Hello there! This is a Zutara Secret Santa gift for ahjareyn, created from a list of prompts. I combined two of them. I really hope you like it, and of course, anyone else reading.
EMBER HOUSE
1. Kimi of the Inn
As a child, Katara had always loved tales of mythical beasts, from the mighty sky bison to the trickster spirits of the ocean and the fire-breathing dragons that took human form. She had often drifted off to sleep, sandwiched between her older brother Sokka and her Gran-Gran, as Mom read from the well-worn scrolls. She could almost feel the warmth of the furs and smell the jerky Dad was preparing over the fire.
These days, there was no myth, no magic. Far too young, Katara had found out that the world was at war, and her small tribe had become a footnote in the Fire Nation's military history. They had come with fire and tanks and death, destroying their homes and tearing apart families. Thinking of Mom and Gran-Gran was an icy fist around her heart, even six years later.
"Kimi!"
With a sigh, Katara dragged herself out of bed, squinting at the bright sunlight. Her new life was repetitive and lonely, though she was grateful. With Dad and Sokka off fighting in the war, Katara had been smuggled through the Earth Kingdom and into the Fire Nation, now the home of two Southern Water Tribe members.
Katara dressed in a red shirt and loose trousers, preferring freedom of movement over fashion. To the locals she was an ordinary peasant anyway, someone beneath their notice. Avoiding the creaky floorboards that would wake the inn's guests, she went down to the kitchen to Hama.
Hama reminded her greatly of her grandmother, with her thick, white hair and icy blue-gray eyes. A former Fire Nation prisoner, she had broken free of her captors and disappeared, forging a new identity as a humble innkeeper. Only Katara and their Earth Kingdom contacts knew that the old woman was a master waterbender.
"Good morning, Kimi," she said, using Katara's Fire Nation name. "Did you sleep well?"
"I did, thank you, Hana," the girl answered, taking care to use Hama's false name. The Water Tribe names they'd grown up with sounded foreign here, and were too dangerous to keep. "Do you need help with breakfast?"
"Yes, please," Hama instructed, pointing to the prep table. "Grill the fish for me while I prepare the rice. Don't skimp on the spices, either; you know Master Zenjiro likes his hot!"
Katara made a face. The Fire Nation was far too used to burning their taste buds with super hot food! Luckily, Hama always made edible stuff for the two waterbenders, to enjoy down in the kitchen when the guests were fed and happy.
She cooked the fish, her mind drifting back to her dreams. For the past few nights she'd been dreaming of faraway places and strange beasts, nothing she'd ever seen while awake. She itched to go out and explore a bit; Hama never let her go far, afraid she'd be caught and her origins discovered somehow.
"That'll do, Kimi," the innkeeper said, inspecting her work. "I'll serve them this morning. You go to the market and bring me all of this," she added, handing her a small bag of money, an empty basket, and a long list of groceries. We'll work on your calligraphy later."
Hama always referred to waterbending as calligraphy, just in case a nosy inn guest eavesdropped.
"Okay," Katara agreed, eager to visit the town. There was nothing too interesting in it, but at least she'd get some fresh air and exercise instead of sweeping floors and washing dirty linens.
The inn was halfway between the docks and the village. The winding road that connected them all was lovely this time of year, with all the flowers in bloom, but it could get very dusty and all the turns made it a long walk. The woods were quicker, and more isolated.
Katara cut through the woods, listening to the chirping of birds and breathing in the clean air. Every once in a while, when she checked that no one was near, she would bend a little water, as Hama had taught her. She could take it from the grass, or the trees, or even the air, if the air was humid enough. It usually was.
With practiced ease, Katara bent a huge disc of ice from the moisture above her, and sent it flying straight ahead, where it struck an overgrown bush with an unexpected CRACK!
The ice had cut through several branches, revealing a small crater, almost like a tiny volcano. It had been completely covered in undergrowth and fallen trees, but now Katara could see the gleam of ice.
A large, perfectly shaped sphere of ice lay before her, in the middle of the small crater. She knew instinctively that only a waterbender could have made an ice ball so perfectly round, and peering inside, Katara could almost make out the shape of a person and some furry beast.
There was no one around to hear her gasp, which was fortunate. Katara was not quiet.
Quickly, she used her waterbending to melt the ice ball, very slowly. Using all her concentration, she separated the molecules until the sphere had transformed into a cloud of water vapor. Tossing it aside, she could finally see the occupant of the giant ball.
It was a strangely dressed bald boy, with glowing tattoos on his head, arms, and feet. His animal had arrows too. They both lay on the ground, unmoving.
Katara jumped down into the crater and reached into the bald boy with her healing, fighting instinctive disbelief to see if he could be saved. Slowly, carefully, she revived him and the boy gulped in a breath. His eyes opened, and the glow of his tattoos faded.
"Are you okay?" Katara asked, incredulous.
The boy blinked up at her for a few seconds, then grinned. "I'm just fine, thanks!"
He tried to sit up, and groaned as the world spun. "How long was I out?"
"I don't know," the girl told him. "I found you inside a giant ball of ice. How did that happen?"
"I don't remember," he said, frowning. He looked around the clearing, and brightened when he spotted his giant animal. "Appa! Wake up, buddy!"
Appa didn't want to wake up, but he was unharmed, to Katara's relief. She wasn't sure she'd know how to heal that thing.
"Who are you?" Katara asked the stranger.
He ran back to her, faster than she could blink. "I'm Aang," he said, bowing in a strangely formal manner. "Master airbender from the Southern Air Temple. This is my flying bison Appa."
Katara took a step back. "That's not possible."
Aang blinked. "Which part?"
"The airbenders are extinct, everyone knows that. No one has seen them for a hundred years, since the war began."
The boy's face showed nothing but disbelief. "What war?"
"The war!" cried Katara. "The war the Fire Nation started when Sozin's Comet came; the war they're about to win!"
Aang looked around again. "But this is the Fire Nation, and you sound like you're not from there. You don't really look Fire Nation, either."
"Shhhhh!" Katara said, clapping a hand over his mouth. "Of course I'm not, and if you say that a little louder, I'll be in prison for the rest of my life!"
Alarmed by her fear, Aang nodded as if in agreement that he wouldn't shout. "Where are you from, then?"
Smiling a bit, Katara bowed as he had. It was hard to dislike this kid, even if he was clueless. "I'm Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, a master waterbender," she whispered. "My village was destroyed in the war, so my father smuggled me out. Around here, I'm just Kimi, the innkeeper's maid-of-all-work."
"I don't understand," Aang said, sounding lost. "I'm an Air Nomad. I've spent my whole life flying around the world, and I have friends everywhere. I've never seen any war!"
"Aang, what's the last date you remember?" Katara asked cautiously.
"August 7, 11257," he answered quickly. His big gray eyes went bigger when she shook her head.
"I hate to tell you this, Aang, but today is February 3, 11357. You've been in that ice for nearly a hundred years."
"No!" he cried, realizing what it meant. "It's not true, it can't be! That would mean everyone I know is—is—"
"Dead," Katara agreed quietly. "I'm sorry Aang, but I wouldn't lie about this."
"I have to see for myself," he said, sounding distant and far older than his years. "I'm going to visit the Western Air Temple, and see what the lady airbenders are up to."
"Good luck, then," Katara said, feeling terribly sorry for him. "If you need a friend after, I hope you'll come back."
Aang gave her a tight smile. "Thanks. I'll ask for Kimi of the inn."
Katara watched as he prodded his companion into flying, then disappeared over the woods with a final wave. She pinched herself in the leg, hard. When she winced from the pain, she was convinced that Aang was real, and not a figment of her bored imagination.
With a final shake of the head, she continued her journey into town. Hama and the entire network would be shocked, and certainly excited, to hear that an airbender lived.
Suddenly, Katara groaned and smacked her forehead in frustration.
"I should have asked him about the Avatar!" she cried. "I'm so stupid!"
Berating herself for her folly, the waterbender checked her pocket for the small moneybag, and walked into the main village square. If the poor boy ever came back, she'd make sure to ask him all about the vanished Avatar.