Earth Kingdom Chronicles Collection

by The Tale of Aang; Azula; Toph; Sokka; Zuko; Katara (retail) (epub)

  BOOK 1

  THE TALE OF AANG

  BOOK 2

  THE TALE OF AZULA

  BOOK 3

  THE TALE OF TOPH

  BOOK 4

  THE TALE OF SOKKA

  BOOK 5

  THE TALE OF ZUKO

  BOOK 6

  THE TALE OF KATARA

  © 2016 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon Avatar: The Last Airbender and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

  Based on the TV series Nickelodeon Avatar: The Last Airbender™

  eISBN 978-1-68107-313-2

  Chapter 1

  My name is Aang. I’m the Avatar. I’m also an Airbender. My friend Katara has been teaching me Waterbending. She’s become an amazing Waterbender!

  Katara and her brother, Sokka, are traveling with me, helping me to master all four elements—air, water, earth, and fire—so I can defeat Fire Lord Ozai and the Fire Nation, and bring peace to the four nations. All in a day’s work for the Avatar, right?

  Next on my list is to learn Earthbending. So Katara, Sokka, my lemur Momo, and I are flying on my sky bison, Appa, to the city of Omashu in the Earth Kingdom to find my old pal King Bumi. I can’t wait to learn Earthbending from him!

  Our first stop was General Fong’s Earth Kingdom base. He was supposed to give us an escort to make sure we made it to Omashu safely, but it didn’t quite work out that way. General Fong had this crazy idea that he could force me into the Avatar state, and then I could go and fight the Fire Nation. He said that while I learn the elements, the war goes on. I started to think that maybe he was right, that maybe I could end the war now if I let him help me. Boy, was I wrong! Katara helped me realize how dangerous being in the Avatar state really is, especially when I can’t control it. Even she’s scared of me when I’m in it—that says a lot.

  So I told General Fong that I wouldn’t force the Avatar state. He flipped out! He told his Earth Kingdom soldiers to attack me so he could force me into it against my will. And when that didn’t work, he attacked Katara. He started Earthbending her into the ground, so she was sinking. I was so angry and upset about Katara that the general got his wish: I went into the Avatar state, even though it took me a while to get into it. When I was in it, Avatar Roku, the previous Avatar, came to me. He told me that the Avatar state is a defense mechanism that gives me the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. In the Avatar state, all the spirits of past Avatars are within me. That is why I’m so powerful. But they are all exposed to whatever danger I face. If I’m killed while in the Avatar state, then all of the past Avatars will die with me. The reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist. Pretty heavy, huh?

  When I came out of the Avatar state, Katara was fine. I learned that Fong was just using her to trick me into going into the Avatar state. We finally managed to get away from him, thanks to Sokka, who snuck up behind him and conked him on the head with a club.

  Anyway, after that was settled, we climbed onto the back of Appa, my flying bison. We’re flying off toward Omashu—without an escort.

  I’m trying not to think about what Roku told me—you know, about what would happen if I died in the Avatar state. Instead I’m turning my thoughts to Omashu and my old pal Bumi!

  Chapter 2

  After traveling for miles, Appa landed so we could rest for a bit. Katara was showing me a new Waterbending move called the Octopus. Things were going great until she put her arms around me to correct my form and I forgot everything I was doing and lost myself in her eyes. I can’t help it—they’re just so pretty! Anyway, that’s when this singing and dancing group came walking out of the nearby woods. They told us they were nomads. We decided to travel with them to Omashu through these secret tunnels and caves that one of them, Chong, told us about. The tunnels cut through the mountain and lead directly to Omashu.

  As we entered the caves, Chong told us about the legend of the two lovers. He also told us that the caves were cursed.

  “Only those who trust in love can make it through the caves. Everyone else gets trapped forever.”

  Hmm. All we have to do is trust in love? Something tells me that’s harder than it sounds. …

  As soon as we stepped into the cave, a rockslide sealed off the entrance. We wandered through the tunnels for hours. Then a wolfbat attacked. I sent an Airbending blast at it, which knocked Sokka’s flaming torch from his hand and onto Appa, who started kicking wildly. I’d never seen him so upset! Katara put out the fire just as Appa kicked the cave walls and rocks came tumbling down from the ceiling. I managed to get Sokka and the nomads out of the way in time, but then the rest of the ceiling came crashing down, and I had to grab Katara and fly us to the other side of the cave. After the crash, I found myself on the ground next to Katara with my arm around her.

  What are the odds? I wish I could stay like this forever … but I have to get up and make sure everyone’s okay. Looks like Appa’s okay, and Katara is too, but what’s that huge wall of rocks? Oh, no! The wall has separated us from Sokka and the nomads. I guess they’re going to have to find their own way out of the tunnel—I have to focus on finding a safe way out for Appa, Katara, and me.

  We’d been walking through the dark tunnels for hours when we came across a large stone door. We pushed through the door, but instead of an exit, there was a tomb—two tombs actually.

  Katara noticed that the pictures on the tomb walls told the lovers’ story. They were from warring villages on opposite sides of the mountain. Because of the war, the lovers had to meet in secret. They learned Earthbending from the badger moles so they could Earthbend these tunnels and caves to get to one another. Then the man was killed in the war. Instead of destroying both villages with her Earthbending power, the woman forced the two villages to stop the war and together they built a new city. The woman’s name was Oma. The man’s name was Shu. And so the new city was named Omashu to honor their love.

  “It says here ‘Love is brightest in the dark,’” Katara read.

  Her torch is starting to fade. Soon we’ll be trapped in total darkness. For the first time since we entered the caves, I’m worried. Still, I don’t want Katara to know how nervous I am. Just stay calm, and everything will be fine.

  “I have a crazy idea,” Katara said suddenly.

  “What?” I hope it’s a good one, because this place is giving me the creeps!

  “Never mind,” she said, turning away.

  It’s pretty dark in here, but is Katara blushing? It sure looks like it.

  “It’s too crazy.”

  “Katara, what is it?” One of us better come up with something soon. …

  “Well, the curse says that we’ll be trapped in here forever unless we trust in love. And above this picture of them kissing it says ‘Love is brightest in the dark.’ So, what if we kissed?”

  Uh … did I just hear her right? Katara and me, kiss? Katara wants to kiss me? Almost since the moment I met her I’ve dreamed of kissing her. Did she really say that?

  “Us, kissing?” I need to be sure I actually heard her right.

  “See, that was a crazy idea,” she said quickly.

  This is going to be the best day of my life! I can’t move, breathe, or smile, but I’ve never been more excited in my life! I think I may pass out. …

  “Us. Kissing.” Okay, stop saying that and just say yes before she changes her—

  “Us, kissing!” Katara repeated, laughing loudly. “What was I thinking? Can you imagine that!”

  It’s too late. I blew it! Standing here in
my daze I let the moment pass and now she’s taking the crazy wonderful suggestion back … like she wishes she never said it. Now I have to act that way too. I mean, I can’t let her know that I think it’s the greatest idea she ever had. Just smile, and try to sound like you agree with her.

  “I definitely wouldn’t want to kiss you!” Oh, no. I wish I could take that back. What a dumb thing to say! And I don’t even mean it!

  “Oh, well I didn’t realize it was such a horrible option,” Katara said harshly. “Sorry I suggested it.”

  Great, now she’s mad. Why do I say such dumb things! I have to make this right.

  “No, no, I mean if it’s a choice between kissing you and dying, I—” Oh boy, that didn’t help. I just can’t get it right when it comes to Katara. Okay, let’s try again.

  “I’m saying I would rather kiss you than die. That’s a compliment.”

  “Well, I’m not sure which I would rather do!”

  And now she’s storming out of the tomb. Great. Instead of fixing things, I just keep making them worse. Why am I so afraid to let Katara know how I feel about her? Now it doesn’t matter. I really blew it.

  “We’re going to run out of light any second now, aren’t we?” I asked, catching up to her.

  “I think so.”

  At least she’s still talking to me. “Then what are we going to do?”

  “What can we do?” She turned toward me. Just then her light went out.

  Here we are in pitch dark with no hope of ever getting out, except to believe in the legend. To believe in love. I’m just going to go for it. Come on Aang, just be brave. What do you have to lose? Just lean in and …

  Whoa! What’s that path of light on the ceiling? I guess love really will show us the way! The lights look like some kind of crystal.

  “They must only light up in the dark!” I realized.

  “That’s what they meant by love being brightest in the dark!” Katara exclaimed. “That’s how the two lovers found each other. They put out their lights and followed the crystals.”

  So we followed the crystals all the way out of the caves. A moment after we exited, we saw Sokka and the nomads riding badger moles out of the cave. Then we said good-bye to the nomads and went on our way.

  We are so close to Omashu, I can smell it! Just over this big hill and there it—no! I can’t believe my eyes. There, draped over the main wall of the great Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, is a gigantic Fire Nation flag!

  Things haven’t exactly been going according to plan since we started this journey through the Earth Kingdom, and getting Bumi to teach me Earthbending was another one of those things. Even though Omashu was taken over by the Fire Nation, I insisted on going in anyway to find Bumi.

  On our way through the city, we got attacked by a Firebender and ended up bumping into the Earth Kingdom resistance. I asked them about Bumi, and they said he surrendered the city on the first day of the invasion. That didn’t sound like my old pal Bumi, so I didn’t believe them at first; but now it makes more sense. See, while I looked for Bumi, Sokka and Katara evacuated the Earth Kingdom residents from the city by pretending they had all been infected with pentapox. Pentapi are harmless creatures that stick to you and make big purple marks on your skin—but the Fire Nation didn’t know that! They thought the purple marks were contagious and let all the citizens leave. As they were leaving, Katara and Sokka noticed that the baby boy of the newly appointed Fire Nation governor of Omashu had followed them out of the city. We decided to have a trade-off: the baby for King Bumi. But just as we were about to make the trade, another Firebender stepped forward and called it off. Then they pulled Bumi away. I chased after him, and in between dodging flying fireballs, I was able to have a brief talk with my old friend.

  He told me that in addition to the positive and negative jings, or techniques, of attacking and retreating used in the bending arts, Earthbending also requires a neutral jing, which involves listening and waiting for the right moment to strike. He’s using the neutral jing, just waiting for the right moment to attack. Then he’ll take back Omashu when the Fire Nation least expects it. That sounds more like Bumi! He won’t be teaching me Earthbending, but he did tell me I need to find someone who has mastered neutral jing. I need to find a teacher who waits and listens before striking.

  I wonder when I’m going to see my old friend Bumi again … but in the meantime, I’m on a mission to find an Earthbending teacher who waits and listens before striking, just like Bumi said.

  Chapter 3

  We flew over the Earth Kingdom, not really sure where we were headed next. As we passed over a swamp, I heard it calling to me, telling me to land. I figured if I was actually hearing the Earth, I probably shouldn’t ignore it.

  A few seconds later, a fierce wind pulled us down toward the swamp. By the time we landed, we had all gotten separated. While I was on my own, I had this vision of a laughing girl in a white dress. She seemed to want me to follow her, and she just kept laughing as I chased her through the swamp. Then she disappeared.

  The wind turned out to just be a Waterbender who was trying to protect the swamp. He told us that the swamp is actually just one giant tree that is connected to everything, that the entire world is connected, and that time is an illusion.

  But if time really is an illusion, maybe the girl I saw was someone I will meet in the future. Sokka and Katara also had visions, only theirs were of people from their past. Hmm … sometimes I wish I were just plain smarter. It would sure come in handy as the Avatar!

  Anyway, we left the swamp and went to the town of Gaoling to Master Yu’s Earthbending Academy in search of a teacher. But all Master Yu did was try to sell me more lessons. That’s when I realized he’s definitely not the one!

  Then I heard about an Earthbending tournament called Earth Rumble Six, where the top Earthbenders in town competed against one another. So we went to watch. It was like nothing I’d ever seen! Xin Fu, who was running it, kept introducing Earthbenders with names like the Boulder and the Gopher. Boy, were they huge! The Boulder had beaten everyone in sight so far! At first I thought the Boulder was the champion, but I really couldn’t see him being the teacher Bumi was talking about. I’m pretty sure the Boulder doesn’t ever wait or listen. Oh, here comes the Boulder’s final opponent—she’s a twelve-year-old blind girl! She calls herself the Blind Bandit. SHE’S actually the reigning champion. She must be incredible. I can’t wait to watch her!

  Just then the Blind Bandit began to laugh defiantly.

  Wait a second—I’ve heard that laugh before! She’s the girl from my vision in the swamp! The vision really was of someone from the future. I guess I’m pretty smart after all!

  Then the most incredible thing yet happened—the Blind Bandit beat the Boulder! Every time the Boulder took a step, the Blind Bandit knew exactly where he was. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. The small movement was powerful enough to create a ripple in the ground, which rushed toward the Boulder like a wave. As he put his foot down, the wave struck it, causing him to hit the ground with his legs split wide apart. Then the Blind Bandit forced three stone spikes to burst from the ground, slamming into the Boulder and knocking him from the ring. The match was over in a matter of seconds.

  “Winner and still champion, the Blind Bandit!” Xin Fu shouted from the center of the arena.

  “How did she do that?” Katara asked.

  The answer struck me at once. “She waited, and she listened.” Just like Bumi said.

  Then the announcer offered gold to anyone from the audience who could beat her, and I volunteered. I just wanted to get close enough to ask her to be my Earthbending teacher, but she kept knocking me with Earthbending moves. Finally I had to knock her down with an Airbending blow. She was pretty angry and stormed out of the arena.

  We finally tracked her down as a member of the Beifong family. She’s royalty! Pretty strange, huh? Anyway, we traveled to the house of Lao and Poppy Beifong. What a mansion! It’s on a huge esta
te with gardens, servants, and everything. I announced myself as the Avatar, and Katara, Sokka, and I were invited in for dinner. At the dinner table sat the Blind Bandit, whose real name is Toph Beifong. Master Yu, the head of the Earthbending Academy, was there too. He’s Toph’s Earthbending teacher—like she needs one!

  Anyway, it turned out that her parents didn’t have a clue how powerful an Earthbender she is. They still thought she was a beginner! After dinner she told me that even though her parents saw her blindness as a handicap and were more protective of her because of it, she’s always been able to see by using her Earthbending. She feels vibrations through her feet and that tells her everything she needs to know—and way more than most of us can see.

  In the end, she had to tell her parents the truth because we were ambushed by the Earthbenders from Earth Rumble Six—they wanted to steal back the gold I had won. It all worked out though, and Toph agreed to be my teacher! I’m so excited. I think she’s going to be exactly the teacher that Bumi wanted me to have.

  We’re off on Appa, again, and for the first time in a while, things are finally starting to look up.

  Chapter 4

  One night in our camp, Toph rushed from her tent and woke us all. “There’s something coming toward us.”

  Her supersensitive feet were picking up vibrations of something rumbling closer and closer.

  “Should we leave?” Katara asked.

  “Nature seems to think so,” I said, watching tons of animals flee from the woods in terror. “Let’s go.”

  We all climbed onto Appa and took off into the night sky. I caught a glimpse of what was chasing us. It was this strange machine made of metal and shaped like a tank, coughing up black smoke. I didn’t know what it was, but I had a really bad feeling about it.