Wandering Firebender

Fifty One: The Right Thing

Elio knew that he would eventually be spotted, but he didn't expect it to happen so swiftly.

As Elio rowed his way towards the North Pole, he could feel his body wanting to tense up because of the frigid cold temperatures. The water was very still all around him, only moving in response to him pulling the oars to gently guide his little boat forward.

Then all of a sudden, the water began to shake with agitation. Elio stood up with widened eyes as ice began to charge towards him like an animal. It surrounded his boat and lifted it into the air, nearly throwing him into the water.

Elio yelped in shock and grabbed onto his seat to keep himself from falling. He steadied his feet and stood up, looking around to see that two small boats full of waterbenders were now coming in close and maneuvering around him. He recognized where they were from by the patterns of their blue parkas.

"I finally made it!" Elio thought to himself with a grin before standing up and waving to them. "Hello! I was beginning to think I wasn't going the right way!"

"State your business! What are you doing in our waters?" One of them called back to him, demanding an answer. Elio took in a breath before answering.

"I need to speak to whoever's in charge of your tribe! The Fire Nation is planning another attack!" He informed them.

He couldn't see their expressions, but surely they must have been shocked, for it took them a little while to respond. Finally, they assisted Elio into one of their ships and brought him back to the Northern Water Tribe.

"How far have you traveled to deliver this message?" One of the leaders asked him.

"I've made my way through the Earth Kingdom, and that's not including sailing out this far," Elio answered. "But Master Pakku sent me. He made it clear that I needed to speak to the people in charge about this attack." He repeated.

"Master Pakku sent you?"

"Yeah." Elio answered with a nod.

"I see...then we'll get you before the chief right away."

After that, the waterbenders started to rush more in bringing Elio to the Northern Water Tribe. The entire time, Elio was looking around, wondering when Cindra's home would actually come into view. It took him a while to realize that the ice wall they were sailing towards displayed a large carving of the Water Tribe's symbol.

Elio looked up and watched as waterbenders standing on top of the ice wall opened up a set of gates for them. Finally, he was inside the city. His eyes widened in amazement as he looked up at the central structure that he could only describe as a palace made of ice.

In fact, all of the structures around him were made of ice: the houses, the walkways, the bridges above them. The streets themselves were waterways, so the waterbenders bringing him in continued to guide the boat towards the palace.

"The chief and his officials gather there. We will bring you nearby and call the chief. Once he has summoned the other members of the counsel, you will be allowed to speak. You will have to answer many questions so they can ensure that your word can be trusted." The leader explained to him.

"I understand." Elio nodded, still looking around and taking everything in.

"Although, I hope that what you're saying isn't true." He added.

"Yeah, I wish it wasn't." Elio said honestly...

Finally, the ship went as far as it could take them. The leader stepped off first and guided Elio towards the chief's palace. The snow beneath their feet crunched quietly with every step they took. Elio swallowed nervously to himself.