Chapter 32
4 Years after the Hundred Year War
Agna Qel'a, Northern Tribe capital
A week passed since that special night at the Spirit Oasis. It was perhaps the happiest week of Katara's life. Days were spent observing Azula's obvious progress on her path to full mental stability, and the evenings and nights... well, that was a story in itself. The hours upon hours spent exploring each other's bodies, trying to learn everything about what made their partner tick, the experience was unforgettable. Katara felt almost addicted to their mutual exploits, barely able to hold out until the evening arrived and they could finally enjoy the privacy of their room, and Azula appeared to be sharing the sentiment wholeheartedly.
As Katara sat by the entrance to the healing huts, listening idly to Azula and Yagoda talking, she felt herself slipping into daydreaming, fantasizing about all the exciting things she wanted to try out with Azula come the evening... and what she longed for Azula to do to her. It was truly amazing to go through this sexual awakening together because they did not have to feel embarrassed about their lack of previous experiences. And even though Katara was in the same starting position as her girlfriend, during these early stages of their relationship, it was always her who had to take the lead and encourage Azula. Still, it was something that Katara was only happy to do, and with plenty of coaxing, patience and encouraging words, Azula was slowly coming out of her shell, becoming more assertive and confident during their lovemaking.
It was then, during her highly enjoyable and distracting daydreaming, that Katara suddenly spotted something that made her blood run cold. Something familiar had appeared in the sky above, quickly approaching Agna Qel'a, and while in the past Katara had viewed Appa's appearance only with pure joy, right now it filled her with worry and trepidation. It signaled Aang's arrival at the North Pole, and his presence was... dangerous for Azula, especially with Zuko not here to stand up for his sister.
Even though Katara did not want to immediately assume the worst about Aang and his motives, she struggled to think of what other reasons the Avatar might have for coming to the North Pole other than her and Azula's presence here. Was Sokka here with Aang? Her brother was also freaking out about her and Azula, so if Aang was plotting something, then Sokka was probably on board. Perhaps her father had instructed them to do something? She would not put it past Aang and Sokka to present a skewed picture of her involvement with Azula to her father. Hakoda was never going to react well about his daughter getting involved with someone from the Fire Nation, more so with a girl, and especially with a girl by the name of Azula.
One thing was clear. She needed to quickly find out what Aang and Sokka were up to, and she needed to prepare Azula for the inevitable confrontation and make sure that the princess managed to retain a cool head. Appa had flown straight towards the royal palace, and that's where she needed to head over. "Zula, I need to take care of something," she called out to the princess. "I'll be back soon, but if I'm not, let's meet back at the palace." Azula gave her a quick nod to let Katara know that she had heard her, and then Katara was on her way, rushing back to the palace as fast as she could, using her bending to draw water from the canals and creating slides of ice, arriving at the palace in a matter of minutes, completely out of breath.
Having managed to recover her breath, Katara quickly ran up to a pair of palace guards who gave her bright smiles upon her approach. "Did you see the Avatar passing through recently?" she asked hastily. "He might have been with my brother, Sokka."
"Yes, we saw them just a few minutes ago," one of the guards nodded helpfully.
"Great," Katara nodded back at him. "Did you see where they went?"
"Straight into a meeting with Chieftain Arnook, I think," the other guards replied.
"I see… thank you," Katara ground out. What was that all about? What did Aang have to discuss with Arnook so suddenly? Was Aang trying to convince Arnook that Azula presented a clear and immediate danger to his people or something like that? Would he really dare to do something so underhanded, and then hope that she was going to take him back? Katara was absolutely seething from all these possibilities, despite telling herself that she shouldn't jump to assumptions so quickly, and that despite her intentions to do so, perhaps she still shouldn't storm into Aang's meeting with Arnook and launch into an accusing tirade aimed at the Avatar.
Regardless of her own misgivings about her course of action, Katara still marched straight for the palace's throne room, hoping to intercede before Aang and Sokka had managed to fill Arnook's head with their own versions of the truth. She had almost reached the throne room, about to stride past the slightly confused guards who couldn't seem to make up their minds whether they should allow her to enter or not. In the end, however, something did stop Katara on the very threshold of the throne room, a stern and familiar voice.
"Katara!" she recognized the voice instantly, jerking as if she had been struck by Azula's lightning. "Daughter!" Oh no… no, no, no, this can't be happening! Katara was instantly seized by panic as she turned to face her father, Hakoda bearing down on her, a displeased look on his face. I expected many things, but I did not think that father would personally travel here... did Aang and Sokka put him up to this, I wonder?
"F-father?" she stuttered, rendered timid by this unexpected ambush. "What... what are you doing here?"
"I'm sure you can guess," Hakoda stated firmly. "Katara, we must speak in private. Immediately."
"Y-yes, fine... my quarters are nearby," Katara managed, passing by her father to lead him towards the room she shared with Azula, hoping that they had left it in order this morning. Under normal circumstances, she and Azula were both very tidy and organized, but lately they had been so preoccupied with each other, that Katara was seriously worried about some scattered pieces of undergarments being left lying about, something that she definitely did not need her father to see.
Fortunately, their room was in good order, and Katara let out a relieved breath, even as her father let his eyes roam across her quarters, undoubtedly noticing some of Azula's personal effects. "So, this is the room you are sharing with that Fire Nation criminal," he stated accusingly.
"She has a name," Katara snapped angrily. "I'm sharing this room with Azula."
"Yes, a name hated among the Water Tribes, and all around the world, including the Fire Nation itself," Hakoda sighed, shaking his head. "Katara, what are you doing? This is madness!"
"I'm trying to help someone who richly deserves it, and I pity everyone who doesn't see that," Katara said, hands on her hips in a defiant stance. "How is that madness?"
"As I understand, you're more than just helping her," Hakoda pointed out, looking like he disapproved greatly. And while Katara had so defiantly stated to Azula that not even the disapproval of her family could threaten their relationship, when the reality of it finally hit, Katara had to admit that this was much harder than she had thought. Standing up to her father to defend her involvement with Azula was threatening to tear her heart to pieces.
"My private relationships should be just that, private," Katara replied defiantly. "Although, if there's anyone I would have hoped to be on my side would be my own family."
"Your family does support you, Katara, but it is also there to stop you from committing a tragic mistake," Hakoda insisted. "You are a hero of the war, a public figure. Your actions carry a great weight, daughter. How do you think your... involvement with this criminal will be perceived?"
"I think it's a beautiful story of healing and forgiveness, actually," Katara snapped angrily.
"No, it's an insult to memories of the many Water Tribe warriors who perished during these later stages of the war, and it's a slap in the face of those of our tribesmen who spent many months incarcerated, largely because of the actions of this cruel young woman," Hakoda argued back. "And your actions bring shame to our entire family. Master Pakku was absolutely shocked by this reveal, and your grandmother still refuses to believe that you would do something so unthinkable."
Katara swallowed heavily, determined not to cry. The thought of Gran Gran being disappointed with her stung, it hurt her so much, but she could not show it. Her father was wrong, and she could not allow him to win. "When you made your decision to start a new relationship, I also did not approve of your choice," Katara pointed out, trying her best to think logically, which was hard to do when she was so enraged and emotions were running high. "But in the end, I still supported you, dad."
"That was different, and you know it!" Hakoda raised his voice slightly. "Malina was never the enemy!"
"And also, it was a politically expedient marriage, and to someone of the right gender," Katara snapped. "Or are you saying that's not something you're concerned about?"
"I don't even know what to say to that, Katara," Hakoda sighed deeply, shaking his head. "A good Water Tribe girl would never... that is, I mean... you had never shown any interest..."
"Yes, I'm sorry that it's so uncomfortable for you, but Azula is a girl, and yes we are having sex regularly," Katara exclaimed angrily. "Oh, and it's amazing, so no, don't hold out hopes of me switching teams any time soon!"
Hakoda had gone rather red in the face by now. "I'm sure it's just some phase... I don't know what sort of people you have been hanging out with lately, you are never back at the South Pole long enough," he ranted. "I know it must have been hard when Aang broke up with you, but I think that he would be happy to take you back."
"Wait... what?" Katara blinked. "Aang broke up with me? Did he tell you that? Because that's not what happened!"
"Whatever happened, I'm sure that you could work out your differences if you only tried a little harder!" Hakoda argued. "You made such a wonderful and harmonious loving couple. Why can't you just give him another chance, Katara?"
"Why should I? Should I do it because he's more acceptable to you, or because our union would be more politically advantageous? Or maybe because it would produce a lot of waterbender and airbender babies that you both are desperate for?" Katara said accusingly. "What about what I want? I don't want Aang, I don't love him! I love Azula! And I want to be happy with Azula!"
"Of course, you deserve to be happy, Katara, but right now you're going through a phase and you're not thinking clearly," Hakoda said, trying to remain calm, but somehow his patronizing tone only made Katara angrier. "And it has gone a little too far, Katara. That's why I felt the need to step in, daughter."
"You mean, Aang and Sokka convinced you to step in," Katara said accusingly. "So, what are your intentions, then? Perhaps I will be sent to seek healing to purge me from my sinful preferences?"
Hakoda calmly ignored her venomous accusation, refusing to take the bait. "Our intentions are as follows, daughter. At this moment, Aang and Sokka are working out a deal with Chieftain Arnook, and afterwards they will take the princess back to the Fire Nation where Fire Lord Zuko will place her in a high security prison. That's where someone like her belongs. You will have a choice of whether to follow me back south or... well, if you are adamantly against your reunion with the Avatar, Chieftain Arnook has given me a list of attractive marriage prospects among the young noblemen of the Northern Tribe."
Katara went numb from fear at this absolute nightmare scenario. She did not even worry about her own fate that much, but she was utterly horrified by the idea of Azula being thrown back into some miserable prison and all the amazing progress that she had made, being undone by all these ignorant men who wanted nothing more than to control them both. "I'm not going to let you do that!" Katara screamed from the top of her lungs. "You're not going to destroy what we have!"
"Katara, sweetheart... it's for your own benefit, daughter," Hakoda tried to sound pleading. "Someday soon you will thank me for interfering on your behalf."
"Thank you? Ha!" Katara laughed in disbelief. "You're trying to undo all the good I have done with Azula, and you want to ruin her! I'm not going to let her be thrown back into prison, I won't stand for it, and neither will Zuko!"
"Sweetheart, it's out of your hands now," Hakoda pleaded with her. "Please, be understanding. Surely you won't fight your own family and friends for the sake of this monster?"
"She is not a monster!" Katara screamed, having to fight off the very real urge to unleash bending on her own father. Horrified by her own violent thoughts, Katara sank to her knees and began to cry uncontrollably. "Why are you doing this to me? Why do you hate me so much?"
Through the fog of tears, Katara thought she could see her father trying to reach out to offer some completely unwelcome comfort, but then... then he was no longer there. All she could see was a powerful blast of fire, coming from outside the room, tossing her father painfully against the wall as a scream of disbelief burst from Katara's lips.
Ever since Katara had left the healing huts to depart hastily, Azula had begun to feel more and more anxious. Relieved to wrap up her conversation with Yagoda quickly, the princess rushed out of the healing huts and swiftly made her way back towards the palace. It wasn't just Katara's absence as such that was making her anxious, she simply had a certain gut feeling that something was badly wrong. There was something about the way Katara had left so suddenly that rubbed Azula the wrong way, but she did not understand the reason for it, not until she finally entered the palace courtyard and noticed the Avatar's flying bison standing there.
Azula swore under her breath. Aang's arrival was definitely not a good sign. She had made sure to really rile him back in Ba Sing Se, and despite her flippancy in the way she treated him so dismissively, the truth was that Azula was deeply concerned about what the Avatar might do. Aang hated her and was bitterly jealous over her relationship with Katara. And he had the power to remove her bending, something that Azula reckoned he would gladly do. This was most likely why Katara had excused herself at the healing huts, she must have wanted to cut the Avatar off before any confrontation between her and Aang could take place.
The princess quickly reasoned that if Katara wanted to talk with Aang in private, she would most likely do so at their quarters, so Azula wasted no time in heading there. However, as she walked down the hallways of the ice palace, she became aware of the sounds coming from their quarters, that of loud voices arguing, but the person Katara was shouting at was neither Aang, nor her dum-dum of a brother.
As Azula reached their quarters and looked inside, she froze at the scene before her eyes. A large man in the outfit of a Water Tribe warrior towered over her girlfriend, shouting accusingly, while Katara was kneeling before him, covering her face with her palms while her shoulders shook with sobs. In an instant, Azula's mind raced back to her own father towering over her like that, screaming to chastise the princess for her failures, the whip always at hand to reinforce his words.
She had to protect Katara from suffering the same fate that Ozai had inflicted upon her, there was no other way. She could not allow the one person she had learned to love to suffer what she had suffered. Katara had confessed to her how she would love to hurt Ozai for everything that he had done to Azula. Now, it was Azula's turn to show her beloved that she would do the same for her. With a savage scream, fire burst from her hands and struck the man who had made her girlfriend cry. Grunting in pain, the man smashed against the wall and fell limply.
Katara's reaction was not what Azula had expected, however. Her girlfriend jumped to her feet, appearing horrified as she rushed to help the man who had accosted her. "Dad? Dad, are you alright?" Katara gasped, tears streaming down her face as she turned to look at Azula. "What were you thinking, attacking my father like that?" she shouted. "Are you completely crazy?"
Azula staggered, like she had been stabbed, but the pain that blossomed in her heart was worse than being stabbed a hundred times. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. After Katara had been defending her all this time, snarling at anyone who dared to call her crazy... that she would say something like that herself felt like the worst kind of betrayal to the princess.
As all of Azula's worst fears immediately surged to resurface, they confirmed what she had once thought about trust and love being for fools, reminding her that she should not feel surprised about this devastating betrayal. She had tried to stand by Katara's side, but Katara had decided to turn on her, taking the side of her father while previously always having hypocritically encouraged Azula to turn away from Ozai. Katara had finally revealed herself for what she truly was, a duplicitous traitor who had sought only to make her weak, not someone who truly had Azula's back.
Unable to look Katara in the eyes, Azula did the only thing she could think of. She turned and ran, feeling like an absolute fool to have mistaken those cerulean eyes for being full of love and compassion. She would never again make the mistake of trusting someone. Her family had abandoned her. Her friends had betrayed her. And her... girlfriend thought she was just a crazy person.
Azula ran all the way until she had reached the city gates, tears streaming down her face and freezing to her cheeks. A pair of guards approached her, appearing concerned. "I'm afraid we can't let you pass through the gates," one of the guards said. "The weather outside is too treacherous. The gates must remain locked, so please turn around and be on your way."
The princess was never going to listen to the guards, however. A nova of blue fire erupted around her, expanding outwards. It knocked the two guards off their feet and threw them aside, before smashing into the heavy gate of pure ice and knocking a large hole, wide enough for her to pass through. Without thinking about what she was doing, Azula escaped through the smashed gate, knowing only that she needed to be away from this place.
She needed to get away from this stinking pit of deceitful humans. Away from the pain that came from having dared to love and trust someone. Away from that beautiful sapphire-eyed girl with her touch so soft and sweet, but who would still betray her by siding with her father.
Swallowing back her tears, Azula let her steps carry her deeper into the icy wasteland… and into the heart of a blizzard.