The Avatar and the Fire Prince

Book 2: Water, Chapter 2: A Southern Water Tribe Welcome

(Originally posted June 24, 2023 on AO3)

"The Avatar?" Katara gasped.

"No way..." Sokka breathed, still looking dumbstruck.

Aang chuckled nervously as he watched the murmuring villagers begin to gather around him. He gave a small wave to a group of young children, several of whom smiled and waved back at him.

"Hakoda, is it true?" a stern-looking old woman asked. She wore the same style of hair loops as Katara, and was followed by several more elderly villagers.

"It is, mom," Hakoda nodded. "It's him."

"But how is that possible?" a middle-aged woman supporting a baby on her hip questioned.

"The Avatar disappeared a hundred years ago!" an elderly man added.

"The Avatar himself can probably explain better than I can," Hakoda replied, nodding in Aang's direction. "Aang?"

Aang's eyes widened briefly. "Oh, yeah, sure!" He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and quickly explained the story of how he and Appa were caught in the storm, frozen, and freed from the iceberg by Zuko.

When he finished, Sokka scoffed disbelievingly. "So, what? You're saying you're actually over a hundred years old?"

"Chronologically, yes?" Aang replied with a shrug, sparking further murmuring from the villagers. "I guess you and I are a couple of old-timers, huh Appa?" He chuckled and gave the bison several head scratches. When the village children saw that the giant monster was docile, several of them began gingerly making their way over. A few started petting Appa's legs, and Momo, who appeared to be jealous of the attention, chirped and fluttered down to land next to one of the children, who began happily petting the lemur.

Sokka stared at Appa for a moment with a wary eye. "And you believe him, dad?"

"I do."

"... And you're sure they're not Fire Nation spies?"

"I'm sure."

Sokka said nothing and simply folded his arms, still not seeming entirely convinced.

His sister, however, was ecstatic, as were several of the other villagers. "I can't believe you're really here!" Katara said, clasping her gloved hands together. "Gran-Gran used to tell me stories about the old days, when the Avatar kept balance between all four nations."

The old woman whom Hakoda had called "mom" stepped next to Katara and studied Aang. While her gaze was intense, he did not feel that it was hostile. She even looked cautiously hopeful. Aang guessed that she must have seen and experienced a lot of hardship in her lifetime, and once again felt a tiny spike of guilt in his stomach. "Many people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads, and that the cycle was broken," she said.

"But I never lost hope," Katara interjected, her blue eyes sparkling. "I knew you would return to save the world."

Aang felt his cheeks grow warm, and he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I'm happy to hear that! I'm just sorry it took me so long."

Katara shook her head. "Don't apologize! It obviously wasn't your fault. I doubt even the Avatar can control the weather."

"Yeah..." Aang replied with a weak chuckle, and looked away, guilt rising within him. She didn't know the truth about why he was out in that storm. No one did. Not even Iroh or Zuko.

"Aang, Lee, would you like to introduce us to your friend here?" Bato asked, interrupting his thoughts. "Is he your guardian?" He gestured at Iroh, who looked as though he was quietly arguing about something with Zuko from where they both stood a few feet behind Aang.