Daughter of the Moon - Book 1: Water

Chapter 11: Boy in the Iceberg

~ Some Time Later ~

- Katara -

Water... Earth... Fire... Air...

My grandmother used to tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace when the Avatar kept balance between the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads. But that all changed when the Fire Nation Attacked.

Only the Avatar mastered all four elements. Only he could stop the ruthless firebenders. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.

A hundred years have passed and the Fire Nation is nearing victory in the war. Two years ago, my father and the men of my tribe journeyed to the Earth Kingdom to help fight against the Fire Nation, leaving me and my brother to look after our tribe.

Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads and that the cycle is broken, but I haven't lost hope. I still believe that somehow the Avatar will return to save the world.

(A/N: I did this just for the nostalgia it should bring to you experienced readers/watchers of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now, lets jump back to the story!)

- Elara -

It was dark, and I was completely surrounded by water. In every direction—up and down, left to right—there was an infinite amount of fluid, and I was stuck in the middle of it. To add to the confusion, I wasn't even entirely sure which direction was up, down, left, or right. I was just floating along, waiting for the inevitable fate that awaited me.

Yet, I was not afraid. I knew that I was supposed to be here, I could feel it. Where exactly was here, exactly? I didn't know. Why was I here? I didn't know that either. All I knew was that I had to wait.

Eventually, I saw a speck of light in front of me, and I was drawn to that light like an insect to a flame. I had a feeling the light was the reason I was here, so I had no other choice but to follow it.

As I swam, the light grew larger and larger until I arrived at the source—a massive, glowing ball of ice. At first, I noticed a huge beast encased within, causing me to shudder in fear, but upon closer inspection, I noticed something else—something human. A boy.

I peered through the icy walls of the boy's prison and was entranced by the strange markings that painted his body. Each line was emitting a bright light, confirming to me that the boy was, in fact, the source. I tapped on the ice to get the boy's attention, but he simply remained as he was, holding his meditative position as if he were trapped in a deep sleep.

I waited patiently for the boy to be revived, but he remained lifeless for what felt like a hundred years. When I was about to give up hope and swim away, the ice cracked, drawing my attention once again. I watched the fracture grow, and it grew until it stretched across the entire sphere.

Suddenly, the boy opened his eyes, and with his awakening, his eyes and his markings erupted, temporarily blinding me from the flash of light. And before my eyes could recover, the ice prison exploded, launching me back into the dark, watery abyss...

I sat up with a start as I coughed up the imaginary water from my vision, the bright, blue light burning behind my eyelids as I wiped the sleep from my eyes. It was that dream again—the same dream I had been having for days. I had no idea why I was having this dream seemingly non-stop, and I was even further from determining the meaning of it. I had talked to Iroh about it many times, but he seemed to know just about as much as I did. So, instead of wasting my time thinking about it, I decided to shake it off and get ready for the day.