Hey there guys! Here is the next installment of an Avatar's Blessing! Ok for the next few chapters it's all about their vacation. They will all be part of chapter 4 but probably won't have much to do with each other. Think of them as drabbles or separate oneshots. Anyway enjoy this chapter! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I had rounded a corner when someone smacked right into me! We both fell to the floor from the impact. I sat there for a few seconds, rubbing my forehead, thinking how stupid this situation was. When I opened my eyes I saw a girl, about my age, sitting across from me rubbing her own forehead. She was wearing a light yellow dress. It was draped loosely about her small figure and fell a little below her knees. Through the shear fabric I could see another shorter dress that came just above her knees. When she opened her eyes her two grey orbs entranced me. They sparkled with laughter and fun and freedom. She stood up and offered me her hand after a moment. Hesitantly I took it and she pulled me to my feet. Wow, she was strong. After a moment of pulling myself together she smiled widely at me.
"I'm Nia. Who are you?" she asked quite plainly.
"Zhang," I stated a little cautiously.
"Cool! Hey you wanna play with me?" she asked excitedly. I looked at her. Here was this girl I had never even met before. Even though we hadn't known each other for five minutes she was already willing to be friends. She wasn't like the other girls I had come across before. She had that adventurous look in her eyes, like she wasn't afraid of anything. I don't know why, but I nodded. She smiled even wider and took my hand. "Come on! Let's play explorers! I know of this really cool place! Come on I'll show you!" And with that she ran pulling me along to this special place of hers.
"Don't be such a baby! Even if he finds us here he won't care! I've been here loads of times with Uncle Iroh!" she stated quite plainly.
"You know Uncle Iroh?" I asked. Although he was only the Fire Lord's uncle everyone called him Uncle Iroh.
"Duh! Of course I know Uncle Iroh! Now come on and look at the view!" she said. She ran over to the balcony and hopped up on it.
"Nia, be careful! You could fall!" I warned but she only chuckled at me, like she knew a secret that I didn't. I cautiously walked over to her and stood at the balcony with her minus the whole standing on the railing thing. I gasped. The view was amazing. You could see everything from up here! "Wow…" I breathed. Nia nodded silently beside me. She looked at me and smiled after a moment. I smiled back. This was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. I returned my gaze back to the view of the capital before me. How long I stayed like that I don't know. All I know is that when I turned my head again to look at Nia, she was gone.
"Who is your friend here, Zhang?" the cook asked.
"This is my new friend Nia. Nia, this is my mom," Zhang replied. Nia did a slight curtsy and turned back to Zhang.
"You wanna go for a swim with me? I asked if Yu Jin (the Fire Princess) could come with me but she had some lessons. So what do you say?" she asked.
"I don't know… I mean I have chores to do and stuff…" he replied.
"Aww… come on! It'll be fun! Please Miss Cook! Can he come swimming with me?" Nia begged. After a moment the cook nodded. "Yes! Come on Zhang!" Nia said pulling Zhang out of the kitchen.
When they reached one of the gardens outside of the guesthouse Nia stripped down to her underwear and dove in. After a moment she popped up from the water and spouted water out of her mouth. "Come on in Zhang! The water is great!" she coaxed.
Zhang was going to protest but decided against it. He too stripped down and walked in to the water. "Are you sure we won't get into trouble?" he asked.
Nia rolled her eyes. "Of course we won't get into trouble. Now come on! I'll race you to the other side!" She suddenly jumped out of the water. When she landed, she didn't sink but instead she was propelled forward towards the other side of the lake.
"Hey!" Zhang exclaimed before he swam after her. When he finally reached the shore on the other side, Nia was sitting idly twirling the water in front of her. "Cheater…" he muttered. Nia chuckled and released her hold on the swirling formation. "Hey! You're a waterbender!" Zhang exclaimed finally realizing it.
"Of course I am, dum dum! How'd you think I got across so fast?" she replied.
"No, no. It's not that. It's just that I'm a waterbender too. But here in the Fire Nation there aren't many of us," Zhang said causing the water to rise then fall over and over again.
With a mischievous grin, Nia jumped into a stance. "Duel me," she commanded.
"I don't know Nia… I'm not really all that good and…" Zhang was interrupted when a large wave knocked him into the water. He came up spluttering to see Nia standing in the water laughing. "All right! You asked for it!" and the two were locked in combat.
After dueling for about half an hour (Nia had won) the two were just casually talking on the shore of the lake.
"Nia! It's time for your waterbending lesson!" a voice called from some where in the palace.
"Who was that?" Zhang asked.
"My mom. We're out here at the lake, Mom!" Nia called back.
"Oh. Well, I don't want to be a third wheel…" Zhang said standing up to leave. A hand stopped him on his wrist.
"Why don't you stay? I'm sure my mom would love to give you a waterbending lesson! Besides, when will you get another chance like this? My mom has to be the greatest waterbender in the world,"
"And you know it," a voice came from the entrance to the garden. The two kids turned. A tan-skinned woman stood in the archway wearing nothing but her underwear. "Who's your friend, Nia?" she asked.
"This is my new friend Zhang. Zhang, this is my mom," Nia said. Zhang looked back and forth between the two. Nia had grey eyes while her mom had blue. Nia had a lighter skin tone while her mother's was darker. Nia had large ears while her mom had small ones. Nia's face was round and rosy while her mother's was slim and elegant. They chuckled. That was the only similarity. "Yah, I don't see the resemblance right now either. My mom says that when I'm older I might look more like her, but for now I just look a lot like my dad when he was younger," Nia said. After explaining that Nia turned to her mother. "Hey, Mom! Guess what! Zhang is a waterbender! Do you think he could stay for the lesson too?"
"A waterbender, you say? How did you end up here in the Fire Nation?" Nia's mother asked.
"My mother is from here while my father is from the Northern Watertribe. They met secretly during the war. He died when I was young from an illness. We've been here ever since. My mom is the head cook here," Zhang explained.
"So can Zhang stay for the lesson?" Nia asked hopefully.
"Why not? It will be fun to have two of you. Now Zhang. Let's see what you've got."
"Yes, Sifu Katara," Nia replied.
"Alright. Let's see those octopuses," Katara said. The two moved through the forms, creating eight watery legs around them. Katara would give them objects to grab or throw ice at them to dodge and destroy. "Very good, my young pupils," she praised. The two smiled.
"Thank you, Sifu Katara," the two said in unison.
"Hello there, Sifu Katara," a voice came from the garden entrance. Zhang gasped at the tattooed man. Nia smiled widely at the Avatar and ran up to him.
"Papa!"
Zhang was mind-boggled. Nia was the Avatar's daughter? He would have never ever guessed that in a million years. It somehow made him feel all the better knowing that the Avatar's daughter was his new friend. They walked over to the edge of the lake. Zhang could see what Nia meant earlier when she said she looked similar to her dad. Their eyes, ears, and even smiles were identical. While Nia dove in and swam back out to where Katara and Zhang were standing the Avatar was stripping down and soon following her out too. He walked out and stood next to Katara.
"Hello, my dear wife," he said giving her a peck on the cheek. "Who is this?" the Avatar asked as he smiled down at Zhang.
"This is my friend Zhang, Papa! Sifu Katara was just giving us a waterbending lesson," Nia said.
"Nice to meet you, Zhang," Aang said bowing. Here was the Avatar bowing! To him! Zhang couldn't believe it but he bowed back.
"Nice to meet you too, Sir," Zhang replied.
"So you three are having a lesson? You know you're very lucky. Sifu Katara is the best waterbender in the world. She taught me everything I know. You mind if I join you guys?" Aang said.
"Of course, Pupil Aang. I could use an assistant anyway," Katara replied smiling. Nia chuckled.
"This is going to be fun," she whispered to Zhang.
"That was you just airbending there?! I thought only the Avatar could do that!" he exclaimed.
"Well seeing that I'm his daughter, I don't get why you're surprised," Nia said.
"But that means you can waterbend and airbend! Can you bend earth and fire too like your dad?" Zhang asked.
Nia chuckled. "No. Just waterbend and airbend. I guess it has to do with being the Avatar's daughter too," she replied lying back down on the grass. After a moment Zhang walked over to her.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Looking at the stars," she replied plainly. "Aren't they amazing?"
Zhang hadn't thought about it before. Turning his gaze upward he did have to admit they were pretty interesting. He lay down next to her.
"They just go on forever. Like a whole sea of diamonds," Nia said softly after a few moments. Zhang nodded. "Do you think we could be like the stars?" Nia asked quietly. Zhang turned to face her with a confused look on his face.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Do you see that group of stars right there?" Nia asked pointing to a group of bright stars. Zhang nodded. "Connect the dots. What do you see?" she said. Zhang was still confused. "If you were to draw lines connecting those stars, what would the picture be?" she explained. He looked again.
"I'm not sure. What do you see?" Zhang asked.
"I see the Star Picture Mi You. They were two friends that ran away to the night sky. The boy was a prince and the girl was a servant. There parents didn't approve of their friendship so they ran away to the sky so that they could be best friends forever," Nia said. Zhang looked up again and saw the picture of the two holding hands in the sky. Nia and Zhang sat there in silence for a long time after that, staring at the stars.
"Do you think we could be like the stars?" Nia asked again. They looked at each other and smiled.
"I'd like to be," he whispered. Nia sat up.
"Friends?" she asked holding out her little hand.
"Best friends," Zhang replied shaking her hand with his own.
"Forever…" Nia whispered laying back down.
"Like the stars…"
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YAY! I'm done with this chapter! I like the friendship between the two. That whole waterbending lesson thing was fun too. Like father like daughter. And the end is my favorite part. Imagine the constellation to look like the Gemini constellation. Now remember Zhang. Although this is like the only time you'll see him in this book he will play a major role in the next. Also remember Yu Jin. Even if she wasn't here much in this chapter she will be in others and she will also be a major character in the next book. Anyway thanks so much for reading! Please review! Peace out!
AN AVATAR'S BLESSING
CH. 4
PART 2
LIKE THE STARS
After uneventful visits to the North Pole and Northern Air temple, Aang, Katara, and Nia were headed for the Fire Nation capital. After seeing that everything was going well with the Northern Temple's restoration and a quick visit they had gone to the Northern Water Tribe only to discover that Sokka and Tia weren't there. They stayed at the water tribe for about a week before leaving for the Fire Nation.---------
(New character POV)
I had finally finished my chores. After cleaning the stables, washing dishes, and helping organize the rooms, I was free! Let me tell you, it is no fun working at the Fire Lord's palace. With a three-year-old fire princess it is no walk in the park. Normally I would be her playmate; she was only three years younger than me at the time. My mom was the head cook here. I helped out after school to earn some extra money. I had left the kitchen after having a snack with my mom when it happened.I had rounded a corner when someone smacked right into me! We both fell to the floor from the impact. I sat there for a few seconds, rubbing my forehead, thinking how stupid this situation was. When I opened my eyes I saw a girl, about my age, sitting across from me rubbing her own forehead. She was wearing a light yellow dress. It was draped loosely about her small figure and fell a little below her knees. Through the shear fabric I could see another shorter dress that came just above her knees. When she opened her eyes her two grey orbs entranced me. They sparkled with laughter and fun and freedom. She stood up and offered me her hand after a moment. Hesitantly I took it and she pulled me to my feet. Wow, she was strong. After a moment of pulling myself together she smiled widely at me.
"I'm Nia. Who are you?" she asked quite plainly.
"Zhang," I stated a little cautiously.
"Cool! Hey you wanna play with me?" she asked excitedly. I looked at her. Here was this girl I had never even met before. Even though we hadn't known each other for five minutes she was already willing to be friends. She wasn't like the other girls I had come across before. She had that adventurous look in her eyes, like she wasn't afraid of anything. I don't know why, but I nodded. She smiled even wider and took my hand. "Come on! Let's play explorers! I know of this really cool place! Come on I'll show you!" And with that she ran pulling me along to this special place of hers.
---------
"Nia, I don't think we're supposed to be up here. What if the Fire Lord catches us?" We were in the Fire Lord's observation tower."Don't be such a baby! Even if he finds us here he won't care! I've been here loads of times with Uncle Iroh!" she stated quite plainly.
"You know Uncle Iroh?" I asked. Although he was only the Fire Lord's uncle everyone called him Uncle Iroh.
"Duh! Of course I know Uncle Iroh! Now come on and look at the view!" she said. She ran over to the balcony and hopped up on it.
"Nia, be careful! You could fall!" I warned but she only chuckled at me, like she knew a secret that I didn't. I cautiously walked over to her and stood at the balcony with her minus the whole standing on the railing thing. I gasped. The view was amazing. You could see everything from up here! "Wow…" I breathed. Nia nodded silently beside me. She looked at me and smiled after a moment. I smiled back. This was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. I returned my gaze back to the view of the capital before me. How long I stayed like that I don't know. All I know is that when I turned my head again to look at Nia, she was gone.
----------
(Normal POV)
Zhang had been washing dishes in the kitchen when Nia burst through the doors. "Hi, Zhang! Hi, Miss Cook!" she said happily."Who is your friend here, Zhang?" the cook asked.
"This is my new friend Nia. Nia, this is my mom," Zhang replied. Nia did a slight curtsy and turned back to Zhang.
"You wanna go for a swim with me? I asked if Yu Jin (the Fire Princess) could come with me but she had some lessons. So what do you say?" she asked.
"I don't know… I mean I have chores to do and stuff…" he replied.
"Aww… come on! It'll be fun! Please Miss Cook! Can he come swimming with me?" Nia begged. After a moment the cook nodded. "Yes! Come on Zhang!" Nia said pulling Zhang out of the kitchen.
When they reached one of the gardens outside of the guesthouse Nia stripped down to her underwear and dove in. After a moment she popped up from the water and spouted water out of her mouth. "Come on in Zhang! The water is great!" she coaxed.
Zhang was going to protest but decided against it. He too stripped down and walked in to the water. "Are you sure we won't get into trouble?" he asked.
Nia rolled her eyes. "Of course we won't get into trouble. Now come on! I'll race you to the other side!" She suddenly jumped out of the water. When she landed, she didn't sink but instead she was propelled forward towards the other side of the lake.
"Hey!" Zhang exclaimed before he swam after her. When he finally reached the shore on the other side, Nia was sitting idly twirling the water in front of her. "Cheater…" he muttered. Nia chuckled and released her hold on the swirling formation. "Hey! You're a waterbender!" Zhang exclaimed finally realizing it.
"Of course I am, dum dum! How'd you think I got across so fast?" she replied.
"No, no. It's not that. It's just that I'm a waterbender too. But here in the Fire Nation there aren't many of us," Zhang said causing the water to rise then fall over and over again.
With a mischievous grin, Nia jumped into a stance. "Duel me," she commanded.
"I don't know Nia… I'm not really all that good and…" Zhang was interrupted when a large wave knocked him into the water. He came up spluttering to see Nia standing in the water laughing. "All right! You asked for it!" and the two were locked in combat.
After dueling for about half an hour (Nia had won) the two were just casually talking on the shore of the lake.
"Nia! It's time for your waterbending lesson!" a voice called from some where in the palace.
"Who was that?" Zhang asked.
"My mom. We're out here at the lake, Mom!" Nia called back.
"Oh. Well, I don't want to be a third wheel…" Zhang said standing up to leave. A hand stopped him on his wrist.
"Why don't you stay? I'm sure my mom would love to give you a waterbending lesson! Besides, when will you get another chance like this? My mom has to be the greatest waterbender in the world,"
"And you know it," a voice came from the entrance to the garden. The two kids turned. A tan-skinned woman stood in the archway wearing nothing but her underwear. "Who's your friend, Nia?" she asked.
"This is my new friend Zhang. Zhang, this is my mom," Nia said. Zhang looked back and forth between the two. Nia had grey eyes while her mom had blue. Nia had a lighter skin tone while her mother's was darker. Nia had large ears while her mom had small ones. Nia's face was round and rosy while her mother's was slim and elegant. They chuckled. That was the only similarity. "Yah, I don't see the resemblance right now either. My mom says that when I'm older I might look more like her, but for now I just look a lot like my dad when he was younger," Nia said. After explaining that Nia turned to her mother. "Hey, Mom! Guess what! Zhang is a waterbender! Do you think he could stay for the lesson too?"
"A waterbender, you say? How did you end up here in the Fire Nation?" Nia's mother asked.
"My mother is from here while my father is from the Northern Watertribe. They met secretly during the war. He died when I was young from an illness. We've been here ever since. My mom is the head cook here," Zhang explained.
"So can Zhang stay for the lesson?" Nia asked hopefully.
"Why not? It will be fun to have two of you. Now Zhang. Let's see what you've got."
---------
"Here, let me show you, Nia. If you move your hands closer together like this, you'll protect your center better. See how Zhang's got his hands?" Katara was showing the two the Octopus Form. They weren't really going to be practicing it much; she just wanted the two to get a feel for it. Zhang had gone through Katara's lesson with a breeze. It seemed that waterbending came naturally to him. Nia on the other hand needed a little help from time to time."Yes, Sifu Katara," Nia replied.
"Alright. Let's see those octopuses," Katara said. The two moved through the forms, creating eight watery legs around them. Katara would give them objects to grab or throw ice at them to dodge and destroy. "Very good, my young pupils," she praised. The two smiled.
"Thank you, Sifu Katara," the two said in unison.
"Hello there, Sifu Katara," a voice came from the garden entrance. Zhang gasped at the tattooed man. Nia smiled widely at the Avatar and ran up to him.
"Papa!"
Zhang was mind-boggled. Nia was the Avatar's daughter? He would have never ever guessed that in a million years. It somehow made him feel all the better knowing that the Avatar's daughter was his new friend. They walked over to the edge of the lake. Zhang could see what Nia meant earlier when she said she looked similar to her dad. Their eyes, ears, and even smiles were identical. While Nia dove in and swam back out to where Katara and Zhang were standing the Avatar was stripping down and soon following her out too. He walked out and stood next to Katara.
"Hello, my dear wife," he said giving her a peck on the cheek. "Who is this?" the Avatar asked as he smiled down at Zhang.
"This is my friend Zhang, Papa! Sifu Katara was just giving us a waterbending lesson," Nia said.
"Nice to meet you, Zhang," Aang said bowing. Here was the Avatar bowing! To him! Zhang couldn't believe it but he bowed back.
"Nice to meet you too, Sir," Zhang replied.
"So you three are having a lesson? You know you're very lucky. Sifu Katara is the best waterbender in the world. She taught me everything I know. You mind if I join you guys?" Aang said.
"Of course, Pupil Aang. I could use an assistant anyway," Katara replied smiling. Nia chuckled.
"This is going to be fun," she whispered to Zhang.
---------
It was late at night. Zhang had snuck down to the kitchen for a snack. As he walked back to his mother's quarters, he passed by the garden. He could make out a figure lying in the grass. As he stepped closer, the startled figure airbended off of the grass, jumping into a stance. As he stepped into the garden the figure relaxed. "Oh, Zhang! You startled me there," Nia said. Zhang's eyes widened."That was you just airbending there?! I thought only the Avatar could do that!" he exclaimed.
"Well seeing that I'm his daughter, I don't get why you're surprised," Nia said.
"But that means you can waterbend and airbend! Can you bend earth and fire too like your dad?" Zhang asked.
Nia chuckled. "No. Just waterbend and airbend. I guess it has to do with being the Avatar's daughter too," she replied lying back down on the grass. After a moment Zhang walked over to her.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Looking at the stars," she replied plainly. "Aren't they amazing?"
Zhang hadn't thought about it before. Turning his gaze upward he did have to admit they were pretty interesting. He lay down next to her.
"They just go on forever. Like a whole sea of diamonds," Nia said softly after a few moments. Zhang nodded. "Do you think we could be like the stars?" Nia asked quietly. Zhang turned to face her with a confused look on his face.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Do you see that group of stars right there?" Nia asked pointing to a group of bright stars. Zhang nodded. "Connect the dots. What do you see?" she said. Zhang was still confused. "If you were to draw lines connecting those stars, what would the picture be?" she explained. He looked again.
"I'm not sure. What do you see?" Zhang asked.
"I see the Star Picture Mi You. They were two friends that ran away to the night sky. The boy was a prince and the girl was a servant. There parents didn't approve of their friendship so they ran away to the sky so that they could be best friends forever," Nia said. Zhang looked up again and saw the picture of the two holding hands in the sky. Nia and Zhang sat there in silence for a long time after that, staring at the stars.
"Do you think we could be like the stars?" Nia asked again. They looked at each other and smiled.
"I'd like to be," he whispered. Nia sat up.
"Friends?" she asked holding out her little hand.
"Best friends," Zhang replied shaking her hand with his own.
"Forever…" Nia whispered laying back down.
"Like the stars…"
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YAY! I'm done with this chapter! I like the friendship between the two. That whole waterbending lesson thing was fun too. Like father like daughter. And the end is my favorite part. Imagine the constellation to look like the Gemini constellation. Now remember Zhang. Although this is like the only time you'll see him in this book he will play a major role in the next. Also remember Yu Jin. Even if she wasn't here much in this chapter she will be in others and she will also be a major character in the next book. Anyway thanks so much for reading! Please review! Peace out!