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Chapter Text

The first thing Yue saw when her and Yagoda's ship finally reached Southern Water Tribe water, was a view much like home. Icebergs drifted through the waters and a curious walrus-seal poked his head above the waters to check them out.

Yue waved and the walrus-seal threw its head back as if inviting her to play. She shook her head and the animal ducked back under the water. Yue watched it leave and her breath caught as she saw where it was headed.

The walls towered far higher than the ones back home and the only opening to the wall was the thin strip the walrus-seal slipped through. Yue was glad Yagoda convinced her to take a smaller ship despite the risks as a bigger one never would have made it through the gap. This one might even still be too big.

Above her a horn sounded and Yue looked up. The icy fog covered the view of the top of the wall making the people up there look like shadowy figures. Right below them in the wall a metal ship was consumed in ice. A flag at the top waved in the wind as a warning.

Yue had never seen the emblem on it before but knew enough that it was a Fire Nation ship. She had seen plenty on her way south and seeing this one now made her heart burn.

Just how long were her people planning to keep these horrors from her? Did they ever intend to let her take her destiny or was she simply to be a secret weapon?

"My name is Yagoda!"

Yue startled at her mentor's shout and turned to her. Yagoda had always been a soft hearted and soft spoken woman but taking on training Yue as best she could had changed her.

For the first time in history a female Avatar had been born to the Northern Water Tribe and it had been anything but successful. Yagoda had taken Yue in and taught her everything she knew about healing. When it came to the rest her mentor drew a blank until one night, a few months ago, she had woken Yue in her sleep and told her to run.

Yue's bags had been packed and a letter for a woman named Kanna slipped into her pocket before Yagoda led her to a secret dock.

"Many young women such as you have set sail from this dock," Yagoda explained. "Not all of them have made it across this world but you will. You have to."

"Come with me?" Yue asked, terrified at leaving her home behind even as she knew it was best for herself and the world.

It was a testament to how much teaching Yue had changed Yagoda. Years ago she would have, and did, say no, but today she only nodded.

"Quickly," she had whispered, pushing the ship out to sea as best she could.

Now, months later they finally reached their destination and the useless letter felt heavy in Yue's pocket as Yagoda shouted its contents towards Tui's house.

"I am a sister from the Northern Tribe. I seek shelter with my cousin Kanna and shelter for the young girl beside me. She needs training and protection from the Fire Nation."

Yue waited with bated breath for a response but none came. She looked helplessly at Yagoda. They wouldn't be able to get past this wall themselves and even if they could, they wouldn't have a welcome greeting on the other side.

"Katara!"

The shout came from the top of the wall and when Yue looked up a young soldier had launched themself from the top of it. Yue gasped but the waterbender caught themself on a wave before landing delicately on their ship's deck.

Their wolf helmet's eyes stared into Yue's heart just as much as the person's own eyes did. Deep and dark like the bottom of the ocean, those eyes called to Yue with a siren song.

"You can trust me," their eyes whispered, "just slightly closer."

"I'm Katara, granddaughter of Kanna and daughter of Chief Kya," the soldier said, pulling the helmet from their head.

Brown hair cascaded down the woman's back in waving curls and a heart shaped face revealed itself. On her forehead was a half moon symbol Yue had seen in passing on the younger boys of the tribe. They were obtained by ice dodging, something Yue had never known women to do until now.

Bravery, the mark exclaimed for any who saw and knew it's meaning.

Yue could use some of that.

"Katara," Yagoda whispered with a soft smile. "It warms my heart to meet you. Your grandmother and I were close but that is unfortunately not why I'm here."

Yagoda waved Yue forward. "I'm not sure if Kanna ever told you but women cannot train in waterbending in the north other than healing," Yagoda started.

"She explained," Katara said, looking between Yagoda and Yue sadly. "Waterbenders haven't made the trip in years though."

"The blockade makes it dangerous," Yue explained, though she was sure Katara already knew this, "but I had a greater reason than others."

Katara raised a brow and glanced up at the headpiece Yue had yet to part with. The rest her things tying her to the past had been dumped, including Hahn's betrothal necklace, but her crown Yue held onto for all that it meant.

"Yue is the Avatar," Yagoda whispered as if even here the Fire Nation might be listening in.

Katara's eyes widened as she turned fully to Yue and looked her up and down. "Do you know if the last one died or if it was a whole new cycle?" Katara asked.

Yue's vision faded as her eyes lit white and faces from the past came into focus. "I'm the sixth," Yue said, once her vision cleared. "Aang, Tuiti, Rue, Akita, and Tarin."

She said their names with pride because it's what they had earned from Aang's death in the Air Nomad Genocide to Akita's suicide to keep the Fire Sages from taking her. All of them had fought for their right to do their duty as the Avatar and none of them made it, it was for them that Yue fought so hard now. She didn't know how but she would become the first fully realized Avatar since Roku or she would die trying like the rest of them.

"Tuiti," Katara whispered. "That's where he went then."

Her voice was pained as she said it and Yue could hear the deep grief in her voice. Before Yue could ask though, Katara spun around towards the wall.

There was a loud crack as the wall split and Yue's breath caught as she watched the young waterbender move the giant wall all on her own.

"She's certainly a powerful one," Yagoda said, glancing at Yue with a knowing look. It was easy to spot Yue's growing infatuation with the Southern Chief's daughter.

Yue didn't dignify her comment with a response as Katara moved their boat through the larger gap. Yue's body jolted at the sudden movement of the ship.

When they reached the other side of the wall, Yue could see the icy steps that led to the top of the wall and another young soldier who was storming down them.

"Katara! What was that?" he shouted. "You can't just jump off the wall!"

"She said she was Gran Gran's friend," Katara replied, stopping the ship long enough for the boy to jump onto the deck.

"People say a lot of things," he muttered.

"You can't be paranoid forever, Sokka," Katara said.

"You shouldn't be trusting during war," Sokka argued.

"I think that's the best time to be trusting," Yue interrupted. "At least in the right people."

Sokka gave her a mistrustful once over before turning back to his sister.

"Mom won't be happy," Sokka said.

"If our new friends are telling the truth, I think she'll be ecstatic actually," Katara said, slowing the ship as they approached the dock of the city.

Yue looked up to see another wall but beyond it the top of a dome could be seen. It was only the one, all other buildings being too short to see over the walls. The whole area would fit within the palace walls of Agna Qel'a but Yue knew it was a front.

Unlike the Northern Water Tribe, which was one huge city with only a few smaller settlements on the outskirts, the Southern Water Tribe was made up of a bunch of small settlements spread over the landscape. This city was only the entrance to the various others.

Yue's boot hit the wood of the dock with a solid thump. It vibrated up her legs and for a moment, Yue felt her eyes Water. The idea that they had actually made it blew her away. She looked back behind her to Yagoda only to find her already smiling at her.

Katara and Sokka lead them through the small city, bickering the whole way. Yue figured they were headed toward the largest building, most likely the home of the chief, so she was surprised when they turned off path and stopped outside an averaged sized igloo.

Yue traded a confused look with Yagoda before following Katara and Sokka inside.

It was the smell of spiced stew that hit her first and Yue's stomach growled as the familiar scent. The next thing to register were the thick furs laid out on the floor making a comfy looking circle around a sparking fire at its center. The smoke billowed up and out a hole in the top.

The last thing Yue noted, probably should have been the first. Across from the Fire sat two women. One who looked a fair bit like Sokka and an older one who gasped when Yagoda followed Yue inside.

"Hello, Kanna," Yagoda said, opening her arms as the older woman rushed to her.

"Why come after all these years?" Kanna asked, once she pulled back.

"That's a story," Yagoda said, moving to sit next to her friend.

Yue watched where everyone else sat before slowly lowering herself to sit across from the other woman. Yue guessed this was Chief Kya.

"My young charge here needed to be taught all waterbending and not just healing. I taught her what I knew but when that failed to fully train her I knew she needed to come here," Yagoda explained.

"Why does your young friend need to be trained fully?" Chief Kya asked. "I understand if it's a desire but a need?"

Yue traded a look with Yagoda but there was really no turning back now as they had already told Katara, who nudged Yue's side.

"I'm the Avatar," Yue replied.

"So was Tuiti," Katara added. "It must be why he disappeared after the first raid. He couldn't afford to be caught."

"He would have been safer here," Kanna said, pained at the loss of Tuiti.

Yue felt slightly odd sitting here with them. She has never met anyone who knew her past lives before but now Tuiti seemed even more real.

Yue knew he had run from the South after a Fire Nation attack and how he fell in his attempt to run. He hadn't made it far following leaving the South. Yue wasn't sure if she should share or not so she kept it to herself.

Chief Kya had remained silent as Katara and Kanna spoke around her.

"She will need a teacher than," Chief Kya say, her gaze drifting over to her children. "It is not the Avatar's destiny to settle though. You will need to learn quickly before your travels take you to the Earth Kingdom."

Yue had known that, but no one had ever been brave enough to say it to her face. She could wear her crown all she wanted but Yue didn't belong to any one place anymore.

"I'll inform Master Hama," Katara said, standing.

"No," Chief Kya said. "Master Hama will not teach her."

Katara tilted her head in confusion. A small frown crossed her face as she opened her mouth to argue.

"You will teach her," Chief Kya continued, cutting her daughter off before she could start.

"Me?" Katara asked. "But I've only been a Master for a month."

"A month, a year, or forty, makes no difference," Chief Kya said. "Even Master Hama agrees that you are the best waterbender in the tribe. You will teach her and then see her off to the Earth Kingdom."

Yue's eyes caught on Chief Kya's. She meant far more than what she said even if Katara didn't pick up on it.

Katara nearly argued again when her brother poked her in the side.

Katara sighed and bowed. "I'll train her to the best of my abilities," she said.

"Then I will be in safe hands," Yue added, surprising even herself when she spoke up.

Unsure but determined blue eyes met hers and Yue knew she was right.

Chapter Text

Yue had woken up the next morning expecting time to adjust but was very quickly proven wrong when Katara and Sokka met her outside her accommodations with a bowl of stew and an invite for a tour. They showed her around the main settlement before leading her out towards two structures set apart from everything else.

“These are the training grounds,” Sokka explained. He puffed out his chest when they walked past the first walled off space. “This is where the current and future fighters are trained how to use our various weapons like spears, swords, clubs and my personal favorite boomerangs.”

“Boomerangs?” Yue asked. They had them in the north but the idea of using one in battle over leisure of ceremony was a foreign concept to Yue.

“One of the more fearsome weapons,” Sokka said, nodding at Yue.

Katara laughed but looked away when Sokka glared at her. “Up ahead is where you’ll spend most of your time,” Katara said. “It’s the bending training grounds. Waterbenders from all over the south come here to train before returning home.”

“Are we training now?” Yue asked. It was a bit much to start so soon but she supposed she did need to learn as soon as possible. The longer it took her to master being the Avatar the more opportunity the Fire Nation would get to kill her.

“No, any waterbender worth their salt has their first lesson at night,” Katara replied.

She didn’t offer any further explanation as the tour continued and Yue nearly forgot about it until the siblings were once more on her threshold at dusk.

Their training started on an awkward note as Sokka steered them out of the bay. With Katara never having trained anyone and Yue only knowing healing there was a lot of ground to cover and too much inexperienced to fully cover it. 

That first day, or rather night, they had started simple.

Katara had started with some basic demonstrations of the more versatile moves before moving on to the bedding basics in general.

“They say that people originally learned bending from their surroundings,” Katara explained as she walked Yue towards the edge of the ice sheet she had picked for training.

It was outside the safety of the walls, far enough away from the village to keep Yue from accidentally drowning the town but also close enough that if anyone malicious found them, they would have swift support. Sokka was fishing nearby, letting out huffs and the occasional wine when Katara’s demonstration scared off his fish.

It was a peaceful place to learn waterbending but something beneath Yue’s feet was agitating her.

“Earthbenders learned from badgermoles, airbenders from sky bison and firebenders from dragons,” Katara continued. 

Yue had heard the stories before, as they had once been her only hope for learning anything. Not that she had easy access to any of those animals but it had been more realistic at the time to learn from a dragon than to convince Master Pakku to even teach her how to make a cup of tea.

“Waterbenders were a bit different,” Katara said, pulling Yue from her thoughts. In all the years she had heard the origin of bending, no one had ever explained to her who waterbenders learned from. “An animal didn’t teach us to bend. We learned from the Ocean and the Moon themselves.”

Yue looked up at the moon that shone down on them. She had always felt a special connection to the Moon, almost as if it was a long lost friend. 

A breeze blew through the ice canyons catching Yue’s hair and causing her to shiver. Something silvery white caught the corner of her eye like a ghost in the wind but glancing over showed nothing but Katara watching the ocean. Even in the light of a full moon her hair appeared pitch black as it swirled around her.

Tucking her own strand of hair behind her ear, Yue instead turned to watch the Ocean as Katara did. The tide pulled in and out in a rhythmic motion and Yue startled when the sudden silence was broken by Katara’s feet crunching over snow.

Katara stood with her feet shoulder’s width apart and her arms stretched out towards the vastness of the open ocean. With a glance in Yue’s direction and a small playful smile, Katara pulled her arms in towards her body, and the ocean swelled under her command. 

A push sent the water rushing away until it slammed against an ice wall across the canyon, spraying upwards towards the top of the icy cliff.

A pull brought the water swirling back around their own ice platform. Sokka growled somewhere in the distance as the water rocked his boat.

A push again, this time sending water rolling like the foothills around Omashu that Yue and Yagoda had stopped to rest near once.

A pull again, had water rushing over and around Yue’s boots. The water swirled for a moment before a push had it sailing back out and away from them.

Two koi fish circled in Yue’s mind and she gasped.

There was a quiet heartbreak in the fact that Yue’s greatest teachers had only been a short walk away her entire life and yet she had to travel the world to learn her own element anyway. Her people hid so much from her in the name of her safety but watching Katara bend, Yue was almost grateful. Tradition had taken her greatest teachers but the Spirits had given her their greatest student.

Yue stepped carefully closer until she and Katara stood side by side. Widening her stance, Yue followed Katara’s movement until she felt a tug in her stomach and Katara stepped back on a push.

A pull had the water arching high above Katara and Yue’s head. Neither of them flinched as not a single drop of water slipped free to crash down on them.

A push sent the water barreling out from them, sending Sokka’s boat sailing out into deeper waters with his startled shout.

A pull again, brought Sokka back into the safety of the canyon where he cursed and shouted to the sounds of Katara’s laughter.

A push again, and Yue felt truly free for the first time in a long time as Katara’s joy settled in her heart until a pull had the ice cracking under their feet.

A soft white glow emitted from the ice and seemed to slam into Yue’s chest knocking her onto her back. Her eyes flashed white and suddenly Yue was running away from home.

Appa's soft fur hid her tears as she buried her face into the neck of her oldest and best friend. Betrayal stung at her lungs as she cried and each icy breath drove the pain higher and higher. Wind whipped around her fiercely as the rain turned into a proper storm blinding both Yue and Appa. 

They were lost. They were scared.

Appa flew low to escape the battering winds, but the waves Yue hadn’t yet learned to control threatened to engulf them until one wave finally did. Yue’s hand slipped free of Appa’s reigns and the avatar state flickered around her as water moved under her command. 

It wasn’t enough.

Yue gasped as she pulled free of the Avatar State and collapsed into Katara and Sokka’s arms.

“Princess Yue, are you okay?” Sokka asked. Tilting his head he gave her a considering look. “That kind of rhymed.”

“You can practice your poetry later,” Katara said, pushing him away. “Yue, did something happen?”

Yue’s mind kept flashing back between Katara’s laughter and Aang’s screams. She didn’t feel fully herself as she looked up to the Ocean and asked, “Will you go penguin sledding with me?”

“What?” Katara asked, startled. Her hand came down on Yue’s forehead before she snatched it back as if burned. “Yue, you're freezing cold.”

“I’m dead?” Yue asked, looking below her towards the icy grave her past life must have met. “No, Aang’s dead. He must have been coming this way when a storm killed him.”

“You’re saying one of the lost Avatars is under the ice here?” Sokka asked, looking down at the water with trepidation.

“Yes,” Yue whispered, looking over Katara’s shoulder at Aang.

You lied. She thought in her head. You didn’t die in the Genocide.

No. She heard in reply. I didn’t, but would you have run away if you knew what happened to me when I did?

Yes. She thought. No. She admitted.

Aang vanished as Katara leaned over her to fully support her into their boat. They returned to the village in dead silence. Sokka and Katara seemed to share a silent conversation and none of them mentioned what happened upon their return even if the whole village saw the light.

Their first lesson had shaken Yue to her core but Katara didn’t let her rest. There was a glint in her eyes now, as if the Avatar State had awoken something in her instead of Yue. She started the next lesson with phase changes. Yue turned water to ice and vapor for seemingly hours before Katara moved on to breathing of all things.

Yue had never known there was a wrong way to breathe until Katara coached her through both ice breathing and steam breathing techniques until Yue could freeze and melt a chunk of seal jerky with only her breath.

The lessons continued with the pace increasing rapidly. Water whips, ropes, shields, rings, knives turned into ice hooks, claws, blades, spikes and even armor. From there her training escalated day by day to domes, drills, vortexes, whirlpools and mist-stepping.

Katara was a very demanding teacher but she also proved to be a kind friend. Yue had a very isolating childhood so Katara and Sokka both were a new experience. Katara was required to teach her and Yue later learned that Sokka was required to guard her, but neither of those things required that Sokka teach her ice dodging so she could give the trails a try or that Katara include her on more private projects like the aqueducts she was building from Sokka’s schematics.

It had been almost two months since Yue’s boat had reached southern waters. Slowly the Southern Water Tribe began to feel like home and yet Yue’s feet grew restless as Katara slowly but surely ran out of things to teach her.

In addition to being demanding, Katara had also proven herself to be a frighteningly creative teacher always coming up with inventive ways to teach Yue new techniques that would not only make them stick but also impart any dangers the bending form might hold.

On what would be the last day of Yue’s official training, and unknown to Yue and the chief’s children their last day in the Southern Water Tribe for a long time, Katara challenged Yue to a duel.

“I have one last technique to show you,” Katara said, smiling mischievously. “If you win this duel, you win a gift. If I win the duel, we will do something fun. Deal?”

Yue agreed easily. It seemed like a win for her either way.

Katara was a very fast fighter. Her main strategy when it came to fights was tiring out her opponents. Yue had learned quickly that to beat Katara, you had to be quicker. If you didn’t get her out and down within the first few minutes of the fight, you would lose. Which was why as the fight grew longer, Yue changed strategies and became more aggressive.

She took possession of the multiple water whips Katara sent her way and turned them to ice spears before pushing them back on Katara. The spears surrounded her, slamming into the wood of the dock she stood on and leaving Katara immobilized. 

Yue marched forward feeling victorious. She noticed the smug look in Katara’s eyes too late.

As Yue stepped foot onto the dick, the water underneath exploded upwards, freezing Yue and Katara both. Yue froze with a gasp on her lips and wide eyes. Katara was frozen with a calm expression and her eyes closed.

Before Yue could panic about how they would get free, steam blew out from Katara’s mouth and nose, melting the ice around her. Katara swam around her in the ice and grabbed Yue’s arms in a brace before melting the ice entirely. 

“I win,” Katara proclaimed.

“Yes,” Yue said, looking back over her shoulder at the girl who had become far more than just her teacher. She had no name for the burning feeling in her chest that caused sparks to build at her fingertips. “You did.”

But so did I.

Chapter Text

The something fun Katara mentioned turned out to be penguin sledding, something neither girl had done since they were really young. It felt like forever ago since Aang had taken possession of Yue and that question had slipped through her lips.

They had taken a bucket of fish out towards the penguin otter resting grounds and had spent a good several minutes feeding, petting, and playing with them before they picked out two of them big enough to carry two teenage girls. 

As Yue went barreling down the mountain side on her penguin otter she laughed wildly and heard Katara’s own squeals of joy echoing her as they looped in and out of each other’s path. Yue launched off a small embankment and landed painfully on her knees as her penguin otter threw her down. It didn’t hinder her enjoyment though and she was still laughing when Katara slid to a stop beside her.

Katara was laughing softly as she collapsed into the snow beside her. “This was fun,” she admitted. “I haven’t done this since I was young. Too many things needed to be done.”

It was something Yue could relate to; the weight of expectations and the need to grow up quickly chasing away a childhood barely lived. She had always been alone too so it was nice to now have someone who got her on a deeper level.

“Well, then it’s good we made time for it now,” Yue replied, rolling onto her stomach. 

That was when she saw it. A giant iron Fire Nation ship trapped in ice. The Southern Tribe’s waterbenders had done a number on it as it was held aloft by ice that pierced the hull in several places. Yue couldn’t breathe as she watched the ship.

“Yue?” Katara asked cautiously. Her gaze drifted between Yue and the ship as she wrung her gloved hands together. “That’s a Southern Raiders ship. They were the ones sent to take our waterbenders but found them too skilled. Hama fought the hardest that day and into the night. The Fire Nation was forced to flee when Tuiti went into the Avatar State. He fled shortly after. We’re told to stay away from it and some people say it’s cursed now and it’s definitely still boobytrapped.”

“Tuiti had barely made it out of your waters when he was killed,” Yue whispered, watching the ship. “The Riders were still in the area and they killed him against orders. All of them were executed for it upon their return to the Fire Nation as they were branded traitors. The Fire Nation wants the Avatar alive as killing us only restarts the cycle. None of us really knows what they plan when they catch us. Akita came the closest but killed herself before they could get her.”

Yue flinched as Akita and Tuiti’s memories clashed in her head. The lessons she had learned in school as Akita of the Fire Nation traitors saving the water were overlapping with the memory of her death as Tuiti at the hands of the Southern Raiders. Tuiti had learned the hard way that there’s not a lot of kindness to be found in men who know they’re as good as dead when they return home failures.

Yue stepped closer to the ship as if dragged by some unseen force but was halted by a pull backwards.

Katara’s hand had grabbed her arm. Her friend’s grip was uncompromising. 

“Be careful, Yue,” Katara warned. “You don’t want a repeat of last time.”

“No,” Yue admitted, looking back over her shoulder longingly, “but I don’t know how to talk to them otherwise.”

“We can figure it out,” Katara assured, tugging her lightly back in the direction of the village. She said it with such confidence that Yue desperately wanted to believe her but she knew any information on the Avatar was few and far between these days due to the Fire Nation.

Before she could say as much to Katara the ground shook. Both girls turned their heads towards the village where a giant fireball could be seen in the distance flying clear over the protective ice wall. The fireball slammed down into one of the village walls.

The giant ice wall ring that protected the Southern Water Tribe was glowing orange as fire flickered through the reflective surface of the ice, melting it at the center where a ship could be vaguely seen through the ice and fire.

As Katara and Yue stood there in complete shock, staring out at the destruction another fireball launched, this time at the wall itself. The sound of shattering ice could be heard clear across the icy fields. As the ship sailed through the hole in the ice, black snow started drifting towards their feet.

“Oh no,” Yue whispered.

“They found you,” Katara said, an anger Yue had never seen burning in her eyes. 

At first Yue assumed the anger was at her for leading the Fire Nation here but then Katara pulled a necklace from her parka. On the end of it was a whistle that Katara blew on.

There was a beat of silence before the sky went dark and the beat of massive wings could be heard overhead. A few moments later a massive owl-wolf landed in front of them.

“This was the gift,” Katara explained, handing the whistle to Yue. “We named her Boreal. We were going to give her to you tonight during the feast to celebrate your mastery but you need to go and she can take you. They can not find you like they did Tuiti.”

“But this is my fault,” Yue said, trying to fight against Katara as the younger woman pushed her towards Boreal, who kneeled for Yue to mount. “I have to help.”

Katara looked at her hopelessly. “Then help by living. Live and fight and end this war,” Katara said. She reached up to pull Yue and for a moment she thought Katara wanted a hug before their lips met. When Katara pulled away she rested her forehead against Yue’s. Their noses brushed in a different kind of kiss. “I knew you were still alive and it has been the experience of my life to meet and teach you. Water is only the first step. Good luck and I promise we’ll meet again. I’m sure of it.”

Katara disappeared so quickly that for a moment Yue felt as if the waterbender had been a figment of her imagination. Then she looked up and watched as Katara leaped across the sky on misty footsteps towards the village. 

The younger woman had faith they’d meet again but Yue’s heart bled as she watched her companion, teacher and friend leap away from her. She wished she had the same confidence.

Boreal watched her expectantly and Yue sighed before mounting her. She didn’t know where to go from here. King Bumi of Omashu had promised to teach her earthbending but the idea of traveling alone didn’t sit well with her.

Another ground shaking hit had Boreal beating her wings impatiently and Yue’s mind was made.

“Let’s go,” she said, mounting the owl-wolf. Boreal launched into the sky at the command and Yue steered her directly towards the fight.

Below her she could better see where the hole had been made in the wall to allow the small Fire Nation ship through. The ship had cut through the ice like butter and the ship docked right in the heart of the main village.

 A young man stood in front of Chief Kya, holding Elder Kanna hostage as he demanded for Yue. On either side of Chief Kya stood her children and while Yue couldn’t see them she knew both stood tense and ready for attack. 

Turning back towards the ocean, Yue could see more ships approaching, much larger and more well equipped. They couldn’t be allowed to make contact with the wall.

Screaming brought her attention back to the village where a nightmare took place. The Fire Nation soldier had frozen still while Kanna had fallen to her knees. Yagoda raced forward to help her away from the soldiers.

Yue looked for Katara and saw her looking away from the scene in front of her. Instead, Katara’s pained gaze rested on Hama whose hand was outstretched towards the firebender. As Hama’s hand twitched, so too did the firebender in increasingly unnatural ways.

A ball of fire finally broke the spell as an older firebender marched down the gangplank and snatched the younger by his shoulder guards. He spoke loud and clear even though he didn’t shout. 

“Enough witch,” he yelled. “A greater enemy than us is approaching your shores. Prince Zuko, we must leave before Commander Zhao makes land. The Avatar is not here.”

No, she wasn’t because Yue instead hovered over the fight frozen in terror. How could she fight such a powerful enemy alone?

You're their only chance! Tarin.

They will not stop. Akita.

Stand your ground! Rue.

They will kill you if you don’t. Tuiti.

Please, You have to try. Aang.

I am sorry. Roku.

Find me once you’ve won. Kyoshi.

Become the flood. Kuruk.

Yue’s eyes snapped open, and she fell.

“YUE!”

The wind that whipped around her became the breath in her lungs, the oceans below her became the blood in her veins, determination burned like fire through her heart and she could feel as the earth stood still in her bones.

Yue hit the water and a wave so large one hadn’t been seen in over a hundred years formed, stretching high into the sky and towering over even the ice wall. At the center of the tsunami was Yue. Tarin. Akita. Rue. Tuiti. Aang. Roku. Kyoshi. Kuruk. Wan. Ravva .

The wave crashed down in front of the center ship, flooding the deck and knocking the man standing at the bow off his feet and over the side of the railing. The wave pushed all the ships back causing them to crash and slam into one another. Creaking under the stress the ships became crumpled pieces of metal. The soldiers on board were either crushed with them or drowned in the icy waters below.

Yue hovered over the remains of the ships waiting and watching. When the oceans settled and it became clear one ship still stood, she dropped an ice shelf on it.

With the threat eliminated, the water column Yue had created slowed and lowered her back into the sea. Yue held her breath, expecting to hit the water but instead she was caught by two sets of hands and an owl-wolf.

“Yue, are you okay?” Katara asked, her blue eyes wide with fear.

“We need to get out of here,” Sokka said, releasing Yue to take the reins. “You may have gotten rid of the navy but the Prince guy is heading this way.”

Yue groaned. “Your village,” she managed to say.

“Hama handled it,” Katara said. Her jaw was clenched so tightly a muscle jumped in her cheek. Yue was too tired to understand why Katara was acting weird about that. “The General called for a retreat and promised not to bother us anymore. They clearly have a different target than our tribe they’re after.”

Yue’s head was still spinning. “I just need a rest and then I can leave,” she whispered.

“Yue,” Katara said, looking down at her in amusement that countered her previous anger. “We are leaving. You rest. I’ve got you and Sokka’s steering.”

“But, your tribe,” Yue questioned.

“Is in safe hands,” Katara replied. “Our mother told us to go and Gran Gran says every great Avatar has to have a team.”

“Hey, not to interrupt but uh, where are we going exactly? I’ve got vaguely in the Earth Kingdom direction but a location would be nice,” Sokka called over the rushing winds.

Yue almost said Omashu before a memory resurfaced from her time in the Avatar State. “Kyoshi Island. I think Kyoshi wants to talk to me about something.”

“We won't find an earthbender there,” Sokka called back.

Yue was too tired to respond and her eyes started slipping closed. Yue could see the moon slowly making its way onto the horizon above the waves Boreal’s feet were skimming through. The celestial body had never looked more beautiful to her than it did now as she slowly drifted off. The last thing she heard before falling into a deep sleep was Katara answering for her. 

“No,” Katara replied. “But she might just find answers.”