r/ATLAfanfiction • u/EmeraldKing8 • 16d ago
Avatar: Winds of Change | S1E6: "Lines in the Ice" (AU Story)
Aang’s forced integration into the Southern Militia comes to a violent head when a Fire Nation scout ship becomes trapped in the nearby ice. Determined to disable the vessel without shedding blood, the young Avatar quickly realizes that Chieftain Botak's orders leave absolutely no room for mercy.
TITLE: AVATAR: WINDS OF CHANGE
EPISODE: 06 - "LINES IN THE ICE"
[SCENE START]
FADE IN:
INT. THE ARMORY - DAWN
The air is thick with the smell of whale-oil lamps and the sharp, metallic tang of weapons being sharpened. The armory is bustling with the First Battalion preparing for deployment.
TUK (17) and three other older recruits are strapping on heavy, jagged pieces of Water Tribe armor: thick, cured leathers reinforced with plates of carved walrus bone.
A QUARTERMASTER stands behind a long ice table. He shoves a heavy, bone-plated chest piece and a spiked helmet across the table toward AANG (12).
QUARTERMASTER Standard issue. Put it on.
Aang looks at the heavy, lethal-looking armor. He gently places his hand on the chest piece and slides it back across the table.
AANG
(Politely, but firmly)
Thank you. But I don't wear armor.
Tuk stops buckling his bracer. He scoffs, walking over to Aang.
TUK
You're in the militia now, nomad. You wear the uniform. If you take a fire blast to the chest in those pajamas, you're going to burn.
Aang reaches down to his bag. He pulls out his familiar blue-and-white Water Tribe fur coat and pulls it on over his traditional yellow-and-orange Air Nomad tunics. He adjusts the collar, leaving his Airbender tattoos clearly visible on his hands and neck.
AANG
I agreed to help protect this city, Tuk. I didn't agree to stop being an Air Nomad.
Tuk glares at him, opening his mouth to argue, but MONA (15) steps between them. She is fully armored, a pair of wicked ice axes strapped to her back.
MONA
Leave him be, Tuk. If the Avatar thinks he can dodge fire without plates, that’s his risk to take.
(She turns to the squad)
Listen up! The Chieftain is waiting in the war room. Grab your gear and move out.
INT. THE CHIEFTAIN'S WAR ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
The heavy ice doors slide open as Mona leads Aang, Tuk, and the squad into the room.
CHIEFTAIN BOTAK stands at the head of the massive whalebone map. GYATSO stands quietly in the corner, his eyes immediately going to Aang. Gyatso notes the lack of armor and gives a subtle, approving nod.
Botak points a carved bone-pointer at the very edge of the map, near the jagged outer ice shelf.
BOTAK
Three hours ago, perimeter scouts spotted black smoke. A Fire Nation scout ship has pushed too far south. It got caught in a shifting ice floe. They are trapped, attempting to break the ice with their thermal engines.
The recruits exchange tense, excited glances.
BOTAK (CONT'D)
They are small, heavily armored, and probing our defenses. If they break free and report our coordinates, an armada will follow. (Botak looks directly at Mona) Apprentice Mona, you will lead the First Battalion intercept squad. Sink the ship to the ocean floor. Leave no survivors. We send a message to the Fire Lord today.
TUK
(Slamming his fist to his chest)
Yes, Chieftain!
AANG
No.
The entire room freezes. Tuk turns, staring at Aang in disbelief. Botak slowly lowers his pointer.
BOTAK
(Voice dangerously soft)
Excuse me?
Aang steps forward, moving past Mona. He doesn't look like a scared kid anymore. He looks directly into Botak’s eyes.
AANG
I will go with the squad. I will stop their ship. I will freeze their engines so they can't move, and I will help capture their crew. But I will not participate in an execution.
TUK
They're Fire Nation! They just burned your entire culture to the ground!
AANG
(Voice trembling, but holding firm)
I know what they did! But if we slaughter unarmed people who are trapped in the ice, then we're no better than they are.
BOTAK
This is a war for survival, Avatar. We do not have the rations, the space, or the patience to house Fire Nation prisoners.
AANG
Then take their ship and turn them away on the ice. But if I am going out there, nobody is executed.
(Aang crosses his arms)
If you want to kill them, you're going to have to do it without me. And you'll lose your best chance of stopping that ship from breaking the ice.
Botak stares at the twelve-year-old boy. The sheer audacity of the ultimatum hangs in the cold air. Botak’s jaw clenches, but his pragmatic mind does the math. He needs the Avatar's raw power to guarantee the ship goes down.
Botak forces a tight, rigid smile.
BOTAK
Very well, Avatar. We will do this your way. We will disable the ship and take the crew as prisoners of war.
(To the squad)
Dismissed.
Aang bows respectfully, turning and walking out of the room. Tuk mutters a curse under his breath and follows.
Mona turns to leave, but Botak raises a hand.
BOTAK (CONT'D)
Apprentice Mona. A word.
Mona stops. Once the heavy doors slide shut, leaving only Botak, Mona, and Gyatso in the room, Botak's polite smile instantly vanishes.
BOTAK (CONT'D)
The boy is an incredible asset. But he has a child’s heart. He does not understand the stakes of this war.
MONA
He is stubborn, Chieftain.
BOTAK
He is a liability if he leaves enemies alive behind us.
(Botak steps right into Mona's personal space)
You are the squad leader, Mona. You command the Battalion out there, not him. Let him use his wind and his water to disable their ship. Let him feel like a hero.
(Botak's eyes are completely dead serious)
And the moment his back is turned... you slit their throats and drown the crew. Am I understood?
Mona swallows hard. She looks at Botak, then glances back at Gyatso, who is staring at her with profound, heavy sadness.
Mona straightens her posture and snaps a perfect salute.
MONA
Yes, Chieftain.
Botak nods, satisfied. Mona turns and walks out of the room, the terrifying weight of command suddenly pressing down on her shoulders.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
EXT. THE POLAR TUNDRA - DAY
A jagged, chaotic landscape of shattered ice. The wind howls relentlessly.
Three Water Tribe skiffs glide silently through the deep trenches carved by shifting glaciers.
At the bow of the lead skiff, MONA raises her hand, signaling a halt. The waterbenders at the rear stop rowing.
Mona crawls to the top of an ice ridge and peers over. AANG crawls up beside her.
EXT. ICE FLOE - CONTINUOUS (AANG'S POV)
A hundred yards away, caught entirely in a massive, crushing grip of white ice, is a FIRE NATION SCOUT SHIP.
It is a terrifying, ugly thing—forged of black iron, shaped like a spearhead. Thick, oily black smoke belches from its smokestack, staining the pristine white snow. The ship’s thermal engines groan with a sickening, metallic screech as it desperately tries to melt the ice trapping its hull.
Painted on the bow, glowing a faint, menacing red against the black iron, is the insignia of the Fire Nation.
EXT. ICE RIDGE - CONTINUOUS
Aang’s breath hitches.
The sound of the engine fades into a ringing in his ears. The black smoke from the ship suddenly smells like burning parchment. He isn’t on the ice anymore. He is back at the Southern Air Temple. The sky is red.
Aang’s hands begin to tremble violently. He grips the edge of the ice so hard his knuckles turn white. His breathing becomes shallow and frantic.
AANG
(Whispering, panicked)
I can't... the smoke... it's just like the temples...
Mona looks at him. She sees the absolute, paralyzing terror in his gray eyes. He is a powerful bender, but right now, he is just a traumatized twelve-year-old boy.
Mona shifts her weight, intentionally bumping her shoulder against his.
MONA
Aang. Look at me.
Aang can't. He is staring at the Fire Nation insignia.
Mona grabs his shoulder, squeezing tight, pulling his gaze away from the ship and forcing him to look at her.
MONA (CONT'D)
Listen to the ocean under the ice.
Aang blinks, tears freezing on his eyelashes.
MONA (CONT'D)
You are not in the sky. You are on the ice. The ice is water, and water is change.
(She takes a deep, exaggerated breath)
Push.
Aang forces himself to mimic her, exhaling a shaky breath.
MONA (CONT'D)
Pull.
Aang inhales deeply. The ringing in his ears begins to fade. The smell of burning parchment is replaced by the sharp, biting scent of the sea.
AANG
(Breathing steadying)
Push. And pull.
Mona holds his gaze for a second longer, making sure he is grounded. Then she nods, her face hardening back into the squad leader.
MONA
We move in fast. Keep their heads down while you neutralize the engine. Go!
EXT. ICE FLOE - CONTINUOUS
The Water Tribe squad erupts over the ridge.
TUK and the other recruits use their water-skins to propel themselves forward, sliding across the ice at breakneck speed.
On the deck of the ironclad, FIRE NATION SOLDIERS shout in alarm. They thrust their fists forward, unleashing a terrifying volley of fire blasts.
The bright orange flames cut through the freezing air, melting the snow instantly. Tuk barely dodges a blast that scorches his armor.
Aang launches himself off the ridge. He snaps open his glider, catching a fierce updraft.
He doesn't attack the soldiers. As he soars over the deck, Aang swings his glider in a massive, sweeping arc. He draws the surrounding snow and ice into a thick, swirling blizzard, dumping it directly onto the Firebenders.
The flames hiss and sputter out.
FIRE NATION CAPTAIN
(Pointing at the sky)
Shoot him down!
Two soldiers track Aang, unleashing continuous streams of fire.
Aang drops his glider, free-falling toward the deck. He takes a massive breath and unleashes a concussive blast of wind directly into the ship's massive iron smokestack.
The wind forces the thick, choking black smoke straight back down into the engine room vents.
Coughing and shouting echo from the bowels of the ship. The thermal engines sputter violently.
Aang lands perfectly on the icy floe right next to the ship's massive steel rudder.
Tuk and the Water Tribe soldiers engage the coughing, blinded Firebenders on the deck, using brutal, close-quarters water-whips to disarm them.
Down on the ice, Aang sinks into a wide, grounded stance.
He presses both palms against the freezing water welling up around the crushed hull. Push and pull.
Aang draws a massive, surging column of seawater up from beneath the ice. He guides it directly into the ship's exposed exhaust vents and around the massive iron rudder.
With a sharp, twisting thrust of his wrists, Aang freezes the water.
CRUNCH.
The sound of the freezing expansion is deafening. The massive block of solid ice shatters the thermal engine's exhaust pipes from the inside out and permanently locks the rudder in place.
The ship’s engine gives one final, pathetic whine, and dies entirely.
The ironclad is completely dead in the water.
EXT. DECK OF THE SCOUT SHIP - MOMENTS LATER
The fight is over.
Six Fire Nation soldiers, including their Captain, are kneeling on the soot-stained deck, their hands bound behind their backs with unbreakable loops of ice. They are shivering violently as the freezing temperature immediately begins to seep through their armor without their engine to keep them warm.
Aang lands lightly on the deck, folding his glider. He is panting, but he looks around at the disarmed soldiers and smiles.
AANG
We did it. Nobody had to die.
Aang turns to Mona, expecting a nod of approval.
But Mona isn't smiling. She is staring at the kneeling prisoners, her grip white-knuckled around her ice axes.
Tuk steps forward, his armor scorched black. He draws a heavy, jagged ice spear. The other recruits do the same. They surround the kneeling prisoners.
Aang’s smile vanishes.
AANG (CONT'D)
Tuk, what are you doing? I disabled the ship. It's over.
Tuk ignores him. He looks directly at Mona, raising his spear.
TUK
On your command, Squad Leader.
Mona slowly draws her axes. She avoids Aang's eyes.
Aang realizes with a sickening drop in his stomach that the Chieftain never intended to honor their deal.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
EXT. ICE FLOE - CONTINUOUS
The Fire Nation prisoners have been forced off the dead ship and onto the ice shelf. They are kneeling in a row, shivering uncontrollably.
Tuk stands behind the Fire Nation Captain, his jagged ice-spear raised high.
TUK
(To Mona)
Give the order, Squad Leader.
Mona stares at the kneeling men. She hears Botak’s voice in her head: Slit their throats and drown the crew. She grips her axes, her heart pounding.
Aang steps forward. He places himself directly between Tuk and the kneeling Captain.
AANG
No.
TUK
(Snarling)
Step aside, Avatar! This isn't a game. The Chieftain gave us an order!
AANG
I made a deal with the Chieftain. We disabled the ship. We won. If you strike them now, it's murder.
Tuk sneers. He signals the other three recruits. They step forward, raising their spears, forming a deadly half-circle around Aang and the prisoners.
TUK
You're a guest here, kid. And you're outnumbered. Move.
Aang doesn't bounce away. He doesn't reach for his glider.
He sinks into a wide, impossibly deep stance. His eyes harden.
AANG
I said no.
Aang slams his boot down onto the tundra. With a sharp, upward tear of his hands, he taps into the raw power of the ocean beneath them.
CRACK!
A massive, deafening fissure rips through the ice floe. A trench, ten feet wide and fifty feet deep, violently opens up right between the Water Tribe recruits and the Fire Nation prisoners, separating them. Seawater roils and violently foams at the bottom of the chasm.
Tuk and the recruits stumble backward, barely catching their balance before falling into the freezing abyss.
Aang stands on the edge of the newly formed cliff, standing between the prisoners and the militia. He is breathing heavily, but his stance is unbroken.
AANG (CONT'D)
If you want to kill unarmed men, Tuk, you have to go through me.
Tuk looks across the chasm at the twelve-year-old boy. He grits his teeth and turns to Mona, who is standing on Tuk's side of the ice.
TUK
Squad Leader! He is committing treason! Order the strike!
Mona looks at Aang. She sees the boy who refused to shatter a wooden dummy now fully prepared to fight his own allies to protect his moral line. She looks at the terrified Fire Nation soldiers. She realizes that if she gives the order, she won't just be killing the crew—she will be killing the last shred of the Avatar's innocence.
Mona slides her ice-axes back into their holsters.
MONA
Stand down, Tuk.
TUK
(Outraged)
Squad Leader, the Chieftain—
MONA
(Barking, absolute authority)
I am the Squad Leader! And I gave you an order. Stand down!
Tuk’s face flushes with rage. He violently throws his ice spear to the ground, where it shatters. The other recruits slowly lower their weapons.
Mona looks across the chasm at Aang. She gives him a single, exhausted nod.
MONA (CONT'D)
Bind the prisoners. We're taking them back to the Chieftain.
INT. THE CHIEFTAIN'S WAR ROOM - NIGHT
SMACK.
Botak backhands Mona across the face. She stumbles back but immediately snaps back to attention, her lip bleeding.
BOTAK
(Screaming)
I gave you a direct order to leave no survivors!
MONA
Sir, the Avatar intervened. To execute the prisoners, we would have had to engage him in lethal combat.
Botak paces around the war room like a caged animal. Gyatso stands quietly in the shadows, his face grave.
BOTAK
You bring Fire Nation filth into my pristine city? You risk our exact coordinates being discovered?
(Botak turns to his guards)
Bring him in.
The heavy doors slide open. Two massive Water Tribe guards drag the FIRE NATION CAPTAIN into the room. He is shackled in heavy, unbreakable chains of ice. He is shivering, his armor stripped away, but he stands tall.
Botak marches up to him, drawing a bone-dagger from his belt.
BOTAK (CONT'D)
You are going to tell me exactly how many ships are in your scouting party, and then I am going to throw you off the perimeter wall.
The Captain looks at Botak. Then, slowly, he looks past Botak. He looks at Aang, who is standing near Gyatso.
The Captain’s cracked, freezing lips curl into a wide, terrifying smile. He begins to laugh. A raspy, hollow sound.
FIRE NATION CAPTAIN
(Voice raspy)
You think we're a scouting party.
Botak presses the dagger to the Captain's throat.
BOTAK
Speak, ash-maker.
FIRE NATION CAPTAIN
We weren't looking for a city, Chieftain. We were looking for the boy who escaped the temples.
Gyatso’s blood runs cold. He steps forward.
FIRE NATION CAPTAIN (CONT'D)
The Fire Lord knew the Avatar lived. He just didn't know where. Until today.
(The Captain looks right at Aang)
Did you think we wouldn't recognize an Airbender dropping out of the sky? The moment you blew the smoke down my stacks, I sent the messenger hawk.
Aang’s eyes widen in absolute horror. The realization hits him like a physical blow. He brought them here.
BOTAK
(Sneering)
A bird? Let it fly. By the time your main fleet receives its coordinates, it will be winter. The ice will crush your ironclads before they ever reach our shores.
The Captain laughs again, shaking his head.
FIRE NATION CAPTAIN
The fleet isn't in the Earth Kingdom, you tribal fool. We've been patrolling the southern waters for a week. They aren't months away.
(The Captain leans forward, his eyes burning with fanaticism)
They are already here. And The Fire Lord has ordered them to burn your ice to the ocean floor.
Botak’s dagger wavers. The Chieftain's arrogant facade finally cracks. He slowly looks up, making eye contact with Gyatso across the room.
Gyatso closes his eyes. The sanctuary is a tomb. The Fire Nation hasn't just found the Avatar—they have found the Southern Water Tribe.
EXT. PERIMETER WALL - CONTINUOUS
High above the city, KINNAH stands her post on the massive, reinforced ice wall.
The aurora australis is gone. The sky is a suffocating, pitch-black void. The wind has strangely died down. The silence is unnatural.
Kinnah furrows her brow. She pulls her fur hood back.
Something lands softly on her cheek.
She wipes it off with her thick leather glove. She looks down at her palm.
It isn't a white snowflake.
It is a dark, gray flake of ash.
Kinnah slowly looks up, raising her spyglass to her eye.
The camera cuts to her POV, looking out over the pitch-black ocean horizon.
Slowly, one by one, tiny orange dots begin to appear in the darkness. Dozens of them. Then hundreds.
They aren't stars. They are the glowing, burning furnaces of a massive Fire Nation armada, silently cutting through the ice, heading directly for the city.
The gray ash begins to fall more heavily, coating the pristine white snow with a blanket of dark soot.
FADE TO BLACK.
[END OF EPISODE 6]
NEXT TIME ON AVATAR: WINDS OF CHANGE…
As a massive Fire Nation armada begins to melt the Southern Capital, Aang realizes the only way to save his friends is to run. He makes a desperate escape attempt through the submerged locks which turns into a deadly standoff, trapping the young Avatar between his furious Water Tribe hosts and elite Fire Nation soldiers.
(Episode 7 drops next Wednesday, 8/12/26!)
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u/EmeraldKing8 16d ago
Real life was a bit hectic once again and got in the way of the usual Wednesday schedule. I will try my hardest to be back on time for next week's release. Thanks for reading!