I don't think that it is very fair that we, as children, must be put through horror such as this. We have been here already, but we failed. So now we are waiting deep beneath the Royal City, and we have been here for around 10 hours now. After we had failed, all the adults had stayed behind to be taken prisoner so that the younger ones could get away. So here we are. We have to succeed this time, or the world will most likely face a future of never-ceasing ridiculing from the monstrous Fire Nation.
My name is Katara. I've been living in fear of the Fire Nation all of my life. They killed my mom when I was only 12. Only 2 years later did my brother and I find Aang, the long-lost Avatar. I knew then that this would be the generation that won the war.
I have always felt a bond with Aang, he has felt a great loss, as have I. We both are very powerful benders, but of course he is more powerful than I am. We can always talk about anything, no matter what it is. I could go up to him right now and ask him "Do you like milk or soy-milk better?" and he would understand perfectly and just answer like it was just the average question like "What's your name?". I like the bond that we share.
"Aang, are you ready?" I asked him with precaution. "As ready as ever." He told me with a stern face and those glistening gray eyes. He had matured faster than I had ever thought possible. He's as tall as I am. When I found him almost a year ago, he was probably at least a head shorter than I was. Oh well, I'll just have to accept it. "I know you'll succeed this time, Aang, I know it. You are now even more powerful than before, which I never thought possible, you have always been the most incredible bender I've ever seen, at every element. Remember, you will always have Sokka, Toph, and I right beside you. If you get stuck out there, just holler and we're there." He looked at me and I could see tears start to well up in his beautiful gray eyes. I pulled him into a tight embrace. "I will Katara. Thank you… for everything." He looked up and kissed me on the cheek. I could feel myself turn bright red at the touch of his lips, but I don't really care anymore. Now we were both crying in each other's arms. If we weren't about to face the most terrifying situation in our lives, I would totally call this a Kodak moment. Suddenly I heard a massive stampede of footsteps above us and knew that it was time for us to come out of hiding. "Are you ready for this, Katara?" Aang asked as he pulled away from me and grabbed his new glider. "As ready as ever, big guy." I said with a smile. "Alright, everyone assume your battle positions, and prepare yourselves for the fight of a lifetime, for a thousand lifetimes, all of the lives lost, and all of the lives that have yet to be born." Aang looked at me as he said all of this and I know I saw a single tear make its way down his cheek.
Aang and Toph used earthbendeing to plow their way threw the wall of earth that separated us from the enemy, and once we broke through we found only a few guards waiting for us. Sokka came behind Aang and I and whispered in our ears, "It's a trap they just put these guards as pawns here so that they can come from behind and ambush us!" "But how did they know that we were here?" Aang asked. "I have no idea, but you know Azula, she's always a step ahead. We need to split up. I'll stay back here and lead the rest of us, you two need to sneak into the throne room. It is better if you don't go alone. Be careful." Sokka gave Aang and I a sad look, as if he wanted to say more, but there was no time. Aang blew a chunk of earth at the guards and then beat them with a few air blasts, and then we ran.
I never remember running this hard before, out of all of the times we have been chased by something, whether it be Fire Nation or some sort of large animal that could swallow me whole, I have never felt the need to run this fast. I know Aang can run a lot faster than how he is now, and without getting tired too. I know I am slowing him down.
I'm sorry Aang.
We have been running for a long time and there have been no guards chasing us. This is getting a little bit strange. "Aang, shouldn't someone have attacked us by now? This is getting really weird." We stopped running. "I know, I was just thinking the same thing. We are getting fairly close to the throne…….. Katara, look out!!!" I felt a blast of unbearable heat hit my leg and the next thing I knew I was on the ground. I saw Aang jump in front of me and repelled what seemed like 20 guards. "Katara, are you alright? You have to get back up!" The pain in my leg was one of the worst pains I've ever felt in my life, but I knew that Aang was right. I had to get back up. I opened my three water skins and began using the octopus to grab and throw guards. We eventually finished them off. "Katara, you're leg is badly burned, can you try and heal it?" He was giving me that look again, the one that goes right through me every time. "Aang, there's no time, I'll just have to deal with the pain so we can get to the throne room." He helped me up off the ground and he started running with me close behind.
"How close are we now, Aang?" "We're about ten feet away." Suddenly I felt nauseous. We were about to face the most powerful man in the world, and I have a burned leg and Aang couldn't use the Avatar state. There was a good chance we would die in a couple hours at least.
We stopped at the entrance. If we lose it means a doomed future. "Here it goes. Everything we worked for since we met. If one of us dies out there, I want you to know that you are closer than a brother to me." As I said this, he got down on his knees with a very determined look on his face. He is the strongest person I have ever met, and he hasn't even hit puberty yet. "Katara, neither of us are going to die in there, I promise you that. We are both going to live and Sokka and Toph and Momo and Appa are all going to make it. The only ones to die today will be Azula and Fire Lord Ozai. When we're in there, you have to promise me this, no matter how dark things may seem, no matter if one of us is on the verge of death, you will never stop fighting, not until it's over. If you promise me this, then I promise you, none of us are going to die today." Wow that was deep. But I know Aang has a way of knowing these things. "Aang, I promise. I will never stop fighting no matter what happens." "Good, good, now we better get going." He leaned over and planted a big wet one right on my cheek. He then stood up and used airbending to knock the door clear off of its hinges.
I didn't expect to see what I saw. An empty room. "NO! This is what happened last time! He's not getting away this time. How long do we have until the comet arrives?" Aang asked with urgency. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea. But judging by the color of the sky, it is probably less than an hour." I looked into the sky and saw a dark red, close to the color of Combustion Man's tattoo. "Maybe he's on the roof, waiting for the comet to come!" Aang shot enormous rocks at the ceiling and eventually made a hole big enough for both of us to fit through. Aang grabbed me and airbended us up to the ceiling in a gust of wind similar to a tornado. When we were both out of the hole, Ozai was less than 5 feet away from us, with Azula close behind.
We both stood up as fast as we could, which was barely enough to dodge a shot of lightning coming from Azula. Aang started shooting blasts of air at both Ozai and Azula, but Ozai returned his every strike with a fire-ball the size of Aang's chest, while Azula came after me. My leg was starting to hurt again. Oh crap, it hurts. But I have to keep going, I promised. I deflected a shot of lightning coming straight for my heart with a very large water whip. Thank goodness I stole that scroll from those pirates or I would have just died right then and there. I formed a rather large octopus around me and started to whip Azula with it. It worked for a few minutes but then I heard a cry of pain behind me. I turned around, while still holding the octopus, and I saw Aang's arm had been burned all the way through to the bone. He was going to bleed to death. I had to do something. I can't do anything. I promised. I dropped the octopus and used the water left over from it and shot it all at Azula and froze it right before it hit her. It was like a knife, heading directly for her. It was so quick that even Azula didn't have time to respond. It stabbed her in the upper arm. She looked at the ice sticking out of her arm on both sides. I took advantage of this moment by shooting an icicle into her other arm. Now she couldn't bend. I hate hurting people; I absolutely hate it. But I finally beat the person that has seemed to follow us everywhere we go and say, "Ha! I'm way more powerful than you and you will never beat me!" like a little child.
I finally took Azula down.
Aang wasn't doing as well as I was. He was losing. I ran over to him where he lay on the ground bruised and bleeding and said "Aang are you alright?! I took Azula down, so only Ozai is left." I heard him mumble something that sounded something like, "Tuwnm armnoindm!" The next thing I know he had pushed me away using a blast of air, causing Ozai's shot of lightning to barely miss me. I got up and helped Aang to his feet and then he pushed me away and started whipping him with water. I bent the moisture in the air and cut Ozai's back with it. Aang stopped using the water whip and began chucking rocks at him. Ozai was getting a little worn out now, but we are in way worse condition than he is. I don't know how much longer we can go on like this.
Maybe I could use bloodbending. I really don't want to, but if I have to I will. The thought of controlling people form the inside is just creepy. "You will die tonight, Avatar." I looked over just in time to see Ozai shoot a bolt of lightning straight through his back. Like father, like daughter. "NO!! AANG, GET UP!" I am exhausted. I only have enough strength for one last move…I summon all of the water that I possibly can and I freeze it into a blade and I send it flying towards his heart. He is too quick. He turned around and melted it with his breath of fire.
He is gathering up all of his firepower, he is rearing back, now his arm is moving forward. Everything seems to be going in slow motion. His fist of flames is getting closer and closer to my face, I can feel the heat…
Suddenly, Ozai falls over. He is dead. I look up and see a passed out Aang on the floor. He was in a different place than before, it must have been him who killed Ozai. I looked closer at Ozai's body. Part of his face had been burned clear through to his skull. This was too much to take in. I passed out.
When I awoke, Sokka was beside me. He looked as if he had been crying, like he hadn't slept in days. "Sokka, what's wrong?" He looked down at me and sort of half smiled. "Too many things have happened. I lost Yue, I lost Suki, and I almost lost you. I'm glad you're not dead Katara. It's been a rough 2 weeks." I've been out for 2 weeks?! Wow, I must have been beat. "I'm sorry you have had to go through all of this, Sokka. Me, Aang and Toph will always be here for you." The look on Sokka's face darkened. "I'm not so sure Toph will always be here, she was badly hurt. Right now she is paralyzed from the neck down, but it might just be temporary. She also has a fractured skull that is causing some real problems. She got ambushed by maybe 40 guards at once and she was pushed back and she was accidentally ran over by a tank. Sound's pretty goofy, right?" This was a lot to take in after just waking up from a
2-week slumber. One of my dearest friends, no matter how rude or un-lady-like she may be, was dying when I could have been there to help her if I hadn't passed out. All I can think to say is "Is Aang okay?" Sokka gave a light chuckle and shook his head in amusement. "He's going to be okay, right now he is still asleep, but he has some major injuries that need to be healed. You're probably the best healer here, you want to go give it a shot?" Do I ever. I sit up as fast as my beaten and bruised body will let me. "Where is he?" Sokka pointed to a tent that looked to be 100 feet away. It is a good thing he is so close or I probably wouldn't be able to walk there, I am so tired. "I'm sure he misses you and is dreaming of you right now." Sokka punched me jokingly and gave me that don't-worry-look. There are plenty of things to worry about, actually. Will Aang live? Will Toph live? When will we ever return home? Being in this hot, humid air is really starting to make me miss the huge chunk of ice that I call my home. Is the war really over? There could still be rebellions. What has happened to Azula? Hopefully she has been locked up in the crazy-hut and is undergoing therapy from 'The Abusive Parents Program'. Will our gang, or Fearsome Foursome as Sokka once said, stick together? This was my main concern. I don't think, after going through all of this, I could stand to be away from Toph, Aang, or Sokka. Of course, I will always have Sokka (well at least until he dies), but from Toph or Aang? We have become so close over the past few months I would honestly kill myself in some way that I would feel every horrid tingling sensation that is pain. Wow that was violent, sorry.
I begin my long and pestiferous walk over to Aang's tent. I can't wait to see him. On the way there I encountered most of our old friends that were in that hole beneath the Palace before the final attack. The Duke, Pipsqueak, Pakku, other Water Tribe warriors, Hugh and the Swamp guys, and many others. They all pulled me over and tried to drag me into long drawn-out conversations about the battle and how I was recovering. I eventually just told them "Please, I can't talk right now, I have to go help Aang." Once I said that it seemed like the crowd of people broke apart and created a pathway so I could get to Aang faster. "Thank you" I must have said it to every person standing there. I finally reached the tent. When I walked inside the first person I saw was my dad. Why was he here? He saw that I was there and ran over to me and held me in a tight embrace. I could see the relief in his eyes. "Dad what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the warrior's tent?… It is so great to see that you are alive! I've missed you more than ever for these past few weeks. It has been hard for Sokka and I." He looked down at me and I could tell he is fighting back tears. "It has been hard for me too, Katara. Why do you think I'm here? Aang is like a son to me, even though I've only known him for a short time. I felt an automatic connection with him. Plus, some one needed to stay with him, and I figured since you were still unconscious, Aang would appreciate it if I stepped in for you." I hugged him tighter. "Thank you dad. For everything." We both started to cry tears of joy. "The war is over Dad." He looked down at me and smiled. I heard a grumble come from behind me. "I'll leave you guys alone."
I walk over to Aang. "Hey." He looked up at me with those stunning gray eyes. "Hey, how are you feeling?" As he said this, I could see him wince in pain. "I'm great, now that the war is over and I know that you're okay." Even given the state he's in now I could see a crimson blush rise to his cheeks. "Yeah, I'm still pretty hurt, but I'll live." "Do you want a healing session? Sokka sent me over here to ask you that. But of course I had to come see my best friend too." Wow, that was cheesier than I had intended it to be. "A healing session would be so great. Thanks. I really need some help with an area under my knee and below where I my scar from Azula is." It sounded like I was some sort of doctor. "I'd be more than happy to help you with that, sir. I'll go get my scalpel and we'll begin surgery momentarily," I said jokingly. "Great, can't wait for that…," he said with a disgusted look on his face. I walk over to where he was sitting and summon the water to my hands. There is a gaping hole in his back where he had been stabbed by one of the guards. I remember looking up and seeing a spear sticking out of his back and thinking how much that must've hurt. He just ripped it out and kept running. For one so little, he is amazingly tough. I press my hands against his back. I heard him yelp in pain. " Wow that hurts." " Sorry." This went on for around 2 more hours, back and forth with him yelping in pain and me apologizing.
I am finally finished. He's all healed up. "Well, look's like you're finally patched up. You've been a very fine patient." We both laughed a laugh that felt like it had two meanings behind it. We were laughing because it was a corny pun, but also because, I don't think, that we've ever been this happy and relieved. "Can I ask you something?" I say this with caution, for it might still be a sensitive subject for him. "Sure.". "How did you do it? How did you finish Ozai? You had passed out, I thought I was in for it." He has a pained look in his face; maybe I shouldn't have brought it up. "I'm not sure. It was like an adrenaline rush or something. I knew that everyone was in trouble… you were in trouble. I knew I had to get back up. It was my destiny." He kind of half smiled at me and got up. "Well, I'm really proud of you Aang, everyone is." He gives me that sweet toothy grin. "Speaking of everyone, you ready to go see them?" "As ready as ever." We walk out of the tent side by side. When I walked here before I didn't notice the beautiful landscape. The Water Tribe tents were on a ledge looking over the Royal City, or what used to be the Royal City. The sun was setting behind the mountains and everything looked so peaceful. Like it's supposed to.
We walk down to where my tent was and found that everyone was there waiting for us. Sokka came up behind us and whispered in Aang's ear, "We have to go give a speech." "Where's Toph?" Oops, I forgot to tell Aang that Toph had been injured. "Toph was injured and there is a chance she might not make it." I saw the horror in his eyes. We walked to the top of the hill where there was a clearing and everyone could see us. Wow, there are a lot of people here, maybe ten thousand or more. Sokka started talking first. "I would like to thank everybody for coming and helping with the Fire Nation's second invasion. We couldn't have done it alone, and now we are all free people. So thanks again for coming it was a big help." I could hear random, loud bursts of cheering coming from everywhere. I guess it's my turn. "I would also like to thank everybody for what they have done. This was a huge success. I apologize for all of the loved ones that were lost, but just know that they were the reason that our children will run free." I heard even louder cheering this time. I looked down in the front of the crowd to see my father crying. Aang walked forward and everyone got quiet. "I killed Ozai." Everyone must have burst out screaming because there was an unbearable amount of noise. When all of the racket died down Aang started talking again. "No, no you don't get it. It's wrong to kill people. By killing, how are we any different than the Fire Nation? It needed to be finished some other way than homicide. I've always worried about this. I knew I was going to have to face it eventually, and now that I have, I feel like I failed. But what's done is done and there is no changing that. I'm just glad that I made it through these past few months. In fact, I wouldn't have made it if weren't for Katara. Every time I fell, she was there to catch me, literally. She has saved my life on a regular basis. Remember when you all heard that I was dead? Well I was. You want to know who saved me from that? Katara. When I lost Appa, do you want to know who kept me from going totally hysterical? Katara. Want to know who found me in an iceberg I had been frozen in for 100 years? Katara. Want to know who comforted me when I was restless before and after the invasions? Katara. Katara has always been there for me and I want to thank her for that." Wow. I am starting to get a little teary-eyed. He motions for me to go up there and stand next to him. I walk up to him and he pulls me into a very tight hug. He pulls out and says
"I love you Katara." I couldn't tell if he was just telling me or if he was trying to say it so everyone else could here it. I begin to cry. We both are leaning in… we are kissing and I can hear the whole world cheering for us below. We pulled away all too soon. "The war is over. Go home, free people of the world." There was so much screaming and cheering it was unbelievable. It was as if everyone who had died and lived through the war were cheering with us. It was truly the most miraculous thing that I had ever seen. I looked behind me and saw Sokka crying too, so Aang and I went over for a group hug. We were all crying tears of joy when my dad came over. "I am so proud of all of you. Let's go home." I saw gloom quickly cover Aang's face. "Aang he is talking to all of us. You're coming too, whether you like it or not." Aang smiled and put his arm around my shoulder. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
So that was that and everything was well. Toph lived, but she lost total feeling in her arms and hands. At least she didn't lose feeling in her feet; that would have been horrible. Aang came and lived with us and you can probably guess what happened…