Zale stirred, the clink of iron chains sharp against the muffled roar of the ship's engines. His wrists burned where the cuffs had rubbed raw skin. A dim lantern swung overhead, casting shadows on the scowling face of a Fire Nation guard.
"Finally awake, water rat?" the guard sneered, thrusting a crumpled letter into the flickering light. "Your mother's last words make for pathetic reading."
Zale's breath hitched as the guard read aloud, his voice dripping with mockery. The letter spoke of a Southern Water Tribe aunt, a plea for Zale to seek refuge—before the Fire Nation had caught him bending a stray puddle to quench his thirst. Memories flickered faintly: a mother's laugh, ice walls, a journey cut short. But his past life? Only fragments lingered, like a dream after waking.
"Why… show me this?" Zale croaked, his voice hoarse.
The guard smirked. "So you know how alone you are."
The next morning, shouts erupted. Zale jerked against his chains as the ship shuddered—something had breached the hull. Boots pounded past his cell, and then a blur of orange and yellow skidded into view.
"You okay?" A boy with arrow tattoos—Aang—flashed a grin, air bending the cell door open. With a gust, Zale's chains snapped.
"Run!" Aang urged, darting toward the deck.
Aang spun, deflecting flames with gusts of wind, but Zuko pressed relentlessly.
"Get to Appa!" Katara's voice rang out as the bison swooped low. Sokka stretched a hand toward Zale. "Grab on!"
Zale leapt, Aang held onto Zale's leg but Zuko seized Aang's ankle mid-air. The added weight yanked Sokka downward.
"Let go!" Katara shouted, water whipping from her pouch.
Zale dangled from Sokka's grip, weakness gnawing at him. Below, Zuko's snarl echoed. "You're not escaping, Avatar!"
Rage surged in Zale's chest—a raw, tidal force. He flung his free hand toward the ocean.
The sea answered.
A monstrous wave erupted, crashing over the deck. Fire benders scattered like embers. Zale collapsed, vision dimming, as the water recoiled, dragging Zuko and Aang into the frigid depths but Sokka had firm hold on Zale so he pulled him over the Appa's saddle.
Underwater, Aang's tattoos glowed. Katara's voice pierced the haze: "Aang, get a hold of yourself! Aang!!!"
The Avatar surged upward, a cyclone of water vaulting him onto Appa's saddle. Ice shelves shattered, barricading the ship as Katara pulled Zale to a much safer space.
"Who is this guy?" Sokka muttered.
Katara pressed a hand to Zale's brow. "He's a water bender… and he's freezing."
As Appa soared, Zale's eyes fluttered open. Katara gasped—the boy's face mirrored her mother's.
"Hello, are you okay?" she whispered.
He nodded weakly, the letter's words echoing. Southern Pole. Family.
Aang glanced back, exhaustion mingling with curiosity. "You bent that wave like a master."
Zale stared at his trembling hands. "It just… happened."
Katara wrapped a blanket around him. "You'll be fine … We'll… be fine", Katara said as if trying to assure herself.
Behind them, the ice-locked ship shrank into the horizon, Zuko's roar lost to the wind.
The wind bit sharply as Appa soared toward the Southern Air Temple. Zale huddled in the saddle, his borrowed Water Tribe parka drowning his frame. Fragments of memories flickered like a damaged scroll—skyscrapers, glowing screens, a world without bending. He clenched his fists, grounding himself in the present: Katara's steady breathing beside him, Sokka sharpening his boomerang, Aang humming a half-remembered air nomad chant.
"You've been quiet," Katara said softly, offering a waterskin. "Does your head still hurt?"
Zale hesitated. Lie. Keep it simple. "Just… gaps. Like I'm missing pieces of myself."
Sokka squinted, "Amnesia's convenient, huh? You could be a Fire Nation spy."
"Sokka!" Katara snapped.
Aang laughed, leaning back on Appa's fur. "If he were a spy, he'd have worse excuses than 'I forgot.'"
Zale forced a smile, heart racing. They don't know. They can't know.
The temple loomed, its crumbling spires skeletal against the sunset. Aang's cheer dimmed as they landed. "This is where I… grew up," he murmured, tracing a charred mural of Air Nomads.
Zale's chest tightened. This place is real. He's real. All of this is real. The realization crashed over him—Avatar: The Last Airbender. A show. A cartoon. But the ash on the wind, the grief in Aang's eyes… this was no story.
"You okay?" Katara touched his shoulder.
"Just dizzy," Zale lied. Breathe. Play the part.
Later, huddled around a campfire, Sokka grilled him. "So your mom's letter said to find our mom? Why?"
Zale unrolled the singed parchment. "Her sister—Kya. That's your mother, right?"
Katara's breath hitched. "Our mom… she's no longer with us. She sacrificed herself to protect us from Fire Nation... She was the only water bender from our clan."
Silence fell, heavy as the temple stones. Aang poked the fire, shadows dancing on his face.
"I'm sorry," Zale whispered, the words raw. This isn't a plot point to them. It's their life.
Sokka's voice cracked. "If you're really our cousin… welcome to the family, I guess." He gestured vaguely. "We're great at losing people."
Katara pulled Zale into a sudden hug. "But I'm grateful we found you… I have a cousin, who is a bender. We can protect each other, better…"
Zale froze, then leaned into the embrace. Guilt gnawed at him. They trust me. And I'm lying to them.
At dawn, Zale wandered the temple's ruins. A statue of Avatar Roku stared down, weathered but regal. Roku. Sozin's Comet. Ozai. The future hung over him like a storm.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Aang materialized beside him, perching on a broken pillar. "The weight of… everything."
Zale stiffened. "I don't know what you mean."
Aang's gaze sharpened, eerily wise for a twelve-year-old. "You bent a tidal wave without training. Your eyes—when you think we're not looking—they're scared. But not of the Fire Nation."
Panic surged. How could he—
"Aang! Zale! Breakfast!" Katara called.
The moment shattered. Aang bounced to his feet, grin back in place. "C'mon! Sokka found 'secret' air bender snacks. They're just berries."
Zale lingered, staring at his hands. I could warn them. About the eclipse, the invasion. But fear sealed his lips. What if I change too much? What if I make it worse?
"Tell us about the South Pole," Katara pressed as they were enjoying the breakfast sitting around the fire, "Your home."
Zale wove half-truths. "I don't really know… This letter is the only thing that I know about, anything about the South… About anything."
Katara's eyes widened, but then slowly changed into soft smile, "It's alright, I was just excited about the benders over the north… We'll find out once we reach there, so no worries, alright?"
Sokka fake-gagged. "Ugh, emotional bonding. Can we discuss food instead?"
Zale laughed, the sound foreign but warm. Maybe I don't need memories. Maybe this is enough.
But as the temple vanished behind them, Zale's resolve hardened. I'll protect them. Even if it means burying the truth.