Fool's World: 100 Years (ch. 34) (Patreon)

It was daunting just how much the world had changed in a hundred years. There were relics of what once was -- Bumi had been the greatest of them all, but for the most part, the world seemed to have forgotten its history so very quickly. It was hard at times. Extremely hard. Seeing the Western Air Temple being converted into a home for refugees -- seeing the once pristine waterfalls, the ancient statues, and the peaceful way of life changed so radically…

There were days when Aang really did feel like an old man of a hundred and twelve years old. Digging in his heels, resisting the change that he discovered in the world because it felt like he had just blinked his eyes and suddenly everything was so very different. But, Aang liked to think he accepted the change for what it was… and being an old man didn't mean he couldn't change at all.

"Excellent, Katara," Pakku stated, pleased with Katara's form as she coaxed the waves into increasingly intricate shapes. It was a very far cry from forbidding her from learning at all like he had when they first showed up at the Northern Water Tribe. Now it was obvious to everyone that she was his favorite student. And by obvious, Aang meant very obvious. Katara could trip and fall on her face and Pakku would praise her for it.

"Thank you, Master Pakku," Katara said, slowly turning the water to ice and forcing it to maintain its shape and balance upon a narrow pedestal. The others in the class were struggling a lot, but Aang wasn't sure why.

Waterbending was easy. It was like airbending, just wet.

Aang smiled as he bent the water, creating a loopty loop, an incredible spiral that soared up before falling and twisting through the loops. He changed the shape of the design easily, deicing the water to improve the design -- if he had a sled and enough speed, the course would be amazing. Could penguins go that fast? He hoped so! Wait, did penguins only live in the south pole?

"Your form is excellent. Feel the course of the water, its weight, how it pulls and shifts," Pakku stated, starting to speak to the rest of the class. "Waterbending is a discipline that embodies change. It is the element of change. It takes the shape of its surroundings, it can be cold, or it could be hot. It can submerge you, or it could pound down with bone shattering force. The water is only shaped by your will… and your talent," Pakku continued, his hands tucked behind his back as he inspected all of his students' progress.

Aang got the feeling that he didn't like how easily waterbending came to Aang. Katara had been upset too, in the beginning, when she had been his initial teacher. He had tried to explain how similar airbending and waterbending were, but they weren't the Avatar. They couldn't airbend… so they couldn't understand.

"That is enough. Freeze your projects," Pakku instructed, inspecting each one. He didn't heap praise on the rest of the students. He just hummed and grunted like the old monks at the Air Temple used to. Aangs project was last and he stood a bit taller, throwing on a wide smile at Pakku. The older man inspected his piece for a long moment, narrowing his eyes at the twists and spins.

Then he grunted and walked away. Aang tried not to let the lack of praise get to him, and Katara totally deserved all the praise that she got! He just wished that Pakku… shared the praise a bit. "Class is dismissed," he decided and the class of waterbenders immediately began to break down into groups that started to charge away.

"Hey, Katara! Wanna go find some penguins?" Aang asked, earning a patient smile that told him his answer.

"Sorry, Aang, but I have to go to the healing hut for lessons now," Katara told him and Aang did his best to not let his disappointment show. He wished that he had any talent for the healing arts -- if only because it would mean that he and Katara would have another class together -- but it was a woman only bending art. More than that, only women in the North Pole had it. Which sucked. A lot. "I think Sokka is around? I'm sure he'll go with you," she said, seemingly picking up on his disappointment anyway.

Aang kicked a small piece of ice, "He's been doing nothing but making kissy faces at Princess Yue." It was obvious. Like, really, painfully obvious.

Katara smiled at him, "Then you need to drag him out with you. For his own sake," Katara muttered, waving bye at him before she started to head up the steps to the healing building. Before, she fought to stay out of the building, not pleased at all that it had been the only form of waterbending she had been allowed to learn. After she fought Pakku to learn with the boys, she earned the right to learn traditional waterbending, but now when she wasn't learning from Pakku, she was learning healing.

Leaving Aang alone for the most part.

Lonely wasn't something he felt often in his life, but Aang felt it most keenly as he made his way through the capital of the Northern Water Tribe. Everything was made out of waterbent ice, so it wasn't cold to the touch. Everything was very white, though, with water flowing through canals under bridges, or through trenches for daily use. The entire city was designed for waterbenders, Aang reflected as he headed up to the massive wall that marked the perimeter of the city. Kinda like how Omashu had been made with earthbenders in mind. Same as the Air Temples too.

If you took out the benders then the cities would just collapse, Aang thought to himself. So much of the city just seemed to expect people to either be benders or have a bender nearby.

Aang imagined that he would feel a lot less welcome in the city if he wasn't the Avatar. A title that he learned to hate. Well… maybe not hate. It just felt so… heavy sometimes.

Making his way up the steps, Aang was momentarily confused when he didn't see Appa on the high wall. People complained about the smell, so Appa had to stay on the edge of the city. Aang just thought that people weren't used to smelling anything but each other and ice, but Appa hadn't seemed to mind. Though he was gone now.

Before Aang could work himself up, he caught a flash of movement in the corner of his eye just before Momo landed on his head. Aang giggled, reaching up to pet the flying lemur that nuzzled his palm. Avatars were only supposed to have one spirit beast, but Aang decided to be a little greedy and have two instead. "You're bored too, Momo?" Aang asked, going to the ledge of the wall that overlooked the ocean, the bay to the city was flanked by tall straight cliff sides of ice.

Momo chirped and grumbled, taking a seat on his shoulder as Aang leaned on the ledge. "Where did Appa go?" Aang asked, searching the skies for any sign of him. Appa was pretty lazy. He wouldn't fly around unless he needed to. And, in response, Momo let out a series of chirps. "Sokka took him? I guess it's a military thing then."

Aang really didn't get militaries. The Air Temples didn't have them. The whole world seemed like it would be a lot more peaceful if there were no armies -- not the Fire Nation, Water Tribes, or Earth Kingdoms. If everyone disarmed and stuff, then that would put an end to war. For good. At least, that was the idea. Aang knew the thought was naive, but at the same time, he couldn't help but see that when people had armies… they used them.

His lips drew together into a thin line, sitting himself on the ledge of the wall, gazing out into the bright blue ocean that lapped at the solid white wall that barred the entrance to the city. Another change that happened in the past hundred years. Aang had never been to the Northern Water Tribe before, but he knew that the bay used to be open. A lot of places built up walls over the war.

Because those that didn't didn't survive.

Guilt weighed heavily on Aang's shoulders. Guilt and shame. If he hadn't run away, if he had just stayed, then…

"I wonder how Majima is doing?" Aang muttered, a frown in his chest. The older teenager was scary. And crude. And kinda of a jerk, but without fail, every time he started to feel bad, blaming himself for the war, his thoughts went to him. The reassurances he gave -- Katara had echoed them, and so did Sokka, but… when Majima spoke, it came with a level of understanding. Empathy. Like he was the only one in the world that could understand what Aang felt and he had been the first to tell him -- that the war wasn't his fault.

Aang wasn't sure if he liked Majima or not, but he was thankful for him.

Momo hissed, making Aang chuckle, "Yeah, he's a little scary." Anyone would be with all of those scars, but underneath them, and despite being a little bit of a jerk, Aang thought that Majima was pretty nice. Nice in a way that most people weren't.

However, Momo jumped off of Aang's shoulder, hissing at the distance. Aang came out of his thoughts, turning to the horizon and narrowing his eyes. At first, he didn't see what had upset Momo so much. Then, after a long few seconds, he caught sight of it. A cloud in the distance that wasn't a cloud.

It was soot. A lot of it.

Cold fear shot down Aang's spine and even the sight of Appa flying through the air way ahead of the soot cloud could be a reassurance. Aang waited for his sky bison to arrive and he saw it wasn't military stuff but date stuff that had Sokka take Appa. Appa landed heavily on the wall, Sokka looked down at him with a fierce expression while Princess Yue, a white haired girl with dark skin and blue eyes, sat next to him with an expression of fear.

"How many?" Aang questioned, clenching his hands into fists.

"Too many," Sokka answered, shifting over when Aang leapt up to Appa's head to take the reigns. With a quick yip-yip, the trio sailed through the air, over the city that had no idea what was coming for them.

"We haven't been attacked in eighty years," Princess Yue breathed, her tone frightful and the statement caused Aang physical pain. "Why are they attacking now?"

Because of me, Aang thought but didn't voice. It was his fault. For coming here. His grip on the reigns tightened, but Sokka placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's probably Majima's fault," Sokka declared, and Aang knew he was trying to spare him from his guilt. "He's been kicking the Fire Nation Navy's butt for months now. They're coming here so they can remind everyone that they're good for something," he continued.

Princess Yue looked like she had doubts, but she didn't voice them. Aang was thankful for it because they arrived at the palace not a minute later and they were quickly ushered into the palace. The news caught many by surprise, but it was quickly believed because it came from Princess Yue. Her father, Chieftain Arnook, seemed physically pained by the news but also resolute.

Chieftain Arnook was in his fifties with a bushy beard that clung to the bottom half of his jaw. His hair was long and black, his eyes the same shade of blue as Yue's. He didn't really say much, to anyone really, and the look in his eyes as a table and a map were brought out could only be described as tired. He acted as a general, commanding all of the Water Tribe's military, but there were a few others that were notified and ordered to attend.

"Tell me exactly what you saw, Sokka," Chieftain Arnook instructed and Sokka instantly complied while setting down tokens.

"I did a quick count, but the Fire Nation are coming with over a hundred ships," Sokka informed, making Aang’s stomach clench painfully. His expression dropped, as did many others. That was a lot of ships. Fleets as small as a ten were able to wreak havoc upon coastal towns. Aang didn’t even want to imagine what a fleet of a hundred could do.

Memories of the Air Temples flashed in his mind. The skeletons of hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers, of monks… Of Gyatso. The aftermath of that battle -- the genocide of his people -- had been horrible and heartbreaking. The thought of that happening again, here in the north pole...

Aang’s hand tightened on his glider, determination hardening in his chest. He wouldn’t let that happen. No matter what, no matter how much he had to fight, he would never allow something like that to happen again. While he made his decision, one that only Aang was aware of, Sokka continued to lay down the tokens.

“They went wide with their formation. The main concentration of the fleet is here, arranged in rows of about ten or so with a scout ship ahead,” Sokka informed, his tone deadly serious. “The main formation is about eighty ships or so. However, from the looks of it, there are three formations arranged around the main fleet,” Sokka said, arranging the tokens.

The main fleet was in the center and there were a few on the right and back of the formation. Aang frowned at it, thinking that it looked kinda lopsided. “They were pretty far back,” Sokka informed, “I think they’re intended to act as a net of some kind. Or the back ships are reserves, and the ships on the right are some kind of flanking maneuver?”

Chieftain Arnook, “The main formation will be seen as a greater threat, and we wouldn’t notice the ships on the right until it was far too late. How long until they arrive?” He asked, his voice low and firm as he gazed hard at the tokens, as if they would reveal the Fire Nation’s intentions to him. Sokka glanced at Princess Yue, and Aang felt a hand grab his hand, revealing that Katara had entered the room with Pakku, and he hadn’t noticed.

“Six hours? Maybe more? The ships on the back are further out. They won’t arrive until late afternoon,” Sokka answered, making whispers and muttering break out in the large open throne room. The voices bounced off the white ice walls while Aang frowned at the map, squinting at it.

“Uh, excuse me?” Aang started, expecting to have to interject, but almost as soon as he spoke, people looked to him. Expectantly. Aang did his best not to shift uneasily from foot to foot, but based on the look that Sokka was giving him, he hadn’t managed it. Right. Uh… “Sokka, how far up were you when you spotted the fleet?”

Sokka seemed a bit caught off guard by the question, “About… cloud height, I think?” He said, his gaze drifting to Princess Yue, who smiles slightly before quickly schooling her expression when her father glanced at her.

“I’m not really a sailor, but would people on the ships be able to see the flanking ships?” Aang questioned, gesturing to the ship tokens. That caused a few exchanges of looks while Sokka cocked an eyebrow.

“I… don’t think so? The flanking ships were pretty far out. They may see the soot clouds, but that would probably be it, if that,” Sokka voiced, earning a bunch of nods. “Why? What are you thinking, Aang?”

“I think Majima is coming to help us,” Aang voiced, making Sokka sputter and Katara look at him sharply. They… really didn’t like Majima. That was sorta his fault -- Majima had been rather rude to pretty much everyone except for Rin and Nobara. To that end, both Sokka and Katara were shaking their heads, not believing it for a moment. “Majima wouldn’t let the Northern Water Tribe fall,” Aang voiced, looking at Sokka and Katara, trying to convince them both.

“We don’t know that,” Sokka stated, his tone curt. “The guy literally had murder written on his forehead. I’m not going to trust his intentions in anything,” Sokka immediately shot the idea down, making Chieftain Arnook frown in thought. Aang wasn’t sure if he had heard about Majima and his pirates yet. The North Pole was pretty isolated.

Aang turned to Katara, “I know he’s… kinda… really rough around the edges, but I trust him. He decided to fight in the war to help me. He knows we’re here…” Aang told her making Katara’s lips thin.

“Who,” Princess Yue spoke up, “is this Majima?”

“He’s a… friend. Sorta,” Aang answered, not really sure if he should call Majima a friend or not. “He was cursed a long time ago and he can sense evil intentions. So, something like launching a really huge invasion into the Northern Water Tribe, he would pick up on. And act on it," Aang stated, looking around the room and he saw doubt in everyone's eyes. His lips thinned, not sure what he should say to convince them all. He couldn't even convince Sokka or Katara, and they met him.

Chieftain Arnook frowned for a long moment, "I do not doubt you, Avatar Aang." He spoke for all of the Water Tribe, making his opinion known. "What I fear is that if we do not treat this fleet as enemies, should you be wrong, we will suffer for it. It may take them time, but they will scale the glaciers and we will find ourselves surrounded. We have little time to prepare, so we must do so now. If you say that the flanking ships are allies… I shall believe you."

Because he was the Avatar.

The weight of everyone's lives was heavy on his shoulders and no matter how certain he was that it was Majima, the price of being wrong made him doubt. Because if he was wrong, then people were going to die. A lot of them. There would only be skeletons in the North Pole, just like there were in the Air Temples. That was the price of being wrong.

Aang's lips thinned as he looked away from everyone, looking down at the tokens, trying to put his feelings into words. "Majima… has a title. He's Angra Mainyu. A long time ago, because people were afraid, they sacrificed him to all of the evil in the world. And because of that, he's felt everything. Every horrible story that you've heard about the war, every death and cruelty… I failed the world a hundred years ago," Aang voiced, shaking his head when Katara offered a reassurance.

She didn't understand. She couldn't.

There was only one other person in the world that understood the crushing weight of the world.

"But I failed Majima most of all," Aang continued. "He should hate me. But he doesn't. He wants to help me. I… don't think he cares much about the world or the war, but he's determined to end it so I won't have to." He muttered, looking back up at Chieftain Arnook to see that he wore an expression of surprise. Aang puffed out his chest and gave him a nod. "So, Majima is coming. He wouldn't let this attack happen. No matter what."

Chieftain Arnook nodded in response, "Then we focus on the main fleet. For better or for worse."

And all Aang thought was how desperately he hoped that he wasn't wrong.