"People of Keyoshi- you will tell me where the Avatar is heading or your captured friend shall suffer the consequences."
Prince Zuko stood in the middle of the town, surrounded by villagers and fire nation troops. With one hand he held the waterbender around her torso, her light blue kimono waving in the wind and tears rolling down her cheeks. With his other hand the fire prince held a small burning flame to her neck, so close that the skin was beginning to burn and crack. The girl let out soft whimpers due to the pain.
"So be it!" The Prince visibly tensed his shoulders, ready to plunge the flame deep into the girl's neck.
"Wait! Omashu, they said they were headed to Omashu." One of the men from the crowd stepped forward, a man with daughters at home.
"Why?" The Prince's tone demanded respect, to even think of refusing him was inconceivable.
The girl slipped gracefully out of the Prince's heavy hold, straightening her outfit with one hand while gently comforting her charred flesh with the other. "Likely in search of an earth bending teacher- we assumed they would learn waterbending first but sometimes what's easiest is what's best." Water floated up from a satchel at the girl's waist, turning a bright blue when it reached the burnt skin.
"Kessa!? What are you... why are you doing this?" The Keyoshi warrior that stepped forward was a leader, it could be seen in her tone- in the way she spoke.
"Well I'm a traitor. And now I'm going back to the Avatar, to sow my evil seeds. And next time you see me- you wont be able to do a damn thing about it, because they wont believe you. So... I'll see you later- my friend." The fire nation entourage began to walk away, they had gotten the information they had come for.
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"Katara was that really necessary?"
"Don't be such a spoil sport. 'Confusion is the greatest weapon in any General's arsenal' Prince Zuko."
"Don't quote uncle, I already have to listen to one of him."
"What are we going to do about Omashu? We can't exactly walk in to a Earth Nation major city."
"The avatar wont learn earthbending first, earth is the opposing element to air, so they will be leaving soon after they arrive. What we need is for us to pick the way they head after they leave."
" 'The kindly stranger'." Zuko and Katara wore matching sly grins.
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"Just because someone is nice doesn't mean you need to be suspicious Sokka." Kessa's voice was strained, like the conversation had already been going on for hours.
"When people conveniently have maps for convenient routes to places we just so happen to be heading- well suspicion was invented for just such an occasion." Sokka was using his 'I know better' voice.
"The avatar is the last great hope for the world; people generally want to help someone who is destined to bring peace, happiness and goodwill to all men. Not everyone is an evil twofaced doublecrossing warmonger." Sokka went silent, his eyes drifting off in to the distance.
"She sure has you down." Prince Zuko emerged from the nearby bushes, quickly dismounting from a fire nation attack rhino. Behind him sat Katara, wearing a deep red and black army uniform.
"My prince, could you not agree with the enemy. Shows disunity."
"...Enemy." Sokka muttered the word under his breath, only Aang was close enough to hear.
"How did you find us?" Aang's voice quickly took on the distinct 'about to fight' tone that was so different from his usual happy cheer.
"We drew the map." Prince Zuko's voice had taken on a jovial glint usually reserved for private.
"Ha! Told you." Sokka had quickly forgotten the pain of seeing his sister on the opposite side of the battlefield for the chance to claim the small victory of being right.
"Not now Sokka." Kessa was staring daggers at her sister across the campsite.
Katara uncorked the satchel at her side and with an audible half grunt, half scream, flung her watery projectile across the clearing. Less than halfway to its target the water seemed to lose focus and splashed awkwardly in to the grass below. Both sides took half a second to furrow their brows and look around randomly- all unsure about what just happened.
The prince dashed forward past Katara and towards the avatar. Aang also leaped in to action, hurtling towards Zuko his glider clutched in one hand. The two engaged each other, equally matched. Either Zuko's attacks were deflected or the airbender used his superior agility to avoid attack completely. The prince's attacks became increasingly enraged and powerful.
"Katara, I don't want to fight you." Sokka held his club with both hands, ready to attack if required.
The rogue waterbender was making increasingly desperate attempts to rip the water from the ground, despite her effort the water rose and fell without gaining enough form for her to actually command. Katara performed a diagonal roll, narrowly being missed by a small barrage of ice shards.
Katara saw Kessa standing near the camp's supplies, preparing to send another wave towards her. Katara executed another roll toward her brother, and with a swift palm to his torso sent him flying backwards. She caught his mishandled club midair and used it to deflect the next onslaught. The fact that the attack, that should be next to useless, was giving her trouble enraged Katara. Her emotions clouded her sight- the world dropped away and all she could see was her sister getting closer and closer as Katara advanced upon her.
Aang sent a strong airblast across the field that knocked Katara away, distracting Prince Zuko enough to allow the Avatar to land a double hit that sent the prince flying across the field.
The gang ran for Appa- flying away without seeing Katara's last ditch effort to bend a nearby river in an attempt to knock them from the air, the water splashed uselessly to the ground without even going two feet.
All Katara could do was stand there and stare as the sky bison glided gracefully away.
"What the hell was that Katara?" Zuko was fuming, his face had turned a bright shade of red.
Katara was staring down at her hands, asking them questions with her eyes- receiving no answers. "I don't... I don't know."
"You are my soldier- mine! I thought we got past your problems weeks ago."
"I didn't let them win Zuko. How can you even think that?"
"Then what was that?"
"I don't know! I just... screw you Prince Zuko."
"Come back here Katara, this isn't finished. Do you hear me?!"
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Back on the Blue Dragon Katara sat alone in her steel room. The room had a minimalist tone, without visible personal effects of any kind. The few pieces of furniture blended seamlessly in to the cold browning steel of the ship's hull. The room was that of a faceless warrior, devoid of feeling or passion.
However inside the closets and drawers, that were tucked away in corners, lay hidden caches of colour and light. Necklaces and jewellery from across the world, objects filled with memories from a home long missed, trinkets to remember the many people left behind. Katara loved her room because it suited whatever purpose she needed it to- cold and clean or personal and touching. She had learned long ago that it was best to compartmentalise, it allowed you to exceed limitations- to achieve your all.
"I'm sorry."
"No you're not." Katara's voice was calm and even.
"Fine- just tell me what happened today."
"I had a bad day Prince Zuko- it happens."
"Not to you."
"I've had plenty of bad days."
"This has been going on since the south pole."
Katara let out an audible sigh. "Uncle told you- so much for secrets."
"I would have noticed on my own." At this Katara gained a small smile, as if amused by the inane ramblings of a small child that couldn't know any better. She wanted nothing more than to cup the prince's face in her hands, to rub her thumb across his cheek and drop away into a time where affection for him wasn't tainted by bitterness or betrayal. The urge came and passed without action.
"I suppose it makes it easier. I will need to go off on my own for a short while, to find guidance. I need to know what to do to fix this."
"This is ridiculous. Destiny is what we make of it."
"I will be heading off tomorrow, I should be back within a few days."
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"It's not her anymore." Sokka's word cracked the silence that had settled across the campsite.
Kessa stared at her brother, her brow furrowed in confusion.
"That's the way I have to look at it- the four year old girl that I knew is dead- has been dead for years. It shouldn't be hard, we thought she had died years ago already."
"It's likely for the best. No one can think clearly with mixed loyalties." Kessa's words were soft with sympathy, the reappearance of the lost twin had caused a strong rift between the remaining siblings. The pair had relied on one another for a long time- since their father went to war and left them alone.
"You don't remember her do you?"
"...No, I suppose I don't."
Sokka turned his head and closed his eyes- as if willing sleep to come. "You would have liked her- she was so strong and brave, even when so young."
Behind him, unseen, Kessa narrowed her eyes.
Sokka continued on, unaware of his sister's mood. "What do you think happened to her waterbending? When she was at the South Pole her powers were amazing- when she realised she couldn't bend she seemed so... scared."
To this Kessa had no audible reply and Sokka's words drifted off in to the night. In her heart Kessa was without a doubt as to the answer- 'Justice'.
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"The only thing you will find in that mountain is despair girl! Turn back now, the everseer is a being of the greatest evil."
"All those with power are called evil- it appears I've reached my destination."
The inner confines of the Blue Dragon are cold, hard and lifeless. The dark steel is so foreign, so different from the natural world, that even the strongest of willscould be broken if trapped within the deep hull for an extended amount of timeA prisoner can at least be comforted by the fact that they are detained without choice, to someone bedridden within the iron vessel there is nothing to comfort them- only the nauseating rocking of the sea below.
General Iroh's room was the exception. Filled with carpets, trinkets and nic-naks from around the world- once one stepped inside it was nigh impossible to tell that you were surrounded by steel. Sympathy had worked well for the old general, his sickness had allowed leniency from his nephew who had at first denied all but the closest of personal items.
Determination. Her whole body was riddled with its unmistakable taint. Unshakable, unchanging, cold. Below her was the wide expanse of towns, cities and nature- useless distractions. She tore her way up the mountain, climbing and clawing her way forward. The only thing that mattered was in front of her, the goal, the cave of the everseer. All that lay behind her was the past, weakness, and failure.
Prince Zuko knelt by the general's bedside, his head bowed forward to better hear the uncharacteristically soft voice of his uncle. "Katara is troubled- what she discovered in her old home goes beyond a simple family reunion. I'm afraid she has begun to question her destiny, and we both know how closely she relies on such things."
"What are you saying uncle? Why would her family cause her to doubt herself?"
"It is her twin, her sister. In order to comfort her at a young age I believed telling her of her destiny would give her peace and reassurance, instead I realised too late the importance she placed on it- the way it affected her."
It had begun to storm, the dark threatening clouds that lay overhead finally unleashing their fury upon the mountainside. Katara pressed on, undeterred by the assailed dirt and rocks surrounding her, unworried by the increasingly unstable edges- the crumbling footholds.
"She is supposed to be unique, the most powerful bender outside of the avatar- and she is supposed to be the sole bender of twins. Now that her sister is a waterbender Katara believes that we made a mistake, found the wrong girl. You must be careful Prince Zuko her powers depend on spirit, on belief. You must allow her to see that she is strong because of who she is, not because of what she is supposed to be."
The cave entrance stood before her, Katara saw the opening and paused. She saw what was behind her without turning, her past beckoned to her- willing her to return to it- begging her to remember. After a moment Katara continued forward as if she had never paused, she had accepted the future, and rejected all that would hold her back.
"Uncle... what if she is not the one from the prophesy." Zuko's voice was neutral, but his face- unseen by his uncle had the slight betrayals of emotion- of hope.
"Damn the prophecy Zuko, she is who she is. Nothing else should matter."
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Katara walked briskly towards the centre of a gigantic cavern. The cave was scattered with large stone pillars descending from the ceiling, each held glowing torches causing small patches of light within an overwhelming sea of darkness.
"Poor little water girl, all alone in the world. What is your purpose here?" The voice was sweet and low, the words were drawn out and without pause between words to give the impression of a melody. A woman seemed to float towards Katara, the woman's long greying hair wisped gently by a wind that appeared not to exist, her eyes were glazed and grey but she seemed to look directly at Katara- in to Katara.
"To seek knowledge." Katara kept her eyes fixed forward as the grey haired woman floated around her.
"She seeks questions to answers that are already known to her. The price of my words is a week from the life of a person you will never meet or know."
Katara dropped her eyes to the ground, but within a second she had her reply. "I accept the price."
At this the woman gave a comforting motherly smile. "What is it that you believe you want to know?"
"I want to know why I am losing my powers. I want to know how to get them back."
"Those will not give you the answer you need- the answer you know." The woman began to weave in and out from the many pillars surrounding the cave's centre.
"What question should I ask?"
"The one to which you already know the answer."
Katara began to let her frustration seep in to her tone. "How do I regain my power?"
"Power that is truly yours cannot be lost."
At this the waterbender decided to use a different tact. "I am Katara, blessed by destiny, the youngest master waterbender, and consort to the prince of the most powerful nation ever to be known- you will tell me what I need to know!"
"I only reveal that which is not already known, you will find no answers here."
"Give me the question." Katara barked the words leaving no room for argument.
The seer stopped gliding, twirling down to rest on the floor. "Very well- 'How does two become one?'" The seer used a tone as if speaking to a small irritable child who simply didn't know any better. It was the last straw for Katara as she truly lost her temper.
"I don't...that doesn't make sense!"
"Liar!" The seer suddenly leaped forward, stopping right before Katara's face. The seer's eyes had turned blood red. "She knows the answer- true and fine, refuses to accept."
Katara shrunk back, her words a low murmur as if the words were new and unsure- a verbal test. "It is my destiny to bring prosperity to my home. My destiny is selfless- honourable."
"To gain- others must lose. Power requires sacrifice. Balance. She wants half to be whole, but will not see what is needed. One must fall- must fade. Two to one by the hand of the other- as it is, as it always has been- again and again."
"No- that isn't true, that is not my destiny." Katara's voice was desperate and hoarse. The lights of the cave went out completely- the cavern plunged in to total darkness.
From the darkness the seer's voice came through clear and strong. It was almost as if the seer was inside Katara's head. "Perhaps not- it may be hers. How does two become one?"
The darkened cavern burst in to light quickly followed by crashing thunder. The walls of the cave were ripped and torn, dripping dark red- the scratches were made to spell out a single word- 'kill'. Over and over a thousand times, each new set of groves more vicious and bloody than the last.
The light faded and was replaced by the subdued flicker of distant lamps. The walls had reverted to their smooth earthy dreariness. The seer had vanished. Katara's eyes twitched slightly, her breathing remained erratic, and she ran towards the cave entrance as if trapped underwater- desperate for air.
Katara exited the cave, and saw her past laid before her- towns, cities, and family covered in the relentless mist of the ongoing storm. Around her the rain parted, leaving Katara dry and safe despite everything around her being ripped apart. She spoke with a resigned indifference, a weary acceptance.
"I have to kill my sister."