Balance | Old Version

Chapter 46

Elua's POV.

Aang had gone to talk to the general, so Katara, Sokka, and I were in the room we would be staying in while we were here. I close my eyes as I become dizzy, I take a deep breath and lean against the wall so I don't fall.
"Are you alright?" Sokka asks me as he quickly walks over to me. After what happened in the Northern Tribe, he had been quite protective over me.
"I'm fine," I tell him as I open my eyes and let go of the wall. He looks at me unconvinced as I walk over to one of the beds. I sigh as I lay down, he was kind of him to worry, but it was unnecessary.

"How are you feeling?" Sokka asks as he kneels down in front of the bed I now lay on.
"I'm fine, Sokka," I repeat and give him a reassuring smile.
"Are you sure?" Sokka asks in worry. "Because, you've been looking pale today-" I cut him off.
"Really Sokka, I'm fine. Stop worrying so much," I tell him. He was about to say something else but, he is interrupted again.
"Sokka, she's alright," Katara tells him. "I've already told you that ten times today," She states. He sighs as he looks back over to me, obviously still worried, but he lets it go as Aang walks in.
"I told the General I'd help him..." Aang says, somewhat nervously. "...By going into the Avatar State," He informs us.

"Aang, no. This is not the right way," Katara tells him as she sits up on her bed.
"Why not? Remember when he took out the Fire Navy? He was incredible," Sokka states.
"There's a right way to do this. Practice, study, and discipline," I tell Aang, ignoring Sokka.
"Or just glow it up and stop that Fire Lord," Sokka says as if it's nothing. I give him a disapproving look.
"If you two meatheads want to throw away everything we've worked for, fine," Katara says as she stands up angrily. "Go ahead and glow it up!" She yells as she turns around and begins to walk away.

"Katara, I'm just being realistic," Aang says. "I don't have time to do this the right way," He says sadly as she storms out of the room and silence washes over the room.
"I would leave to, but it's really hard to stand up on my own," I say as I cross my arms in annoyance.
"So, you're not actually okay?" Sokka asks me as if he had proven something.
"I'm fine," I tell him, yet again.
"You just said-" He begins to say, but I cut him off.
"Goodnight, Sokka," I say in irritation as I turn my back to him, and try to get some rest.

The Next Day.

They had tried countless things to get Aang into the Avatar State, even Sokka tried, but nothing had worked. Half of me wanted this to work, but deep down I knew this was all wrong. Katara had gone to talk to Aang and try to convince him to stop trying, but it didn't work. So, I had decided to talk to him. I walk up to the balcony, struggling to climb the stairs, but I get up eventually. I look up and see him looking at the sunset, sadness in his eyes. I take a deep breath as I walk over and stand beside him, watching the sunset too.
"Do you really want to do this?" I ask after a few moments of silence.
"I have too, Elua," Aang says, I sigh.
"No, you don't," I tell him.

"Don't you get it? Hundreds, if not thousands of people have died!" Aang shouts in anger. "The only way to end this is to kill the Fire Lord," He says as he crosses his arms.
"Stopping the Fire Lord way end the war, but it won't end all the suffering," I state, he sighs.
"I can't let more people die," Aang affirms.
"I know, but this isn't the way," I tell him, he throws his hands up.
"Then what should I do!?" He shouts in anger and frustration.
"You need to master the elements and then fight the Fire Lord," I say calmly.

"I can't wait that long," Aang says shaking his head. "I'm sorry Elua, but I have to do this," He says as he walks away, leaving me up here alone. I turn and watch him walk away, I sigh as I turn back around and watch the sunset. After the sun has set, I hear footsteps behind me but I ignore them and watch the stars in the night sky sparkle.
"There you are!" I hear Sokka say. "I've been looking all over..." He trails off as he sees my upset expression. "What's wrong?" He asks as he stands beside me and frowns in worry.
"Nothing," I say shaking my head, but he doesn't seem to believe me. "I'm just stressed," I say as I look away from him.

"You're worried about Aang, aren't you?" Sokka asks.
"Of course I am, he's my little brother," I say simply.
"He'll be alright," He says, trying to reassure me.
"I hope you're right, I really do," I whisper as I walk over to the stairs I had struggled to get up. I stare at the steps, unsure if I could get down them or not, and sigh.
"...Do you want help?" Sokka asks as he walks over to me, I look over to him and nod a little embarrassed. "You know, there's no shame in asking for help," He tells me as he takes my hand and begins to help we down the stairs.

"I know."

The Next Day.

Sokka and Aang had left a while ago, but Katara and I had decided to stay behind. We keep hearing crashes and rocks breaking from outside.
"I wonder what crazy thing they're trying now," Katara wonders out loud as we hear another crash outside.
"Maybe we should go, just to make sure Aang's okay," I say nervously. Katara looks over to me and nods as we walk out of the room. We quickly walk down a staircase into a courtyard and see Aang is being attacked by General Fong and many of his men. We hear footsteps behind us and turn around to see Sokka looking worried.

"What's going on?" Katara asks him in concern.
"The general's gone crazy. He's trying to force Aang into the Avatar state!" Sokka informs us. We look at him shocked, Katara runs to help and I go to too, but Sokka stops me.
"You stay here!" Sokka orders me.
"What? I can't just stand here!" I shout in protest, wanting to help protect my brother.
"Sure you can, you're already doing it," He says as he runs and throws his boomerang, hitting one of the soldiers and cutting off the spear of another. Sokka knocks the soldier off his ostrich horse and jumps on it.

"Maybe you can avoid me, but she can't," Fong shouts as Katara is suddenly surrounded by soldiers. Katara bends a stream of water at Fong, but he raises a piece of the earth, creating a patch of mud in front of him. Fong bends Katara into the ground, making her up to her knees in the dirt. She struggles to escape but, the ground doesn't budge.
"Aaahhh! I can't move!" Katara shouts in fear.
"Don't hurt her!" Aang yells to Fong as he shoots a blast of air at him, but Fong blocks it with a wall of earth.
"Ahhh!" Katara shouts as Fong makes her sink into the ground further.

"Katara! No!" Sokka shouts in panic and anger as he rides the ostrich horse over to them, but Fong sinks the animal's legs into the dirt and Sokka goes flying off.
"Stop this!" I shout as I stand behind in front of Fong and behind Aang.
"You have to let her go!" Aang says as he kneels in front of Fong.
"You could save her if he was in the Avatar state!" Fong yells.
"I'm trying...I'm trying!" Aang says as he closes his eyes and concentrates.
"Aang! I'm sinking!" Katara shouts in fear as she continues to sink further and further.
"I don't see glowing," Fong says.

"You don't need to do this!" Aang shouts in despair.
"Apparently I do," Fong says as he earthbends Katara all the way into the ground. Aang dives for her and just barely misses her hand as she sinks, I stare in shock. Aang's tattoos begin to glow as he enters the Avatar state and a gust of air hits Fong, sending him flying back.
"Avatar Aang, can you hear me?!" Fong shouts as he stands back up. "Your friend is safe! It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar state, AND IT WORKED!" Fong shouts as he brings Katara back up from the ground, I sigh in relief as I run over to her and make sure she's alright.

I turn to where Aang is and see him slam into the ground, large chunks of the earth rise up from the ground, sending Earth Kingdom soldiers into the air and destroying most of the army base.  Aang falls to the ground, no longer glowing. Katara and I run over to him and kneel down beside him, look at him in worry as Katara hugs him tightly.
"I'm sorry," Aang says weakly. "I hope you never have to see me like that again," He says sadly.
"Hah! Are you joking?" Fong asks with a crazy look in his eye. "That was almost perfect! We just have to find a way to control you when you're like that," He says smiling like a mad man.
"You're out of your mind," I tell him as I stand up and glare at him angrily.

"I guess we'll figure that out on the way to the Fire Nation," Fong says, ignoring me. Sokka rides up behind Fong on the ostrich horse and hits him on the back of his head with his boomerang, knocking him out and sending him to the ground.
"Anybody got a problem with that?" Sokka asks the soldiers as he dismounts from the animal, it runs off as the soldiers walk over to us and bow.
"Do you still want an escort to Omashu?" One of them asks us.
"I think we're all set," Katara tells him angrily as we walk over to Appa and take off. Hopefully, we never see General Fong ever again.