Chapter Text
I gaze out at the seemingly endless sea broken up only by the icebergs that show we’re at the South Pole. My breath creates a small cloud as I breathe out heavily. We’ve been away from home for two years hunting the Avatar, who hadn’t been seen in a hundred years. I don’t have the heart to tell Zuko that it is an impossible mission meant to keep him out of the way.
The feeling of the cold air contrasting the intense heat of my body is putting me in a reflective mood. That and the crushing boredom of being on lookout duty in the middle of nowhere. It is at times like these that I question my decision to follow the Prince into banishment.
I’ve been friends with the Royal children as long as I can remember. I was born into a servant family, but when my strength in firebending became apparent, the Fire Lord himself decided to bring me to be friends with his children. I always suspected that he was using my family’s status to control me and his children - or at least Zuko - by proxy. Azula never seemed to need the encouragement to be daddy’s perfect girl. It seemed that the Fire Lord talked more to me than his own son. He would ask how my day (his children’s day) was, and what I (his children) did or learned.
It’s not that I wasn’t friends with Zuko and Azula. I am. Why else would I have followed Zuko to the ends of the world in his attempts to please his father?
The day of the incident flashed into my mind - Zuko had spoken out of turn, and his father ‘taught him a lesson’. When I heard the news Zuko was being sent into exile for his dishonour, I felt conflicted. I wanted to come with him, to make sure he wouldn’t get himself into too much trouble, but I didn’t want to leave Azula behind.
Sure, she was a conniving manipulative monster, but she was a conniving manipulative monster that was my friend. It didn’t help that she was also very attractive.
I plant my head in my hands. Ugh, I know she had me wrapped around her finger, but I couldn’t bring myself to hate her for it. And I’ll never forget the look of betrayal on her face when I told her I was going with her brother. My left-hand falls to my hip. I hadn’t told anyone, but I had a scar to match the Prince’s.
When I turned to leave Azula she changed into a person I’d never seen before. I’d heard what she could be like, but she was always much nicer to me.
“Well, I guess you traitors should match!” she’d screamed. In an instant, she’d summoned fire and shot it at me. I didn’t have a chance to dodge. It seared across my thigh and I fell to my knees in pain.
After that, I’d run to my room as quickly as possible and changed my pants so that no one would know. I don’t know why, I just felt so much fear and shame because of it. I wanted to make sure no one would ever know.
A sudden flash of blue light startles me. I jump back and fall onto my butt. “Woah!” I call out, “What was that?”
“Something very powerful must’ve made that blast. Uncle! It has to be the Avatar,” Zuko says.
“I agree,” I say, “What else could it be?”
“Or it could be nothing. We’ve been down this path before. I don’t want you to get your hopes up,” Iroh says sagely.
“Helmsman! Set a course for where that light came from!” Zuko yells before returning to his quarters.
I also return to my modest accommodations. I lay down on my bed. For the first time in years, I feel hopeful. Our search may be over, we can return home and I can make amends with Azula. Things were beginning to look up. I drift off thinking about what I’d say to Azula.
The next morning, after eating breakfast, I make my way onto the deck. I sit next to Iroh, watching Zuko as he blasts at soldiers and they blast back. He does it again, and again, and again, for hours. I used to train with him, but when it became clear that I was advancing faster than he was, I decided to have Iroh train me separately, to save Zuko’s pride.
Zuko starts the drill again, he sends out blasts of fire as though he were fighting hand-to-hand. Iroh stands. “No! Power and fire bending comes from the breath, not the muscles. The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire,” Iroh says, demonstrating by sending out a blast of fire.
“I believe in you Zuko, just give it another go!” I say, trying to be encouraging. I hate seeing him struggle, but he’s so stubborn that he refuses to learn.
“Ugh!” Zuko yells, “I’ve been doing this all day, teach me the next set, I’m ready.”
“No, you’re impatient,” Iroh replies, “You have yet to master your basics. Drill it again!”
Zuko blasts a soldier with fire causing me to cringe inwardly. Sometimes he was as bad as his sister. “According to the sages, the Avatar is the last airbender. He must be over 100 years old now. He’s had a century to master the 4 elements. I’ll need more than basic firebending to defeat him. You will teach me the advanced set!”
“Very well, after I finish my roast duck,” Iroh concedes.
Zuko turns away and I shake my head and over to him. “Zuko, you should really treat your uncle better. He’s just trying to look out for you.”
In response, Zuko sends a blast of fire at me. I deflect it easily and sigh. “I’m just trying to look out for you, too,” I say sadly before walking away.
I go back into the ship to grab some food before returning to the deck. I stand at the bow, looking out at the water. It’s become something of a pastime in the past two years, as there wasn’t much else to do other than draw or write in my journal.
While pondering how beautiful the sunset looks, I see a flare shoot into the sky. To my left I see Zuko track it with a spyglass. I follow his gaze and see a Fire Nation ship grounded on a sheet of ice. I can faintly make out a small figure jumping from the top of it.
Zuko mutters something before turning to a soldier and yelling, “Wake my uncle! Tell him I found the Avatar.” He pauses briefly, following the figure with the spyglass. “As well as his hiding place.”
I hurry to my quarters to put on my battle attire. After suiting up, I meet Zuko and the other soldiers at the front of the ship. I hear the sound of the ice being torn apart as the ship crushes through it, as well as the screams of the people from the small Water Tribe village.
These poor people are going to be caught in the crossfire. I feel a pit in my stomach. This feels wrong. Weren’t we supposed to be bringing peace and prosperity to the world? It seems more like we’re bringing fear and destruction.
The boat finally comes to a stop and the front drops down to allow us out. I can see the people cowering in fear. There were only children and an old woman. None of this feels right. There is only one person who is armed; a young boy who is about Zuko’s age. He has grey and black face paint and is wearing the same simple blue attire as the rest of the village.
I follow Zuko down the ramp. The boy charges at Zuko, who immediately kicks him to the side. He approaches the gathered citizens of the tribe. “Where are you hiding him?” he asks angrily.
I stand warily behind him as he surveys the people. Zuko grabs the old woman, and the crowd gasps. I barely restrain my own gasp. “He’d be about this age. Master of all elements,” Zuko continues.
The crowd remains silent. Zuko shoots a burst of fire in front of the small gathering. They yell out in fear, and I tighten my fist. This isn’t right. “I know you’re hiding him!” he yells.
I begin preparing myself to intervene and talk Zuko down. Suddenly, I hear yelling coming from behind us. The boy has picked his weapon back up and is charging at Zuko. Zuko dips and the boy goes flying over at him. He barely moves out of the way as Zuko blasts fire at him. He throws a boomerang which Zuko dodges.
“Show no fear!” a kid yells from the crowd before throwing a spear to the boy. He catches it and charges Zuko. Zuko breaks off the tip before yanking it out of his hands and hitting him on the head with it then snapping it in half. The boy falls to the ground, dazed and rubbing his head.
Suddenly, boomerang comes back and hits Zuko on the head. He growls and begins shooting fire from his hands. I’m about to move forward when I hear something skid by me. A kid with blue tattoos and yellow and orange robes slides past me on a penguin, right between Zuko’s legs, toppling him over.
I put my hands up, readying for combat with what could only be the Avatar. The kids cheer as the Avatar slides past them, covering them in snow.
“Hey Katara, hey Sokka,” the Avatar says to the two oldest children.
“Hey Aang, thanks for coming,” Sokka replies.
I hear Zuko stand, and I move with the other soldiers to surround the Avatar. He uses his airbending to send snow at us. I cover my eyes as I feel the snow douse me. The snow melts quickly on my skin and I focus on Aang.
“You’re the airbender? You’re the Avatar?” Zuko asks incredulously. Zuko and the Avatar begin circling each other. “I’ve spent years preparing for this encounter. You’re just a child!”
“Well, you’re just a teenager,” Aang replies.
Zuko begins sending blasts of fire at the Avatar. I back him up with a number of my own. Aang spins his staff rapidly, dispersing our fire. The children cower and scream, causing me to hesitate. The Avatar glances back at them before looking at Zuko. “If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?” he asks.
Zuko stands down and nods. I feel relief flood me as two soldiers grab Aang. We had the Avatar, and no one got hurt. I follow Zuko back to the ship.
“No Aang, don’t do this!” Katara yells.
“Don’t worry Katara,” the Avatar replies, “It’ll be okay. Take care of Appa for me until I get back.”
“Head a course for the Fire Nation!” Zuko calls, “I’m going home.”
Once everyone is aboard, the front of the ship closes. Zuko leads us to the top deck. Once we’re there, we make a circle around Aang. Zuko holds up the staff the Avatar had, “This will make an excellent gift for my father,” he says. “I suppose you wouldn’t know of fathers, being raised by monks. Take the Avatar to the prison hold. And take this to my quarters,” Zuko hands the staff to Iroh. The guards drag the Avatar off, and Zuko walks away.
“Hey, you mind taking this to his quarters for me?” Iroh asks, handing me the staff.
“Not at all,” I say, taking the staff.
I walk to Zuko’s quarters and put the staff against the table directly across from the door. A few moments later, Zuko enters the room. “Hello, Jade,” he says. “Is there a reason you’re here?”
“Well, your uncle had me take the staff here, and I was just thinking, I haven’t really had a chance to talk to you in a while,” I say. “Y’know, like really talk.”
“Why would we talk? You’re under my command. I give orders, you take them.”
“I’m also your friend. And I’m worried about you. You’ve been so… different these past two years.”
“Well, we’re going home now, so you have no reason to worry,” Zuko says coldly.
“What’s that-”
“Shh. I hear something. Get behind me,” he says, moving behind the door. A few moments later, Aang sprints into the room. Zuko closes the door. “Looks like I underestimated you.”
Zuko and I enter a ready stance and begin shooting fire at the Avatar. He dodges around the room and under our legs spinning us in circles. Then, he creates a whirling ball of air and begins circling the room on the walls and roof.
Eventually, Zuko is able to hit the ball, sending Aang flying into one of the Fire Nation banners in his room. However, Aang grabs it and uses it to tie us up and grab his staff.
We quickly burn through the banner and face Aang. Just as I am about to strike, I feel the hard material of the bed hit me, then push me into Zuko, and then into the wall.
We fall to the ground then we fly up into the ceiling before falling back down. I feel the air leave my lungs as Zuko lands on top of me. Zuko gets off me and runs out of the room. I take a few moments to catch my breath before following.
By the time I make it to the control tower, Aang is already in the air and Zuko is hurtling toward him. Zuko grabs his leg and they both fall onto the deck. Both get up and prepare to fight, so I jump down, using a burst of flames to slow my descent.
Something behind me lets out a loud bellow, and I hear Zuko say, “What is that?”
I turn, following his gaze, seeing something that I’d only ever seen drawings of; a sky bison.
“Appa!” Aang exclaims. He begins twirling his staff, but Zuko blasts him with fire. The Avatar fall back against the railing. He stands, but Zuko and I unleash blast after blast of fire, pushing his back as he twirls his staff to shield himself. Finally, I land a hit at the perfect angle to hit the staff out of his hands.
Zuko unleashes a series of fire kicks and punches. Aang barely dodges the first few, jumping onto the railing, but Zuko manages to push Aang off the side of the boat.
A few moments later, the Avatar blasts back out of the water, bending a swirling column to lift himself into the air. He lands on the deck and bends the water into a circle which he sends out in all directions. The icy water hits me and throws me against the ship’s tower. Zuko, meanwhile, is sent flying off the boat.
Aang collapses to the ground. I hear yelling as the sky bison lands on the deck and the two older Water Tribe kids run to Aang’s side. They exchange a few words before Sokka stands and runs for Aang’s staff.
I stand and send fire at Katara and the Avatar. Katara meets my gaze and I feel my resolve crumble. I stand there, completely still, eyes locked with the Water Tribe girl.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sokka struggle with Zuko. Sokka manages to push Zuko back off the boat, but not before he sees me standing there. I mentally kick myself, I need to do something, anything. But my body refuses.
Katara helps Aang onto the sky bison - presumably named Appa. By now, the other soldiers had gotten up. Katara looked around, then she began to bend the water left on the deck. She tried to throw the water at us, but she ended up sending it backwards, trapping Sokka’s feet in ice.
“Katara!” he yells.
Me and the other soldiers close in on Katara. She turns around, and bends the water again, this time successfully encasing me and the others in ice. Katara climbs onto Appa and yells, “Hurry up, Sokka!”
Sokka uses his boomerang to break the ice holding him down and climbs up Appa’s tail while yelling, “Yip yip! Yip yip!”
The sky bison begins to fly away and I see Iroh emerge from the ship, rubbing his eyes. I close my eyes, take a breath, and then set as much heat into the ice around me as possible. The ice shatters and I follow Iroh to help pull Zuko up.
“Shoot them down!” Zuko yells. Together, the three of us send a massive column of flame at the sky bison. However, Aang moves to Appa’s rear and uses his staff to send out a burst of wind, redirecting our blast into a nearby ice floe, and causing a large amount of snow and ice to topple onto the ship’s bow.
“Good news for the Fire Lord,” Iroh says, “the Fire Nation’s greatest threat is just a little kid.”
“That kid, Uncle, just did this,” Zuko responds, “I won’t underestimate him again. Dig the ship out and follow them!” Zuko points at the ice on the hull. He sees the soldiers thawing out their comrades, “As soon as you’re done with that.”
I immediately get to work melting the ice. Slowly more soldiers join me, some using firebending to melt the ice while others use shovels to get rid of the snow. We continue working well into the night. Once we’ve finished, I head back to my quarters and pass out as soon as my head touches my pillow.