Published June 27, 2013. Edited February 19, 2016.
"Truth and Freedom"
What a great thing, to be loved! What a greater thing still, to love! The heart becomes heroic through passion. It is no longer composed of anything but what is pure; it no longer rests on anything but what is elevated and great. An unworthy thought can no more spring up in it than a nettle on a glacier. The lofty and serene soul, inaccessible to common passions and common emotions, rising above the clouds and shadows of this world, its follies, its falsehoods, its hatreds, its vanities, its miseries, inhabits the blue of the skies, and no longer feels anything but the deep subterranean commotions of destiny, as the summit of the mountains feels the quaking of the earth.
If no one loved, the sun would go out.
~ Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
"Are you ready, Aang?" The question came from Toph, his newest and closest teacher.
"Almost," Aang said truthfully. "There's just one more thing I want to do." He stood up and turned to face the small girl. "Toph, before I go, I want to give you something to remember me by—since it might be my last chance." He cupped his hands around her face, tilting it upward, and brought his lips to hers.
He didn't know how it felt, because before he could feel anything, Toph pushed him away, looking horrified. "How could you do that?" she cried. Insulted and angry, she stomped her foot, and a fissure opened in the ground, and Aang was falling, and he couldn't airbend or earthbend to save his life.
"Toph, no! I'm sorry! Come back!"
"I can't! I'm floating away!" She was being carried off by the air, and he was falling deeper into the earth; they were going where the other belonged, and they couldn't help each other …
"Toph, no!"
"Relax, Twinkle Toes."
"I didn't mean it!"
"Aang, snap out of it!"
Aang's eyes popped open, bloodshot and shocked. Toph was standing before him, her bare feet firm on the ground, her hair disheveled and hanging out of its usual bun. The earth they stood on was perfectly intact.
He'd had another nightmare.
Aang put a hand over his heart as he caught his breath. Toph could feel his racing pulse vibrating through the earth. "Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.
"Yeah, now." Aang bowed his head. "I'm sorry I woke you up."
"S'okay," Toph said, in a tone that said it wasn't okay, but she was willing to let it go.
Aang glanced around the campsite. Katara was still asleep, but Sokka was awake and getting to his feet. "Y'know, I'm just gonna go over the maps … Aang, try to sleep. You too, Toph."
Aang curled up on Appa's tail, feeling guilty about putting his friends through the anxiety of watching his anxiety escalate. He'd had nightmares in the past, especially since he came out of the iceberg. In recent months, he'd had dreams about Gyatso, and the storm when he ran away, and the times he'd gone into the Avatar State.
Now, when the group was spending the final days before the eclipse on the island where they would meet the invasion force, he was having nightmares of a different kind: instead of reminding him of horrors in his past, his dreams reflected his fear of what was to come.
He arrived at the Fire Lord's palace completely unprepared and incompetent. He saw his friends face various forms of death. In one dream, he found that Toph had no eyes; then she sank into the earth. Katara had been engulfed by fire, Zuko's element.
Aang had found himself underwater, trapped under a layer of ice. He was going to drown—a terrible way for an airbender to die, cut off from his life-giving element. He looked up and saw Zuko standing above him; Zuko could see him, but made no movement to help him.
He felt rather than saw Toph sit down next to him. "Look," she began, sounding a little uncertain but plunging ahead anyway. "I know you're an airbender, so sometimes you can have your head in the clouds—literally. But staying awake is making you go crazy—I mean, you're rivaling the time Sokka tried cactus juice! If you're going to be able to focus during the invasion, you have to catch up on sleep."
She was trying her best to offer advice, but it did little to comfort Aang. "I'm trying, Toph. But I'm so on edge about the invasion, it's all I can think about, even in my subconscious. I know I'll need sleep to be awake for the Invasion, but the nightmares just make me more sacred about what's going to happen."
"What is it that you're so worried about? You'll have the easiest job, taking out the Fire Lord when he doesn't even have his firebending. The rest of us will be fighting our way into the Capital."
Maybe that was part of the problem: Aang's task sounded too easy, when it was put so simply. He felt certain that there would be something, perhaps some unknown factor, that would catch him off guard. But there was something else, something he'd been worried about for months, though he'd pushed it to the back of his mind ever since they left Ba Sing Se.
"There's something I didn't tell you," Aang said softly. He sat up to face her properly. "I haven't told Katara or Sokka, either … though I mentioned it to Iroh, and he thought I did the right thing …"
"What did you do?" Toph asked, sounding suspicious in a motherly way that might have rivaled Katara.
"When I went to see Guru Pathik, I didn't quite finish the training … I didn't master the Avatar State."
"But I thought you were able to go into it when we went to rescue Katara?"
"That's the thing. The last step of opening my chakras was to focus on the cosmos, and let go of my earthly attachments. Do you know what that means?" Toph shook her head, shrugging ignorantly. "It means letting go of the people I love."
Aang stopped, letting Toph absorb that. She was silent; her only reaction was a surprised and pensive expression.
"What are you getting at?" she asked finally.
"I didn't want to do it. I … I love you guys too much. I wouldn't be able to get along without you supporting me. I can't stop feeling attached to you." It was dark, but he could almost see the blush on Toph's cheeks. "I tried it—I was almost at that detached state—but then, I had that vision of Katara imprisoned in Ba Sing Se. I chose to go help her—I chose my attachments—instead of staying and mastering the Avatar State."
"Wait. You mean you lied to me? And then you tried to use the Avatar State anyway?" Toph was trying to remember when she saw him that day. He'd told her that while they were on Appa; that must be why she hadn't detected his heartbeat—she hadn't been in contact with the earth.
"I actually did it, Toph. I was in the Avatar State. But when Azula shot me, my seventh chakra was blocked, cutting off my connection to the cosmic energy in the universe."
Toph blinked uncomprehendingly. "You know what I just heard? 'Blah blah, spiritual mumbo-jumbo, blah blah, something about space.'"
Aang was frustrated by her carelessness. "It means I can't go into the Avatar State at all! So I can't count on it to save me if I'm in danger tomorrow; I'll be on my own. And I won't be able to step in if you or anyone else needs help."
Toph was silent for a long moment. She didn't know whether to be hurt or angry about his lie; the fact that it had happened a while ago dulled her emotion regarding it. But she could see some validity in this final cause for worry. Some.
"You should give us some more credit, you know."
It was Aang's turn to be confused. "Huh?"
"We're forming an army of capable waterbenders, earthbenders, and Water Tribe warriors, not to mention the Greatest Earthbender in the World. You should have some more faith in us. And in yourself."
"I do," Aang insisted. "It's just—this is going to be the hardest thing any of us have done, and for me—"
"I didn't agree to help you just so you could freak out when you were finally about to reach your goal. And I don't think Yue and Roku would have helped save you if you weren't somehow destined to save us."
He sighed at this. "I know my destiny means that I have to try. That doesn't guarantee I'll succeed."
"Aang, every single person who's signed up for the mission, or helped us along the way, believes that you can defeat the Fire Lord. And no one knows it better than us." She gestured around the camp, indicating herself, Katara, and Sokka. "The day we started training, you couldn't move a pebble. Now, you're almost as good at earthbending as I am! And Katara can vouch for your progress in waterbending. You've won more battles than either of us can count." She punched him gently in the arm. "You're the man, Twinkle Toes."
The nickname, as well as the onslaught of praise, brought an involuntary smile to Aang's face. "Thanks, Toph."
"You're welcome. Now get some sleep!"
Aang lay down again, getting comfortable on Appa's fur. He saw Toph get up and step back onto the ground. "Toph?"
"What?"
"Will you stay with me?"
She turned around to face him, frowning. "You mean during the invasion? Or afterwards?"
"I—I meant now." Now Aang was the one starting to blush. "I mean—you don't have to sleep with me, but—if I have nightmares again …"
Toph considered, then sat down right in front of Appa's tail. She bent her usual earth tent on either side, but lay down so that her head rested on Appa's tail. She folded her arms under her chin, smiling at him.
"Thank you. G'night, Toph."
"Good night." Yes, I'll stay with you. As long as I can.
A short distance away, Sokka walked out to the cliffs above the ocean. He could see the moon just starting to rise. It was waning after reaching its full size about a week before.
He sat down on the cliff, his feet hanging down over the edge. For a few minutes he just sat there, watching the moon.
"Hey, Yue," Sokka said softly. "You're the moon, so, you're the one who's causing the eclipse. So, thanks, I guess, for giving us this opportunity. Good luck … and wish us luck, too."
Despite the fact that it was the day before the eclipse, life in the Capital went on as usual. Zuko could afford to spend it lazily, but he felt restless, though he was starting to appreciate some of the luxury of the palace. But in spite of the presence of servants, he was lonely. He thought about visiting Mai or even Ty Lee, but it would be awkward with the first and strange with the second.
He couldn't help wondering about tomorrow's invasion. He no longer doubted that the Avatar was alive, and if that was the case, then he was bound to be a part of the invasion. And that meant his little gang of followers, and probably other friends of theirs, were likely to come too. Zuko prayed that he wouldn't be forced to cross paths with any of them, least of all Katara … but he knew he wouldn't have to. Unlike Azula, he had neither asked nor been invited to take part in any kind of defense. Azula wouldn't even be going into battle; she would just help guard their hiding place outside of the city proper. Zuko wouldn't have to do anything except pass the time.
Then, in the evening, the strangest thing happened. A messenger came and informed him that he was wanted in the Fire Lord's war chamber. There was a meeting taking place—one that he hadn't even known about—and his presence was not only allowed, but required.
Zuko was surprised, but when he thought about it as he put on his formal robes and armor, he realized that it was exactly what he'd wanted. This proved that he had been accepted back. Ozai now valued him, and even his experiences while exiled in the Earth Kingdom, enough to ask for his opinion.
Zuko found himself in the same position he'd been in three years ago, hearing a plan that was unnecessarily cruel. This time, though, he stayed silent, knowing better than to speak when Ozai hadn't invited him to do so.
Zuko thought that his was how it might have been if he hadn't spoken out of turn last time.
But now you know it's wrong.
His opinion was the same, only it was no longer that of a naïve boy anymore. He had seen for himself the consequences of his father's wanton decisions in the war. It had ripped apart families, including Iroh's, Lee's, and Song's. Hong Shen had been the first person he met who represented what the war was doing to people; Katara was the second. But Katara had been the first person who dared to openly sympathize with what he had said and done during that war meeting years ago.
"If I had been in that war chamber, I would have done the exact same thing."
She had made it seem like speaking out was the natural thing, the right thing, to do. Her way of thinking was, What kind of person wouldn't have protested?
Someone who went along with the norm, wanted to ensure their own safety, and didn't care about who would get hurt.
But Zuko cared. He wanted to blame Katara for that, for convincing him that it was all right to care about others; but he had a feeling that it was actually a part of his own personality, that he was capable of compassion and empathy.
As he returned to his room, Zuko felt something like disgust, or perhaps regret. It felt wrong, to do nothing in a situation like the one he'd just been in. But what else could he have done? If he'd protested, he would have faced excruciating consequences, just as he had the last time.
He wasn't free to do what he truly wanted to do—what he felt was right.
Zuko finally realized and admitted something to himself: his father was wrong to want to continue the war, and to go about it in such a heinous way. Usually Zuko stopped himself from thinking anything negative about his father. He had thought that the old general at the meeting three years ago had been wrong; he and officers like Zhao were wrong to be so cruel in this war; but Fire Lord Ozai was at the heart of the matter, and he, too, did wrong. They didn't just do whatever was in the best interest of the Fire Nation: they wanted power and glory, and they went to extreme lengths to get it. The result was broken lives and broken families.
As Ozai had said, he'd been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. He knew that they didn't deserve to lose their families, their homes, their lives. Now he saw that it wasn't simply a matter of unavoidable casualties; the plans they had discussed were of annihilation. Their only purpose was to assert Ozai's power over the world.
As Zuko sat down at his desk, his eyes fell on the hairpiece that Iroh had smuggled to him, that had belonged to Avatar Roku. He thought of the story of Roku and Sozin, and how the war had started. He remembered Iroh's quiet insistence that his legacy, the great-grandson of both the Avatar and the Fire Lord, gave him the power to bring back balance. Iroh seemed to have known, all along, that some strange and important destiny was in store for him.
"Sooner or later, you will have to make a choice."
Zuko had tried to make that final choice in Ba Sing Se. He had meant for his actions of that day to seal his fate. But all it had done was keep him in uncertainty, treading dangerously close to regret.
Was it too late for him to undo that choice, or to make a new decision that would cancel it out?
He had acted on his long-term desires in Ba Sing Se. Now, he was going thinking beyond himself.
Zuko sat up for a long time that night, thinking, even trying to meditate. But instead of focusing, his thoughts wandered of their own accord, and Zuko let them. He remembered rescuing the Avatar in disguise, sharing meals with people who should have been his enemies, turning against the people who had been kind to him. He thought about all the choices he'd made, all the lessons he'd learned, all the advice he'd received.
"You are not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good."
Now Zuko understood. Iroh had not forced him to side with the Avatar; he had wanted Zuko to realize that he had free will. He had wanted Zuko to choose good. That was what freedom was: the ability to desire and choose goodness. It meant recognizing the truth and choosing to live in it.
"It's time to start asking yourself the important questions. Who are you? What do you want?"
That was also freedom: knowing who you are and how you are called to live. Zuko's mother Ursa had known this too. "No matter how things seem to change, never forget who you are."
He had forgotten for a long time. He had been a slave to his idea of honor, a slave to his father's expectations. There was no honor in waging this war, and he now realized that he didn't want to live up to his father's expectations, if that meant being as cruel as him.
As a fugitive he had seen how the war had destroyed the Earth Kingdom. Since he returned to the Fire Nation, he had seen the falseness of the Fire Nation court, and his father's capacity for evil. He had seen through the lies that he had been fed all his life. He had learned the truth, and that truth could set him free … if he was willing to let it.
If he was going to do anything significant, now was the time to do it. The eclipse would provide him an opportunity to act … he could even tell his father the truth that he'd realized, without the risk of being burned. Even after the eclipse ended, the Fire Nation soldiers would be too focused on fighting the invaders to stop him from doing anything. He could slip away, and then …
The answer was there, in his mind, only he had to talk himself into it. The Avatar was the one person most determined to stop his father's atrocities. That meant if he truly wanted to help, he would have to join the Avatar—permanently, this time.
Really, the idea had been fermenting in the back of his mind, ever since Iroh had told him of his connection to Avatar Roku. No, it went back even farther. It had crossed his mind multiple times. He had even discussed it with Katara, during their imprisonment in Ba Sing Se.
"You can't just forget about all of this. You can't hide from the war. You have to decide which side you're on."
"So if I'm not with you, I'm against you?"
"Iroh said we both have to learn to choose our battles. I chose my fight a long time ago. Now it's your turn."
"Would you be willing to fight with me? Would your friends? Would you all trust me?"
And before that … he remembered Katara almost daring to ask him, after she healed a lightning-stuck Iroh. "I don't suppose there's any way we could …"
Zuko shook his head. She might have been referring to the two of them having a relationship. That's not what this was about—not choosing who he loved. This was about choosing who to stand beside.
He'd stood besides, fought alongside, the Avatar and his friends, multiple times.
If he could find them … he could do it again.
Katara was the second person to get up, after her brother. After donning Water Tribe clothes for the first time in months, she made herself useful by preparing tea. Iroh would have approved, she thought with a smile.
She might see him again, today. She wasn't just hoping; she was planning to see him. Once the Invasion was well under way—once the waterbenders were less essential to their progress—she would make her way to the prison where Piandao had guessed Iroh was being kept. She knew from Sokka's maps that it was nestled in the northwest side of the volcano crater that housed the capital city, Caldera.
The invasion force arrived disguised by a fog that the swamp waterbenders conjured. This time there was no trepidation when Katara ran up to greet her father. Toph was introduced to all the friends Aang had met before she joined the group: Tyro and Haru, the father and son who were leading the earthbenders; the Mechanist who had made most of their equipment, and his handicapped son Teo; and waterbenders who were native to the swamp where Aang had first seen a vision of Toph. She recognized the footsteps of Pipsqueak and The Duke, and was startled but ultimately pleased to see her old Earth Rumble opponents, the Hippo and the Boulder.
While Katara made introductions, Hakoda pulled Sokka aside for a moment. "Sokka, there was one group we couldn't find. Your warrior friends in the Earth Kingdom."
"The Kyoshi Warriors?" Sokka looked disappointed. He had known they might not be able to come, but a part of him had secretly hoped that they would be involved with this effort. He would have liked to fight alongside Suki in such a decisive battle.
"I'm sorry, son."
"That's okay. Last I heard, they were doing other work to help in the war. Besides, we still have a decent-sized battalion." He turned and gestured to all the people assembled on the beach.
"Are you ready to tell them the details of your plan?" Hakoda asked. He could immediately sense Sokka's nervousness.
"W-why me? You're the chief, the one leading this thing …"
"It was your idea. I want to credit you for that."
Sokka gulped, and found he'd lost his appetite for the morning meal that the soldiers were distributing.
"Don't worry," Hakoda said. "You'll do great."
Sokka took a deep breath and walked up before the troops—only to trip on the platform they had raised. It got worse from then on: he rambled, mixed up his maps, and completely confused the crowd. Then he thought to explain how he'd gotten the idea for the eclipse, and how they'd met each of the people assembled here, but in his mind, he couldn't do that without starting at the very beginning, including how he and Katara had found the Avatar.
Toph whispered to Aang, "Did Suki really kiss Sokka back then?"
"I didn't know about it," Aang said with a shrug. He felt his cheeks burn a little, remembering one of the dreams he'd had the other night.
Hakoda intervened, offering to take over for Sokka. The youngest Water Tribe warrior walked back dejectedly to sit with his teammates. Katara put a comforting hand on his arm, before they turned their attention to Hakoda's explanation of the attack.
"When this is finished, the Avatar will have defeated the Fire Lord. We will have control of the Fire Nation capital, and this war will be over!"
Everyone cheered at this. Hakoda knew how to be inspirational as well as efficient.
The next half-hour was spent making final preparations. Katara armed herself with four waterskins to keep her element close. Toph acquired new armor, like the rest of the earthbenders wore. And Aang finally shaved off the hair he'd grown in the Fire Nation, revealing the arrow line on his head. With his tattoos visible, he would be completely recognizable as the Avatar, the last airbender.
When they called the roll, assigning each person to a certain boat, they realized Sokka was missing. Aang flew back to the cliff and found him half-dressed in his Water Tribe armor. He was still upset about messing up. Aang could almost see his logic: if he couldn't even deliver a speech, how well would he fare in real combat?
Aang tried to sound reasonable and encouraging, the way Toph sometimes did. "Look, your moment of truth isn't going to be in front of some map. It's going to be out there, on the battlefield."
"You seem so confident about everything," Sokka said. They had almost switched places, considering how things had been during the past few days. "How do you know we're going to win?"
"Because I already failed the world once at Ba Sing Se. I'm not going to let myself fail again," Aang vowed.
Sokka looked at Aang, really looked at him now. After shaving his head and receiving a new glider from the Mechanist, Aang looked like the airbender Sokka had come to know, yet not quite the same one he and Katara had found in the iceberg. They'd had more successes and failures than they could count, and there had been times when the pressure seemed like too much for Aang; but he still found the courage to keep trying.
I'm not going to let myself fail again.
The submarines broke off from their boat counterparts to travel safely under the Gates of Azulon. They had to come up for air a while later; that would be the last time anyone could reconvene before the real battle started.
Aang had made his decision. He had thought about what to say and how to say it.
He would thank his friends for everything they had done. Then he would try to talk to Toph alone. Then, he would kiss her—just briefly—before he left the group to fly ahead and face the Fire Lord.
He flew over to stand on the submarine that his three friends had ridden in. Sokka and Katara both brightened up at seeing him. But Toph appeared downcast, her skin sweaty and more pale than usual.
"Are you okay?" Aang asked.
"I think I was undersea-sick," Toph said dully. Aang noticed The Duke go over to the edge of the submarine and wash his helmet in the water.
Aang bit his lip, not to keep from being nauseous, but to keep his expression composed. Inside he felt like cursing.
"So … are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar's alive?" Sokka asked him.
"I'm ready," Aang said truthfully.
"You'll do great, Aang," Katara told him.
"I don't know what to say," Aang said, looking at his three friends and teammates. "I don't know where to start. I owe you so much."
"Considering everything you've done for us," Toph said, "I think we're about even."
"Everything you guys taught me … it's all been building up to this. If I succeed, it'll be because of you."
Katara stepped forward and put her hands on Aang's shoulders. "If this war ends, it'll be because of you." She bent down to give him a kiss on the cheek. Toph and Sokka came over to join the group hug.
"Everyone listen up." The four friends broke apart to hear Hakoda's instructions. "The next time we resurface, it'll be on the beaches. So stay alert and fight smart. Now break time's over. Back in the subs."
Sokka started walking back. Katara followed him, though she looked over her shoulder to smile encouragingly at Aang. He thought he saw her nod in Toph's direction, but he might have imagined it.
The blind earthbender was still standing next to him. She took a deep breath. "Listen. I know we haven't always been the best of friends."
Aang blinked at her. "What are you talking about?"
"I've seen the way you and Katara interact. You guys are really close, and I respect that. But I want you to know … you were my first real friend. And you still are my best friend. You helped me go places and do things I never imagined. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is … thank you."
She felt Aang put his hand on her shoulder, and then she felt something warm and light press against her cheek. Her eyes widened, but before she could react, Aang pulled away and explained softly, "In case I don't come back."
Toph's expression was one of wonder and sadness. Aang hugged her with one arm; then he stepped back, snapped his new glider open, and launched himself into the air. Toph held up her arm, hoping he could see her wave farewell.
The naval stage of the invasion was completed as smoothly as possible; in other words, it was rough, but they got through it. It was during the land stage that they faced their first major obstacle. Sokka realized they would have to cut off the battlements that caused fire and other projectiles to rain down on the invaders. He convinced Katara and Hakoda to come with him on Appa to take out the battlements. It was strange, yet somehow pleasing, how they worked together. All Hakoda said was, "Watch each other's backs." He wasn't afraid to send them into danger anymore.
Working as a team, the two siblings were able to destroy the weapons and leave the guards frozen to the walls inside. Hakoda fared less well; in taking out the guards, he received a wound in his right side.
"You're hurt—badly," was Katara's prognosis as she started to heal him. "You can't fight anymore."
"Everyone's counting on me to lead this mission, Katara," Hakoda said, wincing as he tried again to sit up. "I won't let them down."
For a moment Sokka wasn't sure who Hakoda sounded more like: Aang, or himself. He remembered what Aang had said, about his real moment of truth. Maybe this was it.
"I'll do it. I'll lead the invasion force."
"Don't be crazy," Katara said.
"Maybe I am a little crazy," Sokka admitted, "but the eclipse is about to start, and we need to be up that volcano by the time it does."
"You can do it." Hakoda looked at him from where he lay on the ground. "I'm proud of you, son."
"I still think you're crazy—but I'm proud of you, too," Katara said, turning to smile at her brother. That meant a lot to Sokka, considering she'd once claimed she was embarrassed to be related to him. They had come a long way together.
While Sokka took Appa back into the battle, Katara spent a few more minutes healing Hakoda's side. "I think that's the best I can do for now," she said finally, returning the water to her canteen. "How do you feel?"
"Tired, but it doesn't hurt that much—it's just sore." Katara saw him glance back at the plaza; then he managed to push himself upright. "If I can't fight, I still might be able to help somehow."
"Do you think you can walk?" She stood up and helped him slowly get to his feet. Katara put his arm over her, trying to support his weight. She was stronger than either of them expected.
"You've grown," Hakoda observed.
"Really? In just two months?"
Hakoda nodded. "I'm proud of you, too. You know that, don't you?"
"Yeah. I know."
They made their way slowly and steadily. The plaza gate was now guarded by Water Tribesmen rather than firebenders. The tanks and troops were at something of a standstill at the moment. Sokka was conferring with Bato when he caught sight of his family. Toph followed him over to the chief. "Dad! You're on your feet again."
"Thanks to your sister." He sat down on a rock, still holding his side. "I'm in no shape to fight, but maybe there is some way I could help."
"Everything's going smoothly," Sokka reported efficiently, "and the eclipse hasn't even kicked in yet."
Katara glanced up at the sky to check the sun. The moon was just starting to overlap it. Then, she saw some thing else in the sky. It looked … like Aang's glider? Hakoda noticed her distraction. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes," Katara said, her alarm growing as the figure came closer and became more distinct. "Is that—is that Aang?"
"What?" Toph and Sokka said at the same time.
"Is he all right?" Toph demanded.
"He's fine—flying this way."
A moment later he landed on the ground in front of them. "Please tell me you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down," Sokka said, more pleading than sarcastic.
"He wasn't home," Aang said tonelessly. "No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned."
Someone gasped; then Sokka said what they were all realizing. "They knew."
Why hadn't they thought of it, back in Ba Sing Se? No one had ever asked the Earth King if he'd mentioned the eclipse idea to the Kyoshi Warrior imposters. … Or maybe they had simply suspected it because they knew an eclipse was approaching, and the Fire Nation had fared badly during past eclipses?
"It's over," Aang said. "The Fire Lord is probably long gone. Far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse."
Sokka frowned, looking thoughtful in a calculating way. "No. My instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker—somewhere he could go so it'll be safe during a siege, but still be close enough to lead his nation."
Toph spoke up. "If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for, I'm just the girl to find it," she volunteered cheerfully.
Sokka pulled a small, round metal device from his pocket. "The Mechanist gave me this timing device. It looks like we've got about ten minutes until the full eclipse." He slid it back in his pocket, looking around at his allies. "Ten minutes to find the Fire Lord."
"We can still do this," Aang said, his hope restored. "We can still win the day."
"Wait." Katara looked at them anxiously, thinking of how Aang, Sokka and Toph had come to rescue her in Ba Sing Se, and ended up either captured or seriously hurt. "If they knew we were coming, it could all be a trap. Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure everyone gets out of here safely." Even if most of the invasion force turned back, she and a few others might still be able to check the prison, see if Iroh or any other allies were there, and make an escape.
Hakoda spoke up. "Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang to go for it."
Sokka turned to the young Avatar. "What do you think? You're the one who has to face the Fire Lord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you."
Aang wavered for a moment, but not much longer than that. He had come here with a mission, determined to accomplish it sooner rather than later. He might not get another chance like this, with so many people willing to help him get to his goal.
He stood and faced the battlefield. "I've got to try."
Sokka stood up as well. "I'm with you guys. We can take Appa."
Toph turned to Katara. "If we're taking Appa, you can drop us off and still have time to rescue Iroh during the eclipse."
Katara hesitated, glancing at Hakoda. She didn't feel right leaving him when he was still injured. But if the invasion ultimately failed, it was even more important that she try to rescue Iroh. She felt torn, though in her heart and mind she knew that saving her father was more imperative: she knew for certain that he was in danger, and he had a family as well as a tribe depending on him.
"I'll wait until the eclipse has started," she decided. "We should be up the volcano by then. I won't have to go far."
Sokka nodded. "Okay. Good luck."
"You too," Katara said, looking at her three friends. Aang smiled confidently at her before taking Toph's hand and running to Appa.
Hakoda spoke up. "What was that about a rescue mission?"
Katara bit her lip. "Once we're in the palace city … there's someone else I have to help. An old friend of mine." It was especially important if there was a chance that the invasion would fail, a possibility made more tangible by the fact that the Fire Lord had known they were coming.
"Do you know what to do?"
"I'm pretty sure."
"Well," Hakoda said, slowly getting to his feet, "don't let me slow you down. We're pressed for time as it is."
Katara blinked, then smiled and stood to help steady him. They could hear Sokka shouting final orders from Appa's head, telling them to resume wedge formation, get across the plaza, and start making their way up the volcano. Then the sky bison took off, heading for a different side of the volcano.
Once the plaza was cleared, it was a long trek up the slope of the volcano. It was even harder with battlement guards sending fireballs raining on them, until one of the commanding officers ordered the firebenders to retreat. It seemed that he had noticed the eclipse about to transpire.
Bato held on to the back of one of the tanks to shout to the other troops. "The eclipse is only minutes away. We should be able to make it up the hill by the time it starts and secure the entire palace by the time it's finished!"
As the other troops cheered, Katara pulled Hakoda with her up to one of the stationary tanks, and banged her fist against the metal. The front compartment slid open, and the two Water Tribe relatives ducked inside.
Teo was the one driving the vehicle. "What's going on?"
"We need to ride with you," Katara said. The tanks weren't likely to face much danger now that the eclipse was starting and the firebenders were retreating. Hakoda could rest, and Katara would get up the volcano faster than she would have on foot.
They were almost at the crest of the mountain when they heard Teo's father shouting outside. "The eclipse is starting! Everyone put on your eclipse glasses."
"Better do what he says," Teo said, taking out his pair, "even if we're looking through these windows."
Katara and Hakoda followed suit, and then turned to look outside. The moon had finally blocked the sun. Then, they felt the tank shift as they reached the summit, angling horizontally and then turning downward.
"Surround the periphery!" Bato shouted. "We have to secure the palace by the time the eclipse is over. Otherwise … we'll be in for the fight of our lives."
They could see into the city now, with the palace in the center of the crater. So this was the place where Zuko and Azula had grown up, Katara thought.
"There is is. The Fire Nation royal palace." Hakoda was smiling proudly. "We've come so far."
"It's not over yet," Katara said. On the other side of the crater, she thought she could see the cylindrical structure of the prison.
Hakoda looked down at her. "If you're still going, now's probably your best chance."
Katara waited another minute, while the earthbenders and Water Tribe warriors forced the city's remaining firebenders to surrender. Once the thanks had arranged themselves around the palace, Katara stepped out. She only paused long enough to look back to Hakoda. "I'll be back when the eclipse is over. Hopefully I won't be alone."
Katara panted as she ran down the deserted streets. She almost wished she was an earthbender, so she could propel herself across the volcanic terrain. At least the sun wasn't making her even hotter at the moment.
She didn't know how much time she had. She prayed that the eclipse would last long enough for her to at least find Iroh.
But just when the round building came into her line of vision, sunlight started to peek out again. Katara pulled off her eclipse glasses, shielding her eyes as she looked at the sun again. She'd missed her best window of opportunity; that meant any firebenders she met on the way would be capable of fighting her. For a minute she seriously considered turning back.
"Go find your dad, sweetie. I'll handle this."
"Don't worry, Katara. I'll be fine."
"You've got to get out of here!"
Katara grit her teeth and started running again. She was done leaving behind people who needed her, just so she could save herself. She had decided that back in Jang Hui, and she would stick to that decision now.
She came up to the front of the prison. The stone walls had craters in them, as though something huge had impacted them. Had the earthbenders been here? That couldn't be … Not knowing what to think of it, Katara ran up the stairs and went inside, relieved that there was no door. The hallway inside seemed to spiral around inside the building.
She stopped when she saw a guard, apparently lying down on the job—as though he'd been hurt, like Hakoda. Katara uncorked her canteens and held the water in the air, poised to strike. "Where is General Iroh being kept?" The guard winced at her loud voice, but regained his senses enough to point and say, "The topmost cell, up the hall, on the right."
Katara turned and jogged through the hallways and up the stairs. She passed several doors that led to other cells, but she saw no other guards. That was strange … but maybe they had been reassigned because of the invasion?
She hadn't realized that she was slowing down. Then, she heard another pair of feet making quick contact with the stone floor. She tried to quicken her pace, staying around the curved bend in the hallway—
"Katara?"
The sound of her name made her stop in her tracks, turning around. Her eyes widened, not in shock, but in recognition, as Zuko stopped to stare at her. "You!"
His hair was even longer than it had been last time, but it still didn't completely hide the scar on his face.
Zuko noticed that she looked different. Instead of the braid he remembered so well, she had let her hair fall in waves down her back, with only a bun and hair loopies still in place. She was taller and had filled out more. She looked beautiful, more mature, more powerful—and more formidable.
Katara held her water ready to strike. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to free my uncle."
"You're lying," Katara accused.
"What makes you think that?"
"You just guessed that's why I'm here. If you wanted to free Iroh, you would have done it a long time ago."
Zuko held up his hands, stepping closer. "I swear, I can explain—but I don't have time."
Katara tried to block him. "Stay out of my way!"
"You stay out of my way!"
They both tried to push each other aside; but Katara was the only one who used her bending to do so. The force of her water blast pushed him into the wall, impeding him long enough for her to run past him. But she could hear his feet pounding the floor as he ran just a few yards behind her. Finally, she reached the door at the end of the topmost floor, and found it hanging open.
"Iroh!" Katara shouted, only to stop short and stare at what she saw. She was so caught off guard that she didn't react when Zuko came up next to her and saw it too.
The room wasn't empty; a man lay slumped against the wall, dazed and disoriented. But Iroh was nowhere to be seen. The bars of the cell had been broken and pushed outward.
"What happened here?" Katara demanded.
It was Zuko who knelt down and grabbed the warden by the collar. "Where is my uncle?" the Fire Prince demanded.
"He's gone. He busted himself out," the warden panted. "I've never seen anything like it. He was like a one-man army!"
Katara looked past the two firebenders to the cell that Iroh had inhabited for so long, until just a short while ago—a matter of minutes, surely. He had escaped—on his own. She didn't know how to feel. She hadn't failed, but she hadn't succeeded, either.
He had to have known, back in Ba Sing Se, that his actions would lead to his arrest. Had he been planning to escape all along?
"He must know what he's doing," Katara murmured. If Iroh had taken his fate into his own hands, then it was out of hers, and there wasn't anything more she could do for him. And that meant she could focus, instead, on helping her family and their allies.
She turned and sprinted down the hallway again. She heard Zuko shout after her. "Katara, wait!" He was chasing her, trying to stop her or at least slow her down. Katara knew she didn't have time to fight him, but he wouldn't give up unless she stopped him.
She stopped suddenly, turning on her heel to face him. Zuko's eyes widened when he saw the water coming at him. It hit him with enough force to pin him against the wall; then he felt the water froze into ice over his arms, trapping him in place. He would be able to melt it away, but it would delay him long enough for her to get a head start.
"Just stay away from us!" Katara shouted, her voice thick with tears and hatred. Why was it that whenever she wanted to save someone, she had to leave them, but when she wanted to leave someone, they wanted to follow her?
"I want to help!" Zuko shouted, but Katara was already running away, leaving him for what she hoped would be the last time.
"Keep your eyes open for Katara!" Sokka told the preteens as they climbed aboard Appa.
"I can't really help you there," Toph said, waving her hand in front of her eyes.
"Right," Sokka muttered. Aang steered Appa over the volcano's summit, into the capital city. As they flew down, the boys could see a new threat. "Oh, no."
"What is it?"
"It's war balloons. They're going to come after the invasion force."
Appa brought them down to the palace, which was surrounded by the tanks and warriors. Sokka looked to Hakoda and Bato as he dismounted Appa. "It was all a trap," Sokka informed them. "Princess Azula knew we were coming, and she's plotted out every move. We just have to get to the beach as fast as we can. If we can make it to the submarines, maybe we can get away safely."
Aang spoke up. "They've got air power, but so do I. I'm going to do what I can to slow them down." He opened his glider and took off, heading for the approaching fleet.
"I can help too. Everyone else, get back to the subs!" Sokka ordered. He climbed onto Appa and followed Aang into the air.
"What is he thinking? He can't bend!" Toph exclaimed as she followed the other earthbenders out of the city.
"Looks like he's using his sword … and a boomerang," Haru said, glancing up at him occasionally.
Of course.
Toph felt Katara's footsteps as she ran up to rejoin the large group. "You're alone," Toph said. "Couldn't find him?"
"He wasn't there; the guard said he escaped on his own. Where are the boys?"
"Trying to slow down the balloons."
"Actually, they're coming back," Haru said, pointing for Katara to see. Appa, Sokka, and Aang landed near them and joined the escape. That's what it was, now; they realized that the city was still the Fire Nation's. They couldn't hold on to it as they'd planned to.
The balloons passed over them on the outer slope of the volcano, dropping bombs on the small invasion force. The earthbenders were able to bend slabs of rock to shelter those on foot; but the caterpillar tanks were badly damaged.
The bombs stopped too suddenly. The teenagers risked coming out to look at the sky, and saw the zeppelins flying right past them.
"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara wondered aloud.
"They're headed for the beach," Aang observed. Then he gasped. "They're going to destroy the submarines!"
"How are we all going to escape?" Sokka asked no one in particular.
"We're not," Hakoda said flatly.
Sokka turned to look at him. His expression was resigned, but his voice was determined. "Then our only choice is to stay and fight. We have the Avatar; we could still win!"
"Yes, with the Avatar we could still win—on another day." Hakoda looked at his children. "You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together."
"What?" Katara exclaimed. "We won't leave you behind. We won't leave anyone behind!" She remembered how Iroh had sacrificed his freedom to allow her and Aang to escape from Ba Sing Se. She couldn't let something like that happen again.
"You're our only chance in the long run," Hakoda said adamantly. "You and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive."
Bato spoke up. "The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender." There was no mistaking the resignation in his voice, the disappointment in his downcast face. "We'll be prisoners, but we'll all survive this battle."
A moment later, they saw the zeppelins drop bombs on the bank where they had left the submarines. Even Huu's plantbending couldn't keep the explosives away. There was no escape for the whole invasion force; but a handful of volunteers could get away on Appa.
The Duke, Teo, and Haru were chosen to escape with Team Avatar. Sokka and Katara bade their father good-bye again, though Sokka promised that this time the separation would be much shorter. Even Tyro said there was a chance that they could escape prison on their own.
Toph and Aang were the only ones who didn't have anyone close to them to say good-bye to. Toph found Aang kneeling on Appa's head. Even though he was silent, she could tell that he was crying. They had hoped that the struggle would end today; but now that their plan had failed, they would have to keep fighting and look for another way.
Toph put a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay," she told him. Her voice was quiet but still as strong and firm as ever.
Aang wiped his eyes, trying to pull himself together. Then he stood up, looking at everyone who had joined the invasion force.
"Thank you all for being so brave and so strong. I'm going to make this up to you," he promised.
Toph folded her arms, almost hugging herself. It sometimes seemed like all they ever did was make mistakes and try to make up for them later. Sometimes that was all they could do.
Appa carried seven passengers when he left the Fire Nation capital behind. Thankfully, he flew much faster than the war balloons could travel; none of them tried to give chase in the air. At least, none that they could see.
Aang spoke to the others over his shoulder. "I know just the place for us to go where we'll be safe for a while. The Western Air Temple."
Zuko was careful to follow from a distance, far enough away that they couldn't see him through the clouds. He'd been lucky to get his hands on one of the air balloons that hadn't been used. He wasn't too worried about losing sight of them; he could guess where they were going. It was the same direction he had gone in when he left his home, three years ago. They were heading for the Western Air Temple.
This was the second time Zuko had left home, knowing that he was unlikely to return, at least not for a very long time. Now, as then, he knew he was going to face challenges and hardships. But now, he was leaving by choice, and that made all the difference. Flying through the sky, leaving the wicked court behind, having spoken the truth to his father and discovered some new truths in the process …
He felt freer than he'd ever been in his life.
Author's Note [June 27, 2013]: I thought about Katara and Zuko's relationship a lot while at my Confirmation Class two years ago. At the time, we read a chapter entitled "Truth and Freedom," and it really stuck with me. I knew at once that that was the lesson that Zuko had to learn. For the definitions of truth and freedom, I would like to give credit to the creators of Theology of the Body for Teens: Brian Butler, and Jason & Crystalina Evert; and to the late Pope John Paul II, whose weekly Theology of the Body homilies inspired Butler and the Everts to create this curriculum for teens.
I made a collage as a sort of cover illustration for this story; the link can be found on my profile page, or you can look up "Cover Art: Finding What You Weren't Looking For" by JackieStarSister on DeviantArt.