A/N: Hello all, and welcome to the story The Liar's Kiss. This is a piece of fan fiction I have been mulling over for awhile and have finally decided to write it down. I am sorry to say that updates will be sporadic, but this story is GUARANTEED to be finished. I'm serious. I won't stop writing until the day I can press the 'complete' button!
The cover image for this story was created by me. Also, I have other art for this story located on my profile at DeviantArt. Just go to the website, type in 'Sabermay', and the art for this story will appear.
Edit: Art related to this chapter is titled 'Southern Sunrise'. Check it out at my DeviantArt gallery.
Disclaimer: No own, no sue.
Chapter 1
Whispers in the Dark
...
The sound of freshly fallen snow crunched under Katara's feet as she slowly made her way across the glistening balcony; still and quiet in the early morning hours. When she reached the railing, she peered out at the scene in front of her. There were no signs of movement in the usually busy streets, and the stores and homes were mostly dark. The only real signs that people were in them were the few rising towers of smoke coming from the chimneys. A storm trapped the city in a dark, fierce blizzard the past week and the tail end of it was beginning to show itself.
Today was going to be a busy day. Everyone hunkered down for the week, spending time with their families in the safety of their homes while the weather raged outside. To the north of her, dark clouds thinned as they departed, letting the morning sunlight peek through.
It was always beautiful after a storm; fresh snow blanketed everything it touched, the air always seemed cleaner, and the people were revived all at once. Katara took in a chilled breath. Her mind calmed as much as the homely scene before her, enjoying the beauty of the pink and purple sunrise that only the Southern Pole could offer.
She gazed out with a feeling of content until her eyes landed on a certain area in the distance. That part of the city, though beautiful in the post-storm morning light, was what people considered home to the lower class. It saddened her that a place like that appeared despite all they've done. Their village use to be one big family with everyone helping each other regardless of circumstance. Now that the war ended and efforts to rebuild and reestablish the Southern Water Tribe were in full swing, the village turned into a booming city within only five years. Many came from the northern tribe, and all the soldiers returned home. There were thousands living here now.
Unfortunately, with such large numbers, something like this was bound to happen. The class divisions were beginning to appear here and there. People here were not sick or in poverty, they were just looked down upon by others. The values and standards of their culture were there for a reason and they did lead to a happy life, but for those that broke them, and were caught doing it, they usually ended up like this. Ridiculed, social outcasts.
Many people living there came from the north as lower class citizens, hoping to escape the judgments that plagued them, but word travels fast, and they met the same treatment down here as more and more from their sister tribe began to arrive.
At first, Katara was overjoyed to learn that the tribe was going to be rebuilt, but never in a million years did she truly expect something like this to happen. The village that was once her family turned into a city full of unfamiliar faces. The thought didn't depress her, but it made her sad for times passed.
She shook her head to rid herself of the melancholy feeling. Things were better here than ever before, and she wouldn't trade that change for the world. She had the power to help these people and change their situation, and that's exactly what she planned to do. Being the daughter of the Chief and one of the city officials and one of the tribe's most respected waterbenders had its perks.
However, she wondered if yet another meeting discussing their situation was going to help. The reality was that no matter how much she and others tried to send more aide their way, the problem rested with the people and their acceptance towards 'the lower class', not how many baskets of supplies they had.
"Excuse me, Lady Katara?" came a voice from behind her. Prying her thoughts from unsettling ones, she turned to see a guard walking up to her.
"Please, you don't have to call me that. Katara works just fine," she said as she gave a small smile to the young, stiff guard. He was a new face.
He nodded and spoke again, "Your father sent me to find you. He would like to speak with you."
"I was actually just about to leave. Can you tell him I'll see him later?"
"I'm sorry. Your father asked that you attend the weekly meeting."
Katara furrowed her brow in confusion. "That isn't supposed to be until later today."
"No, it's already started."
She didn't answer back right away. As if reading her skeptic thoughts, the young guard continued, "He changed the time, and said that it's urgent."
Uneasiness settled over her as she nodded and thanked him. She walked back in through the doors and quickly made her way down the hall, wondering what was so important that this gathering had to be bumped up a few hours. The only other time her father said something was urgent was when Suki was in labor. Seeing that Suki wasn't currently pregnant, she doubted that was the case again. Whatever it was, hopefully it wasn't something too serious.
Upon arriving at a large, open door, she slowed and hesitantly peeked around the corner to see just how late she was. She hoped she wouldn't be the person everyone stared at as she awkwardly took her seat. There were people in the room, but, to her surprise, her father was not among them. She stepped in and joined the others taking their spots on the floor. As more filled the room, it became clear that this was going to be no ordinary meeting; there were too many faces here for that.
The city leadership held annual meetings, something she was a part of, but never in these numbers. None seemed to notice her entrance except for her brother, and it took only a few seconds to suspect that something was off about him. He was usually talking with people at the other side of the room or greeting her with a joke when she walked in. He did neither of those things this time. Sokka just nodded a greeting and continued staring at the wall, or whatever he had his eyes blankly fixed on.
Katara sat next to him and scanned the room for her father who was still absent, and, at the same time, waited for Sokka to break and tell her what was wrong with him. When no words came, she fought with the urge to demand them from him. Afterall, not getting into people's business when they made faces like that was not her strong suit.
"Is everything okay?" she asked, breaking the silence.
He rolled his eyes. "Everything's fine, but looks like the trade shipment we got this morning was 'incomplete'."
"What does that mean?"
He scoffed, "It means the ship was probably raided sometime in the night when it was in the harbor. That, or the merchants are lying to us."
Was this what was so urgent that her father had to call for a meeting this early, and why Sokka was so uptight? While she did help with problems that arose like this, it wasn't exactly something she was in charge of. "I have things I have to do today. Do I really have to be here for this?"
"You and me both, sis. I'm supposed to be celebrating my son's birthday today," he said while throwing his hands up in the air, then stuck his lower lip out in a pout.
It never surprised her how often he still acted like a kid. It was hard to think he was actually his age sometimes, especially with a face like that. He, without a doubt, has matured and grown into quite the man in the past few years, but the kiddish nature and humor about him still clung. Katara had a hard time deciding if that was a blessing or a curse.
"I thought the celebration was tonight?"
"Well, yeah, but I don't want to be remembered as the father that neglects his son on his birthday!"
She raised her eyebrows in surprise. It suddenly dawned on her that this was the reason he was acting so strange.
"Sokka, he's turning one."
"So?"
"So, I think he'll forgive you for being gone a few hours." She tried to hide her giggle as she said it.
He huffed at her answer and pouted silently.
If Sokka ever excelled at anything in life, it was definitely being a father. Right after the war ended and things finally settled down, he didn't waste much time asking Suki to marry him. Everyone knew it was coming. It was so plainly obvious how much they were in love, especially for Sokka who never hid it from anyone. Ironically, she told him no when he asked her.
It came as a shock to everyone, but only those close to them could understand why. She still had ties to the Kyoshi warriors and was afraid to step down as their leader. It was the hardest decision Suki ever made, but love won out in the end. Her answer didn't deter Sokka and he waited patiently until she had things taken care of in her homeland. Once she felt comfortable with what she left, she finally told him yes.
Two years later Katara's nephew was born, and anyone could see just how much love Sokka had for his son. That little boy was all he talked about for the longest time after he was born. For anyone who was willing to listen, he would talk their ears off about his son.
Sokka worked hard lately getting ready to become Chief of the tribe. He was always out and about helping and doing whatever he could. However, he always seemed reluctant to leave his wife and son to do business. Suki had to forcefully kick him out on occasion or he would stay in with them all day long. The thought made her laugh.
Katara put her hand over her mouth as she giggled while getting a questioning look from her brother.
Suddenly, her father walked in and the entire room quieted down. To this day, it still amazed her the sort of instant respect he received from people. As he sat down, so did everyone else. He greeted the two of them and some others, started off with other casual greetings, and then got straight to business. Sokka was right that some of the goods were stolen sometime in the night. An investigation was being organized, but Katara found her attention drifting from the topic.
As her father continued to speak, her eyes scanned the faces in the room. There were merchants, guards, their ambassadors, and many other well-known faces. The room was too full of important people just to be discussing some local theft.
When her eyes landed on an older woman next to her, her gaze turned to one of concern.
It was their tribe's spiritual leader. She was adorned her typical purple robe with an intricately designed blue and white sash running over her right shoulder down to her waist, indicating who she was. Her eyes were shut hard and she was rubbing her temples, and it was obvious she wasn't feeling well. While others in the room continued to speak, Katara leaned over closer to the woman and asked her if she was sick in a low voice.
The spiritual leader turned and looked surprised to hear her question. The older woman typically had a very soft, knowing gaze, but today it was absent. There were dark bags under her eyes which were squinted as if the light in the room was too much to handle. Her exhaustion was evident.
"Possibly," she answered quietly, "I've had a headache for the past week, and it's getting worse."
"You should lie down."
"I'll lie down when the work is done."
"The work will never be done. If you are feeling this way, you should rest for a bit."
The spiritual leader looked like she was going to argue the point, but closed her mouth and nodded as she sighed. She'd known Katara for quite a while, and was used to her naturally nurturing ways. Besides, arguing health and well-being with the Chief's daughter was an argument already lost.
The older woman turned back to the debate going on in the room appearing to be done with the conversation. Katara resisted the urge to solidify her point and turned away as well. She would have to personally make sure she got some rest later.
Katara went back to listening to the meeting which eventually moved on to other business. When the topic of the lower class came around, her ears perked up. She would put in words with this topic; a lot of them. As expected, the debate started the same way it always did, and people were starting to repeat the typical answers and arguments.
However, one official said something that made Katara nearly drop her jaw in antipathy.
"Hakoda, we cannot keep supplying the lower ring with free goods."
The room instantly fell silent the moment the words came out. The official realized his mistake as soon as he said the words. Katara, along with many others in the room were shocked with disbelief that he referred to that area with such a degrading name. Now Katara was upset.
"I'd ask you not call it that," her father said before anyone, she being one of them, called him out. Some people in the room did not seem to understand why what he said was so offensive. These were the people that had not traveled and understood enough to know what it meant.
The name was adopted from the Earth Kingdom referring to the area the lower class citizens lived inside Ba Sing Se. In all honesty, she heard this new nickname for that area begin to sprout up, but no one had ever used it to describe them in a formal setting. It was truly offensive not because of the word itself, but because of what it implied. The Southern Water Tribe may have turned into a city, but they weren't going to start segregating social classes.
"Apologies," was all he said as many around the room shot a glare in his direction.
"He's right, though. A lot of our supplies are being sent there with no profit," said someone else.
Katara couldn't help it and snapped, "They are poor and struggling as is. To take their supplies from them would send them into poverty."
"You misunderstand, I do not suggest to take from them." He turned his glance toward her father. "A supply market must be started out there. Goods and services need to start circulating in that area or nothing is going to change."
There was a short silence as people either whispered to each other or stared at Hakoda for a response.
"Agreed," said her father, "but that is a discussion that requires time and planning. We'll have to hold out on that for another time."
Katara, not wasting any time, turned to her father. "I would be glad to lead the effort."
"We will sit down to discuss the topic at another time, but you will not be leading it, Katara. You will be busy with something else."
"What do you mean?"
His sighed while straightening up, then raised his voice. "Some of you may have noticed that ambassador Rako is not with us today."
All at once, everyone glanced throughout the room as some whispers spread. Many eyes landed on the empty seat the ambassador usually occupied.
"As you all know, his wife has been ill for some time. Recently, her health has taken a turn for the worst and she is now bedridden. He has chosen to stay with her until she's on her feet again."
Katara knew the ambassador well. He and his wife were an older couple and the poor woman had been sick for a year now. Was he saying that he needed her to help her heal? In the corner of her eye, she saw her brother look at her with a smirk on his face.
Her father turned back to her and continued, "I would like you to fill his position until he returns."
Katara's eyes widened and her mouth nearly dropped. Not only was the news a surprise in itself, but she was more surprised that he was telling her this now. With something like this, she expected a heads up days in advance. He hadn't breathed a word of this to her and he was putting this on her now in front of everyone? What was he thinking?
"Will you be willing to do this?"
All eyes were on her.
"It doesn't sound like I have a choice." She didn't say it with any amount of spite in her voice, and perhaps she should have said something else in front of all these people, but she was taken off guard. He had to have known she was surprised by it.
He sighed, "I'm sorry. I should have asked you instead of telling you. Would you be willing to, Katara?"
"Am I really your only choice?" It's not that she didn't want to do it, she was just trying to understand why he was asking her above others in the room that she knew had ambitions for this position one day.
"There are others, but this is only temporary. As you know the world leader's assembly will be held at the Fire Nation capital in about a month. On top of that, a gala is being hosted in honor of the war ending five years ago. I would like to send all three ambassadors to this."
"The gala is basically going to be a week-long party," Sokka chimed in.
Yes, she knew about the assembly and the celebration. Everyone did. It was the biggest topic of discussion for the past two months. For the Fire Nation, it was the first time they were celebrating the end of the war. A huge step, really.
"In other circumstances, I would send Sokka as one, but this year he will be going acting as future Chief for the tribe since I won't be there this time around," Hakoda hesitated, "You do have a choice, of course. I could find another."
Katara looked at the empty seat. She did have more experience with foreign relations than most, even though she hasn't left the pole in nearly three years. After the war ended, she spent another year traveling around with Aang helping him with post-war conflicts, but had grown terribly homesick. Aang was the one that noticed it at first and eventually brought her home.
She resisted, of course, because her heart truly did lie with Aang and she wanted nothing more than to help him, but he seemed to see what she truly needed. It was only after she stepped back on the ice from Appa's saddle that she realized she really did want to come home. For the first time in her life, she could finally spend time with her family without fear of war taking them away at any moment.
Of course, that was what her younger self needed.
Things were slow between her and Aang, especially since she made the choice to stay home, but she was willing to wait. She loved him and knew that someday they would finally be together. She was constantly asked when they were going to be married. After all, in her culture, women her age were working on child number two. Most people didn't press any further knowing that she was with the Avatar.
Lately, she had an itch to get away and leave to see the world again with Aang, but she was older now with responsibilities. Her duties kept her bound to the city. There was still a lot to do, but now that things were coming together and calming down, maybe this was her chance to travel once more, even if it was just to the Fire Nation for a short time.
She'd get to spend more time with Aang; the young man her heart ached for.
In retrospect, Katara knew she didn't need to think about it. Even if she had weeks to decide, her answer could only go one way.
"No, I'll accept."
He nodded in response.
"It's been awhile since you've been anywhere. When was the last time you went to the Fire Nation?" asked Sokka.
Katara thought for a moment.
Zuko's coronation and that was nearly five years ago. Had it really been that long? When she was traveling with Aang, they spent most of their time in the Earth Kingdom and the North Pole. She saw everyone but Zuko during that time. No one had seen much of Zuko, in fact. Since he became Fire Lord, he was buried in responsibility, or so Aang told everyone when asked. The world was looking to him to heal the deep wounds his country had caused.
"She'll be fine. The other two ambassadors will be there as well. You'll just be a stand-in, so you won't be handling much foreign policy," answered her father.
"But what about my duties?" she asked.
"They will be taken care of while you are away."
"Hakoda, is there a reason why all three ambassadors need to be present? There have been instances in the past that only one or two were needed," asked one of the ambassadors.
Katara noted that when he asked that, her father hesitated momentarily and his face dropped. She also noticed Sokka's smile disappear.
"Things are a bit unstable in the Fire Nation as of late, and it's important that each of you makes an appearance."
This wasn't news. There was talk of the Fire Nation losing stability, but, unlike many, she knew the truth. Aang and Zuko worked alongside each other and Aang always filled her in on details when he came to visit her.
There was concern about a civil disaster about to happen - a war between their own people - but that's gone on practically since the war ended all those years ago. People in the Fire Nation were still divided on opinions, and it's been a crisis ever since, but nothing major came of it.
Yet, at least.
Some continued to ask questions, and Hakoda continued to discuss other things on the agenda. Katara tuned most of that out as her mind swam with the idea of traveling once again. Not much later, her father called an end to the meeting and people began to stand up to take their leave. Katara wasn't going to leave just yet and intended to discuss her new position as Ambassador with her father, but before she could get up, Sokka grabbed her wrist.
"Stay here for a little while longer. There's something else going on," he said in a low enough voice that only she could hear.
She looked down and waited for him to explain. When he didn't, she sat back down hesitantly, tapping her fingers on her knee. "Is everything okay?" she whispered.
Without looking at her, Sokka shook his head. Katara bit her lip as she looked away.
The spiritual leader who was sitting next to her suddenly stood up. When Sokka saw her walk away, he spoke up. "Wait, where are you-"
"I'm sorry, Sokka. I am not feeling up to this. Please tell your father that I am unwell and will consult with him later tonight."
Sokka looked like he was about to argue, but everything about the woman screamed exhaustion and he slowly nodded. He glanced at his sister in confusion, silently asking for an explanation, but Katara only shrugged in response. She took her leave and Katara made a mental note to check on her later. To see their usually sweet and caring spiritual leader so sick and short with people was odd.
Once the room was practically empty, she turned to her father, hoping that whatever news that awaited was not as bad as her mind was imagining. When only six remained, all eyes turned to Hakoda. A solemn look crossed the Chief's face.
"I am sorry to keep all of you longer than expected, but there is a matter that needs to be discussed. There is a rumor that Fire Lord Zuko is sick."
"...a rumor?" someone asked.
"Uh, well, that would be the best way to describe it right now. The news isn't unfounded, though."
"He's sick?" asked Katara after an uneasy silence from everyone, prompting her father to continue.
"Not a fever kind of sick. In fact, I'm unsure of the details, but this information was passed to me discretely by a high-ranking individual." Hakoda turned his attention to the lead ambassador. "I am sending some of our best healers with you on your trip. Those who passed this to me did not say what was wrong with him exactly, but if they are asking for our best, then I can only assume it is grave."
Katara's breath caught as her eyes widened at the news. Zuko was sick? What could have happened for him to fall gravely ill? Katara had a feeling this wasn't just some common illness. They didn't just request some healers, they wanted their best. Her chest swelled with worry.
It was not the same concern that everyone else might have. There was speculation that Zuko himself was the only thing currently keeping the peace in the Fire Nation. His influence was keeping at bay a potential catastrophe and if he were to become bedridden or worse that would spell disaster for those vying for peace.
Those possibilities didn't even register in her concern for him, though. She wasn't worried because the Fire Lord was sick, she was worried because it was Zuko that was sick. A friend she had been close to, however briefly, and whom she still felt a connection to even if it was years since she last saw his face. Even with the amount of time apart, he was still very important to her, and the unexpected news hit her hard.
'Is Zuko dying…?'
"They sent for their best up north as well."
Katara snapped out of her momentary shock. "I am one of the best."
"I know," said her father, "That is the main reason you are going. Do what you can to help, but remember that you are there under the guise of acting ambassador."
"Guise? Is her true purpose there supposed to be a secret?" asked the ambassador.
"Yes. I've been asked to keep this extremely discrete. The healers you are taking still don't fully understand why they've been asked to go. They don't need to either unless it comes to it. Just remember, no one is to know."
"I understand," she said, unsure of what more to say. The secrecy was no doubt there to protect the whole situation from leaking out. Now it made sense why her father chose her instead of others that had ambitions to become an ambassador. She was the best healer their tribe had to offer.
"The ship will be leaving port tomorrow. Will you be ready?"
"Tomorrow? So soon?" That meant it was worse than she thought…
"Yes. In light of this news, I don't think that waiting would be wise. Though the gathering isn't for another month, I believe that you should leave as soon as possible."
Katara nodded her understanding. She would gladly drop everything to go and help him. She only hoped that however serious it was, it was something she could help with. Her father closed the meeting with that and Katara stood up to leave. Sokka turned to speak to her, but her mind was too fogged with worry of a man she had not seen in so long that she didn't even notice.
A very drained spiritual leader nearly dragged her feet into the small temple. Her eyes were squinted in an attempt to keep as much light out as possible, and to ease her growing migraine. She barely noticed her attendants drop what they were doing the moment they saw her.
One of them walked up to her with extreme concern. She repeated a question she had already asked many times. "How are you feeling?"
The spiritual leader sat down on a plush fur pad and sighed. She contemplated sugar coating the answer as she had done for the past week since this began, but perhaps now honestly was the best route. They weren't ignorant and they already knew something was going on.
"It's getting worse."
Her attendants exchanged worried looks. What they didn't understand, though, was that it wasn't just her headache getting worse. It was something she couldn't explain and something she had never experienced before. Since she was a young girl, she had always been very attuned to her spiritual surroundings.
She could see things, feel things, know things about spirits around her that no one could understand. The link between her and the spirit world was thin; not as thin as the great monks of the world or even the Avatar himself, but narrow nonetheless. That was why she was appointed Spiritual Leader of the Southern Water Tribe.
Lately, she couldn't feel them. Her normally heightened senses felt dampened and there was a silence from the spirit world she had never known. It had gotten so bad and declined so quickly that she was terrified she was going to lose her ability altogether.
"Kyta is sick too…" said one of the younger women.
The spiritual leader snapped her head towards the attendant in surprise.
The attendant continued, "It seems to be the same thing you have. She's had a terrible headache for the past day and a half and she looks exhausted. Could it be a sickness going around?"
Kyta was her apprentice. A young girl who had shown as much potential and ability to sense spirits around her as herself. The spiritual leader intended for her to one day take her place. Could the same thing happening to her be happening to young Kyta? Was there the chance that she, too, was losing touch? A sudden ominous feeling filled her head to toe. The implications of that were alarming.
However, she shook her head at the thought. The idea of losing her ability had been the only thing on her mind the past few days, and no doubt was clouding her rational thinking. It had to be just a cold going around. Exhaustion had dulled her senses in the past, and it made sense that this was the case once again, even if it were ten times more extreme than anything she'd felt. She wasn't going to assume the worst, something she didn't even understand, from just a headache. She stood up and headed towards the room she knew her apprentice would be resting in to check up on her.
While she had pushed the unpleasant thought aside, the eerie feeling it left still lingered and planted a seed of fear that was not going to go away.
A/N: I know what you're thinking 'Are you kidding me? This is the most typical plot line ever!' (Gala/Katara going to Fire Nation). ...I know. BUT, this story is going to rapidly take a different route from anything you've ever read. Hang in there, and I promise you won't be disappointed!