Avatar: The End of the Hundred Year War - An ATLA Fanfic

IV: Thanks Sokka

"Ohh Damn," Aang said.

Ryoka reached over to slap the back of his head.

"Ryoka, come with me," Zuko said. He turned and motioned for the other soldiers to return to the ship.

"You know that he'll kill me if he finds out."

"We'll figure something out."

Ryoka hung her head. "I can't come with you."

"Half a year ago you were begging to come with me."

"That was half a year ago." 

(Sokka, an empath: These two have history.)

Zuko finally turned back to her. When she heard him move, Ryoka looked up. Zuko asked, "Did Lu Ten know?"

Ryoka nodded.

"Does Uncle know?"

Her hesitation was quickly squashed. She shook her head.

Zuko stood there, contemplating. He clenched and unclenched his jaw. "Go."

"What?"

His voice had been so quiet, she thought that she imagined it.

"I'll leave the Southern Water Tribe alone. I'll leave your Airbender friend alone. I'll leave you alone, for now. I can't make sure that Father won't find out. My soldiers heard you and I know that they'll never be loyal to a disgraced prince. However, the next time I see you, we won't be brother and sister. We'll be predator and prey."

He boarded the skiff without another word. Ryoka didn't move when the skiff started shifting backward, when the skiff disappeared into the fog, or even when Appa landed next to Sokka, Aang, and her.

"Ryoka," Katara prodded.

Ryoka followed the girl where she led her. Katara took the Avatar into one of the igloos. Inside, Ryoka sunk to the ground and buried her face in her hands.

"What happened? Where's Sokka?" Gran-Gran asked. Ryoka heard her and a few others come in.

"The ship is gone. Sokka and Aang left to get the children."

"And Ryoka?"

"She's... going through something." Ryoka heard some shuffling around her.

Someone gently pulled Ryoka's hands from her face and placed a cup of tea in them.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Gran-Gran asked from beside her. Katara was on the other side. The other women were gone.

Instead, a face she didn't expect to see was in front of her, accompanied by Aang and Sokka.

"Master Naase?"

"You and Aang were gone for so long, I came looking for you two myself. I found Aang as he came to pick up the Water Tribe people you helped. I hear that you have something you want to explain?"

Ryoka took a deep breath and first addressed the Water Tribe members. "I'm not an Airbender. Well, I'm not just an Airbender."

"You're the Avatar," Katara said for Ryoka.

Ryoka nodded. "I was born in the Fire Nation. In fact, I was born into Fire Nation Royalty."

"What!" Aang, Sokka, and Katara exclaimed.

Sokka turned to Aang. "You didn't know?"

"I knew she was Fire Nation. I didn't know she was royalty!" 

"My grandfather, the former Firelord, found out that I was the Avatar. I was his favorite, so I was safe. He sent me to be trained by my cousin, Lu Ten. Lu Ten was supposed to turn me into a weapon. Just after I mastered Firebending, Lu Ten was killed protecting me. My grandfather died not long after."