Heimat | Aang

PROLOGUE - PART ONE

The ocean was angry. Waves crashed on the vessel sailing out in the open sea, it had been days since the crew had last seen land. They were growing agitated, getting irritated with every mild jab, like the waves of the sea surrounding their small vessel. Sea water was sprayed on the deck, falling on the sailors that had gathered, a crowd consisting of most of the members of the crew on board.

In the middle of the crowd stood two members of the crew. One of them was a man, dressed in the usual Fire Nation armour all navy officers wore, his helmet disregarded some feet behind him, dark, overgrown hair covering his forehead and part of his face. He was cracking his fingers, a furious glare in his eyes as he snarled at his opponent.

"I had enough of you acting as if you're better than all of us! Let's settle this here, right now!"

His opponent stood calm, as if there was no storm brewing in the horizon, as if the waves rocking the ship were nothing but a lone man attempting to break down the walls of Ba Sing Se with his bare fists. They were dressed in Fire Nation armour as well, most of the parts of their body covered, leaving only their hands seen-dark and lithe-and the only difference between the two navy officers at first glance was their uniform - there was a small curve at the chest of his opponent's uniform, indicating it was a woman.

She regarded him calmly, her helmet in place, showing none of her thoughts on the matter of their disagreement. She looked over at him, her eyes a rare shade of blue one could only find in a few lakes and rivers in the Earth Kingdom as she ignored the cheers of the crowd around them. She spoke up slowly, her voice cutting through the yelling as clear as crystal.

"You don't want to fight with me."

There were a few laughs as her opponent's jaw twitched and at once, he lowered his stance. With a battle cry, he surged forward.

She ducked beneath his raised arm and walked away, avoiding his punches and kicks, her eyes narrowing the more he fought and attempted to hit her. She didn't think of fighting back once, not encouraging him to keep up his efforts, ignoring the calls of her fellow sailors claiming she should fight back, give them a show. She evaded his attacks, up to the moment he managed to get too close. He kicked the side of her helmet.

She took a few quick steps back, her eyes narrowing as her opponent turned to those supporting him with a smirk. She raised both hands to her helmet and took it off. The face revealed was hauntingly beautiful, one of a woman with high cheekbones and plump lips, light eyes a stark contrast against her skin. She raised a hand to her nose, her eyes hardening as she saw blood.

She turned to her opponent and she rolled her shoulders with a glare. "I warned you."

He laughed, completely disregarding her threat. She didn't waste a second to rush forward.

She reached him with a few quick strides and the real fight began.

They exchanged punches so quickly one almost couldn't catch sight of their hands. They blocked the other's attacks, and it appeared as if they were tied. It was then the few droplets of sea water on the deck in the part he was standing at slowly caught ice. No one noticed as he slipped, and she took the chance to bring him down, an elbow moving around his neck, cutting off his oxygen. He writhed against her in an attempt to break free. Her hold only got tighter.

"Surrender," she hissed in his ear as the crowd around them called out for him to give up. He didn't say a word, only clawed at her arm in an attempt to shake her off, but she wouldn't budge. He was almost about to lose consciousness when a voice cut in the ruckus.

"Tapeesa! Let him go!"

The woman pursed her lips at the call, gaze hardening in recognition. As if attempting to prove a point, she squeezed the man one last time before she pushed him off. She didn't spare a look behind her as her opponent gasped for breath. She turned around and reached for her helmet just as the Captain of the ship appeared through the crowd, his expression furious. Tapeesa brushed the blood on her nose away as the man behind her finally managed to stand back on his feet without gasping for air.

"There will be no more fights on my ship!" the Captain called out as he looked at the two of them with a glare. "Is it understood?"

Her rival spoke up, "Captain, she-"

"Do you think I don't know who is the one causing ruckus in my ship, Lee?" he hissed as he took a threatening step towards him. Lee fell silent as the Captain turned to Tapeesa. "Your actions will have severe consequences!"

The Captain whirled around without another word and she walked away from the deck as well, not without sending one last warning glare at Lee, who returned it with the same fervor. She headed back to the place the crew stayed at. She retreated to a secluded, closed-off part of the room, glanced around, and wordlessly, raised a hand to the side of her nose, droplets of water raising at her command and moving to her injury. Her hand glowed slightly before it stopped. She put on her helmet once more before she moved to her bed and settled down.

She listened to the waves, rocking the vessel back and forth in any direction they wished, and willed the ship to reach its destination faster.

Welcome everyone to Heimat!
This is a story I had been thinking of for a while now but I only just managed to find the time and inspiration to write it down, so here it is!
I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it (which is a lot, there is something about the atla universe I love and can't get enough of). Updates for this book will be twice a week, every Monday and Thursday, so please look forward to it.
I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions to this story!
Love, Olga