Meanwhile, in Aang's igloo, he lay on the makeshift bed on the floor, staring at the ceiling. "Man, staying here is boring," he muttered to himself. He wanted for the adventure to begin, but something was nagging at the back of his mind.
'Since we didn't visit the wrecked Fire Nation ship and trigger the flare, Zuko and his uncle might not show up,' he thought. 'That's a pretty important canon event.'
Aang mulled over the idea of sneaking off to the ship and setting off the flare himself. 'But then again, what if I get captured? I don't know much airbending yet. That would be a pretty embarrassing way to go out.'
Aang sighed. 'Reincarnation novels made this look so easy. But now that I'm living it, it's hard and tricky.' He considered the risk and decided against leading Zuko to the village. Without the skills to escape like in the show, he might end up captured for real. 'No thanks. Better to stick around and find another way to convince Katara and Sokka to go with me.'
Just as he finished thinking about the situation, Gran Gran's voice called out from outside. "Aang, I brought some blankets for you."
Aang sat up and called back, "Come in, Gran Gran."
She entered the igloo, quickly handing him the blankets. "Do you need anything else?"
Before he could answer, a commotion erupted outside.
At the same time, in Kel's igloo, he and Katara heard the noise.
"What's going on?" Katara wondered aloud, heading for the entrance.
Kel, feeling a sense of foreboding, followed her. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
Once outside, they saw women rushing to gather the children, urging them to enter the igloos. The atmosphere was full of fear and urgency.
Katara grabbed the arm of one of the women, who was hurrying past with a small child in tow and asked, "What's happening?"
"There's a Fire Nation ship approaching!" the woman exclaimed, her face pale with worry.
Kel's eyes widened, and he exchanged a grim look with Katara. 'So much for avoiding canon events,' he thought. 'Looks like adventure is coming to us whether we want it or not.'
The village was quickly descending into chaos as the threat of the Fire Nation loomed closer. Katara turned to Kel. "We have to do something."
Kel nodded. "Yeah, but first we need to make sure everyone's safe. Let's get the kids inside."
They hurried to help, guiding the children into the safety of the igloos.
Katara was busy ushering the kids into the safety of the igloos when she ran into Aang and Gran Gran. Aang's face was a picture of remorse, his eyes downcast. "I'm so sorry," he said, his voice trembling. "They're probably here for me. I've put all of you in danger. I'll turn myself in. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."
Katara immediately shook her head. "No, Aang! There has to be a better way."
She turned to Gran Gran. "If the Fire Nation takes Aang, the world will be doomed Gran Gran"
Gran Gran's face was deeply thoughtful as she considered Katara's words. After a moment, she shook her head sadly. "I understand, Katara, but we have no means to protect ourselves, let alone the Avatar. It's best he runs away. Otherwise, our village may face a tragedy."
Aang's heart sank. Inwardly, he was upset that the Fire Nation had still come by, worrying that he might actually be caught. He was starting to panic when he saw Kel returning from an igloo, holding a child who clutched a badly drawn image of Appa.
An idea sparked in Kel's mind. He quickly grabbed a white cloth from the igloo and rushed back to his own, grabbing a spear and tying the cloth to it to make a white flag. Without hesitation, he began heading towards the shore.
As he rushed, he encountered Katara, Aang, and Gran Gran. Gran Gran asked, "What are you doing, Sokka?"
Kel, barely breaking stride, simply said, "I have a plan." He then looked at Aang. "Go hide your strange sky bison thingy while I deal with the Fire Nation."
Katara immediately protested. "That's dangerous, Sokka, now's not the time for your bravado. You can't go alone!"
Gran Gran agreed, "She's right, Sokka. That is too risky."
Kel insisted, "My plan might work. And if it fails, Aang can get away."
Aang was genuinely touched by Kel's determination. "Why are you doing this, Sokka?"
Inwardly, Kel thanked Aang for using that particular set of words. Out loud, he answered, "I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for Katara and the rest of the village. Besides, I owe you one. This way, we're even." He then urged, "Go, Aang!"
Aang nodded, feeling genuine gratitude. He ran off to hide Appa, leaving Katara and Gran Gran to watch Kel with a mix of worry and hope.
The real reason Kel was doing this was to make Aang see him as an ally and to gain points with Katara. Most importantly, he wanted to avoid Aang getting captured now, knowing they wouldn't be able to rescue him like in the canon event.
At the shore, the Fire Nation ship made landfall with a thundering crash. The massive metal hull grated against the icy shore, sending waves of freezing water splashing over the edge.
Soldiers in dark red armor lined the deck, standing at attention. The air was thick with tension as the ramp lowered with a heavy thud, and the soldiers began to march down, their faces stern and unyielding.
Prince Zuko was the first to step off the ship, his scarred face set in a determined frown. Behind him, his uncle Iroh followed, looking more concerned than aggressive.
Kel took a deep breath and stepped forward, waving the white flag. "Hey! Over here!" he called out, trying to sound confident despite the knot of fear in his stomach.
Zuko's sharp eyes zeroed in on Kel, and he walked forward with an air of authority. "Who are you?" he demanded.
Kel raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I'm Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe. We aren't looking for trouble. We have women and children here. Please, let's talk."
Zuko's expression remained hard, but Iroh stepped forward, placing a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Let us hear what he has to say, Prince Zuko."
Kel nodded, silently thanking the universe for Iroh's presence. He had to tread carefully now, for the sake of the village and for the plan to succeed.
.
.
.
.
Zuko glared at Kel, his patience wearing thin. "Speak quickly."
Kel felt a rush of satisfaction; thankfully, he had caught Zuko before he could make any demands. This allowed him to play the ignorant villager boy role. Bowing slightly, Kel began, "We're just poor fishermen and villagers. The Fire Nation already killed our waterbenders, including my mother." He put on his best look of sorrow, hoping to strike a chord with Zuko. "We are no threat. We'll give whatever it is you want. Just please, don't hurt my family."
'Let's see how you deal with the mom card, Zuko,' Kel thought. He knew that Zuko had lost his mother and hoped this would make him more sympathetic. More importantly, he wanted Iroh to see them as no threat.
Zuko looked around, noticing the frightened women and children standing in the distance. His expression softened slightly but remained stern. "I'm looking for the Avatar."
Kel repeated the word with a confused look. "Avatar? We don't have anything like that here. Are you talking about the strange light and the beast that flew by?"
Zuko's eyes narrowed. "What beast?"
Kel pretended to check his pockets before pulling out a piece of paper with a crude drawing of Appa. "This, I saw it fly over after the light appeared. I was out fishing and worried it meant danger, but I don't know what it is."
Zuko took the paper and looked at it, unimpressed. He then handed it to Iroh. "Do you recognize this?"
Iroh stroked his beard thoughtfully. "It looks like a sky bison, the mounts of airbenders. I thought they were extinct."
Zuko's eyes widened, and he snatched the paper back. "Then the Avatar is really back." He turned to Kel, his urgency clear. "Where did you see it? Which direction did it go?"
Kel pointed north without hesitation. "I saw it go north. I was still on the water when I saw it but I can show you the exact spot if you want."
Zuko shook his head. "Nevermind. But if I found out you're lying, you'll pay."
Kel kept his face calm. "I've told you everything I know, I swear."
Zuko seemed to lose interest, the story appearing legitimate enough. He turned to his soldiers, ready to give the order to leave. However, Iroh lingered, his keen eyes observing Kel for a bit longer, as if trying to read deeper into his intentions.
Finally, Iroh said nothing and turned away, following Zuko back to the ship. "Prepare to set sail!" Zuko commanded, his voice echoing across the icy shore.
Kel watched as the Fire Nation soldiers began to retreat, their heavy boots crunching in the snow. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, feeling a wave of relief wash over him. 'That was too close,' he thought.
As the Fire Nation ship departed, Kel turned back to the village, seeing the relieved faces of the villagers.
'One thing's for sure,' he thought, 'I'm really getting the hang of this. Let's just hope I don't have to deal with more crazy fire maniacs anytime soon.'
As Zuko, his uncle, and the soldiers began to leave, Katara ran down to the shore, her eyes wide with worry.
Kel saw her running over and raised a hand, trying to signal that everything was alright. "Hey, Katara, it's fine. Everything's—"
Before he could finish, Katara threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. Kel hugged her back, feeling the warmth of her embrace. "Everything's fine," he repeated softly.
Katara's voice trembled as she spoke, "It's not fine. What if I lost you like we lost mom?"
Kel inwardly smiled, thinking, 'Great bonus. She's definitely going to trust me more now, and so will Aang.' On the surface, he kept his tone comforting. "You won't get rid of me that easily."
Katara let out a shaky laugh, still holding him tightly. "I'll take that as a promise. If you break it, I'll never forgive you."
Kel nodded, feeling her worry. "I promise. Now let's head back, okay?"
Katara finally released him, her eyes still filled with concern but also relief. "Okay."
As they began to walk back to the village, Kel couldn't help but notice Zuko and Iroh watching them from the deck of their retreating ship. Iroh turned to Zuko, his expression thoughtful. "You handled the situation well, Prince Zuko. Remember, harming innocent people to achieve one's goals is never right."
Zuko's jaw tightened, and he angrily handed the drawing to a nearby soldier. "Draw copies and have every guard be on the lookout for that creature at all times," he ordered, his voice sharp.
He then turned to his uncle, frustration evident in his eyes. "I'm ready to resume my training, Uncle. I want to be ready when we finally meet the Avatar."
Iroh sighed but nodded. "Of course, Prince Zuko. Let us continue your training. Afterwards I'll make us some nice calming tea."
As the Fire Nation ship sailed away, Kel watched it disappear behind some large icebergs. 'Well, that went better than expected,' he thought, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Katara looked at him, her expression softening. "You did good, Sokka. Who knows what they would have done to Aang."
Kel shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Just doing my job as the best brother ever."
Katara rolled her eyes but smiled, the worry finally starting to leave her. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get back to the village."
As they walked back together, Kel couldn't help but feel a growing sense of responsibility. 'Well this is just the beginning. There's gonna be a lot more to come, and I've got to be ready.'
Meanwhile, Zuko stood at the bow of the ship, staring out at the endless sea. His resolve was unshaken, and his determination burned brighter than ever. 'I will capture the Avatar,' he vowed silently to himself. 'I will restore my honor, no matter what it takes.'