On the South Pole. Time to meet Katara in the flesh

Parallel Universe within the Multiverse: Avatar Earth-7

Date of arrival: Last Month of the Year 105 After the Air Nomad Genocide (AG)

Geographical Region: The South Pole: Southern Water Tribe Territory

God's new Apprentice stood at the bow of the huge ship that he had rescued from within the pages of that world's history, looking at the majestic view. He was grinning in delight, even with the discomfort that was the cold polar winds buffeting him from all sides. After all, he was actually in the world of Avatar. Well, a parallel version of it from across the multiverse, but it was still surreal, even with all the plans he had already set in motion through the use of his newfound powers the second he arrived; knowing that it would all help him start establishing a cover story for the new identity he had decided to adopt. Between all of that, and getting to set sail on the most famous technological wonder of Avatar Roku's era that he had even managed to improve further, he was in a great mood.

And as he mentally used his powers to look at them from above, as if from the eyes of a bird in flight, he was able to spot the fishing canoe nearby. When it fully sunk in who was in it, he could barely quell his anticipation, for he knew that his new adventures were barely getting started.

Nodding to himself, he moved across the deck to get ready, looking forward to meeting Katara at last.

Katara, the daughter of Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe sighed deeply, barely paying attention to the currents. Her 20th birthday had passed a few weeks ago and she was still sad that her father had been unable to return home from the war, ensuring a dark cloud hung over the celebrations in her village; the weight of his absence felt. True, she knew that fighting to protect people from the Fire Nation attacks was important but months had turned into a couple of years, then seven going on eight years and so she missed him terribly more and more. And while her brother Sokka admittedly tried his best to look after the village and her, she longed for her family to be reunited.

And she knew in her heart that they will be reunited eventually, just like she still believe that, somehow, the Avatar will return to save the world. Hope dies last after all, even in hard times.

Suddenly, her brother's voice interrupted her trail of thought.

"It's not getting away from me this time," Sokka said, grinning confidently over his shoulder in her direction. "Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish."

Feeling indifferent to his claim, she turned back to her side of the boat again. Then, her expression changed to surprise, for as she looked down into the water over her shoulder, another fish quickly swims by her, close to where she sat. She shot a quick glance toward her brother, removing the glove from her left hand, and decided to practice. She stretched her arm out in the direction of the fish, taking a deep breath.

Katara had gotten better at waterbending in the past few years but she still needed to concentrate a lot to get anywhere with the ancient art and deep down, she still felt apprehension and self-doubt when she tried it due to her inability to find a master that could actually teach her. Still, she could give up or she could keep practicing and hope she would get better all the same, even if it took her longer than normal with self-taught methods. So, the young woman continued, as she started making a wavy motion with her wrist, moving her hand up and down.

Soon, a bubble of water rose up from the ocean containing the newly trapped fish.

"Sokka, look!" Katara said in excitement, somewhat happily surprised.

"Sshh! Katara, you're going to scare it away," He hushed, clearly still focused wholly on the fish in front of him, and completely unaware of what was happening behind his back. "Mmmm ... I can already smell it cooking"

Behind her older brother, she was still making circular movements with both her arms, suspending the bubble of water that holds the fish in the air and moving back and forth. Her face contorted slightly by the focus it takes to control the water and keeping that contained the fish, a new activity for her. "But, Sokka! I caught one!"

The bubble containing her fish quickly drifts around her to hang over Sokka, who was still oblivious. As the bubble hovers over his head, Sokka raises his spear to strike the fish below him that he was following. He bursts the bubble of water with the blunt end of his weapon, causing Katara to lose control of the element and it rained down on Sokka, soaking him.

"Hey!" He exclaimed indignantly.

As Sokka lets out a gasp of discomfort at the polar cold water, the fish tumbles through the air and Katara follows its arc with her eyes as it flies over her head and splashes back into the sea. He rounds on his sister, placing his spear perpendicular to the rim of the boat as he yells irately. "Why is it that every time you play with magic water, I get soaked?"

She sighed lightly before answering in slight annoyance. "It's not "magic", it's waterbending! And it's..."

"Yeah, yeah," Sokka said, cutting her off, "an ancient art unique to our culture", blah, blah, blah. Look, I'm just saying," He said, grabbing his warrior's wolf knot with his left hand as he turned away from her, wringing the water out of it, "that if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself."

Katara has crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow skeptically. "You're calling me weird? I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water!"

Near the end of her response, Katara smiled smugly at her brother for he was flexing at his reflection in the water and grinning confidently. His happy look vanished upon hearing his sister's remark and he turns around slowly, meaning to face her. Before he can say anything, however, the canoe suddenly shudders. As they both try to keep from falling over, Sokka whirls around toward his end of the canoe, a frantic look on his face.

Katara's eyes widened, startled as she realized what she was looking at. It was a huge, metallic ship. Even bigger than the one her people had managed to sink during the early raids against the Southern Water Tribe.

"What the...?!" Sokka shouted, alarmed. "It has to be a Fire Nation ship! And it's heading straight for us!"

As if on cue, the large metallic hull started tearing through the icebergs apart like it was nothing, altering the flow of water on the channel they were on.

"Quickly! We have to lose them!" Katara said, her tone urgent.

However before they could turn around, the boat is caught in a rapid current, which is pulling it swiftly toward a jumble of large icebergs which block the end of the narrow passage formed by the towering walls of ice, and beyond it, the large vessel itself. Her brother paddled the boat in an attempt to stay clear of any floating chunks of ice. In that sense, he managed to gain just enough speed to keep the boat from being crushed by two icebergs that slammed together behind the boat. The canoe moved through the water as Sokka rowed furiously, but eventually, it is nearly pinned by a number of smaller chunks of ice.

Katara's heart beat rapidly, both her face and voice full of panic as she yells commands to Sokka. "Watch out! Go left! Go left!"

The boat managed to stay clear of some of the icebergs, but it veered to the right with the current and becomes pinned by three large chunks of ice. As the canoe is completely crushed by the ice, Katara and Sokka threw themselves from the canoe and onto one of the floes; Katara nearly slides off the other side into the water but comes to a halt at the floe's very edge. She raised her head, looking around, as it sunk in that the siblings were floating on one floe among dozens.

Stranded and with a Fire Nation ship fast approaching...

"What do we do?!" Katara said, worried.

"Well, I know I usually mock you about your magic water but could you use some waterbending to move this iceberg as a boat?" He asked his eyes never leaving the huge ship.

Katara blanched. She had never done something to that extent. But what choice did they have?

With that in mind, she started taking deep breaths, trying her best to focus all her energies on what lay ahead. But before she could start, she heard something land on their iceberg with a thud.

Opening her abruptly, she looked around frantically until she saw a tall young man dressed in the iconic color of green, Earth Kingdom style clothing.

A tall...and very handsome young man, she realized suddenly, her cheeks flushing slightly despite everything.

Sokka recovered from his shock first, grabbing his spear.

"Who are you?!" He demanded to know. "Are you Fire Nation? And what do you want?!"

The unidentified outsider smiled at them and while she also had those same questions, she didn't find his smile sarcastic or threatening but full of warmth. And maybe a little...excitement in his eye?

"No, I don't work for the Fire Nation," He assured them, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "As for my name...you'll find that I have carried many identities over the years," He told them. "The price of staying one step ahead of the Firelord and his armies, I am afraid. If you are looking for my original name, I am afraid you will have to look far from here...very, very far," He stressed with a deep look on his face. "But you, children of Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe, may call me by the name most of the people close to me use. That would be...Zaheer," He added, a slight grin on his lips.

There was a moment of silence as they thought about his words but before long, it hit her.

"Wait, you know our dad?!" Katara asked, her eyes wide. "Did he send you?"

The young-looking man turned to her, his grin growing more pleasant as he looked at her and she found herself surprised once more by how attractive she found him, if her body's reaction was any indication.

She took a deep breath as she felt her lower lips growing wetter and not from the water or the cold. And suddenly, Katara realized she had spent way too many years in her tribe without any attractive men to speak off since her brother didn't count and all their other warriors had left for the war. She shook her head as if to clear it, just in time for the stranger to open his mouth.

"He didn't send me directly, since I had my own business I needed to take care of in the South Pole," The man that called himself Zaheer replied. "But I do have a letter from him for you."

Katara felt a wave of relief wash over her. "So, he is alive."

"That he is," Zaheer replied. "As for what I want...well, it's a very long story but to begin with, I need your help Katara."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, feeling a bit wary despite the good news he shared. And a bit confused too. "What do you really want? And why me?"

He stared at her for a long moment, as if committing this instance to perpetual memory. And then she shivered slightly, for when she looked at his eyes she couldn't shake the feeling that the man was a lot older than he looked...and a lot more powerful too.

"I need your help because, as the last known waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe and one that's connected by blood to the Chieftain of this nation, you are the only one that can help me finish a spiritual ritual I have developed that could change the course of the Hundred Year War," He told her, the revelation making her blink rapidly. "I have gathered almost all the ingredients I will need. But I still need you to harness them properly."

But before she could ask more questions, he opened his mouth again and said something that left her stunned.

"I believe, with your help, we can bring the Avatar back from the dead and help us end this terrible war."

A/N: Just for reference, the huge ship he got was a technological marvel from Avatar Roku's Era that is mentioned in the canon lore that was added for the vast Avatar Legends Roleplaying Game by the creators of the series. The MC just got it to use it as an alternate but useful method of transportation since in this alternate timeline he picked, getting Appa was out of the question.

Anyway, I hope this beginning's got you interested. More answers and explanations are to come soon but in the meantime, please review!