Yes, you made that clear last time," I said with gritted teeth, "I'll leave you to it then."
"Wait, Istari! Where are you going?" Aang asked worriedly. "I don't know Aang, I'm just gonna take a walk or whatever." I said with a sigh and walked away. Angrily I kicked against every pile of snow I could find. What am I doing here? They hate me, they don't want me. I should just leave....
I went to the bedroom and started to pack my bag. With tears in my eyes I sat down and wrote a note.
I don't know how to put this guys, but I wanna say I'm sorry.
I don't belong here, and people clearly don't want me to be here. And neither do I, honestly.
Aang, when you complete your training, meet me in Ba Sing Se. I know people there, I will try and find you a good earth bending master.
Katara, show Pakku what you've got. I am sure once he sees what you can, he'll teach you. He has to.
Sokka, she's beautiful... Go for it.
I love you guys, and I will see you soon.
Love,
Istari.
I put it down on Aang's pillow and swung my bag over my shoulder. Momo looked at me, and knew what I was doing. "I'm sorry Momo," I whispered when I petted him, "but don't worry, we'll see each other soon. I promise." I walked out of the room and made my way out. I wandered the streets, trying not to be seen.
I went out through the gates, trying to kind a boat to steal. I couldn't find any, so I decided to try it again tomorrow. I climbed up the mountain, and it started to snow heavily. I couldn't see anything anymore. I wondered if I should go back... But then again, I made my decision. I stopped and tried to look around. I narrowed my eyes and covered my eyes with my arm. I saw a kind of hill in the distance and decided to walk up to it.
"Good spirits." I sighed out of relief when I noticed it was a cave. I made my way in and sat down. It was cold, but at least it was dry. I pulled my coat up and blew warm steam into m hands to warm myself up. I curled up and closed my eyes, trying to get a bit of sleep.
When I woke up, I heard a weird sound, as if something was being dragged through snow. I turned around and saw someone standing at the entrance of the cave, carrying something. I rubbed my eyes and she immediately stood up. "W-who's there?" I asked carefully. The person dropped whatever he was carrying with a loud thud in the snow. When I looked closer I saw it was a person. With an arrow on his head. It was alight.
"Istari? Zuko blurted out, surprised.
"What the... What are YOU doing here?" I exclaimed and I jumped out. "With Aang! What were you thinking? He can't be moved when he's in the Avatar state!" I said and quickly I got down to him, laying him carefully against the side of the cave. I took my coat off and placed it over Aang, who was trembling quietly.
"What are you doing here?" Zuko asked. "I could ask you the same thing!" I hissed.
"The Fire Nation's fleet is approaching under the command of general Zhao. He is up to something. He wants Aang, so I needed to get him out before Zhao finds him." Zuko said, "You?" I sighed and shook my head. "I am not welcome here, so I left." I replied sadly.
I looked down at Aang and stroked his bald head. "Is that really necessary?" I asked when Zuko tied Aang's hands together. "Just in case." He replied.
"Zuko... Why are you doing this?" I asked, slowly shaking my head. Zuko stood up and he turned his back to me. "I have to regain my honor... Azula, my father adores her, you know that as well. He said she was born lucky, he says that I am lucky to be born. I don't need luck though, I don't want it. I always had the struggle to fight, that makes me strong. That made me who I am." Zuko said. looked at my old friend and I stood up, grabbing his hand.
"You are more, than that..." I said and I stood up, walking slowly towards him. I hesitated at first, but I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "We can still turn this around. Help us, and overthrow your father. You don't need him, he won't give you love... whatever you do, he won't. It is not in his nature to love and-"
"-What do you know about it?!" Zuko yelled as he let go of my hand.
Zuko's scream woke up Aang, who started to struggle. "Welcome back." Zuko said blankly. "You!" Aang yelled angrily at Zuko. "Aang!" I mumbled and I hugged him tight. "What are you doing here? With HIM?!"
"He came into the cave with you, when I woke up he was there." I said breathlessly. Aang took a deep breathe and breathed out. Zuko got slammed against the wall of the cave and Aang got launched outside the cave. "Aang!" I yelled and I quickly put my coat on and grabbed my bag. I ran towards Aang, Zuko following me.
"Zuko, stop!" I yelled panicky when Zuko grabbed Aang's collar, ready to punch him. "Appa!" Aang yelled happily and I quickly turned around to look up. Before I could say or do anything, Katara knocked Zuko knock out, and he fell in the snow.
"We need to get back to the Oasis, the spirits are in trouble." Aang said when he jumped on Appa's back as Sokka helped me up in the saddle up. I looked back at Zuko who was lying face-down in the snow, not moving. "He'll freeze to death..." I mumbled quietly and I looked at Aang, who nodded at me.
"We can't leave him..." Aang said.
"Sure we can, let's go." Sokka replied.
"No," Aang replied, "if we leave him, he'll die."
Aang got down and helped Zuko up the saddle. He was laid down next to me.
Sokka, Katara, Aang and Yue for some reason, all looked at me. "What?" I asked with gritted teeth. "You were leaving?! Without telling us?" Katara asked angrily. "Hey, I left a letter! Besides, if our host would have been more kinder," I said with a side-eye to Yue, "I'd have stayed. But I wasn't welcome, so I left! I would have waited for you guys in Ba Sing Se...." I said, filled with a bit of regret.
"Wait...." I mumbled, coming to realize what was going on, "If Zuko's here... the Fire Nation is here."
Sokka nodded slowly. "We are already under attack." He said quietly.
Suddenly, the sky turned red. Yue put her hands over her eyes, grunting. "Are you okay?" Sokka asked worriedly. "I feel faint..." Yue replied. "I feel it too..." Aang mumbled, "the Moon spirit is in trouble."
When we flew to the Oasis, Yue told her story. That she owed the Moon Spirit her life, and that a part of the spirit lives inside her. As she told her story, the stronger and more alive I started to feel. When we arrived at the Oasis, Zhao was already there. He had put the two fish, the Moon and the Ocean spirit in a sack, holding it in front of him. "Don't bother." He said, with gritted teeth.
"Zhao, don't." Aang said shocked. "It is my destiny, to destroy the moon and the Watertribe..." Zhao replied.
"Destroying the moon, won't just hurt the Watertribe," Aang said, "it will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything will fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would do to the world."
"He is right." Iroh said and he stepped into the light.
Istari looked at him and he gave a short nod at her and a smile.
"General Iroh, why am I not surprised to your treachery?" Zhao said with a smirk.
"The Fire Nation needs the moon too, it all depends on the balance..." Iroh said, "whatever you do to that spirit, I will do to you! LET IT GO, NOW!!" Iroh said angrily. It got very tense and nervously I looked at Zhao, waiting what he was about to do. Zhao kneeled down in front of the pond and released the two fish in the water. The sky turned blue again, and I felt the warmth leaving my body. Everyone sighed out of relief, until... Zhao set the water on fire.
The moon disappeared... Everything turned dark. Iroh started to fight off the soldiers, while Zhao made his way out of here. I felt a huge wave of energy flowing through my body. A warm sensation and I felt more powerful than ever. I started to laugh and I stretched out. I started to wave my arms around and a huge amount of fire shot right out of my finger tips, knocking me over. I got up again and moved again. The electricity started to react and out of my finger tips I shot the biggest lightning bolt everyone had ever seen. It was so loud, it could have been heard all over the North Pole.
I felt my mind slowly fading away, as If I was in some sort of trance, ecstasy... I never felt so good in my life before. I rose my arms up again and before I could release any power, Iroh ran up at me and put my arms down. "Istari, look at me!" Iroh said and he held my face in between his hands.
"Can you feel it Uncle?" I mumbled and I closed my eyes. "I have never felt so... alive..." Small ribbons of fire where going in circles around my body. "I feel so good..." I mumbled, "I want to know what more I can do." I started to Fire Bend, everything I had in me came out. So much fire... so much power... My eyes were closed and I went with my feeling, with the energy. All I could do was laugh.
Meanwhile, Aang stepped into the pond while being in the Avatar state. All the water in the tribe went to the pond and it rose up in the form of a giant Koi fish, Aang in the middle. The Koi fish turned towards a firebending me, and put out my fire. With a thud I bumped up to the wall of ice and fell down, waking me up from my trance.
I gasped and looked up, seeing how the Koi fish made it's way through the Watertribe, flushing out the Fire Nation soldiers. Steam was coming off me when I got back up at my feet. I looked at Yue, Iroh, Sokka and Katara who all looked in shock at me.
I turned around and ran away from them, out of the Oasis. I sat down and tried not to move or do anything. After a few minutes, the energy left my body. I looked up and saw the moon again, shining brightly. I suddenly felt cold and I was trembling enormously. I was sad, like a heavy depression came over me. I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw it was Uncle Iroh.
"What happened to me?" I asked him, shaking heavily. "You look normal again." Iroh said with a smile. "I didn't look normal? I asked worriedly. "Your eyes... they were golden, completely. It triggered something inside you." Iroh replied.
"How?" I asked confused. Iroh sighed and shook his head. "You have been blessed by the Fire Bending Masters... How and why is not my place to tell you."
I frowned and looked at him. "Then whose is? What are you even talking about?" I asked confused. Iroh stood up and he held his hand out. I grabbed it and he pulled me up. He hugged me tightly. When I let go, Zuko stood in front of us, watching us from a distance. "We need to leave. There's a raft, uncle. We can escape with it." Zuko said seriously. He was all bruised and had different cuts running over his face.
"Where will you go?" I asked Zuko. He looked down. "I don't know, I am tired." I slowly walked up to him and grabbed his hand. "Remember what I said, it's not too late," I said and squeezed in his hand. I let go and hugged him shortly. He put his arms around me and hugged me back. "Neither it is for you." He replied.
He let me go and Iroh walked up to us. "Take care, Istari." Iroh said. I nodded slowly. "You too." I replied. I watched them as they walked away. The sun was rising up, and people were out of their houses, rebuilding the tribe. I turned around and walked back to the Oasis. I saw Aang and Katara standing on the edge, smiling upon me as I approached them.
Aang and Katara ran up to me and hugged me. "Thank you for coming back." Aang said relieved.
"We thought you went away with Iroh." Katara said as she let me go.
Well, maybe for a moment I wanted to...
"I didn't know you wanted me back after what happened last night. I don't know what came over me." I said confused, "I am sorry you had to see me that way."
"It is okay, everything is back to normal." Aang said with a sad smile. "Yue sacrificed herself, didn't she?" I asked quietly. Aang and Katara nodded slowly. "What a brave girl." I said quietly.
"Istari?" I turned around and saw Sokka walking over to us. He ran up to me and hugged me tightly. "Sokka, I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thanks, Iz." Sokka replied when he let me go. I looked at my friends and smiled. "So what will we do?" I asked when I shrugged. "We'll go onto our next stop, the Earth Kingdom." Aang said with a smile.
"Good," I replied with a smile, "let's get going then."
(Sorry for the delay :( I was in the middle of moving out and working on my thesis. I'll try and upload every week like I did before!)