This has to be the longest single story I've ever written-twelve pages worth of this! And naturally, it's something that makes no sense. It took me most of yesterday, and the latter half of today to finish it. It's not exactly what you're used to seeing, if you've read something of mine before, and some parts seem to stretch on, but I think it works this way. It's one of those reversed nation AUs, where the Water Tribes are evil and whatnot, but of course, I had my own spin it! I hope you like reading it, as much as I worked on it!

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Avatar the Last Airbender

Through the silent, iceberg littered ocean, a small boat slowly navigated around the huge blocks of ice. Three figures were nestled close together in the expertly carved craft, carved from heavy driftwood. The boat had been painted royal blue with swirling white symbols on the flanks; the bow was curved upward and designed into the shape of a canine's open jaws as it howled to the heavens above; it was spacious, though the majority of the space was filled with animal skin packs and bags that weighted down the boat.

"Sokka, pass me some of the seal jerky, you oaf." A young woman held out her gloved hand towards her companion. Her voice was soft, though demanding, as she glared at said boy. She was brown skinned underneath her heavy parka and scarf. "Give it!" Her eyes were a lovely cobalt color and her pale pink lips were full. "Sokka…" Underneath the heavy, violet colored scarf that she wore, her hair was the color of virgin snow and pulled into a neat braid. "Please?" Her name was Yue, she was sixteen years old, and looked every bit of it.

The boy, Sokka, was fifteen. He tilted a fur sack to his mouth and shook it gently, trying to get every crumb of seal jerky out. His skin was similar to his female companion's, but his eyes were a shade lighter. Where her hair was white, his hair was a deep brown, shaved closely on the sides and then pulled into a knot on the top, bound by a dark blue ribbon. The color of his parka was lighter than hers, trimmed in black, and he wore no scarf. Strapped to his back was a professionally crafted boomerang that had a ragged edge and a smoother one for gripping. Moving the sack from his mouth, he tossed it at the older girl and grinned cheekily. "Here ya go!"

With a roll of her eyes, Yue shook the bag and then shifted her glare to Sokka before taking her right mitten into her teeth and pulling it off, tossing it down beside her. She stuck her hand into the food bag and revealed a long strip of meat. As Sokka reached to snatch it back, she held up her hand and narrowed her eyes. "You've had enough. Stop being greedy, it's unbecoming, right, Katara?"

There was, in fact, a third member on the boat, though she was standing with her foot propped on the bow. She, too, had smooth bronze skin and wide azure eyes that gazed serenely out towards the still ocean. Her hair was a thick, brown mane, and where the other girl's was straight, hers was wavy and free. Instead of a heavy fur coat, she wore a thinner outfit that was dark gray and light blue, with long sleeves and billowing pants. Around her shoulders was a heavy gray fur cloak, with the head of a slain wolf still attached and used as a hood. She was the most serious of the three, though she was the youngest-just barely fourteen.

"Hush!" She snapped at her older companions. "We could have stalkers on our trail and not here them because you're bickering over food! That you didn't help prepare!" She spun on her head and sat down before them, sighing. "Pass me some. And to answer your question, everything about my brother is unbecoming of a prince."

All three of them were royalty in their own right. They belonged to a civilization known as the Water Tribes that ruled the North and South poles, as well as the majority of the east. Katara and Sokka, brother and sister, were the heir and heiress of the Southern Tribe and the children of the chief Hakoda. Yue, their companion, was the sole princess of the more aloof Northern Tribe and daughter of Arnook, Hakoda's counterpart.

There had once been four nations that inhabited the world: The Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, and a race of peaceful, nomadic people known as the Air Nomads. They all had a specific art known as bending that their race possessed, though not all people had this ability to manipulate one of the four natural elements to their will. There was one person, though, that could bend all of the elements, as well as connect the Spirit World with the physical one. They were known as the Avatar, or divine medium between both worlds, born to keep balance among them. The ascension of the Avatar followed the elements: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, continuing in an infinite cycle. A century ago, during the cycle of the Air Avatar, the Water Tribes had been ruled by two twin brothers known as Taquik and Ujariq. They were benevolent rulers, until ambition clouded their thoughts and they joined forces to wage war against the other three nations. In only five years' time, they had obliterated the entire world population Air Nomads in hopes of destroying the Avatar.

Only to find that the Avatar had simply vanished. The Water Tribes were not foolish people, they were never ones to hunt for something not easily found, and instead turned their attentions to the large threat that was the Earth Kingdom. Using a strategy that included using their waterbending power at the zenith of the lunar cycle, during a time when the moon was closest to the earth, they cut through the gigantic nation and split it in half and taking the east-where the capital was located-for themselves. Without commands coming from their central intelligence, the nation was no longer a threat. Only now, there was one nation that fought against the Water Tribes, and that was the Fire Nation. The two warring countries were evenly matched with bending prowess and weaponry, and also spiritual intervention on both sides. Every century, the firebenders were strengthened with the power of Agni's Comet while the waterbenders were elated with the power of the moon coming closer on its orbit path.

Winning this war will not be easy. It had raged on for over a century, but soon that would change. Katara, along with her brother and Yue, were on a mission…to find the Avatar, after a hundred years of hiding.

"Katara? Katara?" Sokka's voice shattered her inner monologue. "Katara!" His gloved knuckles tapped her temple. "Hello?" His face was inches from her own, and she could smell his meat-scented breath. "I know you aren't thinking about this stupid war again, are you? Look, I know you care about the victory of the Water Tribes and how if we destroy the world, we can build a new, peaceful one and yah yeah yah….It's your fault Dad sent us out here anyway. 'Maybe we can find the Avatar!' Find the Avatar, my stinky socks! " He let out a yelp as Katara struck him over the head with her forearm. "Ow! What was that for?"

His sister had narrowed her eyes and was glaring at him. "Calling the war stupid? It's treasonous to speak that way, Brother. You could lose you chance at the throne." Her brows furrowed and her nostrils flared, she cast a reprimanding glower at her older brother. Though she and Sokka were close, there was still a steep rivalry between them in competition for the throne.

Sokka rubbed his head where Katara's blow had landed. He glared at her while pouted before turning back to Yue, "Do you see how mean she is to me, Yue? Do you see what I have to put up with while you're up north or in Ba Sing Se?" Ba Sing Se was the Earth Kingdom capital that had been conquered long before their births. "And our mom and dad never say anything to her! Just because she can move some stupid magic water!"

Yue giggled in response as she reached over the side of the boat with her ungloved hand, moving her fingers in a rising and falling motion. The water around them danced to her command until she had pulled a small sphere of liquid from the ocean. "Maybe because she's a girl and you're a boy."

Katara smirked as she moved her own right hand into a fist and jerked at the air. The water that Yue had been manipulating flew from the older girl's control and came at Katara. With an expert flick of her wrists, she caught it and held it in the air. "Or because he acts a fool, more like it." Both she and Yue were waterbenders, while Sokka showed no inclination towards the sacred and ancient art. The girls had been called prodigies, having mastered the element only a year ago.

Sokka stuck out his tongue at his younger sister before his eyes widened in surprise as he caught sight of something beyond them. "Uh…K-Katara, I-I think t-that you should, uh, uh, uh, use your magic water to uh, move that iceberg…." He was pointing in horror over Katara's shoulder, stammering and shuddering. "I don't wanna die!"

At the same moment, Katara and Yue raised their gazes to take in the looming shape of a pale white iceberg. In unison, the two girls erupted into screams and grabbed onto Sokka, whose cry was the shrillest. "Don't hang on to me, do something! You're the waterbenders!"

In a simultaneous motion, the girls raised their hands high above their heads. The ocean swelled to their command and lifted the water around the boat, throwing the tiny boat backwards. Yue let out a chilled breath and made a smoothing gesture with her hands. The water was hardened into ice under the boat and stretched across the distance towards the iceberg. And as suddenly as it had begun, the chaos was over and the ocean was silent. A breath of relief rippled across the three teenagers.

"That was close," Katara sighed, dropping her hands to her side and grinning at Yue. "And we didn't ruin Dad's boat. Good looking out, Sokka! That's the only thing you can do and not make a fool out of yourself!" She reached down and patted her elder brother on the head before he swiped her away. "Right, Yue? Yue?"

The Northern Water Tribe princess was staring straight ahead at the iceberg, her eyes distant. At the sound of her name, she blinked and shook her head sharply. "Follow me," She said softly and leaped over the side of the boat, sliding across the ice towards the ice. "I want to go check this iceberg out."

Sokka shook his head and crossed his arms. "I'm not. I refuse to hurt myself by walking across that. Nope. I will stay right here where I am." He turned his head to the sky, and stuck out his bottom lip. "I refuse." He looked over at Katara, who was already springing from the bow of the boat. "Aww man, no one sides with me. " Following his sister's lead, he clambered onto the ice and promptly slipped. Crying out in surprise, the Water Tribe prince pushed himself to his feet. Yue and Katara were already standing next to the iceberg, waiting for him to cross. "Wait, just a second, I'm coming." He picked his way across the stretch of ice, prancing towards his sibling and friend.

Finally, when the boy had joined up with his companions, Yue pressed her hands to the iceberg's smooth sides. "I don't know why…but I just think there's something about this. I feel some connection to something inside it. Do you think we can crack it?"

Katara shrugged and glared at Sokka as his mouth fell open. "Really? You want to open a block of ice? And I thought Katara was the strange one." He narrowed his eyes at the ice, "It can be cracked though, with a little manpower." He sidled up to the piece of ice and knocked his knuckles against the block. "And I do mean manpower. " He snickered.

Obviously offended, Katara shoved her brother aside and snatched his boomerang from his back strap. "Shut up, Sokka." She passed the weapon to Yue and stepped back, ignoring Sokka's indignant cries. "I said shut up, Sokka! Or I'll waterbend you!"

Yue grit her teeth and clutched the boomerang tightly in her hands, unsure on how to hold it properly. Leaning back on her left foot, she swung forward and struck a section of the ice. Her teeth rattled at the impact of the blow, but she stepped back and evaluated her work. A thin crack ran along the length of the iceberg. "It's working!"

Katara clenched her fists and strengthened her stance before lifting her hands high above her head. As Yue once again struck the ice with the boomerang, she bent the ice apart further apart. The iceberg split cleanly in two, causing Sokka to cry out in surprise. Yue dropped the boomerang and stepped back, clutching Katara's wrist. "There is something in there," She whispered. "Something."

From within the iceberg, something stirred. Yue let out a shocked gasp, eyes widening. "It's a person!" She ran forward and clambered up the side of the shattered iceberg, heaving herself over the edge. "Come on, guys, it's a person!"

With Sokka on her heels, Katara scrambled up over the ice and hauled herself over. The inside was hollow and was steeped at an angle, so she could slide down towards the princess. The Southern Water Tribe heiress slid towards her friend at the bottom of the hollow cavity.

Yue was holding a human in her arms, looking down at them gently. "It's a little kid." She whispered. True to her words, a small boy was lying limply in her grip. He was about eleven, maybe twelve, years old judging by his face. A bush of black hair was sticking straight up over his head and underneath his hair were the beginnings over a pale blue tattoo in the shape of an arrow. His mouth was agape. He wore thin clothes made of red, yellow, and orange fabrics. At the end of his sleeves, were also arrow shaped tattoos. "Look!"

Katara and Sokka crept closer, mirroring each other's suspicious looks. "Is he alive?" Katara inquired, leaning over Yue's shoulder, raising a thin brown eyebrow. "He has tattoos!" Arrow tattoos, she silently noted. Arrow tattoos. "What are you going to do with him?"

Yue looked up from the boy's still face. "We're going to take him to the Southern Water Tribe palace and get him healed of course. The poor little thing, he must be so sick." She brought a gloved hand to his face before slipping it under his back and rising to her feet. "We'll get you home, little Koinu." She looked up, "Come on; let's get back to the tribe."

"Why did you call him a puppy? He doesn't look much like a puppy." Sokka said, narrowing his eyes at the child. "He looks dead. Why don't we leave him here?" He grimaced as Katara slammed her arm into his stomach. "Ow! But it's true!"

In the Northern Water Tribe's princess's arms, the boy child stirred. His eyes flickered open briefly and he murmured against Yue's parka. "Appa?" He whispered before stilling once more and hanging limply over her arms.

"What's an Appa?" Sokka asked, looking at Katara, as though she would know. "Is it a food? I like food." He narrowed his eyes at his sister, "What are you doing? Having an epiphany?" For a moment, he turned his head as Yue struggled to lift the boy over the side of the cavity.

Katara was gazing at the boy, her eyes hardening. She looked up sharply, breathing deeply. "There's something about that boy," She whispered, pointing at him with her index finger. "I can't place it, but there's something about him that's…not right. And I intend to find out." Her voice was low, meant for Sokka's ears only. "He's not like any other person I've seen." Not that she had seen many people, but there were Earth Kingdom servants in the palace. She planted her hands on the edge of the ice and heaved herself up and over. Can he be…an Air Nomad? In an iceberg? She had seen pictures in scrolls during her lessons, but they hadn't always been accurately drawn. At least, not like this boy, but if this boy was an Air Nomad, then their job was not finished. And she would destroy him. Personally.

Across the world, in another country, there was a palace nestled into the base of a long dead volcano. It had stood against the attacks that the Water Tribes had thrown against it, and though was damaged, the city beneath it stood strong. In this grand palace-rivaling the beauty of the Water Tribes'-there was the royal family of the Fire Nation. As far as genetics went, the people of the Fire Nation were polar opposites of the Water Tribes. They were generally pale skinned, narrow eyed people, with straight dark hair and golden eyes, where the Water Tribes people had dark skin, wide blue eyes, and wavy hair.

"Lu Ten?" Inside the palace, a young girl called all through the dark tiled halls. "Where are you?" She was about fourteen years old and was the typical Fire Nation beauty: pale skinned, high cheekbones, thin lips, dark hair, and golden eyed. She wore her dark brown, nearly black, hair pulled into a topknot with two locks of hair hanging from either side of her angular face. Her name was Azula, and she was the secondary princess of the Fire Nation, beneath her mother. Adorning her scalp was a two pronged hairpiece, made from pure gold. "Zuko?" Her voice was sharp and demanding, even when she tried to be gentle. She could see two figures further down the hall, conversing quietly. Her breath hitching in her throat, she ran down the corridor towards the two males.

As she approached, the young men looked up. The older looker of the two, Lu Ten, was her cousin and Heir Apparent to the throne of the Fire Nation's ruler, the Fire Lord. Azula's uncle, Iroh, and therefore Lu Ten's father had elected him as his regent. Beside him was Zuko, Azula's older brother, though he wasn't exacty her favorite person. Both wore topknots, but Lu Ten sported his with a kind of grace that came with age and being outside of the Fire Nation, fighting in the war against the Water Tribes. He no longer had that obligation, now that his father was Fire Lord and he was Crown Prince.

Six years ago, when Azula was still a child, her grandfather had ruled the nation. He had been an ancient man and powerful ruler, but had suffered from a diseased body for most of his life. She still remembered the night when he had called the whole family to his bed and gave them his death blessing. She had clutched her mother's robes when he had pointed his bony finger at her and beckoned her forward, patting her head gently and telling her a secret. Their secret. It was the only time she had ever been afraid, and even now she berated herself. Fear was not an emotion to show during war.

"Well, little cousin, if you really like her, you should tell her how you feel," Lu Ten was saying as she halted before them, grinning darkly. "Is there a problem? Or do you want some advice from the Master of Love?" He said jokingly, returning her grin with a broad, cunning, smile of his own.

"What do you want, Azula?" Zuko asked rather spitefully, narrowing his eyes at his younger sister. They were two years apart, but it seemed more like decades at time. "I'm trying to have a conversation with Lu Ten, if you don't mind." There had always been a rivalry between them, for as long as she could remember.

Azula smirked, "But I do, brother. I do." She batted her eyes at Lu Ten, "Do you know where my mother might be, dear cousin? Better yet, where is my father?" She had always favored her father over her mother. "I would like to speak to him." Her voice was sweet as she looked up at her cousin.

The corners of Lu Ten's lips turned up in a brief smile. "I'm not sure where Princess Ursa is, but Uncle Ozai is in the war chamber with Father." He shrugged, "I think it's a private conference, though, so I wouldn't try to enter. I really didn't want to hear what they were talking about. I've seen and heard about enough bloodshed for a lifetime."

Bowing respectfully, Azula nodded. "Thank you, dear cousin." In his few words, he had given her all the information she needed. I knew he and Uncle didn't want to fight the Water Tribes. That's why Father should be on the throne, he would use the comet to push them back before the Silver Night, when the full moon is closest. It was treason to think of such things, she knew, but they were her thoughts, and Azula had never been one to submit easily. But the order of succession can be solved after the war. She took off down the hall, listening to the hum of their voices as Lu Ten and Zuko resumed their conversation.

Quickening her step only by a fraction, Azula navigated the halls of the palace towards the inner sanctum, where the war room was located. She knew the place well enough to walk it with her eyes close, having spent her whole life wandering these halls. The war room was just around this corner and…

"Princess Azula?" There were two surly guards at the entrance of the room. At their recognition of her, they dipped at the waist. "Do you wish to enter, Princess?" The taller of the two asked, stepping back. "You must remember the strict rules of the war room…"

"I'm not a fool," Azula interrupted, her voice venomous. "Let me enter now." She tapped her foot as the two guards pushed open the doors of the war room. "Thank you, good sirs." Brushing by them, Azula slipped into the dark room with a sure and silent step.

The war room was lit only by the red-gold flames that flickered against a tiled dais, shielding a stout silhouette. On the floor before them was a huge map that showed the politic status of the world. The two poles and most of the eastern Earth Kingdom were colored blue, showing they were owned by the Water Tribes. There was a small portion of green, and then west was dyed red with Fire Nation territory.

Six solemn figures were seated by this map, with their legs crossed and their heads dipped respectfully. Many were war generals and other important military figures, while the two closest to the dais were more revered members of the royal family.

Azula slid silently through the shadows until she was kneeling next to the figure on the immediate right of the Fire Lord's throne. She dipped her head respectfully and looked up to see her mother knitting her brows at her from where she sat across the room. Princess Ursa was a clever, beautiful, though sad eyed woman who was best known for her military strategy, and though Azula wasn't exactly fond of her mother, she gave honor where honor was due.

Beside her, Azula felt her father-the second prince-elbow her lightly in the side and clear his throat. Prince Ozai, brother to Fire Lord Iroh, was a renowned soldier on the battlefield against the Water Tribes, though he had been withdrawn years before to become one of her uncle's advisors. Personally, Azula thought it should have been the other way around, but she could not argue.

Zuko and Azula took after their father height-wise-their mother was taller than Father, and thinner-but their looks were expertly blended. There would times when Azula would notice she had Mother's lips and Father's nose, with Mother's eyes and Father's dark eyebrows, and then she had Father's strong shoulders with Mother's delicate hands. Both of her parents were firebenders and she had inherited the trait, being classified as a prodigy. Zuko, on the other hand, was horrible at bending fire, if Azula was one to decide.

"If we are to defeat the Water Tribes before the turn of the moon, we must use Agni's comet. We mustn't destroy them, but if there is to be peace, they must be stopped." From behind his veil of flames, Fire Lord Iroh spoke, rising to his feet. His voice was gruff and he took unnecessary pauses at times. He was a short, robust man who had also served in the army, before returning home prior to Fire Lord Azulon's death. He should know that the waterbenders should be crushed, Azula thought, but her uncle was too jovial and sagacious to be so extreme.

"I beg to differ. If the Water Tribes were simply halted in their path of war, what makes you think that they would simply give up? They took Ba Sing Se, the world's cultural center, and made it into a headquarters for a network of spies and assassins. We should use the comet and crush their hold on Ba Sing Se, disappear their royal families, and then go from there, instead of sitting here like idling pig-chickens!" Azula froze, her mouth hanging open. She had said that. She had said that, out loud. In a war room. In front of the Fire Lord. She had said that in the war room in front of the Fire Lord, and her father.

Slanted golden eyes pierced her skin and she felt her father's nails dig into the skin of her arm in a painful pinch. She was sure if he did that with his dominant, she would have bled. Azula looked towards Iroh, only to see that the flames surrounding him had winked out.

The Fire Lord was doubled over in laughter, holding his great girth of a belly. "Dear niece, I've never agreed more with you!" Beneath him, the other war generals gave soft, forced laughs to please their lord. Except Ozai who was glaring at his daughter with unreadable emotion in his gaze.

Azula wasn't sure whether she should laugh along with them, or still sit there with her mouth hanging agape. She looked across at her mother, who was composed even in her amusement. At least I wasn't like Zuko, being a blundering idiot. The princess crossed her arms before her chest and arched her back, casting a glance in her father's direction.

"I expected more out of you," Ozai growled to her under his breath. "Or are you more like your brother than I once thought?" His golden glare caught her like a firemoth caught in the web of a wolf spiderfly. He had taught her everything about expressions. There is no need to speak, when your eyes are communication enough. And right now, he's more than annoyed. He's furious. "Don't disappoint me, Azula."

I won't. Azula replied with her eyes and bit her tongue as the Fire Lord and general ceased their laughter and fell back into stoic diplomacy. And the rest of the war conference went on without disturbance or memorable event, with her mother's cool gaze and her father's blazing one swirling over her skin like turbulent weather.

The Southern Water Tribe palace was made of steel, built to withstand the cold weather and possible enemy attacks. The surrounded parts of the city, though, were constructed out of ice. The palace stood proud among the other buildings, which were only about half the width of the chief's home. The city, built on paths of rock that had been revealed to be under the snow, was located on the coast of the South Pole, where ships could easily be spotted and granted entrance to the capital. The city in the North Pole was more diplomatic and constructed for beauty, while its sister tribe was more practical and used the perilous ice for protection.

After docking their boat amongst the warships-also built from metals-Katara, Sokka, and Yue with the airbender in her arms, leaped onto the wooden pier. Even though they were royalty, the heirs of the Southern Tribe were granted more freedom than Yue, which is why she anticipated her family's visits to the south.

"I'm going to count how many weird looks we get from the people. We go out on a playful mission and instead come back with a kid who was stuck in an iceberg. Who would have thought?" Sokka flailed his hands in the air and rolled his eyes. "Why isn't he blue?"

Katara rolled her eyes, wrapping her cloak tighter around her body. Despite the extreme cold of their environment, she was the least cold. "Because, it's possible he's about to die or wherever he's from, it was the same temperature." She stared at the boy, whom she was fairly certain he was an Air Nomad. He should be dead. If he is the last Air Nomad, she fingered the bone razor that she kept in her pocket. Sokka had taught her to wield it years ago, though she wasn't a person for weaponry.

Yue rolled her shoulders and shifted the boy as the trio slipped into the ever present throng of people that inhabited the streets of the city. Many were of Water Tribe descent, while there were some who had mixed ancestry with those of the Earth Kingdom. Those people mainly lived in the colonial parts of the Water Tribes, since genetics denied them the strength to withstand the freezing temperatures.

This street of the capital was where many wares were sold and traded, including furs, candles, spices, and other wares. The shouts of merchants and consumers alike filled their ears and the three royal teenagers slipped among them, going by almost unnoticed. It wasn't like this in the North, where things were more dignified and restrained.

Sokka stopped and turned to Yue, smoothing down her scarf so that it covered her white hair. "Don't want people screaming that the Northern Princess is here. You know, since you're almost old enough to get married and whatever," He shrugged nonchalantly and stuck out his tongue when Katara snorted.

And then, the great steps of the Southern Water Tribe palace were before them. Men with painted faces and spears lined the entrance, staring stoically before them. Sokka held up his hand and bowed slightly to the men. "Brothers," He said, sounding more mature than he had only moments before.

In one smooth movement, the men all took one step sideways, revealing a path to the entrance. Katara stepped onto the first step, her chin lifted proudly. She continued to walk up the steps, her eyes straight ahead. Yue followed, with the boy over her shoulder. They passed another set of guards until they were officially inside the palatial residence.

The walls were high and arched upwards towards the domed ceilings, painting black, blue, and silver. Sparkling beneath their boots, the tilted floor showed their reflections as they passed through the grand hall with Katara taking the lead.

"What are we going to do with the child?" Yue asked, as though she knew where Katara was headed. "Don't you think we should take him to Lady Kya?" Kya was the head healer in the palace, as well as Hakoda's wife. "So she can treat him first?"

Katara shot a glance at Yue over a shoulder, with an expression that clearly read: Do you see me heading towards the infirmary? "The chief would not be pleased if we didn't inform him of a new stranger in his palace, near his children." With those words, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and continued to walk. "And so, we are going to see my father."

Casting a look at Sokka, Yue saw that the boy was pulling his parka over his head. The interior of the palace was noticeably warmer than the outside. Had she not been holding the child, she would have done the same. She sighed. This hall seemed to stretch on forever, but she knew it lead to the chief's throne room. The palace in the North was not this way, for meetings were held in the grand courtyard, not in some central room.

Two female warriors with swirling tattoos on their cheeks and above their eyes, caught side of the tribal princesses and prince and stepped aside, revealing the heavy black curtain that marked the entrance of the chief's room. They crossed their forearms over their breast and bowed as Katara shoved the drape aside. As Sokka and Yue shuffled after her, the Northern Princess clutched the unconscious boy tighter to her chest.

The conference room was brightly lit with lanterns, and smelled of sweet imported incense. There was a long rug in the center of the room, lined with cushions. Only one of those cushions, though, was occupied at the moment, by a large and powerfully built man. If Sokka was older, and wasn't so gangly, this man would look just liked him. His hair was thick and brown, brushing the nape of his neck, with the exception of two beaded locks that dangled by his left ear. He was dressed in deep blue Water Tribe armor, with a bone necklace around his neck. Lying at his side was an equally ferocious black and gray canine, with a bone collar to match its master's.

"Father," Katara began, causing the man to look up from stroking the dog. She crossed her right forearm over her chest and elbowed Sokka, reminding him to do the same. "We've returned, and not without disappointment. The Avatar was not found, but instead, there was a child in an iceberg." She gestured to Yue's arms.

Hakoda looked surprised. "You found this living child in an iceberg, you say? He is peculiar, I'll say that much." His cerulean eyes twinkled and he inclined his head, burying his hands into the fur of the dog's back. "Sokka, why don't you and Princess Yue take him to your mother, to see if she can save him? I must speak with your sister."

Sokka nodded, rolling his eyes when Hakoda wasn't watching. "Yes, Dad. Come on, Yue, let's get your little kid some medicine. And then let's get something to eat, I'm starving." He took Yue by the forearm and led her from the room, muttering about "annoying little sisters".

When the three of them-including the boy-were gone, Katara dropped elegantly onto the cushion across from her father. "About the iceberg, it's true," She began, "I believe the child is an Air Nomad. He has tattoos that match the history, and his looks are similar to those described. But how could he have been locked away in an iceberg?" She patted the dog, whose name was Narak. "If my suspicions are true, and he is an Air Nomad, could he have known the Avatar? Is he the Avatar?"

Hakoda shook his head. "If the boy is the Avatar, then our search is over. If he dies, then we will have no problem with finding his reincarnation. If he is simply an Air Nomad…then you know what to do." He raised his chin, "There mustn't be a trace that you've done the deed. If he is the Avatar, though, we will spare him and use him to our own benefit when the time comes. He shall be raised as a Water Tribesman, so he will have loyalty only to us."

Katara nodded, rising to her feet. "I understand, Father." She held out the razor and smirked, "The task is as good as done." With those words, she left the room. "I won't fail you, Dad. I never do." As she pushed her way through the curtained entrance, the princess thought of Yue and how she held the boy. An attachment?It wouldn't matter.

Yue kneeled by the boy's side. Kya had been busy with another matter, and so one of her subordinates had treated the child by simply checking his lungs and giving Yue a flash of warm tea to give him when he finally came around. Sokka had gone to find food, complaining of an abused stomach. Honestly, she didn't understand the Southern siblings at times. "You know, little Koinu," She whispered, using the word for puppy again. He was small and gentle looking with his eyes closed. "How did you end up in the iceberg? Well, I'm sure you don't know either. But that's alright. If you are an Air Nomad…they'll kill you."

The boy stirred, opening his eyes slightly. Yue say they were gray, like flint. And then, he was staring at her in blurry, confused eyes. He opened and closed his mouth, as though he was trying to remember how to speak. "W-who are you? Where am I? Where's Appa?"

The Northern Water Tribe princess raised an eyebrow. "I'm Yue, and you're in the Southern Water Tribe palace. And I don't know what an Appa is." She held up the flask. "But I need you to drink from this. It's a healing tea, so you won't get sick after being in ice. By the way, what's your name?"

"My name is Aang," He said, brightening for a moment. "Ice? What do you mean I was stuck in ice? And Appa isn't an Appa. He's Appa, my flying bison!" The boy, Aang, looked around. "This is the Southern Water Tribe? It looks different from when I last saw it. But seriously, where is Appa?"

Perhaps being lodged in an iceberg had scrambled his brains. Yue sighed when she saw he wasn't going to drink from the flask. "We found you in an iceberg and there was no 'flying bison' in the ocean near your location. Wait…what's the last thing you remember?"

Aang looked at her as though she was stupid. "Appa and I had been flying over the ocean from the Southern Air Temple for about a week when a storm hit and we landed on a glacier to wait it out. Then the storm got worse and…I don't remember after that." His young face fell and his hands drifted to his scalp. "Wait….I have hair? Air Nomads don't have hair!"

He is an Air Nomad. Yue thought. "Perhaps it grew why you were in that iceberg. What year was this, when you left the Southern Air Temple?" After the whole population of Air Nomads had been eradicated, the temples have been ravaged and left in ruins. Could this boy be from the past? Could he really have been in the iceberg for a century?

Counting on his fingers, the Air Nomad boy shrugged. "I was twelve when they told me…when…" He fell silent, "Which was twelve years after Avatar Roku died. That couldn't have been that long ago, so I'm guessing a few months at best? The Water Tribe can build really fast!"

Yue shook her head. "No, Aang. Avatar Roku," She spoke the name with hatred, for the Fire Avatar was hated among her people, "Avatar Roku died over a hundred years ago. That means…you're a hundred and twelve years old, at least." She knew ice could preserve things, but preserving a living boy? For a hundred years?

"Pssh, I don't believe it! Do I look that old to you?" Aang looked questioningly at her, but his eyes wandered to some point over her shoulder. "Who's that?" He raised his hand and pointed. "Why is she looking at me like that?"

Even before she turned, Yue knew who it was. She looked into Katara's smoldering blue gaze and forced herself to have a glare of her own. "Don't hurt him, Katara. He's only a child," She could see the point of the bone razor that the younger princess had partially concealed in the folds of her clothes. "He may be an Air Nomad, but you can't kill him. He's the Avatar! I won't let you kill a child!" On impulse, Yue bent the tea from the flash she had been holding and held it at ready.

Katara paused and the boy child gasped. The waterbender's eyes brightened and she let her blade clatter to the floor. "Is he?" She looked at Aang, her gaze softening just a bit. "In that case, I would never harm an innocent little boy." The corners of her lips turned up into the beginning of a cunning smile and Yue's blood chilled. "Come, come, little boy, I want you to meet my father."

If you noticed, I changed Yue's personality a bit, so it would fit better with this AU. And if you can place who was based on who in this fic, you get...a congratulations! And sprinkles! It's not as obvious as it seems! Feedback is forever appreciated!