Aang's Guide

The Awakening: Kyra

I gasp for air, as I feel my body fall collapsing to the floor. The water from the ice like prison I was held in soaks me. I have my eyes closed, for I know when I open them it will be too blurry to see. I fall into the arms of a stranger, his arms were strong as he falls to his knees with me, "Kyra, are you ok?" a crackly voice says to me. I nod and try to stand, but I stumble. Before I hit the ground the man grabs me again. "How long has it been?" I say with my eyes still shut. "Long enough..." I think I recognize the voice, but I'm too tired to keep talking. I feel him carry me and set me in a small bed. I can see a shadow, and it covers my eyes. I realize it's a warm, wet, cloth. He wipes my eyes gently, then puts the cloth down. I feel my eyes lightening, I can start to open my eyes. I can see the ceiling above me, which looks to be a long staircase above me. "How's that Kyra?" I turn to see who had caught me and I see an older version of my friend Iroh. "Yes, Master Iroh I can see now." I giggled. "Kyra, there is no need for formal names. We have known each other long enough." He chuckled. I laugh trying to sit up, "I always forget." He helped me sit up smoothly as he sighed, "So, Kyra I have some good news for you..." I laugh hard, "Iroh, I know when I get awaken usually means there is bad news, always bad news." He shook his head as he proceeded, "You aren't wrong, but this time, it is something that will change your world forever." I pulled my feet over the bed, "What's happened? Tell me." He sighed as he turned facing his back to me.

"Kyra, this is shocking news. I need you to stay calm if you can." I tried to stand but my legs gave out making me fall back onto the makeshift bed, "Iroh, tell me." He shook his head once more, "Kyra your brother, Aang....is uh...uh alive..." I went from happy to concerned. For the longest time, I knew about my brother, but when he disappeared out of nowhere, that changed the fate of our world. A war had broken out making it seem as if all was lost. Our people massacred in the millions. I felt sweat running down my temple, "How old is he? Does he know about me? Or anything about what the monks had made of me?" Iroh turned with a small sympathetic smile, "We learned that the reason Aang had disappeared was because he was encased in ice near the Southern Water Tribe. And no he doesn't know about you or anything the monks had done, not yet anyway." I gave him a glare, "What do you mean, not yet?" Iroh lifted his hands, "I am getting ahead of myself, you need to lay down." I shook my head as I did as he asked, "Iroh, why am I awake?" I could hear him start to pace, "Well my dear, since your last awakening my brother has created this war to do his bidding. Banishing his own son to the seas in exile. Creating his daughter into a monster and he is close to winning this war. Another comet is coming Kyra." I rose quickly, "What!?" Images of my people falling at my feet came to view, with fire blazing about.

Iroh stopped sighing, "Ever 100 years, the comet passes over. Now named Sozin's comet, it is only a few months away and we are worried Aang has not mastered fire bending." I felt my breathing getting heavy, "I don't understand why I am awake Iroh? Anyone is capable of training Aang fire-bending." Iroh sighed, "Your brother has to take down the Firelord Kyra. We had hoped my nephew would have been the one...scouts have stated he is trying to convince Aang to let him train him fire bending." I looked at the dirt wall, "We always knew Ozai would need to be taken down if we ever intended to win this war. Why isn't Aang letting Zuko be his mentor?" Iroh sat on the bed near my feet putting his head in his hands, "I think my dear nephew has lost his way. He has been letting his mind cloud his judgment so long he has forgotten how to be good." I lifted up looking at him, he let one tear slide down his face. "Iroh, what exactly are proposing I do?" He then stood and walked over to a a familiar face, Piandao, and whispered something. The White Lotus member then left. Iroh turned to me, "Your job is to guide the Avatar. Kyra, the truth is I believe your brother has lost his way too. He took a bad blow trying to raid the Fire Nation capital to take Ozai down. Only to find out it was a trap, most of the adults were taken prisoner. The kids got away on Appa, Aang blames himself." I looked at the doorway and a new White Lotus member appeared, Pakku. He was holding a tray, he sat it next to me. "Hello, Kyra. You need to get your strength back.." I smiled and took the cup from the tray, "Thank you Pakku." He then bowed to me and walked away. I drank from the cup, it was Jasmine tea. "So, Aang has lost his way..." Iroh nodded in agreement. "Alright then, tell me where they are?"

2 weeks later

I was escorted by the White Lotuses to a small room. When we arrived about twenty men were there sitting around an oval table. "Kyra, it's lovely to see you up and about." I gave a small smile. I have been here for almost two weeks, from the conversations with Iroh, Zuko could have already patched things up with my brother. "Why have I not been allowed to leave yet? Why awaken me only to keep me here?"  From my last encasement the White Lotus group had grown meaning discussions needed to take place, diplomatically. They all went silent. A man at the end of the table decided to be brave. "Well, Kyra the reason being is you haven't been strong enough to-" I stood up, "Listen her Lotus boy, I have not been frozen in ice three times and melted back to the living, to listen to a low life like you boss me around. I made an oath to my Air bending masters to forever protect and guide the Avatar-" Iroh suddenly put his hand on my shoulder and gently sat me down. He coughed back a laugh and then looked at the man, "Yes, Tao why is she still here?" The whole room was still silent from my outburst. "Well, we wanted to make sure she was fully ready for the mission. Physically I mean.. Also, we wanted to inform her of what she would be approaching. The people her brother had befriended during his travels." I let a smile form on my face, "My brother made friends?" Tao looked at me and smiled, "Yes, the first two he made was two kids named Sokka and Katara from the Southern Water Tribe. Katara is a water bending master and has taught Aang many skills. Sokka is a non-bender and he has great swordsmanship." I smiled, as he nodded and continued, "Aang went to Kyoshi island and they all met Suki which I now believe is Sokka's love interest? Then they went to the earth kingdom and there they met a Toph Beifong-" I screamed "BEIFONG!!" Tao gave a small chuckle, "Yes, and she has taught him earth bending." I sighed "I believe Zuko is trying to get Aang to let him teach him fire bending" Tao stood, "Yes, we know that he is trying to do good now. But, Zuko needs a little help." I nod, "That's where I come in." The whole room nodded.

I was escorted from the room and taken to a formal room where I decided to bathe before my journey and get a few belongings. When I finished I was escorted once more to the main courtyard near the edge of the temple, I put my stuff on a thing that I had never seen before. Iroh called it an air balloon, somehow this machine rose in the air and floated with firebending. Iroh came to the side of the aircraft. "Here..." He held a blue mask out to me. "What's this for? I figured you would have thrown this away a long time ago?" Iroh smiled, "It was mine when I was young and naive. Then I bestowed it to my nephew, anyway, use it to hide your face. By doing so Zuko will know where you got it from and trust you easier." I smiled and slipped my medium brown hair in the hooded black cloak given to me as one of my belongings. I let it drape over my white and black lined shirt and long white pants. I then put on the mask, "How do I look?" He chuckled, "Mysterious for sure." I lifted the mask over my head. "Iroh, what if he doesn't like me?" Iroh touched my face, "He's going to like you, he was fascinated with you as a child. I know he will listen to you." I smiled. "Alright, so all I have to do is bend fire into this piece here and it will fuel the balloon." I looked at it and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Iroh smiling. I leaned into him and we hugged tightly. He pulled away, "The metal thing is an oven... Kyra, Be careful on your way to the Western Air Temple. My nephew is not as kind as he used to be, even if he trying to be good again." I smiled "Of course Iroh." I pulled away and put the mask back over my face. I bended some fire into the oven and before I knew it I was flying. I looked down below, and Iroh waved at me. I smiled and waved back.

My journey was just beginning.