NOVEL WEB Book One: Water – And so it begins.
Book One: Water - And so it begins.
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Here's the chapter of the week!
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- TimeSkip: approximately 3 years (current era: end of year 99 AG)
Pov. Third-person.
The South Pole, as its name implies, is the southernmost point on the planet, home to the once mighty Southern Water Tribe, which has been reduced to small tribal communities scattered across this desert of snow and ice.
In this frozen desert, before dawn, a relatively small Fire Nation ship, which could be handled by a small crew, broke through the ice, heading towards the nearest community of the Southern Water Tribe.
On the deck of the ship, a young man was sitting in the lotus position while there were a total of eight candles around him, the flames seemed to accompany the young man's calm but steady breathing.
The young man had ebony hair that grew to between his shoulder blades, with two bangs framing the sides of his face and a ceremonial bun. In addition to wearing a mix of red and black armor and tunic, with gold details, built for agility and speed, but still offering a little protection.
A golden belt held, in addition to the red tunic, a pair of twin Daos and two leather bags, at the waist; moreover, the youth still had two daggers strapped to his back.
What was most noticeable about the young man was the red mark that covered much of the left area of his face, a burn that followed the pattern of a comet.
The young man opened his eyes as soon as the sun began to appear on the horizon, the eyes reflected the light turning them to gold, and then he got up and began to practice the forms of firebending, but without generating any flames, calmly in the course of the morning.
During the morning, some soldiers who were on guard just watched the prince. Until one of the soldiers wearing the standard armor with a skull mask noticed a pillar of light on the horizon.
"Prince Zuko! Look! A light is just ahead!" shouted the soldier.
The young man, identified as Banished Prince Zuko, stopped his heating and looked towards the light, then frowned, before softening his expression and looking towards the soldiers.
"Keep the course, let's investigate... Prepare to anchor and board the target, for those who will accompany me be careful of any strange or hostile movement" said the prince, in a loud and clear voice.
The crew that was present saluted the prince and acted quickly.
Prince Zuko looked one last time at the pillar of light and whispered.
"... Well, some things haven't changed as much as I thought... I'm just a lot closer this time because I kept the ship close to the Water Tribe" said Zuko, looking at the pillar that gradually dimmed until it disappeared.
Prince Zuko then turned around again and headed towards the cabin and prepared to step off the ship.
Pov. Third-person.
A bit far from the fire nation battleship.
A group of three children was on a flying bison, which was swimming in the frozen ocean, two of the children were a girl and a boy who wore the colors of the water tribe and were named Katara and Sokka respectively, and another boy, younger then Sokka, his name was Aang.
Aang had just offered Katara and Sokka a 'ride' in the flying bison, but it didn't seem to go as planned...
"Appa is tired then... When he has a good rest he will fly to the sky as I promised" said Aang, looking at the Water Tribe duo.
Katara wanted to pet the bison but realized Aang was staring at her and...
"… Why are you smiling at me?" asked Katara, confused by the strange smile plastered on Aang's face.
Aang looked embarrassed as he started to stutter.
"Ah… Was I – Was I smiling?" asked Aang.
Observing the interaction, Sokka can only do one thing...
"URGHH" lamented Sokka.
The frustration and disgust of what he saw and heard made Sokka react in the most childish way possible.
But then Aang noticed something.
"Ah?... A ship?" Aang asked, cocking his head in confusion and curiosity and pointing at the object.
Sokka and Katara looked towards where Aang was pointing and then froze.
"... Fire Nation," whispered Katara.
Sokka soon turned towards Aang.
"You! I knew I was right! See Katara?! My paranoia is justified!" Sokka shouted to Aang and then to Katara.
Though Katara wanted to defend Aang, she knew this wasn't the time.
"Aang! We need to hide or run... And quickly!" Katara said.
Aang was soon confused.
"What are you talking about? Why do we need to hide?... Ah! Maybe they can give us a ride while Appa rests!" said Aang.
Aang soon got up and lightly waved the staff, turning it into a glider.
Katara seeing this soon tried to stop it.
"Aang! Wait, no –" said Katara.
But it was too late, as young Aang had already taken off, heading for the Fire Nation warship.
Sokka looked at Aang flying away and then looked at Katara.
"Well... he's dead," Sokka said, shrugging.
Katara looked at Sokka.
"He's not dead! And don't just stare, do something!" said Katara, grabbing Sokka and shaking him.
Sokka soon freed himself and headed toward the bison's head.
"Oh, I'm going to do something… I'm going to move this beast far away from here!" Sokka said.
"Are you really going to leave him?!" asked Katara, indignant.
Sokka didn't even spare a second glance.
"Between protecting a complete stranger and protecting my little sister… Hmm, let's see, you do girl things at home and the stranger hasn't brought us anything but trouble… Yep, the choice isn't that hard; come on you furry beast!" said Sokka, taking the bison's reins.
"Now stop complaining and help me move this thing!" said Sokka, this time looking angrily at Katara.
Katara refuted the look with a frown.
While the siblings were arguing about whether or not to help Aang, the young man had already arrived and landed on the ship's deck.
The soldiers on deck soon surrounded the invader.
"Halt! Drop the... Weapon?... And identify yourself!" said one of the soldiers, who was wearing traditional firebender armor, with both fists raised.
Aang gave a nervous smile as he looked around uncertainly...
"Erm... Sorry to intrude, but... Would it be possible to give me and my friends a ride?" asked Aang.
Most of the soldiers didn't know how to react to such a question coming from a strange boy... But other soldiers saw how Aang arrived and the colors of the young bald man's clothes...
Colors that have not been seen for a long time.
"... He's wearing the robes of an air nomad!" said an old soldier with a spear in his hand and pointing at Aang.
This statement made most of the soldiers even more confused, as it seemed that they had found a supposed 'survivor'.
It was then that a voice resounded on deck.
"Well... That's a surprise."
It was Zuko.
And at that moment he was looking at Aang strangely since from the memory he had, he should only meet Aang when he was in the water tribe.
[I suppose this is the result of my decision to sail near the water tribe... I ended up meeting Aang earlier] Zuko thought.
Aang, however, as soon as he saw Zuko tried to strike up a conversation, hesitating as he looked at the scar on his face.
"Hi! I'm Aang, and I came here to ask if you could give my friends a ride to the water tribe, as my bison is quite tired at the moment" said Aang with a half smile.
Zuko blinked.
[Well... That was easier than I thought it would be] thought Zuko.
"... Of course, bring them here and I'll give you my word that your friends returned home quickly," said Zuko.
The soldiers then looked at the prince strangely.
"But sir, our orders are –" began a soldier, before being interrupted.
"Orders change to suit our reality, soldier," said Zuko.
The soldier stopped and thought for a moment, at that moment most of the soldiers had already moved away from Aang, but they were still alert.
"Oh! Thank you very much!" said Aang, running quickly and grabbing Zuko's hand, and giving it a quick shake.
"No... I appreciate it" said Zuko, showing a smile for the first time.
The boat then proceeded to approach Appa, who was not obeying Sokka's commands.
"Stupid animal! I should have made you our dinner! You look like you don't understand me!" shouted Sokka, before stopping and looking at Appa.
"... Oh... Of course... Animal" said Sokka.
"Sokka!" Katara yelled, getting Sokka's attention.
Sokka soon looked back and saw the fire navy ship fast approaching Appa.
When the ship got close enough, Sokka rose from Appa's head and ran towards Katara, spear in hand, and stepped between the ship and his sister.
"Stay back, Katara!" Sokka said.
Katara seemed worried about the situation, while Sokka was more nervous about what was going to happen to his sister.
But then both of their thoughts stopped when they heard a voice.
"Hey, guys!" shouted a voice from the side of the ship, waving quickly.
Zuko was standing next to Aang with his arms crossed and smiling amusedly when he saw the looks Katara and Sokka were giving Aang.
"Aang! Get away from him already!" Katara yelled as she processed the information about Aang's situation.
"… How do you intend to move your bison up here?" asked Zuko, looking at Aang.
Aang was confused by what Katara was saying, but as soon as he heard Zuko's question he looked at the prince and realized that given the current situation, Appa should boost himself a little so he could get on the boat.
"Ah! Of course, I'm sure a little boost should be possible, Appa must be tired from the cold so your ship was a great convenience until Appa can fly properly!" said Aang.
Aang then jumped off the ship and landed on Appa's head.
Katara and Sokka immediately looked at Aang.
"Aang if this pet of yours can actually fly, now is the best time!" Sokka said quickly.
Aang looked at Sokka.
"Don't worry, the ship will be great for transport and will protect us from the cold, the guy who seems to be in charge is really nice" said Aang, with a big smile.
The Water Tribe siblings were startled by what Aang had said. Before anyone could warn Aang, the young air nomad acted first.
"Come on Appa, as soon as you get on the ship you can rest properly… Yip–Yip" said Aang as he petted Appa and shook the reins.
The flying bison roared in response and made an effort with its tail.
Appa began to float, which surprised both the Water Tribe siblings and the Fire Nation soldiers who are watching and awaiting Prince Zuko's orders.
The only ones who didn't react were Zuko and Aang.
Appa soon landed on the ship's deck.
Aang soon got down and stroked the bison's nose.
"That's it, my friend... You can rest now" said Aang.
"... I'm afraid it's not that simple," said a voice right behind Aang.
"Aang!" Katara shouted in warning.
Aang felt two fingers pressing the back of his neck and soon darkness overtook him, but before he could fall he was caught by Zuko, who had approached Aang while the young monk was distracted by the bison.
Zuko then distanced himself from the group while holding Aang.
As Katara and Sokka looked on in shock, Appa started to growl at Zuko.
Zuko then looked at the small group.
"I didn't hurt him if that's what you're thinking... I'll keep my word and get you home safely and give you some provisions from my ship... But the bison stays here, as does Aang" said Zuko.
Katara soon complained.
"As if we were going to let you do that!" said Katara who soon took the spear from Sokka's hands and jumped from Appa.
Zuko just remained apathetic.
"It's not like you guys are in a favorable position. You're on my ship, which by the way is full of firebenders, plus I have a hostage, who I assume is your friend, knocked out in my hands. Don't make things worse for you, I could just throw you in the sea and leave it at that" said Zuko.
Katara and Sokka seemed to freeze at the threat.
"I see that now I have your attention... Get off the bison, and no one else will get hurt" said Zuko, who pointed two fingers at the throat of Aang, who was still unconscious.
Katara and Sokka then climbed down from the bison, even if they hadn't known Aang for more than a day, none of them would be willing to let an innocent younger child die because of their stubbornness.
Zuko then looked at Appa and then at the siblings from the Southern tribe.
"...Now, step away from the bison, you'll stay on deck until we reached your tribe, only after that, your life is none of mine –" said Zuko, before being interrupted when he noticed something.
Aang's tattoos began to glow.
"Tsk... I was hoping there was more time than that," said Zuko.
Prince Zuko then did the unthinkable...
He threw Aang off the ship and ran towards Katara and Sokka, who had gotten far enough away from Appa due to Zuko's demand before Aang's tattoos began to glow.
Sokka was quick, and he takes his spear back from Katara, and ready it in a defensive position, standing in front of Katara, and swinging the weapon, along with a war cry, looking to stab Prince Zuko...
Only for Zuko to use the protective part of the forearm gauntlets and break the crappy spear.
Sokka didn't have time to react as Zuko grabbed his collar and hurled him at Appa's saddle. The banished prince then did the same thing to Katara, but not to the cell, but to the bison's head.
Appa then stopped growling at Zuko.
Zuko soon looked at the bison.
"I know you're smarter than you let on... So get out of here, yip - yip, or whatever it is" said Zuko.
Zuko then turned his gaze to the place he had thrown Aang and assumed a firebending stance.
Appa soon took off again, as soon as he heard the command... But he was slow, due to still being tired.
It was then that something happened that surprised most people watching.
In a hiss of water, Aang has emerged from the sea and he looks at Zuko with a displeased look.
The young air nomad soon extended both hands, and a huge wave rose over the ship, taking the form of another pillar of water.
The banished prince of the Fire Nation soon reacted.
If there was something called a 'golden finger' it would be the prince... Or in this case, the 'new' prince Zuko.
'Son of the sun'.
Which would basically be summed up in just one sentence...
Never-before-seen firebending talent.
Zuko took a deep breath and held his breath. What he was about to do was something he forced himself to learn until he was proficient enough to use it in combat.
Combustion bending.
It was then that Zuko contracted his abdomen and let out his breath, something happened.
A beam of explosive energy was fired from the forehead, specifically at the same spot where the light chakra would be located.
At the same moment, Aang, who was in the avatar state, bent the pillar of water towards Zuko.
It was then that the water pillar and the explosive energy beam collided.
*BOOM*
The resulting explosion caused Aang to step back in surprise, as the water was unable to match, let alone contain, the explosive power resulting from the energy beam.
Zuko didn't stop and prepared to fire another beam, but then Aang raised both hands in a smooth and precise movement, and then a wave rose and collided with the side of the ship, causing the ship to destabilize at the same time Zuko fired another beam.
The beam passed harmlessly past Aang, and collided with the glacier behind it, resulting in a new explosion that vaporized nearby ice and reduced the glacier to rubble.
Aang seemed to be losing strength, and he made one last attempt...
Raising his hands, the young avatar bent the water around the ship and then made an upward gesture with one hand.
The water around the ship froze and the ice began to build up and lift the ship out of the sea... as well as causing the nearby glaciers to crack.
The small ship just shook, while Zuko tried to stabilize himself on the deck.
Aang seemed to lose strength with this last act, as soon the tattoos stopped glowing, and the pillar of water that the young avatar was on began to crumble. Aang would have fallen into the sea if not for Katara and Sokka who had rescued him in the air with Appa.
As the newly formed group moved further and further away, Zuko could only watch.
"Won't you hit them, sir?" asked an approaching soldier.
Zuko shook his head.
"No... Out of range" said Zuko.
The young prince chose not to want to risk Aang's death, as that would be too troublesome.
Zuko was certain that if he played his cards right, the war would be over before Sozin's comet arrived, with or without joining Aang's group. Zuko then looked at the crippled state of the ship, before looking at the soldier.
"Bring more firebenders, when we melt this ice, set course for the nearest Fire Nation port for repair. Wait, come to think of it, set aside some of our provisions, we'll take the opportunity to resupply that as well when we get to port," said Zuko, as he went to melt the ice on the deck.
The soldier was confused.
"Separate, sir?... And what will we do with the rest?" asked the soldier, curious.
Generally, this type of behavior was viewed by many Fire Nation officials as insubordination and highly reprehensible, but the ship's entire crew seemed to have built up a respect for Zuko, as the young man never expected to be treated with standard nobility.
Most of the tribulation just saw him as a captain before a prince.
"We'll give a part to the Southern tribe... We'll still have more than enough until we reach the port" said Zuko.
The soldier was surprised.
"Let's... help our enemies?" asked the soldier.
Zuko didn't even turn around before answering.
"Respect for human life is one of the greatest foundations of our existence. Today they are still our enemy, and they will still be our enemy tomorrow... But even enemies can respect each other" said Zuko.
Zuko then looked at the soldier.
"Right now, the Southern Water Tribe, one of our 'enemies', or at least what's left of them, is so weakened that if I were to compare our battle, it wouldn't be a battle between a dragon and an Unagi... But a dragon and a fish. There's nothing glorious about it, quite the contrary, it's shameful" said Zuko in an apathetic tone.
The soldier seemed to consider the prince's words and took them to heart, and soon the soldier then left to carry out the given orders.
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Well, that's all folks!
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