Jung Yonghwa, Crown Prince of the Northern Watertribe, sat there with his six-stringed, hollow bodied, musical instrument. He is kind of an aloof guy: not really caring about his duties as a political prince and always putting off his studies for his own passion—mainly music. The King really wanted him to try harder and be more responsible so he can pass the crown to him eventually, but Yonghwa just doesn’t even want to. Being a King is too much of a burden, he always thought. His older sister Princess Sica can always be the high monarch—and that might just be a better idea since she’s a really amazing bender while he’s nothing but a non-bending loser—but for some reason, the King wants him to be on the throne. He has no idea why. All he knows is that he doesn’t want any of it. He just wants to play music for the rest of his life.

            Months ago, at the time of the Earth Kingdom Coronation Ceremony, Yonghwa was left all alone to lead the people. He thought nothing important would happen in the few weeks that his family would be away, but no. He was wrong. A man accidentally killed someone else’s pet polar-bear puppy and pleaded with the Prince to have mercy on him. The owner of the polar-bear puppy however, wants the guilty man dead. Now Yonghwa had no idea what to do with it, so he went out to look for a polar-bear puppy to replace the one that was killed. When he took a puppy he found in some cave, its huge polar-bear dog mother chased after him and almost killed him. It was too embarrassing for him. He doesn’t even know how to fight. Until now he just feels so bad for being such a loser.

            “I’m a loner, I’m a loner…,” Yonghwa began singing as he played his guitar.

            “Oppa!” eleven-year-old Krystal greeted him with a sweet smile while he was playing his instrument. He immediately looked up to acknowledge her.

            “Oh, Krystal, what do you want now?” he asked. Usually he found her adorable but sometimes, she can be a bit annoying.

            “When are you going to meet Minhyuk Oppa and play music with him again?” Krystal asked in an excited tone. Minhyuk is Yonghwa’s friend. When Yonghwa has the time to sneak out, he plays music with Minhyuk on the percussion. For some reason, Minhyuk and Krystal became really close. Yonghwa doesn’t know why, but that bothers him.

            “Gosh Krystal, you’re eleven. You shouldn’t be dating anyone at this age,” Yonghwa said as he ran his fingers through his messy brown hair.

            “I didn’t say I was dating him. He’s just so cool. Plus he’s really nice to me, unlike you, who is always ‘busy.’”

            “It’s Father’s fault that I’m so busy. He’s training me to become King even if I don’t want to. I’m not even the oldest child in the family.”

            “Oh, right. Father wants you to meet him. He says he needs to talk to you about something,” Krystal suddenly remembered.

***

            Taeyeon approached the Firelord’s throne room. She found it hard to believe that after a year and a half, she turned into a completely different person. No longer was she the bullied little kid. Now, she is a fire bending master. After she beat Sunny for the first time, they had more sparring sessions. She didn’t win all of them, but she was actually as good as Sunny now. The Royal Family was proud of her. She was the best addition to their family. Although she had been under their care, Taeyeon believes that now is the time to leave them—just for now. Through painful realization of the present, she has finally made up her mind to accept that she is the one and only Avatar of the current generation. She knew that she will have to leave the Fire Nation eventually to travel the world and learn more about it. She is the Avatar after all. Her duty is to the world. It’s about time that she is trained on Avatar duties. So here she was, approaching the Firelord for a painful, yet important request.

            “Oh, Avatar Taeyeon,” Firelord Soon-Jae greeted as Taeyeon approached him. “What brings you here?”

            Taeyeon respectfully knelt to the Firelord. “I am here for a request, Father Soon-Jae.” Since she was adopted into the family, the Firelord always wanted her to call him Father. She always saw him as a father-figure anyway, so she spoke really comfortably with him.

            “What is it?” The Firelord sat up straight and took a good look at her. She was completely different from the same dirty little hobo-looking girl covered in ash when they first met. Now she is a very respectable Royal Princess and Avatar.

            “I think it’s about time that I leave the palace to train with other benders. I think it would be best if I travel the world and experience it so I can eventually become a fully realized Avatar.”

            “Ah yes, I’ve been thinking about that too for some time. I know that you will eventually leave. It worries me that you have to be away from us soon. For some reason, I just can’t shake away the thought that you used to be a poor little girl with no place to call home. You have become a precious jewel to us,” the Firelord said with a kind smile.

            “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I will be back after I finish wandering around on my own. For now, I have a lot to learn.”

            “If you must, then I can’t stop you. You are the Avatar after all. Just tell me where you plan to go and I will arrange a ship for you. I support you in your decisions, soon-to-be-great-and-powerful Avatar.”

***

            Yonghwa slowly and shyly entered the Watertribe Palace’s royal throne room. Whenever his father calls him, he just feels so ashamed. How could he of all people be born as the Crown Prince? It’s such a heavy burden. The King wants him to do this… The King wants him to do that… He usually just fails those annoying assignments. If only he was born as an ordinary citizen, he could just do whatever he pleases. Life would probably be so much better that way.

            “Yonghwa, you arrived!” the King greeted rather cheerfully. “Come, come. Sit with me!”

            Park Yoochun, the Head Secretary and Yonghwa’s instructor on political affairs, ordered the maids to set up two white, wonderfully crafted chairs and a small tea table for the father and son. Both sat and were served with hot tea.

            “You are turning sixteen this year,” the King began.

            “I know that,” Yonghwa sharply replied. He took this cup of tea and stirred it with the teaspoon after adding sugar. Then he took a sip.

            “I thought maybe it would be best that you have a Crown Princess soon.”

            Not expecting his father’s proposition, Yonghwa suddenly spit out the tea he was drinking and accidentally dropped his teacup. The scalding hot tea spilled all over his blue fur jacket. “What did you say?!”

            While trying to hold back his laughter, Yoochun ordered the maids to bring Prince Yonghwa clean clothes. The maids hurriedly cleaned the spilled tea as Yonghwa took off his soaked sweater. Yonghwa trembled in the cold North Pole temperature and the thought of being in a hopeless arranged marriage. His life was bad enough. Now he has to be married?!

            The King laughed and replied, “I am setting up a decree in the North Pole. The nobles may apply their daughters for marriage…”

            “No, no, no!” Yonghwa yelled. The palace maids proceeded to wrap him with a warm fur coat.

            “Well you have to get married some time! It’s to secure your right to the throne!” The King yelled back. Both stared at each other with raised eyebrows.

            Finally Yonghwa backed down from his father and sat back on his seat. “What I mean is, I already have someone in mind, so you don’t have to go through all the trouble of selection and sending decrees,” Yonghwa proceeded to talk more respectfully. Yoochun tried not to make his growing amusement too obvious.

            “And who is she, may I ask?”

            “She probably doesn’t even like me,” Yonghwa wanted to say. But instead he confidently replied, “You may meet her when I finally ask her to marry me. She’s very fitting to be a Crown Princess, that’s for sure.”

            “That’s great, Son. I trust your instincts. You will be a brilliant King someday.”

            “Thanks,” Yonghwa hesitantly accepted the compliment. What instincts? He doesn’t have them. Becoming a brilliant King? He highly doubts it. Marrying the girl of his dreams? He needs a miracle for that. Now he got himself into trouble again, and he has absolutely no idea how to deal with it. And then there’s Secretary Yoochun trying to control his laughter at the background…

***

            Taeyeon proceeded to pack her belongings for the new adventure ahead of her. Of course, she would not let Fany and Sunny come with her since this is Avatar business. Besides, Sunny and Fany needs to stay and learn more about Fire Nation politics as princesses, especially Sunny, who is supposed to become the next Firelord. Sunny agrees that Taeyeon can fare off without her since she is now a very skillful fire bender. However, Fany still feels terrible about sending her away. When Fany saw Taeyeon packing her things, she decided to help to keep herself from bawling out.

            “Is there anything more that you need for the trip?” Fany asked Taeyeon.

            “Hm… I already have enough clothes…,” Taeyeon said as she checked her brown leather bag with a Fire Nation insignia on it.

            “Where do you even plan on going anyway?”

            “Well, since I can sort of play with a little water bending, I figured that I should go to the North Pole and train there with water benders first. Plus, the Firelord already sent a letter to the Watertribe about my future arrival so that they can arrange things for me. I feel really pampered.”

            “Oh… You’re going to Sica’s place?”

            “Yeah, I figured that it would be easier since I already have a friend there. Hopefully she treats me as well as you and Sunny do.”

            Fany opened up a closet, pulled out a huge, red fur coat, and handed it to Taeyeon. “You should bring this. It’s going to be freezing there. Literally,” Fany adviced with a pat on Taeyeon’s back.

            “Thanks,” Taeyeon took the coat and tried it on. It’s a little big, but it’s really warm. Fany thought that she looked adorable in it. Taeyeon took it off and folded it nicely.

            Fany sighed. Her best friend Taengoo is really about to leave. She knows it’s for the best, but it just feels painful to part with someone close to her. Then she said with a tear on her eye, “I will miss you so much.”

            Taeyeon looked her in the eyes and wiped off Fany’s tear with her thumb. “I’ll be back you know. Besides, we promised each other a year ago that we’ll always be each other’s family no matter what. When I come back, I’ll bring a bunch of pink items for your pink collection!”

            Fany chuckled at Taeyeon’s remark. Taeyeon was right. She will be back. It’s not the end of the world. They’ll see each other again, and when they do, it will be one great reunion. For the time being, she’ll just have to wait and be a good princess.

            “You know, I have a little gift for you. I’m sure it will come in handy,” Fany said with a cute giggle.

            “What is it?” Taeyeon wondered. Fany always has some silly surprises for her.

            “Wait here,” Fany headed out and left Taeyeon to get the gift. Whatever it was, she’s pretty excited about giving it to Taeyeon.

            While Taeyeon waited for Fany to come back, Sunny entered the room and ran straight to Taeyeon to give her a big squeeze. Then she ruffled the stunned Avatar’s light brown hair and sat beside her on the bed.

            “Aigoo, Avataeng is leaving,” Sunny said with a pout. “Don’t forget me and Fany or else you’re dead!”

            Taeyeon laughed. Deep inside she feels terrible for deciding to leave but she just couldn’t fully show it. She has to prove that she’s strong. “Of course, I won’t. How could I forget my sisters?”

            “Don’t forget to continue practicing fire bending too. You may be the Avatar, but shirking practice won’t get you anywhere!”

            When Fany came back, she was holding a dome shaped thing covered in cloth. She and Sunny had a big smile on their faces. Taeyeon just stared at it wondering what it could be.

            “Oh, it’s here!” Sunny exclaimed.

            “Here you go, Taeng,” Fany said as she laid the object before Taeyeon’s feet. “Take off the cover and have a look!”

            Taeyeon immediately got on her knees to uncover the gift. When she saw left her speechless.

            “A bird?” Taeyeon stared at the caged maroon hawk with a cylinder compartment tied to its back.

            “It’s a messenger hawk,” Sunny explained. Then she took out a small trinket and handed it to Taeyeon. “Here’s a mini brush and ink holder.”

            “Yup, that way, you can write us letters and send them to us! These birds are really smart, you know,” Fany added.

            “Whoa…” Taeyeon took the bird out of its cage and held it on her arm. It flapped its wings twice and continued to sit quietly. “I should totally name it. Hm…What about Ginger?”

            “Why Ginger?” Sunny asked.

            “Nothing, I just like that name,” Taeyeon said with a giggle.

            "We'll miss you Taengoo," Sunny said with teary eyes. "You better write to us often! When Ginger flies to us we'll pretend that it's you and treat it well. We'll write to you too!"

***

            That evening, Yonghwa quietly sneaked out of the palace. The cold winter air gave him chills. He covered his freezing head with his thick, fur hoodie and cautiously walked close by the frozen palace walls. He hid in the shadows so that he could not be seen by the few guards posted at the front entrance. When he reached the area that was not guarded at all, he ran out to the quiet icy streets. Nobody would really mind if he went out alone, considering that the Northern Water Tribe is one of the places with an almost non-existent crime rate. He just doesn’t want his family to know what he is doing outside the palace, that’s all. After he turned around the corner of a block, he was surprised.

            “Oppa!” Krystal exclaimed as she tugged onto her brother's sleeves.

            “Krystal! What the heck are you doing here?”

            “The next time you plan on sneaking out, you should be more careful. You’re too obvious,” Krystal said with a wink. “Anyway, I know every nook and cranny of this little city so I took a shortcut to catch up to you.”

            “What do you want now?” he asked as he continued to walk with his sister holding on to his arm.

            “Oh my gosh, I heard everything that you and Father talked about,” Krystal started giggling uncontrollably. “It’s Seohyun Eonni, Right?”

            Yonghwa stopped walking and let go of his sister’s hands. “Look, kid, it’s none of your business! Go play with Sica Noona.”

            “Hey, you’re my brother and Seohyun Eonni is my friend too, so it is kind of my business!” Krystal insisted.

            Just then as they were walking by the street, a girl with long, silky black hair, skin as smooth as a pearl, and a sweet, innocent face was walking in their direction. She wrapped her pink scarf around her neck since it was getting colder. She also carried a bunch of scrolls that she probably borrowed from the library just right around the corner. Yonghwa’s heart started beating faster at the sight of her. Everything else around him seemed to fade away. All that he can see was the beautiful angel walking toward him. At that moment, he thought he was in heaven.

            “Hi Seohyun Eonni!” Krystal waved at her. Perfect timing, she thought. Then she stomped on her brother’s foot to snap him back to reality. Yonghwa awkwardly cleared his throat.

            “Oh, Princess Krystal!” Seohyun respectfully bowed with a sweet, pleasant smile. Then she turned to Yonghwa and bowed to him too. “Hello, Prince Yonghwa.”

            "Hello," Yonghwa greeted.

            “You haven’t visited the palace in a while. You should come more often! Sica Eonni isn’t as cold and scary whenever you’re around,” Krystal sweetly said.

            “Hm, I’m not sure…,” Seohyun said with an adorable pout. “I’m getting really busy lately. I’ll come when I have time.”

            “When you’re not busy maybe we can play together!” Krystal said enthusiastically.

            “Oh, yes, of course!” Seohyun said as she patted Krystal’s head. “Anyway, I still have some things to take care of. Goodbye for now!” She then looked at Yonghwa and smiled. “Goodbye Prince Yonghwa.”

            “Goodbye, Miss Seohyun.” Yonghwa stiffly stood there with a huge smile on his face. His heartbeat accelerated faster every time she said his name. As she left, he couldn’t help but follow her with his stare. Then he sighed like a lovesick puppy.

            “Get a hold of yourself.” Krystal lightly slapped his face to stop him from staring. “Anyway, if you’re here to see her, why didn’t you say anything to her? All you said was 'goodbye' and 'hello.'”

            “Who said I was here to see her?” Yonghwa tried to hide the guilt in his voice. Honestly, all he wanted to do was to see Seohyun.

            “Yoochun Oppa said so. Besides, this path leads to the library and everyone knows that you don’t even like books.”

            “Yoochun, that annoying punk,” Yonghwa silently cursed. Yoochun always behind his back. He was supposed to be Crown Prince Yonghwa’s tutor on important political affairs but he is just so childish sometimes even though he was five years older.

            “I will help you,” Krystal suddenly volunteered.

            “Help me with what?”

            “Get Seohyun Eonni to like you,” Krystal replied with a smirk. “She’s not exactly one of the easiest girls out there. You need all the help you can get.”

            “Why you of all people? You’re eleven!”

            “Don’t underestimate your dear little sister. You’ll thank me later.”

***

            Princess Sica sat lazily at the royal lounge, half-awake and half-asleep. This is pretty much all that she does when she’s not practicing her water bending. Other than being called the Ice Princess, she is also nicknamed the Sleeping Beauty, because she can do nothing but sleep for hours.

            “Princess Sica, there was a message from the Fire Nation. The King wants you to be there when he reads it,” Head Secretary Yoochun announced.

Sica wasn’t responding. She seems to have fallen asleep again.

Yoochun loudly cleared his throat. Still, there was no answer. Finally, he splashed some water on her face to wake her up. Sica slowly opened her eyes only to see the Head Secretary standing before her.

“You!” Sica yelled. Sica made icicles pop up from the frozen ground all over Yoochun to keep him from moving. It seems that even Sica found the mischievous Secretary to be annoying. Only Krystal seems to appreciate his existence in the palace.

“I said your father wants to see you, Princess!” Yoochun emphasized “Princess” in a mocking tone. He can’t really directly insult her since she is still the King’s daughter.

“Ugh, what does he want now?”

Yoochun rolled his eyes at Sica and broke free from the icicles using his strong arms. He is a water bender too. Then he grabbed by her wrist and proceeded to drag her. “I don’t want explain it again so just let me you there so we can get this over with.”

 When they got there, the cheerful King welcomed Sica and asked her to take a seat. Then he opened up the red scroll from the Firelord and proceeded to read,

“…My beloved daughter, Princess, and Avatar Taeyeon will be arriving at the North Pole in a few weeks. She personally made up her mind to travel the world and learn bending with skillful benders. Although being the Avatar, she has much to learn. She is just a child after all. Please treat her with kindness throughout the duration of her stay.”

“Oh, Taeyeon is coming?” Sica raised her eyebrows.

“Taeyeon is the newly discovered Avatar, if I am not mistaken?” asked Yoochun.

“Yes, she’s the Avatar, you idiot. Didn’t you hear it when Dad read the letter?” Sica snapped at the secretary.

“My apologies,” he mumbled.

“She should totally learn water bending from me,” Sica haughtily stated with a smirk. “I’m the best anyway.”

***

            After all goodbyes were said and last embraces were done, Taeyeon finally boarded a royal Fire Nation ship. Fany and Sunny couldn’t help but tear up at the sight of Taeyeon slowly getting farther away into the ocean. Soon, the ship faded away into the gray horizon. The last year that they spent together might have been short, but it produced many wonderful memories that would last for a lifetime. Now their sister is going through a new phase in her life. They know being the Avatar was not going to be an easy road for their Taeng, so they let her go with best wishes in their thoughts and prayers. Taeyeon stared out at the quarterdeck of the ship for hours, even though the Fire Nation Harbor was no longer visible. She will truly miss them and they feel the same way. But now let’s look toward the future. What is in store for our little Avataeng?

            During the weeks at sea, Taeyeon have gotten seasick, experienced raging storms, and found endless boredom. Her dislike for sailing grew as the days went by. There was nothing to see but endless waters in every direction. From time to time, some dolphins could be spotted swimming along, but the gloomy ocean usually looked so empty from the wavy surface. The closer they got to the North Pole, the colder the winds blew. She wasn’t used to it since the Fire Nation was usually a warm place even during the winter. Good thing the thick fur coat that Fany gave her provided enough warmth to get by.

It wasn’t entirely unpleasant for her though. On clear nights, she would stare up at the canopy of numerous stars. The captain of the ship even lent her the constellation map so she can study it for herself. She also made friends with her crew. Everyone liked having her around because of her unique personality. Sometimes she would practice water bending on her own even though she was totally bad at it. Everyone in the ship encouraged her. They all believed that she could become a really great Avatar. It really made her happy that others believed in her even when she herself doesn’t.

When they finally reached the ice walls of the city at the North Pole, Taeyeon’s mouth gaped in awe. She had never seen any other place like it at all. Just like in the Earth Kingdom, the walls that protect the city have no gates. Instead, the water bending guards posted by the ice walls just melted down a gap for ships to pass through. The Fire Nation ship was docked in and Taeyeon finally got off the ship. After the crew successfully delivered the Avatar to her destination, she bade them goodbye. The Water Tribe welcomed her warmly even in the negative temperatures. It felt good to be finally standing on solid ground—or in this case, solid ice.

“Whoa,” Taeyeon gasped. “It’s a winter wonderland…”

All the structures and houses were made of ice and snow. It was a city filled with huge igloos of all shapes and sizes. The streets, bridges, and steps were all made of ice. Small gaps in the ice filled with water are also used for transportation by small boats. It was a completely different world.

“Welcome to the North Pole, Avatar Taeyeon,” greeted the Head Secretary Yoochun. The truth is, the King does not have enough noble officials to order around so he makes Yoochun do just about anything for him, including welcome the Avatar into the city. He doesn’t really mind though. “I am Park Yoochun, Head Secretary of the Water Tribe Royal Palace. I have been given the pleasure to you into the city today.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Taeyeon bowed.

Yoochun took her luggage and escorted her in by riding the boat. As some servants paddled their way in, the crowd began to cheer. They were really excited to have the Avatar visit them. Taeyeon waved her hands to the crowd. She had never seen hospitality like this before. She hasn’t even done anything significant as the Avatar yet. Here and there she could hear people say, “The Avatar looks really adorable,” and some even say, “Who knew the Avatar would be so short?” She just giggled through it. She felt like a superstar.

Eventually they arrive at the palace. There Taeyeon saw Sica, Krystal, and Yonghwa waiting for her at the entrance.

“Taeyeon, welcome!” Sica greeted. “You look really tired from your trip. Come in and we’ll show you where you can rest. Yoochun will carry your belongings for you.”

            “Oh, thanks a lot,” then she turned to Yoochun and said, “I’ll just take the bird cage with me. You may carry the rest.”

            “Hello Avatar Eonni,” Krystal waved her hand at her. Taeyeon gave her a smile. Then Krystal pulled on Yonghwa’s sleeve and said, “This is our brother Yonghwa Oppa.”

            Awkward Yonghwa smiled and bowed to the Avatar. For some reason, he found her intimidating, but not as intimidating as Sica. Maybe it was because she was the Avatar. He did not say a word until he finally left off with Yoochun for more tutoring.

            “So, do you know anyone who I can train water bending with?” Taeyeon asked as they walked down the icy palace corridors.

            “Me. I can train you,” straightforward Sica replied. “You have a choice between training with boring old ‘masters’ or me. Which one would you rather put up with?”

            “Well, if you want to train me then sure. Just please go easy on me. I’m really new to water bending.”

Author's Note: Since TaeNy will be separated for a while, we'll just move on to TaengSic and SeoTae.

Will Sica be a good water bending teacher? What do you think? Hopefully none of you got too bothered by all the annoying GIFs XD

This chapter is basically just an introduction to the Water Tribe. Hopefully you stay tuned!