Hello! Sorry for the waiting but the end of the year was quite exhausting. Here's the thirteenth chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it! And as usual, please forgive the mistakes that might have occured.
Previously: Another night of love for Zuko and Katara. Zuko and his sister Kiyi can't stand the sun high in the sky every hour of the day, which exhausts them. Aang arrives at the end of the day, with the Earth King Kuei and Toph. Zuko learns that the organisation they are attacking seems to have spies everywhere and operates in broad daylight, making it difficult to recognise treachery. Kiyi tries ice shoes while Toph tries to get Katara to talk about her relationship with Zuko. The latter takes her leave, wanting to visit her late grandmother.
*Chapter 13 - Separation in Blood*
"I know, I'm coming late," Katara said softly, checking again that she was alone. Tears came to her eyes, but she swallowed them. She hadn't come to cry, and her grandmother wouldn't want her to. "I miss you so much. I wish you were still here, I have so many questions that maybe you could have answered."
Katara was thinking mainly about her doubts about her relationship with Zuko. She no longer had any doubts about her feelings, but knew that it would not be enough to build a solid relationship. Her heart had not chosen the most common or easiest of men. She was used to the unusual, after all she had been very close to the Avatar. But he didn't have the passion or the complicated past that Zuko shared with the Nation he now ruled. Aang had lost his friends and family to the Fire Nation, but he had had a happy childhood with the monks and had not suffered any abuse from those he considered family. Zuko bore the marks of his father's cruelty on his face. And his sister Azula, a prodigy who had inherited from their father, had always belittled him. Not that she ended up better, in the end.
Katara was worried about what his Nation would think of everything they were going through in terms of their feelings. Her dark skin betrayed her origins, she had always been surprised that no one insisted on this physical trait when they were undercover with Toph, Sokka and Aang. She had noticed the disapproving looks from the Fire Nation citizens, though.
"I don't know what to do. And I suppose you would disapprove. But I love Zuko," Katara said in a low voice. She sat cross-legged in front of the cairns. "But I don't think we can be together."
The words she had just spoken aloud gripped her heart with a familiar pain. Familiar because it was like the pain she had when she left Aang. She had left him because he was no more right for her than she was for him. She faced the same dilemma with Zuko, except that she loved him more deeply than she had wanted to believe. Her heart swelled with affection when she thought of him, and lately he was always in her thoughts.
"I wish I had your courage to defy pre-established conventions, you know, like you did when you came to the South Pole," Katara continued in a calmer voice.
Her grandmother had long refused her arranged marriage to Pakku and fled to the South Pole to avoid it, breaking all the conventions imposed by the North Pole, where arranged marriages were commonplace. Katara wondered if Zuko would also dare to disregard Fire Nation traditions to stay by her side. She had little doubt that Zuko never took the easy way out. But could she take on her role with him? She knew little about politics, she would embarrass him.
She let out yet another frustrated sigh and walked towards the cliff. She stood for a moment looking out over the ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see beyond the carved stone. This was one of her favourite places to think and imagine her future travels. In the last few months, she had travelled extensively throughout the Earth Kingdom, stopping occasionally on Kyoshi Island to see her brother. Going on an adventure alone had done her a world of good. Now, leaving was no longer part of her desires. The only desire that governed her was the one that drove her into Zuko's arms. He created a big void every time they parted. The lack was felt more urgently than before.
She finally stood up. "I will follow my heart, as you have always taught me, Grangran. It knows the way," Katara concluded, determined to fight for what she wanted.
The sun had sunk rather low in the sky, but it would go no further. Its light shone like an eternal setting sun on the ice with an orange glow. Katara smiled as she thought of Zuko's eyes, which had that same glow. She had discovered the pleasure of looking into his eyes, something she had long avoided out of contempt. A small laugh escaped her as she thought about how their relationship had begun. The worst could foreshadow the best.
Back in the village, she passed Suki, who looked upset, Hua throwing tiny snowballs at her. "Hey Suki! Are you okay?"
"Their meeting has been going on for hours..." muttered Suki, pointing to the town hall building with a nod. Hua asked for her mother's arms, and Katara, sensing Suki was tired, took over. Hua was not unhappy about this. "Where are Toph and Kiyi?"
"About Toph, I believe Sokka begged her to intervene with King Kuei. It seems he doesn't know much about her industries even after six years. Kiyi has returned to the building you occupy with Zuko. Ty Lee is with her," Suki said with a seriousness that only hid her annoyance.
"Wait, Toph is with Aang, Sokka and Zuko?! Oh by La...", Katara exasperated.
Suki immediately understood what was bothering her. "She'll find out eventually, and so will they. But why are you having so much trouble with it? We're your friends, aren't we?"
"Sokka's not my friend, he's my brother, and Aang's my ex-boyfriend! I don't want them to get involved in anything," Katara retorted vehemently. Suki didn't take it the wrong way, knowing full well that it was the situation Katara found impossible, it wasn't her personally.
"But you're forgetting that on the other hand, they're Zuko's friends," Suki said gently.
Katara shook her head, definitely exasperated. She was going to have her brother and the Avatar on her back now. Especially since Aang loved to dispense his maxims of wisdom. And even though she knew he didn't mean any harm, Katara had suffered for it. Always lecturing her, always talking about duty. As if he could teach her the meaning of duty.
Katara rolled her eyes. "Never mind, come what may."
"Come on Hua, let's go home. Your father should be back soon. Do you want to come with me Katara?", Suki asked.
Katara hesitated but finally agreed. Talking was good for her.
Zuko was quite pleased with the meeting in the end. Not only had they been able to talk about the economic progress of the South, but also about the subsidies granted by the various nations aimed at its reconstruction. King Kuei had caught up a little on this, but was still completely unaware of the industry of his kingdom. He had asked Toph to join them, and she had her ever-growing number of students in metalworking collaborate with the engineers of the Earth Kingdom, and recently also with those of the Fire Nation, who had long been practising this skill in a manual and much less easy way.
They also spoke of the threat to them. There had also been disappearances in the Earth Kingdom, but no one had realised the possible link between these disappearances and the organisation that seemed to want to undermine Zuko and the Harmony Restoration Movement in general. Toph found it outrageous that the King had not said anything about this and deplored the lack of effective police in the territory. Zuko proposed that the few personnel posted to the transformation of the former colonies shared by the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation be deployed to investigate the matter, but Aang objected. The citizens outside the colonies would not accept being watched by Fire Nation soldiers, even to help them. Toph reminded them what a proud people they were.
They also had to decide what would happen to the former colonies, which now had a very specific status. Zuko wanted there to be a place for all citizens, regardless of nation, who wanted it. This would be a proof that real harmony was possible. Toph noticed that Zuko suddenly seemed to be very involved in this movement to bring people together. She suspected that something - or someone - was behind it. And she didn't think so. Zuko thought inwardly that perhaps this would make it easier to get his plans with Katara accepted.
Aang was very excited about the idea, and so was Kuei - he was always enthusiastic, even at inappropriate times. They decided to postpone the subject, however, because building a new city in this time of chaos and uncertainty was still a bad idea. And Aang took the opportunity to re-emphasise the importance of cooperation between the different nations, it was this cooperation that would bring to fruition the plans that all had for this world.
"It is getting late my friends, I am expecting the representative of the North Pole tonight. We will continue this discussion together tomorrow if you wish. Sokka, I need to see you about the plans you dropped off this morning," Hakoda pointed to his son. The latter smiled proudly, delighted to be able to present his creations to his father. "Shall we escort you?
The question was legitimate, given the presence of King Kuei's guards and Zuko's, supplemented by the Kyoshi warriors. Zuko refused, he knew the way. Kuei was escorted out, he had a crazy tendency to get lost in his own palace, better not to tempt the devil here at the South Pole.
Walking along the central artery, Zuko felt his stomach growl. In fact, it was the only viable cue he had to determine what time it was. The sun was low in the sky, but it was going to stay that way for many hours, not a good indicator. He was anxious to get back to Katara. His idea of a United Nations Republic was gaining ground, and that would be for the best.
But then a terrible noise was heard. The stony, ice-covered ground shook under Zuko's feet. What was going on? Another thud, causing him to slip and stumble. It sounded like explosions. He started to run towards his building, which was only two steps away from where he stood. He paused in shock. Everything was in flames. Zuko tried to dispel the flames but his shoulder called him back to order. His bending was completely ineffective.
"Kiyi! Katara!" he shouted at the flames.
He was distracted only by the presence of intruders dressed in black. The same ones who had tried to assassinate him. Trying to use his bending to disable them, the pain was so intense that he couldn't get a single flame out. An excruciating tearing was felt in his shoulder, making him wince in pain. He tried to reassure himself about Kiyi. Ty Lee must have gotten them out of there in no time. And Katara had full bending, and it wasn't as if the South Pole was running out of water. His guards around the building had been swept away by the fire.
"You should take refuge in the town hall, Firelo..." one of the warriors began. She stopped dead in her tracks, and fell to the ground with an arrow in her neck. Zuko immediately moved aside and the other warriors did the same to avoid other potential projectiles. Her guard also fell victim to these arrows. In a matter of minutes, they had taken out four skilled Fire Nation soldiers and one Kyoshi Warrior.
"Over here, let's try to help the civilians evacuate. We need to find Katara and Kiyi!" Zuko decided. The Kyoshi warrior nodded, and together they headed in the opposite direction, dodging the arrows that whizzed through the air.
But there was little he could do, Hakoda had foreseen this eventuality. His tribe had already been almost decimated once, so he had planned defences and effective means of escape. He had built a real bunker, thanks in part to Toph's help, so that the entire population could take refuge in it. Toph had made it out of metal according to Sokka's plans, and he knew that even if other metalbenders existed, they would never have the level of technique to break through both the bunker's defences and enclosure. Another explosion set fire to more buildings. Zuko and the accompanying Kyoshi Warrior were thrown against the buildings opposite. The smoke became so thick that it was impossible to see well.
Not finding the Kyoshi Warrior, Zuko immediately tried to hide. His right eyebrow was bleeding, and his outfit was torn in places from the impact, but overall he could move. However, before moving, he froze and put all his effort into his observation skills. 'Observe before you act', said his master swordsman Piandao. Toph had told him this before about his bending, and it had served him well against Azula.
He finally understood the modus operandi of their enemies. There were five of them in each group, with at least two different benders, and they seemed to know the city with unnerving accuracy. Zuko thought that there must be a traitor, or a spy hidden among the inhabitants. He promised himself that he would ask Hakoda to make a call. In view of the bodies littering the streets, it would be mandatory to count the dead. He was nevertheless amazed. Five arrows had been enough to eliminate his guard and a Kyoshi warrior in one shot. They were obviously not new to the business. Zuko, as he bit his cheek to keep from groaning from the pain in his shoulder, wondered what other surprises the attackers had in store for them.
Katara and Suki were chatting quietly, Hua had fallen asleep in her mother's arms and was put to bed. Sokka had not yet returned, and Katara decided to keep Suki company until he did. The latter distractedly sharpened her combat fan, her attention focused on what her friend was saying.
"Do you think I should tell him? Sokka?" asked Katara.
"I think you should. He'll be mad at you for a week, but he'll understand. You could have chosen a much worse mate," smiled Suki. "And this would be a great opportunity to prove to everyone, even those vile criminals, that nations don't have to be separated. Sokka and I are already proof of that, but you and Zuko would be much stronger."
Katara smiled slightly. "You're right, I'll tell him everything, and then... What was that?"
The ground had shaken beneath their feet. There was a dreadful noise, which woke Hua, who began to cry. Suki immediately took her in her arms. The door opened wide and Katara moved her hands to bring water to her. She had a very bad feeling. But it was her brother.
"What's going on?" asked Suki, very worried.
"We are under attack. We have to evacuate to safety. Our soldiers are defending the main arteries, but it won't last long, we have to get to the bunker," Sokka said breathlessly. "Give her to me"
Suki handed Hua to him, who was crying softly, angry at being woken up like that. Sokka whispered reassuring words to her. Katara thought of Zuko. She hadn't seen him since the beginning of the afternoon. Where was he? Katara hoped to find him as soon as possible, without his control he would not last long. Especially since the attackers seemed to be numerous if they had to go to the bunker, Katara knew that.
"Where's Zuko?" she asked, grabbing Sokka by the shoulders.
"I don't know, I think he went back to his building," he said hesitantly. He had no idea where Zuko might be.
"I have to go look for him," she whispered.
"And I'll find my sisters, we can save you some time," Suki decided and grabbed her armor, putting it on in no time. The result was strange without her usual make-up. Her fan sharpened, she prepared to go out.
"Are you sure? If anything happens to you..." Sokka said, torn between his desire to keep his daughter and her people safe and his desire to protect his wife and sister.
Suki pulled him to her for a hug. "It's going to be okay, sweetheart."
She also kissed her daughter, who did not understand what was happening. Unconvinced, Sokka left for the bunker with Hua in his arms. Katara and Suki headed towards the building where Zuko was supposed to be. A fireball passed over Katara, who only dodged it thanks to Suki. Using the snow that covered the entire city, Katara disabled her attacker. The moon may not have been in the sky, but the water was everywhere around her. They quickly arrived at the right place, and what they saw chilled their blood.
The building Kiyi and Zuko occupied was in flames and partially destroyed, and a Kyoshi warrior's body, among others, lay on the ground. Suki approached with apprehension to check her sister's body. Dead. Katara did the same with Zuko's guard.
"You don't think Zuko is...", Suki began grimly. She didn't have the courage to finish her sentence.
Katara shook her head. "They wanted to kill him, if they had succeeded, Zuko would be here."
"They may have changed their minds...", Suki said, sincerely hoping she was wrong.
Katara felt a shiver of fear run down her spine. No, Zuko couldn't be dead, he couldn't have been taken. She stood up, "No, that's impossible..."
Katara approached the building, hoping they weren't trapped inside. She doubted it - Kiyi and Ty Lee were perfectly capable of getting them out - but wanted to check anyway. Outside, panic reigned, with everyone running around trying to get to the bunker while dodging the swarming enemies, so Katara had to work to dodge the crowd and get to the front of the building.
"Zuko!" she called out in a loud voice. There was no response. Worry began to creep over her.
"Katara!" a voice that sounded like it was coming from the other side of the building suddenly answered her. Kiyi. Katara rushed towards her, Suki in tow. Kiyi seemed fine but was obviously disoriented by what was going on.
"Kiyi, are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" Katara asked and took her by the shoulders, looking into her eyes.
Kiyi nodded sharply. She was surprisingly calm, "Yes, I'm fine, I'm fine, but I can't find Zuzu or Ty Lee..."
"I'll take care of it, Zuko can't be far away," Katara said, knowing full well that Zuko would be back for her sister. She looked around for a familiar building when she saw Siku walk past her. "Siku!"
Siku gasped, ready to defend herself, but ran to Katara when she recognized her. "Katara, are you okay?" she asked.
"Yes, don't worry. Is Sura safe?", Katara asked.
Siku nodded. "She was with Master Pakku."
Katara was relieved. "Good, can you take Kiyi with you? Keep her safe, I'm going to look for her brother."
Siku grabbed Kiyi by the hand and they ran towards the hiding place where Sura was already waiting for her before they reached the bunker. Katara sighed. At least Kiyi would be safe. But where the hell was Zuko?
"I'll try to find Ty Lee and Shina. They might be with Zuko, but I...", Suki said before she was thrown violently against a building by water.
"Suki!" cried Katara helplessly.
She turned towards the source that had hit her. A waterbender. Preparing to hit him back, a bolt of lightning struck him in the chest. Kiyi. Katara was impressed that she could create lightning in such a catastrophic situation. Zuko would be proud. Kiyi approached Suki, who only seemed stunned.
"Try to get her to the bunker, I'll find Zuko," Katara told them. Staying alone was a bad idea, but she knew that between the two of them, they could get through this. The neighbourhood had no secrets for Siku. And getting the Fire Nation princess to safety was a top priority.
Calm seemed to return, but the black-clad assailants continued to swarm around the buildings, setting them on fire or collapsing them with gusto. And Zuko did not appear again. Katara was beginning to think that maybe he was in the bunker somewhere safe. She circled the burnt-out building several times, but he wasn't there. Where could he be? Katara thought he might be with Sokka, but seriously doubted it.
She moved on to the next block, skimming the walls and avoiding detection. There were enemies everywhere now. As she passed a wall recess, passing just behind a group of enemies with their backs to her, one hand clamped over her mouth while another pulled her back. Katara wanted to protest and struggle, but she recognised a familiar amber scent.
"It's me," whispered a voice behind her. Zuko. Katara was immediately relieved. He was neither dead nor captive.
Katara pushed her hand away and turned to face him. His hair was down, and his outfit was drenched in snow, a sign that he'd had to crouch in it to avoid being seen. There was blood around his right eye, but he looked generally unharmed. What a fright she had had! She hugged him briefly.
"Where the hell have you been? I've been worried about you," she cried between his arms, whispering so as not to be heard.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry. Is Kiyi okay?" asked Zuko, clearly worried.
Katara nodded. "Yes, she's with Siku and don't worry, she knows how to defend herself. Oh, I thought I would die of fright when I saw your building burn down."
Zuko gently stroked her hair. "I'm fine, you see."
He said no more. He too had been very frightened to find his building ablaze with no living soul around. Katara noticed that his face was tense and looked down at his left arm, which Zuko held against him. "Your shoulder..."
Voices suddenly rose behind them, and they froze in place, trying to hear what was being said. From what Katara had been able to pick up before Zuko caught her, there were at least five of them with two or three different benders, and a chi blocker. If they were discovered, with Zuko's bending out of commission, they would probably lose the fight. There was also no moon to help Katara. They passed by, their enemies seemingly unaware of them, but had to hurry into an adjacent house to avoid detection. The house looked empty. They locked the door, and scanned the windows, passing low to avoid being seen. Fortunately, the shutters were still down. The group of enemies passed the house without stopping, and Zuko and Katara breathed a sigh of relief.
"We need to get to the bunker." Katara said, thinking of a plan to get there.
"The... bunker? I didn't know you had one." Zuko said, surprised.
"We do, Kiyi must be there by now. But how are we going to do...", Katara wondered aloud.
"Are we expecting reinforcements?", Zuko questioned.
Katara replied in a calm and focused tone. "Normally a delegation from the North Pole would arrive, and since almost all of our population is safe, I think Aang will step in with our men."
"And Sokka? And Suki? And Toph?" he asked in succession.
"Sokka and Toph are defending the bunker, Suki was knocked out I sent her with Kiyi and Siku to safety. Besides, you'd be proud of your sister, she saved our asses out there," Katara smiled softly, which disappeared as she heard voices outside. "Come on, let's go down to the basement."
She lifted a trap door hidden in the floor. Zuko would never have found it without help. Clever,' he thought. They went downstairs, taking care not to make too much noise. Then Zuko closed the trapdoor, taking the opportunity to examine the strange mechanism that opened it. Katara realised that they were searching the houses, and began to think. The priority was to protect Zuko, but it wasn't as obvious to him. Katara knew that he would object to her distraction, but it was the only option they had. She turned to him, hesitant to tell him her plan.
"I know that look Katara, and it's no." Zuko said in a more authoritative tone than he would have liked.
"So what do we do? Do you have a better suggestion, perhaps Firelord?", Katara retorted. It was the only solution, and he knew it. And the more time he wasted refusing to accept that fact, the more his chances of getting out of it diminished.
"Don't call me that!" Zuko grumbled and lowered his voice immediately. "There's no way I'm letting you face them, you've seen what they're capable of and... you're a woman, you heard what your father and my uncle said about this, I can't let them take you away."
"They will kill you or worse if they get their hands on you. And what will your Nation do if you disappear? You know as well as I do that we have no choice," Katara told him in a broken voice. "I will do what I have to do, Zuko."
Zuko walked towards her. He knew she was right, but the thought of giving her up to such a hell was unbearable. He hadn't noticed that Katara's hands had started to move. "Oh yes, and what are you going to... Ah!"
Katara had extended her arms towards him, and he was frozen to the neck. He couldn't move. Zuko looked at Katara with a bewildered expression. He tried to use his chi, but it was so weakened and the pain was so intense that it would take a long time before he came out of it. Katara knew this.
"What are you doing?! It's damn cold!" he said in a deeply annoyed voice.
"I'm saving your life," she whispered. She untied her necklace and placed it on the ground. "You will return it to me."
Zuko seemed stunned, he didn't understand what was happening. "What?"
"No matter what happens, I love you, Zuko," she said in a calm voice. Zuko couldn't utter a sound, he was as if paralyzed. What did that mean? He could feel the ice numbing the pain in his arm, but he was still unable to use his chi. Why was Katara giving him her necklace? Why... did she sound like she was saying goodbye?
It wasn't until she walked towards the trap door that had brought them here that Zuko understood. "No! Katara! Don't go! Don't go! I beg you! Stop!"
She didn't look back, opened the trapdoor and closed it behind her, cutting off Zuko's pleas. With a wave of her hand, she wiped away the few tears that were streaming down her cheeks. The intruders were not far away, they had to be at the house next door, it was now or never. Gathering courage and determination, she went out of the house and sent a wave over the place where her enemies were standing to knock them down and make her escape easier, riding her wave. With a little luck, she could get away. But luck was definitely not on her side.
A fireball passed by her face. Katara rolled to the side and her wave collapsed with her. Covering her body with water, she threw crystals at her opponents. One of them was hit in the face and swore. But the grip tightened on Katara, who was surrounded by two groups of enemies. She tried to surf through, but a waterbender froze her wave, causing her to fall heavily into the snow. But she smiled, they were far enough away from where Zuko was. Still, she wasn't going to give up. If she could get away with it, the enemy would have lost this battle.
"A waterbender at the South Pole..." one of them said under his black mask.
His neighbour elbowed him. "Don't you recognise her? It's Katara you idiot!" he said, sending back fireballs that Katara dodged with a leap. But as she did so, she landed on a slab of ice prepared by the waterbender facing her and struggled to stand. Protecting herself from the flaming whips of the former, she managed to hide behind a house. But the house suddenly caught fire, forcing Katara to reveal herself again. But her enemies were no longer there.
She reformed her wave to surf again, further and further away from Zuko. But she was intercepted by the waterbender who caught her on her wave and threw her further. Her head hit a wall and she collapsed into the snow. She felt nauseous, black dots dancing before her eyes. And before she could put up any defence, she felt someone hitting her very hard and violently on certain very specific parts of her body. She felt so bad that she did not have the strength to get up. And when she realised what had happened, it was too late. Her chi was blocked. She felt cloth in her mouth and tried in vain to struggle. They had silenced her. She was lifted off the ground.
"What the hell is this?" a male voice asked.
"Reinforcements from the North Pole," replied another.
"Hurry, we have to leave!" said one of them.
Katara felt herself being swept away, probably by the waterbender who was bending waves. This went on for a while, but no one stopped them. Katara wondered where Aang was. His presence would have made a difference. But their attackers had trapped Aang, who was being held back by the best of them. Aang was skillfully trying to disable them without killing them. But he had to go into the Avatar state to do so.
And the whistle he heard afterwards, sounding the retreat of the enemies, could not recall those who had opposed him. Aang did not immediately understand why they were retreating. But when he saw water pouring through the streets towards their opponents, he understood. The North Pole delegation had just arrived. At his side, Chief Hakoda ordered that those who had been defeated be taken prisoner. Ty Lee, who was also present, blocked their chi in turn.
"Ty Lee? Where are the others?" asked Aang as he readjusted his monk's robe.
"I lost track of Kiyi earlier. As for the others, I don't know where they are..." she said with a sad face that contrasted with her usual jovial mood.
"Aang!" a voice called out behind them. Sokka, who had just emerged from the bunker. "King Kuei and Kiyi are safe, but I can't find Zuko, Suki, or my sister.
Aang was suddenly worried. He had a bad feeling, and rightly so. "We'll search all the houses, we have to call the roll to count the dead," he decided in a dark voice. Chief Hakoda nodded and they divided the area into several zones to search efficiently.
Zuko had almost melted all the ice that held him captive in his torso and legs. He whimpered and tried to activate his chi as much as possible. His mind was elsewhere. Katara had not returned. And that could only mean one thing. Tears of rage rolled down his cheeks as he strained his one good arm to get out of there. He could hardly think straight.
"By Agni! Ah!" he swore before finally extricating himself from his block of ice. His voice was hoarse, he had been yelling at Katara to come back, not to leave. But she was gone.
He fell roughly to the ground with a thud. He let out yet another grunt of pain and rolled onto his back. His shoulder was burning like hell. And more than that, it was his heart that painfully squeezed his chest. Katara. All he could think of was her face. His hand closed on her necklace, which he observed. He knew this necklace almost by heart. He'd kept it on his wrist for so long. Katara's voice echoed in his head.
You will return it to me.
The time for soft words and sweetness was over. He tied the necklace to his wrist and vowed to return it to her and save her, wherever she was. He tried to sit up. His clothes were soaked and did not make it easy for him. Holding on to the walls so as not to fall, he reached the trapdoor. His face was shattered. He unlocked the trap door and took a breath to get back up. After many minutes of effort, he succeeded and let out a raging scream. Rising to his feet, he could not contain his grief. Katara had been taken away. She would have come back for him if she had not.
"Zuko?!" called a voice from outside the house. The latter tried to wipe his tears with his soaked sleeve before opening the door.
Aang was there, accompanied by some of Hakoda's men. Hakoda, seeing his friend's battered and grief-stricken face, knew that something serious had happened. He wondered what Zuko was doing in that house. And more importantly, where was Katara? She couldn't be...
"They took her away... Aang..." Zuko stammered in a trembling voice.
Aang didn't understand what he was saying. "Who was taken away? What happened? Damn, your shoulder... You need to be treated, Zuko."
"But don't you understand that they took her away?! They took Katara, Aang!" Zuko exploded as his good arm slammed into the wall of the house. The pain on his knuckles was out of all proportion to the pain eating away inside. "She locked me in here to save me! And I couldn't do anything!"
Aang was beginning to understand. He had already suspected it from Zuko's soaked clothes, but now he knew for sure. "We don't know yet if she's really gone, she might be hurt. Come on, there's no point in staying here," Aang said, urging him to come with him.
Zuko didn't believe it. She would have come back if she had made it. But he followed Aang, the condition of her shoulder was critical, even though Katara's ice had numbed it for a long time. Katara. Where was she? What were they going to do to her? Zuko couldn't think of anything else. Aang accompanied him to Siku in the tribe's infirmary, a stone's throw from the town hall. She was finishing treating Kiyi's leg, which had been hit by ice crystals. Kiyi got up and hobbled over to hug Zuko as hard as she could.
"Oh Zuzu, I was so scared for you," she said with a trembling voice. She was so relieved to see him again. But she immediately noticed the tears on his cheeks and his defeated look.
Zuko was afraid she would ask. And rightly so. "Where is Katara?" she asked, looking around for the waterbender.
"I don't know, Kiyi," Zuko breathed, trying to keep his voice steady and seemingly serene. He didn't want to scare his sister.
"Um... Maybe I can help you, Lord Zuko?", Siku said from behind them, staring at Zuko's bloody shoulder.
Zuko didn't hesitate long, he was in so much pain. Siku invited him to come and sit where his sister had been a few minutes before. The infirmary was crowded, most of the injured were gathered there. Poor Kaya, the tribe's chief doctor, was overwhelmed. Master Pakku and Sura were already treating the most seriously injured. Many uninjured tribesmen had offered to assist her, including fetching water and bandages. Some of them were busy warming the wounded who needed to be partially naked for their recovery. Siku closed the wound in Zuko's eyebrow and then undid his soaked kimono. She saw that his shoulder had turned a rather ugly colour, but nothing that could not be repaired.
"It might be painful," she warned. Zuko nodded, he was used to it. He had to bite his cheeks to keep from cracking again. It was Katara who should be there with him. Siku began. He barely felt the pain.
"That should do it, I'll wrap your arm in a sling to keep your shoulder from moving too much. Kiyi, can you get one of the blue outfits over there? Your kimono is soaked Lord Zuko," Siku explained. Zuko nodded mechanically.
Kiyi helped him into the blue outfit she had found. It was a little too big for him, but it would do for now. Seeing that Zuko didn't seem too keen on talking, she decided to help the injured as much as possible. Her chi effectively warmed most of those who were frozen. She distributed dry clothes to those who needed them. Zuko smiled slightly. Their mother would be proud.
But he couldn't get Katara out of his mind, he played and replayed her last words in his head, clutching her necklace between his fingers.
You will return it to me.
He decided to go outside, he needed to know. Sokka was just returning from his rounds and seemed appalled by what Aang was telling him. He fell to his knees in the snow, clutching his boomerang.
Zuko arrived and Aang turned to him, looking grave. "Suki and Katara have been kidnapped, along with seven other women from the village."
This revelation was like a punch in the gut for Zuko. "Suki too?" he said in a broken voice.
"She was looking for you, with Katara! I should have stopped them!" Sokka shouted angrily at Zuko.
He didn't really blame him, but he needed to vent his pain. In a few hours he had lost his wife and sister. Turning away from Zuko, he let his grief out. He was indeed a man of the Water Tribe. The element of change, of emotions.
"I'm sorry, Sokka..." Zuko whispered. He didn't know what to say. What was acceptable?
A small voice rose behind them. "It's my fault."
Everyone looked up. Kiyi. She looked guilty. Zuko didn't understand. "I panicked... Suki was hurt... And Katara told me to take Suki back to the bunker, but Siku and I were attacked... And..."
Zuko knelt to her level and took her in his arms before she continued. Zuko tried not to cry, but she couldn't hold back the tears.
"It's not your fault, Kiyi," Zuko whispered. "You did everything you could, I know it."
Sokka calmed his grief at seeing Kiyi distressed. He couldn't blame her, she was so young and unused to warlike events. Suki had at least fulfilled her mission. Both Fire Nation siblings were here and alive. And Hua was safe with the women of the Tribe. Sokka pulled himself together and went to help his father count the injured and missing as the men and women conducting the search returned to the infirmary. Aang greeted the North Pole delegation, who were clearly not expecting such a fight. He explained what had happened and immediately the healers in the delegation set about treating the injured. Zuko held Kiyi in his arms for a long time. She was crying softly against him. How he wished he could comfort her more.
It was at this moment that his advisors, who had remained on board the airship, arrived accompanied by Toph. Toph had gone to inspect the air and sea transport, which fortunately had not been affected. Zuko left Kiyi to her and talked to his men. One of them had the good idea to bring a firebird. Zuko wrote a message for his uncle and had it sent immediately. He had taken care to encode it a little to avoid that if the message fell into the wrong hands, it would be completely impossible to read for someone who did not know the hundreds of kinds of tea that existed in the world. He hesitated to leave immediately, wishing to keep his sister safe. But he had not come for nothing and would not shirk his responsibilities. His advisors agreed. Other Fire Nation men had died, it was not going to happen again.
"Lord Zuko?" a voice called behind them. Chief Hakoda. "We've taken roll call... The toll is quite heavy. I think it would be wise for us to have a crisis meeting. The delegation from the North Pole has just arrived. Your advisors are welcome."
"I agree, Chief Hakoda," said Zuko, trying to keep a cool head. He slipped into his role as Fire Lord, trying to put aside his broken heart. For now, he had to be strong. Leaving Toph with Kiyi, he headed with Hakoda to the town hall, where Aang was already with King Kuei and the North Pole delegation.
"We have seven missing women to report...", Hakoda began, quoting the list of missing people. He struggled to say the name of his daughter-in-law, but especially his daughter. Zuko clenched his fists, trying not to let tears escape from his eyes.
"Thirty-five dead, not counting the hundred or so injured," Hakoda said with a grave and bruised expression. "This is the most tragic attack since the Hundred Years' War."
Zuko felt terrible. It reminded him of all the suffering his tribe had endured because of his Nation, and the fact that he had failed to protect either Katara or Suki made it worse. Gritting his teeth to keep his mouth shut, he let Hakoda finish.
"We sent scouts after them, but their machines were far too fast for us. Lady Toph was able to identify them, however. They were submarines led by waterbenders. We were unable to capture any of them, and those who were able to be incapacitated were all able to swallow poison so as not to give away any information. Our herbalists are already trying to determine what poison it was and where it came from," Hakoda explained.
The representative of the North Pole delegation intervened: "They seem to change their procedure with each new attack. As far as we are concerned, the disappearances took place at night with the utmost discretion. Five women were abducted a month ago and we have not yet been able to trace them. We have lived in seclusion for so long that infiltrating the political spheres is difficult.
Zuko coughed to regain his composure and began to speak. "My uncle was able to do it, but so far the search is thin. We have a prisoner but he knows nothing, this organisation is very good at distilling information and especially at hiding information of vital importance to those who might be caught. But we are making progress, we have contacted certain circles that will lead us to where this network operates. It is very active in trafficking of all kinds. My men are currently going through old registers that others kept under my father's orders, I don't know if it will be useful, but it's better to look everywhere.
"What could they be looking for?" asked King Kuei in an almost naive tone. But a silence answered him, showing how far from stupid the question was.
It was Aang who first tried to give some semblance of an answer. "From what I've learned, it's mostly about feeding the women's trade, which is very profitable, but also about having leverage to pull out if you get too involved in their affairs. But I haven't been able to find the root of this organisation yet, only rumours in the Earth Kingdom."
Hakoda reacted in turn, trying to ignore the notion of 'trafficking in women'. The thought of his daughter being involved in this kind of abomination made him sick. "Let's start from the beginning. They kidnapped dozens of women from the North Pole and the Earth Kingdom. Then they tried to murder the Fire Lord Zuko, and then they came here to attack us. I'm not sure that these are just common ways to feed their trade. There is something much bigger behind this."
Sokka exclaimed sharply, sitting up straight. "It's obvious, they want to disrupt the Nations and overthrow those who run this world. The crime in the Earth Kingdom when it was under the Fire Nation was notorious. We've seen all sorts of abominations in our travels, haven't we Aang?"
The latter nodded. While most of it was Fire Nation mischief, it wasn't always so. Ordinary people were perfectly capable of doing the same things. "That's true. But since the new protection agreements between the two peoples, the notorious criminality has had to resort to other means to disguise its activities. And the absence of a real police force for such a vast territory has made this easy. They have perfected their techniques to such an extent that I have not yet been able to trace any of them."
King Kuei took some offense, but Aang, like Toph who held the same view, was not wrong. For a long time, the Earth Kingdom had only had to manage a tiny number of cities, the others belonging to the Fire Nation. And indeed, while the Earth Kingdom's army was sufficient to defend a city the size of Ba Sing Se indefinitely, it did not have the resources to cover the vast territory of the Earth Kingdom. They spent many hours working out new strategies, coming up with meagre solutions that would do for the time being. Nevertheless, they all concluded that it was vital to exchange even the most secret information on this subject so that everyone could unite and defeat this new enemy.
If you thought the angst wasn't here yet, it's coming! I'm sure you're burning to know what will happen to Katara and Suki. I hope to see you at the next chapter to find out! Don't forget to leave a review, it's very appreciated. I'll try to answer them as much as I can (I know I didn't do it before, but I'll try).