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In the captivating Antarctic landscape lay the stunning city of the Southern Water Tribe. It was beautiful and thriving with its magnificent ice palaces and villas. Furthermore, over a dozen cozy igloos were strewed around the frozen city.
There was also an abundance of well-built wooden structures that held a distinctive appeal to their architectural designs. All in all, it seems especially magical to outsiders for a place of enteral winter.
In one of the more extravagant residences, an eight-year-old girl was sleeping soundly in an amazingly handcrafted wooden bed with a warm fur blanket covering her. However, the child looked nothing like the other children in her village.
Unlike the other nations, who mainly had lighter complexions, all members of the Water Tribe had tan-colored skin, dark brown hair, and various shades of blue eyes. However, the little girl had long midnight black hair, turquoise highlights, and pale skin.
She also didn't wear her hair in the unusual braids of the other Water Tribe girls. Nope, she wore her hair in a high ponytail that wasn't braided or had beads. Unlike the rest of the Tribe, she wore her namesake color and jewelry, not royal blue. Which again made her stand out.
The little girl's name was Turquesa, and the turquoise necklace matched her eyes. A Water Tribe couple had found her on a shipwreck. Since they couldn't have children of their own, they adopted her.
They didn't know her real name or heritage. But they loved her as if she were their own. Most people guessed she'd some Fire Nation blood due to her skin tone and hair. Her parents had later confirmed she was half-Fire Nation and half-Water Tribe when someone had tried to abduct their daughter under false pretenses.
Gradually, Turquesa woke up and did some stretches before remembering today! It was the first day of the week of the Winter Solstice! The Winter Solstice was the most holy day in the Water Tribe.
It was a huge thing for their culture and, again, their most spiritual day. Multiple blessings from Tui and La were bestowed upon the individuals of the Tribe. Quickly, the young girl got dressed in her turquoise parka and jewelry.
Her pet polar bear dog, Azurite, rushed to keep up with her best friend as she bolted to the holy Water Sages Temple, where her mother, Zarya, would be. Zarya was exceptionally endowed because she'd been born under a supermoon. She was the head sage of the Tribe.
Zarya was a waterbending prodigy and could genuinely communicate and interact with spirits. She'd even been to the Spirit World a few times. Turquesa had always wanted to do that. But sadly, she wasn't a bender, nor did she seem to have strong spiritual abilities, which may've been the result of being biracial.
“Mommy!” she cried out as she hurried to the center of the temple, where her mother instructed the other sages on what preparations for the Solstice they were doing. Zarya turned around and smiled.
She allowed her daughter to embrace her in a big hug. “Mommy!” she cried as she snuggled closely to her mother.
“I'm happy to see you too, my darling gem. However, shouldn't you be at home eating your breakfast?” her mother lightly scolded her.
“I'm too excited to eat! I want to help prepare for the Solstice! I want everything perfect by the time Obsidiana's family arrives!” she said, referring to her best friend, who was the adopted daughter of Avatar Kyoshi.
“Well, they won't be here for some time. If you'd like to help, you can make the necessary candles. But only after you've had a filling breakfast, understood?”
“Okay, Mommy! Do you want standard blue candles? Or can they be scented?” her daughter asked, to which her mother answered. “Let's do both this year. Now I want you to go back home and eat your breakfast. Understood?”
“Yes, Mommy!” she rushed home with her pet, trying to keep up with the spirited lass.
After consuming a filling breakfast, Turquesa and her puppy scampered to the arts and crafts building. When they arrived, they saw several other children supervised by two teenagers and the chief's wife while they constructed the decorations.
“Hi, Aunt Kirima!” Turquesa called out cheerfully to her aunt. Her aunt was the chief's wife. Zarya was Kirima's older sister.
“Hello, darling gem! How are you today?” her aunt questioned merrily while ensuring her new baby was still napping in their harness.
“I'm doing super! Mommy told me to help make blue-scented candles. So I was hoping you had the right materials for them.”
“Well, we've already crushed several water gemstones into powder. I'll need to step out for a minute to get the scented oils. But you can work with what you got so far,” she gestured to an empty table.
“Okay!” as she rushed over to various shades of blue wax. Depending on the color of blue would determine the spiritual significance of each candle. Blue was a primary spiritual color. Therefore, blue candles examine emotions—and attain calming wisdom and healing sleep.
Igniting a dark blue candle promotes joy and laughter. Dark blue influences dreams and emotions. Royal blue symbolizes loyalty and fidelity. Royal blue stirs the spiritual self, and truth seekers invoke this candle color.
Light blue is another exceptionally spiritual color. Light blue candles are ideal for pursuing inspirational meditations. Those who light a blue candle seek truth, harmony, and guidance while amplifying their creativity and perception.
Utilizing differently shaped molds for the diverse colors, oils, and gemstone powder, things gradually got underway. By the day's end, the children had made three dozen candles and handcrafted gifts for their loved ones.
A few children even composed new songs for them to sing. Turquesa knew her father Kaveri was with the rest of the men, looking for the perfect tree to use as wishing logs. Everyone would etch one wish into the logs before burning it.
Those who used waterbending more as an art form were charged with creating sculptures or participating in ritual waterbending dancing. The Water Sages were occupied with assembling a ceremonious altar for offerings to Tui and La.
Her mother, as Head Sage, had the most challenging job of all the sages because she was the one who had to perform the spiritual cleansing of the entire Tribe. Which, if it wasn't executed perfectly, could have dire results.
Four days later, Kyoshi's family showed up. Obsidiana rushed to meet her best friend. The two young girls were so excited as Turquesa showed her best friend around and described every detail.
Kyoshi, on the other hand? She checked in with Turquesa's parents and the chief to ensure there wasn't any trouble brewing she needed to fix. They assured her everything was satisfactory, and they were delighted to have her.
The rest of the Solstice went perfectly. The dancers performed beautifully, and all the new songs were sung. Even Kyoshi's family carved their wishes into Turquesa's family's log; it was a magical evening!