Book I, Act VIII: Daydreams of the Future and Nightmares of the Past, Chapter I

Edited by: Bieverdog AO3: GalavantingGoose

Book I, Imbalance

Act VIII: Daydreams of the Future and Nightmares of the Past

Music: Tsungi Horn - ATLA OST https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7wBmk5uUhU&list=PL042xjKnvXB2gQwCEkT0SvI3b142n4pVi&index=10

Flying - Angèle Dubeau https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcVhJ281bfM&list=OLAK5uy_kBOWqxhskbJr-sITcoemKtHw05HKicu5Q

Chapter I

Aang woke up startled. He was in a dark place, but he could recognize his surroundings: an elegantly decorated room. The color red everywhere was a dead giveaway; he knew exactly where he was. He craned his neck around, disoriented. He couldn't see a soul around him, only able to see a few feet in front of him, the half-lit gilded furniture ever catching his eye. For some reason, the avatar couldn't shake the eerie feeling that someone was watching him… Judging him would have been a better word. He approached a door slowly; and on the other side, he could hear the crackle of fire burning. He pushed the door, and it parted just enough for him to go through: it was the throne room; and behind the flames, he could scantily see a figure sitting near them. He approached cautiously–

His palms felt cold; and with sweaty fingers, he gripped his staff. The figure of Ozai loomed behind the fire, and the sight of him flashed erratically before his eyes like lightning. His maniacal laughter could be felt bouncing around the room. "You failed, Avatar."

Aang grit his teeth and pointed his staff at the man. "I have defeated you once, and I will do it again." The laughter grew louder. As the flames split down the middle to reveal the Fire Lord, his jaw dropped as his staff clanked against the ground. He stared in disbelief. "No, i-it can't be."

Zuko walked towards him with his hands behind his back. "What did you expect, Aang? I am his spitting image."

Aang reflexively backed away. "No, you are not like him. Y-you said you'd never be."

His friend's eyes shone with fierce determination. "But I am. We've let this farce run its course for way too long. I won't make the same mistake my forefathers made."

Aang tried to say something; but without warning, Zuko jumped towards him, and he only managed to raise his arms before he was engulfed in flame and laughter.

He jolted awake to see the embers of a dying fire, a moonlit night, and a stone roof above them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, slowly relaxing in his sleeping bag.

A hand touched his shoulder, and he turned around to see Katara, who stared him with half-lidded eyes. Even tired, he knew that look. "Aang, are you okay?"

He shook his head. "I just… Yeah."

Katara pouted her lips. "You've been like this for weeks now. I know what's bothering you…"

Aang sat on his bed, looking down in frustration. "What's happening to us? He– He didn't treat us like friends, wasn't even happy to see us."

"He's under a lot of pressure right now; you saw those reports too…"

"I get he needs to be more careful, but… All those guards, it wasn't like that the other time. The servants, even they were on edge. I don't know… I'm just afraid that something could happen."

Katara took his hand. "Lots of bad things could happen, but we have to support him. He's our friend; he'll get through it."

"We will, but… You don't think he'd go too far, right?" He hoped Katara hadn't noticed the tinge of doubt on his voice.

She held his hand tighter before letting go. "I hope so."

Aang looked away. "Maybe I'm overthinking it."

She yawned and closed her eyes. "For now, let's rest. We still have a lot of work ahead of us."

Aang looked up at the ceiling with his hands on his chest, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. They'd pull through like they always did; it could all be the heat of the moment. With his heart still running, he sat up from his bed and went for a walk around the camp, his hand clutching his medallion. Under the light of a full moon, he walked over to a hill overlooking the camp and sat cross-legged, admiring the starry sky. It was deep black and smoky with thousands of stars splayed across the horizon like a sea of jewels.

A ghostly voice was calm but concerned. "Your heart is troubled, Aang."

He turned to see the figure of his mentor, surrounded by a light blue halo, with his brow furrowed in concern. "Hey, Roku…"

His eyes were distant and sad. "It's always the people we love the most that stir our deepest feelings. We all go through it in our lives: the pain, the rejection, the misunderstanding; but you mustn't let it cloud your judgment. As the Avatar, your duty to the world comes first."

"I know; but it still hurts… Was Sozin like Zuko? Before, you know…"

"Yes, in many ways: temperamental yet spirited, always there to hold out a hand; but as time passed, our paths in life drifted apart. The letters became less frequent…" He sighed. "It is one of my greatest regrets. Maybe if I had been there more for him, perhaps things could have been different; but all things happen for a reason. It was destined to be so–"

Aang muttered, "I'm starting to hate this destiny thing more."

"But you succeeded where I failed; you've set the world back on the right track. Balance always returns."

"I just think I might lose it. All of it might have been for nothing."

"I believe in you, Aang; the world does so, too. Look at all you have accomplished. If anything happens, I trust you'll rise to the occasion."

"Thanks, Roku."

"You are not alone, young avatar; remember that."

As his mentor dissipated into the night air, Aang could only think, but will I?

***

Sokka woke up, half-shuddering. The sleep bags they had bought were warm; but even having a bit of his face exposed to the frigid air was enough to make him shiver. He really had gotten accustomed to the warmer climates of the Earth Kingdom. It would be hard to get used to the cold again. He looked at Aang who was still fast asleep, always wearing a thin robe in the unbearable cold. It made him feel even more chilly. He snatched his jacket and rushed outside.

Katara was sitting by a small fire. Her voice was heavy with sleep. "Morning. Is Aang still sleeping?"

He yawned and stretched his arms. "Oh, please don't tell me I've got to wake him."

"No… Let him rest; he's been having some rough nights."

He warmed his hands over the fire. "Well, I sleep like a baby out here."

She smirked at him. "Could tell by your snoring."

"I need my beauty sleep. What else can I do?"

"Shut up... Come; let's go somewhere else before you wake him."

The mountains were robed in green and crowned with white. Below, there were forests as far as the eye could see. Aang sure knows how to pick a place. Hidden amongst the treetops he could distinguish the silvery shimmer of a river that zig-zagged all the way to one of the peaks. It was like a painting. He narrowed his eyes as if trying to snap a mental picture of the place. He'd save it for later; but for now, he'd just savor the view.

He took a deep breath, letting in some fresh air. "Nothing like good old mountain air in the morning, am I right?"

"Yeah…" Katara sat on top of the hill hugging her knees, her eyes lost in the scenery.

Sokka scratched his neck. Times like those were far and few in between in comparison to their regular work, always great opportunities to get away with a few minor offenses. "Oh, hope you're not angry that I took that dried yakaribu. In my defense, I already thought you'd gone full vegetarian." He expected a slap of water, but his sister stared at the horizon in silence.

He must have waited for a full minute for a reaction, then he started to worry. "...Katara?"

Her voice was distant, full of sorrow. "...You think we'll ever get back home?"

He sat next to her. "What are you talking about? Of course, we'll get back home…" His eyes softened. "Soon enough..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Didn't think you missed it that much."

He teasingly pushed her. "What? Of course, I do; there's nowhere else I could get the best seal jerky in all the world."

Katara smiled. "You totally miss everyone too."

"No… A little… Okay, yeah, I miss everyone a lot, but I also miss the food. There's nothing like Gran Gran's special stew."

She chuckled. "Shocking."

They remained in silence for a few minutes; then he kicked back and relaxed his head on the grass. "You know… last I wrote to Dad, he said everyone talks about us as heroes. Can't wait for all the free stuff we'll get once we get back; I bet I'll even get a statue or something! Just gotta think of a nickname, you know? Like the great heroes of legend."

"You lost naming rights a long time ago!" She bit her lip. "I… don't really like the attention. I think it would be nice just to get back to a normal life."

"Sister, whatever made you think we'd ever go back to a normal life? It ain't happening." Sokka lazily pointed towards their makeshift stone tent. "Don't know if you noticed, but that bald kid over there is the Avatar; and apparently, we're stuck with him. Doubt anyone in history ever said, 'It's been nice to help the world, be part of the change; but actually thinking about it, I'd rather be fishing back in my village.' No sir! Nuh uh; not for me."

"It's great that we get to do this, but we can't turn our backs on our people. The South suffered during the war. You know that as well as I do. It falls to us all to help bring back what was lost in honor of all those who sacrificed everything."

He sat up. "I never said we wouldn't help our people. We have a lot of catching up to do: bring back what we have learned, help make things better."

She arched a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, can't you see? It's obvious. This war showed us a harsh truth: the South was never ready, and we paid a high price for it. But look at the North. For all these years, they survived untouched; they could actually fight back. Now they can play an active role in helping the world back on its feet."

"You're saying we should behave like Northerners, then?"

"No, no, no, not like that. We'll just copy what they did right and make it ours."

Katara narrowed her eyes. "What's wrong with our way of life? It is what made us unique, what defined us! Centuries of tradition, we can't just ignore it."

"I'm not saying we're going to rebuild from scratch, maybe a tweak here or there; no biggie, just whatever's necessary."

"Sometimes, it's hard to take you seriously."

He mentally huffed. "I'm being serious. Sure, dad would agree with me too."

"Whatever you say, Sokka."

"Hey, I wasn't mocking you; I do care about our people."

Katara stood to leave. "Come on, we've got to pack up."

He followed. "Okay, then. What's your great idea? Let's hear it."

"It's clear that we have to rebuild, but we can't just bury our past. It's what pulled us through these hard times. If it wasn't for the Southern Waterbenders, the Fire Nation would have destroyed us a long time ago. Our tribe has managed to survive for so long because of who we are; we are one big family that helps each other in our times of need. Did you see that in that big northern city? In the Fire Nation? In the Earth Kingdom? Our people don't starve or freeze–"

"So, you think that by improving our way of life, we're going to sacrifice our traditions, end up like them? That's ridiculous."

She threw out her hands. "It isn't! You know the story well: the North and South were one, then we drifted apart. They grew richer, bigger, abandoned us; we were left to fend for ourselves. Even though we had to endure countless hardships, it was our traditions that brought us together. It's something that the North has lost but we still have, and we must treasure it. Our way of life isn't a weakness as you think; it's actually our biggest strength."

"It's just a myth… We don't even know if it went down like that, don't even know if it's the whole story."

"Well, you know the saying, 'to every legend there's a kernel of truth.'"

Her brother smirked. "Ha. Which one of us do you think will be the legend once we are gone–"

"Hey, guys!" Aang smiled at them. "Overslept a lot, huh? Let's get going; we have to get to Taolin before sundown." They smiled back and nodded. Quickly, they packed up camp. As they prepared to leave, Sokka gave one last glance to the mountains before climbing Appa.