Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Finally.

It’s finally mine. My right. My blood. My power.

Ozai touched the arms of the throne he sat upon, feeling the desperate longing he had since he was a boy dissipate. It belonged to him. Under his rule, the Fire Nation would reign supreme. If the other nations would not offer him the respect his people deserved—the respect he deserved—then he would force them to give it, one way or another. They would bow to him, or they would burn.

He no longer had to humor his older brother’s errant thoughts of peace. He no longer had to entertain his nephew’s arrogant ideas of what would pass when he held the throne. He no longer had to see the complete disappointment in his father’s eyes. He saw it for the last time when he stared into his father’s face before the man passed, a shattered teacup on the floor beside him.

He could barely come to terms that his dream was a reality. Ozai was giddy with the realization that this was all his. The plans he set in motion fourteen years ago, when Ursa bore him a child worthy to sustain his line, were finally coming to fruition. Plans that would not have been possible if Zuko were still here.

Although, if Zhao’s report was to be believed, somehow the boy was alive—and startlingly powerful, too. He had been raised by some filth in the Water Tribes. Ozai had to scoff at the idea. He remembered receiving the scroll the next night answering his summons. That sparkless boy was dead. Still, it unnerved him that Iroh’s letter confirmed Zhao’s ideas, describing a boy that looked incredibly like Ozai. It didn’t matter. The boy didn’t even know who he was, and if he did, well, Ozai could always finish the job later, if he must. More than likely, he would come nowhere near the Fire Nation.

A knocking at the door took Ozai out of his thoughts. “Enter,” he said.

An attendant came through and bowed, admitting a messenger. A child a little younger than his daughter walked forward briskly and bowed low, waiting to be acknowledged.

“Yes?” Ozai asked, resting his hands on the arms of his chair.

“Fire Lord Ozai,” the messenger began, breathless, “I have urgent information from the colonies.” The boy knew his place, and did not raise his eyes. “Prince Iroh and Prince Lu Ten have been sighted. The rumor is they are resting at the resort in Zang Lo Village. It appears the colonists have no idea that they’ve betrayed the crown.”

Ozai gripped the arms of the throne tightly as flames erupted in front of his throne. The messenger whimpered, but said nothing else.

“Dismissed,” Ozai growled. “Send my attendant in on your way out.”

The boy scrambled to his feet and bowed before briskly walking back the same way he came. Chu entered after the man left and bowed to Ozai.

“Fire Lord Ozai,” he said, bent low, “how may I serve you?”

Ozai took a breath and let it out carefully, organizing his thoughts. There was too much at stake for these loose ends to be left to wander. Something had to be done immediately.

“Summon Princess Azula. I must speak with my daughter at once.”

Chapter Text

Lu Ten felt an involuntary groan get pulled from his throat, fed by an old pain that never seemed to cease.

“My apologies, your highness,” Sho said, softly. “The scar tissue is quite deep, and the tension you’re carrying—well, I’m not a doctor but I think you may have been overdoing it.” Lu Ten snorted as the masseuse pressed into the tissue in the back of his thigh, undoing the knots with practiced ease.

“It’s alright, Sho,” he replied. “I’m no stranger to pain.”

“The way you two arrived was heartbreaking,” Yuzu said, laying hot stones on his father’s back. “It’s absolutely shameful, having our princes in such dire straits. It’s a good thing you came to my partner and me. No better hands in the village.”

“You’re too kind,” his father sighed. “Who knew floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water and sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver could make one so tense?”

“Three weeks with no food or water?” Sho asked, pressing a little harder than necessary into Lu Ten’s leg in his surprise. Lu Ten hissed and the man whispered his apologies.

“Sea vultures?” the other masseuse swallowed, nervously.

“My father exaggerates,” Lu Ten said. “We were able to purify the water, and managed to catch some fish.” And the sea vultures were more interested in the dead bodies floating alongside us. He chose to keep that thought to himself. The last time he saw something so gruesome was at Ba Sing Se, and at least they could burn their dead there. The men lost to the Ocean Spirit suffered a terrible death. He hoped Agni was able to cradle those loyal to him, despite the fact that they couldn’t be sent to the other side properly.

Lu Ten shuddered, then sighed in relief when Sho moved up to his back and away from his old injury. He couldn’t think of what had just transpired. Not now. Instead, they needed to focus on the future. He and his father were both certain if they stayed in the colony long enough, news from the Fire Nation capitol would reach them. Until then, they would be patient.

At least they could enjoy good food, treatment, and company until it arrived.

Kallik sighed as he watched the stars high above them. Usually he found the rocking of a ship soothing, but there was too much in his head for him to settle tonight. Every time he closed his eyes, images flashed before him. He would be trapped behind bars as those barbarians hauled Katara into the brig, powerless to stop them. He would stand on the upper balcony of the ship, and Zhao would throw Sokka over the railing to fall to his death in the freezing water below. Or he would be touching the koi fish with Yue, and instead of falling she would reach up and shove him away and Aang—wrapped in La’s power—would pull him under the pond, demanding he sacrifice himself to save Tui.

His mother was constantly haunting his dreams, as well. Almost always in the background, always staring at him with dead eyes and a gaping wound from her neck. Always opening her mouth, trying to tell him something he couldn’t hear.   

Kallik shuddered. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He knew his mother would never just sit by and watch him suffer. Even if she became an angry, vengeful spirit, he and his father were safe from her. Maybe it was his mind reminding him that there was nothing she could do to help. That was probably why he couldn’t hear her. His subconscious twisted his memories, taking something awful and making it even worse, until he couldn’t even hope to get a proper night’s sleep. He should probably talk to someone about it before it got out of control.

“Kallik?”

Kallik turned around to see Aang leaving the cabin, rubbing his eyes sleepily. “What are you doing up?” he asked.

“I had a bad dream,” Kallik replied, honestly. “I decided to come out here for some air.”

“Really?” Aang asked, standing beside him at the rail. Kallik nodded. “Me too.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Kallik asked. Aang frowned and nodded.

“I was in the Avatar state,” he said, “but I was outside my body watching myself. It was scary.” He hung his head and closed his eyes in shame. “I was scary.”

Kallik gripped his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Aang,” he said. “But you know, it was just a dream. We don’t really have control in our dreams unless we’re waking up.”

“That’s the problem,” Aang whispered. “In real life, I’m like that too. Whenever I feel all that pain, that thing comes and takes over for me. It takes my feelings as fuel and it—it just does things without my permission. I have no control in dreams or reality.” Kallik swallowed and gripped Aang’s shoulder a little tighter.

“I wish I knew what I could do to help,” he said, looking back out at the horizon. The stars burned brightly in the dark sky, and the moon hung low, waning and half-full.

“What was your dream about?” he asked. Kallik released Aang’s shoulder and let his arm fall to the railing, not taking his eyes off the waves in the distance.

“I keep dreaming about what happened during the mission and after, but everything is a little wrong. Instead of Hahn getting thrown overboard, it’s Sokka. Katara gets hauled into the brig after me. Instead of Yue being sacrificed—” Kallik let out a careful breath. “Instead of Yue it’s me. And the whole time, I see my mom standing there, watching, like she’s waiting for something… like she’s trying to say something. And she looks like she did the last time I saw her.”

“What did she look like the last time you saw her?” Aang asked in a small voice. Kallik shut his eyes tightly. A vice held his heart, gripping tighter and tighter until he wasn’t sure he could bear it.

“She was dead.”

Suddenly, Aang threw himself at Kallik, startling him. His friend buried his face in Kallik’s shoulder and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist. Kallik blinked, patting his back awkwardly before returning the hug.

“Kallik, I’m so sorry,” he whispered. Kallik smiled and pushed Aang away slightly.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I actually feel a little better, now that I’ve talked about it.” It wasn’t much, but the weight on his shoulders lessened a bit.

“Do you want to come back to bed?” Aang asked. Kallik nodded and together they climbed back down into the cabin. As Kallik settled into his hammock, he noticed Katara’s breathing was unusually steady. It seemed like most of them were up for one reason or another. He raised an eyebrow as he watched her, then after a particularly loud snore from Sokka he settled in for sleep.

She knew how long it took him to drift off. If she wanted to talk, she would let him know.

Azula’s face was stone. Her heart was steady. Yet, her blood burned. Her servants set her palanquin down and pulled the curtain, allowing her to view her men. All were kneeling respectfully. Clearly, her reputation proceeded her. She walked a fine line between fear and mercy. Azula had a good handle on when to employ both. They were lessons her parents taught her well, and something she held onto her whole life.

“Father says mercy is for fools. You gain respect through power and showing that power,” Azula told her mother as they sat before the pond in the garden. She threw some bread to the turtleducks and watched them squawk over it to her amusement.

“Oh, Azula,” her mother said, voice sad. She combed Azula’s hair with her fingers. “Don’t you know? You can be so much better than your father. You can be so much more.”

This was long before her father ever had a chance at becoming the Fire Lord, but she watched him cultivate his followers, molding them and shaping them until they were the ideal tools for what he needed. She saw it as he tried to do the same with her, scolding and praising until she did his bidding. Azula knew better. His favor was fickle at best. However, with him on the throne, she was next in line, and she would make a tremendous Fire Lord when her time came. Her mother was right about that. She only wished that Grandfather didn’t have to die for this to happen. It was suspicious, at best, when her father told her what transpired. Azula knew better than to question him, though.

It was better to bide her time.

“The former crown prince and his son are traitors to the Dragon Throne,” Azula said clearly, walking down the line and examining the kneeling men. “They disgraced my grandfather, ignoring his last wishes and turning against their nation during the attack on the Northern Water Tribe. It is because of that betrayal that all was lost.” Her father made her repeat the words over and over before she left, making sure that the lie flew as easily from her lips as a hawk took to the sky.

“They have brought shame to us all,” she continued, gesturing for them to rise. The men followed her order, standing at attention. “You may have mixed feelings about attacking members of the royal family. I understand those feelings, as this is my family we are hunting down. But I assure you, if you hesitate, I will not hesitate to bring you down,” she finished, coldly. “Dismissed.”

The troop saluted and went back to their stations, preparing to dock at the Fire Nation colony that was just ahead. The captain approached her and bowed respectfully before speaking.

“Princess,” he said, solemnly, “I’m afraid the tides will not allow us to bring the ship into port before nightfall.”

Azula pressed down on her irritation. “I’m sorry captain, but I do not know much about the tides,” she said, sweetly. “Can you explain something to me?”

“Of course, your highness,” the captain replied, sounding surprised.

“Do the tides command this ship?” she asked, looking off the side of the deck to the dark ocean below.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” he stuttered.

“You said the tides will not allow us to bring the ship in.” She turned her head so she could watch him, letting him see the coolness in her profile. He visibly swallowed. “Do the tides command this ship?”

“No, Princess,” he replied, nervously.

“I see,” Azula responded, turning her head away. “And if I were to have you thrown overboard, would the tides think twice about smashing you against the rocky shore?”

“No, Princess,” he said, quietly. Azula turned around, watching with mild amusement as he tried to hide his shaking hands.

“Do you still think the tides won’t allow us to bring the ship into port?” she asked sweetly. There was a beat of hesitation before he slowly shook his head. “Come now, captain,” she tutted. “I can tell you don’t believe that. Enlighten me.”

He took a shaky breath before speaking. “The tides are currently going out and working against us,” he said. “We may be able to make port, but not without risks to the ship.”

“Significant risks?” she asked, arching an eyebrow. He nodded. She sighed. “Very well,” she said, waving him off. He stared at her, a little stunned. Azula chuckled. “Really, captain. I wouldn’t throw you overboard. That seems like a bit much for such a small slight.” He laughed nervously with her.

“You—you had me going there, your highness,” he said. Azula stopped laughing abruptly and he did the same, watching her with wide eyes.

“As soon as we can make port, captain, you will inform me,” she said, coldly. The captain nodded vigorously.

“Of—of course, Princess,” he said, as levelly as he could. She smirked and dismissed him as she walked off the deck. She would have to watch that one. Something about him smelled like a traitor.

She would take advantage of this break to plan and rest. She would need every advantage she could get over her cousin and uncle.

“Kallik,” Pakku said, bowing. Kallik bowed back before straightening up. Sokka resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I wanted to thank you for opening our eyes to the plight of your tribe. It’s high time we went to help rebuild.”

“We could use all the help we can get, Master Pakku,” Kallik replied. “Thank you for being willing to make the journey.” Pakku shook Kallik’s hand before turning to Katara. Kallik went back to Appa and climbed into the saddle, working on tying off the last of their bags. Sokka held in a sigh. He didn’t blame his friend. Kallik was probably just as ready to get away from these hoity-toity northerners as he was.

“Katara,” Pakku continued, pulling a necklace from his bag, “I want you to have this. This amulet contains water from the Spirit Oasis.” He handed the necklace to Katara, who tied it behind her neck. “The water has unique properties. Don’t lose it.”

“Thank you, Master Pakku,” she replied, bowing. He bowed back.

“Aang,” he said, pulling a box out of his bag. Aang took it curiously and slid back the lid. “These scrolls will help you master waterbending. But remember,” he said, sternly, making Aang gulp, “they’re no substitute for a real master.” Sokka nearly gagged when Aang blushed and looked back at Katara. If he started making oogie faces at his sister again, Sokka was going to lose it.

“Sokka,” Pakku called. Sokka raised his eyebrows and came forward, surprised Pakku would have anything for him. Sokka grinned as Pakku moved his hand towards the bag before pulling it away and patting him on the shoulder. “Take care, son.” Sokka sighed and returned the sentiment before climbing into the saddle as well. Kallik had finally gotten over his nerves and stopped gripping the side, and Momo took advantage of his free arm by grabbing hold of it and begging for treats.

“Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here,” Pakku told Aang. “General Fong will provide you with an escort to Omashu. There you’ll be safe to begin your earthbending training with King Bumi.” Sokka smiled apologetically at Kallik who shuddered. He still hadn’t forgotten getting enclosed in that rock candy. Sokka was pretty sure the older boy was not going to forgive Bumi for that anytime soon.

“Appa, yip-yip!” Aang cried, flicking the reins. Appa bellowed and took off as Katara waved back at the tribesmen on the boat.

“Say hi to Mom and Gran-gran for us!” she shouted. Pakku raised his hand and waved back as they flew, higher and higher until the boat looked like a tiny toy floating on the sea.

“So, General Fong,” Sokka said, raising an eyebrow. “What do you think he’s like?”

“If he’s anything like the other earthbenders we’ve met along the way, at the very least he’ll be stubborn,” Kallik muttered.

“He’ll be fine,” Aang said. “Master Pakku trusts him. That’s good enough for me.” Kallik rolled his eyes and grabbed a few nuts for Momo, letting the lemur pick the ones he wanted out of his hand.

Sokka leaned back, looking up at the blue sky as his family settled around him. Kallik and Katara chatted about Momo’s antics as Aang chimed in with random lemur facts. It was quiet. Peaceful. Sokka didn’t like it much. It gave him too much time to think about everything.

Kallik had told him he knew he killed at least one person. Later, he confessed that he may have killed more when they defended the Northern Air Temple. He wasn’t sure about the state of the firebenders he fought at the North Pole either. In both cases, he didn’t know because everything happened quickly. During the attack at the Northern Air Temple, he was just trying to keep himself and the refugees alive, and at the North Pole he was entirely focused on getting to the Moon Spirit. Sokka hadn’t seen any combat at the North Pole, but he definitely killed people at the Northern Air Temple when he and Po dropped those bombs.

He always shoved the aftermath to the back of his mind. He saw a number of soldiers get up after each bomb was dropped—it was easy to pretend the others, the first ones directly beneath the bombs, could get up too.

It was harder to pretend the exploding gas didn’t kill anyone, though.

Sokka had blood on his hands, and it wasn’t a good feeling to have. Somehow, though, he could rationalize it. He knew what he did was to protect his family and friends. He wouldn’t have done it if they had a better choice. It was their lives, or the lives of those Fire Nation soldiers. He would make the same choice in a heartbeat.

He kept wondering if something was wrong with him. Kallik was clearly still upset at what he had done, if his nightmares were anything to go by. Aang had gone quiet, too, occasionally mentioning how many people he must have hurt when he bonded with La. He wondered if Yue would think any differently of him, if she knew how many men he killed.

He put his chin in his hand and stared out over the horizon as his thoughts became bitter. She didn’t deserve what she got. She deserved so much more. She was a warm light pulled too soon from the earth, called to the Spirit World by a duty she never had any say in. She was kind, and good, and made him laugh. Sokka was pretty sure he may have loved her, despite how short a time they knew each other. He knew things wouldn’t end well between them when he found out she was engaged, but this was beyond his reckoning.

Part of him wished he never knew her. That he never saw her sky-blue eyes, or smelled her warm dark skin. Part of him wanted to forget her soft, moon-bright hair. He didn’t want the memory of her soft laugh—which always made him think of the tinkling of ice crystals as snow-dust broke away from roofs and trees. His heart ached, a dull pain in his chest that throbbed with every beat of his heart when her face came to mind. He couldn’t escape it at night, when he saw the moon and knew that she was the one holding it up in the sky. He couldn’t escape it during the day, with little to do to keep his mind off of his loss.

He rubbed his chest mindlessly, watching the clouds fly overhead as they made their way to the Earth Kingdom. He hoped they got there soon, if only so he could take his mind off the pain of losing the first woman he loved.

Azula stood on the empty deck of the ship, centering herself. Separate the energy—yin in one hand, yang in the other. Distort the balance and master the chaos.

Azula loved mastering chaos.

Sparks crackled along her fingertips and her blood heated, charging her limbs with an energy she could barely control.

Hold, she thought, slowly arcing her hands through the form.

Hold, she thought, twisting her body to fit the current, ready to aim.

Hold.

Now.

She let the forces collide and blue lightning blasted from her fingertips into the sky. A lock of hair dangled in front of her eyes. She glared at it, scowling at the sign of her failure.

“Almost perfect,” Lo or Li said, in her usual gravely voice.

“Only a single hair out of place,” Li or Lo added, sounding pleased.

Azula was not pleased.

“But Father, I’ve run this set ten times—”

“You’ll run this set until your hands are burned, if you have to,” her father snarled, making her duck her head in shame. “You must be perfect! Almost isn’t good enough!”

“Almost isn’t good enough,” she growled, resuming her stance. She would have to try again.

Azula was no stranger to pain, or hard work. Her uncle and cousin would never be prepared for what she could deliver.

But only if she was perfect.

“There it is!” Sokka cried.

Finally, Aang thought, steering Appa towards the base tucked away in the mountains. The stone building was a welcome sight. Everyone perked up at the sight of it, readying themselves to meet the general.

Aang landed on the wall where several earthbenders stood in formation behind a tall man with bare feet. He slid off Appa and the others followed him, all stretching as the man moved forward and opened his arms.

“Welcome, Avatar Aang!” he shouted, smiling at them. Aang winced when he heard Kallik pop his neck. Then he turned his attention to their greeter. The man was huge, towering over all of them and clad in green and gold armor. His shoulders and chest were broad, and he sported long brown hair and a thick dark beard. His green eyes twinkled as he examined them, and he wore a kind smile.

“I am General Fong,” the man continued, bowing before them. His soldiers mimicked the motion behind him, “and welcome to all of you great heroes! Appa, Momo, brave Sokka, strong Kallik, and the mighty Katara!”

“Mighty Katara?” Katara asked, smirking. “I like that.”

“I’m just glad he didn’t call me sparky,” Kallik murmured, making the others snicker. High pitched whistling pierced through the air, making the group look up. Fireworks exploded above them, filling the sky with bright colors. Aang laughed, overjoyed at the sight. He always liked fireworks.

“Not bad,” Sokka said, smiling. “Not bad.”

“Do you something in the air sets off the spark powder?” Kallik asked, watching the men below punching the fireworks into the air.

“Nah,” Sokka said. “They probably light fuses.”

“You are correct, Sokka,” Fong said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Although, we have been experimenting a little with spark powder. There are some minerals that ignite when suddenly exposed to the air. We’re a long way from perfecting it, but it is an interesting process. But I digress,” he gestured to the building behind him. “Please, come. My men will unload your bison and bring your bags to your rooms. We have much to discuss.”

General Fong led them down the path towards the building. He looked back at the group and furrowed his brow.

“I understand that you’re a firebender, Kallik?” he asked. Aang looked up to see the older boy frown at the question. He nodded, slowly. General Fong smiled.

“Amazing!” he said. “While you’re here, perhaps you could train with some of my men. It’s not often we have a chance to spar with friendly fire!” he chuckled.

Kallik shrugged. “I suppose,” he said, hesitantly. “I have to warn you though, I’m not that great at bending. And I don’t know how to—they would need some protective armor against fire before I’m comfortable even trying it. To be honest, I’m better with weapons.”

“A bender who uses weapons?” Fong asked. “How curious.”

“I’m self-taught,” Kallik said. “My bending isn’t very strong because I only trained with one master so far, and that only lasted a day.”

“We’re hoping we can find a firebending master to teach us,” Aang added. General Fong sighed.

“Yes,” he said, pausing at the doorway to the building. “I’m afraid that will be a very difficult task. I hope you’ll succeed in your quest. Fire power against fire power is good strategy, in my opinion!” he chortled, gesturing for the group to go ahead of him. Aang noticed Kallik glance sideways at Sokka, who looked equally perplexed. Aang sighed and led them up a long hallway. Fong gestured for them to stop and raised a small platform for them to sit on. The four sat down, Aang between Katara and Sokka, and Kallik on Sokka’s other side. Fong moved to the front of the room and sat behind a stone table.

“Avatar Aang,” he said in his booming voice, “we were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Nave fleet at the North Pole.” He stroked his beard thoughtfully. “I can’t imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power.” He looked up and into Aang’s eyes, very seriously. “It’s an awesome responsibility.”

It was a terrifying responsibility. “I try not to think about it too much.”

“Avatar, you’re ready to face the Fire Lord now,” Fong said, grinning. Aang felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head, he was so surprised. Katara spluttered beside him.

“What?” he asked, shocked. “No I’m not!”

“Aang still has to master all four elements!” Katara exclaimed.

“Why?” Fong asked. “With the kind of power he possesses—power enough to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes—he could defeat the Fire Lord now!”

“No he can’t,” Kallik said, shaking his head. “How would he even get to him?”

“We would sail him there on our ships,” Fong said, easily. “Or he could fly his bison.”

“Sir,” Sokka said, frowning, “the thing is, Aang can only do those things when he’s in the Avatar state.”

“See,” Aang interjected, “it’s this special state where—”

“I’m well aware,” Fong said, cutting him off. “Your eyes and tattoos glow, and you’re able to summon unbelievable power.” He paced from the table towards a map of the nations. “Without you, we’d be slaughtered before we even reached their shores. But with you leading the way, as the ultimate weapon,” he pointed at the map, dragging his finger between the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, “we could cut a swath right through to the heart of the Fire Nation.”

“Right,” Aang said, “but I don’t know how to get in or out of the Avatar state, much less what to do when I’m there.”

“So it’s decided,” Fong said, facing them head on. “I’ll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar state, and then you’ll face your destiny.”

“Are you nuts?” Kallik asked, loudly. Fong turned his head and furrowed his brow. “That’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard in my life.” Aang glanced over and saw Kallik was glaring up at the general, his hands balled into fists in his lap. “The last time Aang went into the Avatar state, he bonded himself to a Great Spirit. Do you understand the kind of havoc he wrought? The damage that could have been done if that had gone on much longer? The Great Spirits aren’t meant to walk this earth, anymore. Every time Aang opens himself up to—to that, terrible things can happen!”

“But that’s exactly why we need to use his power!” Fong declared. “For the greater good! If he destroys the Fire Nation—”

“The world will be thrown out of balance even more,” Kallik replied, hotly. “We want to end the war; we don’t want to destroy anyone!”

“You have no desire for revenge against the people who took your mother from you?” Fong asked, arching an eyebrow. Kallik paled, eyes wide in surprise. “Yes,” Fong continued, “Chief Arnook wrote in his letter all the devastation you reported to him about what the Fire Nation did to the Southern Water Tribe.”

Kallik tilted his head down and stared at the floor. Aang noticed his hands started trembling.

“What happened, happened,” Katara said fiercely, standing up, “and we’re dealing with our pain on our own. It never mattered to you before, what happened to our tribe. It’s a cheap tactic to try to bring it up now, as if you ever cared in the first place!”

Fong sighed. “I’m sorry. That was in bad taste.” He looked at Kallik with a forlorn expression. “My apologies, Kallik. I should never have brought up the pain of losing a loved one. I too, have lost people I cared about to this senseless war.”

Kallik didn’t raise his eyes, but nodded in acknowledgement. Katara huffed and folded her arms over her chest.

“We already have a plan,” she said. “Aang’s pursuing his destiny his way.”

“Every moment you spend learning the elements, the war goes on,” Fong said, sadly. “Every day, we lose men—fathers, brothers, sons… all in a senseless fight against the most powerful nation in the world. All to stop a tyranny from ruling all of us.” Fong started walking towards the window. “May I show you something?” he asked. Aang sighed and stood up, following Fong towards the window. He noticed the others moved with him as well. Aang looked out and saw several bandaged soldiers limping along, some being carried by others on stretchers.

“That’s the infirmary,” Fong said, sadly, “and those soldiers are the lucky ones. They came back.” Aang bit his lip in worry. There were so many wounded men down there. He hung his head sadly.

“Every day, the Fire Nation takes lives,” the general said, letting the words hang heavily on Aang’s shoulders. “People are dying, Aang. You could end it now!” Aang looked away, and heard Fong let out a heavy sigh. “Think about it.”

He looked back at his friends. Katara looked angry, glancing back at Kallik who still looked—upset. There wasn’t another word Aang could think of to describe the strange mixture of worry, anger, and sadness on his face. Sokka was frowning at Kallik, but he looked thoughtful.

“I guess we have a lot to talk about,” Aang sighed.

They were young. Fong had to remember they were young. They didn’t realize what was at stake—how imperative it was to end the war now.

He overstepped when he brought up Kallik’s mother. He knew that the moment those gold eyes flickered with hurt. The girl made it clear he shouldn’t have said anything of the kind. It couldn’t be helped, though. The look on the Avatar’s face made it clear that he struck a chord. It should have been disconcerting how easy it was to hurt the firebender with his words. Fong constantly had to remind himself the boy was just a boy, and he was on their side.

For now.

He could see his victory. With the almighty Avatar leading the charge, the Fire Nation would bow to the Earth Kingdom. They could end this wretched war, and the other nations could finally rebuild! They could regain what they lost. They had to agree with him. They had to end the war now!

If they couldn’t see the merit of his plan right away, well, there was no reason why they had to go to Omashu immediately. It took time to arrange for an escort. Besides, Fong understood the area was extremely hostile right now. Some rumors that came his way indicated Omashu may have already fallen to the Fire Nation. It would be too dangerous to send the Avatar there.

Of course, he couldn’t tell Aang that. He would want to rescue King Bumi right away. If Fong’s spies were to be believed, the two were old friends.

“General Fong?” Fong looked and smiled at the young Avatar standing before him.

“Come in, Aang,” he said, kindly. “Have you thought about our discussion?”

He hoped so. He desperately hoped this would be an easy decision for the Avatar. The Water Tribe children were quick to suspect him and his motives. If they influenced Aang too much, he would never side with the Earth Kingdom and their needs.

Aang looked up at him very seriously before sliding his gaze away, frowning. “I’m in,” he said. Fong felt his heart leap for joy. He agreed! He would help them finally end things for good. Aang gazed back up at him, eyes hard. Fong recognized the determination he saw there and swelled with pride.

“I’ll fight the Fire Lord.”

Chapter Text

Katara looked up as Aang entered their rooms, frowning at his expression. He looked defeated and determined at the same time. Aang walked to his bed and sat down. Kallik looked over, putting out the fire he was playing with in his hands. Ever since he and Sokka talked, Sokka seemed much more curious about his bending. He even went so far as to goad him into making little flames in his hands, to see how many he could have at once. Kallik had managed to get three going before Aang walked in, balancing two on his fingertips and one in the palm of his hand.

“I told the general I’d help him by going into the Avatar state,” Aang sighed. Katara sat up, shocked at what she was hearing.

“Aang, no!” she cried. “This is not the right way.”

“Why not?” Sokka asked, turning his head to face them, still laying down on his bed. “Remember when he took out the Fire Navy? He was incredible.”

“There’s a right way to do this,” Katara said, gentling her tone, “practice, study and discipline.”

“Or just glow it up and stop that Fire Lord,” Sokka interjected.

“Kallik!” she shouted, startling her cousin. “Help me out here! Explain why this is a stupid idea!”

Kallik frowned and looked down at his feet. “I mean—it’s Aang’s decision, Katara.”

“Exactly,” Sokka said, matter-of-factly.

“Thanks, Kallik,” Aang replied, smiling. Katara scowled.

“If you meatheads want to throw away everything we’ve worked for fine,” she huffed, standing up and throwing up her arms. “Go ahead and glow it up!” She marched out of the room, ignoring Aang’s arguments as she stormed away. She seethed as she walked down the dark hallway, furious at them. How could they possibly think this was okay? They had to see how painful it was for Aang whenever he was like that. It was frightening to them, but Aang actually went through something traumatic each time the Avatar state took over. She remembered the look on his face when he realized Gyatso’s fate. Then later on the fishing boat he was absolutely terrified when the storm nearly took their lives. She could never forget the anger he experienced when Tui was killed. Surely, they had to know that this wasn’t a better option.

“Katara!”

She huffed, but slowed as Kallik jogged to catch up with her. They walked side by side down the hallway, silently.

“You guys are idiots,” she finally said. Kallik didn’t disagree. She looked up at him from the corner of her eye, watching him twist his face up in a frown. “Kallik, you know what this does to him. I—” she bit her lip and looked away. Kallik remained silent, waiting for her to finish her thought. She sighed. “I overheard you the other night. I overheard what you were talking about, and what Aang said about the Avatar state.”

“I wondered,” Kallik replied. He didn’t sound angry. “I knew you were awake when we went back to bed.”

“How can you agree to this?” she asked. Kallik stopped walking and folded his arms over his chest. She stopped too and looked up at him.

“Do you remember the tale of the lost girl?”

Katara groaned. “Kallik—”

“Once long ago, a little girl had wandered too far into the wilderness, and her parents thought her lost. They begged Tui and La to save their child and bring her home—”

“So Tui and La argued about the best way to do it and La tried to push her where she wanted the girl to go,” Katara said, rolling her eyes. “But instead of doing what La wanted, the little girl just got scared and stubborn, I know.”

“Then Tui gently lit her path, and her soft light encouraged the child to find her way home,” Kallik finished, sensibly.

“What does that have to do with anything?” Katara asked, folding her arms over her chest.

“We can’t change Aang’s mind about this. Not with threats or shouts. Fong—Fong got in his head. He’s good. He nearly got into my head, too,” he muttered, glaring off into the distance. He shook himself and returned his attention to her. “As long as Aang feels guilty about the war—as long as he feels like it’s his responsibility—we can’t force him to change his mind. All we can do is be there for him and support him. He’ll come to his senses on his own. He’s a smart kid.”

Katara sighed. “Fine. I don’t like it though.”

“Me neither.”

“And Sokka is being stupid with his glow it up talk.”

“I agree.”

Katara turned and started walking back towards their rooms with Kallik beside her. She paused again and looked up at him.

“Are you okay?” she asked. Kallik raised an eyebrow, clearly perplexed at her question.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because of your nightmares, Kallik.” Kallik’s face fell but she pressed on. “I overheard that part, too.”

“It’s fine—”

“It’s not fine!” Katara said, stamping her foot. Kallik pinched the bridge of his nose and she softened her approach. “I’m sorry. I just—I worry about you. You haven’t had dreams about Aunt Kyra for a long time—”

“And I’ve been having them a lot lately, I know,” Kallik said, dejectedly. He stared at her and Katara straightened under the weight of his gaze. It was a similar look to the one he gave her when he talked about his capture aboard the princes’ ship. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell Sokka?”

“Of course,” Katara said, easily. She kept lots of secrets from her brother.

“I’m serious, Katara,” Kallik said, bluntly. “I—I don’t know what he’d say about it, and I really don’t want to have to hit him if he says something stupid.” Katara grabbed his hands and nodded seriously. Kallik’s shoulders sagged, and he looked very sad all of a sudden. Sad and nervous.

“I—” he cut himself off and swallowed before pressing on. “I think she’s trying to tell me something.”

“What?” Katara asked, taken aback.

“In all of these nightmares, she looks at me. She looks at me and her mouth is moving, but I can’t hear her.” He pulled out of Katara’s hold and rubbed the back of his head with his hand. “It’s like there’s some kind of barrier, or something.”

“Kallik,” Katara said, softly, “if she’s trying to tell you something, she’ll find a way. Auntie Kyra always found a way, especially when it came to you. She loved you. She loved you too much to ever let anything stop her from doing what was best for you.” Kallik blinked a few times and took a slow breath before nodding.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “Yeah—but… isn’t that crazy? Like… it’s just a dream,” he chuckled. Katara frowned thoughtfully.

“Maybe,” she allowed. “You’re Spirit-touched, though. Weird spirit things seem to follow you around.” He rolled his eyes.

“Gee thanks, Katara,” he replied, sarcastically. “That makes me feel so much better!”

She laughed and bumped his shoulder with hers.

“I suppose we should get back before they worry.” Kallik agreed and they picked up the pace back to their rooms. She hoped that Aang would come to his senses sooner rather than later. For now, she would just wait and see what tomorrow would bring.

“What beautiful mementos I’ve found to remind us of our time here,” Iroh said as he dropped his newly acquired seashells on the table after they entered the darkened hut.

“Father,” Lu Ten said, pinching the bridge of his nose, “they’re shells. They’re the litter of gulls and other beach predators.”

“You always had an interesting way of looking at the world, cousin.”

Lu Ten created fire in his fist, gaping at the person sitting at the table. Azula smiled, making a small flame of her own and lighting the candles. Lu Ten frowned, wondering what on earth his cousin was doing here. He never knew his footing with the girl. Ozai constantly preached about the wonders of her bending, but Ursa painted a picture of a strong, sweet girl. She was hard around the edges, but kind when it mattered. Lu Ten was much older than her, and he and his father rarely interacted with her outside of festivals or family gatherings. He tensed, nervously. After everything that happened, seeing Ozai’s daughter couldn’t mean anything good.

“I suppose this is better than talking in the dark,” she said, leaning back in her chair. Lu Ten waited, impatient for what was to come. Maybe she was here to finish what Zhao started.

“My niece,” his father said, tucking his hands into his sleeves, “to what do we owe this pleasure?”

“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” she replied. “I’m not sure if—” she bit her lip and looked away, frowning suddenly. “I’m not sure if you’ve heard. Grandfather—passed.” Lu Ten felt his eyes narrow. What was she playing at? Did she not realize what they knew?

“Father’s been trying to manage, but—well.” She looked up, gazing at his father very seriously. “Uncle, you’re meant to be home. My father has been governing in your absence. After we heard about the devastation at the North Pole, I feared the worst had come to pass. But then, news reached us that you both made it to safety. You must come home and reclaim your throne!”

“My brother sent you?” Iroh asked, arching his eyebrow.

“No Uncle,” Azula replied. “I did obtain his permission to come, but it was my idea to inform you and bring you back.”

“I wonder, how did my father pass away?”

Azula looked down and clenched her hands, closing her eyes tightly. Lu Ten felt the tension he was carrying lessen. He knew their grandfather had a fondness for his only girl grandchild. He remembered every spring, he would buy her a paper dragon, much to her delight. Maybe she really had come to tell them the state of their home and to bring them back.

“He was in his chambers,” she said. “The servants found him collapsed in his chair. The doctors think his heart just… stopped.” She sighed. “I know he was quite elderly, but it was still very unexpected.”

“Indeed,” his father replied.

“So, will you come with me now?” she asked, standing up. “We really shouldn’t waste time. You know how temperamental Father can be. It would be best for everyone if we get you back where you belong as soon as possible.”

“I also know that Admiral Zhao—a favored friend of his—seems to have believed that Ozai wanted to be crowned the next Fire Lord,” Iroh said, coldly. Lu Ten straightened up and nodded.

“Zhao’s commander seemed to think so, too,” he added. “In fact, everyone on the ship seemed to think that Uncle Ozai should be Fire Lord, and wanted to get us out of the way.” He watched her face very carefully. Her eyebrows drew down and her painted lips parted, then she shook her head.

“What?” she spluttered. “What are you—what?” She tilted her head, her entire face full of pained confusion. “That’s preposterous! I know Admiral Zhao was a little—eccentric—especially with some of his ideas, but he couldn’t have thought that—You are meant to be the Fire Lord, Uncle. It’s your birthright.”

“And your father thinks so, too?” Iroh asked, leaning back. Azula huffed and looked away.

“I won’t pretend that my father isn’t ambitious, and that he wouldn’t try to take advantage of an unruly state. But that’s precisely why you’re needed back home!” she said, beseechingly.

“Forgive me if I’m hesitant to believe you, Azula,” his father replied. Azula bit her lip and nodded.

“Of—of course, Uncle,” she said, bowing respectfully. “I have a ship at the docks. I’ll wait as long as you need me to, to decide if you will come home or… or stay away. But please, whatever your decision is, will you inform me?” She offered a small smile. “If you decide to abdicate—if you both decide to abdicate, I would like to say goodbye before we part ways.”

His father nodded and stepped aside so she could leave the hut. She bowed again before departing, making her way down the cliffside and back to the docks.

“What do you think?” Lu Ten asked after she disappeared from sight. “Was she telling the truth?”

Iroh hummed and stroked his beard in thought.

“I’m not sure,” he replied, “but there’s only one way to find out.”

Kallik stared at the candles in front of him, breathing in and out, watching them flicker with his breaths while not really seeing anything at all. His heartbeat was steady, and the flutter he felt inside his chest matched the pulsing of the flames in front of him. Everything moved together. Everything was in balance.

“Argh!”

Kallik blinked, slowly coming back to himself at the sound of the distant yell. He turned his head to see Aang flopping face first onto his bed.

“Aang?”

His friend mumbled something into his pillow. Kallik waved his hand, putting out the candles, then walked over to the bed. The boy was half sprawled across it, and Kallik sat down next to him and poked him in the ribs. Aang pulled his head up, glowering.

“I said I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, falling back into his pillow.

“Okay,” Kallik said, frowning. They sat together in silence for a minute before Aang groaned again and sat up.

“It’s Katara,” he mumbled, drawing his knees to his chest. Kallik felt his eyebrows raise. He wasn’t sure he wanted to give Aang girl advice, especially when the girl he was interested in was Kallik’s cousin.

“Oh,” Kallik said. “Well. Yeah. She’s… she’s Katara,” he said, grimacing at his words.

“She talked to me, after everything Fong tried to make me enter the Avatar state.” Kallik snorted, shaking his head at the memory of Sokka struggling to get Momo out of his shirt. That was funny. He missed the tea since he was sparring with the soldiers at the time, but heard Aang was practically a whirlwind. Sokka told Kallik he managed to snag some for some of their earlier mornings, in case they needed it.

The mud was just irritating.

“Yeah?” he asked, hoping Aang would continue. Aang rolled his eyes and uncurled, sitting normally again.

“She said that it’s scary for my loved ones to see me like that. In the Avatar state, I mean,” he muttered. “It’s part of me, though. I can’t help it.”

Kallik hummed thoughtfully. “You know, Kanna used to tell us stories about the Avatar. That’s how we knew it was your Avatar Spirit, the first time you got like that.”

“Really?” Aang asked.

“Yeah,” Kallik replied. “The thing is, Kanna never said it was supposed to be like that. When she told stories of the Avatar going into the Avatar State, it was on purpose.”

“Like I’m doing now,” Aang said, nodding. Kallik shook his head.

“No,” he said. “It wasn’t—it wasn’t like they forced themselves to feel deep anger or pain. It was just part of who they were. When they needed the power, they could summon it.”

“Oh,” Aang said, quietly. “Then why can’t I?” he asked. “What am I doing wrong?”

“I think you probably need to find a master,” Kallik said. “A spiritual master, like a shaman, or guru. The Avatar represents balance. It makes sense you would have to balance something inside before you could summon that power at will.”

“Do you think she’s right? Am I too scary when I’m like that?” Aang asked, insecurely.

“I doubt that’s what Katara said,” Kallik said, shaking his head.

“She did, though,” Aang pouted. “She said she wouldn’t come tomorrow because it’s hard to see me go into the Avatar state. She said it must be too painful, or something.”

Kallik chuckled. Aang looked up, eyes wide and confused. “Aang, it does hurt us. But not the way you think.” Aang’s brows furrowed. “It’s scary, but what’s scary is what it does to you. You’re the one in pain. You’re the one suffering, and the magnitude of what you feel must be so immense that you can’t handle it on your own, and that’s why the Avatar state comes forth without you telling it to. It’s trying to protect you. None of us want you to feel that kind of hurt.”

“But I have to end the war,” Aang said, voice small. “I have to stop the Fire Nation.”

“No one ever said you had to do it by yourself,” Kallik reminded him. “And no one said this is the only way to do it.”

“I guess,” Aang sighed. Kallik rubbed the fuzz on top of his head before standing up and going to his own bed.

“Kallik?”

Kallik hummed in response as he pulled back his covers.

“Thanks.”

He lifted his head and looked at Aang, glad to see him smiling a little.

“Anytime.”

“Are you sure about this, Father?”

Iroh sighed as he adjusted the bag slung over his shoulder. The sun was now glowing brightly over the horizon. They had decided to get an early start this morning.

“Am I sure we should approach Azula?” he asked, as if seeking clarification. Lu Ten nodded.

“No.”

“Then why are we going to meet her? For all we know, this could be some kind of trap!” There was a certain truth to Lu Ten’s words. When Azula spoke of his father’s passing, Iroh himself was swayed by the emotion displayed on her face. He knew that she was fond of Azulon, and often found them playing Pai Sho when he was home and she was done with her lessons. Azulon also had a tendency to buy her paper dragons from the festivals, which was not something Iroh even knew the girl had an interest in. He always thought she had more of a penchant for dolls.

“It could be,” Iroh allowed. His son huffed in frustration as they started down the rocky path towards the docks. “However, it really could be a well-meaning message from my niece and your cousin.”

Besides, he thought, even if a coup were starting to take place, there was no way the roots were deep enough every soldier to be on Ozai’s side.  It was far more likely that Azula’s version of events—Ozai taking advantage of an absent prince and the death of their father—had happened.

“I don’t think we should trust her,” Lu Ten said. It was not the first time he mentioned it. They talked about the subject long into the night before deciding they would meet with Azula and make their final decision at the docks. “Why do you?”

“I’m not sure,” Iroh said, honestly, “but your grandfather favored her, and it would be an insult to his memory if we didn’t give her a chance.” Azulon freely loved his granddaughter, and that admiration was as consistent as the sun. He praised her prowess as a bender, and sipped tea with her at her ‘fancy parties,’ she had with her mother. He bought her paper dragons and commissioned toy swords. Iroh’s father did not often see the best in people, but he saw something in Azula that Iroh never had the chance to observe.

Perhaps he was wrong. Perhaps his father admired her cunning, or her mastery over her anger and other emotions (something her father had never managed his whole life). Perhaps where Iroh saw a little girl, the youngest child of his brother, Azulon saw a strong fighter and natural leader who would stop at nothing to achieve her ends. Regardless, they would never know unless they went to her to hear her terms.

Lu Ten sighed and led the way, saying nothing more on the subject. Iroh figured it was for the best that this conversation had stopped. Soon they would be near prying ears and wandering eyes. It was better to act amicable, at least for now.

Aang sighed as he stood before General Fong, who was frowning thoughtfully at him. After his talk with Kallik, he had another nightmare about binding his spirit with La. He remembered how the ships sank, that time, and saw the faces of Fire Nation soldiers panicking as they jumped into the icy waters below. He woke up so violently that Sokka was roused. Kallik and Katara were both still asleep, so Aang asked Sokka what he thought and confessed his feelings that doing things this way—trying to force the Avatar state—didn’t feel right.

“You’re the Avatar. Who knows better than you?”

It didn’t make the disappointment radiating off Fong feel any less terrible. He hated that he couldn’t help the way the man wanted. There was nothing for it, though.

“Sure I can’t change your mind?” Fong asked, staring down at him from the platform above. Aang glanced to the side to see Kallik and Sokka nodding encouragingly at him.

“I’m sure,” Aang said. “I can only reach the Avatar state when I’m in genuine danger.”

“I see,” Fong said, tone soft and regretful. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

Suddenly, the platform shot forward so quickly, Aang couldn’t even dodge. He let his body go limp just before impact, then let the platform shove him back through the open window behind him. He heard Sokka screaming as his body hit air. Just before he hit the ground, he caught himself in the air currents, righting himself so he wouldn’t get hurt. He barely dodged out of the way of the table that fell after him.

“Men!” Aang looked up to see Fong glaring down at him, a maniacal look in his eye, “Attack the Avatar!”

What? Fong jumped down and had the earth meet him part way, sending out a ripple of rocks rising up and down from the ground as he landed.

“What are you doing?” Aang exclaimed, taking a step away from the madman.

“I believe we are about to get results,” Fong said, gesturing to the sides. Aang was surrounded by soldiers on all sides. There were terrible odds against him. Rings were pulled from the ground and hurled at Aang, which he dodged and danced around.

“I’m not your enemy!” he shouted. “I won’t fight you!” Aang darted around the arena, using his air scooter to give him speed and send him up the wall. He thought if he could make it over, the others would stop. Two soldiers with spears mounted on ostrich-horses obstructed his path, sending him back to the ground. Then, he was caught in the center of a ring that was summoned from the ground, and pulled towards General Fong.

“You can’t run forever!” The general growled at him.

“You can’t fight forever!” he shouted back, leaping out of the ring and trying to get to safety.

Aang was starting to doubt if his statement was true, as he continued dodging the endless rocks thrown his way. All of them where just a hair away from smushing him like a bug. They would roll in front and slam behind, and the whole time Aang felt his heart beating faster and faster as he tried to avoid them.

Then, as he was running away from a soldier on an ostrich-horse, he saw Sokka’s boomerang fly overhead. When he turned, he spotted Katara throwing her water whip at some of the guards as Sokka mounted the ostrich-horse that chased Aang down. Kallik appeared, throwing flames with his fans and making the soldiers keep a wide berth. Aang felt a sense of relief wash over him. His friends were there and able to help him. Even Katara!

Aang ran up the steps to the entrance of the planning room. Maybe he could make a whirlwind and knock the soldiers down so they wouldn’t grab their weapons. Or maybe he could find a way to distract Fong and get him to halt the attack so they could flee. Maybe the general would follow him to the higher ground, where Aang would have a better advantage with air power.

Fong didn’t follow Aang, though. He stood his ground and smirked up at him, shaping his fingers like claws.

“Maybe you can avoid me,” he said. All the rings that were waiting to be launched had turned, trapping Katara on the other end of the arena, “but she can’t.” Katara tried to hit him with her water, but he caught it with dirt and pulled it to the ground. Then, she screamed as her feet sunk under the stone beneath them.

“No!” Sokka shouted. He ran forward, but Fong moved the earth so the ostrich horse stumbled, flinging Sokka into the center of one of the rings. He struggled but couldn’t free himself.

“I can’t move!” she shouted as she was pulled further into the ground. Aang leapt down and ran towards Fong, throwing a blast of air towards him.

“Don’t hurt her!” he shouted, as Fong pulled up a rock barrier so he would not be knocked down by the wind.

Kallik ran past Aang, fist full of fire. As the barrier came down, he punched out, releasing the flame. Fong’s eyes widened and he dodged, then brought up a thin column of rock from the ground. It struck Kallik on the side of his jaw, making the boy’s head whip so fast that Aang felt slightly sick. Then, he fell to the ground in front of him. Aang stared at him for a moment, eyes wide. Kallik didn’t even twitch.

Oh no.

“Kallik!” Katara shouted. “Let me go! He needs help!” she screamed.

“How could you?” Sokka cried.

Aang felt very, very small as he looked at the unmoving body of his friend. His heart twisted up in his chest, and his vision tunneled, going grey at the edges.

Then, it came.

The sound of a thousand voices, all clamoring to be heard, to do something, to help. Pain—a mixture of grief and rage—swelled up within him. In front of him, staring back with wide wonderous eyes, was General Fong.

He would pay for laying a finger on any of Aang’s friends.

Chapter Text

Azula smirked as she saw two figures approach the dock. They were too far away to make out their features, but Azula could tell it was her uncle and cousin. She schooled her expression, softening her face. Once they reached the soldiers lined up on either side of the dock, she ran down the ramp.

“Uncle!” she shouted, smiling. “Lu Ten!” she halted in front of them, bowing respectfully. Both bowed back. Lu Ten looked suspicious, but Iroh greeted her jovially. She kept her disappointment hidden. At least one of them believed her lie. If she had the ability, she would pull Zhao from the grave just to throttle him.

What kind of idiot tells someone plans for a coup?

Well, Azula never liked the filth that hung around her father’s robes, begging for attention. He may have been wise to favor them, as it got him where he was now, but Iroh still had a lot of support in the Fire Nation. She had to be cautious. At least the men with her were too frightened to disobey. She noticed the captain shuffling nervously beside her and felt a spike of alarm. He had been acting very oddly around her, and she wondered who his loyalty was with. She stuffed her worry down. He knew the consequences of betraying her. A watery death was not a pleasant one.

“My niece,” her uncle said, in that low, gravelly voice of his, “thank you for waiting for us.”

“Have you decided to join me?” she asked, letting her eyes go wide and hopeful. Inside she was gagging. She felt like one of those stupid maidens from her mother’s plays. The ones who couldn’t do anything for themselves.

Iroh sighed. “Azula, I would like nothing more,” Iroh said, gently. “But—”

“But we’re not convinced of your intent,” Lu Ten interrupted, bluntly. Iroh arched an eyebrow at him and Lu Ten huffed. Azula pouted a little before shaking herself back into a more stoic expression. Let them think you’re insecure. Let them believe you are as naïve as your age and gender implies. It’s better bait for the trap.

“I’m—I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, looking at the ground. “Then—you’ve decided to abdicate?” She could hope. While she would capture the princes as ordered (and kill them if necessary), she really didn’t like the idea. If she could convince them to simply give up their claim on the throne, she could leave them here. She already had a story prepared for her father about why it would be better to leave them alive. Besides, her mother would prefer it if she avoided violence against her family.

Her Uncle tried to be kind to her over the years, even if he was full of long-winded anecdotes and thought she only liked dolls. Although Lu Ten didn’t know her that well, being so much older, he still spoiled her on occasion. He even brought her a knife from the Earth Kingdom with the inscription, “never give up without a fight.” It pressed against her ankle, reminding her of exactly who she was trying to trap. She tucked the annoying flicker of guilt away. It had no place, here.

“I didn’t say that,” Iroh said, shaking his head.

“And even if he did, I didn’t,” Lu Ten added. Azula nodded.

“Forgive the bluntness of my question, but why are you here, if not to come home, or say goodbye?” she asked, tilting her head curiously. Iroh and Lu Ten glanced at each other before Iroh spoke.

“We thought it would be best to discuss this with you further,” Iroh replied. Azula smiled brightly and nodded.

“Would you like to come aboard? We can have breakfast on the deck, if you like,” she offered, walking back up the ramp. She paused and turned back around. “Oh,” she said, thoughtfully. “Actually, would it be better to eat here in town? I’ve never had food from the Earth Kingdom before.”

Put them at ease. Let them decide the terms. Be patient.

Lu Ten’s face softened a little at her admission. Iroh’s smile widened and he walked forward.

“That won’t be necessary, Azula,” he said. “We can discuss this further on the ship.” Azula felt a wave of triumph fill her. Capturing her uncle and cousin would be easier than she thought! She shouldn’t be surprised, though. The one thing her grandfather lamented was his eldest son’s gentle nature and ease to trust. Iroh’s kindness had led him to believe he may stop trying to enlighten the other nations and end the war when he was crowned. Her grandfather worried so much about Iroh’s reign that he would even discuss it with Azula, on occasion.

She kept those conversations to herself. Not even her mother knew of Azulon’s fears over Iroh’s potential actions.

“Shall we board as well, your highness?” the captain asked her. She arched an eyebrow and nodded.

“Of course,” she said. “There’s no need for all of you to stand here waiting.”

“You heard the princess!” the captain barked, turning and walking two steps behind Lu Ten, who had followed Iroh up the ramp. There was a strained look on his face as his eyes flicked from Azula’s face to Lu Ten’s back.

No, she thought, narrowing her eyes at him. He caught her look, then swallowed nervously and stared straight at her face.

“We are to board while she discusses terms with the prisoners!” Iroh’s eyes widened and he halted. Lu Ten stopped just behind him, glaring up at her. The captain paled, but stood his ground behind the princes.

She knew he was a traitor.

“Your highness,” he stuttered, bowing his head. Then there was no time for further talk. Iroh jumped into action, fighting three soldiers who tried to apprehend him on the ramp. Lu Ten blasted jets of fire, knocking several soldiers off the dock before he ran up to Iroh so they could stand back-to-back. Azula wasted no more time. She knew she couldn’t best her uncle and her cousin, even with a troop of soldiers behind her. Iroh was a fierce fighter, despite his detestation of war. There was a reason they called him the Dragon of the West, after all. He knew how to fight the group long enough to find an escape route. They’d be long gone before Azula would have this opportunity again.

She gathered the energies and separated them, yin in one hand and yang in the other. Chaos came to life on her fingertips as she held the energy, carefully moving through the form, holding the lightning in her hands. It was the perfect moment. Iroh was distracted, wide open in front of her. Lu Ten was too busy trying to shield his back to see what she was about to do.

Her mother would set the dolls side by side on a shelf back home. Azula wondered if she could handle their vacant expressions when she got back.

The knife was heavy in her boot.

Iroh spotted her and his eyes widened. He quickly shouted at Lu Ten, knocking the soldiers off the ramp before he stepped towards her.

Surprised by his movement, Azula let the bolt go.

It moved both quick as a flash and slow as sweet syrup, straight at her uncle’s heart. She took a step back, feeling something painful and ugly twist up in her chest.

Then, he caught it.

By some insane miracle, her uncle caught the lightning she threw before throwing it out to the sea.

In the next moment, she felt her arm painfully wrenched backwards. A fierce pain filled her after a sickening pop somewhere in her shoulder before she was flipped off the ramp. Her armor was heavy, but her legs were stronger. Azula managed to kick her way to the surface. As soon as she came up for air, two soldiers reached down and pulled her out of the water. She bit off a scream when they grabbed her bad arm. Her shoulder throbbed, and her arm hung uselessly at her side as they righted her on the docks.

Her uncle and Lu Ten had vanished.

Kallik was gone. Dead. Still as the earth he laid on. All for this. All so a puny Earth Kingdom general could bask in the true power of the World Spirit. Well, if Fong wanted the Avatar, then Aang would show him the Avatar!

He pulled the earth up from the ground, loosening Katara’s feet. He paid her no mind as she ran past him. He floated in the air, watching below as she rolled his friend over.

His eyes were closed.

Aang howled, pulling the winds in to surround them. Fong was shouting something that was lost to the powerful wave of voices pressing on his ears.

No.

Aang felt an odd sense of awareness as he left his body, watching it begin to wreak havoc against the soldiers below.

He noticed he was now straddling a dragon. He turned his head, then gaped when he saw the angry face of Avatar Roku in front of him.

“Roku!” Aang cried. “Roku, we have to go back! We have to help Kallik—”

“It’s not his time, yet,” Roku growled, “and it is very, very lucky for Fong that the boy’s body is strong. Otherwise, that lowlife wouldn’t survive me.”

“Avatar Roku?” Aang asked as they flew away.

“Family is important,” Roku replied. “There is nothing I won’t do for my family, Aang. I may be dead, but I’m not gone.”

Pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Roku seemed to know an alarming amount about Kallik, whenever Aang brought him up in conversation. Wasn’t his predecessor always asking him to say hello to his great-grandson, as if Aang knew him?

“Wait, is Kallik the one you—”

“It’s time you learned,” Roku interrupted briskly. Fang—Roku’s dragon—took them far away from the arena.

“But what about Kallik?” Aang asked. “Is he—”

“He’ll be fine. It is better that you and I are not present. We are both too invested in his wellbeing. The others will make our point clearly enough.” Aang furrowed his brow.

“The others?”

“Our past lives,” Roku continued. “One of them will hold your body while I teach you this important lesson. It is one you should have learned much sooner than now.”

“Who will be in charge of my body?” Aang asked, alarmed.

“Most likely Yangchen,” Roku replied. “She, like you, abhors violence. She won’t needlessly slay those men. I imagine she’ll only frighten them a little.”

“But—”

“Aang, I have very little time, and this is something you must know!” Roku barked. Aang closed his mouth and nodded.

“The Avatar State is a defense mechanism designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars,” Roku said. They flew high into the clouds, and Aang saw several bodies floating amongst them. As they passed his previous incarnations, he found himself remembering things that never happened. He remembered the weight of metal fans in his hands as he pulled up stone statues far too massive to lift with such ease.

“The glow is the combination of your past lives focusing their energy through your body.” He tasted salt and felt the spray of water against his face as he created a massive wave, strong enough to propel him miles in seconds.

“In the Avatar State you are at your most powerful,” he felt the cool breeze of air flying from his fingertips as he summoned a massive windstorm, strong enough to break trees. He even remembered the feeling of twisting molten earth, summoning the heat that grew deep underground and pulling it to the surface, “but you are also at your most vulnerable.”

“What do you mean?” Aang asked, coming back to himself. Fang disappeared beneath him and Aang found himself at the end of a long row of people. All turned and faced him with bright glowing eyes.

“If you are killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken,” Roku said, as all the bodies behind him faded away like dust carried away by the wind. “The Avatar will cease to exist.”

“So—so this really was a bad plan,” Aang whispered. Fang appeared again, and Roku guided the dragon back to Aang’s body.

“It is not your fault you could not learn,” Roku said, solemnly. “It is mine for forgetting to teach you.”

“Roku,” Aang said, quietly, ready to soothe any worries his predecessor had over the way he taught Aang. Roku lifted his hand and pointed at the ground below, stopping him from speaking further. Just before Aang entered his own body, he saw Kallik moving his head beneath Katara’s water-wreathed hands.

“Aang, do tell my great-grandson not to worry me so,” Roku said, a sad smile on his face. “He frightens me to death sometimes, and it is quite unbecoming for a man to die twice.”

“Do you think we’ve run far enough?” Lu Ten panted, stooped over with his hands on his knees. His hip and leg throbbed.

“I think we can spare a moment to rest,” his father replied. They both caught their breath, and Lu Ten limped over to a fallen log beside the river and sat upon it.

“They called us prisoners,” Lu Ten said, quietly. “Father, does that mean—what have we done to merit such treatment? To be hauled back to our country as fugitives by our own family?”

His father frowned and sat beside him, patting his good leg. “Son, I have shielded you from this, but your uncle is a very cunning man. I’ve been hearing rumors for years about how I may not be fit for the throne.” He gave Lu Ten a crooked smile. “When I lost the siege at Ba Sing Se—when I nearly lost you—others took notice.”

“Surely that was forgivable,” Lu Ten spluttered. “I—I almost died, Father.”

“Yes,” Iroh nodded, “but when we thought Zuko died as a babe, Ozai stayed strong throughout it all. He kept his grief private so the nation, or rather the nobles, could look to someone who would not fall prey to his own suffering.” His father shook his head. “To show so much pain is to show weakness. For a brief time, many people in power thought I was weak to show such devastation over your condition.”

Lu Ten scowled. “That’s ridiculous,” he said. “You’re the strongest man I know. You’re a far better bender that Ozai, and you actually have been to battle and seen war. How could you be considered weak in comparison?”

“Be careful of serpents in the grass,” his father said, “for they will strike when you least expect it.” Lu Ten frowned and shook his head, and his father chuckled ruefully. “I always wondered about my brother’s temperament and will. Even as a child, he had a certain envy of me. Where I saw responsibility, he saw power. I always thought that the envy was just a fleeting thought. I was blinded by my loyalty to my family. I never saw—I never could see how far my brother might go.”

“But I didn’t start to see his treachery until we met Zu—Kallik. When that boy told us that Agni himself said his own father couldn’t love him, I began to doubt.” Lu Ten pondered his father’s words.

“He started the rumors, didn’t he?” he asked, softly. His father hummed in agreement. “Then… then he would know exactly what to say to prevent us from obtaining safe passage home. He probably even thought we wouldn’t believe Azula.”

“Most likely,” Iroh agreed. “He either anticipated we would stay far away, which would give weight to his claim that I’m not suitable as crown prince, or he thought we would be struck down by her.”

“Azula is fourteen,” Lu Ten spluttered. “She may be a prodigy, but we have years of experience!”

“Yes,” Iroh said, “but I do not know that I have the stomach to kill a child, especially one that shares our blood.” Lu Ten felt both eyebrows raise high on his face.

“He knew we wouldn’t attack her seriously, and she’s too good not to take advantage of that,” Lu Ten said. His father nodded. “What do we do now?”

“The world is out of balance,” Iroh said, quietly. “It is time we rectify that.”

“What do you mean?” His father untied his topknot and tucked the ribbon into his pocket.

“Did you read the letter I gave you, before it was lost?” he asked. Lu Ten shook his head. He was very disappointed to find the letter had slipped from his pocket sometime during their escape at the North Pole.

Iroh smiled. “That’s alright. There is much I need to discuss with you, starting with my role as a grandmaster within the White Lotus.”

“What’s the White Lotus?” Lu Ten asked, curiously.

“We can discuss it on the way,” his father replied as he stood up. He offered a hand to Lu Ten, who accepted the help to his feet. He rubbed his leg ruefully and shook his head at his father’s worried face. As they began walking beside the river, Lu Ten pulled his hair free as well, and hid the ribbon in his pocket.

It was better to blend in. It seemed like they would be in the Earth Kingdom for a while now, and he’d rather avoid being recognized as a Fire Nation prince, if possible. Soon, they would be able to change into the green garments Sho and Yuzu gifted to them. It would help them blend in better.

It looked like they would be acting as refugees for a while.

“Come on,” Sokka said desperately, looking between Aang flying high in the sky and Kallik laying still on the ground. The winds calmed and Aang floated to the ground. Sokka sighed in relief as the glow left Aang’s body. The boy groaned and started to fall forward, but Sokka caught him.

“Thank goodness,” Sokka muttered. Aang bit his lip and stumbled forward. Sokka looped his arm over his shoulder, half carrying the boy to where Katara worked. Aang lifted his head and looked around, eyes wide at the mess that surrounded them. The stone walls were cracked. All the little stone buildings were severely damaged, and the once smooth ground was now broken under their feet. Finally, Aang’s eyes landed on Katara and Kallik.

“Sokka?” Aang asked. “Sokka, is Kallik—is he—”

“He’s going to be fine,” Katara answered for him, firmly. A low groan could be heard near her. Sokka let go of Aang as soon as he was steady on his feet and stumbled forward, kneeling beside his best friend.

“Kallik,” Sokka said, tapping the older boy’s face. Kallik groaned again and opened his eyes blearily, squinting at the bright light overhead.

“S’ka?” Kallik mumbled, trying to sit up. He groaned again and pressed his hand to his forehead, relaxing against the ground.

“I still have more to heal,” Katara said, bluntly. “You’re gonna be sick if you try to move right now, if this is anything like the time Sokka got knocked in the head by his own boomerang. Lie still for a few minutes while I rest.” She looked up and snapped at two very frightened guards standing nearby. “You two! I need fresh water, both for healing and drinking. Now!” the guards didn’t even look to Fong for permission, both darting off towards the building behind them. Katara examined Aang closely, frowning at him.

“I’m sorry, Katara,” Aang said, sadly. Katara pulled him into a hug and patted his back soothingly.

“He’ll be alright, Aang,” Katara said, releasing him. “Are you okay?”

Sokka paid them little mind as Kallik came back into awareness. The side of his face that was struck was swelling. Sokka winced. There was going to be a terrible bruise there until Katara healed it. Considering she was focusing on Kallik’s head, he figured they’d just have to worry about his jaw another time. Kallik groaned again and Sokka gripped his shoulder.

“Hey buddy,” he said, quietly. Kallik blinked again, turning his head so he could look at Sokka.

“Sokka,” he mumbled, “what happened?”

“You got knocked with a rock is what happened,” Sokka said, flatly. Kallik furrowed his brow. “Let’s worry about it later, okay?”

“Are you joking?” Fong asked, loudly, bringing Sokka’s attention back to the others. Katara was glaring angrily up at the general, and Aang frowned hard at him. “That was almost perfect!” Sokka growled. That bastard nearly killed his cousin, all to make Aang glow it up long enough to destroy half their base. How could any of that be considered perfect?

I should knock him in the head and see how he likes it, he thought viciously, glowering at the huge grin the general wore.

“We just have to figure out how to control you when you’re like that!” Fong continued, chuckling to himself. Sokka pulled his boomerang from his belt, completely unobserved by the earthbender. Fong focused on Aang and Katara, and Sokka aimed carefully before letting the weapon fly from his hand.

“You’re out of your mind,” Aang said, shaking his head.

“We can figure things out on the way to the Fire Nation,” Fong mumbled. Boomerang struck true, bouncing off the back of Fong’s head and back into Sokka’s hand. The man fell like a sack of rocks. Sokka glared up at the soldiers surrounding them.

“Anyone have a problem with that?” he growled. The others shook their heads as the two guards Katara sent on a quest for water returned. Katara sighed and got back to work, wrapping Kallik’s head with fresh water.

“Why am I wet?” Kallik asked, dumbly. Katara shushed him.

“Can I help?” Sokka asked.

“We need to get out of here,” Katara murmured. “Once I get Kallik on his feet, we should go. Concussions are tricky, and I’d rather be as far away from this madman as possible while he’s on the mend.”

“Master Katara,” one of the soldiers said, bowing. She raised an eyebrow but did not look away from her work. “If you’ll permit us, we can load the saddle and ready the sky bison.”

“And why should I trust you?” she hissed. Kallik winced and tilted his head away. Katara shushed him.

“You don’t have to,” he replied, earnestly. “I just thought you would feel more comfortable with your companions nearby, instead of splitting up to ready for your journey.”

“Hey, Bao,” Kallik mumbled as the soldier came into his line of sight. “Who laid me out? I thought we said no headshots during sparring.” Bao’s frown deepened.

“And this is why,” he said, clearing his throat. “Lots of nasty things can happen. Don’t worry, he’s being reprimanded.”

“Oh, you should go easy,” Kallik muttered, eyes blinking shut. “Accidents happen.” Sokka snorted and shook his head. Kallik peered up at him.

“What’s funny?”

“You,” he replied, honestly. He looked at his sister and raised an eyebrow, shrugging.

“I’d rather stay here with you and watch your back,” he said. “If they don’t pack everything, well… they’re just things. We’ll make sure the important stuff comes with us.”

“I can go make sure they actually get all our stuff,” Aang said. Sokka shook his head.

“No way, Aang. A member of our family is hurt. If it’s not necessary to leave family’s side when they’re hurt or sick, you don’t.”

Katara sighed and nodded. Sokka waved the soldier off, settling back on his heels as Katara attended to Kallik’s headwound once more. Aang straightened up and spun around, holding his staff in front of him as if to protect them from any soldiers who got funny ideas.

Sokka smiled as Katara asked Kallik about how he was feeling, listening as she assessed his injury. He felt a sense of relief wash over him as Kallik became more aware. After everything that happened, Sokka didn’t know what he would do if Kallik—if one of the others—

He shook himself. The thought didn’t bear thinking, and even though Sokka was a skeptic, he knew better than to put something like that out into the universe. On the off chance a nasty spirit was listening in, Sokka kept his worries locked tightly away. Everything was going to be fine.

Yuzu twisted his hands together nervously as his husband set the table with shaking hands.

“Sho, what if—what if she knows we’re the ones who helped them?” he asked, peering out the window. The princess’s speech earlier that day was terrifying. Even though the girl had her arm in a sling, she still seemed like a force to be reckoned with.

It didn’t help that there were rumors about one of her men who sided with the princes was dropped into the sea with heavy stones tied to his boots.

“She doesn’t,” Sho replied, pouring drinks into their mugs to serve with dinner.

“But—”

“Yuzu,” Sho said, softly. Yuzu clamped his mouth shut and walked over to Sho, who held open his arms. Yuzu all but collapsed into him, tucking his face against his shoulder.

“I don’t want to die, Sho,” he whispered. “I don’t want the princess to think we betrayed our nation.”

“If she comes for us, we’ll tell her the truth,” Sho said, quietly, rubbing his hand in a soothing circle on Yuzu’s back. “No one in the colonies knew Prince Iroh and Prince Lu Ten betrayed the Fire Nation at the invasion of the North Pole. They certainly didn’t tell us.”

“Do you truly believe they betrayed our nation?” Yuzu asked. Sho sighed, releasing him so he could put their food on the table.

“I—I don’t know what to believe,” he admitted. “I liked them very much. They were much kinder than I expected.” Yuzu nodded. Iroh and Lu Ten were incredibly respectful, and were grateful for everything Sho and Yuzu did to help them recover. Prince Iroh even made each of them a necklace from the shells he found on the beach, as a thank you.

“I just don’t understand how quickly this happened,” Yuzu whispered. “I hadn’t even heard Fire Lord Azulon had passed. How long ago could it have been?”

“The princess said it was only a few weeks ago,” Sho said.

“What if she’s lying?” Yuzu asked. A sudden knock at the door startled him. He pressed a hand against his heart as Sho went to answer the door. His husband stood stock-still after he opened it.

“Sho?” he asked. “Who is it?”

Sho took a careful step back and knelt on the ground. Yuzu’s eyes widened when their guest crossed the threshold before he took the same position, bowing in respect.

Princess Azula’s eyes were sharp and cold, like a knife.

“I’m looking for information,” she said. Yuzu could hear the smirk in her voice. “I understand that you are the ones who harbored my uncle and cousin?”

Neither of them spoke. Yuzu held his breath, unsure of what to say. He had never been so terrified in his life. The princess nudged his hand with her boot, making him look up. She stared down at him intensely, gold eyes narrowing as her smirk grew bigger.

“I think we should have a little chat.”

Kallik frowned as he looked at Aang, wrapped in sleeping furs with his head on a bedroll. The sun was setting, so they would need to find a place for Appa to land so they could all rest for the night. Aang sighed at Kallik’s expression, already aware of what his friend was going to ask. What had started out as a funny conversation was starting to get tedious.

“So… Roku is my grandfather?”

“Great-grandfather, and yeah, I think so,” Aang said, dully, for the thousandth time.

“But—he’s not related to my dad or mom, so how could he be my grandfather?”

“Because a Spirit swapped Bato with a Fire Nation baby when he was born, and to trick everyone the Spirit made him look like he was from the Water Tribes,” Sokka said, sharpening his boomerang. Aang lifted his head and gaped at Sokka, who smirked and winked at him. Kallik turned to look at Sokka.

“What?” he asked, eyes wide. “Really?”

“No!” Katara shouted. “Sokka, go take the reins. Leave my patient alone.” Sokka snickered and moved up front, making sure Appa was still flying the right course. Aang giggled.

“Wait, I’m really confused,” Kallik said, sounding distraught. Katara patted his hand.

“Sokka’s a jerk,” she said, soothingly. Kallik hummed in agreement. He looked back at Aang.

“So… Roku’s my grandfather?” he asked. Aang groaned and fell back.

“This was supposed to be a great joke,” he muttered. “This was supposed to be a delightful fact I could tease you with. Roku’s your great-grandfather, so that means since Roku is me, I’m your great-grandfather. I was gonna tell you to listen to me and mind, you young whippersnapper. That’s how this was supposed to go.”

“Aang, stop pouting,” Katara said, hushing him. Kallik’s eyes started to close. Katara tapped his chin, making him glare at her, blearily.

“Katara, I’m tired,” he whined. Aang sat back up, both eyebrows raised. Kallik literally just whined like a little kid. He wasn’t sure if he should be amused or worried.

“I know,” Katara said, gently, “but I just woke you up. I need you to stay awake a little longer before you go back to sleep. We’re almost out of the danger zone, okay?”

“Fine,” Kallik mumbled, sinking into his blankets. He looked over at Aang and Aang sat up and eyed Kallik nervously. He didn’t like that look on his face. He kept getting that look on his face before….

“So… Roku’s my grandfather?”

It was going to be a long trip to Omashu.

Chapter Text

“You guys are gonna be done soon, right?” Sokka asked as he drifted by Katara and Aang on the giant leaf he found. The Earth Kingdom had all kinds of crazy plants. He never thought a single leaf could hold his weight. “We’ve got a lot of ground to cover if we want to make it to Omashu today.”

Katara looked up and glared at him. “What, like you’re ready to go right now, naked guy?” Sokka glanced down at himself. He was still covered decently. Maybe he was wearing a little less than Aang, but it was hot here. Kallik was wearing the same amount as him, and Katara was only wearing a little more. He scoffed. Momo chirruped a little on his stomach, then curled back up in a sleepy ball.

“I could be ready in two minutes,” he bragged. “Seriously. Whenever.”

“So, you were showing me the octopus form,” Aang interrupted. Sokka closed his eyes as he drifted away. He may as well enjoy the moment and relax a little.

He gasped when a wave of water splashed on his face, flipping him from his makeshift raft. He spluttered and glared over at Katara and Aang, who were both still training. He gasped again when cold, wet hands caught his shoulders and dunked him under the water.

“Kallik!” he spluttered when he came up for air. Kallik laughed at him, splashing then darting away. “Yeah, you better run!” he shouted, going after him. He caught up and tackled his cousin, splashing water in his face. He grinned triumphantly before Kallik caught him with his shoulder and threw him over his back into the river. It was like nothing even happened to him. If Sokka hadn’t been there and seen the hit he took, he wouldn’t have believed Kallik was ever seriously injured a few days ago. He didn’t even have a mark, once Katara took care of the bruise on his jaw.  

Sokka had Kallik in a headlock and was getting ready to flip him in retaliation when the soft sounds of singing distracted him. He released Kallik and straightened up, frowning at a group of interlopers who found their camp. They stopped singing and playing when they saw Sokka’s group.

“Hey, hey!” They’re leader said (or at least, Sokka assumed he was the leader), “River people!”

“We’re not river people,” Katara replied. The man in front of her stared, confused and Sokka studied him, unsure if he was a threat. He didn’t seem like it, all things considered. He had a stringed instrument strapped across his chest and wore loose, blue and yellow robes. He also wore a very strange hat on top of his thick dark hair. His companions also wore loose clothes and carried different kinds of instruments.

“Then what kind of people are you?” the stranger asked, perplexed.

“Just,” Aang started, searching for the right word to explain exactly who they were. Sokka understood. He couldn’t say Water Tribe, because he was an Air Nomad. There wasn’t really a specific word to describe their little group. “People,” Aang finished, shrugging a little.

“Aren’t we all, brother,” the man laughed.

“Who are you?” Sokka asked, frowning.

“I’m Chong,” he replied. “This is my wife, Lily,” he added, gesturing to the woman carrying some kind of pipe beside him. She curtsied at the introduction. “We’re nomads. Happy to go wherever the wind takes us.” He started humming and playing the strings of his instrument.

“You guys are nomads?” Aang asked. “That’s great! I’m a nomad!”

“Hey, me too!” Chong replied. Sokka looked over at Kallik, who was watching the exchange rather skeptically.

“I know,” Aang said, frowning, “you just said that.”

“Oh,” Chong said, rubbing the back of his head. He looked over at Sokka and leaned forward. “Nice underwear!” Sokka found himself stepping behind Kallik, and Kallik looked behind him as if betrayed.

“I’m not having some weirdo look at me and comment on my underwear,” Sokka hissed.

“So what, he should look at me instead?” Kallik whispered back.

“Chong,” Lily said, grabbing his elbow. Chong looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “Maybe we should sit down for a while, and rest. I think you may have enjoyed a little too much of the Si Wong Cactus Petals.”

“Oh, yeah,” he replied, setting his instrument down. “Sorry, brother,” he said, peering over Kallik’s shoulder at Sokka. “Sometimes I talk and don’t know what I’m saying. I didn’t mean like—the underwear was nice on you. I meant they look nice. Like. Comfortable. Like I should get some.”

Sokka stumbled as Kallik took a step back.

“Can we stop talking about underwear now?” he asked. He turned to look at Sokka. “I’m gonna get pants.”

“Me too!” Sokka exclaimed, as they both took off towards the bank where their stuff was.

“If you guys are resting, do you want to stay with us for a bit? We’re not taking off for a little while yet.” Sokka smacked his forehead when he heard Aang’s offer.

“Sure thing, brother! I can teach you some songs and even how to play my guitar, if you’re interested.”

“It’s gonna be a long day, isn’t it?” he asked Kallik. His friend sighed as he pulled his pants back on, nodding. Sokka groaned.

“If they start talking about underwear again, we’re out of here,” Kallik replied. “I don’t care how he means it. There are some lines you just don’t cross.”

Sokka hummed thoughtfully.

“What do you think Si Wong Cactus Petals are?”

“Lu Ten! Come quickly!”

Lu Ten dropped his makeshift trap and ran back to his father, fearful for what he might find. Iroh was crouched on the ground.

“What is it, Father,” he asked. “Are you alright?”

“Do you know what this is?” Lu Ten stumbled to a halt and peered down at the white flower his father was examining.

“The White Jade Bush?” he asked, scratching his head.

“What?” Iroh asked, laughing. “No! This is the rare White Dragon bush! These leaves will make a tea so delicious—”

“That’s the White Jade bush,” Lu Ten said, bluntly. “The White Dragon bush has leaves that are longer and more spear like. Those are more like little shovels.”

“But—”

“If you try to brew that into tea, so help me—”

“Alright,” his father sighed, standing up. “I suppose I will try to gather some berries.”

“Father,” Lu Ten said, as kindly as he could through his irritation, “perhaps you should leave the foraging to me. We could use some food we know we can eat. How about you try to catch some fish? If I remember correctly, you’ve been successful in the past catching them in the river barehanded.”

“Alright, son,” he agreed, walking towards the river. Lu Ten rubbed his stomach which growled in irritation. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been so hungry. Even eating rations during the siege was better than this! He hoped their efforts would yield something soon.

“Would you like to join me by the river?” Iroh asked. “I could use the company.”

“Very well,” Lu Ten agreed. It was as good a time as any to plan. Now that they had stopped running, certain Azula was not on their trail, they should take the time to figure out their next steps. He followed his father to the river and sat at the bank beside him, watching him as he studied the water.

“I suppose you want to know more about the White Lotus,” his father said, quietly.

“Not really,” Lu Ten replied. They sat in silence for a while after that. Lu Ten wasn’t sure how much more there was to explain. His father was part of a secret organization whose goals were to support the Avatar and end the war. If he learned about this before everything that had happened over the last couple of months, he would have been disheartened and even betrayed to know his father was working against the Fire Nation. Now though, Lu Ten wasn’t sure he knew right from wrong anymore. Not after everything he had seen.

His grandfather ordered them to capture the Avatar even after Lu Ten was certain the man knew he was only a child. It was aggravating enough that they considered him an enemy to the Fire Nation, but when Lu Ten realized how young the Avatar was, the orders were disturbing.

Lu Ten learned—just as all heirs to throne had—that the Avatar was not truly an enemy. Roku was one man who lost his way—who couldn’t see Sozin’s plan as part of the greater good. This new Avatar could be taught, if they showed the boy kindness instead of warfare. He could learn that they only wanted the Water Tribes to live in better conditions, and they wanted the Earth Nation to evolve with the same industry the Fire Nation possessed. The other nations couldn’t see that though, after the attack and decimation of the Air Nomad armies. Lu Ten frowned, thinking of the grinning face the Avatar sported. It was true that he was very young, but he was surprisingly carefree for coming from a nation devoted to military tactics.

“Father,” Lu Ten began hesitantly, disliking the question that weighed heavily on his mind, “did the Air Nomads… have an army?” He felt stupid he even had to ask. Lu Ten knew they had an army. He knew the Air Nomads had a nefarious plot involving the Avatar that Sozin had to stop. They were all taught that as children.

His father looked up at him sadly before dipping his hand into the river. He didn’t speak for several minutes, appearing to focus on the currents. He quickly pulled his hand out, gripping a large, silver fish in his hand. Lu Ten took it from him and using the knife in his belt, started to clean the fish as Iroh watched the water again.

“I have been to the Air Temples,” he said, finally. “The bones there lead me to believe that even if there were armies, the children were also targeted and suffered the same fate.”

Lu Ten swallowed and scowled at the fish in his hands. Everything he knew—everything he understood—was wrong.

“The war was never about sharing our knowledge with the world, was it?” he asked, sullenly.

“It may have been, at first,” his father said. “Sozin saw a need for our people. There were too many of us in one land, and he sought to expand into other territories to help us. The others wouldn’t work with him, so he just took what we needed. Roku… Roku never understood that we were suffering, and that he needed to help us. He could have acted as a liaison between us and the other nations. Instead, he scoffed at Sozin’s suggestion of expansion, and turned his back on us. Sozin decided to take what he needed by force. Then he just… didn’t stop.”

Lu Ten sighed heavily.

“How can we end it, then?” he asked. “What can we do to stop the war? Ozai can’t remain the Fire Lord, not if he supports plans like destroying the moon!”

“I have an idea,” Iroh said, slowly reaching his hand back into the water to catch another fish, “but I don’t think you’re going to like it. Even if you do, I don’t know if you’ll believe it’s possible.”

Lu Ten swallowed nervously. Usually he was the one with plans his father wouldn’t like. The way he said the words made Lu Ten believe that it would be difficult at best, and impossible at worst. However, with everything that happened, at this point Lu Ten was out of ideas beyond what they needed to survive. They were against the wall.

“Tell me.”

“You’re doing good. Now you move your middle finger to the next string, underneath the lower fret.” Kallik sighed as he adjusted his hand on the guitar, following Chong’s instructions. Jade—the dancing woman in the group in reds and blues, continued weaving pink flowers in his hair. Kallik tried to convince her that Appa would probably look better with them, but she and Lily were insistent that the people in their group should have some kind of flowers first. Aang was grinning on the other side of Chong, wearing his own crown of pink flowers.

“Now strum,” Chong said. Kallik moved his hand against the strings and his eyebrows raised in surprise at the sweet-sounding chord that came from his fingers. It was different from the others. Katara hummed along with the new notes as Lily tucked a yellow flower into her braid.

“That’s wonderful, Moonchild,” Jade said, combing her fingers through his hair. Kallik felt his face get hot. He didn’t really like the nickname the nomads bestowed on him when they realized what the white streak in his hair meant, but getting them to remember any of their names was like pulling teeth. “Now, you know the four chords most commonly used in songs!”

“Thanks,” he said, switching his hand back to the first position Chong showed him, then repeating each one. Earlier, after they got dressed, Sokka and Kallik tried to convince Aang and Katara it was time to move on, but the others were very taken by the nomads and their stories. Sokka had stormed off in a huff when they decided to stay for a while longer, and Kallik made the best of it. They had a hard run, so a break was good for all of them. Besides, it was kind of neat learning how to play an instrument.

“That’s excellent, brother!” Chong shouted, flopping back against Appa and strumming his own guitar. “Stick with us long enough and we can do some duets!”

“Yeah, we really don’t have time for that.” Kallik looked up at the sound of Sokka’s voice, watching him stomp toward them. He looked at Kallik’s hair then back at his face, raising an eyebrow. Kallik scowled back.

“Sokka, you should hear some of these stories!” Aang exclaimed. “These guys have been everywhere!”

“Well, not everywhere little Arrowhead,” Chong replied, “but where we haven’t been we’ve heard about through stories and songs.” Jade hummed contentedly behind Kallik, finally letting go of his hair and scooting to sit beside them.

“They said they’ll take us to see a giant nightcrawler,” Aang declared, grinning.

“On the way, there’s a waterfall that creates a never-ending rainbow,” Moku added, rolling over from his stomach to his back. His robes were the same shade of pink as the flowers in Kallik’s hair.

“While we journey, at night we can look up at the stars after eating Petals,” she added, dreamily.

“Why do you eat those things, anyway?” Kallik asked, curiously.

“Because they’re amazing,” Buhli—the other dancer dressed in purple and yellow—chimed in. “I think you’d all like it. It opens your mind.”

“Okay, no,” Sokka said, flatly. “Nope. Not gonna happen.” He folded his arms across his chest and glared at all of them. Kallik set the guitar down between him and Chong, then stood up and stretched.  

“Sokka’s right,” he said. “We should get going.”

“Finally,” Sokka muttered, “I thought you were going to be doing these stupid music lessons all day.”

“They aren’t stupid,” Kallik said, affronted.

“Name one way they’ll be useful,” Sokka argued. Kallik rolled his eyes, a little angry at Sokka’s words. He was almost always the responsible one. It wasn’t often he took a break to do something fun.

“Hey!” Katara shouted, scowling up at Sokka. “Leave Kallik alone, Sokka. Him learning how to play guitar is no stupider than you wasting time learning trick shots with your boomerang.”

“Trick shots with my boomerang could come in handy,” Sokka spluttered.

“Sure,” Katara said, rolling her eyes. “That’s why whenever we start fighting you throw it behind your back.”

“I haven’t figured it out yet, is all!”

“Guys!” Aang shouted. They stopped arguing and looked at him. “Fighting won’t resolve anything.”

“Arrowhead is right,” Lily said, finishing with Katara’s hair. “You all are exuding a lot of negative energy. You should take a breath and relax. Let peace fill you and breathe out the pain that’s causing you to fight.” Sokka smacked his forehead.

“We need to get to Omashu,” he said, flatly. Kallik’s frown softened as he felt guilt wriggle unpleasantly in his stomach. They were already delayed because of his recent injury. They had fallen behind schedule. “No sidetracks, no worms, and definitely no rainbows.”

“You’ve got a bad case of destination fever,” Chong said. “You worry too much about where you’re going.”

“You’ve gotta focus less on the where, and more on the going,” Lily added, emphatically.

“O-ma-shu,” Sokka said, slowly, glaring at all of them.

“Sokka’s right,” Katara sighed. It always pained her to admit her brother was right about anything. “We need to find King Bumi so Aang can learn earthbending somewhere safe.”

“Sounds like you’re heading to Omashu,” Chong said. Kallik stared at him, completely bemused as Sokka smacked his forehead with his hand again. “There’s an old story about a secret pass right through the mountains.”

“Is this real, or a legend?” Katara asked.

“Oh, it’s a real legend,” Chong said, seriously, “and it’s as old as earthbending itself.” He started strumming on his guitar and Jade stood to sway to the music. Moku and Lily played along on the drum and pipe. On the other side of Appa, Buhli stood up and started dancing as well, swaying the same way Jade did. Chong sang a song about two lovers who were kept apart by war, who found their way to each other through a secret tunnel that was carved beneath the mountain that separated them. When Chong finished, Kallik found himself applauding with everyone else. It was a catchy song.

“I think we’ll just stick with flying,” Sokka said. “We’ve dealt with the Fire Nation before.”

“Won’t that be dangerous?” Jade asked with wide eyes.

“We’ll be fine,” Kallik said, smiling at her.

“Yeah,” Aang agreed, standing up. “Thanks for the help, but Appa hates going underground, and we need to do whatever makes Appa most comfortable.” Aang looked at his sky bison who lowed and bowed his head.

Kallik helped Sokka get the last of their things in the saddle while Katara and Aang spoke a little more to the others.

“About time you came to your senses,” Sokka muttered. Kallik shoved him. Hard.

“Ow!” Sokka shouted. “What was that for?”

“Could you lay off me for one minute?” Kallik growled back. “Tui and La, it’s like you think the world is ending because everyone decided to take a longer break. By the way, Katara and Aang ignored me too, when I tried to back you up.”

“You could have tried harder.”

“Are you serious, right now?”

“Yes!” Sokka said, throwing his hands up. “You’re the oldest. Why didn’t you put your foot down?”

“Maybe because it’s a nice day and we’ve been going non-stop since we left home!” Kallik shouted back. “Sokka, everyone needs a little break now and then, okay? I’m sorry if you’re mad that we had to slow down because of me, but the others need an actual rest. Otherwise they wouldn’t have pushed so hard about staying!” Sokka looked like a fish out of water.

“You—you think I’m mad at you for getting hurt?”

“Well, aren’t you? You’ve been saying all day we need to get a move on. Isn’t it because we fell behind schedule because of me?” Kallik asked, angrily.

“Don’t be stupid.”

“So now I’m stupid?”

“What’s going on?”

Kallik and Sokka both snapped their mouths shut and looked away from each other at Katara’s question. She raised an eyebrow at them, clearly unamused at what she was witnessing.

“Make up, now,” she said, sternly. It was disturbing how much she sounded like Aunt Kya. Kallik ducked his head down in shame.

“I don’t think you’re stupid,” Sokka said, softly. Kallik looked up to see his cousin flushing—most likely embarrassed at being scolded by his younger sister. “I’m not mad at you at all. It’s not your fault we’re behind schedule. I just don’t—don’t like staying in one place too long, anymore. That’s all.” He rubbed his arm nervously.

“Okay,” Kallik said, a little relieved at Sokka’s admission. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry I yelled, too.”

“See?” Katara asked, smugly. “That wasn’t very hard at all, was it?”

“Whatever, Mom,” Sokka said, glaring at her.

“I don’t act like Mom!”

“You practically embodied Aunt Kya,” Kallik laughed. Katara’s indignation at being compared to her mother was priceless.

“Shut up! I did not!” she huffed, sliding back when Aang flipped himself into the saddle.

“I thought you were gonna twist my ear,” Sokka added.

“Yeah,” Kallik agreed. “I thought we were gonna be sent to wash and repair boats for a second there.”

“I am not that bad,” Katara said.

“What are you guys talking about?” Aang asked.

“How motherly Katara is,” Sokka answered, chuckling at his sister’s scowl.

“Huh?” Aang asked, scratching his head. “You both think Katara is motherly?”

“Pretty much,” Kallik shrugged. “You don’t?”

“I wouldn’t know. I never had a mother,” Aang shrugged. Kallik stared at Aang aghast. Judging by the way Aang looked between the three of them, he wasn’t the only making a face. “I’m an Air Nomad,” he reminded them. “When we’re young, the boys are raised at the southern and northern temples, and the girls are raised at the western and eastern temples. We don’t really have parents, remember?” Kallik frowned.

“I can’t imagine what that’s like,” he said. Aang shrugged again and grinned at him.

“Well, it’s just one our differences, I guess,” he said. Kallik nodded and settled into the saddle as Aang moved to take the reins.

“Goodbye Chong!” Aang exclaimed before urging Appa to take to the skies.

“Bye, not-river people!” Chong shouted back, waving as they took off.

“Think we’ll ever run into them again?” Katara asked as they flew towards the mountains. Sokka scoffed.

“No way. What are the odds?”

“So, what do you think?” Iroh asked, watching his son adjust the fish cooking by the fire. Soon they would be able to check his son’s traps to see if he caught anything they could prepare to carry with them.

Lu Ten sat back on the stump he was using as a chair, frowning hard when he looked at Iroh.

“I think you’re crazy,” he said, shaking his head. “I don’t think this will work—”

“He helped you get inside the city at the North Pole,” Iroh said.

“I know, but—”

“And they let me escape when the moon went dark,” Iroh added. “They didn’t try to fight me.”

“Father,” Lu Ten said, pinching the bridge of his nose, “those were very specific conditions. What on earth makes you think the Avatar and his friends will be willing to let us join them and help us out against Ozai? Last I checked, they were still pretty upset that we kidnapped Kallik.”

“I would hardly say kidnapped,” Iroh argued, stroking his beard.

“They would, and I would too,” Lu Ten said, scowling. He sighed and his face softened. “I just don’t see why they would agree to this.”

“Because the Avatar is about balance,” Iroh said, sagely. “The Fire Nation is what is out of balance with the rest of the world. They may not know it yet, but their mission is our mission.” Lu Ten poked the fire with a long stick. Iroh left him to his thoughts.

“I guess we don’t really have any other options,” he finally admitted. Iroh sighed.

“Well, we could try to live the rest of our lives out as refugees,” he said. “I have enough contacts in the Earth Kingdom that we could probably live comfortably in Ba Sing Se for a long time.”

“No,” Lu Ten said seriously. “I want our birthright back. Ozai has no claim to the throne. Not an honest one, anyway, and he’ll continue this war until the other nations are burned to the ground. I fear what will happen to our troops with him in charge.” Iroh nodded, certain that Lu Ten remembered some absolutely heinous plans Ozai supported in the War Room. He shuddered when he thought of how close the 41^st came to slaughter when Ozai supported that general’s plan to use them as bait.

“Then you agree?” Iroh asked. “You think we should try to find the Avatar and ask for his help?” Lu Ten slowly nodded.

“I don’t think we have any other choice.”

As it turned out, the odds were very good that they would meet the wanderers again.

Fire Nation soldiers hurtling hunks of flaming rock would ground just about anyone.

Chong and his group seemed surprised to see Sokka leading the group of soot-stained teenagers back towards the mountain on foot.

“Secret love cave,” he answered before they got a chance to ask. “Let’s go.”

The nomads all got up and followed the group.

“Glad you could join us,” Chong said.

“Maybe if we make camp tonight, you can try some Petals with us,” Buhli added. Lily cleared her throat.

“They’re a little young, Buhli,” she said, looking at their group. Sokka raised his eyebrow.

“Are you ever too young to open your mind?” Moku asked. Lily frowned.

“These ones are, yes,” she said, pointing at Aang and Katara. She looked at Sokka and Kallik. “These two may be old enough, but I imagine if their companions can’t partake, they won’t either.”

“Do you remember when my dad brought that rice liquor back from Kyoshi Island?” Kallik whispered to Sokka. Sokka nodded. “Doesn’t this sound like how he was explaining to us that we weren’t old enough to have it, yet?”

“Your dad never said it would open our minds,” Sokka replied. “He just said it would make us stupid.”

“It did make us stupid,” Kallik snorted. Sokka rubbed the back of his head, remembering when they found it years later and split what remained between them. His mom was so mad when she found out, and working through that headache and stomachache he had the next day was so excruciatingly painful, he didn’t think he’d ever touch anything like it again.

“How far are we from the tunnel?” Sokka called back to Chong.

“Actually it’s not just one tunnel,” Chong said. “The lovers didn’t want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole Labyrinth.” Sokka felt his jaw hanging open. That would have been good information to have before they started this stupid trek.

“Labyrinth?” he exclaimed, whirling around.

“I’m sure we’ll figure it out,” Chong said easily.

“All you need to do is trust in love,” Lily said, softly, “according to the curse.”

Kallik stood stock still. “Curse?” he asked, swallowing nervously. “What kind of curse? Is this a Spirit curse?” Sokka grabbed his elbow and pulled him along.

“Hey, hey,” Chong called when they came to a mouth of a cave, “we’re here!”

“I really want to know about this curse!” Kallik said, slightly panicked. Sokka patted his shoulder.

“The curse says that only those that trust in love can make it through the caves. Otherwise, you’ll be trapped in them forever,” Chong explained.

“And die,” Lily added.

“Oh yeah,” Chong agreed, “and die. Hey! I just remembered the rest of that song!” he strummed a menacing chord and pitched his voice low, “and die.”

“Nope,” Kallik said, shaking his head. “No curses. Not with my luck. No.”

“Yeah,” Sokka agreed, “there’s no way we’re going through some cursed hole.”

“Hey,” Moku said, pointing behind them, “someone’s making a big campfire.” Sokka clenched his hands into fists when he saw the column of smoke. The Fire Nation soldiers were on their tail.

“That’s no campfire, Moku,” Katara said, seriously.

“It’s the Fire Nation,” Sokka explained. He could panic later. Right now they had to get everyone to safety. “They’re tracking us.”

“So all you need is to trust in love to get through these caves?” Aang asked.

“That is correct, Master Arrowhead,” Chong replied. Sokka watched Aang look at Katara again and was glad he couldn’t see the boy’s face. He didn’t think he could tolerate his sister and Aang making gross faces at each other. 

“We can make it,” Aang said, boldly. The ground started to rumble beneath their feet. They were out of time.

“Everyone, into the hole!” Sokka cried, waving them along. Kallik looked absolutely terrified, so Sokka grabbed his arm and pulled him in after him. After they were clear of the mouth of the cave, the ground and walls rumbled around them. The group turned to see tons of falling rocks dropping to the ground, sealing the entrance. They couldn’t go back the way they came, even if they wanted to.

They were trapped.

Chapter Text

Appa bellowed, pawing at the fallen rocks in front of them. Katara patted his side gently, heartbroken over the despair in his voice.

“It’s okay, Appa,” she said, kindly, “we’ll be fine.” She looked down and sighed. “I hope,” she added, softly. She looked up when she heard a squeak and saw Kallik staring at the rockslide with wide eyes. It was difficult to see in the dim torchlight, but she was pretty sure her cousin was shaking.

“We will be fine,” Sokka said, firmly. He gripped Kallik’s shoulder and gave him a little shake, making the older boy come back to his senses. Kallik held his hand out and made a flame to brighten the space. Much to her surprise, none of the nomads said anything about his bending.

“All we need is a plan,” Sokka continued. “Chong, how long do those torches last?” he asked.

“About two hours each,” Chong replied.

“And we have five torches, so that’s ten hours!” Lily exclaimed, lighting the rest of the torches. Sokka grabbed them from her and put them out immediately.

“It doesn’t work like that if they’re all lit at the same time!” he exclaimed. “Kallik, I know you don’t like being closed in and your fire makes you feel better, but I’d rather you conserve your energy in case we run out of torchlight.” Kallik swallowed and nodded, putting the flame he held in his hand out. Katara left Appa’s side and wrapped her friend in a hug.

“We’re gonna be fine,” she said. “We’ll be out of here before you know it.” Kallik took a shaky breath and shivered a little less.

“Thanks, Katara.” Katara released Kallik, watching her brother climb up into Appa’s saddle.

“I’m gonna make a map to keep track of exactly where we’ve been,” Sokka said, returning with paper and a charcoal. “Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and get through. Kallik, up here with me, please.” Kallik fell into step behind Sokka and they started down the dark tunnel, occasionally pausing so Sokka could make marks on his paper. Chong stayed in the middle, so he could cast light for everyone, and Katara hung back with Aang near Appa. Momo was curled in Aang’s arms. She scratched the lemur’s head as they walked, frowning at her family taking the lead.

“Is Kallik alright?” Aang asked, quietly. Katara shrugged.

“He doesn’t like feeling closed in,” she whispered back.

“That makes sense. Fire needs air, after all.”

“Yeah, I guess it does.”

“This doesn’t seem much like trusting in love, though,” Aang replied, raising an eyebrow at her. She smiled and shook her head.

“Sure it does,” Katara said, easily. “I love Sokka, and trust him to know what he’s doing with his map.”

For now, she thought to herself. Aang shrugged and watched as Chong passed the torch to Lily so he could start playing his guitar again. Appa seemed to calm down when he heard the music, so every time Sokka would turn and scowl whenever the wanderer would start singing or strumming a tune, she glared right back, daring him to say anything. Sokka acknowledged her silent cues, grumbling about it but still moving forward and drawing his map. Aang started coaxing Momo to fly and explore a little more, and Katara giggled at their antics.

This wouldn’t be so bad.

This was the most terrible idea they ever had. It didn’t matter that there was never another option. It didn’t matter that the Fire Nation was breathing down all their necks. What mattered was Kallik was trapped in a cave with a group of wandering, overly positive musicians, and an airbender who wouldn’t stop making doe-eyes at his cousin. Katara was almost overbearing with how often she checked on his well-being, making him want to grind his teeth, and Sokka kept leading him into cave walls.

“Give me that,” he said, snatching the map from Sokka’s hands when they hit their tenth dead end. They had already gone through two torches and weren’t getting any closer to an exit.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Sokka said, perplexed. “We already came through this way!”

Kallik frowned, following the map with his finger. Sokka was right. Last time, they turned right at the passage behind them, and ended up in this same spot.

“We don’t need a map,” Chong said as Sokka stomped over to Appa, “we just need love. The little guy knows it.”

“Yeah,” Aang replied, “but I wouldn’t mind a map also.”

“There’s something strange here,” Sokka muttered. “I just—”

“Sokka,” he said, quietly. Everyone turned to look at him. “What—what if this is the curse?”

“Not now, Kallik.”

“Seriously, what if—I mean, you’re right, we did come this way,” he went on, quickly. “I know for a fact that we turned right before and ended up exactly here. What if—what if the walls are moving?”

Sokka looked up at him with wide eyes, then swallowed nervously before changing his expression back into something more confident.

“I think you’re right,” he said, as steadily as he could. “The tunnels are changing.”

“The—the tunnels are changing?” Chong stuttered. “Oh, no. Moonchild is right, it is the curse! We never should have come this way!”

“You’re the one who suggested it in the first place!” Kallik shouted. Sokka grabbed the torch from Moku and started examining the two tunnels in front of them, deciding which way to go. Kallik wanted to ask him why he was even bothering. There was no way they were making it out of there. His bad luck had doomed them all.

“Everyone be quiet,” Katara said. “Listen!”

The group hushed, and strange squealing filled the air. Kallik felt the hairs on his arms stand up as he stared down the dark tunnel, holding his breath. Out of nowhere, a sharp-fanged beast shot through the opening and over his head, making him duck and stumble back towards Chong. The older man helped him stand upright.

“It’s a giant flying thing with teeth!” Chong shouted, right in Kallik’s ear.

“No,” Moku corrected, “it’s a wolf-bat!” The wolf-bat landed and Sokka threw his torch at it, making it jump and fly away. The torch rolled towards Appa’s feet and burned his toe. Kallik took old of the fire and smothered, it, but Appa was so tense that even the minor singe was enough to throw him into a frenzy. He ran around the wide opening they stopped in, slamming into walls during his rampage. An ominous shaking began and Kallik looked up as some small rocks started to fall from the ceiling. He felt a moment of panic before a gust of air blew him and the others behind him far down one of the tunnels. Kallik and the others began coughing, and he found himself waving his hand in front of his face as if that would clear the dust from the air. When everything settled, someone behind him lit a torch, bringing new light to the dark space.

Kallik gazed up at the pile of rocks that nearly buried them. It was massive. He turned around and did a headcount, then felt himself begin to hyperventilate when he realized that Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Appa were all absent.

“Oh no,” he said, gazing up at the wall in front of him. He started digging at the rocks, trying to move them enough to get through—to make a whole to ensure his family was alright—but they barely budged.

“Yeah, it’s no use,” Chong said, putting hand on his shoulder. “We’re separated. But at least you have us.”

“At least I have you?” Kallik asked whirling around. “We’re—they could have been buried alive! They—I have to get to them!” he started digging furiously at the rocks again, moving as hard and as fast as he could. He wasn’t sure how long they let him go at it before he felt large hands on his arms, pulling him away.

“No!” he shouted, struggling to get back to the wall. “I have to help them!”

“Moonchild, your fingers are bleeding,” Moku said, hauling him back and setting him on the ground. “Take a breath, that’s it. Take another. Breathe with me, in and out.”

Kallik faded in and out, barely paying attention when small hands cleaned the scrapes along his palms and knuckles. He wasn’t sure when the bandages were wrapped around his bleeding fingers, or when Momo curled up in his lap and started chittering and purring against him.

“You back with us?” Lily asked. He blinked and took a shuddery breath, nodding.

“I saw little Arrowhead push the others out of the way,” Chong said, kneeling down so he was eye level with Kallik. “They’re fine. They’re just on the other side of the rocks.”

“You’re sure?” Kallik hated how small his voice sounded. Chong nodded, smiling kindly.

“Positive.”

Kallik took another shuddery breath, regaining his bearings. “Okay.”

“Now, all we can do is move forward, right?” Jade asked. Momo chirruped and settled on Kallik’s shoulder after he got to his feet. Kallik looked back at the wall and swallowed again, hoping he would figure out how to find the others so they could get out together. He nodded and walked beside Buhli, who carried the torch. Kallik made the flame flicker in time with his breaths.

Now was not the time to panic about being trapped in a cursed hole. Chong saw his family was safe, and that would have to be enough. He could freak out after they got to the surface.

“I blew them out of the way, Sokka. Kallik is fine.”

“How can he be fine?” Sokka moaned as they walked down the tunnel. “He’s trapped with those—those wandering, musical weirdos!”

“When we get out, we’ll figure out a way to get him out, too,” Katara said, walking in front and carrying the torch.

“And what makes you so sure we’ll get out?”

“Because I think that’s the exit,” she replied, pointing at a large, circular doorway ahead of them. She smiled when Sokka cheered and watched him charge forward to shove at the barrier. When it didn’t move, Appa growled behind them, giving Sokka enough warning to get out of the way. Appa barreled through, removing the barrier between them and the outside world. Katara frowned when the dust cleared.

“This isn’t the exit,” Aang said, sadly. “It’s a tomb.” Katara joined Aang by the edge of the platform they now stood on to see two stone figures raised up above the ground floor, laying side by side.

“Seriously?” Sokka asked, following them. They walked down some nearby steps so they could examine the monument more closely.

“It must be the two lovers from the legend,” Aang continued. “They were buried here.”

“Look, there’s some writing here,” Katara said, bringing the torchlight closer to the engravings along the monument. “These pictures tell their story!”

“What good is their story?” Sokka asked. Katara turned around to see her brother scowling. “We’re trapped in their tomb. Is now really the time for some light reading?”

“It may help us get out of here,” Katara said, as calmly as she could. Sokka huffed and turned his head, waving at her to carry on.

“Now let’s see,” Katara said, looking at the pictures with small words alongside them. She read them the story of Oma and Shu, two lovers from enemy villages who were torn apart by war. She ignored her brother scoffing at the idea that people could learn earthbending from badgermoles, and explained the labyrinth they built so they could meet in secret. Soon, Sokka stopped commenting when she read how Oma used a terrifying display of earthbending after she discovered Shu was dead.

“She declared the war over, and both villages helped her build a new city where they would live together in peace, and they named the city Omashu, as a monument to their love,” Katara concluded.

“Look,” Aang said, pointing at another statue behind them. It depicted the two lovers, kneeling side by side and kissing one another.

“Love is brightest in the dark,” she read. Sokka snickered. She whirled around and glared at him.

“What’s funny?”

Sokka’s snickers turned into coughs and he straightened up, suddenly blushing.

“Uh, nothing. Nothing’s funny,” he said, grinning. Katara furrowed her brow, glaring at him a little.

“Really, tell me what you’re snickering about.”

“No,” Sokka said, shaking his head. “I’m not about to have any conversation like that with my baby sister. Absolutely not.” Both Katara and Aang looked at each other. Aang shrugged, at as much of a loss as she was. She ignored Sokka, examining the statue more closely.

“How are we gonna use this to get out of the tunnels?” Aang asked, following her lead regarding Sokka. Her brother huffed and stomped off, examining the monument more closely. Katara stared up at the figures, and an insane idea started to formulate in her mind. It was a long shot, but Spirit stuff was always weird, and this whole thing was like something out of a Spirit tale.

“I have a crazy idea,” she hedged.

“What?” Aang asked, curiously. She glanced at him and winced at his hopeful expression as butterflies formed in her stomach.

“Never mind,” she said, turning away, “it’s too crazy.”

“Katara, what is it?”

“I was thinking,” she said, feeling heat in her cheeks and ears, “the curse says we’ll be trapped in here forever unless we trust in love.”

“Right,” Aang replied, trying and failing to understand what she was trying to say. Katara bit back her frustration, irritated she may have to spell the whole thing out for him.

“And here it says, ‘love is brightest in the dark,’ and there’s a picture of them kissing.” She turned around and felt her stomach clench when she realized he had no idea what she was trying to suggest.

“Where are you going with this?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well,” she said, feeling her cheeks flush in embarrassment, “what if we kissed?”

“Us, kissing?” he asked, leaning away from her. She turned back around and grabbed her wrist nervously, rubbing her thumb against her pulse point.

“See, it was a crazy idea,” she said.

“You’re darn right it’s a crazy idea!” Sokka shouted, making her jump. Her brother was standing behind them, arms crossed over his chest. “Katara, you don’t just kiss boys to break curses!”

“Sokka!”

“Seriously, don’t even talk about it. It gives me the oogies!” her brother exclaimed, making a disgusted face.

“Sokka calm down,” Aang said.

“Yeah, it’s crazy,” Katara said. “Who can imagine us kissing?”

“Right,” Aang added, emphatically. “I definitely wouldn’t want to kiss Katara.” Katara turned and scowled at him, feeling something twist in her chest, mixing embarrassment and insecurity together.

“Well, I didn’t realize it was such a horrible option,” she scoffed.

“What? No!” Aang said, fretting. “I mean, if it was a choice between kissing you and dying—”

“Ugh!” Katara stomped away from him.

“What?” Aang asked, trying to follow her, “I’m saying I would rather kiss you than die. That’s a compliment!”

“Well, right now I’m not sure which I’d rather do.”

“I’d rather not die,” Sokka interjected, “but I’m absolutely sure that kissing won’t resolve any of this, so it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“You know what, Aang?” Katara said, mockingly sweet. “Since I’m such a terrible choice for a kissing partner, how about you kiss Sokka instead, hmm?”

“Don’t volunteer me!”

“Why would I want to kiss Sokka?”

“Because there’s no way you’re kissing me. Not after that!” Katara stormed away, dropping the torch in Sokka’s hand as she went, ignoring how the two were babbling behind her.

It was an hour of dead ends and moving walls before Chong suggested they sing a love song to get out of the tunnels. It was as good as any of the dwindling options Kallik was trying, so he figured it couldn’t hurt.

“Come on, Moonchild, join in,” Chong said, strumming his guitar and circling Kallik. “I know you know the words by now.”

Kallik pinched the bridge of his nose, absently noticing that it was a little sore. Momo chittered worriedly on his shoulder. “If I join in, it will sound like a dying pygmy puma,” he said.

“You can’t be that bad,” Chong argued. Kallik raised an eyebrow and Chong shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

They found themselves in another wide cavern, and Kallik sighed as he examined the walls. He didn’t think they had seen this one before, but they were all starting to look the same after a while. He studied the map and frowned. It looked like they stumbled upon something new.

There was a sudden burst of snarling and skittering, putting Kallik on edge. He sank into a firebending stance, irritated once again that he left all his weapons on Appa’s saddle. He never felt more stupid. His father always drilled into him to be sure to carry a weapon in uncharted territory. Kallik resigned himself to face whatever was coming barehanded. He may feel more comfortable with a machete in his hands, but at least he had his bending, which was more than what he could say for the nomads behind him.

A flock of wolf-bats flew overhead, making Kallik duck down and cover his face. Momo screeched and flew away, staying out of harm’s way. There were tons of them, and he was fairly certain there wasn’t a reason for so many of them to fly away at once. Kallik would throw out a little flame here and there, to keep the bats higher up so they wouldn’t claw the others.

“Hey, you saved us Moonchild!” Chong cried. His guitar was on the ground a short distance away from him, clearly dropped during the chaos.

“Kallik!” he shouted, marching up to Chong and poking him in the chest. “Kallik. It’s not hard. Ka-leek.”

“Okay,” Chong said, jovially. “You saved us, Moonchild Kallik!”

“Snow and sea,” Kallik muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose again. “Listen, I’m pretty sure they were trying to get away from something—”

The ground shook violently beneath their feet and Kallik turned quickly, hands in front of his body and ready to fight. He gaped at the giant creature that stood before him. It was as big as Appa, with thick brown fur and dull eyes. It’s white stripe almost seemed to glow in the torchlight as it’s clawed paws clapped together, moving the earth to bring up the wall it just collapsed.

Kallik had heard of badgermoles, but the real thing was so much more terrifying than the stories. He turned his head when he heard more rumbling, and saw a second badgermole bring up another rock wall, sealing the cavern. They closed in on the group, bringing up a short barrier between him and the others. The one in front of him moved a paw, and the dust in the air pushed Kallik down on the ground. He crawled backwards, absolutely terrified at the beast looming over him. It’s snout came closer and closer, and Kallik felt his heartbeat speed up as the organ pounded against his ribcage. Then, his hand landed on Chong’s guitar, causing several of the strings to vibrate and play a mismatching set of notes.

The badgermole paused and examined him curiously. Kallik grabbed the guitar and held it in front of him, hopping between three chords that Chong taught him earlier that day. Kallik nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a warm breath against the back of his neck. He turned his head slightly and saw the other badgermole was now investigating him.

“Hey, those guys are music lovers!” Chong exclaimed. “Go on, brother!”

Kallik would have glared daggers at him if he could stop looking between the badgermoles and the position of his fingers on the guitar. The one behind him growled a little and he swallowed nervously.

“I don’t sing,” he said. The one in front loomed even closer and he played a little faster. “Please don’t be mad it’s just not my thing.” It tilted its head and sniffed his hair.

“Hey, that rhymed!” Kallik would throw this instrument at Chong’s head if he could.

“Help me,” Kallik said to Chong, causing the badgermole to growl. “Sing something!”

“What?” Chong asked, scratching his head. “I need inspiration.”

“You have a two-ton earthbending beast in front of you! Come up with something!”

“The big bad badgermoles,” Chong started singing, whipping his smaller guitar out of nowhere, “who opened the tunnels, and hate the wolf-bats, but love the sounds—”

Kallik felt his heart leap out of his chest when the first badgermole pressed its wet snout against his bare collarbone. Then it moved upwards and snuffled his hair, rumbling happily at the sound of the music playing around them. Kallik stopped playing and slumped backward as the adrenalin left him, caught by the large paw of the badgermole behind him. It nuzzled his hair fondly before scooping him up on a tower of earth and sliding him on its back.

“I can only make up so many words to a song,” Chong said, still playing. Kallik looked down and realized he was gripping the neck of the guitar in his hands so hard that he couldn’t let go. When he looked back up, he saw half the nomads were being lifted up onto the other badgermole’s back. Chong and Lily were brought up to sit with him.

“Sing—” Kallik swallowed, trying to relax his grip, “sing Secret Tunnel,” he said. “Just—just sing that one. Or sing the one about the love in your heart or whatever. I don’t think—I don’t think they care.”

“Two lovers, forbidden from one another,” Chong stared, changing the song. The others followed suit and the badgermoles carried them through the caves, moving the walls that were in their way and raising them back up as they passed.

Kallik hoped they’d take them to the exit.

 Aang sighed as he led the others down the tunnel. He couldn’t believe how badly he blew it with Katara. Why did he say that? He was such an idiot. He couldn’t even complain about it to Sokka, because firstly, Sokka would say to quit talking about his sister that way because it was gross, and secondly, he would tell Aang they had more important things to worry about than a failed kiss. The torchlight grew dimmer and he stopped, looking back at them.

“The torch is gonna go out at any second,” he said.

“I wish Kallik were here,” Sokka said, shivering slightly. Katara reached out and grabbed Aang’s hand, then Sokka’s. Sokka pulled them back so he could grip Appa’s fur. Aang looked at them, confused.

“So we don’t lose each other in the dark,” Katara explained. Together, they watched the flame flicker into nothingness. Aang closed his eyes. This was it. There would be no way out, now. Even if they could find the exit, there was no way they could move well enough in the dark to get there.

He opened them when he heard an awed gasp behind him. The space was filled with a strange, blueish light.

“Those are crystals,” Sokka said in a quiet voice. Aang looked up and saw the shimmering gems above them. “They must only light up in the dark! That’s what the message meant!”

“That’s how the lovers found each other,” Katara said, grinning at Aang. “They just put out their lights and followed the crystals.” They all looked up and saw a pathway lit along the ceiling.

“That must be the way out!” Aang declared, still holding Katara’s hand and pulling them down the tunnel. All three stopped speaking, moving faster and faster down the path until finally, they saw where the blue-green glow ceased, and the bright light of daylight began. Appa jumped over them and ran through the exit, growling joyfully and running in a circle before flopping onto his back.

“We made it!” Katara said, relieved.

“Yeah, we did,” Sokka said, looking back worriedly, “but what about Kallik?”

Aang frowned, turning back to go look for him. Now that they knew the secret, they could go find their friend. Before he could even enter the tunnel, he heard an ominous rumble, and two caves suddenly formed beside the tunnel entrance. Two giant badgermoles stood in front of them, and Aang grinned when he saw Kallik mounted on one of them.

“Kallik!” Katara cried, running forward. Kallik slid off the badgermole and ran forward, grabbing Katara in a hug so tight he lifted her off her feet. As soon as he let her go, he did the same to Sokka, rubbing his knuckles on his head while Sokka thumped him heartily on his back. Aang was about to step back to allow them a moment, but before he could Kallik swept him up as well, practically tossing him in the air. Aang winced at Kallik’s grip. He held him so tight, he thought his ribs might bruise.

“Kallik, how did you get out?” Sokka asked after Kallik let Aang go. Kallik opened and closed his mouth, then shook his head. Aang frowned, looking at how pale his friend was. This was way worse than the time Bumi encased him in rock candy. Finally, Kallik cleared his throat.

“We… badgermoles… they like music,” he stuttered, hoarsely.

“Moonchild Kallik,” Jade said, walking over to him. She held a small pot in her hand. “This will help with the scrapes on your hands.”

“You got hurt?” Katara asked, gesturing for Kallik to hold out his hands. “Let me see.”

Aang watched as she deftly unwrapped the few, unburnt bandages from his fingers. Then, she pulled out her bending water and healed his hands, good as new.

“You’re getting to be my most frequent patient,” she tutted. “Maybe try not getting hurt so much?”

“Sorry,” he replied. She rolled her eyes and went back to Appa, who appeared to be communicating with Momo. One of the badgermoles lumbered over and licked the side of Kallik’s face before turning back around and disappearing into its tunnel. Kallik groaned and wiped the slobber away.

“So how did you guys get out?” he asked, as if he hadn’t just curried the favor of a two-ton territorial beast.

“Well,” Aang began, but Sokka cut him off.

“Our torch went out,” Sokka said. “We discovered they put glowing crystals on the ceiling of the right path, but they only glow in the dark.”

“How were you supposed to know that?” Kallik asked.

“Get this,” Sokka said, slinging an arm around his shoulder, “there was a tomb in there, alright? And there was this statue of the two lovers kissing, which had an inscription above it.” Kallik raised his eyebrows.

“And the inscription said…?”

“Love is brightest in the dark,” Sokka said, wiggling his eyebrows and smirking. Aang rolled his eyes, figuring whatever the joke was would only be funny to him. Then, Kallik snorted. Aang looked at him in surprise.

“Seriously?” Kallik asked, snickering.

“Yes!”

“Love is brightest in the dark?”

“I know!”

“Yeah, that’s not a euphemism or anything.”

“Euphemism for what?” Aang asked, becoming more confused. Kallik opened his mouth to answer then stopped, staring at Aang for a minute before scratching his head.

“I—you don’t know?”

“No!”

“Maybe we’re just dirty,” Sokka said, shrugging.

“You’re no dirtier than the rest of us,” Aang replied, looking at his clothes. Kallik snorted even harder.

“What’s funny?” Katara asked, joining them once again.

“Nope, I’m out,” Sokka said. “I’m not explaining it.”

“Well I’m not explaining it,” Kallik replied.

“Hey Kallik,” Buhli said, wandering over. He dropped a small cloth bag into his hand. “For you and your brother, if you ever decide you want to try it.” Kallik looked down at the bag as Buhli danced away, untying it. Two pink petals were sitting in it.

“What are those?” Aang asked. Kallik looked up at Sokka who was looking at the petals dubiously.

“Rice Liquor,” Sokka said, bluntly. Kallik nodded and waved at Lily, handing her the sack. She smiled and patted his cheek.

“They’re enjoyable if you do it responsibly,” she said. Aang scratched his head, becoming more and more confused about what was happening. “It’s said in the Fire Nation, the sages use these for certain rituals, to allow easier passage for the Spirits. It truly does open your mind.”

“No thanks,” Kallik said. “I don’t think the Spirits need any help with passage to me.” Lily chuckled and tucked the sack in her pocket.

“What was that about?” Katara asked as Lily returned to the others in her group.

“It’s a long story,” Kallik replied.

“You heard me say rice liquor, right?” Sokka asked.

“So what, those make you stupid then sick the next day?” Katara asked. Kallik shrugged.

“No idea, but I think I’m okay not finding out anytime soon.”

Chong walked over and pulled Kallik into a side hug. “What an adventure, Moonchild Kallik!” he said. “I’m gonna write a song about this.”

“Are you coming with us to Omashu?” Aang asked.

“Nope,” Moku replied.

“Okay,” Aang said, smiling at them. “Take care!” The nomads all said goodbye and started wandering down the road while Sokka led the others up the opposite path.

“Well, the journey was long and annoying,” Sokka began, as they reached the peak.

“And mildly terrifying,” Kallik added.

“That too,” Sokka allowed, “but now you get to see what the journey is really about. The destination.” Katara laughed and Aang rolled his eyes at Sokka’s antics.

“Friends, I present to you the Earth Kingdom city of O—oh no.”

The others ran forward to see what made Sokka respond that way, and Aang’s heart leapt into his throat.

Omashu was no longer the proud city they knew. Pillars of smoke billowed up around it, and a black wall encircled the city. A Fire Nation flag hung over the gate. What was once an Earth Kingdom stronghold was now under control of the Fire Nation.

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe it,” Aang said, hanging his head. “I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed untouchable.” He was devastated to see the once invincible city under Fire Nation control.

“Up until now it was,” Sokka said. “Now, Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left.”

“This is horrible,” Katara added, walking up to Aang and putting a hand on his shoulder, “but we have to move on.” Aang clenched his free hand into a fist and clutched his staff tighter.

“No,” Aang replied, firmly. “I’m going in to find Bumi.”

“Aang, stop!” Sokka said, sternly. “We don’t even know if Bumi’s still—”

“What?” Aang asked, harshly. Kallik nudged Sokka in the ribs and Sokka rubbed his side, glaring at Kallik.

“Around,” he offered, lamely. Katara sighed and gave him a pitying expression. It left a sour taste in Aang’s mouth.

“I know you had your heart set on Bumi to teach you earthbending, but—”

“Guys, stop,” Kallik said, softly. The others looked at him, but his eyes were on Aang. “This isn’t about finding a teacher.” Aang felt a small bubble of hope flutter up at Kallik’s words, gladdened that one of his friends was on his side.

“Exactly,” he nodded. “This is about finding my friend.” Aang walked back to Appa and jumped up to his head while the others climbed into the saddle. “You’ll want to dig out your cloaks. I don’t think walking around in Water Tribe colors is going to do us any favors.”

“Maybe we should see if we can actually get disguises in the city,” Kallik said, digging through his pack.

“Yip yip,” Aang called, prompting Appa to jump into the air. The sky bison flew down between the gap in the cliffs, lower and lower until they were nearly at the base of the mountain Omashu was settled on.

“What are we doing down here?” Kallik asked, sliding off of Appa after Aang, who walked towards a round, stone cylinder sticking out of the rock. Aang couldn’t believe it was still the same after all this time. He jumped up and tapped the seam, preparing to loosen the lid from the bottom of the sewage system.

“There’s a secret passageway here,” he said. “This tunnel will take us right up to the city.”

“What is it with Omashu and secret tunnels?” Kallik muttered, adjusting his cloak. Aang smiled as he started prying the lid away.

“A secret passage?” Sokka asked, indignantly. He and Katara had dismounted as well, and were both wrapped in their cloaks. “Why didn’t we just use this last time?”

Aang finally got the lid off the tunnel, releasing a gross wave of stinky sludge. The other three groaned and stepped back, covering their faces.

“Does that answer your question?” he asked, preparing to lead them through the tunnel.

“Wait a minute,” Kallik said, grabbing his shoulder, “is this sewage?”

“Yeah,” Aang replied. “There’s all kinds of critters in here that eat the really bad waste, but there’s not much that can be done about the smell.”

“Okay,” Kallik said slowly, “but before we climb in, we need to stagger ourselves.”

“Huh?”

“You and Katara can both waterbend,” Kallik replied. “Me and Sokka can’t. We’ll need to stagger so that both me and Sokka won’t get pushed back by the guck that’s moving down this way.”

“Oh.” Aang hadn’t thought of that. Kallik lined up behind Aang, and Sokka stood behind Katara before they all started climbing up the pipe. Aang moved the sewage out of the way with his airbending, but from the spluttering and gagging behind him, he got the feeling Kallik was still getting hit with it.

“Sorry,” Aang called back.

“Don’t—ack!” He winced when he heard Kallik gagging and spitting behind him. “Don’t worry about it.”

It was a long trek up the winding tunnel. Soon, there were several that branched off, each carrying waste from different parts of the city. Aang kind of wished that Kallik would shed some light for them, but when he suggested it, Kallik shook his head, worried about lighting a fire in the enclosed space, saying he didn’t know what might be flammable or not. Eventually, they managed to get to the exit—another round lid similar to the first one. Aang lifted it up and climbed out, finding himself on an empty street. It was now full dark.

Kallik climbed up after him, completely covered and stained with green and brown slime. Katara followed him, relatively clean, but wrinkling her nose. Finally, Sokka emerged, and he appeared to have gotten the worst of the deal. Katara used her waterbending to pull the slime from his clothes. Aang giggled when he noticed a purple pentapus on each of his cheeks. Sokka realized there was something stuck to his face and panicked, screaming about how they wouldn’t let go until Kallik put a hand over his mouth.

“Shut up!” he hissed. “Do you want us to be found?” Aang saw another purple pentapus clinging to Kallik’s arm and neck, but he didn’t seem bothered by the little critters.

“It’s okay,” Aang said, walking over. “They’re just purple pentapusses.” He carefully laid his palm over the slick head of one and wriggled his fingers, tickling it. The little guy squealed quietly and relaxed its legs, letting go of Sokka’s face. Sokka did the same with the other while Kallik removed the one from his arm, smiling at it fondly. Katara tickled the one stuck to his neck, raising an eyebrow at him.

“What?” he asked, defensively. “It’s kind of cute.” Aang reached over and grabbed one he missed off the back of Sokka’s neck when they heard a shout from the end of the street.

“Hey!” All four of them immediately straightened up, adopting the most innocent expressions they could as a trio of Fire Nation soldiers came to meet them. The leader stopped in front of them and wrinkled his nose, pinning them with a look that could only be called disgust. “What are you kids doing out past curfew?”

“Sorry,” Katara said, quickly. “We were just on our way home.” The four of them turned around and started walking down the street as confidently as they could.

“Wait,” the guard said, making them pause. “What’s the matter with them?”

“With who?” Aang asked. He saw Katara grab Sokka’s shoulders and turn him around. Kallik and Aang turned as well.

“They have pentapox, sir,” she said, mournfully, glancing meaningfully at Kallik. Sokka suddenly looked exhausted, and Kallik grimaced, clutching his stomach. The guard walked over to examine them more closely, but Katara stepped up and waved him back. “It’s highly contagious!” The guard raised an eyebrow.

“Ugh,” Sokka groaned, stumbling forward a little. “It’s so awful. I’m dying!”

“I’ve never been in so much pain,” Kallik moaned behind him.

“The blisters,” Sokka cried. “They itch and hurt… someone just scrape them off my skin, please!”

“And it’s so c-c-cold,” Kallik murmured, rubbing his arms with his hands and letting his teeth chatter.

Katara pulled Sokka back a little. “It’s also deadly,” she added, very seriously.

“Hey,” one of the other soldiers said, “I think I’ve heard of pentapox.”

“Yeah,” said the leader, stumbling back, “didn’t your cousin Chang die of it?”

“We better go wash our hands!” the third said. The three turned and ran, leaving the Aang and his friends behind. Kallik sniffed his shoulder and pulled back, gagging.

“We reek,” he said. “I’ve never stank this bad in my life.”

“What about the time we had to get the oil from that whaleshark?” Sokka asked.

“Not even close.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Aang hissed. “We’re just gonna sneak into the palace, and find Bumi. We’ll wash up later!”

“Wash up?” Kallik said, wrinkling his nose. “I think we have to burn these clothes.”

Aang rolled his eyes and ran forward. They made it inside Omashu. Now, they had to find Bumi.

Azula sighed as her mongoose lizard carried her quickly through the colonies. Li and Lo were right. The royal procession was really just dead weight. To catch Iroh and Lu Ten, she needed smarts, not numbers. She needed people who were totally loyal to her. People she could trust to watch her back. Thankfully, two of them were fairly close to her.

Well, one of them should be fairly close, if the rumors were to be believed. The other would be arriving in the newly conquered Omashu very soon, if she wasn’t there already.

Azula hadn’t seem either of them in ages. Not since they all graduated from The Royal Fire Academy for Girls. They were both so busy with their new responsibilities. She wondered how she would convince them to join her in her mission.

Brightly colored tents were visible on the horizon.

Azula smirked. She would figure it out. Her friends always had a hard time saying no to her, after all.

“They’d keep him somewhere he couldn’t earthbend,” Aang whispered. “Maybe somewhere made of metal?”

“Wow. What a great lead,” Sokka deadpanned. Katara rolled her eyes and Kallik sighed as they moved closer to the palace. Aang paused by some of the construction, eyes widening after they heard the thud of rocks slamming together. He glanced down below, where a small group of people were walking, then moved before Katara realized what was happening.

A boulder was sliding rapidly towards the group below, but Aang knocked it off course before it could reach them.

“The resistance!” a woman cried. Suddenly, a barrage of small arrows flicked up towards them, and Aang barely dodged out of the way in time. They turned and ran, darting around the construction as Fire Nation soldiers chased them. Katara stopped long enough to through her water whip back at them, knocking them off the ledge before she continued after the others. Kallik grabbed her elbow when she fell too far behind, urging her to keep up.

“I’m watching our backs!” she hissed.

“And I’m watching yours!” he said back, keeping her within arm’s reach. They heard the whizzing of darts flying through the air and Katara paused again, throwing up a wall of ice just in time. Kallik grabbed her arm again and hauled her down the path, past Aang. With a massive gust of wind, he knocked down the scaffolding along the wall, blocking their pursuer’s path. They all stopped, panting as they looked back, and Katara realized the person chasing was stuck on the other side. Katara sighed in relief. They were safe, for now.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she saw the person move their arms. There were several quiet whooshes in the air and Katara reached for her water, but knew she was too slow to shield them.

Kallik wasn’t, though. He punched out a burst of flame, incinerating whatever was coming toward them before the ground dropped beneath their feet, plunging them into darkness.

They didn’t even have a chance to scream before arms grabbed them, hands pressed over their mouths to keep them silent.

Azula smiled, greeting the performers and workers she walked by as she sought out her old friend. After asking for some directions from the ringleader, she made her way to a pink tent that was known to house the acrobats. True to form, her oldest friend was outside of it, practicing balancing on her fingertips.

“Ty Lee,” Azula greeted, smiling genuinely for the first time since she left home, “could that possibly be you?”

“Azula!” Ty Lee chirped, flipping back on her feet and wrapping Azula in a tight hug. Azula smiled and hugged her back, then leaned away and took in all the changes Ty Lee had gone through. Her soft brown hair was even longer now, tied back in a tight braid behind her head. Her eyes were still huge and grey, wearing the same wondrous expression they always had. Azula was a little surprised to see she had finally outgrown Ty Lee, noticing the other girl had to look up slightly to meet her gaze.

“It’s so good to see you!” Ty Lee said, smiling hugely at her.

“It’s good to see you, too,” Azula replied, warmly. “How are you?”

“I’m wonderful,” Ty Lee said, flipping back so she rested on her forearms and waving her legs in the air over her head. Azula used to be jealous that Ty Lee was so much better at acrobatics than her. That wore off when Ty Lee taught her how to flip and do cartwheels. It didn’t hurt that she was so enamored by being friends with a real, live princess. Azula could admit she had a streak of vanity, and enjoyed Ty Lee’s attention and flattery. “My aura’s never been pinker!”

“I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“What are you doing here, Azula?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Azula arched an eyebrow and Ty Lee merely giggled, curving her body so her legs stretched straight out in front of her.

“What can I say,” Ty Lee hummed. “I’m one of a kind, here.”

“You’ve always been one of a kind, Ty Lee,” Azula said, seriously. Ty Lee smiled up at her and flipped her legs back, putting herself back on her feet once more.

“Really, Azula, why are you here?”

“I heard you had joined up with this troop,” she said, shrugging. “I was hoping to catch a show.”

Ty Lee lit up, clasping her hands together under her chin.

“Truly?”

Azula rolled her eyes. “Well, I also wanted to discuss something with you, but it can wait until later. I’d love to see you perform.”

“I think that can be arranged for such an old friend,” Ty Lee said, clasping her hand and dragging her back the way she came to speak with the ringmaster. Azula smirked. She knew exactly how she would get Ty Lee to accompany her on her mission.

She just had to wait a little longer.

“Who are they?”

“They’re spies.”

“We don’t know that—”

“That one is a firebender!”

“Kill him!”

Kallik struggled against the hold he was in, heating up his hands and making sparks. The men restraining him jumped in surprise, letting him go. He whirled, ready to fight when a sword met his neck. At the same time, he was grabbed again, his arms held behind his back.

“No!” Katara shouted.

“Don’t hurt him!” Sokka growled, grunting as he tried to break free, himself.

A blast of cold air flew past all of them, making everyone pause.

“Enough!” Aang shouted, slamming his staff on the ground. “I am Avatar Aang. Now unhand my friends.”

“He’s an ashmaker,” the man with the sword spat. Kallik flinched as the sword pressed harder against his neck, breaking the skin.

“He is under my protection,” Aang said, solemnly. “Firebenders are not inherently evil. Let him go, now!”

The man growled, but pulled his sword away, wiping it clean. As soon as the men released his arms, he brought his hand up to his neck, pressing it against the thin cut that was just made. Katara rushed over and pulled out her water, healing up the slice in the span of a breath.

At lease he was giving his cousin lots of practice with her healing.

The man with the sword tucked it back in his belt, growling at them.

“What do you think you were trying to pull?” he asked, sharply.

“We were trying to rescue your king,” Sokka replied, puffing out his chest.

“He doesn’t need rescuing,” the man scoffed. “You’re truly the Avatar?” Aang nodded. The man glared once more at Kallik before shaking his head and turning around. “Alright, fine. But if that ashmaker gives us away, it’s on your head.” Kallik glared down at the ground and folded his arms over his chest.

The stranger lead them down a tunnel toward a large open cavern, far beneath the surface. Kallik shivered. He hated being underground. If he ran into another wolf-bat or badgermole, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

“Why doesn’t Bumi need rescuing?” Aang asked, finally breaking the silence between them. “Is he leading the resistance?”

“No,” the man spat, clenching his hands into angry fists. “On the day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city; to fight for our lives and for our freedom.” He looked away, grimacing at whatever bitter memory was gripping him. “But before we even had a chance, King Bumi surrendered.”

“But why?” Aang asked, softly.

“I don’t know. I looked at him on the day of the invasion, and asked what we were going to do. He looked right back at me and said, ‘nothing,’ before laughing madly. The troops came in and locked him in a metal box, and that was that.”

“Bumi is a mad genius,” Aang defended. “There had to be a reason he gave up so easily.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” the man sighed. “Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom, and freedom is worth dying for.”

“Actually, there’s another path to freedom,” Aang said. “You could leave Omashu. You’re directing all your energy to fight the Fire Nation, but your outnumbered. You can’t win. Now is the time to retreat so you can live to fight another day.”

“What would a child know about it?” he snarled, glaring angrily at the group of them. Kallik resisted the urge to take a step back.

“I know because I was at the Northern Air Temple,” Aang replied. “We were outnumbered, and even though we had control of the skies, it was dumb luck that saved us.”

“By the time we realized we couldn’t fight them, it was too late,” Kallik added, clearing his throat. “We were pinned in.” The man growled at him, but Sokka stepped up and slightly in front of him, shielding him with his body.

“The reason—and I mean the only reason—we survived was there was a huge abundance of natural gas that we used to cause an explosion,” Kallik continued. “If it hadn’t been for that, none of us would be standing here now.”

“Their technology is unbeatable, and their ruthlessness is terrifying,” Katara added. “Do you remember the night the moon disappeared from the sky?” Everyone shivered at her words. “That was because the Fire Nation tried to kill the Moon Spirit. They almost succeeded, too.”

“You don’t understand,” the man said, desperately. “They’ve taken our homes—”

“They took all our benders,” Kallik said, furrowing his brow. “They reduced our village to tents and weak huts.” The man raised his eyebrows at Kallik’s words.

“Where are you from, boy? Are you a war orphan? Some accident a good Earth Kingdom woman didn’t deserve?” Kallik flushed and glared down at the ground.

“He’s from the Southern Water Tribe,” Katara answered, hotly, “and his mother loved him dearly. His father does too. Shut up about things you don’t understand!”

“A firebender at the poles?” he asked, surprised. Kallik raised his head and nodded, finally managing to quell his blush and anger.

“My parents prayed for me, and I was brought to them on an Earth Kingdom ship.” The man opened his mouth to reply, but his companion cut him off.

“Yung,” he said, gently, “I think we should listen to them. Living to fight another day sounds pretty good to me.”

“Same here,” said another. The whole group started murmuring around them, and Yung’s face softened.

“That’s all well and good, but there are thousands of citizens who need to escape. How do we get them out?” They all murmured again. Kallik looked over at Sokka expectantly.

“What?” Sokka asked, tucking his thumbs in his belt. “Why are you looking at me like that.”

“Because you’re the idea guy,” Kallik shrugged. He noticed Yung watching their exchange out of the corner of his eye.

“You know, you have ideas, too.”

“Yeah, but they usually blow up in my face,” Kallik sighed. “Sometimes literally.”

Sokka groaned and poked Kallik in the shoulder, then paused as he looked intently at his… neck?

“What?” he asked, looking down at himself. “Is there something on me?”

“Suckers,” Sokka said, almost in awe. Kallik looked up, alarmed, reaching up to feel his neck for whatever Sokka was mistaking for a sucker. Sokka smirked, almost a little evilly.

“We’re all about to come down with a nasty case of pentapox.”

Azula entered Ty Lee’s tent with a bouquet of panda lilies. She dropped the flowers on her friend’s make up table and smiled fondly at her, catching her eyes in the mirror as Ty Lee removed the headdress of her costume.

“What a stunning performance.” She meant it. Ty Lee was always breathtaking in her element. Watching the girl balance and flip on the high wire was a pure delight. Between the danger of the act and the pure, artistic expression, she could understand why Ty Lee loved it here.

“Really, Azula?” her friend asked, turning around and grinning.

“Of course,” Azula said. Watching the show overall was a touch boring for her. She had outgrown the circus long ago. But watching Ty Lee in complete control, so high above the ground with only a net to catch her made all the tediousness that came before worth it. “You made it look effortless.”

“Well, it wasn’t effortless,” Ty Lee shrugged, touching the petals of the flowers Azula gave her, “but I’ve done it so many times now that I want to do something new. Yin doesn’t want me to, though. He says the act is fine as is, and it’s his show, so….”

“What a pity he won’t listen to you,” Azula said. She glanced at a nearby seat and Ty Lee invited her to sit down. “After all, you’re clearly the only thing that’s worth seeing, here. He should allow you some more creative freedom.” Ty Lee shrugged and pulled a panda lily out, tucking it into her hair. She offered one to Azula, who leaned forward and let her tuck one into the gold hairpiece she now wore around her topknot.

“What happened to Prince Iroh, and Prince Lu Ten?” Ty Lee asked, softly. Azula chuckled. She was much sharper than others gave her credit for. Of course she would have kept up with current events back home.

“That’s part of why I came to see you,” she said. “My grandfather passed, not long ago—”

Ty Lee stopped her by pulling her into a fierce hug, surprising Azula. She blinked and patted the girl’s back, unsure what brought the affectionate gesture on. Usually Ty Lee gave her some kind of warning before this kind of thing.

“Azula I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I know you were close to the Fire Lord.”

“It’s alright,” Azula said, feeling a hot wave of anger mixed with grief rise to her throat. She swallowed it down. She wasn’t weak. She wouldn’t cry.

“It’s not,” Ty Lee insisted, pulling away. Her eyes were wide and shimmering with unshed tears. Azula grabbed her hand and patted it, looking down at her lap.

“It will be, though.” Azula cleared her throat at the small admission, then lifted her head up, looking Ty Lee straight in the eye. Ty Lee stiffened slightly, tilting her head. “However, my uncle and cousin—they’re traitors to the crown, Ty Lee.”

“What?”

“They betrayed the nation. They’re the reason we failed during the invasion of the north,” Azula pushed out through gritted teeth. “At least, that’s what my father says.”

“What do you say?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. This was it. One wrong move and Ty Lee would refuse. Azula had a choice. Stick with the lie and risk less exposure to her father’s plan, or do something different. Azula’s heart leapt to her throat. She could feel his order’s pounding against the inside of her head, like the harsh grips of his hands to straighten her form as a child, always demanding and never giving. Tell the truth to no one. This is all anyone needs to know.

You can be so much more.

“I say my father has been operating against my uncle for a long time, and seized his opportunity to take the throne,” Azula said, bluntly. Ty Lee gasped. “However, my uncle is weak. It’s the nation’s worst kept secret that he will end the war, and allow the other nations to destroy us if he is on the throne. It’s been that way since Lu Ten got hurt.” Ty Lee nodded. She was no stranger to the rumors. “That’s why I came to see you. I have to hunt them down, or else they could threaten my father’s rule, and by proxy, mine. The Fire Nation needs a strong leader now more than ever.”

“Will you kill them?” she asked, worriedly. Azula sighed.

“If I must.”

“You don’t want to, though.” Ty Lee always could see right through her.

“No,” she admitted. “I want them to abdicate, or I want to take them as prisoners. That will be easier if I have help—if I have people at my side who will support me. People with skills that I just don’t have.” Ty Lee stared at her levelly, face more serious than Azula had ever seen it.

“Ty Lee, will you join me on my mission?”

A small smile. A tightening of the grip on her hand. Ty Lee tilted her head and let out a careful breath before giving her answer.

“Of course, Azula. You’re my best friend. All you ever had to do was ask.”

Chapter Text

She was bored.

She hated being bored.

Mai sighed as she and her guards strolled along the streets. She couldn’t even go for a walk by herself, which was ridiculous. She was the one who almost caught those resistance members. The firebenders that accompanied her were a joke in comparison.

Be good. Hold your tongue.

She didn’t want to hold her tongue. She wanted to rage at the world. She wanted to scream that it wasn’t fair she couldn’t be in Caldera City, training with the Yu Yan and sharpening her skills. The only good thing about Omashu was that her father put a brief hold on finding her a husband.

Other than that, it was arid, dusty, and boring. There was nothing to do. There was nowhere to go. There was no one interesting to meet.

Mai tilted her head curiously when she saw a boy walking backward out of an alley, looking at something in his hands, then back up down the narrow strip of road. He was dressed in green and had long black hair, tied in a braid behind his head. She stared at him and he seemed to shiver, turning his head to catch her looking.

He straightened and turned around, looking straight ahead, both hands behind his back. She raised an eyebrow at the behavior, then moved towards him quickly. Her guards stayed behind her, stopping a short distance away from them when she reached the boy. He smiled nervously and gave her a half-bow. She glared at him when he came back up, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Who are you?”

The boy blinked, mouth open slightly in surprise. She cleared her throat impatiently.

“I’m… I’m Lee,” he said, wincing slightly. Mai’s eyes roved over his face. His gold eyes followed her as she trailed them across his features. The most noticeable thing about him was a curious white lock of hair framing his face. The more she looked at him, the less like an Earth Kingdom boy he seemed. There was something familiar about his features that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

“Is—is something on my face, miss?” he asked politely. She peered around him and he turned his body slightly, blocking her view. She glared at the hands he held behind his back.

“What do you have?” she asked, sharply. He shook his head quickly. “What are you hiding?”

The boy glanced behind him before he hung his head, bringing his hand around. In his palm was a weird pink squid.

“What is that?” she asked, wrinkling her nose. He huffed out a small laugh, startling her.

“It’s… It’s a Purple Pentapus,” he said, smiling at the weird thing wrapped around his hand and wrist. He tickled the top of its head, making it slowly peel away its many legs.

“It’s gross,” she said, leaning back. He looked back up at her face with an affronted expression.

“Come on,” he said. “They’re really friendly and gentle. Besides, he’s kind of cute.” The boy held the pentapus up close enough for her to touch. She grimaced, looking between the creature and Lee. His eyes were daring her to do it. He stared at her like he didn’t think she’d have the guts to touch something so foul.

How dare he.

Mai reached out and touched the thing’s head, face softening. It didn’t feel slimy or sticky, like she expected. Just slightly damp and fleshy. The pentapus cooed again, wiggling its arms.

“Huh,” she breathed. “I guess he is.” She looked up again to see Lee staring at her, eyes wide. He looked like he was holding his breath.

“What?” she asked, furrowing her brow.

“Nothing,” he said, his voice becoming raspier. He shook his head and laughed again. “I—um. I gave you my name but I didn’t catch yours.”

She smirked at him. “Mai.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mai,” he replied, grinning. His eyes were so brilliantly gold. She wondered if he came here from one of the older colonies.

“Nice to meet you too, Lee,” she said. Mai glanced down at the little animal, watching it continue to detach from Lee’s hand. “Where did you find that thing, anyway?” she asked.

“Well, that’s the gross part,” he said. “They live in the sewers.”

“Ugh!” she grimaced. “You let me touch it?”

“I didn’t make you,” he laughed. “besides, they’re actually really clean. I think they eat all the nasty stuff and purify the water. That’s probably why it doesn’t smell here as much as some other Earth Kingdom cities.”

She arched an eyebrow. Most Fire Nation citizens this well-traveled were already in her circle.

“Typical,” she huffed. He raised both eyebrows, expression curious. “That something so useful has to live somewhere so foul. That seems to be the way of things, doesn’t it?” she looked around, sneering at the walls of Omashu.

“I suppose,” he replied, slowly.

“So where are you from, Lee?” He raised his eyebrows at the question and she rolled her eyes in response. “Come on. I can tell you’re not from the here, even if you’re wearing green. Your eyes are a dead giveaway. Did you come here from a different colony? Is your father one of the soldiers that helped capture Omashu?”

“Oh,” he replied, rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. “Yeah, I’m uh—yeah. My dad is a soldier. We’re from Hi Village.”

“Hi?” Mai asked, arching an eyebrow. “That little colony way up north?”

Lee nodded. “Yeah… um. They just had their fire festival.”

“Oh. And how was that?” She wasn’t sure why she kept talking to him. He was clearly beneath her—the son of a foot soldier who went wherever he was told. Seeing a Fire Nation boy proudly wearing Earth Kingdom clothing was a little interesting, though, and the way he spoke to her—as if she weren’t a noblewoman—was very refreshing.

It wasn’t often boys talked to her like this.

Not any interesting ones, anyway.

“It was wild,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “You know, they spotted the Avatar there.” Mai’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“Really?”

Lee nodded. “Yeah. Chased him all around the town, too. He gave them the slip though.”

“He’s good at that,” Mai replied, thinking of the new Yu Yan recruits talking about his escape from Pohuai Stronghold.

“Lady Mai,” the guard behind her murmured. She straightened and glared back at him. He withered slightly under her gaze. “My apologies, miss, but we really must continue on.” Mai sighed, dramatically, looking back at Lee.

“Duty calls,” she replied, dully. “It was nice to meet you, Lee. Maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah,” Lee replied as she walked away. “See—see you later.” Mai smiled to herself. Maybe Omashu wouldn’t be so boring after all.

“Is she gone?”

Kallik swallowed, willing his heart to quit beating so fast and get under control. They were almost caught. Tui and La, they were almost caught.

They were almost caught by a very, very pretty girl.

He shook himself and ducked back down into the alley where Sokka, Aang and Katara were all putting pentapusses in wooden buckets.

“Yeah,” he said. “She’s gone.” Katara took one look at him and scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“And everyone gives me a hard time about Jet,” she mumbled. Kallik felt his ears burning.

“Shut up,” he replied, dropping his new friend in one of the buckets.

“I gave you my name, but I didn’t catch yours,” Sokka repeated, mockingly. Kallik punched him in the arm.

Kallik, Sokka, and Katara were dressed in Earth Kingdom outfits, kindly given to them by several members of the resistance. They blended in better with the crowd this way, and it allowed them to actually wash their clothes, instead of running around smelling like the sewers.

“So you think we can trick them into believing we’re all sick?” Yung asked.

“You bet,” Sokka replied. “The marks the pentapusses leave on you look like little blisters, and are obviously not makeup. All we need to do is run up there and grab some, then we can convince the invaders there’s some kind of plague, here.”

“Before any of you do that,” Jasmine interjected, “you need to bathe. And wear some clean clothes while you’re at it. You smell like something my dog rolled in.” She was a young mother with a soft face, but stern voice. None of them had the will to argue with her. It wasn’t like she was saying anything they didn’t know.

After they had gotten cleaned up (which took several washings to get rid of all the smell) and dressed in new clothes, they set out to start their plan to free the residents of Omashu.

“I think we have enough now,” Aang called up from the sewer, bending a few more pentapusses on a wave of sewage towards them. He was the only one still wearing his normal clothes, citing that there was no point in cleaning them until after they got all the little critters they needed for the plan.

“Great,” Sokka said. “Now that Kallik is done fraternizing with the enemy—”

“I was not!”

“—we can get these guys back to the rest of the resistance.” They put wooden lids on their buckets, and each of them carried a bucket in each hand back toward the rendezvous point. There were others stationed at different sewer entrances, all doing the same task. Soon, they would be able to mark enough people up to convince the guards that they were diseased and should be let go.

“How was Kallik fraternizing with the enemy?” Aang asked.

“I was just talking to her,” Kallik grumbled. “In fact, you might even say I was distracting her. You know, to keep her from discovering what we were doing?”

“Uh-huh,” Katara replied. “Sure. You didn’t like her at all.”

“I don’t even know her!”

“Right,” Sokka added. “Was she pretty?” Kallik scowled, knowing his face was turning red. Sokka snickered. “Fraternizing.”

“You know what’s weird, though?” Kallik asked, once his friends finished laughing at him. “I don’t know why, but she seems really familiar for some reason.”

“Because she’s the girl of your dreams,” Katara said in a sing-song voice. Kallik rolled his eyes as the others started laughing again.

“What about Chin? He seems like a nice boy.”

Mai resisted the urge to scowl. “I don’t think he’s interested in traveling so far from the capitol,” she replied, diplomatically. Her mother hummed thoughtfully as her father made notes on the scrolls in front of him.

“Well, there’s no reason you have to stay here with us, Mai,” her mother tutted. “You’re practically a young woman now—”

When the alarm rang, Mai thanked whatever Spirit that decided to invite chaos into the city long enough to stop this conversation.

“What on earth,” her father muttered, getting up and moving towards the balcony. Mai and her mother followed him, walking past the guard that stood in the entry way.

“What is going on down there?” her father demanded. Mai watched as hordes of people clad in green slowly walked towards the gate. The haunting sound of pained moans filled her ears as thousands of citizens cried out in agony. She shivered a little.

“I saw some kids yesterday who were sick with pentapox,” the guard said, quietly. “It must have spread.”

“Pentapox,” her father murmured. “I’m pretty sure I’ve heard of that.”

“How terrible,” her mother sighed, looking forlornly at the scene below. Mai briefly wondered if any of their people were affected. Lee seemed fine earlier that day. It seemed they would have to keep an eye on the general populace, if there was a plague this massive.

“What should we do?” the guard asked. Mai nearly snorted. Obviously, they should set up medical tents and quarantine the lower part of the city until help could arrive.

“Drive them out of the city, but don’t touch them!” her father ordered. “We have to rid the city of this disease.” Mai frowned. These were their citizens now. They had a responsibility towards them.

“Father,” she said, cautiously, “why aren’t you ordering a quarantine?”

“The risk is too high,” her father said. “These people have been resisting us since we got here. This removes two problems at once.”

“But they could die.”

“It is an unfortunate consequence,” he replied, turning to go back inside. “I have more reports to finish. Come. I don’t think it’s wise for any of us to be outside for the time being.”

Mai cast one more glance at the citizens who were now being herded towards the gate. She sent a brief prayer to Agni to watch over them before she followed her parents back into their home.

Aang led Flopsie outside the village, completely defeated. They searched high and lo, but Bumi was nowhere to be found. It was full dark by the time he reached the other refugees, and it was all he could do not to cry when he told Katara his disappointing news.

Yung arrived with even worse news. Another person snuck out with them. A very tiny person, who couldn’t even talk.

They all gathered around the fire, unsure of what to do. The little boy dressed in Fire Nation red toddled around them, picking up Sokka’s club and trying to chew it. Sokka pulled it from his hands and scolded him.

“No! Bad Fire Nation baby!” The boy fell on his rump and started bawling. Katara smacked Sokka and demanded he give the club back.

“Fine,” Sokka sighed, handing the club back to the boy. Kallik snorted as the baby chewed on the wooden ball at the end.

“Oh, you’re so cute!” Katara squealed, hugging the now cooing boy. “Whose an adorable baby? Who? Is it you? Yes, it is!” she babbled. Aang smiled as he watched her fuss over the baby.

“Sure, he’s cute now,” Yung said, darkly, “but when he’s older he’ll join the Fire Nation army. He won’t be so cute then.”

“You know he’s a baby, right?” Kallik asked, voice full of scorn. “I’m glad I never got brought anywhere near you when I was a baby. My life was hard enough without people seeing an enemy where there was an infant.”

“Actually, I think you might have been.” Aang raised his eyebrows in surprise. He noticed his friends were all gaping at the news as well. “About fifteen or sixteen years ago now, when I was stationed on the coast, a man and woman were traveling across the Earth Kingdom, trying to find a home for an abandoned Fire Nation baby. They stopped by the city I was stationed at—it’s been made into another Fire Nation colony now.”

“What?” Kallik asked. His voice had gone a little hoarse.

“Hmm,” Yung nodded. “One man offered to put you up, but the girl carrying you didn’t like the look in his eye and carried on. Surprised me, considering how many orphans he took in, but it turned out for the best. Years later, we found out he was using all those kids for hard labor and barely feeding them.” Kallik paled at the words, then cleared his throat and got up, walking away from the group.

“That’s awful,” Katara said as Sokka went after Kallik. “What happened to him?”

“He was arrested, of course.” Yung reached up and scratched his chin through his thick beard. “The kids that were with him at the time got taken to one of the orphanages. I don’t know what happened to them after that.”

“How do you not know?” Katara asked, shocked. “They were children! Why didn’t people in the city take care of them?”

“They didn’t belong to any of the citizens, as far as anyone knew,” Yung shrugged. “It’s a shame, but that happens. It wasn’t like they were anyone’s responsibility.” Katara frowned and hugged the boy at her feet fiercely.

“That would never happen back home,” she declared. “Never. No child would be left like that.” Yung hummed in thought but said nothing more. A loud caw distracted them, and Aang turned, seeing a brown bird settle on a rock nearby.

“A messenger hawk,” Yung said, raising his eyebrows curiously. Aang got up and retrieved the scroll from the container on the bird’s back and read the message.

“It’s from the Fire Nation governor,” Aang explained. “He thinks we kidnapped his son, so he wants to make a trade. His son for King Bumi.” This was it. This was their chance to get Bumi back!

“Aang,” Katara said, gently, “I know you want to save your friend, but this might not be a good idea.”

“Katara, it’s Bumi. There’s only one thing I can do!”

“Can we at least talk about it together and make a plan before you do something dangerous?” she begged. Aang sighed, looking away from her pleading eyes.

“Fine.”

“Kallik!”

Kallik stopped at the call and leaned against the cold wall beside him, crossing his arms over his chest. Sokka was panting by the time he caught up.

“We don’t know that it was you—”

“Who else would it have been, Sokka?” Kallik asked, darkly. He scowled at the ground. “I can’t—it was only due to some stranger’s intuition that I didn’t end up—” he bit the inside of his cheek, unable to complete the thought. “The way Yung looked at that boy—like he was already the enemy… he’s a baby. I was a baby! I could have been stuck with some… some monster who would put me to work, or maybe with someone like Yung who thinks people like me are better off dead—"

“But you weren’t!” Sokka exclaimed. “You wound up with Bato, and with us where you belong!”

“Sokka—” Sokka cut him off by grabbing his shoulders and turning him violently to face him. Kallik looked up, startled.

“You weren’t,” Sokka repeated. “You weren’t and you never would have been. La wouldn’t have let you. She carried you to us, Kallik.”

“I thought you thought the Spirit Tales were nonsense,” Kallik mumbled. Sokka scoffed.

“Yeah, well, now that I’ve seen her manifested into a giant, man-eating koi fish, I’m not gonna call her nonsense.” Kallik looked down when Sokka let go, and kicked the ground with his toe.

“Look,” Sokka continued, “I know I’ve been stupid about some things with you, and I haven’t been the best friend I could be. I wasn’t the brother I should have been—”

“Cousin,” Kallik corrected. Sokka punched him.

“Brother,” Sokka emphasized, as Kallik rubbed his arm. “It was easy to have your back in the village, but out here—out here I shouldn’t have acted the way I did. I shouldn’t have said the stupid things I said. And maybe if I were better, you would feel better about the way things are, and who you are to us.”

“Sokka, I already forgave you for how you acted—”

“Shut up, I’m trying to tell you something important, okay?” Sokka yelled, stamping his foot. Kallik raised his eyebrow and Sokka huffed. “I need you to know you belong with us, Kallik. You came to us for a reason. You would never have wound up with that nasty guy or anyone else, because you’re ours. Get it?”

Kallik swallowed and nodded jerkily. Sokka gripped his shoulder tightly, then led him back to the others.

“Brothers, huh?” Kallik asked, smiling a little. Sokka snorted.

“Yeah. I’m stuck with you.” Kallik shoved him at the words, chuckling.

“I guess I’m stuck with you, too.”

Chapter Text

Katara grabbed the last sleeping roll from Kallik and tied it down in the saddle. They weren’t sure how quick their getaway might need to be once the trade was finished, so they said their goodbyes early and packed everything up just in case. Kallik seemed more at relaxed this morning as he helped Katara pack their belongings, despite what they learned about him the other night. Whatever her brother said put him in better spirits.

Thinking about what could have happened to Kallik was heartbreaking. It made Katara’s stomach twist up in knots, knowing he could have been left with people that would use him and throw him away. It was something she hated about the Earth Kingdom. Every time they passed orphans begging on the street, she worried about their fate. That Kallik had come so close to that lifestyle, or a worse one, was frightening. Everyone back home always said he was so unlucky because he used his all up to survive his first winter. With what she knew now, she wondered if maybe he used it up before he even joined them.

Katara slid down from the saddle as Aang walked up with Sokka. His head was covered in an orange wrap to hide his tattoo, and he held the baby in his arms, cooing at it as they approached.

“You know we’re probably walking into a trap, right?” Sokka asked. His face was flat. When he and Kallik returned to camp the other night, he voiced every single reason he could think of to explain why it was a bad idea to attempt this trade. Aang finally put his foot down. He wasn’t going to give up on Bumi. Kallik didn’t like the idea any more than Sokka, but when Katara reminded them that they were also trying to bring a baby home, both of them relented.

“I don’t think so,” Aang said, adamantly. “I’m sure the governor wants his son back just as much as we want Bumi.” He smiled as he watched the sun rise over the mountains. “It’s a new day. I have a good feeling about this.”

“Well, at least one of us does,” Kallik muttered. Katara rolled her eyes and moved towards Appa.

“We shouldn’t waste any more time, then,” she said, gesturing for them to climb up. “Let’s go.”

“I can’t believe you travel like this all the time,” Ty Lee whispered, peering at the soldiers gathered along the streets. Azula hummed in response, but said nothing. Ty Lee pouted at her friend, seeing the air shimmer and blur around her. Azula had always had a bit of a dark aura. Deep, bold reds instead of the softer colors that surrounded Lady Ursa. It was always clear, though. Azula was rarely unsure of herself. Ty Lee could tell she thought she hid it well, but she could see underneath the mask.

Azula always thought she was so clever. She always thought she could manipulate people to do her bidding—and she could—but Ty Lee could always spot it. It never bothered her, though. Where she was surrounded by siblings, never able to stand out, Azula was alone. A singular entity for Ozai’s wrath. She remembered the first time Azula came to a playdate with burns on her arms.

“What happened?”

“The last set took a little longer to perfect,” Azula said, as nonchalantly as she could. “I was a little clumsy.”

I was a little clumsy almost always meant that Ozai decided to give a more physical lesson.

Azula always had to watch. She always had to be on guard. She was ruthless with others because her first teacher was ruthless with her. Ty Lee didn’t mind how she toyed with other people, but made it clear from the beginning that they were friends, so Azula had to treat her like one. Azula took that to heart.

If Ty Lee were anyone else, Azula would have threatened and bullied her to help. Instead, she approached her with honesty, because Ty Lee was one of the only people the princess truly counted on.

“Mai will agree to help, Azula,” Ty Lee said, kindly, but doubting this was a concern. Azula hummed again. Her aura didn’t change at all, confirming Ty Lee’s thought. “What’s wrong?”

“Why should anything be wrong?” Azula drawled, glancing at Ty Lee out of the corner of her eye.

“Your aura is all fuzzy. It’s like you’re conflicted about something.” Ty Lee was concerned now. Usually, Azula would scoff at the accusation, but this time, she drew in on herself slightly.

“I already told you. I don’t actually want to hunt down—”

“Azula,” Ty Lee interrupted, frowning at her friend, “I know it’s more than that.” Azula looked momentarily surprised before she let her face settle back into the impassive mask she normally wore. She glanced at her nails, idly.

“If you must know, we received news from both my uncle and Admiral Zhao. It was… interesting.”

“Interesting how?”

“There’s a Water Tribe boy,” Azula said softly. “He has pale skin, and gold eyes, and a white streak of hair framing his face. He comes from the south pole and he’s a firebender.”

“Well, it’s not as if we weren’t trying to stop the raiders and pirates who were active down there,” Ty Lee replied, tilting her head curiously. “I mean—we’re old enough now to know some of the uglier things that have happened during this war.” After all, it wasn’t as if any Fire Nation women who served hadn’t suffered at the hands of Earth Kingdom soldiers.

“Yes,” Azula said, slowly, “but this boy looks startlingly like my father did, when he was young.”

Ty Lee blinked.

“He’s also seventeen, and his birthday is on the Winter Solstice.”

Ty Lee’s eyes widened with sudden comprehension. “Azula,” Ty Lee gasped. “Could it really be—you don’t think it’s—”

“I don’t know,” Azula said quickly. “I know that my mother would be ecstatic to meet him if it is. I know that I want to meet him. I want to see him with my own eyes.”

“They said Prince Zuko died,” Ty Lee whispered. “Can you imagine if it is him? It’s like one of the old stories! A long-lost prince, returned to his family! Azula, you could meet your older brother!”

“My orders are to find my uncle and cousin,” Azula said, firmly. “I also have an additional command to seek out the Avatar, while trying to complete this mission.”

“Your father doesn’t want you to find your brother?”

“I can’t tell if my father even wants him back,” Azula scoffed. “He didn’t want me to waste my energy chasing a rumor. He didn’t say anything about what I could do if I happened to come across him, though.”

“Prince Iroh wouldn’t say it was him if he didn’t have good reason to believe so,” Ty Lee said. Azula nodded. “What will you do if you see him?”

“I’m not sure,” Azula admitted. Ty Lee raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t believe that,” she said. Azula looked at her again, confused. “You’ll bring him home. He’s your brother, Azula. You were never good at sharing your things.” Azula chuckled, and her eyes began to  twinkle again. Her aura stared smoothing out, returning to the bold red Ty Lee was accustomed to seeing. The palanquin stopped and was lowered, and Azula moved the curtain and stepped out. Ty Lee followed.

Mai stood in front of the entrance to the palace of Omashu, and bowed respectfully to Azula.

“Please tell me you’re here to kill me,” she said in the same, flat voice she always used. When she looked up, there was a small smirk playing across her lips. Azula laughed brightly, and pulled Mai into a hug.

“It’s great to see you, Mai,” she said. Ty Lee ran up when Azula released her and gave Mai a tight hug.

“Didn’t you join the circus?” Mai asked.

“Yep.”

“I thought it was your calling. Why aren’t you there now?”

“Azula needed my help,” Ty Lee replied, pulling away. “How could I say no?”

“I have an important mission from my father,” Azula said. Mai frowned slightly. She was good at keeping her feelings in check—the etiquette lessons were drilled into her since she was a child—but she never could fully hide her distaste regarding Ozai. “I need your help.”

“Count me in,” Mai said, scowling outright. “Anything to get me out of this place.”

“What happened?” Azula asked as Mai led them into the palace. “I haven’t seen nearly enough people here. Aren’t there thousands of citizens living in Omashu?”

“My father is an idiot,” Mai replied. “It looked like a plague broke out, but instead of doing the responsible thing for these people he’s now in charge of and quarantining them, he just opened the gates and let all the citizens of Omashu go. He was afraid of how the disease would spread to Fire Nation citizens if he didn’t. Instead, it turned out that it was just a ruse to get everyone out of the city. Not only that, but they kidnapped Tom-Tom. My father is negotiating a trade: King Bumi for my brother.”

“He didn’t set up a quarantine?” Azula gaped. “He just let them go? If they were highly infectious, that could have been detrimental!”

“I know,” Mai sighed. “Thankfully it was faked, but the damage has still been done.”

“Are you certain it was faked?” Ty Lee asked, nervously. A plague was not something to trifle with.

“Yes. My father got a response, agreeing to the trade and explaining that no one was actually sick, so there are no risks.”

“Thank goodness,” Ty Lee breathed out, relieved.

“It doesn’t matter. The Earth Kingdom has thousands more people to volunteer for its armies, and Tom-Tom is gone.”

“We’ll get him back, Mai,” Azula said. “I think I know how, too. You might not like my plan when I explain, but trust me when I say I’m certain your baby brother will be recovered. We’ll apprehend the people who took him, too.” Azula had that look in her eye—the steely glint that reminded people how dangerous the royal family could be. Azula especially didn’t take kindly to people who stole babies out of their beds. She had seen firsthand how families were affected.

“At any rate, I have other things that need to be discussed with your father. There has been a change of leadership back home.” Mai’s eyes flicked to Azula’s new crown. Ty Lee should have known Azula’s new status as crown princess would not be lost on Mai.

“Arranging a meeting will be easy enough,” Mai replied, smoothly. “Follow me.”

Aang handed the baby to Sokka and looked around. Appa was hidden out of sight, and Katara and Kallik each took a fighting position near Aang. Katara stood next to Aang, hand on her waterskin, and Kallik stood on Aang’s other side slightly behind Sokka, just in case anyone tried to sneak up behind them.

“Are you sure this was where they wanted to do the exchange?” Kallik asked, peering at the scaffolding next to them.

“Yes,” Aang replied. “It looks like they’re only building one statue. This has to be it.” He was proven right when three girls all clad in Fire Nation colors walked up the stairs at the other side of the platform, striding forward with confidence. One was dressed in pink and had long, brown hair in a tight braid. Aang noticed the bounce in her step despite how far away she was. Another wore something akin to a soldier’s uniform, and her black hair was worn in a traditional topknot that was decorated with a gold flame. The one in front wore a more somber version of the Fire Nation colors, and her black hair was tied up in two buns with tails trailing down from them.

“It’s Mai,” Kallik whispered, sounding surprised, sliding more behind Sokka to keep out of their line of sight. Aang wasn’t sure who Kallik was talking about.

The girl in front waved her hand, and a loud cranking sounded near them. Aang looked up to see a large, metal container being moved in the air by the strange machine behind the scaffolding. His pulse jumped when he heard Bumi’s laughter.

“Hi everybody” his old friend shouted down. The baby cooed in Sokka’s arms and he bounced him and patted his back. The chain Bumi’s box dangled from lowered him further down, until he was set behind the trio.

“You brought my brother?” asked the girl in front.

“He’s here,” Aang said, looking over at Sokka again. The baby was grabbing at his face, and Sokka looked exasperated at his antics. “We’re ready to trade.”

“I’m sorry,” said the girl with the topknot, “but a thought just occurred to me. Do you mind?” The leader turned to her.

“Of course not, Princess Azula.”

Princess? Aang wondered. How many members of the Fire Nation royal family are there?

“We’re trading a two-year-old for a king.” She glanced up at Bumi, who smiled down at her. “A powerful, earthbending king.” Bumi nodded at the words, and Aang wanted to stop his friend from making this trade any harder than it already was. “It just doesn’t seem like a fair trade, does it?” The girl in front was silent for a moment, staring at the princess.

No way. This is her brother. Family matters more, Aang thought to himself.

“You’re right,” she replied, stepping forward. Aang gasped. “The deal’s off.” With a wave of her hand, the metal box was pulled up on the chain.

“See you all later!” Bumi shouted. Aang couldn’t let this happen. Not again. He ran forward, then jumped high in the air to avoid the fire that was suddenly shot toward him. When he looked down, he was surprised to see blue flames burning below him. He didn’t know firebenders were capable of making their flame that hot.  He wrestled with his glider to snap it open, causing the wrap to slip from his head. He managed to snag it with his teeth as he hovered on the air currents.  

Aang heard commotion below him, but didn’t take the chance to look down. He flew higher and higher, until he landed on top of Bumi’s box.

“Aang, is that you?” Bumi asked. “Where did you come from?”

“Hang on!” Aang shouted. “We’re gonna get you out of here.” He carefully blew on the chain, covering it with ice to make the metal brittle.

“Aang, stop your blowing for a minute!” Bumi shouted. Aang didn’t listen, and instead smacked the chain with his staff, dropping the box. Bumi shouted as Aang cushioned the ground below him with air. They landed in one of the mail chutes. Aang stood where Bumi’s chest should be, and used his airbending to carry Bumi to safety.

“It’s just like old times, isn’t it Bumi?” he asked, laughing a little. Bumi shouted something back that Aang couldn’t quite hear, but it looked like he said, “it’s nice to see you!”

“It’s nice to see you, too!” Aang grinned, pushing them faster down the chute.  Aang looked around, trying to spot Appa, but it seemed the others were giving his friends trouble. He hoped they were okay. The box slid faster and faster towards the bottom of the slide, and Aang suddenly realized he needed slow them down or they could be hurt. This wasn’t like the stone carts that were normally used.

“Oh no!” he shouted, trying to push them backwards with his airbending. Bumi moved his chin, and the ground moved and grabbed the box, slowing it down. Aang jumped off the box and landed on the stone floor beneath him as a small hill of rock shifted the box to make Bumi face him.

“You could earthbend all along?” Aang asked, feeling somewhat betrayed.

“Well, they didn’t cover my face,” Bumi replied, snorting.

“I don’t understand,” Aang cried, indignantly. “Why didn’t you free yourself? Why did you surrender when Omashu was invaded? What’s the matter with you, Bumi?”

“Listen to me, Aang,” Bumi said calmly. “There are options in fighting called Jing. It’s a choice of how you direct your energy.”

“I know!” Aang scoffed. “There’s positive Jing when you’re attacking and negative Jing when you’re retreating.”

“And neutral Jing: when you do nothing!”

Aang’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “There are three Jings?”

“Well,” Bumi hedged, “technically there are eighty-five, but let’s focus on the third. Neutral Jing is the key to earthbending. It involves listening and waiting for the right moment to strike.”

“That’s why you surrendered, isn’t it?” Aang asked, suddenly feeling very foolish. Bumi needed to protect his people. He wouldn’t attack at the time the most lives could be lost. He would wait until the right moment—whenever that may occur.

“Yes, and it’s why I can’t leave now.”

Aang turned away, saddened that Bumi couldn’t come with him. “I guess I need to find someone else to teach me earthbending.”

“Your teacher will be someone who has mastered neutral Jing,” Bumi said, wisely. “You need to find someone who waits and listens before striking.” Momo landed on his shoulders, distracting him from his somber mood. The lemur chittered in agitation, pointing up high in the sky.

“Hey, Momo.”

“Momo’s mastered a few Jings himself,” Bumi snorted. The lemur screeched and pointed upwards again. “Goodbye, Aang. I’ll see you when the time is right.” Aang bowed and watched as Bumi used earthbending to push himself back up the slide. Momo chittered again and Aang opened his glider so he could launch himself in the air. Momo led him back to the platform where the exchange was meant to take place. Appa was there, moaning and lowering his head. He got a tight feeling in his chest, and he landed as quickly as he could to check on his friends.

Katara and Sokka were both lying on the ground, barely twitching, but with eyes wide open. Kallik and the baby were nowhere to be found. Aang hovered over them.

“Oh no! What happened? How can I help?”

“We—we can’t move,” Katara said. The twitching in their arms and legs must have been the results of their efforts. Aang shoved them up so they could sit against Appa. “Aang—they’re after him! They knocked us out, and Kallik took the baby to distract them!”

“No,” Aang whispered, looking out into the city. He could barely make out any figures from here. “We’re gonna find him. Let me get you guys into the saddle and we’ll search as long as we can—”

“But what about the soldiers?” Katara asked. “If they see us—”

“We have to try, Katara. We can’t lose him again!” Sokka shouted. Aang used his airbending to toss them into the saddle.

“But if we get spotted before we find him, how can we help?” Katara replied, panicked. Aang grabbed Appa’s reins and the bison rose in the air. Aang steered him to a place they could hide. Hopefully when they were properly hidden, they could come up with a plan.

Azula scowled when Zuko managed to dodge around another corner, eluding her. She could never have predicted this outcome when she told Mai of her plan to use Ty Lee’s chi blocking to stop the resistance fighters. When Azula almost had their leader—a young boy in clothes she had never seen before—a bright orange jet of fire stopped her pursuit.

Azula growled in shock, looking over at the person (the firebending traitor) that would dare stop her from apprehending a monster who would kidnap a baby, but stopped dead when she actually saw him.

Fire Nation eyes. Water Tribe clothes. A thick white streak of hair framing one side of his face.

“It’s you,” she breathed. His eyes narrowed, and he shifted into a stance unfamiliar to her.

“Lee?” Mai asked, behind her. He winced a little.

“You’re not touching my family,” he said. His voice was like smoke. Azula never thought to imagine what he might sound like. She found it suited him.

“Of course not,” she agreed, sparking a flame in her hands. “Why would I? After all, we’re family, aren’t we?” His eyes widened at her statement and she used his distraction to throw a jet of blue fire at the two people behind him. He slid over to her flame and took control of it, swinging it around himself and throwing it back at her. The flames cooled to a dull orange as they made their way back, and she clapped her hands in front of her to dissipate the fire.

I’ve never seen a move like that before.

“Oh no,” said the boy behind him. “Not again. Kallik, I don’t know why all these royal firebenders are obsessed with you, but I’m drawing the line here, buddy.”

“You say that like I invite it,” he called back.

“His name isn’t Kallik,” Azula said, firmly. Now, the boy took a step back.

“You’re right,” Mai added, stepping up beside her. “It’s Lee.”

“It’s not Lee, either.” She could feel Mai’s eyes boring into her back. “It’s Zuko.” Zuko glared at her and punched out, throwing a new jet of fire towards her. She jumped out of the way, pulling Mai with her. The three dressed in water tribe clothes all stared at her and Mai, waiting for a fight. Mai grabbed one of her daggers, and Azula noticed Ty Lee flipping up on the other side of the scaffolding behind her.

The Water Tribe girl turned out to be a bender. She pulled water from the canteen at her side and flung a whip at Azula and Mai, which they barely dodged. Mai threw arrows towards her, which she blocked with a sheet of ice. The boy holding Tom-Tom had some kind of whistle in his mouth, but it made no sound as he blew into it. Ty Lee made quick work of him, jabbing his pressure points quickly so he dropped like a stone. She caught Tom-Tom on the way down. Then, she set the boy on the floor and quickly stopped the waterbender, blocking her chi so she couldn’t bend.

“Katara!” Zuko shouted, pushing Ty Lee back with a fire blast. Mai distracted him by throwing darts his way, which he had to dodge, and Azula chased after him, boxing him against the scaffolding while Ty Lee took care of the waterbender. He fought like no other firebender she had seen before. Instead of producing his own flames and using offensive techniques, he took control of hers, throwing them back to her as quickly as she made them. Azula actually felt a little nervous. She was unsure of what she was up against. She couldn’t predict where he would move.

It was incredibly frustrating.

Ty Lee flipped over her shoulder, prepared to strike, but Zuko slipped down and rolled across the platform to his companions. Azula laughed when she saw the waterbender was as incapacitated as the boy.

“You can’t help them,” she sneered. She could see the loyalty he had to his friends shining brightly through her father’s eyes. “Not unless you can carry two lumps of deadweight faster than we can catch you.” She and her friends slowly closed in on him, making him back up closer to the edge of the platform. Tom-Tom cooed nearby, clapping his hands just beside Zuko. Zuko took a quick assessment of his surroundings, then set his jaw.

“No, I can’t carry them, you’re right,” he said, slowly, body coiling like a snake getting ready to strike. Azula felt her own muscles tensing, preparing to react.

“It would be easier if you came with us, Prince Zuko,” Ty Lee said, softly. “We don’t want to hurt you.” Zuko’s widened again but otherwise his body remained the same.

“Well, I don’t want to hurt anyone either,” he said, slowly. Azula’s eyes narrowed at the subtle shifting of his posture, “but I’ll do what I have to in order to protect my family.”

Then, he moved like lightning.

Tom-Tom was under one arm as he slid down the scaffolding, quicker than a mongoose lizard scaling a rocky cliff.

“Tom-Tom!” Mai shrieked, running to the edge of the platform. Azula stared down at her brother, who gazed up at her fiercely from the ground below, holding the boy against his chest.

“I was raised by the Water Tribe,” he called, venomously, “and we protect our family by any means necessary.” His arms visibly tightened around Tom-Tom. Azula felt her heart stutter. Mai’s brother was at risk. Who knew what those immoral savages taught Zuko? She could see how easily he could dispose of Tom-Tom if things didn’t go his way.

“I wonder if you’ll do the same,” he continued, taking a step back. Azula snarled, jumping off the platform and climbing down the wooden framework as quickly as she could. Ty Lee and Mai were close behind her.

Zuko ran, and they had been chasing him through New Ozai ever since. The Water Tribe savages were long forgotten. He had led them through so many parts of the city—over walls and across rooftops—that if Azula were a less observant person she would have been well and truly lost.  

Azula felt the knife from Lu Ten pressing against her ankle as she thought about everything at stake. She would never give up. Not on her people. Not on Tom-Tom.

She wouldn’t give up on her brother, either.

Kallik’s heart thudded in his chest. His legs burned. He couldn’t remember ever having to run this long, before, and climbing walls and buildings was incredibly difficult with one arm. They were too close, though. Every time he thought he shook them enough to leave the baby somewhere safe, they’d appear. Mai, with a betrayed glare sharper than the daggers she threw, and that pink girl, ready to incapacitate him with a swift jab if he got close enough. Then there was the one who called him family.

Don’t think about it, he scolded himself. He didn’t have time to think about this insane girl with too much paint on her face, claiming relations and hellbent on his capture. He could only focus on getting away. He could worry about the prince thing later, when he was back with his cousins.

He hoped Aang made it back to them by now. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep this up.

Kallik turned a corner and slammed into something that made a very loud grunt. He barely kept his footing as he tried to figure out the sudden obstacle that was gripping his shoulders.

“Whoa there, bud,” Kallik looked up to see a very tan man with green eyes and shaggy brown hair examining him. He wore Fire Nation colors, but was dressed as a civilian instead of a soldier. “Where’s the fire?”

Kallik swallowed, looking back over his shoulder, feeling the girls coming closer. His heart pounded as he realized this was his best chance to drop off the baby as safely as possible. They were just behind him, and there was no way this stranger would get away from them in time. At least that was what Kallik hoped as he made a terrible, impossible decision.

“Take him,” he said, shoving the boy in the man’s chest. He startled, letting go of Kallik to catch the baby. Kallik used his distraction to run again, down a nearby alley with a low wall. A door to one of the homes was slightly ajar, and Kallik shoved himself into it and slammed it closed behind him. Hopefully, they would think he jumped over the wall—that was the pattern he made for them, after all. He stepped back, away from the door as he heard several voices shouting outside.

Something gripped his elbow tightly and he tried to pull away, forming a flame in his free hand. Then, something hard and cool was pressed tightly against the pounding vein in his neck, stilling him.

“Put it out, ashmaker, or I’ll make sure that’s the last move you make.”

Chapter Text

Sokka groaned in frustration, trying to force his body to get up and move. His sister wasn’t fairing much better beside him.

Kallik wasn’t with them. They lost him again. At least both he and Katara had managed to regain some of their mobility. Neither of them could walk, and Katara’s bending was out of commission, but everything above the waist was functional again. Aang had settled Appa on top of one of the highest roofs in Omashu to allow them time to try to recover before they searched for Kallik.

“We can’t just wait around,” he moaned, throwing his arms out exasperatedly. They fell to his sides, much to his dismay. “If those girls catch Kallik, we’ll never get him back!”

“I know,” Aang replied, worry coloring his voice. “I know, Sokka, and I don’t—that can’t happen. Not again. But Appa’s too huge, so you guys need to be able to fight before we try to track him down!”

“He needs us!” Sokka replied. “If we don’t try now, it’ll be too late!”

“Sokka’s right,” Katara said, biting her lip. “Kallik needs us.”

“Well, what do you suggest?” Aang asked with a note of panic. “Omashu is huge. How are we supposed to find him? If we search and get spotted, how am I supposed to keep the two of you safe? We’re no good to Kallik if we’ve been captured, too!”

Sokka groaned, dropping his head to his chest. Aang was right. They had no idea where to look, and all of them were practically fugitives. Appa was incredibly noticeable, and Kallik had been freakishly good at running and hiding since he was a small child. If he hadn’t been caught, the odds that Sokka could find him in a city this size were nigh impossible.

Think, Sokka. Think! Sokka furrowed his brow in concentration. Kallik had to know when he took off that they wouldn’t be able to find him here. If he got away from those girls, he wouldn’t stick around. He would expect Sokka to be waiting for him somewhere safe. But where? Where could he get to that was far enough to be missed by the soldiers but close enough for them to find him?

Sokka’s head snapped up. There was only one place he could think of that Kallik would go, if he got away. If he wasn’t there when they arrived, or if he didn’t get there by the new dawn, then Sokka would have to assume he was captured again.

“What is it?” Katara asked.

“The refugees,” Sokka said. “If I were Kallik, and I managed to shake off those weird assassin girls, I’d go lay low with the refugees until you guys could find me.”

“That’s a big assumption, Sokka,” Katara said, slowly.

“It’s basic safety, Katara. He and I would arrange rendezvous points in case we got separated on hunts. I know him,” Sokka replied, firmly. “That’s where he’d go. I’m sure of it.”

“And if he’s not there?” Aang asked, twisting his hands together.

“We’ll give him until dawn,” Sokka said, quietly. “If he’s not there by then, then we’ll—we’ll figure out the best way to search for him.” He could tell the others were uneasy with his plan, but Sokka couldn’t think of any other options. He shook off the doubts that were creeping into his mind. His cousin would be there. Sokka couldn’t allow himself to believe any differently.

“Bleeding hog-monkeys, things in this town just keep getting weirder,” Li muttered, watching the new heir to the Fire Nation throne and her lackeys dash up the alley and over the wall a few feet away from his door. The small child (the governor’s son, it turned out) was safely bundled under the tallest girl’s arm as they dashed away. He frowned, staring at his empty arms, shaking himself after being threatened by Princess Azula. He shivered a little. The rumors were true. She had a steel glint in her eye the promised pain to anyone who crossed her. Li just stepped back, pointed in the direction he saw the boy go, and gave the child over when it was demanded.

What did he care if the Fire Nation was after some Water Tribe teenager? It was no skin off his nose. He had other things to worry about, like finding out where the citizens of Omashu disappeared to. That plague looked real. Real enough to keep him indoors. Now there was a rumor going around that it was fake so the townspeople could escape. He sighed as he approached his door. That fake plague didn’t do them any favors. Now he’d have to think of a new way to track their target before his partner lost her temper. Li opened the door, then stumbled to a halt at the scene that greeted him.

The boy from earlier was staring at him with wide eyes, hands trembling at his sides. Just over his shoulder he could see Harmony’s dark eyes glaring up at him, her silver knife pressed hard against his jugular.

“Well, I can’t say I was expecting this,” he said, pushing the door shut behind him. “Is there a reason you’ve got a Water Tribesman at knifepoint?”

“This is not a Water Tribesman. He’s an ashmaker,” she hissed. Judging by the way the boy leaned back, Li was almost certain she pressed her knife in a little harder. He tensed at her words, pulling his own knife out of his belt. They boy’s gold eyes flicked between Li’s face and hand. Li felt a stirring of pity in his stomach. Something about Harmony’s judgement felt off.

“Really?” Li drawled. “So why’d he kidnap the governor’s son?” Harmony looked at Li with a raised eyebrow, but did not release the boy from her hold.

“He did what?”

Li shrugged. “That’s what all that yelling was. Kid ran up to me, shoved a baby in my arms then took off running down our alley. I figured he vaulted over the wall. Turns out the baby is the governor’s, and Princess Azula herself was trying to apprehend this kid for taking him.”

“You kidnapped the governor’s son?” Harmony asked, a touch of awe in her voice. Li didn’t blame her. The palace in Omashu was almost impenetrable. Before now, he thought only Harmony or himself would be up to that kind of task. Li wanted to know how the kid did it, too.

“It wasn’t on purpose!” the kid spluttered, flailing a little before suddenly stilling. He appeared to have forgotten the threat against his neck, for a moment. “Seriously! We were just trying to get the citizens out. We didn’t mean to—” the boy’s eyes widened before he suddenly snapped his mouth shut.

“Wait, you were involved in that?” Li asked, grinning. He relaxed and put his weapon away.

“Involved in what?” Harmony asked, eyes wide at his sudden nonchalance about the firebender in their quarters.

“All the townspeople just up and walked out because of that disease, remember?” Li asked. Harmony nodded in recognition. “Well, it turns out some people organized it. It was a trick. There’s no plague, and most of the people got out because of it. Pretty clever, if you ask me.”

“That was your fault?” Harmony hissed, lowering her knife and shoving the boy down to his knees. He grunted but allowed her to manhandle him, observing his surroundings. “Great. That’s just great. Now, thanks to you, we’ll never find Mel!” The house was silent at her proclamation. Li shrugged apologetically.

“Who’s Mel?” the boy asked.

“An annoyance that owes me a great debt,” Harmony seethed. “Never mind. Right now, I want to hear why I shouldn’t kill you for getting in my way.” She crouched in front of the kid and held her knife between his eyes as Li stepped closer. The two of them were blocking the only exit, and he made it clear with his body language the only way out was through them. The boy couldn’t firebend without Harmony reacting instantly with her blade, and he couldn’t charge both of them. He was trapped.

“Um…” the boy cleared his throat, eyes darting between Li and Harmony. “Because—um—I like being alive?” Li snickered and Harmony turned her head and gave him an unimpressed look.

“Look, I think we’re on the same side—” the boy continued, but Harmony ruthlessly cut him off.

“I’m the only one on my side, kid. You’d do well to remember that.”

“Okay, sure,” the kid said, raising his hands placatingly, “but I get the feeling that you’re not in favor of the Fire Nation, right?” Harmony said nothing, and Li could picture the look she was giving this kid. “My friends and I are trying to end the war. We’re going to make the Fire Nation stop!”

“Look here, ashmaker—”

“Don’t call me that!” the boy shouted, glaring harshly at her. Li blinked. “I’ve been called that all my life—you don’t even know me. I’m Water Tribe, okay? It doesn’t matter that I bend fire. My family is there. I’m water.”

Harmony straightened up and started cleaning her nails with the tip of her knife. The kid’s eyes didn’t leave her as she started to pace around him.

“Water, huh?” she asked. “Sure kid. A firebender at the North Pole. Whatever you say.”

Well, there may be a firebender at the South Pole, Li thought, but what are the odds there are two firebenders in the water tribes?

“I’m serious!” the boy went on. “My name is Kallik. My father is Bato of the—”

“Oh, I really don’t want to hear it,” Harmony said over him, knife in front of his face again. “You see, I worked very, very hard to find this woman. She stole from me. I offered her my goodwill and she spat in my face, then she ran as far away as she could. I finally had her, before you managed to create the diversion she needed to slip away. Now I have to start all over!” Her hand was on his shoulder and her knife against his neck before he could even think to make a fireball.

“Wait—”

“My blade is going to see blood today, and it looks like it will be yours.”

“But—”

“But nothing! Unless you know where she could possibly be hiding now—”

“I do!”

Li’s eyes widened at the kid’s declaration. The kid’s eyes widened as well. Li could tell he didn’t mean to say that.

“Hmm.” Li could hear the smirk in Harmony’s voice. “That sounds like a reason not to kill you. What do you think, Li?”

“As much as I hate the Fire Nation, I’m thinking that a kid who can’t help the circumstances of his birth probably isn’t the best use for your knife,” he said, chiding her as much as he dared. She glared at him for his trouble. Li shrugged. Between the two of them, Harmony was always more cutthroat. “Glad he found a reason for you to avoid killing him.”

Harmony snorted. “I’m glad you agree.” She turned to the kid and leaned into his space, causing him to slide backwards before her hand gripped his shoulder again.

“Start talking.”

“Spirits, curse it!” Azula growled as she paced Mai’s room. Mai watched disinterestedly from her bed as Ty Lee did handstands in the corner.

They had him. They had him! How did he escape?

Azula had pondered it from the moment she realized he was gone. She couldn’t for the life of her figure out where he gave them the slip. One minute, they were chasing Zuko down an alley. The next he was gone. The second the baby was out of his hands, he vanished.

“Don’t give up hope, Azula,” Ty Lee said, landing back on her feet. “Fate led him to you once. It may very well bring you together, again.”

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around this,” Mai said. “I met that boy before. He said his name was Lee. I thought he was from the colonies.”

“He lied, Mai,” Azula said, glaring at the ground. “He’s Zuko.”

“But Prince Zuko is supposed to be—”

“I know!” Azula interrupted. “I know he’s supposed to be dead. There have been rumors, though. Rumors that have been confirmed by both Admiral Zhao and my uncle. They believe him to be my brother, and now that I’ve seen him, I believe it too.”

“Why?” Mai asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

“Because of his eyes,” Azula said, frowning. “His eyes look exactly like my father’s. Eyes like that—commoners wouldn’t have them. No war brat could have eyes that gold. That’s a clear sign that he is of royal lineage.”

“His aura, too,” Ty Lee chimed in. Now, it was Azula’s turn to be surprised. “Lady Ursa and Azula both have this… this softness to their aura’s. It’s subtle, but it’s there. It’s hard to describe. When I saw Zuko, I saw it in his aura, too.”

Mai pressed her lips together but said nothing more on the subject.

Azula clenched her hands into fists and drew three deep breaths, counting to ten. She had to calm down. Zuko was gone. There was nothing she could do about that.

She still had her mission. That had to take priority.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. Now… now we have to focus on Iroh and Lu Ten. My father has ordered me to bring them back to the Fire Nation, dead or alive. Of course, I prefer alive, but that depends on them,” she said, authoritatively. Mai’s eyes narrowed at the declaration momentarily before her face became impassive again. She shrugged and smoothed her skirt.

“When do we leave?”

“You want me to crawl into what now?”

Kallik leaned over, panting in exertion after he finished pushing the sewer cover out of the way. It was a lot harder without any airbending to help. Thankfully he still hadn’t lost his strength from hauling, well, everything back home.

“It smells like death down there,” Li said, nasally. Kallik looked up to see him pinching his nose shut.

“Your nose will adjust fairly quickly, if you let it,” Kallik said, straightening up. Harmony raised an eyebrow at him, skepticism clear on her face. “Alright, yeah, it smells like… well—”

“Shit,” Harmony said, flatly. “It smells like shit.”

“Well, it is a sewer,” Kallik said, shrugging. Li snickered. Harmony continued to look unimpressed. Kallik sighed. “Listen, they’re watching the gates. There’s no way those girls are gonna let me just walk out of here, and they’ll be watching all entries and exits. They’ll probably be watching the roofs and walls too.”

“Why?” Li asked, finally releasing his nose, but wrinkling it in distaste.

“Because when I was running from them, I showed them how good I am at climbing up. I doubt they’ll think I’ll go underground.” He shivered a little as he said it. He hated this plan, but it was the only one he had.

“Spoken like a true ash—I mean firebender,” Harmony coughed. Kallik glared at her, but decided to ignore her slip.

“How do you want to do this?” Kallik asked. “Do you want to go first or—”

“No way,” Harmony said, unsheathing a short sword. “Lead on, fire boy. If anything nasty lives down there, you can deal with it first.”

“There’s nothing—never mind.” Kallik started to lower himself into the hole, then dropped the rest of the way to the ground with a splash. The reek of the sewer assaulted his senses, but at least this time he’d be going downhill, instead of trying to trudge upward through the mess. He took a couple steps forward then waited for the others. Two splashes later and the others were with him.

“This way,” Kallik said, following the direction the water was moving. As they traveled, the tunnel darkened to something almost pitch black.

“Want to give us some light?” Li asked.

“No!” Kallik at Harmony said at the same time.

“Okay,” Li replied slowly. “Harmony I get, since she has a very strong dislike of firebenders, but Kallik, buddy, pal, why are you opposed to this idea?”

“For the same reason I am you twit,” Harmony growled. “It has nothing to do with him being an ashmaker, and everything to do with the fact that this is an enclosed space with who-knows-what kind of gasses. Open flame is dangerous!”

“That is why I’m protesting,” Kallik agreed reluctantly, rolling his eyes at the slur.

“Huh,” Li replied. Kallik listened to them splashing just behind him, and tensed when he felt a hand grip the back of his tunic.

“In case you get any ideas, to give us the slip in the dark,” Harmony growled. “Li, grab my belt.”

“Harmony, you know I love you, but I just don’t think of you like that—”

“Li,” Harmony said impatiently. Kallik heard Li chuckle. He must have done as he was asked because Harmony didn’t say anything else. He let his shoulders slump as they walked, mentally kicking himself.

What was he doing? He knew he was exhausted from that chase, but he knew better than to just spill information like that. There was nothing for it though. Harmony and Li mentioned several refugees Kallik had met as if they knew them personally, so he hoped they were only a threat to that Mel character they were looking for. Regardless, they wouldn’t be safe in Fire Nation hands, sharp knives or no.  

“This is disgusting,” Harmony said behind him. Kallik scoffed.

“At least we’re going in the same direction as this sludge. When we came to the city, we used the sewer to sneak in.”

“How were you not covered in this filth?” She asked.

“Who said I wasn’t?”

Li chuckled behind them. “Alright, Harmony isn’t going to ask and I’m burning with curiosity. Ha! Hey, get it? Burning with curiosity, and you’re a fire—”

“I got it, thanks,” Kallik replied. “What?”

“Well, I mean, come on. What’s your story? A Northern Water tribesman who bends fire?”

“Why do you assume that’s where I’m from?” he asked.

“Your clothes, for a start, but your jewelry more,” Harmony said, easily. Kallik rubbed his fingers over the pendant that hung from his neck. “Those beads and that necklace are proof that they’ve accepted you, not just a friend, but as family.”

“Well, you’re half right,” Kallik said.

“What did we get wrong?” Li asked.

“I’m not from the north. My father is Bato of the Southern Water Tribe.” His two companions went very quiet at his statement. He could practically feel the tension radiating off of them. “What?”

“You’re… from the south?” Harmony asked slowly.

“Yes?”

“You’re a firebender from the Southern Water Tribe,” Li continued, just as slowly.

“Yes,” Kallik huffed. “I know we’re really far north, but we—my cousins and I—we’ve been helping a friend with something important. I can’t say more than that.”

“Hmm.” Harmony seemed to be considering her words. “So, fire boy, how old are you anyway? A bit young to be travelling so far from home, aren’t you?”

Kallik scoffed. “I’m seventeen. That’s old enough to go to war where I’m from.”

“I see,” Harmony replied, tightly. Kallik wondered at the tension in her voice, but was distracted when he noticed the tunnel was starting to brighten. Kallik sighed in relief when he saw a small circle of light ahead of them. It appeared that none of the soldiers replaced the door to the exit.

“We’re almost out,” he said in relief. “Then I’ll take you to the refugees. I don’t know if this Mel person is with them, but—”

“It’ll be a start,” Li said quietly behind them. “It’s enough, for now.”

“Better than what we had after the city evacuated,” Harmony agreed.

“You’re—not going to—”

“We’re friends with a lot of people in this city, kid,” Harmony said quickly. “I may be cold-blooded, but I’m not going to hurt anyone who doesn’t deserve it. There are some lines,” she cut herself off with a swallow, “there are some lines you don’t cross.”

Kallik frowned but said nothing more. Maybe for once luck would be on his side.

“You—you love your home?” Harmony asked, quietly. Kallik furrowed his brow.

“Of course I do,” he said easily.

“Your family are good to you?”

He sighed. “Look, I know to the rest of the world a firebender is just immediately seen as trouble, but it’s not like that in the Water Tribes. I could have purple skin and sprout wings and fly and I’d still be loved and accepted by my family.”

“Good,” Harmony said firmly. Kallik turned and saw her face in the light of the exit. She was looking down and wore a small, relieved smile. When she glanced up at him, the smile disappeared. Kallik swallowed and turned back around, leading them out of the sewers.  

Katara touched Sokka’s arm, making him look away from the road.

“Come on, Sokka. Standing watch won’t make Kallik appear any faster. You have to eat.”

“How’s your bending?” Sokka asked, brushing off her concern.

“It’s coming back. Sokka—”

“You two really shouldn’t be so far away from camp.” Katara closed her eyes and took a deep breath before plastering a smile on her face.

“We’re just waiting for our cousin, Mel,” she said as sweetly as she could. Mel adjusted the short ponytail that kept her brown hair out of her face.

“The firebender, right? I’ve heard all kinds of rumors about him. Is it true that flames just shoot out whenever—”

“Don’t talk about him like that,” Sokka growled, making Mel take a step back.

“Whoa, sorry,” she said, huffing. “I’ll just get out of your hair then.” She turned and left, and Katara shook her head after her.

“What a busybody,” she muttered.

“Whatever,” Sokka murmured, looking back out at the road again. Katara sighed and stood with him. “What are you doing?” he asked when she didn’t leave.

“Well, if you’re not going to eat, I guess I won’t either.”

“Katara,” Sokka said, impatiently. Katara shook her head and held out her finger.

“Nope, that’s the deal Sokka. If you’re so wound up over Kallik that you can’t eat, then I can’t eat either because I’ll be worried over both of you. So you can just deal with me waiting with you.”

“Then who will keep an eye on Aang?” Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No one.” Katara and Sokka both spun around to see Aang behind them. “I’ll wait with you.”

“You two are impossible,” Sokka grumbled. “You have to take care of yourselves—”

“Hypocrite,” Katara muttered.

“I heard that,” Sokka shouted, stomping. “You’re the worst, Katara! Why can’t you just give me five minutes to myself—”

“Because you’ve had two hours to yourself! You’ve been brooding in this spot since you’ve been able to walk! If mom were here—”

“Well you aren’t mom, Katara!”

“Guys,” Aang tried to interrupt, a smile in his voice. Katara and Sokka ignored him.

“I know I’m not mom! If I were as much like mom as you keep saying maybe you’d actually listen to me for once—”

“Never mind, I spoke too soon. hi mom, how are you?” Sokka sneered, making a face at her. Katara saw red.

“You take that back you—you blockhead!”

“Oh, no,” Sokka said, pressing his hand to his chest. “Mom, you can’t call your child a blockhead. What will the neighbors think?”

“Considering you’re behaving like a blockhead I’d say it’s warranted.”

“See? Kallik thinks you’re being a blockhead too!” she said, triumphantly. Her own words caught up to her and she turned back to the road at the same time to see Kallik, grinning and covered from head to toe in muck. He had two companions behind him in similar states. Aang was already beside him. He drew a deep breath and blew the muck away. Kallik looked relieved, and his companions—people old enough to be their parents—blinked in surprise. The woman—a little taller than Katara, with a dark brown braid hanging over her green-clad shoulder—recovered first. The man just touched his messy brown hair, blinking his green eyes curiously when his fingers came away clean.

“Kallik!” Sokka shouted, running forward. Kallik closed the gap and they hugged tightly, slapping each other on the back. Katara shoved herself into the hug, then wrinkled her nose.

“Ugh, Kallik why do you smell like that? You stink like the sewer!”

“How do you think I got out?” Kallik laughed. The other two with him walked into the camp, ignoring the reunion.

“Hey Kallik? What are your buddies doing?” Aang asked before he was suddenly pulled into the hug too.

“They’re—uh,” Kallik pulled back and rubbed the back of his head, nervously. The others looked at him and he slumped, a little helplessly. “They’re looking for someone,” he sighed.

“Oh,” Katara said, confused at Kallik’s demeanor. “Is that—bad? I mean, hopefully they’ll find—”

“They’re looking for someone who cheated them,” he added on. Katara closed her mouth. Kallik looked around to make sure no one could hear his next words. “I think they’re pirates,” he whispered.

“What?” Sokka laughed.

“Seriously, Sokka! Li kept talking about this ship they have that they sail everywhere on. But when I asked if they’ve seen our boats they told me no, but they tend to dock in shadier waters. What does that even mean? Shadier waters?”

Sokka opened and closed his mouth a few times before sighing. “Okay, that’s weird, but that doesn’t mean they’re pirates.”

“Li mentioned a parrot!”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yes!” Kallik exclaimed, before frowning. “I mean, he might have been joking. Actually Harmony laughed when he said it, so he probably was joking—”

“Kallik—”

“No!” The four spun around at the shriek and watched as Li shoved Mel to her knees. “They’re thieves! Pirates!”

“See!” Kallik said, pointing at the commotion.

“Well, like I’m gonna take Mel’s word for it,” Sokka scoffed. The other refugees watched on as the newcomers tied Mel’s hands and shoved a gag in her mouth. “Besides, Yung is watching everything. This lady probably did steal from them.” Katara narrowed her eyes, watching Yung stand with his arms folded over his chest, sword still sheathed.

“Good riddance, I say,” Yung said, once they were in earshot. “She’s been nosing into everyone’s business. I knew she had too much gold, too, for her status. Feel free to take her off my hands, Harmony. I’m not taking a thief with me and the others.”

“Ah, Yung, I’m glad you see things my way,” she said, patting him on the shoulder in a friendly way.

Yung glanced over and smiled when he saw Kallik had joined them. “Glad to see you made it, Water Tribe,” he said, tilting his head up with respect. “That was a brave thing you did for the Avatar and your family.”

Katara hid a smile when she saw Kallik’s face go slightly pink. He cleared his throat and nodded back.

“Hey Harmony, you know what’s crazy? This kid—”

“Is a firebender from the south pole,” Harmony replied, raising an eyebrow at Yung. Katara could swear they were talking to each other without words, for a moment. Yung chuckled and nodded.

“Yep.”

“We’d better get going,” Li said, hauling Mel over his shoulder. They said their goodbyes and walked away, pausing in front of Kallik. Li put a hand on his shoulder and gripped it.

“It’s good to meet you, Kallik, and see you healthy.” Katara frowned. What an odd thing to say. Maybe it was a common saying in the Earth Kingdom?

Harmony paused in front of him as well, looking up into his face. “Take care of yourself, eh? Ease the soul of whoever carried you to the south pole in the first place.”

“La carried me,” he replied, perplexed. Harmony chuckled and patted his shoulder.

“She may have carried the boat, fire boy, but someone else carried you,” she chuckled. “Sorry for the rocky start. If you ever run into trouble and we’re around, you can call. It won’t cost you.”

“Well, it won’t cost much, anyway,” Li added, smirking. With a final wave they took off down the road.

“None of the refugees batted an eye when they took Mel,” Kallik said, scratching his head.

“Well, she didn’t really have friends here,” Katara said, shrugging. “I’m honestly not surprised she got on the wrong side of a pirate.”

“Katara, they aren’t pirates,” Sokka groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Sokka, those knots Li tied were like our knots, and let’s be honest. They didn’t look like the most reputable pair. I think Kallik is right. Pirates.”

“They aren’t! Aang, buddy, back me up.”

“I’m glad we met some nice pirates. Way better than the last ones,” Aang said. They laughed as Sokka gripped his hair and shouted his exasperation to the sky. Katara glanced at Kallik, relieved to see him grinning beside them again.

“Now you have to tell us how you got away,” she said, nudging him towards the line for dinner.

“Okay,” Kallik agreed. “You know how my mom would freak out whenever I scaled the cliffs?”

“Yeah?”

“I think if she saw what I had to do today, she would never have complained about the cliffs.”

Chapter Text

Iroh glanced at the coins in his hat, sighing. They needed more if they were going to properly eat tonight. A beautiful woman in pink and yellow walked over, frowning slightly at him.

“Spare change for a hungry old man,” he asked, making his eyes as wide and pleading as possible. The woman offered him a gentle smile and dropped a copper piece in his hat.

“Here you go,” she said, kindly.

“Thank you,” he replied. “The coin is appreciated, but not as much as your smile.” The woman giggled and left, and a man with broadswords strapped to his back paused in front of Iroh.

“How about some entertainment in exchange for a gold piece?” he asked smugly, pulling a gold coin out of his purse.

“Well, I’m no professional, but I can give you a performance,” Iroh said, climbing to his feet. He began to sing The Girls of Ba Sing Se at the top of his lungs. His eyes narrowed as the man pulled his swords from his sheath.

“Come on, we’re talking a gold piece here! Dance!” he swung his swords at Iroh’s feet, which he easily dodged as he continued singing the song.

“Father!”

Iroh didn’t stop singing or dodging the blades until the end of the song. Lu Ten ran up, limp barely slowing him in his worry, ready to fight until Iroh held out his hand for Lu Ten to stop.

“Nothing like a fat man dancing for his dinner,” the man laughed, tossing the coin in his hat.

“Such a kind man,” Iroh said, sarcastically.

“Father, what are you doing?” Lu Ten stared at him with a frown, holding a basket full of thick leaves.

“Trying to get us enough coin for a meal tonight,” Iroh replied, jovially. Lu Ten sighed and settled beside him, stretching out his bad leg with a groan. He pulled out a leaf and shaped it, twisting it and tying it until it looked like a flower.

“Well, instead of dancing for a nut with swords, why don’t we try selling some pretty things to some pretty girls?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Iroh chuckled and pulled out his own leaf, and began shaping it as well.

“We should spend the coin on a room,” Iroh said as he worked. Lu Ten scoffed.

“I’m fine on the ground a few more days, Father. Besides, we’re getting close. I’ve noticed more of that fur lately. We’re heading in the right direction. We’ll find that bison before we know it.”

“Who said it was for you?” Iroh laughed. “These old bones could use a bed too, you know.”

Lu Ten smiled and said nothing. Iroh sighed and returned to his work.

“Would you like to hear a story about the Autumn Lord?” he asked.

Lu Ten shrugged beside him, weaving several long pieces of grass into a small basket.

“I’ve heard several already, and they’re all a bit surreal to me,” Lu Ten said. “How about something different?”

“Like what?” Iroh asked.

“Well, I don’t think I told you how Kallik and I made it into the city at the North Pole.”

Iroh smiled, content to listen to his son’s stories for once.

Sokka sharpened his machete, examining it for any imperfections as he worked. Katara sat across from him, reading one of the scrolls Pakku left for her, and Kallik was huddled under his coat, napping. Momo chittered a little and Appa lowed. Another long, slow day of travelling for the Avatar and company. Sokka felt his stomach start to clench as if he were falling, then jerked his head up. They were descending. He looked over to Aang and saw him staring at the swamp below.

“Hey, you taking us down for a reason?” Sokka asked. They weren’t anywhere near the stop they discussed. Aang ignored him. Sokka huffed, frustrated. “Aang! Why are we going down?” he shouted. Kallik snorted and shot up, looking around.

“Wasamatter?” he mumbled, wiping his face.

“What?” Aang asked, rubbing his own eyes. Sokka frowned, glancing nervously between the two who were mirroring each other without noticing. At least Kallik had the excuse of being asleep.

“Sorry Sokka,” Aang continued. “I didn’t even notice.” They were still going down as if to land.

“Are you noticing now?” Sokka asked slowly.

“Is something wrong?” Katara asked. Kallik popped his neck and she grimaced.

“I know this is gonna sound weird,” Aang said, still staring down, “but I think the swamp is calling to me.”

“Is it telling you where we can get something to eat?” Sokka asked. Kallik had joined them in the front of the saddle and scratched Momo’s head in greeting. Momo chittered and crawled up to sit on his shoulder.

“No,” Aang answered seriously. Sokka rolled his eyes. “I think it wants us to land there.”

“No offense to the swamp, but I don’t see any land there to land on,” Sokka said, staring at the marshy wetland and grimacing.

Kallik frowned. “I don’t think I like it here,” he said, shivering a little.

“Bumi said to learn earthbending, I would have to wait and listen. Now I’m actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?” Aang asked, looking back at them and waiting for their opinions.

“Yes,” Sokka said quickly.

“There’s something ominous about that place,” Katara added, peering over nervously.

“It reminds me of the Shadow Person’s territory,” Kallik added, folding his arms over his chest. “We shouldn’t be here.”

Momo hid his face in Kallik’s hair and Appa lowed in distress.

“See? Even Appa and Momo don’t like it here,” Sokka added, more nervous now that Kallik and Katara had spoken up.

“Okay,” Aang said easily. “Since everyone feels so strongly about this, bye swamp! Yip yip!” He tugged on the reins and Appa started flying upward again. Sokka sighed as they moved away from the swamp, then gaped at a whirlwind that appeared behind them.

“Uh, Aang? Maybe throw in an extra yip?”

“Huh?” Aang asked, turning his head.

“We’ve gotta move!” Sokka shouted, pressing himself against the side of the saddle and holding on for dear life. Kallik and Katara followed suit, staring wide eyed at the windstorm behind them. The wind came close enough that Sokka was pulled from the saddle. His hand lost its grip, but Kallik and Katara both grabbed an arm and started pulling him back down. Suddenly, Aang was holding a bubble of air around them, to protect them from the wind threatening to tear them apart. He groaned in effort, and Sokka saw the moment he couldn’t hold the form anymore.

He was ripped from the saddle, out of the arms of his family and spun dizzyingly fast until he was flung downward, through vines and trees and earth. After a terrifying fall, he was submerged, just barely remembering to hold his breath. He sat up, no longer under water, and groaned at the pain coursing through his body. He heard a deep hacking cough beside him, and turned to see Kallik spitting out swamp water and hitting his own chest. Aang was standing up and looking around, eyes wide.

“Guys… where’s Katara?”

Katara moaned and sat up, rubbing her head. Small fingers were tugging on her arm, and she opened her eyes to see Momo staring at her with distress in his wide green eyes.

“I’m okay, Momo,” she said, sitting up. She had barely managed to stay in the saddle. Katara looked around, gasping at what she saw. Appa was tangled in vines. She quickly cut them with her waterbending, and Appa flicked his tail to stay airborne and pull them out of the trees. Unfortunately as he moved, he was tangled again.

“Sorry Appa,” she said, cutting the vines again. “I think we may have to walk out, this time.” Appa bellowed and hovered until he was freed again, then his feet touched the watery ground. Katara looked around, but her family was nowhere to be found.

“Sokka!” she cried. “Kallik? Aang? Where are you?”

“I can’t believe you lost my sister!” Sokka grunted, swinging his machete at another vine. Kallik grimaced, wincing as the blade sliced right through. He couldn’t explain it, but it felt wrong, seeing Sokka do that.

“Can we be a little nicer to the swamp?” Aang asked, tentatively.

“Not. Until. I. Find. Katara,” Sokka said, swinging again and again.

“Sokka, Katara will be fine. She’s a waterbender. This is her kind of place,” Kallik said, with more bravado than he felt. He trusted her to take care of herself, but it would still be good to have her with them. Sokka was worrying enough for the both of them, though. “Besides, she’s probably with Appa and Momo. I think she managed to hold onto the saddle. Not much can scare a ten-ton bison.”

“Don’t care,” Sokka cried, swinging his machete over his head to cut down some obnoxious branches.

“I think you should listen to Aang,” he tried again. “There’s something funny about this place. You could be irritating a vine-spirit or something.”

Sokka stopped and stared back at Kallik in disbelief. “A vine-spirit?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Look, this place is alive or something—”

“Yeah. Lots of living things. It’s a swamp! So let’s find my sister and Appa and Momo and get out of here before one of those living things decides to eat us!” Kallik pinched the bridge of his nose. There was no reasoning with Sokka when he got like this.

Kallik felt a shiver up his spine and whirled around, eyes narrowed and swords at the ready. He stared at the mounds of green vines in the distance, hyper alert. He could have sworn he saw—

“Kallik?” Aang asked, breaking his concentration. “Is everything okay?”

Kallik lowered his swords and shook himself.

“Yeah,” he replied, the lie tasting bitter on his tongue. “Everything is fine.”

Appa grunted as they moved through the swamp, and Katara patted his leg gently as she walked beside him.

“I know, Appa,” she said, soothingly. “I know you’re scared and worried about Aang. We’ll find him. We’ll find them all, okay?”

They came to an arch too low for Appa to crawl under, but too high for Appa to fly over without getting tangled in the vines again. Momo chittered at him angrily and Appa flattened himself in response. Momo crawled into the saddle after that and did something that made Appa wail before smashing the saddle with his tail.

“Appa!” Katara shouted, climbing up. Momo sat there, a little dazed with the bison whistle clutched in his hands. “Momo!” she scolded, taking the whistle and putting it in her pouch. She looked up and sighed. She hated to cut the vines, but couldn’t think of what else to do. She whispered an apology to the swamp as she used her bending to slice through the vines hanging overhead. Appa stood up and leapt over the arch, landing neatly on the other side. Then he moseyed on as Katara scrambled to catch up.

She hoped they would find the others soon. This place was creepy, and it was getting dark.

At least she would be safe with Appa. He was bigger than any animal she’d ever seen before. The others didn’t have that protection. Katara closed her eyes tightly and thought about Tui and La, praying that they would keep the boys safe at least until she found them again.

 “Katara!” Kallik shouted, hands cupped around his mouth.

“Appa!” Aang added. “Momo?”

“Guys, there’s no way they can hear us, and we can’t see them with how dark it’s gotten,” Sokka sighed, feeling defeated. “We’ll have to make camp for the night.” Kallik glared at him and folded his arms over his chest. “What? What do you want from me? There’s nothing supernatural going on here—” Sokka was cut off by a very human sounding shriek. He jumped and swung around, ready to face… a bird. He chuckled and looked back at Kallik, who had a hand clutched over his chest.

“See,” he said, pointing at the bird. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Sure. Yeah. Nothing to worry about,” Kallik muttered, shoving past him to a flat and relatively dry area ahead of them in a hollowed-out tree. “Just poisonous swamp gas and foot rot and screaming birds bent on giving me a heart attack.”

“Exactly. Just. Um. Those.” He winced when a bird shrieked again. “Maybe we should build a fire,” he said, chopping down some nearby wood.

“Sokka,” Aang said, sounding a little irritated, “the longer we’re here, the more I think you shouldn’t be doing that.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “No, I asked the swamp. It said this was fine.”

Kallik reached out and touched the tree they huddled under. “Um, thank you for… providing fuel and shelter for us,” he said, wincing.

“Kallik!” Sokka groaned, shaking his head and breaking off some more kindling. “What are you doing?”

“I’m not irritating any spirits if I can help it!” he hissed back.

“There is nothing spooky or spiritual or—or—magicky going on here!”

“I don’t think magicky is a word,” Aang said, drumming his fingers on his chin.

“How is it that a few days ago, you can say spirits aren’t nonsense, yet here you are, hacking a mystical tree up for firewood?” Kallik asked, pulling the wood from Sokka and laying it into a neat pile for a fire.

“I never said spirits aren’t nonsense,” Sokka said. “I said La isn’t nonsense. Neither is Tui—well, Yue. But a Magic Swamp? What the heck is so spiritual about a swamp?”

“It’s life and death in a cycle, Sokka!” Kallik said, exasperated. “It’s both growth and decay simultaneously. If that isn’t an invitation for spirits, I don’t know what is.” He carefully let out a breath, then a spark shot to the wood, setting it aflame. Sokka sighed as the heat reached him, holding his hands over the fire.

“Look, we’ll find Katara, then we’ll find Appa and Momo. Hopefully they’ll all be together,” he said firmly. “Then, we’ll get out of here. No more spirit talk. No more swamp gas. Okay?” The others looked at each other and shrugged, also gathering near the flames.

“Kallik,” Aang asked tentatively, “earlier, you kept looking over your shoulder. Ever since I asked if you were okay, you’ve been doing that.” Sokka straightened up and stared at Kallik, heart racing.

Kallik shrugged. “I—I just feel like something is watching us,” he said, looking around.

“Well, lots of things live here,” Sokka said, trying to hide his nerves. “That means lots of things watching us, right?” Kallik nodded slowly and said no more on the subject.

Sokka got the feeling sleep would be hard to find, tonight.

He was trapped. He was trapped in that cell, and there was no way out. The bucket of water was supposed to be right there, along with the chair, but all he had was a rag of a blanket bunched up on a steel floor.

They were going to slaughter them, one by one until no one was left. He had to get out. He had to protect Sokka and Katara! He needed to find Aang! Kallik grabbed the bars and growled, rattling them as General Fong stared at him curiously.

“You have no desire for revenge against the people who took your mother from you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t you want justice?”

“What are you—let me go!” he pleaded.

“Why would we do that?” the Fire Nation princess asked, tapping her sharp nails against the bars. “You belong here. We’re family after all.”

“Just stay with us, Prince Zuko,” the girl in pink said, swinging her braid toward him. It wrapped itself around his ankles and pulled him to the ground, dragging him towards the entrance of the cell, now wreathed in blue flames. Kallik turned back, clawing at the floor. Then he saw her.

Tall, weathered, her dark hair hanging limply in frayed braid over her shoulder. Her brown skin paled from blood loss and cold. An open wound bled sluggishly at her neck, and her blue eyes were frozen, staring right into his heart. Her mouth opened and shut, and Kallik squinted, trying to make out the words.

“Mom!” he shouted, flinging a hand towards her. “Mom, help me! Please!”

She took a step closer and held out her hand, mouth moving again. Kallik strained his ears, trying to catch whatever she was whispering.

“I can’t hear you,” he sobbed, pulling with all his might against the braid still wrapped around his legs. Then he gasped as everything around him went silent. The room darkened, and all he could see was his mother, her fingertips barely within reach when he finally heard her.

“Wake up.”

Kallik startled awake with a gasp the moment his feet hit the water. He heard Sokka screaming somewhere behind him as Kallik was hauled away, struggling against the very vines his cousin was cutting down before.

“Oh no,” he muttered, trying to wriggle out of the tight hold the vines had him in. “You are a vine-spirit!. We’re sorry. We’re so, so sorry. My cousin is an idiot about spirit stuff,” he said. “He means well, honest. He’s just trying to take care of us, and I swear we didn’t mean any offense—AHHH!” the vines suddenly released him and he tumbled down a hill until he landed in muddy water. As he stood, a new tendril wrapped itself around his ankle.

“Quit it!” he shouted, shooting a jet of fire at it. The vine hissed as water evaporated from it, then withered. Three more appeared to take its place. Kallik threw a fireball at the vines and ran in the opposite direction until the wind left him entirely. He leaned against a dead stump and caught his breath as the forest brightened around him. Kallik paused and closed his eyes, feeling the sun finally rise. He sighed in relief. With the sun in the sky, he felt stronger, at least. He shook himself and looked around, spirits plummeting. Now it wasn’t just Katara missing. It was everyone. Or maybe it was just him missing now.

Kallik groaned and pressed his hands to his eyes. There was nothing for it. He just had to try to find them.

“Aang!” Katara shouted. “Sokka? Kallik!” Appa swam through the deep river, scaring off the strange lizard monsters that came their way while Momo caught bugs. Katara kept shouting for her family, hoping someone would hear her. She had to find them. They didn’t have any supplies or food, and there were things here that weren’t afraid of humans at all. Katara shuddered when she thought of what could happen to them.

She was startled from her thoughts when Appa stopped moving.

“What is it?” she asked, standing up in the saddle. Several men in boats all wearing clothes made from the thick leaves of the swamp were in front of them.

“Hey, wait Tho, there’s a girl on that there critter,” one said, pointing at her.

“Yeah Doo, I see that,” another man replied, scratching his chin. “Hey lady, what you doing on our dinner?”

Katara scowled. “I beg your pardon?”

“We’ve been tracking that thing all night,” he continued. “By rights I’d say it’s ours to eat.”

“You’re not eating Appa!” she shouted, throwing a wave of water towards them. Suddenly, the wave was working against her. “Wait—are you guys waterbenders?”

“You too?” Doo asked. He dropped the wave and the others followed suit. Katara lowered her arms and let the water fall back to the river. “That means we’re kin!”

Katara winced and leaned back, alarmed. She didn’t know if she’d go as far as to call these people kin. Her kin were lost somewhere in this swamp.

Wait a minute…

“If we’re kin,” she called, “then you need to help me find my family! We got separated and I don’t know where to look for them!”

“Oh well that’s easy enough,” Tho said. “We just need to find Huu. If anyone can find them, Huu can.”

Chapter Text

Kallik sighed as he pushed through another clump of vines, barely catching himself before he tripped over another root. He hadn’t been properly dry now in over a day. His boots were soaked through, and a layer of sweat practically settled over his skin. Despite how many times he wiped his face, he was still damp. Katara was nowhere to be found, and his efforts to get back to Sokka and Aang went unrewarded. All Kallik could think was that he told Sokka to mind the spirits, but his cousin went and irritated them anyway. Now it seemed like Kallik was paying for it.

“If I get out of this, I’m going to kill Sokka,” he muttered darkly.

“That seems a little harsh.”

Kallik shivered at the voice. No, he thought. Your mind is playing tricks on you.

“Your cousin just never really learned about the spirits. Kya and Hakoda only ever honored ours, the great ones especially. It’s easy to forget how many we need to respect, so far away from the rest of the world.”

It’s just because of your dream, he thought firmly, keeping his eyes straight ahead. Don’t turn around. Just keep moving. He straightened his spine and walked forward, ignoring everything in his peripheral. Every hunter's instinct in his body was screaming at him, but he couldn't bear what might be behind him. He didn't think he was strong enough for that. After a few minutes of silence he sighed in relief. As he relaxed, his foot found yet another root, making him nearly faceplant in the swampy water below. He windmilled his arms to stay upright, but they were caught and held until he was steady.

I caught myself, he thought, berating himself. I caught myself, and steadied myself. She’s not here.

“There now,” she whispered. Kallik closed his eyes. “My little miracle, won’t you look at me?”

Kallik pressed his lips together and shook his head. The hands on his arms had vanished (they were never there to begin with, idiot), but he was certain he felt them (no). He swore he did (you’re wrong). He felt her warmth again if only for a moment.

He shook himself again. It wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real.

“That’s a shame,” she continued. “It seems like lately all I’ve done is cause you distress. I wish I could look upon you and see you smiling again, love.”

“I can’t,” he whispered.

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t—I can’t see you like that, Mom, I can’t—” he took a quick breath to master his emotions, pressing his fist against his mouth to keep quiet.

“You won’t.” Kallik shook his head. “I promise, you won’t see me like that. Not here. Don’t you trust me?”

He did. He trusted her with everything. Kallik turned around and opened his eyes.

His mother stood before him, smiling and warm and whole, and Kallik nearly collapsed with relief. Finally, for the first time in a long time, he could see her face as it should be—her skin dark and warm, without the bloodless pallor. Her neck wasn't severed, and no knife was clutched in her hand. Her eyes weren’t dull with the cold, but bright and sparkling. Her dark hair was woven into a pretty braid that shined in the sunlight peeking through the trees. She wavered before him, like some kind of mirage. He reached out to her but she stepped back, shaking her head.

“Love, you can’t touch the dead, no matter how much you may want to.”

“What?” Kallik whispered. 

“Walk with me,” she said, turning and walking away. Kallik caught up quickly, walking beside her.

“Where are we going?” he asked. She smiled.

“I’ve been trying so hard to reach you,” she said. “Ever since you touched Agni, I knew I could get through.”

“What?”

“Kallik, I have to tell you something very important,” she said, still smiling, but sadly this time.

“What is it, Mom?”

“Oh my miracle,” she said, softly, face falling into a pretty frown. “Pretty soon, you’re going to learn what you are. You’ve already started, I’m afraid, and you’ll have to face it.”

“What?”

“But when you do—when you find out, don’t forget who you are, love. Do you understand?”

“I—no. Who would understand—”

“Also, give her a chance. The Lady was your first shield, and she will try to shield you again. Even though no one could love you more than I, I believe she could love you just as much,” she said, smiling again.

“Mom—Mom you’re not making any sense.”

Kyra turned and started walking away. Kallik ran after her, but she was a step ahead the whole time. He couldn’t reach her.

“Mom!” he shouted, tripping and falling into the mud. When he looked up, she was gone.

She was gone, and he was hollow inside.

“Mom,” he whispered, gripping his hands into fists. He bowed his head and tears streaked down his cheeks.

“Wait!” Aang shouted. “Come back!” He almost had her. He almost reached the girl with the flying boar. She had led him high and low through the swamp, but now she was almost within touching distance. He followed her around a tree, ready to catch her when he collided with Sokka.

“Oof,” he heard someone grunt as they rolled together.

“What do you guys think you’re doing?” Sokka shouted, glaring at them. Kallik had somehow joined them on the ground. He rubbed his head, mud on his—well, everything.

“What am I doing?” Kallik snarked back. “You crashed into me!”

“That’s only because Aang crashed into me!” Sokka said, indignantly. He was also covered in mud, although to a lesser degree than his cousin. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Well I’ve been looking all over for you!” Kallik shouted back.

“I was chasing some girl,” Aang added, hoping he could talk about how odd it was for such a nicely dressed girl to appear in the swamp.

“What girl?” Sokka asked, looking around.

“I don’t know,” Aang replied, shrugging as he thought of the girl in the fine dress. “I heard laughing, and saw a girl in a fancy dress.”

“Well there must be a tea party here and we just didn’t get our invitations,” Sokka replied, sarcastically. Aang frowned and looked down, embarrassed he even brought it up. He looked back up when Kallik gripped his shoulder.

“I saw my mom,” he said, seriously. Aang’s eyes widened.

“Really?” he asked, earnestly.

“Look, we’re all just scared and hungry, and our minds were probably playing tricks on us,” Sokka said, pragmatically. “That’s why we all saw things out here.” Aang tried to puzzle out what Sokka meant by, ‘we.’

“What are you talking about?” Kallik asked, furrowing his brow. "You saw something, too?" Sokka sighed.

“I thought I saw Yue,” he said. Kallik opened his mouth but Sokka held a finger up to stop him. “Don’t start. I know I said she wasn’t nonsense, but here she kind of is,” he said, shivering. “I think about her all the time. You saw Aunt Kyra, and I know you miss her a lot, Kallik.”

“What about me?” Aang asked. “I didn’t know the girl I saw. And all our visions led us right here.”

“So what’s special about the middle of the swamp?” Sokka asked, looking around. Aang turned and finally recognized the shape in front of him to be a giant tree.

“It’s the center,” he replied. “It’s the heart of the swamp. It was calling us here!”

“It’s a tree,” Sokka said, throwing his arms up. “It can’t call anyone!”

Kallik frowned. “Sokka—”

“No, Kallik! For the last time, this is an ordinary, gross, mucky swamp, and there’s nothing spiritual about it!”

Suddenly, a giant creature with a wooden face and a body made of vines jumped out of the water, startling them. They took off, but Aang looked over to see it had caught Sokka and pulled him towards the mass of vines that made up its body. Sokka screamed, trying to free himself, but he was being wrapped too tightly. Aang cut him loose with a jet of air, distracting the monster. It was powerful, though, and only took a moment to knock Aang out of the air. He heard more screaming and grunting, then smelled smoke and ash. Kallik must have tried using firebending. Aang looked up in time to see Kallik flung from the monster into a nearby tree.

Then, his heart leapt with joy and relief when a massive wave rode past him, Katara standing on top.

“Let go of my brother!” she shouted, slicing the vines that held him and dragging him back to her with the river water. The monster stood up and reached out his vines again, but Katara was ready. She pulled the water and threw them at him, sharp blades cutting through the vines at an alarming rate. Aang scratched his head as he watched them. There was something funny about that vine monster.

“There’s someone in there!” Sokka shouted. “He’s bending the vines!”

Katara sliced the wooden face in half, and in retaliation the vine monster grabbed her and lifted her high in the air. Then, Aang saw Kallik throwing jet after jet of flame at the beast, making it hiss and writhe before it knocked him down again, this time holding him in the water. Aang had enough.

He jumped forward and threw a massive blast of wind, knocking the vines away from the man controlling them. Kallik sat up coughing and wiping his face.

“Why did you call me here if you just wanted to kill us?” he shouted, slipping into a stance that would allow him to bend the water or air easily.

“What?” the man asked, dropping the vines entirely. “I didn’t call you here.” He stared at Aang in confusion. He narrowed his green eyes and scratched at his long, grey beard. Instead of fabric, he wore a garment around his waist made of thick, green leaves. Considering how humid the swamp was, Aang figured the outfit was more practical than anything he and the others wore. 

“But I heard something calling me as we flew over, telling me to land,” he replied.

“He’s the Avatar,” Sokka quickly interjected. “Stuff like that happens to us a lot.”

“The Avatar?” the man asked. “Come with me.”

Aang stared at the others, confused, before shrugging. Now that the fighting was done, he didn't see how it could hurt to hear what this man had to say. He started following.

“What are you doing?” Kallik spluttered. Aang looked back at him and watched as he stomped over. “He just tried to kill us! Why are you going with him?”

“I have something to show the Avatar,” the man continued, glaring at Kallik. Kallik glared right back, and between the two of them, Kallik’s was more effective.

“No. No way. Absolutely not. No one is going anywhere until you tell us exactly what is going on.”

“Oh, and you’re going to stop me, firebender?” he growled back, slipping into a bending stance.

“Huu!” Aang looked over and saw two more men running up, dressed in similar leafy outfits to the vinebender. “Huu wait—they’re kin! They’re all kin! The waterbender—those guys are her brother and cousin. Her cousin can’t help what he bends! They’re kin!”

Huu’s face softened. “I suppose you are kin,” he said, looking at Katara.

“Tho and Doo helped me find you,” she said, looking at Kallik and Sokka. She turned to face Aang. “They’re connected to the water like you and I are.”

“We’re all connected,” Huu said, smiling. He looked back at Kallik and bowed his head. “My apologies. I know I frightened you. The truth is, the only one I was trying to remove was the boy who wouldn’t stop hacking away at the swamp. I didn’t worry about you until I saw you bend fire because I saw how much you respected the spirits.”

“So why were you fighting us?” Kallik asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I tried not to fight you or the Avatar, at first. I only wanted to take that boy out of my swamp,” he replied, pointing to Sokka. Sokka huffed but said nothing. “Please, let me show you. Once you see, you’ll understand.”

Kallik looked back at Aang who nodded enthusiastically. The firebender sighed and gestured for Huu to lead them. Huu smiled and took them up the tree until they could see above the rest of the swamp. Aang heard Kallik audibly sigh in relief when they finally saw the sun.

“This swamp is a mystical place,” Huu continued. “I reached enlightenment right here under the banyan grove tree. I heard it calling me, just like you did.”

“Uh-huh,” Sokka replied, looking around. “It seems real chatty.”

Huu went on as if Sokka hadn’t spoken. “See, this whole swamp is actually just one tree spread out over miles. Branches spread and sink and take root, and they spread some more—one big, living organism, just like the entire world.”

Aang tried to parse out his meaning, but couldn’t quite figure it out. “I get how the tree is one big thing, but the whole world?” He and the others sat down in front of Huu to listen.

“Sure,” Huu replied. “You think you’re any different from me, or your friends, or this tree? If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together. You can feel everything growing. We are all living together, even if most folks don’t act like it. We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree.” Aang looked back to watch his friends’ reactions. Sokka looked bored, Katara curious, and Kallik reverent. He gently ran his hand over the tree that supported them, and Aang followed suit, chilled when he felt a little energy pulsing there.

“But what did our visions mean?” Kallik asked. 

“What visions?” Katara asked.

“I saw Yue, and Kallik saw his mom,” Sokka replied, quietly. “Aang saw some girl in a fancy dress.”

“In the swamp, we see visions of people we’ve lost—people we loved. Folks we think are gone,” Huu said, gently. “But the swamp tells us they’re not. We’re still connected to them. Time is an illusion, and so is death.”

Kallik looked down, drawing in on himself. Sokka put a friendly hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly, making the older boy sigh and straighten up again. He bumped shoulders with his cousin and Aang smiled at them when a thought occurred to him.

“But what about my vision?” he asked. “It was someone I had never met.”

“You’re the Avatar,” Huu said, jovially. “You tell me.”

Aang nearly rolled his eyes. All wisemen were the same. They had to make everything a lesson. He frowned and thought about everything Huu had told them.

“Time is an illusion, so it’s someone I will meet?” Huu nodded, grinning. Aang smiled back. “So if everything is connected…” he closed his eyes and placed his palm on the tree. Distantly he heard Kallik yelp in surprise and Sokka questioning him as visions of the swamp flew into his mind. Not too far from the tree, Momo and Appa were settled near their new waterbending friends, lowing and chittering happily together. Aang smiled.

“—see anything, Kallik. You need a nap or something,” he heard Sokka say as he came back to himself.

“How did you not see it? A whole chunk of the tree just lit up and shot off somewhere in the swamp!” Kallik shouted. Aang looked over to see him pointing in the direction of Appa and Momo. Katara gave him a confused smile.

“We’re not saying it didn’t happen,” she tried, gently, “just that we didn’t see it—”

“You saw?” Aang asked. Kallik looked over at him and nodded. “Wow! Kallik, I think we need to learn more about spirits together. I just used the tree to see Appa and Momo. You’re pointing to where they are!”

“To be acquainted with a shaman will only be to your benefit, young Avatar,” Huu said, serenely.

“I’m not a shaman,” Kallik replied, brows furrowed. Huu smiled indulgently but said nothing more on the subject. Sokka’s stomach chose that moment to make a loud, growling noise.

“Perhaps we should get you some food,” Huu laughed. “Come. We have plenty to share with you, kin. Join us for dinner tonight.”

None of them could argue with that, and they followed Huu back down into the depths of the swamp.

“How you like that possum-chicken?” Doo asked, settling near Sokka. Once they all got back to the village, the swamp people threw a feast for everyone. Katara was glad Sokka was distracted with food. Once things had calmed down, he hovered over her like an overbearing, mother puffin-seal watching her pups. Kallik whispered to her that he was incredibly worried when they couldn’t find her. Part of her was touched. The rest was annoyed that Sokka forgot she was a master waterbender.

“Tastes just like arctic hen,” Sokka replied, shrugging. Katara rolled her eyes. Sokka thought everything tasted like arctic hen. “Why were you guys interested in eating Appa anyway? You have plenty of those things wandering around,” he said, pointing to Doo’s beloved pet. She hid her smile behind her hand.

“You want me to eat old Slim?” Doo asked, aghast. “He’s like a member of the family!” Doo tossed a fish to the catgator in question, who snapped it up in one bite.

“Nice Slim,” Sokka said, tossing his own food—a bug of some sort—at Slim’s mouth. The catgator growled and hissed at him, making Sokka yelp. Doo chuckled.

“Slim don’t eat bugs,” he said with a grin. “That’s people food.”

“Where’d you say you was from again?” Tho asked, poking at the fire. Kallik let out a breath to help him relight some of the logs, and after a moment of surprise Tho nodded his thanks.

“The south pole,” Katara replied.

“I didn’t know there was waterbenders anywhere but here,” Tho continued. “They got a nice swamp there, do they?”

“No,” Kallik said, grinning. “It’s all ice and snow.” Tho frowned and leaned back, shaking his head.

“No wonder you left.”

“Well, I hope you realize now that nothing strange was going on here,” Sokka said, looking smugly at Kallik. Katara snickered when her cousin rolled his eyes. “Just a bunch of greasy people living in a swamp.”

“You’re not greasy,” Katara said, quickly, seeing Tho and Doo frown. “Please ignore my brother. He says really stupid things sometimes.”

“He’s been saying them all our lives,” Kallik added, shaking his head at him. “In fact, the most recent stupid thing is this one. Just now. About nothing strange going on. As if none of us had visions out here.”

“I already told you, we were hungry,” Sokka said, emphatically, lifting a large, wasp type of creature. “I’m eating a giant bug!” he exclaimed before taking a huge bite.

“But the tree showed me where Appa and Momo were,” Aang said. “Kallik saw it!”

“Avatar stuff doesn’t count,” Sokka said, waving Aang off.

“I’m not the Avatar, Sokka,” Kallik said, flatly.

“Avatar and spirit-touched people stuff, then. Still doesn’t count,” Sokka continued. “The only thing I can’t figure out is how you made the tornado that sucked us down,” he said, looking at Huu.

“I can’t do anything like that,” Huu replied, raising an eyebrow. “I just bend the water in the plants.”

Kallik looked over at Sokka smugly, and Katara grinned as well. What could Sokka say to that?

“Well, no accounting for the weather,” Sokka replied, grabbing some more food. “There’s absolutely nothing mysterious about the swamp.” Kallik huffed and stood up, rolling his shoulders. “Where you going?” Sokka asked.

“As much as I enjoy our time together, Sokka, I need a minute away from you before I punch you in the face,” Kallik replied, but with no real malice in his voice. Sokka scoffed and waved him off. Katara got up to follow him.

“Katara—”

“Sokka, I’m a big girl, and I’m not even going to be alone, okay? Just—eat your bugs,” she said, following Kallik. He leaned against a tree not too far from the village, staring out at the murky water. She nudged him and he smiled down at her.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Are you okay?” she said, going straight to the point.

“You know, I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be the one fussing over you, not the other way around. You were the one who was lost, after all,” he deflected with an easy smile. Katara glared at him until it fell from his face. “I’m fine, Katara. Just. Just a little shaken up I guess.”

“What did you see?” Katara asked. “I know you saw Aunt Kyra, but—I mean, do you think Sokka is right? That you saw her because you miss her?”

Kallik shook his head firmly. “No. No I—I think my vision was real.” He sighed and rubbed his face. “Sokka’s right. I do think about her all the time. But I don’t think about her like—” he growled, frustrated. Katara waited for him to find the words. After a long moment, he sighed.

“Whenever I think about her, whenever I dream about her, I keep seeing her like I did that day, when the Fire Nation attacked our village,” Kallik said, quietly. “I can’t unsee it. I can’t—I have a hard time remembering what she looked like before she was killed. Even if she starts out normal, she always… changes into that.”

Katara felt her eyes watering and pressed her lips together. She didn’t know that was the way her cousin remembered his mom. Kallik glanced at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“It’s not—I try not to think how she looked. I try to think about the way she made me feel, and the way she took care of us,” he added. “But when I dream about her, when I see her in my thoughts, she’s mangled. Or at least she becomes mangled.”

“Kallik, I’m so sorry,” Katara whispered, wiping at her face. “That’s awful.”

“This wasn’t like that though,” Kallik said with a small smile. “She was—she was whole. And she didn’t say all the things you expect someone to say when you feel guilty, or when you want their affection. She talked about what I am, and she mentioned some lady—it was kind of cryptic to be honest,” he shrugged, releasing Katara from his hold to rub the back of his head. “She told me not to forget who I am. I don’t even know what that means. I’m just… me.”

“Kallik, you’re spirit touched,” Katara said, shrugging. “That has to mean something, doesn’t it?”

“Maybe,” Kallik allowed.

“You can see things other people can’t. You saw Agni. You can feel it when the spirits are moving, and you’ve always been able to. That means something.”

“What?” Kallik asked, frustrated. Katara ignored his tone.

“You know, I’ve been thinking. Haven’t you been wondering about why we’re travelling with the Avatar?” Kallik shrugged at her question.

“Because he asked, and Aunt Kya was pretty insistent,” he replied. Katara sighed.

“He was under the ice for a hundred years,” she said. “There were tons of waterbenders before, and that was a normal fishing route. Why did none of them—fully trained waterbenders by the way—find him? Not a single one freed him until Sokka and I came along. This is happening now for a reason. Maybe you’re part of that reason.”

“Maybe,” Kallik allowed.

“Aren’t you always telling us that the spirits work in ways humans don’t understand?” she asked, nudging him. “Trust your instincts. If you think it was a vision, it was, and whatever Aunt Kyra told you about a lady and what you are and who you are, well, I think it’s probably important.”

“I guess,” he said, looking back towards the campfires.

“You’ll understand what she meant when you need to,” she said. “It’ll all make sense eventually.”

Kallik shrugged again and followed Katara when she started heading back towards the others.

“I hope so,” he sighed. Katara got the feeling that something else was on his mind, but she decided to stop prying for now. He would tell her when he was ready.

She came awake, wiggling her toes and brushing her calloused fingers against the stone floor she slept on. Slowly she sat up, listening to the servants who began their morning chores. It was early—earlier than usual, but that dream was odd.

She was running, gaining and losing time as she moved. The earth was damp and her dress became soaked, and the whole time she felt exhilarated. She couldn’t stop laughing. That boy would never catch her, not unless she let him.

Toph never had a dream like that, before. She had good dreams about the badgermoles and victories at earth rumbles. She had bad dreams about the war and the unrelenting expectation her parents had for her. She never just dreamed about running free, laughing at a boy.

Or maybe it was a girl. It wasn’t like Toph could tell from their voice. Somehow though, she knew it had to be a boy. Besides, it was her dream, so she got to decide. It was just a dumb dream, anyway. She had more important things to worry about.

Toph popped her neck and stretched her arms out, as an enormous yawn escaped her.

The next Earth Rumble was only in a few days. She needed get some training in, while she had a chance. Toph was going to be ready for anything.

Chapter Text

Sokka grimaced at the wad of raw dough in his mouth, wondering where Kallik had gone. This was the worst town they visited by far. Losing boomerang, the investigation, the joke of a trial? Then the demand that Aang save them from the Rhinos even though they were about to execute him? The sooner they left Chin, the better.

“I can’t believe this,” he muttered. Aang laughed and Katara shrugged apologetically. “What kind of festival doesn’t have fried dough?”

“This one,” Katara said, easily enough. Sokka sighed, then perked up when Kallik appeared, holding a large stone bowl and wire basket. He noticed there was a thick liquid inside the bowl.

“Is that—Kallik are you—”

“Yes, I am the best cousin ever,” he said, triumphantly, heating the bowl in his hands. “Drop the dough in the basket.”

“YES!” Sokka cried, adding his avatar shaped dough to the basket and watching Kallik work his firebending magic. In moments, they had little puffed up Aangs to eat. Aang wasn’t even bothered, biting the head off of his own fried dough when it was cool enough to eat.

“Thanks Kallik,” he mumbled through a full mouth. Kallik grinned as he continued frying dough for them. Some villagers who passed them made rude faces, but let it go when they saw the Avatar didn’t mind them eating fried versions of himself.

“Where to next?” Katara asked as Sokka shoved another mini-Avatar into his mouth.

“Well, Gaoling isn’t very far, and they’re bound to have some earthbending masters,” Aang said. “We can leave in the morning. It’s only an hour in the air.”

“Good,” Kallik said. “The sooner we get out of here, the better.” Sokka nodded emphatically. Even though he had some cleaned hides that he needed to sell soon, he did not want to do anymore business here. There was nothing good about Chin, in his opinion.

“Ah, well, it’s not that bad you guys,” Aang said, rubbing the back of his head. “It all worked out, right?”

“Aang,” Kallik said in a flat voice, “they were going to boil you in oil.”

“But they didn’t,” Aang argued.

“Let me say this again. They were going to boil you—a literal child—in oil.” Kallik growled.

“I’m not just a child, I’m the Avatar.”

“I don’t care if you’re the Avatar. You’re still just a kid!”

“Well, you’re just a teenager,” Aang said sullenly.

“And if they were going to boil me, a teenager, in oil, it would be horrifying. If they were going to boil an adult in oil, it would still be horrifying. If they were going take the cruelest, most evil person in the world and boil them in oil, it would still be horrifying.” Kallik said, glaring down at the little bowl in his hands. “That’s an awful way to execute someone, and I can’t stay in a place that thinks that kind of punishment is ever okay.”

Sokka frowned, thinking about Kallik’s words. Then he remembered the massive burn Kallik got the fighting Zhao, and that was just a quick blast of fire. The thought of being submerged in hot oil—he shuddered. Aang and Katara seemed more shaken as well.

“Okay,” Aang conceded. “You’ve got a point. Gaoling first thing tomorrow?” The others nodded emphatically in agreement. Sokka sighed in relief, glad to be leaving this town far behind them.

They landed on top of a grassy hill, perfect for Appa to rest while they checked out the city. Gaoling was bigger than Katara expected. It wasn’t as big as Omashu, but compared to the villages they had seen so far, it was enormous. Katara was sure they’d at least collect some decent supplies while they were here. She tied a purse to her belt and tossed one to Sokka, who had already climbed off of Appa. He was gathering a bunch of hides he cleaned recently with hopes to sell them in town so they could get more supplies.

Kallik was strapping his Dao to his back as Katara slid down to join them. He was dressed in the Earth Kingdom garb they got in Omashu. One thing they had noticed when travelling was that the farther they got from the colonies, the more people noticed how much Kallik differed from his cousins. It was easier to for him to dress like the people of the Earth Kingdom and not draw attention to himself. Katara didn’t like it, but she wasn’t going to interfere with his decision. After they were all ready, they took off down the hill towards the bustling streets of the city.

When they made it to the market, Katara nearly jumped in excitement. There were so many different vendors! She looked around, distracted by the glittering items in the stalls. She wasn’t the only one. Kallik and Aang were side by side at one stall—Kallik was eyeing some daggers with a curious expression, and Aang had found some trinkets that caught his eye. Katara was entranced by a pretty blue hairpin in the stall next to her. A carving of small, blue flowers were clustered at the top, and the rest tapered down into the pin. The whole piece was decorated with intricate carvings of leaves.

“It would be lovely in your hair, dear,” the woman running the stall said, coming around and picking up the pin. She held it up near Katara’s ear. “Oh yes,” she breathed. “It matches your eyes perfectly. It would be a shame to pass this up!”

“I—I don’t think—”

“How much?”

Katara turned and saw Sokka leaning forward, hand on his chin. The shopkeeper grinned and ran her finger down the point.

“Well, this was dyed with the fine indigo dye only found in the Water Tribes, so it’s not cheap, but if you want to treat your sweetheart, I can make a deal with you.”

When the shopkeeper’s words caught up with her, Katara twisted her mouth, disgusted.

“Ew, no!” she said, shaking her head. The woman’s eyes widened in surprise. She heard Sokka gagging next to her.

“Gross!” he shouted. “That’s my sister! Ugh—why would you even think—”

“My apologies,” the woman said, chuckling embarrassedly. “Well, it’s perfectly fine as a non-romantic gift—”

“No way,” Sokka said, shaking his head. “Katara can buy her own stuff. Come on, if it’s worth it, get the pin. I’m gonna be over by the tanner. I think he’ll buy these hides off me.”

“What if it’s expensive?” Katara asked, raising an eyebrow. Sokka shrugged.

“I trust you not to spend too much,” he said. “It’s not like you’re just throwing it away on some busker.” Katara giggled. Kallik usually spent his free coin on the musicians in the streets. It drove Sokka crazy, always making him rave about how Kallik didn’t even get anything. “Besides, you deserve something nice.” Katara hummed and turned her attention back to the woman as Sokka walked off, adjusting the hides draped over his shoulder.

“You say this dye comes from the Water Tribes?” Katara asked, shrewdly.

“Oh yes,” the vendor replied. “Only the finest—”

“Well, lucky me,” Katara cut her off, grinning. “That particular pale blue is made from Arctic Dogwood, did you know that?” The woman pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “I happen to know it’s one of cheapest dyes the Southern Water Tribe produces, so I think we may be able to negotiate on the price.”

After Katara finished haggling, new hairpin tucked into her belt, she made her way to the tanner. Sokka was hide-free in the next stall over, staring at a green bag thoughtfully.

“You sold the hides?” she asked as she reached him. He nodded as Aang and Kallik wandered over and joined them. “Looks like a nice bag,” she said, conversationally.

“Yeah,” Sokka sighed. “It’s pricey, but I really do like it.” Katara folded her arms over her chest.

“Then you should get it. You deserve something nice,” she said, echoing his words from before. Sokka stroked his chin as he thought about it.

“I do, don’t I?” he replied. Kallik groaned behind them.

“Sokka, just get the bag,” he said. “You sold the hides, right? It’s not like we’re hurting and it will probably be useful.”

Sokka frowned at their cousin, almost pouting. “It’s too expensive,” he hedged. “I shouldn’t.”

“Alright, then don’t,” Katara huffed, walking away from the stall. They still needed to see if there were any earthbending masters around.

“Hey,” a man said, walking beside them, “you kids like throwing rocks? You should come down to Master Yu’s Earthbending Academy.” He handed them a yellowed piece of paper, advertising the school.

“Look, there’s a coupon on the back,” Aang exclaimed. “The first lesson is free!”

“Who knows? This Master Yu could be the earthbending teacher you’ve been looking for,” Katara said, reading the coupon over Aang’s shoulder. Sokka joined them moments later, new bag clutched in his arms.

“Decided on the bag after all?” Kallik asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Sokka said. “I liked it because it was so green… but everything I have is so blue?” he hummed, frowning at his purchase and Katara rolled her eyes before turning to Aang.

“Come on, Aang. Let’s check out Master Yu.”

Sokka sighed, leaning back against the stone wall outside the academy as they waited for Aang to return. Katara sat next to him, petting Momo’s head, and Kallik sat on his other side, meditating.

“You know, this meditation business is bad for conversation,” he muttered. Kallik cracked an eye open, glancing at Sokka.

“Funnily enough, your presence is bad for meditation,” he replied, tilting his face up towards the sun. Sokka rolled his eyes and shoved him.

“Yeah, but my presence is very good for conversation. See where I’m going with this?” he grinned. Kallik chuckled.

Aang walked out, looking dejected. He pulled on the strange, green uniform he was wearing before speaking.

“He’s not the one,” he sighed. Katara started to speak, but Aang turned his head as two other students strolled out of the school.

“—The Boulder is gonna win back the belt at Earth Rumble Six,” one boy was saying, confidently.

“He’s gonna have to fight his way through the best earthbenders in the world to even get a shot at the champ!” his friend replied. Aang lit up and ran after them. Sokka didn’t blame him. The Earth Rumble sounded like a good time.

“Excuse me!” he called. “Where is this earthbending tournament, exactly?” The boys turned around and sneered at him.

“It’s on the island of Noneya,” one boy—the one with tuft of hair not long enough to be tied into a wolf’s tail—said, smirking. “None-ya business!” the boys laughed and walked away, and Sokka couldn’t help but join in. Katara glared at him, but he ignored her.

“I gotta remember that one,” he laughed.

“I’ll take care of this,” Katara said, before running after the boys. “Hey strong guys! Wait up!”

“What is she doing?” Kallik wondered. Sokka rolled his eyes.

“Probably some girly, flirty thing so they’ll talk to her,” he replied. Kallik scoffed.

“No way,” Kallik said. “I bet you she’ll beat it out of them.”

Sokka adjusted his new back, thinking it over. “A copper piece?” he asked, holding out his arm. Kallik grasped it, taking the bet. Sokka sighed, looking at his bag again. It was very different from his every-day attire.

“What was I thinking,” he said. “I don’t need a new bag! Why’d you let me buy this?” he asked Aang and Kallik. Aang scratched his head and Kallik rolled his eyes. Katara ran back to them.

“Are you ready to find an earthbending teacher?” Katara asked, breathlessly. “Because we’re going to Earth Rumble Six!”

“How’d you get them to tell you?” Aang asked.

“Yeah, Katara,” Kallik asked, nudging Sokka, “what’d you do to convince them?”

“We really want to know,” Sokka added, nodding his head emphatically.

“Oh,” Katara smiled, tilting her head coyly, “a girl has her ways.” Sokka smirked. It would probably be a while before she told them exactly what happened, but he was fairly certain now that he was going to win that bet.

They walked through a stone hallway, passing flickering torches until they arrived at the arena. People were filling the stadium, but Aang found a path that led to benches right in front of the stage. They settled in, and Aang looked around, curious at the lack of attendees in this section.

“These are front row seats,” he said, sitting down. “I wonder why no one else is sitting here?”

Kallik yelped as a massive boulder smashed the benches next to him.

“I guess that’s why,” Sokka said, motioning for them to scoot back and over. After they repositioned themselves—still close, but far enough to avoid the bigger rocks, Sokka leaned forward, drumming his fingers on his knees in excitement.

“Did you read the pamphlet on the way in?” he asked them. Kallik raised his eyebrow.

“You read it?” he asked, his disbelief evident.

“I did,” Sokka nodded, excitedly. “So apparently at the last Earth Rumble, the Boulder was supposed to be the champion to face off, but he was out due to an injury. Some newcomer called The Blind Bandit swept in and took his place. All the hype this year is about how the Boulder needs to fight his way back to the championship.”

“Wouldn’t the champion have to fight his way up as well?” Kallik asked, confused. Sokka shook his head.

“No, once you’re crowned champion, you only have to defend your title,” Sokka explained. “They each have their own personas. Like, there’s this one guy called The Hippo—”

“The what?” Katara asked, scratching her head. “Why is his name The Hippo?”

“If you would just let me explain—”

“It’s starting,” Kallik said, gesturing to the dust and rocks exploding on the stage. Everyone started cheering as a stocky man raised a platform of earth up from the center of the stage. He plunged it back down once he had everyone’s attention, and the crowd got quiet to hear him.

“Welcome to Earth Rumble Six!” His voice boomed, echoing along the stone walls. “I am your host, Xin Fu. Are you ready to see the finest earthbenders in action?” The crowd started screaming.

“This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other, isn’t it?” Katara asked, examining her nails with a bored expression. Aang shrugged helplessly.

“That’s what I paid for,” Sokka said with a grin.

“I thought we were here to get me an earthbending teacher,” Aang replied, scratching his head. Sokka rolled his eyes.

“The rules are simple,” Xin Fu continued. “Just knock the other guy out of the ring, and you win!” He pushed himself up to a high platform overlooking the ring as the crowd cheered again.

“This is the worst. Come on, Kallik, tell Sokka this is the worst,” Katara complained, as Xin Fu introduced the Boulder and the Big Bad Hippo. When he didn’t hear a reply, Aang looked over to see Kallik rubbing his hands together excitedly, watching the stage avidly.

“Whoa, the Hippo is huge!” Sokka exclaimed. Kallik nodded beside him. Aang and Katara looked at each other before snickering at the older boys.

“Listen up, Hippo. You may be big, but you ain’t bad. The Boulder’s gonna win this in a landslide!”

“No,” Kallik moaned, shaking his head. “No, come on, you were so cool! Why did you say that?”

“What are you talking about?” Sokka spluttered. “That’s you know, fight talk. He’s psyching him out!”

“Whatever,” Kallik scoffed. Then he rolled his eyes again at Hippo’s response. “Better than ‘Hippo Mad,’ I guess.” Aang’s eyes widened as the Boulder’s rocks had no effect on the Hippo, other than causing the other fighter to chew up them up and spit them out.

“Whoa,” Aang said when the Hippo started stomping his feet, hard enough to hear their impact on the stone floor of the arena.

“Whoa is right,” Katara said, holding on to the bench as the stage rocked side to side in front of them.

“Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen!” Xin Fu cried. “The Hippo is rocking the ring!” Aang watched the Boulder catch himself before falling out of the ring. He used a clever trick, pulling a slab of stone from below and throwing it at his opponent. When the Hippo became distracted by the appearance of the slab, the Boulder lifted him up—on a heavy rock torn from the floor—and hurled him out of the ring.

“The Boulder wins!” Xin Fu announced, to the cheering crowd.

“How about the Boulder?” Katara asked Aang. Aang shook his head. “He’s got some good moves, though.”

“I don’t know,” Aang sighed. “Bumi said I need a teacher who listens to the Earth. He’s just listening to his big muscles.” He looked over at Sokka and Kallik. “What do you guys think?”

“Yeah!” Sokka was screaming, jumping on his feet and pumping his fist. “Whoo! In your face! Take that! What do you think now, Kallik?”

“I take it back,” Kallik said, clapping along with everyone. “He’s good.”

“Next match,” Xin Fu shouted, “the Boulder versus Fire Nation Man!” The whole arena erupted into boos and Kallik’s face fell a little.

“Doesn’t this seem a little gimmicky? Are they really fighting?”

“You SAW those rocks, Kallik!” Sokka exclaimed.

“Well, yeah, I guess,” Kallik said, folding his arms over his chest.

“Please rise for Fire Nation national anthem,” Fire Nation Man said, waving a huge red banner. “Fire Lord, my flame burns for thee—” he sang, causing Kallik to groan again.

“This is an Earth Rumble,” he muttered. “Where’s the realism? Why on earth would a firebender even be allowed to participate?”

“Who says he’s a firebender,” Sokka shot back. Kallik rolled his eyes as the Boulder executed a showy move that pulled Fire Nation Man into the earth before spitting him back out into the pile of boulders next to them.

“Yeah!” Sokka screamed. “The Boulder knows how to but the hurt in the dirt!”

“Okay, that was a good one,” Kallik amended, chuckling a little.

“Thank you,” Sokka replied, voice smug. Aang sighed. This was going to be a long tournament.

Kallik wanted to like the Boulder, if only for Sokka’s sake. The man was so obnoxious though. Every single opening line to a fight made him cringe. His moves were effective, but needlessly flashy. His banter was only slightly better than his opponents, and one of them thought the best way to open a fight was to hiss like some kind of snake, so that wasn’t saying much. Throughout it all he constantly flexed his muscles, an overly showy brag, considering a person didn’t need physical strength to be a good earthbender.

He glanced at Aang and frowned at his slight stature. At least he hoped a person didn’t need a lot of physical strength to be a good earthbender. Maybe he should start Aang on some katas with him and Sokka, and some weightlifting just in case.

Aang seemed dejected. He clearly hadn’t found what he was looking for. Kallik repressed a sigh. Hopefully they would have better luck as they got closer to Ba Sing Se. The largest city in the Earth Kingdom had to have someone suitable. The lights dimmed, drawing Kallik’s attention back to the ring. The rest between the last fight and the final must be over now.

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for,” Xin Fu said lowly, building up the anticipation. Sokka was on the edge of his seat. “The Boulder versus your champion—the Blind Bandit!”

Kallik’s eyebrows drew down in surprise when he saw the small figure walk along the stage, holding a huge, green and gold belt in the air. The crowd went wild, some hissing and booing, but the majority watched the figure with excitement. Kallik could hear people chanting ‘Bandit’ throughout the arena. The two ladies who were present to help clear the stage and announce the rounds took the belt and a long, fluttery cape from the figure. Kallik squinted. The Blind Bandit looked like a little girl.

“She can’t really be blind,” Katara said, confused. “It’s just part of her character, right?” Kallik shrugged, watching avidly as the Boulder joined the Blind Bandit in the ring. She didn’t even tilt her head to acknowledge him.

“I think she is,” Aang replied, sounding genuinely curious.

“I think she is… going down!” Sokka shouted, alarming Momo, who chittered angrily in his bag.

“She’s the champ, Sokka,” Kallik said. “There’s a reason for that.”

“Yeah, that reason being that she never actually fought the Boulder before,” Sokka replied, easily.

“The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young, blind girl,” the fighter announced. Kallik facepalmed.

“He should be conflicted,” Sokka said, nodding. “He’s probably gonna have to pull his punches.”

“Sounds to me like you’re scared, Boulder,” the Blind Bandit smirked, pointing in his general direction. Kallik felt his eyebrows raise at the quick response.

Apparently, the Boulder was not expecting that response either. “The Boulder’s over his conflicted feelings, and now he’s gonna bury you in a rock-alanche,” he snarked.

“Whenever you’re ready, the Pebble,” the Blind Bandit replied, laughing heartily. Kallik snickered too. Sokka looked at him as though he had been betrayed.

“What?” Kallik grinned. “She’s funny.”

“It’s on,” the Boulder said. They stared at each other—well, the Boulder stared at the Bandit. The Bandit stared at a point in the distance. A few heartbeats later, the Boulder made his move. After taking one step, the Bandit quickly reacted, predicting where the Boulder’s foot would land and creating a slide to force the man into a painful split. Kallik’s jaw dropped as the Boulder howled in pain. Then with one quick swing of her arm, the Bandit shot three sturdy pillars of earth outward, shoving the Boulder out of the ring without any warning. The fight was over. There was a stunned silence in the Arena.

Kallik found himself on his feet, screaming himself horse with the other fans in the arena. That was awesome. That was legendary! She handed his ass to him without even breaking a sweat!

“You’re winner, and still the champion, the Blind Bandit!” Xin Fu cried over the noise as the girl pumped a victorious fist in the air.

“No!” Sokka shouted.

“What do you mean, no?” Kallik shouted back, shaking his cousin. “That was epic, Sokka! That was epic! She beat him in two moves! Did you see that?”

“She was good,” Katara added, shaking her head at them. “How did she do that, though? What do you think, Aang?” she asked, looking around. “Aang?” Kallik looked over to where Aang was seated, but he was gone.

Toph basked in the noise, feeling everyone’s excitement pulsing so strongly it vibrated the stone floor under her feet. She hadn’t fought the Boulder yet, and knew he was a tough opponent, but he had nothing on her. No one did. She was a master. She was a master who learned from the first masters. Part of her wondered why she bothered training for this, a little disappointed at the outcome. She expected the man to put up a little bit more of a fight, considering all the hype.

She felt Xin Fu land near her, his steps heavy as he walked up to stand beside her. She heard the jingling of metal crashing together and wondered what he was up to. He mentioned there might be an extra fight and to be ready.

“To make things a little more interesting, I’m offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat the Blind Bandit,” he announced.

Oh, that’s the game, she thought, smirking. Like anyone would be brave enough to fight her after that. The stadium became silent.

“What?” Xin Fu asked. “No one dares to face her?”

You’re darn right, she thought, wickedly.

“I will!” The voice made her start slightly. She felt softer footsteps walking up the steps to the ring. She knew that voice. Where had she heard it before? She felt Xin Fu leave the arena, then her ear twitched at the shouting of the few fans who chose to sit so close to the chaos.

“Go Aang!” a boy shouted. “Avenge the Boulder!”

“Don’t avenge the Boulder!” another boy shouted. “Get her autograph!” She smirked again.

“Do people really want to see two little girls fighting out here?” she shouted, causing the crowd to laugh and groan. Calling her opponent a girl was meant to rile them up—if it was a boy like she suspected (she had yet to learn of another girl fighting in the rumbles), it would make him mad. If it were a girl, well she knew sighted people got a little freaked out when she guessed right.

“Actually,” her opponent said, “I don’t really want to fight you. I want to talk to you.”

Toph kept her scowl to herself. She hated fans like this. They needed to understand she wanted to be left alone.

“Boo! No talking!” one of the boys from earlier shouted. Toph smirked as her opponent took a step forward. She slid her foot forward and unrooted his stance, ready for him to fall down or stumble. To her surprise, he seemed to lift up, but didn’t go anywhere. She drew her arms in close, moving her head to catch any sound he might make. Finally, she felt the earth vibrate when he moved behind her. She whirled around.

“Somebody’s a little light on their feet,” she snarled. “What’s your fighting name, the Fancy Dancer?” They seemed distracted by her words and she used it to her advantage, launching them into the air again. Too much time had passed from this contact and his landing, putting Toph on edge. “Where’d you go?” she muttered, tilting her head to see if she could hear him.

“Please, wait!” they said from behind her.

“There you are!” she shouted, pulling up a large rock and sliding it towards them. As soon as the boulder left her hands, she was knocked back by a burst of wind, which was so unexpected, it threw her off the edge of the ring. Silence filled the stadium, then to her dismay she heard the crowd cheering.

They weren’t cheering for her anymore.

With a scowl, she pulled herself up and marched towards the wall, fleeing from her fickle fans.

“Please listen!” her opponent shouted at her. “I need an earthbending teacher, and I think it’s supposed to be you!”

You’ve gotta be kidding me, Toph thought angrily. “Whoever you are, just leave me alone!” she shouted back. She opened a door into the wall and marched through it, ignoring the call for her to wait.

She had never been so humiliated in her life.

Chapter Text

Lu Ten clicked his tongue, shaking his head as he tried to figure out their route.

“What is it, son?” his father asked after Lu Ten straightened up.

“Well, if I’m remembering the Earth Kingdom’s geography correctly, the Avatar went to Gaoling.” It made perfect sense. While the Avatar had a tendency to move sporadically, he had been going on a steady path south from the Northern Water Tribe into the Earth Kingdom. Gaoling was the next city in that direction, and though they lost the trail the bison was leaving, he still couldn’t imagine them stopping anywhere else. His father told him he thought the Avatar would be looking for an earthbending master, and the larger cities were the best places to look. The information from the refugees of Omashu confirmed his theory when he and his father ran into them.  Many of them went on about how the Avatar saved the citizens from Fire Nation control, and verified Iroh’s suspicion that the Avatar was trying to learn earthbending while they traded for supplies.

Iroh hummed thoughtfully. “I do not think it would be best to show our faces in Gaoling. My father has had many dealings with several of the merchants in that city, and I know many of them know my face. We should go around.”

“I agree, but the problem is I don’t know where they’re heading after this. There isn’t a clear goal in mind,” Lu Ten huffed. Iroh chuckled and grabbed a stick off the ground.

“I don’t believe that is the case,” he said, smiling. He drew a rough map, marking Gaoling, then sketching out the desert and the path to the Eastern Sea. “If it were me trying to escape Fire Nation control, I would head towards the one city that could not fall.”

Lu Ten’s eyebrows shot up. “You think they’re going to Ba Sing Se?”

“Yes,” Iroh said. “I have a contact in the Misty Oasis. If we head there, we can get papers to safely travel to the city, and live as refugees while we wait for the Avatar to come. Then we can explain our story and see if he will help us, and if we can help him in return.”

“Father, that plan is crazy!” Lu Ten exclaimed. “We can’t go to Ba Sing Se! We’ll be taken by the army before we can even blink!”

“I do not think so,” Iroh said, stroking his beard. “I know the last time we were there, we were attempting to conquer the city, but the only men who saw your face are dead.” His face darkened. “I personally made sure of that.”

“Father,” Lu Ten said, swallowing, unsure of his father’s plan.

“And I was far from the battle. People of the Earth Kingdom know of me, my son. They don’t actually know me. We can enter the city as two refugees in a group of hundreds. No one will give us a second glance.”

Lu Ten sighed. He didn’t have any better ideas. “Alright Father. Let’s head towards the desert. Hopefully your contact is still there.”

“I gotta admit,” Sokka said, adjusting the Earth Rumble Champion belt around his waist, “now I’m really glad I bought this bag. It matches the belt perfectly.” Kallik rolled pinched the bridge of his nose.

“That is a big relief,” Katara said. Sokka got the feeling she was being sarcastic.

Aang pressed on, leading them back to Master Yu’s Earthbending Academy. “If we want to find the Blind Bandit, this is a good place to start.” They walked through the wide opening, and paused when they saw the two students from the other day. They were working on their exercises, punching down into large clay pots. As they got closer, Sokka saw the pots were filled with sand.

“Oh great,” one of them grumbled, eyeing Katara warily, “you again.” Sokka felt the smile on his face shrink a little. Kallik straightened beside him and nudged his arm. Sokka shook his head. They didn’t know for sure yet. He could still be right.

Katara took a step forward and leaned into their space, causing the boys to yelp and flinch. Sokka sighed and pulled a copper piece out of his new bag, then dropped it into Kallik’s waiting palm. He refused to look at his cousin. He could picture the smug look on his face without having to actually see it, thank you very much.

“Yeah,” Katara said in a cold tone, “I didn’t think so.” Despite losing the bet, Sokka couldn’t help but feel a little pride at his sister’s skills.

“Nicely done,” he said, smiling again.

“Hey,” one said, pointing at Aang, “you’re the kid who beat the Blind Bandit!”

“We need to talk to her,” Aang said. “Do you guys know where she lives?”

“The Blind Bandit is a mystery,” the first boy said, quietly. “She shows up to fight, then disappears.”

Katara sighed. “Let me handle this,” she said reassuringly to Aang, before abruptly getting in the other boy’s face. “You’re not telling us everything,” she growled, jabbing him in the chest with her finger.

“N-no,” he stuttered, putting his hands up, “I swear it’s true. No one knows where she goes, or who she really is!”

Sokka scoffed. “This isn’t getting us anywhere.”

“That’s because we’re asking about the wrong person,” Aang said thoughtfully. “In my vision I saw a girl in a white dress with a pet flying boar. Know anyone like that?”

“Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Beifong family,” the first boy said as the other cowered behind him. “They’re the richest family in town. Probably the whole world.”

“But they don’t have a daughter,” the other added.  

“Flying boar is good enough for me,” Aang said with a grin. “Let’s check it out!” Sokka and the others turned to follow him, and Sokka heard one mutter something under his breath about leaving. Apparently, Katara heard him too.

“Hey,” she said sternly, spinning around as Kallik passed her, “I’ve got my eye on you.” Sokka smirked at the sight of her glare, then glanced back to see the two shaking in fear. He couldn’t resist turning around himself.

“Water Tribe,” he said smugly, as they left the school.

“Nicely done, Katara,” Kallik grinned, rolling the copper piece he won from Sokka between his fingers.

“Thanks,” she grinned back. “I think I know which family those boys were talking about. I overheard some people talking about the Beifong’s and their estate.” They walked down the street towards some very pretty sounding music. A lady was dancing and playing a flute ahead of them.

“Do you know where they live?”

“Yes, I think so,” Katara replied. “Their estate is close to where we left Appa.”

“Great!” Aang said gleefully. “Let’s go.”

Sokka watched as Kallik approached the flute player’s basket. He glanced back at Sokka, and without breaking eye contact, dropped the coin among the others gathered there. Sokka glared, causing his cousin to smirk at him before moving on with the others.

Spirits, why does he always give his money to buskers?

The plan to sneak into the estate to find the Blind Bandit did not go as they hoped. She was not particularly inclined to see Aang after the stunt he pulled at the Earth Rumble. Katara wasn’t surprised by this turn of events. She knew Aang would probably have to come up with some sort of apology for what he did.

Katara did not expect him to walk them through the front door of the Beifong residence when his first plan didn’t work out, though. Judging by the expression she saw on the Blind Bandit’s face—later identified as Toph by her parents—they weren’t exactly welcome. When the fiasco at dinner happened, Katara figured that he would have to give up on Toph becoming his earthbending teacher.

So when Toph arrived at their rooms to apologize for her behavior at dinner, then asked to talk to Aang in private, Katara was nothing less than shocked.

“How do you think it’s going out there?” she asked her brother and cousin. Sokka was sharpening his boomerang while Kallik was carefully practicing some forms with his Dao. Kallik paused mid-movement and lowered his blade, tilting his head in thought.

“Good, I think,” he finally said. “I don’t think she would have asked him to talk with her if she wasn’t open to hearing what he has to say.”

“No kidding,” Sokka added. “With how cooped up they keep her here? Despite what she can do? She’s probably itching to go on an adventure.”

“I don’t think her parents actually know what she can do,” Katara replied. “I think she’s afraid of letting them find out—haven’t you noticed how most of the earthbenders we’ve seen are men? Maybe it’s like the Northern Water Tribe. Maybe women are only taught because benders need to learn to control their bending.”

“Well that’s stupid,” Sokka said, causing Katara to quirk her eyebrow in disbelief. He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know I had some dumb thoughts about how well girls can fight, but after traveling with you, and meeting Suki, and meeting those weird, non-bending girls that traveled with the scary fire princess? I know better now.”

“Besides, we saw her in action,” Kallik added, sounding a little starstruck. Katara hid her smile behind her hand. Kallik still hadn’t gotten over how quickly she took out the Boulder. “She’s too good. I think they may try to hold her back because she’s blind, but something about her—she just notices things that the rest of us don’t. Her talents are wasted here.”

“It’s hard to go against your family though, Kallik. You know that,” Katara sighed. Kallik frowned and nodded in agreement.

A loud crashing noise from outside made them jump.

“What was that?” Sokka asked, running toward the window. Katara followed him as he jumped out and ran across the grounds with Kallik in tow. Appa bellowed in distress as they darted past. The Beifong’s and Master Yu were running across the ground as well, shouting something about injured guards. When they made it to the wall, they saw two shallow indentations in the earth, along with a knife stabbed through a letter on the ground. Sokka pulled up the dagger and Katara slid the letter off the blade, opening it.

“If you want to see your daughter again, bring five hundred gold pieces to the arena,” she read. “It’s signed Xin Fu and the Boulder.” Fear gripped her. They must have caught Aang too. Otherwise he would have found them and told them what happened.

“Master Yu, I need you to go and get my daughter back,” Toph’s father said.

“We’re going too,” Kallik said firmly.

“Poor Toph,” Toph’s mother said, sinking to her knees. “She must be so scared.”

Katara’s mouth set into a firm line. She hoped Aang would stay safe until they could rescue him.

Aang winced as Toph continued shouting vulgar things at their captors. She had quite the mouth on her once she got going. He eyed the ground below them nervously. It would be a painful landing without his bending to aid him, and Toph couldn’t do anything when she was unable to sense the earth. She was certainly putting on a good show, though. He almost believed she could take them on inside the metal box.

“Be quiet,” Xin Fu growled.

“You think you’re so tough?” she asked, snottily. “Why don’t you come up here so I can smack that grin off your face?”

“I’m not smiling,” Xin Fu replied.

“Toph!” Aang tried to adjust his head so he could see where the shout had come from. Lao Beifong stood in the entrance, surrounded by Master Yu, Katara, Kallik and Sokka.

“Here’s your money,” Sokka said, dropping the bag of coins Aang won. Master Yu slid it towards Xin Fu with his earthbending. “Now let them go.”

Aang heard the grinding of chains, but felt no movement. Perhaps they were releasing them one at a time?

“What about Aang?” Katara asked. Xin Fu was no longer in Aang’s line of sight, but he still could hear him perfectly.

“I think the Fire Nation will pay a pretty hefty price for the Avatar,” he replied. “Now, get out of my ring.” Aang gulped as he watched Sokka and Kallik draw their weapons while Katara went for the waterskin on her hip. Then, the other earthbenders of the Earth Rumble appeared, surrounding them. There was no way. They couldn’t take all those earthbenders on by themselves. He still shivered when he thought of the hit Kallik took from General Fong while Katara was being pulled into the ground.

“Go,” he said, waving them off, “I’ll be okay!” He wouldn’t let them be hurt again. Not because of him.

“Toph!” he heard Katara shout. What followed was lost in the commotion below. It seemed like the earthbenders were preparing to fight. He was about to scold his friends for not leaving—he could take care of himself—but his cage suddenly dropping made him lose his thought. It thudded on the ground, and Aang saw a blast of flame shoot over the metal bars that covered his face.

“Kallik! Leave!” he shouted. Then he heard Sokka shouting something to antagonize the earthbenders. “Sokka, no!”

“Stop!” he held his breath at the sound of Toph’s voice. “Let them go. I’ve beat you all before and I can do it again.”

“The Boulder takes issue with that comment.”

“It isn’t an act?” he heard Kallik moan in dismay. “You actually talk like that? Spirits, you’re the worst!”

“He is,” Toph replied. “Now be quiet and stay behind me, Sparky.”

The ground shook and rumbled, then dust filled the air, making Aang cough. As soon as he did, the air around the metal box cleared, as if the dirt in the air was pulled away. Sokka’s face appeared in front of him.

“We’ve got you, buddy,” he said, slamming something against the lock. He heard Katara grunting nearby.

“Hit it harder!” he shouted.

“I’m trying!” Sokka shouted back.

“Sokka, move,” Kallik said, appearing beside him. “Aang, don’t touch the front of the cage,” he said, seriously. Aang obeyed, keeping his body pressed to the floor. After a few heartbeats, he gestured for Sokka to hit the lock again. Then his face disappeared from view. Finally, with one last hit the bottom of the cage opened. Aang flew out, ready to join the commotion, but Kallik merely shook his head as Sokka pointed to the cloud of dust beside them. The Hippo came stumbling out, swinging a stone ring. The Boulder was tossed out next to him and turned around, angrily facing down Toph as she emerged from the cloud.

Toph quickly turned the center of the ring as the Boulder armed himself, ready to strike. Suddenly, a threat from above that Aang hadn’t even noticed swung into them, causing them all to collide together and fall in a pile. Then, she tossed them out of the ring before dispersing the dust entirely. Only Xin Fu remained. Aang watched nervously as he glared down at Toph and settled into a bending stance. Toph merely spit on the ground next to her and smirked.

Aang couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Xin Fu sent a series of boulders at Toph in quick succession, causing her to shield herself with earth. As soon as she hit back, he tried to assault her again, but she dodged with ease before knocking him out so quickly, Aang wasn’t even sure what she hit him with. Sokka gaped as Kallik bounced on the balls of his feet, grinning.

“So cool!” he hissed, clenching his fists together excitedly. She walked toward them once the commotion settled while Master Yu made an earth bridge from the seats to the ring.

“So,” she said, raising her eyebrow, “I gotta say, I didn’t expect any firebending.” Aang swallowed nervously, watching her father enter the ring. "I don't think my father saw anything. I only know because the air chang—never mind." She shook her head and smiled up at Kallik, looking around the vicinity of his shoulder. "I won’t say anything. I know a thing or two about keeping things secret.”

“Thanks,” Kallik said, rubbing the back of his head. “Looks like yours is out, though.”

Toph’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah. Well, he had to find out sooner or later.”

“So what happens now?” Aang asked. Toph shrugged.

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

She nearly screamed in frustration, stomping across the floor of her room.

Even after all that—after all he saw—he still couldn’t trust her to take care of herself!

Toph excelled in what she did. She took on earthbenders with decades of experience on her and came out on top without breaking a sweat. If that wouldn’t convince her father that she was capable, nothing would. She thought of Aang’s voice as he was leaving, apologizing when he and his friends were led away by the guards. He sounded so sad. It was like he was the only one who could see her, but couldn’t do anything about it. She could, though.

If her father wouldn’t give her his blessing, she could only hope he would grant his forgiveness.

She grabbed her bag—one she prepared ages ago—from its hiding spot in the wall of her room before creating a door and walking out of her house onto the grounds. She quickly tunneled out of the estate up the hill she felt Appa stomping around on.

“Toph!” she heard Aang shout as she reached the crest. “What are you doing here?”

“My Dad changed his mind,” she lied. “He said I was free to travel the world.”

“Just like that?” Sparky asked, skeptically. She nodded, keeping her face as impassive as possible.

“Well,” the other boy—she’d learn all their names soon—said, “we’d better get you out of here before he changes his mind again.”

“Good idea,” she replied, relieved they didn’t scrutinize her further.

“You’re gonna be a great teacher, Toph,” Aang said, excitedly. Toph smirked.

“Speaking of which, I want to show you something.”

“Okay,” Aang replied. She waited until she felt his toes hit the ground, before shoving a pillar under his feet and tossing him on his face. Now she could forgive him for how he cheated during the Rumble.

“Now we’re even,” she grinned. “I’ll take the belt back now.” After a moment, the heavy belt collided with her head.

“Sokka!” the girl hissed as toph rubbed her head.

“Sorry,” he said. Sparky sighed and leather creaked.

“If you walk forward, you’ll be able to grab my hand. I’ll pull you into the saddle, if you want.”

She put the belt on her shoulder and followed Sparky’s instructions, feeling his warm palm as it grasped hers. She went weightless as she was pulled up and the loss of earth-sense took her when she settled down. Without the ground beneath her feet, she was more helpless than she ever wanted to admit.

“Flying takes getting used to,” Sparky said, settling next to her. “Just reach out to the side and you’ll feel the saddle. Holding on helps me.”

“Kallik, it’s not that bad. Appa hasn’t dropped you,” Aang said cheerfully.

“Yet,” Sparky grumbled. Toph got the feeling she may have been the only one who heard him.

“Yip yip!” Aang said gleefully, and Toph swallowed down her nerves as her stomach jumped into her throat. This was terrible. This was the worst idea she ever had.

"Hey Toph?" Sparky asked, voice a little nervous. Or maybe a little excited? It was difficult to tell. She nodded for him to continue as she tried to make her organs settle back in the right spots.

"How did you fight like that? You were amazing!"

Despite her unease at being who-knew-how-high-up, she grinned. Maybe it was a good idea after all. 

Chapter Text

Kallik pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d asked Toph to do one simple thing: earthbend a firepit for them. She hadn’t replied, and now, half an hour later, she still hadn’t done it.

He had never met someone so stubborn about basic chores in his life. Even Sokka—who grumbled and moaned whenever he had to do a chore that even remotely resembled women’s work—wasn’t this bad. When Katara gently tried to explain how they all worked together to set up camp and he heard Toph scoff in response, he immediately took charge. Everyone had to share the work. Ever since then, all she did was ignore him. He sighed and tried to keep his temper in check. Yelling wouldn’t resolve anything. He walked over to her earth tent and knocked on the side politely. A small doorway opened and Toph stuck her head out.

“Yeah?”

“Toph, you know, we talked earlier about everyone chipping in and helping—”

“Yeah, Sparky, and I said you don’t have to worry about me, because I carry my own weight.” Kallik pressed his lips together and repressed a sigh.

“Yep, I know, but I also asked you to help us? Since we’re all traveling together? I asked you to build a firepit?”

“But I don’t need to sit by the fire, so why should I do that?”

“Toph—”

“Look, Sparky, I know you can figure it out. You’ve all done just fine without me so far. I’m just along to teach Aang earthbending. I figure if I don’t use it, it’s stupid to help with it.”

“But—”

“Anyway, I’m getting pretty beat and need some quiet. See you in the morning.” She pulled back inside of the tent and a slab of rock shot up, sealing it shut. Kallik rolled his eyes and growled, stomping over to where Sokka had piled up the firewood.

“Hey, how come there’s nothing set up for the fire yet?” he asked as Kallik stormed by.  

“I need to find some rocks because someone—” he raised his voice and looked back at the earth tent, “—isn’t going to help us.”

“Hey, calm down,” Sokka said, joining him. “I’ll help.” He glanced down at his shirt and brushed off some of Appa’s fur. The bison was shedding like crazy now. “Ugh, this stuff is everywhere.”

Kallik grunted, but otherwise didn’t answer, still thinking about Toph’s attitude. She was right. They knew how to set up camp in their sleep, but it didn’t soothe Kallik’s irritation.

Hopefully a good night’s sleep would help.

Toph gasped, coming awake suddenly. She slammed the walls of her tent down and stood up.

“Something’s coming!” she shouted. The others came awake immediately.

“What is it?” Katara asked. Toph crouched down and put her hand to the earth, feeling the vibrations. She wasn’t sure she could describe what she sensed.

“It’s like an avalanche, but not an avalanche,” she said, furrowing her brows. She didn’t know how else to explain what felt like a pile of not-rocks moving uphill.

“Your powers of perception are frightening,” Sokka muttered, a harsh edge of sarcasm to his tone. Toph opened her mouth to retort when Sparky interjected.

“I don’t like the look of that smoke,” he said. Toph sniffed the air. She could barely pick up the scent of something burning. It wasn’t wood. It seemed to have a metallic note to it.

“Come on,” Katara said, grabbing her sleeping bag. Toph listened to the older boys moving away from her and towards their tent. As they quickly broke it down, Toph pushed her own tent back into the earth. She picked up her bag and wandered towards the others. Someone shoved something stinky into her arms.

“What—”

“Don’t argue,” Kallik said, sternly. Toph opened her mouth to do just that but was nudged.

“Not now, Toph,” Katara said in her ear, leading towards the rumbling protests of Appa being woken up by Twinkle-toes’ gentle prodding. “We don’t have time. Talk it out later. We have to get out of here as soon as possible.”

Toph huffed but did as she was told, agreeing with Katara. She could be really bossy for someone so sweet. She smirked as the stinky bag was pulled from her arms.

“Whatever you say, Sugar Queen.” Toph snickered as she heard Katara sputter out protests at the new nickname, but Toph thought it suited her.

They rushed to clean up, and Katara shuttled Toph between the bison and their camp so she could help load. Toph decided she didn’t mind for now. Time was of the essence. She figured they could owe her one later.

Toph gripped the saddle like Sparky showed her. She hated being so high off the ground. It was unneeded stress on top of her sleep deprivation. She groaned and shoved Sokka as he started dozing off against her shoulder.

“Get off me, Snoozles,” she muttered, shoving him. She turned her head in surprise as she heard Kallik let out a snort of laughter.

“I’m so tired,” Sokka whined.

“Yeah, well, I think we have a long night ahead of us, so you need to get over it,” Kallik said. “We have to stop them from tracking us.”

“Don’t worry, Kallik,” Twinkle-toes said, voice chipper despite the late hour. “I’ll take us somewhere no one can track us.”

“Aang—”

“Then we can all get a good night’s rest.”

“Aang, we need to—”

“Appa could use a rest too, couldn’t you boy?”

“Aang!” Sparky shouted, silencing the other boy. “I want you to take us to a place with water.”

“What? Why? We should go high up,” Aang replied, confused.

“I think whatever is chasing us can go up,” Toph said quietly.

“I think so too,” Kallik agreed. “We were high up before, remember? Whatever is after us can climb a mountain. Remember those weird machines at the Northern Air Temple?”

Toph hated only having to rely on voices to get a feeling of what everyone was thinking. On the ground, she could tell if someone was happy, sad, nervous, even if they were lying. Up here, she was incredibly vulnerable. It was not a position she liked to be in.

Aang’s feelings came through as clearly as if she were in the Earth Rumble Arena.

“Oh yeah. If it’s something like that….” he trailed off, nerves present in each syllable. “But why do you want us to go to water?”

Kallik sighed and leaned over next to her. Suddenly, the warmth that was radiating out of him was gone. He had moved. “This.”

“Wait,” Aang said, almost incredulously, “you think this is Appa’s fault?”

Toph really wished she knew what was going on.

“No one said it was Appa’s fault, Aang,” Katara said, gently. Kallik huffed.

“Of course it isn’t his fault! He can’t help that he has to molt. But he’s still leaving a trail!”

Ah, Toph nodded. His fur. What was once the means to great body hair jokes was now a huge problem.

“So what, you want to wash him or something?”

“If he’s anything like my—like Kato’s dog then yes, washing him should help!”

“But Kallik, we’ll be too close to… to whatever that thing is!”

Kallik groaned and Toph turned her head to listen as he rustled closer to them. She jumped when Sokka yelped next to her.

“What was that for!” he shouted.

“Because we need your brain, Sokka. We have to land and wash Appa so we can’t be tracked anymore,” Kallik said, quickly.

“In the dark? Kallik, are you nuts?” The air suddenly got several degrees hotter.

“I’m pretty sure light won’t be an issue.”

“That kind of job would keep us up all night! I’ve never stayed up all night before!”

“Well, you’re in luck. I have. It won’t kill you. Now we need to think. Where can we go so that thing can’t follow? Or at least is slowed down?”

Sokka grumbled and Toph listened to the saddle creak next to her as he moved.

“Let’s follow the river that way, into the forest,” he said. “Whatever that thing was, Toph could feel it which meant it stayed on the ground. Maybe it can climb up mountains, but if it’s anything like those tanks at the Northern Air Temple, rough terrain like trees will get in the way. That should buy us some time.”

“You heard him, Aang, let’s go.”

“I hope you’re right about this, Sparky,” Toph said as she felt Appa turning underneath.

“Me too,” he sighed, settling back in next to her. It looked like it would be a long night.

Sokka groaned as Katara handed him a long brush she crafted out of branches. Kallik gave them decent light, and was whispering back and forth with Toph as he pulled a pot and some very strong ‘wake-up tea’ (courtesy of General Fong) from a bag.

“Why do I have to do this?” he moaned, watching Appa settle into the large pool of water Katara just made.

“Because I need to rinse him off later,” she snapped. Then she winced and shook her head. “Sorry Sokka, I’m just—”

“Exhausted?” Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. She sighed and nodded. “Well, go take a nap. Me, Aang and Kallik will get this part done.”

“Just you and Sparky, Snoozles,” Toph said, walking beside him and stretching. “I’ll let you know if I feel anything.” She brought up an earth tent large enough for three and crawled inside.

“What?” he asked as Katara let out a huge yawn. She shrugged and followed Toph into the tent. Sokka walked up to Kallik, frowning when he saw Aang dozing against a tree.

“Why is it just the two of us?” he asked, indignantly. Kallik pulled two cups out of the bag and poured the tea into each one.

“Because we’re the oldest,” he said, pragmatically. “They’ll pick up their share in the morning, Sokka.”

“Even Toph?” Sokka asked, skeptically.

“Yeah, even her. We just had a talk. I told her it’s important that every person does their part, and she agreed.”

“So… she’s gonna help with camp tomorrow? Do some clean up while we get some rest before takeoff?”

“Yep, she said she’ll pull her weight,” Kallik sighed, sipping the tea and raising his eyebrows. “Huh,” he said, smiling. “I like this. It’s pretty good.”

Sokka took a sip and gagged. “Kallik, this tastes like burnt tea leaves!”

“It does not,” Kallik laughed. “It tastes really earthy, and kind of nutty. Yeah, it’s strong, but it’s good.” Sokka shook his head at his cousin, gagging down the rest of the liquid as quickly as possible. Kallik gently roused Aang and sent him toward the tent so he could get some proper shuteye. The younger boy yawned and followed Kallik’s directions, stumbling into the earth tent behind them. Once they finished their tea, both of them stretched and got to work.

It was hard. It was a long night standing in cold water, scrubbing mats of old fur out of Appa’s coat. Kallik and Sokka worked quietly so they wouldn’t wake the others, only speaking when necessary and periodically switching places between the ground and Appa’s back, ensuring he was clean. Appa rumbled and dozed, half asleep as they took care of him.

“Spoiled,” Sokka whispered, wiping his brow. The sky was that periwinkle hue that came just before dawn. Kallik yawned and stretched next to him.

“Appa deserves to be spoiled, don’t you boy?” Kallik asked, reaching up to scratch under Appa’s chin. Appa lowed in delight as the first pinks and reds of sunrise broke over the horizon, peeking through the trees.

Sokka rolled his eyes and walked over to the tent. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get them up. Rise and—”

“Don’t,” Kallik said harshly before wincing. Sokka gaped at him.

“Come again?”

“Don’t—never mind,” he replied, shaking his head. “It’s stupid… you’re right, let’s wake them—”

“Kallik,” Sokka said, firmly, hand gripping his cousin’s arm. He was suddenly tense, and his eyes darted back and forth for a moment before he shook himself. “What’s wrong?”

Kallik groaned and pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. “Sokka, it’s too late—early? I’m too tired for this right now. It doesn’t matter, just—” Kallik cut himself off and lowered his hands to look at Sokka. He sighed reluctantly and almost seemed to deflate at whatever expression he saw on Sokka’s face. “It’s something one of the princes said, to wake me up.”

Sokka blinked, suddenly realizing Kallik hadn’t said those words to him once since his return from that Fire Nation ship.

“They didn’t hurt me,” he added. Sokka shook his head and swallowed his rage. They did hurt him. Maybe not physically, but there were still nightmares living in his cousin’s head.

“It’s not stupid,” Sokka whispered. “I won’t say that anymore.”

Kallik looked at him with wide eyes before pulling him into a tight hug. Sokka chuckled and patted his back.

“Geez, come on. Quit being a girl,” he mumbled.

“I’m not being a girl, you idiot,” Kallik muttered back, a small laugh in his voice. He pulled away and shook himself, gesturing for Sokka to go ahead and wake the others.

Chapter Text

“You are the most ungrateful, selfish—” 

“Selfish?! I gave up everything I had to teach Aang earthbending, and you think I’m selfish?”

Katara startled awake, blinking inside the tent. Sokka was passed out on top of his sleeping bag next to her. She stared dumbly at the opening, brow furrowing at the sound of an argument taking place just outside.

“Yes! I think you’re incredibly selfish! The whole time you’ve been with us you’ve barely lifted a finger to help unless you’ve been told!”

“Why is it my job to move Sokka’s smelly sleeping bag?” Toph shouted in a shrill voice. “I don’t use half the stuff you guys do; I don’t need it!”

“You said you’d help!” Kallik shouted back.

“Guys, stop fighting! This won’t resolve anything!”

Katara crawled out and stood up, looking at the scene before her. Toph and Kallik were facing off in front of the tent, both with their hands clenched into fists. Aang stood nearby holding his hands out placatingly, eyes wide with worry.

“No, I said I’d carry my own weight, which is what I’ve been doing the whole time!” Toph sneered, folding her arms over her chest.

“Yeah, the rest of us are carrying your weight too. Didn’t you notice how Sokka and I stayed up all night so you could get some sleep?” Kallik was seething. “Didn’t you notice how me and him did all the work that required eyes so you would be able to help Katara and Aang this morning with loading? We all share the work, Toph!”

“I didn’t ask you to do that,” Toph said, shaking her head. “Besides, Appa isn’t my responsibility. He’s Aang’s bison. Why aren’t you yelling at him?”

“Because he’s doing his part!” Kallik shouted. “As soon as he got up, he rinsed Appa off and fed and saddled him! It’s not unreasonable to ask you to start moving some stuff over to Appa with Aang so we can get airborne as quickly as possible! It’s not unreasonable to ask you to share your dry rations so we don’t have to make a fire! What is with you?”

Katara put a hand on Kallik’s shoulder. “Calm down,” she said, noticing some smoke starting to curl out from his nostrils.

“Yeah, wouldn’t want to set the forest on fire and destroy everything—or maybe you would. That’s what the Fire Nation does, after all.” Toph growled out. Katara gaped at the small girl before glaring.

“I’m Water Tribe,” Kallik ground out. Katara nodded firmly beside him.

“That’s a really weak lie. Your bending gives you away. Even a blind person can see what you are,” Toph laughed. “You’re no more Water Tribe than I am.”

“How dare you!” Katara shouted. Toph tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

“You know what, she’s right Katara,” Kallik said, his voice deathly quiet. Katara turned to him in surprise. He was glaring fiercely at the small girl. “She’s not Water Tribe. If she can’t help out, she should just get lost.”

“Wait, wait,” Aang said, nervously. “Let’s all just calm down—”

“Fine!” Toph shouted, grabbing her bag and throwing it over her shoulder. “I’m leaving. Good luck finding another teacher, Twinkle-toes.”

“Toph, wait!” Aang cried. He dashed over to her, but he was too slow. Toph glided away quickly, two small hills of earth under her feet, pushing her away from them.

Within moments, she was out of sight.

Azula sighed as they looked at the forest looming in front of them. They were making good time, but there was no way they could easily navigate these woods. The machine would be slowed down tremendously.

“Damn,” she muttered. She supposed she could take Ty Lee and Mai into the forest to track her bro—the Avatar by foot, but she didn’t like their odds with the bison in the picture as well.

“Your highness!” Azula pressed her lips together in annoyance and turned, facing the corporal who called her. He bowed. “My apologies for interrupting, but we have received word that the traitors have been spotted at an abandoned village not far from here!” Azula tilted her head and hummed in thought.

“My uncle and cousin?” she asked. The corporal nodded. “Interesting.” She looked back at the forest and sighed. She supposed this quarry would have to wait for another day. Her father made it clear what her priorities were.

“Very well. What village? We should set a new course.”

Lu Ten tended the small fire that was burning cheerfully under the kettle. He didn’t know where his father managed to find the wire stand, but he wouldn’t turn his nose at such a gift. The ability to properly brew tea anywhere was especially helpful, since he could make something to help the ache in his leg. Every little bit helped them on their journey to find the Avatar.

He frowned as he looked out the window of the empty dwelling they had borrowed for the night. His father should have returned by now. He had only stopped at the refugee camp to gather some supplies and information, sending his son ahead to an empty village. Lu Ten bit his lip, nerves starting to take hold. He wondered—for the umpteenth time—if he should have gone with the older man.

He sighed in relief as his father came into view, a little ways down the road from their hut. Then he frowned all over again when he saw a small girl carrying a large bag accompanying him.

He turned back to the tea as his father and their guest entered. “Hello, son,” Iroh said, jovially. His small companion dropped her bag at her feet, then kicked the ground, pulling up a pair of stone stools. He raised an eyebrow as he observed the earthbender. She was tiny. He doubted she was older than ten. Her skin was very light—now dusted with the pinkish beginnings of a sunburn. Her black hair was tied in a pretty bun that most noble women in the Earth Kingdom wore, and her cloudy green eyes stared off blankly in the distance.

A blind earthbender? he wondered, bowing his head at his father’s greeting.

“Welcome back, Father,” he replied, removing the near-boiling water from the heat of the fire and pouring it into the clay teapot Iroh managed to scrounge up, watching the tea leaves spread as he filled it. Then he used more water from his kettle to warm his and Iroh’s cups, grabbing a third with his free hand. “Would you like some tea?” he asked her, and at her nod he filled the third cup with water. He let them warm then tossed the water out, filling them with freshly brewed tea. He handed the first cup to the small girl, the second to his father, and kept the third for himself.

He was surprised when she took it from his hand without even a hint of a struggle, but kept it to himself. Instead he stared at his father, waiting for an explanation.

Iroh chuckled. “I was on the way back when I stumbled into this young one,” he said ruefully. “She took me by surprise, actually. Thought I was some kind of thief, I think.”

“You were sneaking,” she scolded, glaring into her cup. “People who sneak around are suspicious.”

Iroh nodded solemnly. “Yes, of course. I have explained to this young one that we are refugees, trying to get to Ba Sing Se,” he explained. “Then she offered to walk me back here, to make sure I got to you safely. What a responsible girl, don’t you think?”

Lu Ten just stared at his father, taking a sip of his tea.

“Cut the act, Gramps,” the girl said, gruffly. Her voice was rough. Upon further examination, he noticed callouses on her hands and bare feet, and a fine layer of dust seemed to coat all her limbs. Her eyes had slightly dark circles under them, and she gripped her cup, turning her face away from them.

“What act?” his father asked, clearly surprised.

“I know you accepted my help because you think I’m helpless. Well, I’m not. I can take care of myself,” she replied, voice hard.

“I don’t think you’re helpless,” his father said, scratching his head.

“Me neither, if you caught Father off guard,” Lu Ten added, glancing between the two of them. The girl turned her head to look at him, her blank stare gazing at his shoulders. She was clearly thinking about his words. “Really, that’s quite a feat.”

“Then why wouldn’t you let me pour my own tea?” she asked, glaring in his direction.

Lu Ten gaped at her. “Why do you want me to be rude to you?” he asked, stupefied.

“I have taught my son as my father taught me. When you brew tea, you serve it to your guests,” Iroh said, trying to placate the girl. “He did not mean any offense.”

“How can you take offense at someone pouring you tea?” Lu Ten continued.

“Well, if you’re pouring it for me because ‘oh no, the blind girl can’t do anything for herself,’ then I think I should be offended!” she snapped back.

“Pouring tea has nothing to do with you being blind!” Lu Ten said, getting heated. He hadn’t done anything wrong, what was this girl’s issue? “I wasn’t raised in some—some barn or something! I’m just being nice! What is your problem?”

“My problem is everyone seems to think that I can’t make my own decisions,” she said, scowling.

His father turned his head to her. “May I touch your shoulder, young lady?” he asked. She started then nodded, and he set his hand there, gently. She placed her free hand on the side of her stone stool. “I do not know what you’ve been through, but I’m sorry it has caused you such turmoil. The way I was raised, and the way I raised my son, was to help others and allow them to help you. It is one way we can show we love one another. Not that I love you,” he added, releasing her and rubbing the back of his head, a smile on his face, “I just met you.”

She huffed, but started sipping her tea.

“Did something happen? To make you think everyone around you just wants to make decisions for you?”

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, her hand on the stool twitching a little. Lu Ten frowned at it then shrugged it off. Everyone had a quirk or two. “I—it’s a long story,” she began. “My parents mean well, and I know they love me, but they have always treated me like I’m fragile. Like I’ll break at any second. But the truth is, I’m a really good earthbender. I’m not just bragging—it’s true.”

“Considering you had me encased in rock before I could blink, I believe you,” his father chuckled. Lu Ten’s mouth dropped open. She had managed to trap his father before he could even try to move away? She had to be extremely good. Or extremely lucky.

“Well, they kept me locked away from everyone. But one day, not too long ago, a group of people came to see us, and they wanted my help. I had met one of them before and he beat me in a competitive fight—he cheated, by the way—but it turned out he didn’t mean to fight me at all. He wanted to ask for my skills as an earthbender.”

Lu Ten nodded, then realized she couldn’t see the action and hummed for her to continue.

“I left. I ran away from home and left to help them, because they needed me. But they were acting like—like I just needed things all the time. They’d ask me to help with things like building a firepit so they could cook for me, but I had my own rations. I didn’t need them to build a fire for me too. And then we were being chased by someone, and—I don’t know.” She gripped her cup harder, curling in on herself a little. “They needed my help, so I helped them, and then when we got to a safe place one guy—the bossiest guy I’ve ever met—told me to go to bed. Didn’t even ask me if I needed rest or anything, just said he was concerned and wanted to make sure I got some sleep, and we would work together in the morning. I didn’t need any help, so I told him not to worry because I carry my own weight. The next day, he asked me for some of my rations for the rest of the group because they don’t need to be cooked, and I said no, because I’ll need them later. I’m not a great hunter yet, you know? But when I told him that, he lost it. He said that they were doing things for me, building fires, cooking, hunting, and that he let me sleep while he worked through the night to keep the rest of us safe, but I didn’t ask him to! I didn’t agree to any kind of trade off! I told him I take care of myself! Then he got really mad and told me to get lost, so I left.”

“Oh,” Lu Ten said, frowning. “I know you’re not helpless, but that doesn’t seem right, sending someone off alone in the middle of nowhere,” he said. “If he was your leader, he doesn’t sound like a good one.”

“He wasn’t the leader, that’s another guy. But he was definitely the bossiest. The girl with them, she was telling me about chores and stuff that they do, and I told her I didn’t need to do them, I’d just take care of my own, then he came over and started telling me off—”

“Why?” Iroh asked, suddenly. “Why didn’t you think you needed to help with the chores, I mean?”

“Because it wasn’t anything I needed. I didn’t need help from them, and they didn’t need it from me. Just the four of them were doing this stuff on their own for forever. I wanted to make it clear that they didn’t need to do anything for me.”

“That’s a really bad attitude to have in a troop,” Lu Ten said, honestly. She glared at him.

“What?” she asked, voice a little shrilly. “We aren’t a troop! We’re not in the army!”

“No, but the parallel is there,” Lu Ten replied. “Once you’re done with your own stuff, there’s community stuff you need to participate in, so everything can run smoothly and efficiently. I think adding a fifth person should have made things go a little better for them. Camp chores need to get done. Everyone has to do their part, or else the system collapses.”

“I don’t understand. I wasn’t taking any of their stuff, I had my own, and I didn’t need their help.”

“Well, you traveled with them—how did you know where to go? You’ve never left home before.” The girl opened her mouth to reply, then closed it, thoughtfully. “Also,” Lu Ten continued, “if you ever ran out of rations, how would you get more? You just said you aren’t a great hunter.” She tilted her head, a little stunned. It looked like the idea never dawned on her. “You would have had to rely on them eventually. Just like they would eventually need to rely on you. Sounds like that boy was trying to teach you how to be part of their camp.”

“Huh,” she said. Then she sipped her tea.

“Don’t get me wrong. It was stupid of him to send you off on your own, just because he was mad. Sounds like he isn’t mature enough—”

“We were all really tired,” she said. “He stayed up the whole night. Actually before this morning he’s been really nice about a lot of stuff—I just thought he was trying to baby me—acting like he was some kind of big brother or something, but now that I think about it, he was the same way with the others.”

“Maybe he is their big brother,” his father offered. “It would explain why it came naturally when trying to incorporate you into their group.”

She snorted. “Not a chance,” she said, sipping her tea. “He was a firebender, and the others were Water Tribe and a nomad. No relation.”

Lu Ten dropped his teacup in shock as his father’s eyebrows climbed up to his hairline. The girl laid her palm flat on the floor.

“What?” she asked, suspiciously.

Lu Ten glanced at his father, who was slowly shaking his head. He wanted his son to keep quiet.

Sometimes, Lu Ten wasn’t very good at listening to his father.

“Were you traveling with the Avatar, by chance?”

Kallik stared at the trail that Toph left behind as they flew above it, trying to track her down. He pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead, cursing himself for how stupid he acted. Toph may be strong, but she had no idea where she was. They flew here, how could she get back home on her own?

“We’ll find her,” Katara said, as if she could read his thoughts. Maybe she could.

“I’m such an idiot,” he groaned.

“Yep,” she agreed, frowning at him. He hung his head. “I can’t believe you, honestly. I know she said some things, but—”

“She didn’t know better,” Kallik said. “I know. It’s not like we told her how we’re related, we just kind of assumed she knew.”

“Well, how couldn’t she know?” Sokka asked. “I know the first time we met you were in Earth Kingdom clothing but you’ve been in your normal clothes the whole time we’ve been traveling.” Katara and Kallik stared at him as he focused on sharpening his boomerang. He looked up at them. “What?” he asked, perplexed.

“Let’s see how long it takes for him to get it,” Katara said.

“Get what?” Sokka asked, frustrated. “She must have seen—oh.” Kallik shook his head and turned his eyes back to the trail.

“Aang, it looks like she veered left here, the trail seems to lead up to that rock outcropping, then stops,” he shouted, so Aang could steer Appa in the right direction.

“Kallik,” Katara said, gently. He turned to look at her. Her eyes had softened from the harsh glare she had earlier. “I know it was just a mistake—we were tired and she’s kind of… hard to work with, I think.”

“Stubborn,” he muttered, glaring back out at the ground.

“Yes, like you,” she said, sharply. He winced. “Once we find her, we’ll all talk this out, okay?” He swallowed and nodded in response, as the bison went closer to the ground.

“Where did she go?” Aang wondered aloud as Appa landed. Kallik slid down and examined the ground, Sokka close behind him.

“Kallik,” his cousin called. Kallik walked over to where Sokka was crouching. “Look, footprints,” he said, pointing at the trail in the dust. “Two sets of them, and one of them looks like it was made by a person with bare feet.”

Kallik swallowed nervously. What did he get his new friend into?

There was a village at the end of the trail they followed. An abandoned village. Katara shuddered as they passed the rundown houses, heart heavy as she took in what should have been a place filled with life. Instead it sat untouched, alone to fall to ruin.

“What happened here?” Aang asked, looking around as well.

“The Fire Nation,” Katara replied, coldly.

“There aren’t that many burn scars,” Aang said, examining one of the nearby buildings.

“No, but we’ve been seeing refugees abandoning their homes all over the Earth Kingdom,” Sokka said. “I don’t know what else would have made everyone leave.”

“Let’s just focus on finding Toph,” Kallik interjected. He was crouched on the road, looking closely for any sign of the footprints they were following. It was much harder to find them on the hard ground of the village.

“I hope she’s alright,” Katara said, moving further down the road. Then she gasped as she saw a small figure in green appear in the doorway of a stone house.

“Katara!” Toph shouted, running out.

“Toph!” she shouted back, then she gasped and sank into a bending stance when she saw who emerged behind her new friend.

The princes. The princes. The ones who stole Kallik! What had they done to Toph? She heard the metal glide of Kallik pulling his dao out of the sheath, the whip of Sokka’s boomerang as he prepared to throw it, and felt the winds gathering to Aang behind her.

“What’s going on?” Toph asked slowly.

“Toph,” Kallik said, quietly, voice incredibly steady. “Come over here, now.”

Katara watched Toph roll her eyes. “Seriously, Sparky?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips. “What, you’re mad that I actually listened to you and got lost?”

“Toph!” Kallik’s voice went up, panic creeping into it. Toph walked over to them. Katara did not move her eyes from the men behind her. Fire Nation scum, she thought, glaring. The old man stepped forward slowly, raising his hands in surrender. She tensed, ready to snap her water whip at him at a moment’s notice. The younger one stayed a step behind, not raising his arms, but not going into a bending stance either.

“Alright, I’m coming,” Toph said, clearly confused. “What’s got all of you so nervous?”

“Stay back,” Sokka shouted. “You let our friend go.”

“What are you talking about?” Toph huffed. “No one’s got me, all these guys did was give me some tea.”

“We mean you no harm,” the old man said. “Truly, we only wish to speak with you.”

“Will someone tell me what is going on?” Toph shouted, glaring at the men behind her.

“Toph, those guys are Fire Nation princes!” Sokka said, stepping closer. “They kidnapped Kallik!”

“Why would they do that? Did you defect or something?” she asked. “I ran into the old man, helped him out, and he and his son served me tea. Then we got to talking about you, Aang. Neither one of them wants to fight you.”

“Toph, please just come over here,” Kallik said, a little desperately. Toph rolled her eyes and walked over to him, safe behind Katara.

“Better?” she asked. Katara chanced a glance behind her to see the earthbender had moved just behind Kallik, allowing him to shield her a little with his body.

“Much,” he replied, still glaring at the princes in front of them. Katara turned her gaze back to them.

“We truly do just want to speak with you,” the old man said.

“I don’t think we have anything to say,” Kallik growled back. “I’ve told you, I don’t want anything to do with you—”

“Actually, Zu—I mean, Kallik,” the old man coughed to cover his mistake, “we need to speak with the Avatar, to ask him for help with the state of our nation.”

“What?” Aang asked, coming up next to Katara. “Why do you need to speak with me? Why would I help you?”

“Because the man who is now Firelord will not stop until he sees the other nations destroyed,” the younger prince said solemnly. “My uncle is ruthless, and won’t stop until he either gets what he wants, or burns it away.”

“Wait,” Kallik said, “I thought you were the crown prince.”

“I was,” the old man replied. “While I was away from home, my younger brother somehow took my place. He is not like me. He does not believe in spirits, or balance.”

“Why should we trust you?” Aang asked, clutching his staff tightly.

“That is an excellent question, Uncle.”

Katara shuddered and spun around. She could never forget that voice. Aang spun around with her, but Sokka and Kallik kept their gaze on the princes. Toph stood sideways, eyes closed. She was preparing to react to whatever came their way. The Fire Nation princess stood tall with her two cronies behind her. Katara’s eyes darted to the girl in pink, terrified of letting her get anywhere near them. She hadn’t forgotten how quickly she was paralyzed.

“Azula,” the old man shouted. For the first time, he actually sounded angry to Katara. “What your father is doing is wrong. He stole that throne!”

“Or maybe he just took what you were too weak to protect,” Azula said with a smirk. Her gold eyes glinted. “No matter, Uncle. I have my orders. You need to decide, now. Are you coming home willingly, or am I going to have to force you?”

Katara narrowed her eyes, wrapping her water around her in a continuous swirl, ready to lash out.

“We’d like to see you try,” the younger prince shouted back. Azula smirked.

“Very well,” she said, moving her fingers in a strange circle. Sparks lit a path in their wake, as energy seemed to crackle around her. She pointed out and a surge of energy burst forth from her fingertips, straight towards all of them. Katara had no idea who she was aiming at. The only thought in her mind was protect. Her body reacted, throwing her water up as a shield so nothing could get past her. The blast struck, but instead of dissipating, it followed the path created by the water from her shield to her hands, then through her hands—

She felt like she had been kicked by an ostrich horse. She felt energized and numb all at once. She felt fire burning under her skin, and heard an awful screech just over the ringing in her ears—a screech that seemed to be coming from her own mouth—

Then blackness hit, and she felt nothing at all.

Chapter Text

Toph’s ears twitched at the sound of stone grinding against stone. The sharp scent of herbs wafted through the air. She leaned back against the wall of the large earth tent she had constructed, waiting.

“We’ll rub this medicine on her hands and arms, and bandage them,” Lu Ten said, softly. Sokka grunted to acknowledge him.

“There is not much else you can do here, Miss Toph,” Iroh whispered next to her. “My son and your friends have it well in hand.”

“Don’t have anywhere else to be,” she replied, gruffly. The old man sighed beside her.

“Oh?” Iroh asked. She noticed him move away from her toward the entrance of the earth tent. He paused there, and Toph waited for him to tell her what he saw. “I imagine there is someone who could use your company. I don’t like leaving him by himself.”

Toph cringed, remembering Sparky was sitting watch outside. After hearing his reaction along with Sokka’s when Katara was hurt, she felt shame bubble in her stomach over the things she said. Even if he was from the Fire Nation, he clearly loved his Water Tribe friends dearly. He even found a place with them. The fact that she threw his bending in his face like that before she stomped off—she didn’t know if she could face him yet.

“I doubt he wants to see me,” she said, quietly. Iroh chuckled.

“Believe me, I’m sure he’d rather see you than me. We—had a very rocky start.” She raised an eyebrow at him. Iroh knew exactly where she stood with Kallik—she told him just before this whole mess happened.

“Trust me,” Iroh said, voice going softer, “I’m in no position to offer any kind of comfort, at least not yet. Probably not for a while.” There was no lie in his voice. Toph kicked a loose pebble and straightened up.

“Fine, Gramps, I’ll check on him. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.” With Iroh’s warm chuckle at her back, she walked into the chilly, morning air. It had been a long couple of days. She suddenly found herself wondering if Sparky got any sleep last night, either. That guilty feeling twisted in her stomach again. She walked toward the hunched figure not too far from their shelter. The scent of burnt wood filled her nostrils, but the cracking she expected was very low. When she came up next to him, she realized the fire was not as warm as it should be.

“Is there a reason why you’re letting the fire go out?” she asked, gingerly squatting down next to him.

“It has to go out sooner or later,” he replied, hoarsely.

“Okay,” she replied, slowly, “but before breakfast?” Kallik let out a heavy breath, and suddenly warmth blasted her lower half. The fire was popping cheerfully in front of them. She felt herself smiling a little. Having a firebender around was pretty handy.

“Hey,” he said, making her turn her head towards him. “I just wanted to say thank you. If it weren’t for you, I think Katara would be—”

“Hey, that wasn’t me, that was all Aang,” Toph said, trying to wave him off.

“None of us would have thought of it, Toph. I mean it, thank you.”

Toph heard the gratitude in those words, and nodded in response. Truthfully, she had no idea if her idea would work. She just knew someone had to do something.

Heat seared towards them, making all of her hair stand on end. The younger man gasped behind her, and the old man shouted before a shrieking crackling noise filled the air. The change was so sudden, it made her take a step back.

“Katara!” Snoozles screamed at the top of his lungs. “Katara no!”

“Azula, what did you do?” The old man shouted. Kallik screamed in rage, and the air got increasingly hotter, making Toph take a step away from him.

“How dare you.”

Chills went up Toph’s spine. Aang didn’t sound right. He sounded like him, but also very ancient at the same time. His voice blended with a thousand others. The winds picked up, and Toph put her arms up in front of her face as she made her way towards the group, shivering as something flew above her, towards the group of girls that got them into this mess in the first place. More heat. Again, that shrieking, crackling sound filled the air, filling her nose with ozone.

“You think these pathetic tricks will stop me?” Aang-not-Aang boomed. “I have lived a thousand lifetimes. I have mastered the elements, thousands of techniques, for longer than this world was even alive. You wanted the Avatar?” his voice was filled with sinister glee. “Well, you have me. I hope it was everything you wished for!”

Toph wasn’t sure what happened when a hot cloud of air swirled above her, then shot away, but the screams that followed indicated it had whatever affect Aang was aiming for.

“What’s happening?” she shouted over the wind as she grabbed Kallik’s arm.

“Katara’s hurt,” Kallik said quickly, hands moving away from Toph and towards the limp body in front of them. “I can’t tell if she’s breathing!”

“I can hear a heartbeat,” the young man said. “I feel her breath on my fingers, too. She needs medical attention immediately, though.”

“Can you help?” Sokka asked, desperately. “Please, she’s my sister, please!”

“This is beyond me… if we could get her stable, I could take over from there but—”

“We need a healer,” the old man finished, voice sad.

“Can… can she heal herself somehow?” Kallik asked, desperately.

“Huh?” There was still so much about her new group that she didn’t know.

“Katara is a waterbender, and she can heal with her bending,” Kallik said quickly. “Can she—I don’t know—do it subconsciously?”

“Kallik,” the old man sighed, regretfully. Toph felt Kallik flinch beside her.

“No,” he said, desperately. “She has to be okay. Katara, you have to be okay!” The winds picked up even further, and the earth began to rumble.

She felt the earth moving to an earthbenders’ command. An earthbender that wasn’t her, and the only one nearby was—

I haven’t taught him how yet, Toph thought. How could he possibly be bending? Was he holding out on me? Or maybe... maybe this is intuition? Toph’s mind whirred furiously before she quickly raised herself up on a pillar. Now she was level with the floating terror. She could feel him pierce her with his gaze. Well, Toph was never one to back down from a challenge.

“Listen up, Cosmic Wonder! Your friend is hurt, and you’re the only one who can help her!” Silence met her statement. “You’re a waterbender, right? Well, Katara needs you, so get down there and heal her before we lose her!”

The winds began to calm, and the force of the being beside her became less intense. After a moment, she could feel Aang’s toes touch the earth, and she dropped her pillar to stand beside him. She walked with him back to the others.

“Let me help.”

His voice changed again. She could still hear Aang, voice small beneath the voice of a woman. Her voice was rich, and she heard everyone gasp around her as Aang-not-Aang knelt at Katara’s feet. She heard the swishing of water cutting through the silence.

“Who—who are you?” Sokka asked, stunned.

“I am Avatar Ahnah,” she replied. “Your friend’s injury is severe, but she will live. Be sure to apply medicine to her hands—hopefully the scarring will fade over time.”

Toph shook herself. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but it wasn’t for another Avatar to talk to her.

“Does that happen a lot?” she asked. Kallik made a questioning grunt, clearly fussing with something over the fire. “Aang turning into—someone else.”

“Oh.” Kallik sat back and hummed in thought. “I wouldn’t say a lot. We’ve seen him in the Avatar state—the big wind and a million scary voices thing—a couple of times now. And I guess we’ve seen Roku, and Kyoshi through him so far. But it only seems to happen when there’s a big need for it.”

“Huh,” Toph sighed, staring blankly where she knew the fire roared. She sighed as she let the warmth settle into her bones, and a yawn escaped her.

“You should probably get some sleep,” Kallik said.

“You’re not the boss of me, Sparky,” she snapped back. She could feel him rearing back to argue, and held up her hand. “Wait, wait,” she sighed. “I’m—I’m sorry. I know we had a rough start. I know I said some offensive things, but I think they landed harder than I meant them too, and for different reasons than I thought. Before either of us goes to sleep, I want to work that out.” There. It was out there. All Toph could do was wait for him to either accept or reject her offer.

“Okay,” Kallik said, softly. She was stunned at how quickly he responded.

“Wait, really?” he chuckled and she punched him lightly on his arm, then geared herself up for the conversation. “So, I know I said that thing about you being Fire Nation, and I know it was rude of me to use your bending against you. I know you’re not like the rest of them. But why did Katara get so mad about it? And why did you both say you aren’t Fire Nation?”

“Because I’m not,” he said simply.

“Sparky, I said before—”

“I was carried away from the Fire Nation by La, on an Earth Kingdom ship,” he replied. Toph frowned, trying to puzzle out what he was saying. “When I was a baby, I was taken from the Fire Nation and brought to the Southern Water Tribe. I was taken because Agni didn’t want me raised by someone who couldn’t love me.”

“Who said that, the person who kidnapped you?” she asked, not being able to stop herself. It sounded ridiculous.

“Agni did,” he said easily. She gaped at him. Okay, maybe her new friend was a little crazy. He chuckled again. “I’m spirit touched, Toph. Weird stuff like that happens to me.”

“Like a guru?” she asked. Most gurus she knew of lived out in the middle of nowhere, and were total recluses. They knew a great deal about how to handle spirit problems, but they were weird.

“I’m not a guru, or a shaman,” he replied, tiredly. “I just—I see things, sometimes. From the Spirit World. I don’t know if that’s what I’m supposed to be one day but right now, I’m just a normal guy who the spirits like to mess with.”

“Huh,” Toph frowned. “So, Sokka and Katara are literally your family?”

“Yeah. Same tribe. We’re cousins. Well, like cousins, anyway.”

“No wonder you were so mad at me,” she said, lowering her chin to her knees.

“I shouldn’t have told you to leave, Toph,” Kallik said, seriously. “I’m so, so sorry I said that. There’s no excuse for it, I just hope you can forgive me.”

“Well, I will if you can forgive me about the chores and stuff. And for what I said.”

“Of course I will,” Kallik said earnestly. Toph turned her head towards him and raised an eyebrow, questioning. “You’re one of the coolest people I’ve met, Toph! I still can’t get over how you took out the Boulder in two moves. Then later when you took out all those fighters, while we were trying to save Aang? That was amazing. You’re an incredible fighter. And you’re really funny, too. I’m glad we got to meet.”

Toph felt heat rise to her face and turned away to hide her blush, smirking smugly. “Well, yeah. I am the greatest earthbender in the world.” She yawned again, and could feel his stare.

“Alright, alright,” she conceded. “I’ll go to bed. But I’m pretty sure you’ve had less sleep than me, Kallik.”

He sighed. “You’re right. I’m just going to check in on Katara, then I’ll turn in too.” He stood up, then hesitated for a moment, prompting Toph to look up at him. She was pretty sure she was looking in the general area of his face.

“Toph, thank you. For everything.”

She felt her skin flushing and ducked her head.

“Sure, Sparky. It’s what friends do.”

It was like swimming through molasses. Everything was weighed down. Even her eyelids were too heavy to move.

“… seen herbs like this…”

“Trust them… my friend Kuzon used… okay?”

“…kidnapped…”

“…different now…”

Words swirled around her head, familiar voices whispering quietly at her side. A hand was wrapped loosely around hers. She squeezed the fingers.

“Katara?” Sharp. Anxious. She needed to soothe. Mother told her she needed to take care of him. Her eyelids wouldn’t budge. Her hands felt tingly, as if the limbs were waking up, pressing onto pins and needles.

“…going on? Is she…”

“…waking… but not sure. She squeezed my hand….”

“Katara?” Raspy. Tired. She had to help him too. Mother said. She felt gravity working against her, but she pressed on, squeezing the fingers again, trying to command her eyes to open.

“Maybe we should get…”

“They’ve done enough, I still don’t trust…”

“But they’re the ones who…”

“You leave when that old man is here…”

“I won’t this time, Sokka. I’m sorry. But I think we need help….”

“Katara?” Soft. Sweet. Gentle. Mother never said he needed help, but she didn’t have to. He was lost in the ice. They all needed her. With a burst of willpower, she forced her heavy eyelids open.

Three concerned faces stared down at her, then the one closest broke out into a sunny grin.

“Katara! Katara you’re awake!” Sokka shouted, squeezing her hand back. The numbing had finally ebbed, but she winced a little as a sharp pain shot up her arm. Sokka immediately relaxed his fingers, eyes wide with regret and embarrassment. “Sorry, sorry. Lu Ten said you might be sore for a few days.”

“Lu… Ten?” her voice was scratchy with disuse. She was trying to place a face with the name.

“Yeah, you know, the younger Fire Nation prince?” Sokka continued. Katara felt herself tense to bolt up, but her body was too heavy to follow her commands.

“Wha—what? The Fire Nation prince?” Her eyes darted around, trying to find the menace.

“Katara, what’s wrong?” Aang asked, earnestly. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. It was too much.

“I—where are they? What are they doing with us? I don’t—”

“They healed you,” Kallik said, soothingly, patting her other hand. “Well, Aang healed you, but they did the work after.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, shaking her head a little, trying to sit up.

“Oh right, you were knocked out,” Aang said, wincing. “After you got hit, I… guess I went into the Avatar state and healed you, and then once you were stable Prince Iroh and Prince Lu Ten took over.”

“When did I get hit?” she asked, desperately.

“After we got to the village,” Kallik replied.

“What village?” she felt her chest tighten. She had no idea what they were talking about.

“Guys, shut up!” Sokka hissed. He smiled at Katara and stroked the top of her hand with his thumb. “It’s okay, sis. You’re safe. I promise. We aren’t gonna let anything happen to you, okay? You’re okay.” She felt her lips start to quiver at his words, but he hushed her and went on. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

“We… we got into that fight with Toph about Kallik and… and were flying on Appa,” she replied, searching for anything else. “That’s… that’s it. I don’t know what village you’re talking about. What hit me? Who hit me?”

Kallik growled and looked away, alarming her. “It was Azula. She… she made lightning in her hands and threw it at you.”

“What?”

Slowly, the three boys filled her in on everything that had happened. The reunion with Toph. The surprise appearance of the Fire Nation princes. The confrontation with the Fire Nation princess. Each piece slotted into place, and although she couldn’t remember much more than water, burning, and flying, her body agreed with their accounts.

“Help me sit up, please,” she asked. Gingerly, her cousin and brother lifted her torso, and Aang pressed his bedroll behind her so she could use it as a support. She leaned back against it and looked down at her wrapped hands and forearms.

“Is it bad?” she asked, softly. Sokka winced.

“Well, at least it looks pretty cool?” he replied, cringing at his words. Katara felt the air leave her lungs. She didn’t want to look.

“Oh, you’re awake!” Katara turned her head to the entrance of their (hut, or maybe a house?), before swallowing an alarmed gasp. She knew the princes were with them, and had healed her. The younger prince—Prince Lu Ten—held some new cloths in his arms. “Sorry to interrupt. I came in to change your bandages, if that’s alright. Sokka glanced at her and gave her a small nod, and Kallik stood up and moved to the other side of her. Lu Ten slid in and gently unwrapped her arms.

“So many generals thought I was silly for learning any kind of first aid, but it’s saved my life and the lives of several others. Have you ever heard of this herb before? I’m not sure if you have anything like it in your home, but in the Fire Nation it’s used as a pain reliever as well as a cleanser for wounds,” he prattled on, ignoring the tension as he took care of his patient. She gaped at her hands and arms when they were finally revealed.

Thin red streaks went up and around her forearms. She followed the lines down from her elbows to her wrists, and turned her hands over to see where they ended, in starburst patterns on her palms. They were uneven with each other, the asymmetry between the marks disturbingly pronounced. The majority of the scars were on her right hand and arm, but both were clearly affected. She wondered if they went up higher than her sleeves would show, then found herself not wanting to find out. At least not now.

The tears that had been welling up finally spilled onto her cheeks, and Sokka leaned in for a hug as Kallik patted her shoulder.

“They’re hideous,” she sobbed, ignoring Lu Ten’s soothing hums as he rubbed salve on the wounds.

“No they aren’t, Katara, plus they’re probably going to fade over time,” Sokka said, placatingly.

“Yeah, when people are struck by lightning, most of the time the marks disappear entirely,” Aang added. “I mean, at least that’s what I’ve heard. One time, Monk Gyatso had to take care of someone who had been struck by lightning after being caught in a storm, and that’s what he told me.”

“It shows you were strong, Katara. That’s all a scar is,” Kallik said, firmly. “It shows you were brave, and that you saved everyone you were with.”

Katara cried quietly to herself as Lu Ten wrapped her arms again. It didn’t matter what any of them said.

Katara knew with these marks, she would never be the same again.