Summary: The Fire Navy invades, Aang masters water, Sokka is promoted, Katara sacrifices herself, Zuko gets revenge, and an intimate moment is shared... (ZukoxKatara)
Author's Notes: This is the sixth installment in a series of fake Avatar episodes that begin where episode 13, The Blue Spirit left off. To read my "new episodes" in order, please visit my profile page (justanotheravatarfan).
This is also the last "episode" for The Book of Water. It's kind of long (the folks at Nickelodeon would have to run a special one-hour episode), but hopefully, the fighting and battle sequences along with the … dare I say LOVE SCENE? At the end … will rivet your cursors to the DOWN arrows on your browsers' scrollbars.
When I begin The Book of Earth I'll post all of my chapters in the same story the way I'm supposed to.
Thank You, Reviewers: PLEASE keep giving me suggestions and telling me what you think! I have re-written Chapter 18, Queen of the Sea after reading your encouraging and helpful feedback (and have made acknowledgements in the author notes following the chapter), and have also made changes to previous chapters.
Though I still haven't dealt with that thing in Chapter 16, The Unholy Alliance where Zuko raises his eyebrows even though – as pointed out by an astute reviewer – he DOES only have one eyebrow. Can a scarred, hairless ridge above the eye socket that occasionally appears to move in ways normally ascribed to an "eyebrow" count as an eyebrow? Um … I'll get back to you.
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The sun rises over the North Pole and casts a pale, wintry light upon the sparkling Northern Water Temple. The village and harbor below bustle with activity as the inhabitants busily prepare for war with the Fire Nation.
All able-bodied men, women and children are busily hunting, gathering, preparing and storing food; making repairs to the ice fortress that surrounds the island; honing their weapons; and training for battle.
The boats and ships in the harbor creak and groan in protest from their confinements of glittering ice, but nobody has any spare time or energy to waste on attempting to free them. Spring is still a few weeks away.
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Aang and Katara are training with Tupilek, the high water shaman, in the central sanctuary of the water temple, while Iroh and Zuko look on. Normally, any master would suffice for instructing two young waterbenders, but with the avatar at hand and the Fire Navy on the way, the situation is urgent.
The fire prince's eyes unconsciously follow the water girl as she elegantly flows through her forms and then fiercely hurls a water whip towards her teacher. But Tupilek effortlessly transforms the furious jet of water into a babbling waterfall that softly cascades from her hands onto the glistening, icy floor.
A grimace of frustration forms upon on the grandmotherly woman's friendly, round features, but then her large, bright eyes – which are such a dark shade of blue, they appear to be black – twinkle as she smiles gently upon Katara.
"Waterbending isn't about physical strength and aggression, Katara. It is about using your opponents' Chi – their inner force – against them," the high water shaman explains. "And it is also about the breath!"
The corner of Zuko's mouth turns up with amusement as he recalls receiving similar admonishments from Iroh. Katara inadvertently catches his eyes and glares at him. Zuko shifts his eyes and pretends to smirk at something just over her head, but Katara continues frowning towards him.
"Perhaps you can watch Aang and follow his example," Tupilek encourages and points to the Avatar, who is in the process of effortlessly manipulating a shining stream of water that hovers, glides and twirls like a long silken ribbon floating in a soft, spring breeze. Aang suddenly looks up from his playful activity as he realizes that he is being praised, and an enormous, toothy grin spreads across his face. The smile then abruptly disappears as Katara swivels around in his direction and glowers furiously upon the boy.
Aang looks at his comrade with big, gray, puppy-dog eyes and attempts to reassure the girl, "You're totally amazing, Katara, but I guess it's easier for me since I've already mastered one form of …"
His sentence trails off uselessly into mid-air. The water girl clenches her fists as large gusts of steam billow from her ears. She turns on her heel, stomps out of the inner sanctuary and slams the door behind her so it echoes throughout the large, cold, and empty room.
"Well, I guess that's enough training for today," Tupilek declares. Then she turns to Iroh and sighs, "The girl has great talent and ability, but I don't know what to do about her pride … not to mention her temper!"
"Yes, High Water Shaman, I am very familiar with your situation," replies Iroh. "Will you join me for a cup of tea?"
The two elders walk away together as Zuko shoots a nasty look towards his uncle's back.
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The Water Tribe warriors do their training exercises on the beach, hurling spears and boomerangs towards targets, and practicing combat maneuvers against each other.
Sokka wrests a knife away from his opponent and knocks him to the ground. He then looks up, sees several soldiers rushing towards him with spears held aloft, and swiftly hurls his boomerang. The boomerang whirls through the air, hacks the tips off the spears, and returns to his waiting hand.
A group of pretty girls about Sokka's age bestow smiles and admiring glances upon him, as they walk from the harbor to the village with baskets full of fish.
A man strides purposefully towards the Water Tribe boy. Sokka recognizes the extra tails of white ermine upon the shoulders of the warrior's jacket as a sign of higher rank and stands at attention.
"Nice work, soldier," The older man declares in a crisp, appraising manner. "Who are you and where did you learn how to fight and throw a boomerang like that?"
"I am Sokka from the Southern Water Tribe, Sir," the teenager replies modestly. "I guess traveling with the Avatar has given me lots of experience with stuff like getting attacked, escaping from captivity, and … well, you know … that sort of thing."
"I am Captain Anyu," the warrior responds, "And you are hereby promoted to Lieutenant."
Sokka beams happily.
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Tupilek and Iroh sit cross-legged before a low, driftwood table on large, soft seal skin cushions as they sip tea from small, intricately carved cups fashioned from ivory. Since it is not yet lunchtime, they are the only customers in the dim, cozy café.
"The avatar is doing well and is ready to master the advanced sets," Tupilek tells Iroh as she delicately lifts her teacup with her plump, shapely fingers. "But I worry about the girl. She is gifted, hardworking and determined. But I do not like her approach. Aggression is NOT the way of the Water Tribes. "
The dragon of the west nods sympathetically, and then responds, "Aggression definitely IS the way of the Fire Nation. Yet, I, too, have struggled with these very same issues concerning my young nephew."
Tupilek looks respectfully at her companion and waits for him to continue. Iroh takes a breath, looks earnestly into the high water shaman's dense blue eyes with a canny expression, and then goes on:
"I have taught Prince Zuko the advanced sets. Perhaps desperate times call for desperate measures. But I also believe that – despite my nephew's shortcomings – he has the integrity and fortitude to do what's right. Only you can make the final decision concerning your pupil, but my odds are on the girl."
Tupilek raises a dark, silky eyebrow, smiles slyly, and inquires. "What would you wager, Retired General of the Fire Nation?"
Iroh chuckles, points towards the exquisitely crafted ivory face masks displayed in the market stall across the street, and replies, "All of the beautiful masks in that shop for an equal number of the steel weapons of your choice."
"Excellent!" cries the water shaman happily, for steel is rare on the North Pole. The elderly man and woman shake hands and walk out of the café arm in arm.
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A week later, the sun rises as Katara trains with Tupilek. The teacher lifts her arms into the air to bring forth an immense geyser from the floor, and then blasts it towards her pupil. The student calmly stands still, lifts her elbow to eye-level, and extends her forearm across her face, as the torrent of water gushes back in full-force towards her teacher.
Tupilek wipes the water from her eyes, and hugs Katara. "You're almost ready for the advanced sets, dear girl."
Katara almost weeps in gratitude, but is suddenly interrupted as the sentries in the watchtowers blast their walrus-tusk horns and bellow at the top of their lungs:
"FIRE NAVY!"
A hush descends upon the village and the water temple as the people stop what they're doing and look towards the sea.
An armada of gleaming, steel ships gather on the horizon like a dense herd of giant hatchets with tall smokestacks and red fluttering pennants slowly closing in on the island from all sides. The hissing of mechanical pistons and the shriek of sharp metal hulls grinding through deep layers of arctic ice shatter the air.
The soldiers grab their weapons and rush to their battle stations along the walls of the fortress, while the children, elderly and other non-combatants clamber up the steep, underground staircase towards the safety of the water temple.
Saghani, the vigorous, ruddy-cheeked chief of the Northern Water Tribe, lightly ascends a tall platform atop the fortress wall. His servants ceremoniously place an enormous ivory helmet tufted with long, gleaming white albatross feathers interwoven with contrasting short, black feathers from the tails of ravens. After a brief silence, Saghani's servants hand him a bullhorn crafted from the enormous tusk of some prehistoric creature.
The water chief cries to his assembled people, "Courage! The Avatar is with us! This is our chance to fight and avenge ourselves!"
With one voice, the entire population of the North Pole roars with acclaim.
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The colossal, metal Fire Navy ships draw closer, their flame-red banners snapping in the stiff breeze and their tall smokestacks belching coal and soot into the crystalline air. The catapults rise in unison, as if launched by a single man, and hurl gigantic balls of fire towards the village.
But the Fire Nation's experience with the Earth Kingdom does not serve on the North Pole. The flames diminish in the cold, wintry air and sizzle harmlessly against the icy walls of the fortress.
And then, in a graceful, flowing motion, the waterbenders atop the fortress walls spin around, and stretch their arms towards the ships. Before the waves even finish cascading over the decks, the waterbenders puff out their cheeks and softly blow. Suddenly, the Fire Navy ships are encased in a thick layer of glistening ice.
Soft orange, gold and pink lights glow from within the ice-covered ships as the firebenders begin thawing themselves out.
Two days later, the newly de-iced front line of Fire Navy ships lower their curving, metal planks with a clanking sound upon the ice, and disgorge vast numbers of Fire troops who attempt to storm the fortress.
The Water Tribe warriors flinch back at first, and then swiftly discern the narrow joints between the Fire troops' masked helmets and their chest plates. They swiftly aim their boomerangs and spears towards their enemy's weak points, and the Fire troops stagger back and fall.
From aboard their ships, the Fire troops do not dare descend to collect the bodies of their fallen, whose blood stains the ice red. Instead, they stand on their decks and blast flames to incinerate their comrades in lieu of proper burial.
The next day, the Fire Navy moves more ships to the front line and attempts another invasion.
The waterbenders raise their arms above their heads, place the palms of their hands together, slice downwards through the air, point towards the sea, and then slowly and solemnly push their hands apart.
The ice groans, cracks and violently splits into pieces, spilling the Fire troops into the water and capsizing some of the ships.
The water benders then slowly and gracefully move the palms of their hands back towards each other and the swaths of jagged ice meld back together and bury the men and ships below.
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The villagers watch breathlessly from the fortress walls, and then cheer triumphantly
But Captain Anyu looks at Sokka with a worried expression and says, "Without metal tools and weapons, we can't do any real damage to the ships without waterbending. And the waterbenders will tire and need to recover after this."
Sokka frowns, but then his ice-blue eyes narrow and the corner of his mouth turns up in a determined half-smile. "Perhaps there's a way … I need to talk with my friends."
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The following evening, a group of four Northern Water Tribe warriors gather to scrape the fish bones from their dinner plates into the campfire, but abruptly look up and stand to attention as they see their lieutenant heading towards them with the avatar and the fire prince beside him.
Sokka points to a short, compactly-built waterbending boy of about his own age and says, "Nilak, I need you to make some clouds to cover the moon."
"Sure thing, Sir," the boy exclaims with a cheerful smile.
Sokka then points towards a pile of waist-high pottery jugs with leather stoppers and orders, "The rest of us can load those onto Appa," as he motions towards the giant flying bison who is waiting a few yards away.
An older soldier looks dismayed and protests, "But … but Sir, that's our entire months' ration of aqua vit!"
Sokka replies, "I know," and then adds with a roguish grin, "But trust me, it'll be worth it. We're going on a mission!"
"Very good, Sir. But please allow us our last indulgence," the soldier mournfully requests, while exchanging a sorrowful glance with another grizzled Water Tribe warrior. They bend over to pick up their pottery cups from the ground, clink them together, and cry, "Bottoms up!" and pour the contents down their gullets.
Sokka, Aang and Zuko look alarmed as the men's faces turn beet red, their eyes bug out, and they burst into spasms of coughing. Then, the soldiers wipe their teary eyes as the first man exhales, "Whooooo!" towards the campfire and the flames shoot up several feet in the air.
The second man wistfully sighs, "Boy, I'll sure miss that!"
The seven of them climb aboard Appa as Sokka takes the reins and cries, "Yip Yip!" The Northern Water Tribe warriors gasp and gaze down in wonderment as the bison swiftly rises into the air and sails above the Fire Navy fleet.
The young lieutenant turns around and smiles at everyone, "We're going to blow up a few ships," he announces as his men's eyes widen with astonishment, "with a little help from these two," he adds, nodding towards Aang and Zuko.
The giant bison growls until Sokka pats his head and declares, "And a LOT of help from you, Appa."
He goes on to explain, "Prince Zuko came up with this idea, since he knows the Fire Navy ships inside and out. See those smokestacks? We'll drop the jugs down, and Aang will use his airbending to direct them into the smokestacks. They'll land in the piles of burning coal used to power the ships, and then they'll explode."
Everyone except for Sokka and Aang picks up a pottery container and braces it against the edge of Appa's saddle. Zuko commands, "Fire!" and they release the containers. Aang focuses his eyes on the five missiles, and deftly guides each of them into its own smokestack.
"Another round," orders Zuko and they repeat the procedures until all of the jugs are gone.
They all wait in gleeful suspense … but nothing happens. Then they look down anxiously, and hear a soft fizzing sound that becomes louder and louder. And finally …
KABOOM!
Shards of metal fly and dense, black smoke fills the air.
Below, men scurry about gathering the wounded and attempting to plug the gaping holes below decks as icy-cold water rushes in. Finally, they give up, lower the lifeboats, jump in, and row towards the other ships.
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The top Fire Navy officers are assembled around a large table in the cavernous hold of Admiral Zhao's ship for their daily strategy session. Flames flicker atop the fierce, horned dragonheads adorning the capitals of two massive square pillars, and illuminate the room with an eerie red glow.
Admiral Zhao's mutton chop whiskers bristle furiously away from his square, powerful face as though even they fear their owner's wrath. He glowers furiously upon his hapless officers.
"What is the MEANING of this?" Zhao demands. "You and your men can't hold your own against a bunch of pathetic, pacifist water peasants? You're all a DISGRACE to the Fire Nation!"
He then mutters to himself, "I knew I should have brought the Yuu Yan archers."
The officers tremble beneath the admiral's fury. But soon a predatory gleam lights up in Zhao's coffee-colored eyes, as he smiles and touches the tips of his fingers together in a V.
The admiral chuckles and declares, "We'll starve them out," and then adds, "You are all dismissed."
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Captain Anyu and Lieutenant Sokka lean against the wall of the fortress and look towards the sea. Momo, the flying lemur perches apprehensively upon Sokka's shoulder.
The older man smiles and says, "Congratulations on your successful raid. Your men worship you now."
Below, a couple of young women look up and cast flirtatious smiles at Sokka as they pass by.
Anyu grins teasingly as he raises a suggestive eyebrow, and adds, "And perhaps the ladies as well!"
Momo twitters, chirps and coos with glee, but Sokka does not smile back.
The captain demands, "What's the matter, Lieutenant?"
"Other than those boats out there?" Sokka sarcastically replies while making a sweeping gesture towards the sea. Anyu chortles with sardonic laughter.
"But seriously, Captain," Sokka grimly declares. "We only took down nine or ten ships last night. Which leaves a few thousand more."
Sokka pauses for breath, and then mutters between clenched teeth, "And I bet they'll be watching the sky from now on."
Captain Anyu raises his eyebrows questioningly towards his lieutenant, "…And?"
"They'll just try to starve us out. We're surrounded," Sokka glumly replies.
"Do you have any suggestions?" the captain inquires.
"Not yet," Sokka replies as he glances up at the water temple, "But I request permission to take leave and consult with my friends."
The captain nods, and commands, "Go, Lieutenant. And keep me posted."
"Of course, Sir," Sokka crisply responds, and then adds, "Thank you."
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Sokka enters the tunnel at the base of the cliff, climbs the steep, dripping stone staircase, and arrives panting at the top as he enters the center sanctuary of the Northern Water Temple. The water shamans and villagers look up, startled, from their Tai-Chi exercises as Sokka strides purposefully through the crowd.
As the Southern Water Tribe boy scans the crowd for Katara, Aang, Zuko and Iroh, he abruptly collides with Tupilek.
Sokka bows his head and apologizes, "Please excuse me, High Water Shaman."
She nods in acknowledgement, and then replies, "Where's the fire, Sokka?" as she smirks ironically over the water towards the Fire Navy fleet.
The young lieutenant hurriedly explains, "I was looking for you, my sister, Aang, Zuko and Iroh. We also need Chief Saghani."
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Sokka, Tupilek, Aang, Zuko, Iroh, Katara and Saghani gather on cushions set around a low, round, ivory table in the eastern sanctuary of the Northern Water Temple, and sip from cups of hot tea.
Sokka stands up to convene the meeting, and declares, "We're holding our own for now, but we can't go on like this forever. If we destroy their ships, they'll just send more. And eventually, we'll run out of food and supplies. We need a decisive victory. We need to come up with a plan."
Everyone looks at Sokka, and Chief Saghani inquires, "Do you have any ideas, Lieutenant?"
Sokka replies, "We need to find a way to attack from within, Chief. But … but, I don't know how."
Iroh smiles knowingly and confides, "Admiral Zhao most likely has a strategy meeting with his highest-level officers each day at noon, because that is how the Fire Nation does things. If we can strike while they're all gathered on Zhao's ship, we could deal them a serious blow."
Zuko leans forward and interjects, "I know! We offer them the Avatar – along with a special gift – in exchange for leaving us alone."
Everyone around the table gasps with indignation, but Zuko scowls at them contemptuously, rolls his eyes, and sneers, "Not REALLY the Avatar. A decoy."
"Someone disguised as him?" Saghani inquires breathlessly as Tupilek adds, "Like WHO?"
Zuko frowns thoughtfully as he sits back on the cushion, places an elbow on the table, balls his hand loosely into a fist, and rests his pointed chin between his thumb and the knuckle of his index finger.
The fire prince then responds, "We need someone who is about Aang's size, with light-colored eyes, who knows the avatar well enough to act convincingly like him – since the admiral already knows Aang – and who can waterbend."
Then a light flashes across Zuko's face as he exclaims, "Someone … like … KATARA."
Everyone glares at Zuko, as Sokka indignantly shouts, "I know you and my sister don't get along, Zuko. And sometimes she annoys me, too … but don't you think that sending her into the evil clutches of the Fire Navy is a bit MUCH, even for YOU?"
Zuko's fierce gold eyes fade to amber as a tinge of remorse softly creeps across his avid face. He glances apologetically towards Katara, and then tells Sokka, "You're right, we need to think of something else."
"Why don't you just send ME?" Aang pipes up enthusiastically with a wide-eyed, ingratiating smile.
But Katara rises to her feet, looks towards the boy earnestly, and exclaims, "You CAN'T go, Aang. It's our job to protect you until you master all of the elements."
The girl's eyes mist over as an expression of tenderness suffuses her face, and she goes on, "I'm sorry for everything, Aang. You know I'm jealous of you because you're so much better at waterbending than I am …"
Then she resolutely continues, "But I swear to you that right now I want to do what's best … for the future, the world, … and … and … EVERY thing. Please believe me. We cannot let you go, Aang."
The boy's eyes fix upon Katara and glimmer with tears and panic, but he swallows, slowly nods his head and says nothing in reply.
The water girl then looks around the table to meet each set of apprehensive eyes with her own, and firmly declares:
"Our individual lives don't matter. Only the Avatar matters. Let Zuko speak, so we can judge his plan by its own merits, rather than whose particular lives it favors."
Iroh squeezes tears back from his eyes, and then emits a strangulated chuckle as he murmurs, "Girl, you sound just like my nephew."
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The next morning, Katara stands shivering in Aang's saffron and scarlet clothing with her long brunette tresses piled around her feet. Chief Saghani is painting an arrow tattoo on Katara's bald forehead, while Tupilek and Iroh paint arrows on Katara's hands and feet.
Meanwhile, Aang sweats uncomfortably in Katara's tunic, trousers and heavy fur coat with the hood pulled securely over his head.
"This dye is made from blueberries and should last a few days," explains Tupilek, as she nervously breaks the silence.
"If all goes well, she'll be back this evening," Iroh attempts to reassure her.
Katara's heart pounds against her ribs with terror, and her stomach feels like a bitter cold nest of twisting, writhing vipers. The chief, the high water shaman, the avatar, and the dragon of the west all cast frequent, anxious glances towards the water girl. But she refuses to meet their eyes for fear of losing what little courage she still possesses.
Katara is grateful that Sokka and Zuko are not there.
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Appa flies towards the Fire Navy fleet, and groans with protest as he struggles under the weight of Katara, the Water Tribe chief, a handful of warriors, and the immense ice sculpture of a polar bear on his back. The chief waves a white flag of truce as they softly land on the ice in front of Admiral Zhao's ship.
The Admiral strides across the deck towards the bow of his ship with several soldiers in tow, places his hands on the railing, and leans forward curiously.
Saghani shouts to him, "Behold, we bring you the Avatar in chains, along with a special gift, if you promise to go and trouble us no more."
Zhao demands, "What is THAT?" as he points towards the ungainly polar bear sculpture.
The chief replies, "It is a ceremonial offering to our Great and Noble conquerors. When the ice melts, you will find valuable treasures of ivory, and bags made of our finest seal and walrus skins containing precious whale oil for your lamps. All we ask is that you leave us in peace."
The admiral strokes his mutton-chop whiskers, smiles slyly, and says to himself, "I will enjoy these gifts immensely … Especially after I destroy the Northern Water Tribe in SPITE of them."
He then blandly nods towards Chief Saghani in agreement and declares, "Very well, then."
Appa lowers his tail like a gangplank, as the Water Tribe warriors grasp Katara by the arms and roughly shove her along the incline.
One of the men hastily whispers in her ear, "Sorry, but we need to look convincing."
Appa slowly slides the ice sculpture down his tail. When it lands on the ice, the giant bison heaves a sigh of relief.
Zhao turns around and barks to his men, "Take the avatar along with this barbaric MONSTROSITY on board and lock them in the hold. And tell my officers that the meeting will be held in my chambers."
One of the men pipes up to inquire, "Can't we melt the ice first so we can just bring up the stuff?"
"No, you idiot! The whale oil may catch fire," comes the curt reply.
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The steel doors slam shut, and Katara is left alone in the cavernous hold of the Fire Navy's flagship with the massive and slowly melting polar bear sculpture. She stands between the two dragon-headed pillars with her arms outspread. The metal cuffs around her wrists are chained tautly to the tall pillars on either side of her, and the metal cuffs around her ankles are securely fastened to the floor. The flames flicker atop the dragons' heads and cast ominous shadows across the dark, gloomy room.
A few minutes later, the doors creak open. Admiral Zhao enters and ambles towards the avatar impersonator. He stops barely a foot away from her, and raises a mocking eyebrow.
"So, we meet again, Avatar," taunts the admiral.
Katara hangs her head down to obscure her face. Then, she closes her eyes and focuses on gathering all of the available moisture from the dank, stultified air around her.
"You've grown a bit taller," Zhao continues in the languid manner of a cat eying a hapless mouse before pouncing upon it, "But I highly doubt that you'll thrive in the Fire Nation's custody."
"Nice," hisses Katara, as droplets of water collect upon the steel cuffs binding her wrists and ankles.
"Don't talk back, Avatar!" Zhao growls as he smacks the girl hard across the forehead.
Blood trickles into her eyes as she blinks back the tears, but she does not cry out.
Then, the admiral narrows his eyes, smiles craftily, and resumes his one-sided conversation in a light, bantering tone, "But since you're in the mood to talk … let's talk about the outlaw who keeps rescuing you."
Katara winces with annoyance and says nothing.
The admiral fiercely lunges forward and hits the girl across the cheek so hard she abruptly jerks backwards. Then, the chains tighten and fling the girl forward again. The admiral bends over and leans towards her averted face.
"Surely, you know something, Avatar," Zhao leers triumphantly. "He can't possibly wear that silly mask ALL the time!"
Katara pauses, raises her head, and spits contemptuously into her interrogator's eye.
He merely chuckles mirthlessly as the saliva dribbles down his cheek.
Then he snarls, "If you continue to be uncooperative, things will only get worse for you."
In a lighter tone, Zhao adds, "But … I'll give you a few hours to think things over."
As he turns on his heel and stomps towards the entrance to the hold, Katara blows ice onto the metal cuffs binding her wrists. The droplets of water freeze between the cracks, and the manacles split asunder and clatter to the ground. The admiral whirls around in astonishment as Katara raises her hands above her head, and then brings them down in a slashing motion.
CRRRRRR-RACK!
Shards of ice fly across the room as the glacial polar bear edifice shatters to reveal the three crouching forms inside. Sokka, Nilak and the warrior in the blue mask land lightly on the steel floor as the admiral averts his face and ducks behind his out-flung arms to avoid the airborne debris.
Katara releases the shackles around her ankles as Sokka and Nilak rush towards her. Sokka clasps Katara in his arms as he sniffles and barely avoids weeping.
Zuko quickly overtakes Zhao, but the admiral quickly whirls around upon his enemy and hisses, "You will not thwart me this time, masked PEASANT."
He then fiercely punches one stream of fire after another towards the lithe warrior in the blue mask. Zuko says nothing in reply, as he effortlessly dodges the series of flames and dances nimbly towards his opponent.
Zhao glares at the disguised fire prince and growls, "You dare not even show your face. You are nothing but a coward! You will soon learn the gruesome fate that awaits those who oppose the Fire Lord."
Zhao then bends low to the ground, places his inner wrists together and fans out his hands as he blasts forth a swooping arc of fire that cascades several feet into the air.
Zuko leaps high up to avoid the flames, with his legs parallel to his outstretched arms and his toes almost touching his palms like a Cossack dancer, twists sharply and powerfully at the waist, and propels himself in a fluid, circular motion towards a spot just behind the admiral.
As a startled Zhao whirls around, Zuko lands on the heel of one foot, bends at the knee, and spins around as he extends his other foot to hook the older man behind the knees and throws him off balance in mid-crouch. The fire prince then takes the advantage and hurls himself forward. He quickly wrestles the older man down, straddles the admiral's chest, and pins Zhao's arms to the cold, steel floor by savagely digging his knees into the crooks of the admiral's inner elbows.
Beads of sweat gather on Admiral Zhao's terrified brow, as Zuko reaches over his shoulder and pulls a curving broadsword from one of the scabbards strapped to his back. He holds the blade of his sword against his arch-enemy's throat with one hand, and removes his mask with the other.
The fire prince glowers down upon his former rival with his blazing, gold eyes, and coldly declares, "I am no coward. Four times now, I have challenged you, and you have lost. You have no honor. You are a brute and a thug. Along with my father."
The older man meets the younger man's eyes with grim resignation as Zuko bitterly adds, "Remember how I once TOLD you … the next time you cross me, I WON'T hold back."
A pool of blood gathers around the dead man's head, as Zuko bounds across the room towards his cohorts.
He takes a look at Katara – who is vainly attempting to squirm away from her brother's embrace – and indignantly cries, "My god, what has he DONE to you?" as he leans towards the girl to examine her wounds.
Katara stamps her foot impatiently and snaps, "There's no TIME for this! We need to GO!"
Nilak looks stunned and Sokka releases his sister with an indignant, offended frown. But Zuko grins admiringly towards the girl and says, "Well, at least put THESE on so they can't tell who's supposed to be the Avatar."
He removes his black cloak and a black woolen cap, and hands them to Katara. The shivering girl gratefully puts them on, and then leads the group out of the hold and up the stairs.
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Katara sees a group of four Fire Nation soldiers loitering by the entrance to the deck. She freezes on a lower landing of the stairs, as the young men silently skid to a halt behind her. She sighs reluctantly, and then reaches beneath Aang's high, yellow collar, tears her mother's necklace away from her neck and hurls it noisily down the echoing steel stairs.
"Oh good, there's one of them for each of us," Sokka eagerly whispers as the four of them squeeze themselves tightly against the railings with two on each side.
The soldiers clatter down the stairs to find the source of the commotion, and are swiftly ambushed.
Sokka and Nilak skillfully catch their would-be assailants off-balance, push them against the railing, unfasten their helmets, and strike them hard across their skulls with boomerangs. They catch the soldiers as they fall, and lower them silently to the landing
Meanwhile, Katara mutters, "Sorry, Aang," as she unknots his red cape, and flings it around her soldier's neck. He stumbles forward and pitches them both down the stairs towards the next landing. The girl still has the advantage, but the soldier puts up a fight.
Zuko eyes his target, waits for the right moment, and in a lightning-fast motion plunges his sword into the exposed part of the throat between the soldier's helmet and chest plate. He lowers the body quietly to the landing, and then whirls around and leaps down the ten steps towards the next landing where Katara continues to struggle with her pop-eyed, would-be victim. He adroitly wrests the ends of Aang's cloak from the girl's hands and tugs sharply as she involuntarily gulps and squeezes her eyes shut.
The fire prince takes the water girl's hand to help her up, and then hands her Aang's cape. She clumsily ties it back around her neck underneath the heavy black cloak, as Zuko abruptly spies an object, bends over to pick it up, and puts it in his pocket.
Sokka, Zuko and Nilak put on their newly acquired fire armor and helmets. Suddenly Sokka's shoulders heave up and down in silent mirth as he rocks back and forth on his heels and observes his sister attempting to do the same.
The helmet completely engulfs Katara's head and shoulders. The chest and back armor plates fall just above her knees, and the girl's feet flap about pathetically in the enormous, heavy boots. She looks like a scrawny, mutant beetle attempting to inhabit the shell of a much larger predecessor. Zuko and Nilak turn towards the direction of Sokka's amusement and begin laughing too.
Katara's eyes spark indignantly from deep within the immense helmet, but she then swallows her pride and whispers, "Okay, guys! Get me OUT!"
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Zuko, Sokka and Nilak march up the stairs and open the door leading to the deck, pushing Katara – who is shivering again because she has removed the wool cloak and cap – along as though she is their prisoner. They pass a sentry who looks at them inquiringly.
Zuko stands to attention and glibly states, "We are assigned to show the avatar to the officers at the strategy session."
The sentry points towards the door leading to the admiral's chambers and says, "That way." He then turns around to face in his previous direction.
As the four of them approach the chambers, Sokka whispers to Zuko, "Okay, so NOW what?"
They suddenly stagger and then regain their balance as the ship lurches violently and the wind begins howling. Katara looks up and sees the gathering thunderclouds. The ship lurches sharply in the other direction, and once again, every one staggers until they regain balance.
"Great Goddess Sedna!" cries Katara.
Nilak's face turns beet red, while Sokka glares towards his sister with shocked approbation, and gasps, "Watch your LANGUAGE, Katara! If Gran-Gran heard you swearing like a sailor, she'd keel over!"
"No!" the girl protests, "I mean … it's HER … the goddess of the sea is DOING something! We need to get OFF this ship and back to shore! NOW!"
The young men gape at Katara in disbelief, and then feel convinced enough by her terrified expression to cast off their fire armor, as she happily ducks back into Zuko's black cloak and wool cap, finds a rope, and securely ties it to the rail of the deck. Katara ties the other end of the rope to a heavy anchor and heaves it overboard, as the four of them slide down and run pell-mell across the slippery ice towards the shore.
Lightning flashes across the sky, and is quickly followed by a loud clap of thunder. The ice covering the sea cracks and swiftly splinters into smaller chunks. The four young people stagger upon their ice floes, as the violent waves carry Sokka and Nilak in one direction, and toss Zuko and Katara in the other.
Katara hears a splash and a shout for help.
"SOKKA!" she yells in terror, but the gusting wind flings her cry back towards her.
The gathering darkness and pelting rain prevent Katara from seeing Nilak kneel down and reach out his hands to pull her brother from the treacherous water. The young waterbender lays his lieutenant down upon the ice floe face up. He then draws the water out from Sokka's lungs with a gentle, upward motion of his hand, as he throws up a protective three-foot high frozen wall around their floating chunk of ice with the other, transforming it into a primitive boat. Nilak then reaches into the tumultuous sea, grabs a long, slender chunk of ice and begins paddling for shore.
Suddenly, a great sucking sound shrieks through the air. Katara's and Zuko's heads swivel around towards the Fire Navy and see all of the ships and chunks of ice plunging and spiraling inexorably towards the gaping black vortex of an immense whirlpool.
Katara shrieks in terror, but stands frozen in place. Zuko grabs the girl's hand and yanks her away. They run towards shore, leaping from one pitching and tossing chunk of ice to another, and then abruptly stagger as they finally land on solid ground.
Katara and Zuko lie panting on the icy shoreline and gaze towards the tangle of swiftly disappearing ships towards the horizon, and watch the ice floes drifting rapidly towards the whirlpool's vortex. Then they look bleakly towards the sky.
Suddenly, flashes of lightning and joy illuminate their faces as they see the swift, flying shadow of Aang and his glider soaring overhead.
The avatar suddenly disappears as swoops down towards the sea, but then reappears as he rises up a few minutes later with his legs gripping Sokka's unconscious form and Nilak hanging on for dear life behind him. After a brief moment of struggle, Aang catches a sharp gust of wind and soars back towards the Northern Water Temple.
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Katara and Zuko stand up and begin walking towards the entrance to the tunnel leading to the water temple.
Shuddering with cold, dizziness and nausea, the girl stumbles, looks down to regain her footing, and sees her own reflection in the smooth, glossy ice. Her face is caked with blood, smudged with bruises, and dripping with rivulets of blue dye from the fake arrow tattoo on her forehead. And then she realizes that … all of her hair is gone.
Katara gasps in horror and buries her face between her hands.
"What's the matter?" asks Zuko.
Ashamed of her vanity, not to mention the tears splashing into her palms, Katara replies without looking up, "I … I'm not feeling well. Go ahead and tell the others I'm on my way."
Zuko continues for a few yards, stops, and turns around as Katara – thinking she's alone – falls to her knees and weeps. Panic flashes across Zuko's sharp features as he realizes that he has no idea of what to do.
"I must find someone who can talk to her," he mutters to himself, but quickly reconsiders. "No, they'd all give me flak for leaving her down here!"
The fire prince glares in annoyance at the water girl, as his stern brow creases and then angles upwards as he feels an unexpected pang of sympathy. Her huddled form looks so tiny against the vast expanse of snow and ice.
He walks back towards Katara and quietly kneels down beside her for a few moments. She continues sobbing as though unaware of his presence. The fire prince slowly and warily leans towards the water girl as he would towards a wild animal that is injured but still capable of attacking. He gently places a hand on her shoulder, and notices that she is shivering.
"You're cold," Zuko snaps, and then commands, "Stand up."
When Katara does not move, he flings her arm over his shoulders, puts a hand around her waist, and lifts her to a standing position. The girl wobbles unsteadily, so Zuko grips her by the shoulders with both hands, and turns her to face him. Although the girl's hands still cover her face, the weeping slowly subsides.
Katara sniffles, leans in closer towards a startled Zuko, and then grasps the fabric of his sleeve and blows her nose on it.
The fastidious fire prince grimaces in disgust, but manages to calmly state as a matter-of-fact, "It's getting dark. We should go back."
Katara bursts into a fresh torrent of tears, and wails, "I CAN'T! I look absolutely HIDEOUS!"
Zuko abruptly winces as he remembers his scar. Then, the austere contours of his face gradually soften and a smile curves across the normally tight, grim line of his lips.
Katara hangs her head down and abruptly pulls away with embarrassment as she mutters, "Sorry, that's totally stupid."
But Zuko gently draws her back towards him, leans down towards the girl's non-existent hair, and murmurs with a soft, slightly rasping whisper like the caress of a calloused hand passing over raw silk, "No, Katara. You're … you're … not hideous. That's my department."
Startled, the water girl looks up and meets the fire prince's deep amber eyes with round serious ones the color of soft blue cornflowers in the spring.
And, then she whispers earnestly, "I don't think you look hideous, Zuko."
The winds subside and snowflakes begin to gently fall as the snot slowly freezes on Zuko's sleeve.
After an indeterminate amount of time that seems too long and yet too short, the fair skin on the good side of Zuko's face flushes crimson as he suddenly realizes that his hands are still on Katara's shoulders and they're standing barely two inches apart.
He flinches away, and then abruptly places two fingers beneath Katara's chin and tilts her face upwards towards the drifting snowflakes. The girl's eyes widen apprehensively and color rushes to her cheeks.
"Stand still," the fire prince orders. Stunned, the water girl obeys.
He cradles her cheek in one hand, and then pulls down his hood and unwinds the black silk handkerchief that binds his ponytail with the other. His hair flutters back loosely in the wind.
Zuko narrows his eyes, peers into Katara's face, and then begins to gently and methodically dab the blood away from her forehead. The coldness of the snowflakes and the warmth of his fingers through the soft, smooth fabric feel soothing against the water girl's skin, yet also vaguely unsettling. She closes her eyes as he slowly and delicately moves the handkerchief down to her cheekbones, eyelids, nose, chin, and then her neck.
Katara realizes that although she no longer feels nauseous, her knees suddenly feel weak.
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Zuko breaks the silence as he mutters, "This one spot of dye won't come off."
He holds the handkerchief to the girl's mouth and instructs, "Here, spit on it."
She goggles at him in amazement, and bursts out laughing.
"WHAT?" the fire prince snaps.
"You sound like my mother," Katara giggles.
"Gee, THANKS," he fumes.
The girl erases the smile from her face and solemnly states, "I didn't mean to insult you, Prince Zuko. And … thank you."
He smiles and nods, "You're welcome, Katara."
For a moment, Katara thinks of her mother and feels a fresh wave of sadness. But she feels she has done enough crying for the day – or the entire year, for that matter.
She smiles back and says, "Let's go."
They turn and walk towards the entrance to the water temple.
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When Katara and Zuko laboriously push open the door to the central sanctuary of the Northern Water Temple, they find a crowd of people waiting for them.
"You're SAFE!" cry Iroh and Tupilek with one voice, as Iroh places a fond arm around his nephew's shoulders.
Sokka and Aang rush forth to embrace Katara. Then Sokka looks sharply into his sister's face and exclaims, "YIKES! You look absolutely HIDEOUS, Katara!"
The fire prince and the water girl exchange glances over Sokka's head, as Zuko smirks and declares, "Yes, I was just telling her the same thing."
"Oh yeah?" Katara laughs and then retorts, "YOU'RE one to talk, Zuko!"
"Kids, kids," Iroh mutters, as he rolls his eyes. "Do you EVER stop fighting?"
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Author's End Notes…
The Zutara Thang: Sorry to disappoint those of you who were hoping our favorite couple would actually DO something. Please remember that my stories are rated K+. Also, Katara and Zuko have both been isolated for a long time. Although I'm sure they know something about the "facts of life," I still think they would both be pretty clueless. Katara was raised to be modest, and Zuko is such a prude that he cannot bear the sight of his own uncle stepping out naked from a bath (Episode 7, The Spirit World)!
My Names for New Characters: I borrowed from some Inuit words to create names for the new characters. Tupilek means "Shaman" – an appropriate, albeit redundant name for a shaman of the Northern Water Temple. Anyu means "Snow used for a specific purpose," and I figured that could work well for a competent, practical soldier and waterbender. Saghani means "Raven." The raven is an important god/hero from Inuit folklore and I hence thought it would be a good name for the chief of the Northern Water Tribe. Nilak, the waterbender in Sokka's squadron is named after a "piece of fresh water ice."
And Speaking of Names … The FourNations Website at fournations. is collecting meanings for the names of the Avatar characters. Apparently, Aang means "Safety," Katara means "Blade," Zuko means "Slashing Through Wind Sound," Haru means "Born in Spring," Suki means "Beloved," Momo means "Peach," Unagi means "Eel," Roku means "Six," and the word Agni Kai is derived from Agni, an Indian fire god and Kai, the Japanese word for "meeting." The translations seem to be from Asian words (Chinese, Japanese and Indian), but they don't always specify which. Still, I find this rather interesting and it makes me wonder if some of the names provide clues for future episodes. I sure wish they had translations for Iroh and Sokka!
The Polar Bear Thing: Stolen straight from the Trojan Horse story in Homer's Iliad. By the way, I forgot to mention that in my last story, the bit about Sedna allowing Aang and the gang to leave the underworld as long as nobody looks back is taken from the ancient Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice.