"At long last!!" Kaiden yelled.
(A/N: That pretty much sums up getting a new chapter for this story.)
They had finally made it to the Northern Water Tribe at the North Pole. A waterbender motioned them forward and Appa swam in. The waterbenders opened gates along the three walls to raise the water level. The wall opposite the main city wall began to lower itself, ultimately freeing a path for Appa to continue through.
"I can't believe how many waterbenders live up here!" Katara exclaimed.
"We'll find a master to teach us, no problem!" Aang said optimistically.
There were a few boats waiting in the channel beyond as Appa swam out. All of the kids on Appa smiled and looked around in wonder. An older man and a young boy watched as Appa followed a Water Tribe skiff through the canals. Soon more people joined them. In fact, as they went, small crowds of people began to gawk at them from houses and foot bridges. Aang waved at them as they pass. The city was loaded with beautiful streams, waterfalls and fountains.
They passed another boat with a waterbender and a beautiful young Water Tribe woman with white, elaborately styled hair and a slightly purplish coat rather than the normal blue. Sokka focused on her, blushed, and tried to follow her by running down Appa's tail.
"This place is beautiful," Katara said.
Sokka looked dreamily at the girl as the boat moved away, "Yeh, she is."
Kaiden rolled his eyes. Only Sokka...
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Three Water Tribe men began playing huge kettle drums in unison. A huge fountain dominates the rear of the plaza. On either side, huge pews made out of ice provided seating for many onlookers. The closest side of the plaza showed the backs of the city's rulers, as well as the guests of honor, Aang and his friends.
Sokka was on the far side of a table and down below Appa could be seen. A couple of attendants brung him a huge pallet of food. He roared and then they ran away screaming, with Sokka smiling at this. Appa began to eat and four attendants lowered some sort of huge steaming platter of food or something onto a stage in front of them.
Chief Arnook stood to address the crowd, "Tonight, we celebrate the arrival of our brothers and sister from the Southern Tribe, and they have brought with them someone very special, someone whom many of us believed disappeared from the world until now. The Avatar!"
The crowd went wild and Kaiden grumbled, "Sure. Don't announce the Image or anything..."
Kaiden wondered if past Images got annoyed with this stuff too... Most likely.
"We also celebrate my daughter's 16th birthday," the chief backs up out of the frame to reveal the beautiful girl with the white hair, flanked by two attendants, walking up to the table and they all bowed, smiling, "Princess Yue is now of marrying age."
Sokka looks at her with wide eyes and Kaiden rolled his eyes at Sokka.
Princess Yue spoke, "Thank you, father. May the great Ocean and Moon Spirits watch over us during these troubled times."
"Now, Master Pakku and his students will perform!" the Chief announced
As the waterbenders performed, Kaiden started eating and Sokka began stuffing his face full of food. Then Princess Yue herself walked behind him and sat in between the two male Water Tribesmen. Sokka gulped down his mouthful and tried to strike a cool pose next to her. The key word was tried.
"Hi, there," Sokka said in a cheesy voice, "Sokka, Southern Water Tribe."
Princess Yue smiled and bowed slightly, "Very nice to meet you."
YOU ARE READING
Avatar: The First Metalbender Book 1: Water
Fanfiction|Book I| Kaiden is from the Southern Water Tribe, but that's all he'll tell you about his background unless you were a close friend, like Katara or Sokka. But even he has a secret he won't tell them. Truth is, he's a natural metalbender, able to ben...
