“Remember to be on your best behavior.” Katara told the kids while they waited outside da the pond for Zuko, Mai, and Jin. Toshiro played with Momo.
“You know te can trust me, Mom.” Haruki told his mother.
“Try to have some fun this time.” Katara told her son, kneeling down on the floor so their eyes were level and putting her hands on his shoulders. “I don’t want te to just watch your cousins have fun, I want te to have fun too.”
“Mom, te and I both know there’s no time for fun when there’s a war going on.” Haruki told his mother seriously
“Kya’s almost of warrior age but she knows to have some fun.” detto Suki
“You’re still a kid,” detto Sokka, “How about having fun like a kid while te still can? te know, play games, run around, anything.”
Haruki looked away from his family, sulking.
“Fine.”
“Hi everyone!” yelled Jin, running outside, a big smile on her face.
“Hi, Jin.” detto Sokka, accepting a hug from the young girl, “How are you?”
“I’m fine.” Answered Jin, “Mom and Dad will be out here in a few minutes.”
“I don’t need a few minutes,” detto a voice, “I’m here.”
“Hi, Zuko,” Sokka and Zuko grasped arms.
“I’m sorry Toph couldn’t make it,” detto Katara, hugging Zuko, “She’s having troubles at home.”
“Her parents still don’t understand that she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself.” detto Sokka, “They keep offering to take care of Rikiya for her.”
“Well I’m glad the three of te could make it. The meeting will be set up in an hour. In the mean time I need to talk to te privately.”
“Kids, why don’t te go explore the palace for a bit?” suggested Katara
“Yeah, we get it,” detto Kya, taking Toshiro’s hand and walking away, “You guys wanna be alone.”
She and the other kids walked away from the adults and into the palace. Jin led them to her room. Haruki watched Toshiro and Jin play with Momo while Kya laid on Jin’s bed, deep in thought.
“I wonder what this meeting is supposed to be about.” detto Kya
“It’s about the war.” detto Jin, “My dad’s been pretty paranoid about it.”
“Too bad we can’t go to the meeting.” detto Toshiro
“Or maybe we can.” detto Kya, sitting up, an idea popping in her head.
“No, we can’t.” detto Jin, “We’re underage.”
“We can just sneak in.” detto Kya
“Bad idea.” detto Haruki
“Oh, Haruki.” detto Toshiro, annoyed, “Learn to have some fun for once. So how should we sneak in?” he added, looking at Kya.
“We’ll go into the trono room where the meeting is before everybody goes in and hide behind something. This way we can hear what’s going on.”
“Sounds good to me.” detto Toshiro, smiling.
Haruki hesitated then shrugged, “Eh, why not? I just want to know whose winning.”
“Jin?” asked Kya, looking towards the silent princess
“What if we get caught?” asked Jin, “I don’t want him to get really mad at me.”
“I promise te we won’t get caught. Mom taught me about stealth and how to be quiet and sneaky and everything. We’ll be fine as long as we stay well hidden and we don’t make a sound. We can’t even breathe loudly either!”
Haruki, Jin, Kya, and Toshiro hid behind separate pillars in the trono room. In the middle of the room was a tavolo where the admirals, war ministers, and generals of the fuoco Nation and Earth Kingdom sat. Zuko sat in his trono while Sokka, Katara, and Suki sat at the end of the tavolo in front of Zuko. On the tavolo was a map of the Earth Kingdom. A general from the Earth Kingdom was giving his segnala to Zuko.
“The Chikara Army still has control over some parts of the Earth Kingdom here,” he pointed somewhere on the map, “Here,” he pointed again at another location, “And here. They’ve started to try taking over Omashu. They may succeed since their army is growing and we’re becoming più outnumbered.”
“What do te suggest we do?”
“I suggest putting up più security in the Earth Kingdom where there are no benders. Ba Sing Se and Omashu are completely inhabited with earthbenders but they could use some più help. Perhaps have some waterbenders and firebenders help with the security.”
“Katara,” detto Zuko, looking at her, “What do te think of that suggestion?”
“I agree with the general’s suggestion,” detto Katara, “As long as some waterbenders stay in the North Pole to protect their tribe. If the Avatar was born in the North Pole he o she may need some protection.”
“You don’t believe that the Avatar was born in the South Pole?”
“There weren’t any children in our tribe born the giorno Avatar Aang died and some of us searched all over and did not find any newborns.”
“Forgive me but how do we know that there is a new Avatar?” asked a fuoco nation admiral, “How do we know the cycle didn’t end?”
“The Avatar wasn’t in the Avatar State when he died,” Zuko answered, glaring at the admiral that spoke out of turn, “If he died while in the Avatar State the cycle would be broken.”
The admiral remained silent after Zuko detto this.
“Katara, Sokka, you’ve been Friends with the last Avatar longer, if the new Avatar is in the North Pole, what do te suggest we do?”
“I think maybe we should send a message to the Northern Water Tribe,” detto Sokka, “Ask them if the Avatar is in their city and tell them they need to protect him o her.”
At that moment, a servant ran into the trono room. She ran to his trono and bowed deeply.
“Please forgive me, fuoco Lord Zuko,” she said, looking distressed, “But it’s an emergency.”
“A message came from the leader of the Chikara Army.”
Sanosuke sat on the floor in his house, absentmindedly practicing his waterbending using a bowl of water. Khalil, a family friend and Sanosuke’s teacher, supervised him as he did this.
“Very good, Sanosuke,” detto Khalil, “I’d say in a few years you’ll become a master.”
Sanosuke sighed and stopped bending.
“Is something bothering you?” asked Khalil.
“I haven’t heard from my father in two weeks, Khalil.” detto Sanosuke, sadly, “Do te think he’s all right?”
“You must remember, Sanosuke,” Khalil sat down in front of Sanosuke, “Your father is fighting in the war. He may be dealing with something right now.”
“I know,” Sanosuke looked at his reflection in the bowl of water, “It’s just that he promised he would send me a message at least once a week.”
“Just be patient, I’m sure he is fine.”
The eight-year-old boy smiled at Khalil and continued his bending.
“You know te can trust me, Mom.” Haruki told his mother.
“Try to have some fun this time.” Katara told her son, kneeling down on the floor so their eyes were level and putting her hands on his shoulders. “I don’t want te to just watch your cousins have fun, I want te to have fun too.”
“Mom, te and I both know there’s no time for fun when there’s a war going on.” Haruki told his mother seriously
“Kya’s almost of warrior age but she knows to have some fun.” detto Suki
“You’re still a kid,” detto Sokka, “How about having fun like a kid while te still can? te know, play games, run around, anything.”
Haruki looked away from his family, sulking.
“Fine.”
“Hi everyone!” yelled Jin, running outside, a big smile on her face.
“Hi, Jin.” detto Sokka, accepting a hug from the young girl, “How are you?”
“I’m fine.” Answered Jin, “Mom and Dad will be out here in a few minutes.”
“I don’t need a few minutes,” detto a voice, “I’m here.”
“Hi, Zuko,” Sokka and Zuko grasped arms.
“I’m sorry Toph couldn’t make it,” detto Katara, hugging Zuko, “She’s having troubles at home.”
“Her parents still don’t understand that she’s perfectly capable of taking care of herself.” detto Sokka, “They keep offering to take care of Rikiya for her.”
“Well I’m glad the three of te could make it. The meeting will be set up in an hour. In the mean time I need to talk to te privately.”
“Kids, why don’t te go explore the palace for a bit?” suggested Katara
“Yeah, we get it,” detto Kya, taking Toshiro’s hand and walking away, “You guys wanna be alone.”
She and the other kids walked away from the adults and into the palace. Jin led them to her room. Haruki watched Toshiro and Jin play with Momo while Kya laid on Jin’s bed, deep in thought.
“I wonder what this meeting is supposed to be about.” detto Kya
“It’s about the war.” detto Jin, “My dad’s been pretty paranoid about it.”
“Too bad we can’t go to the meeting.” detto Toshiro
“Or maybe we can.” detto Kya, sitting up, an idea popping in her head.
“No, we can’t.” detto Jin, “We’re underage.”
“We can just sneak in.” detto Kya
“Bad idea.” detto Haruki
“Oh, Haruki.” detto Toshiro, annoyed, “Learn to have some fun for once. So how should we sneak in?” he added, looking at Kya.
“We’ll go into the trono room where the meeting is before everybody goes in and hide behind something. This way we can hear what’s going on.”
“Sounds good to me.” detto Toshiro, smiling.
Haruki hesitated then shrugged, “Eh, why not? I just want to know whose winning.”
“Jin?” asked Kya, looking towards the silent princess
“What if we get caught?” asked Jin, “I don’t want him to get really mad at me.”
“I promise te we won’t get caught. Mom taught me about stealth and how to be quiet and sneaky and everything. We’ll be fine as long as we stay well hidden and we don’t make a sound. We can’t even breathe loudly either!”
Haruki, Jin, Kya, and Toshiro hid behind separate pillars in the trono room. In the middle of the room was a tavolo where the admirals, war ministers, and generals of the fuoco Nation and Earth Kingdom sat. Zuko sat in his trono while Sokka, Katara, and Suki sat at the end of the tavolo in front of Zuko. On the tavolo was a map of the Earth Kingdom. A general from the Earth Kingdom was giving his segnala to Zuko.
“The Chikara Army still has control over some parts of the Earth Kingdom here,” he pointed somewhere on the map, “Here,” he pointed again at another location, “And here. They’ve started to try taking over Omashu. They may succeed since their army is growing and we’re becoming più outnumbered.”
“What do te suggest we do?”
“I suggest putting up più security in the Earth Kingdom where there are no benders. Ba Sing Se and Omashu are completely inhabited with earthbenders but they could use some più help. Perhaps have some waterbenders and firebenders help with the security.”
“Katara,” detto Zuko, looking at her, “What do te think of that suggestion?”
“I agree with the general’s suggestion,” detto Katara, “As long as some waterbenders stay in the North Pole to protect their tribe. If the Avatar was born in the North Pole he o she may need some protection.”
“You don’t believe that the Avatar was born in the South Pole?”
“There weren’t any children in our tribe born the giorno Avatar Aang died and some of us searched all over and did not find any newborns.”
“Forgive me but how do we know that there is a new Avatar?” asked a fuoco nation admiral, “How do we know the cycle didn’t end?”
“The Avatar wasn’t in the Avatar State when he died,” Zuko answered, glaring at the admiral that spoke out of turn, “If he died while in the Avatar State the cycle would be broken.”
The admiral remained silent after Zuko detto this.
“Katara, Sokka, you’ve been Friends with the last Avatar longer, if the new Avatar is in the North Pole, what do te suggest we do?”
“I think maybe we should send a message to the Northern Water Tribe,” detto Sokka, “Ask them if the Avatar is in their city and tell them they need to protect him o her.”
At that moment, a servant ran into the trono room. She ran to his trono and bowed deeply.
“Please forgive me, fuoco Lord Zuko,” she said, looking distressed, “But it’s an emergency.”
“A message came from the leader of the Chikara Army.”
Sanosuke sat on the floor in his house, absentmindedly practicing his waterbending using a bowl of water. Khalil, a family friend and Sanosuke’s teacher, supervised him as he did this.
“Very good, Sanosuke,” detto Khalil, “I’d say in a few years you’ll become a master.”
Sanosuke sighed and stopped bending.
“Is something bothering you?” asked Khalil.
“I haven’t heard from my father in two weeks, Khalil.” detto Sanosuke, sadly, “Do te think he’s all right?”
“You must remember, Sanosuke,” Khalil sat down in front of Sanosuke, “Your father is fighting in the war. He may be dealing with something right now.”
“I know,” Sanosuke looked at his reflection in the bowl of water, “It’s just that he promised he would send me a message at least once a week.”
“Just be patient, I’m sure he is fine.”
The eight-year-old boy smiled at Khalil and continued his bending.