silver soul | avatar, the last air bender

chapter thirty nine

If Naia told herself at the beginning of the year she would be returning home, she would call herself absolutely insane. A little bit before and definitely after Yue's death, the Northern Water Tribe was prison. Though it was a beautiful sight with large building sculpted from ice, complemented by the deep blue waters of the ocean, Naia felt suffocated. There wasn't one spot in the entire North Pole where she could feel at peace. After Yue died, every single inch of the North Pole reminded Naia of her.

However, as she spent more time traveling the world, she began to miss home. She missed the little things, like fresh seal jerky or watching the sun rise on the icy beach. She missed her bedroom, which was filled with books, little trinkets, and her finest clothing. She missed the familiarity of the North Pole and how she knew it like the back of her hand. It was her childhood home, where she grew up, and the only place she's ever known up until Yue's death. But most of all, she missed her parents.

At first she resented them. She resented their constant judgement of her and comparison of her to her perfect twin sister. She didn't care for her father's overbearing and controlling nature, or her mother's feeble and indecisive ways. She didn't like that even though she's begged countless times, they refused to let her do what made her happy: water bending. She hated how in order for them to listen to her, she had to do the most extreme thing and leave the North Pole without telling them. As she matured and healed over her travels, she began to miss them. When Koa said that they were devastated when she left, she started to feel guilty. Naia knew deep down that she would have been much worse off if she stayed in the North Pole, but it didn't make her feel any less bad for hurting their feelings.

So, she decided to return. There wasn't a more perfect time. The war was finally over. Everyone was deciding their destinies and what they were going to do now that the fighting has ceased. Naia decided it was best to return home now, after months of being away.

Naia asked Sokka to accompany her, which he obviously said yes. One thing that Naia loved about Sokka was that he was always there to support her, no matter what. Aang gave them permission to fly back on Appa, since taking a boat would take a couple weeks. Naia sat on Appa's saddle, watching the ocean. The waves sparkled in the direct sunshine. She pensively sat, thinking of all the possible things that could happen upon her arrival. She ran through "what if" scenarios, most of them ending with her parents hating her forever and disowning her.

"Is something on your mind?"

Naia nodded her head, quickly glancing at Sokka and then looking away. She dryly laughed. "Everything. Everything is on my mind."

"It's not possible to have everything on your mind," Sokka pointed out.

"I know," Naia said. She smiled to herself. Sokka responded in the exact way Yue did, that one day ages ago before their sixteenth birthday. Oh, how much time has passed since then. "We're almost to the North Pole...and I'm starting to wonder if this was a bad idea."

"I think you made the right decision," Sokka said. "You and your parents deserve closure. I think that when you arrive and see them again, they'll be glad to have their daughter back."

Naia smiled, giving Sokka a kiss. "I'm nervous, but I think I'm ready," She said.

Appa flew over the large ice gates that marked the entrance to the Northern Water Tribe. Naia saw as the people below stared up at Appa and began talking amongst themselves. Some even started to run straight back to the palace. Naia started to feel her stomach turn. A sudden wave of nervousness hit her. Appa landed in the palace courtyard. Naia and Sokka jumped down, earning the stares of a few people. Naia sighed and looked around at her surroundings. Everything looked almost exactly as she left it, but this time she was different. She looked a bit older, sporting a new white stripe of hair that was braided, the rest her long brown hair cascading down her back. Naia took a deep breath. She was finally home.