Time: 10:18 PM
Well... I felt like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: the last Airbender.
There was no possible way he could fix the mess they were in this time. He knew that for a fact. But he couldn't let them know that. He needed them to stay strong.
He knew what the outcome would come to, as well. And it wasn't in his favor.
Aang inhaled deeply.
"Please," he rasped, his voice ragged and choked in his sore throat, "Please let them go."
There they stood, all of them, a thin line of dirt separating them by one hundred feet or so, in the fire nation palace courtyard. He could see the giant wooden box they had somehow shoved Toph into. She was pounding from the inside, her beatings becoming weaker and weaker. Aang hung his head, picturing her fists bloody and hurting.
Sokka was lying on the ground next to the box, crumpled, a large gash on his thigh, causing him to bleed everywhere. His body was lying at such an awkward angle, that at first glance you would make the mistake of counting him dead. But there was the slightest tremble of his heartbeat reverberating through the ground to Aang's feet. That was the only thing that kept Aang knowing he was alive.
Fire nation soldiers were everywhere, guarding the box, circling around Sokka's body.
Everywhere.
Aang was circled now, a thick circle of five or six layers of soldiers surrounding him, their fists raised, just waiting for the moment that they would be able to finish him off. The Avatar would once again be killed.
This was planned. They had all thought that the fire nation rebels had finally died down and gave up once and for all. But now, eight years after the war had ended, they showed up in of all places; the fire nation palace.
The circled moved, leaving a ragged Aang, holding himself up on a staff, in front of a mass of soldiers, still aimed at him.
Tiredly, Aang lifted his bowed head and looked up in front of him. Some soldiers had brought out Fire Lord Zuko, his arms completely bound, and shoved him to his knees near the rest of the injured Gaang.
Aang felt his heart dropped. It was all over now. He knew it.
Zuko hissed as they kicked him on the ground. He was completely defenseless, and he groaned and cried out with every kick he received.
Aang winced at every wail that came from the other side of the line. The injured side. His friends side.
But… wait, what was that? He felt an enormous tremble beneath his feet.
Yes, it was a stampede of earthbenders coming towards the palace. Katara must have gotten to them in time.
"Oh please Katara, don't come with them," He whispered to himself ever so quietly.
Zuko was unconscious now. Aang felt his stomach wanting to come up, and gulped the fear and anger down inside himself once again.
A door opened and the earthbenders came crashing in the courtyard. They came to a halt, seeing the Avatar on the fire side, facing them, all the soldiers behind him.
There's no way they can win, He thought, They would all die.
Aang saw the fire nation soldiers getting ready to fire at them. They were itching for a fight.
"Wait!" Aang cried out, stumbling a little, holding steady to his staff. His feet ached from walking on hot coals, and from being hit so many times. He was sure his left leg was broken as well. He cringed at the pain, trying to swallow the bile that rose in his throat.
Everyone went silent.
Until a door behind the earthbenders opened, and out came the very last person Aang wanted there.
"No," He whispered to the air. It felt like every red alert signal was going off inside of him.
She came running forwards, water running all over her arms, her face hard, and determined. Suddenly, noticing there was no fighting, she stopped and took in the scene.
Aang could tell the soldiers behind him were ready to consume her in fire.
Tears were beginning to form in his eyes. No.
"Aang!" She cried from the other side of the line, "Aang!"
"Katara," he rasped. He felt a fire nation soldier step closer to him, the heat of the flame near the back of his head. Aang closed his eyes.
I can't do it, he squeezed his eyes tight, I can't sacrifice her and the baby. I can't sacrifice any of them.
He opened them again.
"Let them go," Aang said loudly, his voice pained, "Let them go free."
The guy behind him was silent, the flame still pointed at the Avatar.
"We can't allow that," he said, his voice muffled behind his mask.
Aang ground his teeth and opened his eyes.
"Katara, be strong!" He yelled across to his wife.
She was stopped, but took a step forward.
"Katara, don't come any closer!" He yelled angrily to her, "Hold her back! That's an order!"
One of the dazed earthbenders lunged at her, entrapping her moving feet and grabbed her hands. She struggled, trying to wrench out of his grip, but couldn't. Her burnt hair was now shorter, dangling around her ash-smudged face.
"Why?" She yelled at the top of her lungs at him, "Why are you allowing this!"
Aang was pained by her words, and closed his eyes.
"Aang! I know you can do it! You can beat all of these guys! You are strong enough to defeat every single one of them!" Tears were staining her face, making streak marks down her smudged face.
He took in a shaky breath, feeling a couple tears escape his eyes.
There was no stopping death. And knew it was inevitable this day. He hated the thought that she was angry at him at this moment.
"I can't lose you," he whispered to the wind, knowing that only the soldier behind him could hear his words.
"Aang! Why won't you answer me? Why won't you do anything?" She was sobbing now, her voice breaking, and still trying to wrench her arms and feet away from the people holding her back, the water in a pool at her feet.
A few more tears ran down his pale cheeks. His hands gripped his staff, sending pains down his arms, but he ignored them.
"It will be alright," he said loudly at her.
It went silent. Even Toph stopped pounding on the box. She knows I'm lying, He though bitterly.
"Don't lie to me!" Katara screamed, her shriek piercing his eardrums. You have to do this Aang, he urged himself on.
He opened his eyes and looked Katara in the eyes. The same eyes he remembered from eight years ago when he woke up from that crazy long nap in the iceberg. They were still as beautiful as ever. Aang tried to smile, and shift his weight on his feet, but forgot his leg was broken, and hissed sharply. He could hear the soldier behind him shift closer, the flame becoming hotter and hotter near his skin.
He looked back up at Katara, seeing her ash covered face, burnt hair, her belly bulging slight. A feeling of sadness ran through him, and he ground his teeth.
"Trust me!" He yelled, and tried to smile assuring at her, but knew he failed.
"You will be alright!" He yelled, "I promise!"
The realization hit her, and her eyes got wide as she screamed his name.
But it was too late. All in one motion, Aang spread his feet apart and brought his hands sharply up, bringing up a thick wall of earth between the two sides. At the same time he felt, with his feet, the place of every fire nation soldier on the opposite side, and hit the ground again, sending a tremor their way, encasing all of their feet in solid rock.
A second later, the fire soldier rebels were on him.
Eight dozen men were firing at him with everything they had.
First the pain increased and seared at his body. But it didn't matter anymore how much he screamed and cried out. He was burned beyond repair. His thoughts flashed for a moment, the image of Katara flying across his eyelids, her crying in those last moments and then one of her laughing.
This was the purpose I lived, he thought, This is the moment that I was trained for.
To protect the ones I love.
He felt his mind start to fade, blackness painting its way across the back of his eyelids, washing out her picture. His insides were torn from grief...but a calmness entered him.
And let them go.
