This is a little something I did for my followers over on tumblr as a result of gaining over 400 followers on my adult!Sokka RP account. I consider it more in the "Legend of Korra" timeframe because of the fact it features Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin, all characters from "Legend of Korra", even though the story is set before Korra's time. Anyways, enough of my blabbering, on with the story! Enjoy and review! ^_^
DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Avatar: The Last Airbender". The show and its characters belong to Mike and Bryan, the brillant geniuses behind one of the greatest cartoon shows in the history of cartoons. Their work is legendary, and I salute them for it. I also do not own "The Legend of Korra" or any of the characters associated with it. I am merely a fanboy with a passionate love for this series.
The Tale of the Moon Princess and the Southern Warrior
Sokka rasped his knuckles against the wooden door, the crisp chirping of the Cricket-Hoppers ringing in the night air. He waited for a few moments for someone to answer, and he was just about to knock again when he saw the door open. Katara stood there in the open doorway, holding the door open as she smiled tiredly at her brother. Her hair was all disheveled and messy, and there were slight bags underneath her eyes. She held a sleeping infant in her other arm; her three-week old son, Tenzin. "Hi, Sokka," she greeted quietly. "I'm glad you could make it."
"I came over as soon as I could, sis," said Sokka softly as he stepped inside the house, listening as Katara closed the door behind them. Sokka turned to face his sister as she locked the door. "It's a shame Aang has to be out so late again helping Toph with police work. I know your kids miss him like crazy when he's gone." Though Sokka really had no experience in raising kids, he knew that dealing with a six year-old girl, a three-year old son, and a three week-old baby could wear down a person quickly.
"Oh you have no idea," groaned Katara quietly as she rubbed her temples with her free hand, furrowing her brow. "Whenever he's gone, Kya gets all mopey, Bumi gets all jittery and frantic, and Tenzin doesn't stop crying. I managed to get Bumi settled down into bed, and I managed to quiet down Tenzin as well. I just have to put him down in his crib and pray that he doesn't wake up screaming and crying."
"What about Kya?" asked Sokka. "Is she still awake?"
"Unfortunately, yes," answered Katara with a sigh as she dropped her hand from her brow. "She's staring out at the city from her bedroom window. It's like she's waiting to see her daddy fly home on Appa."
Seeing the raggedness in Katara's tired eyes, Sokka put a hand on her shoulder. "How about you put Tenzin down in his crib and get yourself to bed? I'll take care of Kya. You look like you've had a rough day." He smirked jokingly at her. "You should have called me sooner."
"I would have," replied Katara, "but you were busy with your Council duties, and I knew I couldn't call you until you were done with work." She sighed wearily, giving her brother a gentle smile. "Alright, Sokka. Go ahead and take care of Kya. After I put Tenzin down in his crib, I'll go to bed."
Sokka kissed Katara's cheek, saying "Good night" just before he walked off in the direction of Kya's room. Within a minute, he arrived at his niece's bedroom door. He opened the door slowly, peeking his head in.
Kya was over at the windowsill, leaning on the frame and staring out at the city. Her dark brown hair was tied up into braids, and she had a ponytail on top of her head. Her skin was a light tan, a mix of her parents' skin tones. She was dressed in a loose cyan nightgown made for her by her mother, the fabric coming down to her knees. "Hey there, sweetie," greeted Sokka cheerfully as he stepped inside of her room, closing the door behind him as she whirled around to look at him.
The youngster's face immediately lit up at the sight of him. "Uncle Sokka!" she exclaimed gleefully as she ran over at him. She hugged him by the calves, since she wasn't quite tall enough to reach his waist just yet.
"How are you, Kya?" chuckled Sokka as he picked up Kya, propping her up on his hip as she hugged his neck.
The happy light in Kya's eyes seemed to dim with sadness, her exuberant smile contorting into a sullen frown. "Not so good," she mumbled softly. "Daddy's not home, and I miss him."
"I know you do, sweetie," said Sokka as he sat down her bed, sitting her on his knees, "but he has to help your Auntie Toph catch bad guys in the city." Kya's only response was a despondent sigh, resting her head against his chest. Sokka knew it wouldn't be easy to get her mind off of her father so that she could sleep, but he knew he had to try something.
Sokka laid his niece down on her bed, tucking the covers over her as he said, "How would you like to hear a story from when I was traveling during the War?" Kya's only response was a nod. "Have your parents ever told you the story of Princess Yue, the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe who gave her life to become the Moon Spirit?"
"Uh huh," said Kya as she nodded her head.
Sokka chuckled and smiled, lying down next to Kya as he asked, "Well, what would you say if I told you that I was in love with Princess Yue before she became the moon?"
Kya gasped in amazement, her sapphire eyes going wide with astonishment as she stared at her uncle. "You were in love with Princess Yue?"
"Yes I was," nodded Sokka with a smirk. "Anyways," he said, settling himself on the bed, "this is a story I like to call 'The Tale of the Moon Princess and the Southern Warrior.' Long ago, long before you were even a twinkle in your mommy's eye, when the world was still at war with the Fire Nation, the Avatar and his two friends, a brother and sister from the South Pole, came to the Northern Water Tribe, where they hoped to find a Waterbending teacher for the Avatar. The brother was a fierce warrior and his sister was a Waterbender."
Kya, despite having heard of her parents' adventures during the War, always loved to hear the same tales from her uncle. He always had a way of bringing the story to life in her mind and make her feel as if she had actually been there.
"On their way to see the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe," continued Sokka, "the warrior spotted a beautiful girl passing by their Sky Bison on a boat. Her skin was a light tan, and her eyes were as blue as the ocean. But what caught the warrior's attention was the girl's hair, which was as white as the stars and moons in the night sky. To the warrior, she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. That night, at a feast to celebrate the Avatar's arrival, the warrior saw the girl again, but he learned that she was actually the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe!"
Kya giggled, covering her mouth with her hands. She already knew that her uncle was talking about himself, but she always loved to play along whenever he told her stories.
"The warrior did whatever he could to see the Princess again so that he could get to know her better. After many meetings with each other, the warrior and the Princess realized that they liked each other, maybe even loved each other. She loved him because of his friendliness, his charm, his humor, and his spirit. He loved her because of her gentleness, her kindness, her compassion, and her sweetness. However, the Princess couldn't give her whole heart to the warrior, because she was already engaged to marry another man, who was uncaring and unloving towards her and only saw her as a prize. The warrior never stopped loving her, though, even after she said that they had to stop seeing each other. As much as the Princess loved the warrior, she knew she couldn't be with him. She had to marry the other man because of her duty to her people."
As Sokka told his tale, he felt a familiar ache take hold of his heart. Memories of his time in the North Pole came flooding back into his mind. All the times he had spent with Yue came rushing back into his soul, reminding him of what he once had, only to lose it all to the horrors of war. As much as it pained him to talk about Yue, he knew he had to continue onward.
His tone grew more grim as he went on: "But one day, when the warrior and the Princess were flying around on the Avatar's Sky Bison…black snow began to fall from the sky. The Fire Nation attacked the Northern Water Tribe later that day. The warrior had volunteered for a special mission to take out the enemy commander, but after he fought with the man the Princess he was engaged to, the Chief took him off the mission. However, later on, the Chief told the warrior that he needed him to guard his daughter, the Princess."
"What happened next, Uncle Sokka?" asked Kya eagerly.
"Patience, Kya," chuckled Sokka as he patted her head. "I'm getting there. Now, where was I…?"
"You said that the Chief told the warrior to guard the Princess," offered Kya.
"Ah, that's it!" beamed Sokka. "Anyways, later that night, the banished Prince of the Fire Nation made his way into the city, overpowering the warrior's sister and taking the Avatar from the Spirit Oasis as he was meditating. By the time the warrior and the Princess arrived at the Spirit Oasis on the Sky Bison, the Avatar was gone. The warrior, his sister, and the Princess all went out to find the Fire Nation Prince and the Avatar. After much searching in a blizzard, they found the Avatar and captured the Fire Nation Prince."
"Didn't the moon turn red when they were going back to the Spirit Oasis?" asked Kya curiously.
"Indeed it did," replied Sokka with a nod. "That was because-"
"Oh, I know!" piped up Kya. "It's because the meanie-head Admiral Zhao captured the Moon Spirit, Tui, and took away the power of the Waterbenders!"
"I thought I was the one telling the story," pouted Sokka, eliciting a giggle from Kya. Once Kya had settled down, Sokka continued on with his story: "The Princess told the others of how the Moon Spirit gave her life when she was born, which is why her hair was white. When the Avatar and his friends got back to the Spirit Oasis, they confronted the evil Admiral, who threatened to kill the Moon Spirit with his Firebending. The banished Prince's Uncle, General Iroh, showed up and demanded that the Admiral put the Moon Spirit back in the Spirit Oasis. The Admiral did as he was told, and the power of the moon was restored…until the Admiral, in a fit of rage, killed the Moon Spirit with his Firebending."
"The sky turned gray, didn't it?" guessed Kya meekly. "And the Waterbenders lost all of their power again."
"Not only that," replied Sokka, "but the Princess fainted when the Moon Spirit was killed. General Iroh fought the Admiral's Firebenders, and in the commotion, both the Admiral and the banished Prince escaped. When the Princess came to, she saw that the Moon Spirit was dead. She said that all hope was lost, and that it was all over. The Avatar, however, entered the Avatar State and declared in a booming voice, 'No. It is not over.' The Avatar merged his power with that of the Ocean Spirit's, creating a huge monster made of water. As the Avatar went off to turn back the Fire Nation, his friends tried to think of a way to restore the Moon Spirit."
Sokka took a deep breath before continuing, knowing he was coming to the most difficult part.
"The Princess said that since the Moon Spirit gave her life, she could give it back. The warrior refused to let her go through with it, but the Princess's mind was made up. She knew she had to give up her own life so that her people could be saved. She placed her hands on the white Koi fish, and her hands began to glow. As the glow faded, the Princess collapsed, and the warrior caught her as she fell." Hot tears streamed down his face; he paid them little attention, though his voice grew more constricted as he spoke. "She…she was gone before she fell into his arms."
Kya could feel tears of her own filling her eyes, whimpering as she struggled to keep them back.
"The Princess's body faded away, and when they all looked over the Spirit Oasis, they saw her as a glowing white spirit. To the warrior, she said, 'Goodbye, Sokka. I will always be with you.' The Princess's spirit and the warrior shared one last kiss before she faded into the Spirit World. The power of the moon was restored, and the Avatar drove back the Fire Nation. The day had been won, and the Northern Water Tribe was saved…but the warrior had lost the Princess he had loved with all his heart."
More tears streamed down Sokka's face without him even realizing it. "And from then on, when the warrior looked up at moon in the night sky, he remembered the brave, kind Princess who had given her life for her people…and the girl he had fallen in love with."
Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his chest. Looking down, he saw that it was Kya holding onto his chest. "Please don't cry, Uncle Sokka," she said chokingly as tears fell down her young cheeks. "I don't like seeing you sad.
After he got over his momentary surprise, Sokka chuckled and let his niece cuddle up against him as he wiped away their tears. He kissed her forehead sweetly, and soon both of them fell asleep.
The next morning, Katara found the two of them fast asleep on Kya's bed, Kya curdled up against Sokka as he snored loudly. Katara couldn't help but chuckle and smile at the sight. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Sokka."