Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender in any shape or form.
When Ameya woke up, Sokka, Katara, and Toph were already awake and changed in their nation outfits. They had kept it even after donning the Fire Nation disguises but Ameya had thrown her old Earth Kingdom clothes away. Now that it was on the day of the invasion, it made sense they wear the clothes that represented them.
For a moment, Ameya felt lost again.
"I have a spare dress for you—if you'd like to wear it."
Ameya startled at Katara's voice, glancing at the younger girl who seemed to notice her silent dilemma.
"You don't belong here."
Ameya smiled. "No, thank you. I have an outfit already."
Katara stared on, confusion clear on her face as Ameya walked away. There was no need for her to hesitate; Ameya will not doubt herself. She had decided long ago to protect them; Ameya will do what they cannot. She was not fit to wear the color garbs of the Water Tribe, not when she had run away from it months ago.
The black tunic was in her hands and Ameya changed into it naturally. This was the outfit that fits her best, she believes.
Ameya had just finished tying the belt around her waist when Aang awakened, hopping to greet the rest of them with a bright smile and refreshed vigor. They were relieved to see him ready for the invasion but he confessed he was unable to unlock the Avatar State again. The effect of Azula's lightning still lingered beyond the scar on his back.
"Oh, no." They turned towards Katara's voice, noticing her attention on the ocean and thick fog pulling in. "Sokka, do you think the fog will delay the invasion?"
Sokka stood up from studying the maps, his eyes brightening at the sight of several ships appearing amidst the fog. "That is the invasion!"
They headed down to the water immediately. Aang and Toph earthbended separate paths for the ships to dock on and they greeted Hakoda happily. There were dozens of soldiers Hakoda had brought along with old friends and a few familiar faces. Ameya watched from the sideline as they reunited with many people she does not know, only smiling politely when Sokka and Katara had introduced her to them.
It was amusing to see meet other waterbenders besides the Water Tribe—although she does not know how to feel about them only wearing leaves for clothes. An earthbender by the name of Haru had greeted them and Aang briefly explained how Katara had inspired and freed them from a Fire Nation prison before. Ameya smiled politely once more as she was being introduced next to Toph.
An explosion from another ship caught their attention and they ran in that direction. The Mechanist conversed with Sokka about the inventions and his son spoke with Aang freely. Ameya noticed the younger boy to be in a wheelchair but made no comment on it, only smiling courteously at her introduction again. She thought she saw a blush form on Teo's cheeks but thought nothing of it, following after Sokka to help with his preparations for the debriefing.
Ameya sat next to Toph on the podium next to the stage when Sokka began his presentation. To say he was a nervous presenter was an understatement—Ameya barely register his words and plan through his stuttering and fast paced sentences. She thought he was going to start breaking down on stage and oh—there was his break down.
"And...um...I'm sorry let me start at the beginning. Katara and I discovered Aang frozen in an iceberg, now I didn't like Aang at first but grew to love him over time, then we went to the Southern Air Temple where Aang used to live and then we met Suki, who's a Kyoshi warrior. She dressed me like a woman and then she kissed me, and then Aang's friend was a crazy old king and…"
"Wow, when he says the beginning he means the beginning beginning," Katara whispered.
Hakoda stood up and interrupted him, relieving Sokka from his duties and began to fully explain the invasion plan. It had been a well thought out plan; more advanced than the one Ameya had heard weeks prior and she was amazed Sokka and Hakoda had managed to arrange it so well.
Soon after, the group separated to prepare. Aang had left to retrieve his Air Nomad clothes, ready to reveal his survival to his enemies once more. Ameya tightened the gloves over her arms, strapped her sword to her hip, and two canteens of water on the other side.
This would be different from the Siege at the Northern Water Tribe. This time, Ameya would be prepared. She has trained for it.
"You ready?"
She glanced behind her to see Toph waiting for her, arms crossed over her chest. Ameya smiled even if the blind bender cannot see it.
"Of course."
The battles would be easy as long as she remembers her training. Their plan will succeed—she will deem it so. Today will be on their side and Ameya was confident it will—especially since Yue, the moon itself, will be the one to grant them that opportunity.
So she will not dwell or hesitate at the possibility of seeing him again. They were enemies since the beginning. It was only now did Ameya realized this was what she was meant to do.
Fight and survive.
Ameya was stationed on the same ship as the Avatar and group. Hakoda instructed the waterbenders to create a fog as they reached the gates but the gates suddenly lifted up from water, streams of fire coating the fence.
"Everyone below deck!" Hakoda motioned and they soon followed, rushing within the boat and into the second part of Sokka's plan.
Katara, Ameya and a few other waterbenders set their bending to motion once they submerged. Ameya admired the submarine briefly, noticing the fine craftsmanship of the Mechanist and Sokka's idea to use waterbenders to transport them underwater.
She listened as Toph moaned about being underwater, feeling a bit pity for the blind earthbender who relied heavily on solid earth and smiled when The Duke offered a helmet for the girl. Outside the submarine, Aang was waterbending with Appa besides them, guiding all of them upwards towards the surface once they were at a reasonable distance away from the gate.
The submarines slowed and surfaced around them and Toph nearly ran up the ladder for fresh air and something stable to stand on. Ameya followed soon after along with Katara and Sokka. Aang reached their boat easily on his glider, all of them sensing the tension in the air for the battle up ahead.
"So, this is it huh?" Aang spoke with a steady exhale.
"Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar is alive?" Sokka encouraged, a fist raised up in the air.
Aang closed his eyes, breathing once more before meeting their gaze strongly. "I'm ready."
Sokka smiled and shook his hand—only for Aang to bring him into a hug and Toph and Katara followed. Ameya smiled softly until Katara reached over and brought her into a hug as well, a small hesitation on the older girl's part as she set one hand on Aang's shoulder.
"I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord butt, Twinkle Toes," Toph jested and Ameya let out a small laugh.
"We'll see you at the end, Aang," Ameya said as she let go.
Hakoda notified them of the next plan and slowly, they began to enter the submarine again. Ameya glanced back as Katara and Aang stayed behind, noticing the nervous figures of the two and smiled. They deserved some time alone.
They waited within the sub as the two conversed below. Sokka was impatient within, tapping his foot with a huff and reached for the ladder.
"I'm going to call Katara. She's taking quite a while."
Ameya glanced out the window, mouth parting as Aang reached up to kiss Katara. "Uh—I don't think—"
Sokka had already called out to them before Ameya can delay him but Aang had already separated before Sokka can see. She watched on with a blank mind as the Avatar flew off on his glider and Katara snapped out of her daze, jumping onto Appa on the water. Ameya hoped the two would be able to sort their feelings out after the battle. It would be a risky day—a lot was riding upon their shoulders. She ignored her nerves of meeting up with the Prince and began to waterbend them underwater.
They arrived at the bay without too much damage taken. The battle had already begun as they emerged and Hakoda was taking command of the formation. Ameya worked together with the waterbenders however she can, blocking waves of fire directed their way and throwing the metal vehicles off course.
Katara soared above with Appa, disarming the battlements from above before taking Sokka and Hakoda in the skies. Ameya ran around on the ground, conserving her waterbending since she was limited on water and fought with her sword.
She parried a blow from a Fire Army's lance, dancing around the soldier and knocking them backwards right as she ducked from another blow. Another Water Tribe warrior came to assist her and she recognized him briefly as someone she spared with during the ship. Trusting each other on the battlefield, Ameya continued to fight off the army's advance with the soldiers, keeping a watchful eye out for Appa.
"Ameya!"
She turned at the sound of Katara's voice, looking up to see them fly towards the edge of the battlefield. There was a desperation in Katara's voice—something urgent and fearful in her tone and that was enough for Ameya to run towards their direction.
She avoided a wounded firebender on the way, twisting around them and away from the fire as the flames licked her skin. It was not as fiery as she expected, already accustomed to stronger fires from the Fire Nation royalties far too many times than she can count. She pushed past those thoughts, telling herself to not hesitate if she ever saw them on the battlefield, and rushed towards the Water Tribe sibling's side.
"What happened?" She demanded as soon as she arrived, noticing the weakened state Hakoda was in and Katara healing the wound on his side.
"Dad got hurt—I-I'm trying my best but—"
"Katara, breathe," Ameya soothed, kneeling down besides the younger girl and surveyed the injury. "Keep running the water through his skin gently—you're doing fine."
Katara relaxed at her voice, nodding shakily and did as instructed. Hakoda let out a weak smile for Ameya, silently thanking her composed figure whereas he cannot.
"Ameya, let's go," Sokka said firmly, standing tall and confident. "We still have an invasion to lead."
She blinked, silently admiring Sokka's confidence in herself and himself and stood up. A small sense of pride hit her as she saddled on top of Appa, knowing the siblings trusted her enough with her help in this battle.
They arrived back into the heat of the battle as Appa took out an enemy tank in his landing. Sokka faced the warriors, raising his sword and rallying the soldiers with assurance in his voice.
"Listen up, everyone. I want the tanks in wedge formation. Warriors and benders in the middle. We're taking that tower, and heading for the royal palace." He faced forward again as Ameya held the reins on Appa, following his instructions. "Charge!"
The battled continued on as they exploded the wall with the Mechanist's explosives. Sokka led the warriors below as he demounted from Appa; Ameya took the control over the skies, providing support with her waterbending and sky bison's powerful moves.
The Fire Nations were pushed back from the strong force and they filtered through the broken inner walls. Ameya observed from above, a small furrow on her brows at how easily this whole plan had gone by. No one seemed to be leading the force—as if the army were only holding them back. They should know of the eclipse yet there was no general on the other side giving orders.
Something felt wrong within her gut and Ameya merely hoped it was just the nerves making her feel anxious.
"He wasn't home. No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned," Aang explained his return with frustration.
"They knew."
The realization sunk into all of them as they faced the Avatar. Aang rubbed his fingers nervously, unable to control his fidgeting of the news and Ameya tried to think logically of the approach. No wonder the operation had been smooth so far—the Fire Nation knew of the attack.
"It's over. The Fire Lord is probably long-gone; far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse," Aang frowned.
"No…" Sokka wondered out loud, "My instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker; somewhere he could go and be safe during the siege but still be close enough to lead his nation."
"If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for, I'm just the girl to find it," Toph pointed to herself confidently.
Sokka pulled out a circular object. "The mechanist gave me this timing device. It looks like we've got about ten minutes until the full eclipse. Ten minutes to find the Fire Lord."
Ten minutes…it would be close crunch flying to the mountain and search the secret bunker within. It would be risky but—they have to try. They cannot let today's effort go in vain.
"We can still do this. We can still win the day," Aang voiced Ameya's thoughts.
Katara looked up. "Wait! If they knew we were coming it could all be a trap. Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure we all get out of here safely."
"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." Hakoda reasoned.
"What do you think? You're the one that has to face the Fire Lord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you," Sokka encouraged.
"I've got to try."
Aang stood up, facing the mountain again with renew determination. Ameya stood up as well; she knew what she can do.
"We'll go with Aang to survey the bunker. Katara, you stay here and watch over Hakoda," Ameya motioned towards Appa, Toph and Sokka already mounting the bison.
"Be careful," Katara looked at them in worry.
"I'll keep them safe," Ameya smiled.
The four of them flew on Appa towards the mountain. Ameya hoped she would not have to deal with any benders during their time—her water was already depleted from her jugs by herself. She tapped her hip in reassurance, feeling better with the gold and black scabbard secured to her. She was confident in her melee abilities at least.
They landed on the Caldera Volcano quickly and Toph hopped off to feel the underneath with her seismic sense.
"Do you feel anything down there?"
Toph knocked on the earth. "Yep. There are natural tunnels criss-crossing through the inside of the volcano."
"Anything else? Is there a structure somewhere?" Sokka inquired.
"There is something big, dense and made of metal deep in the heart of the volcano."
"Sounds like a secret bunker to me," Sokka nodded.
"They're definitely there," Ameya confirmed.
Toph began to earthbend a way for them below and Sokka and Ameya followed. Aang said his farewells to Momo and Appa briefly before chasing after them. Toph led the way with her seismic senses, relishing in the praises Sokka showered her way and thankful for her ability to see the surroundings around her. Ameya secretly agreed—burning in lava was the last thing she wanted.
"You're kidding," Ameya scowled at the river of lava in their path, not seeing any other options of going around the magma.
"Climb aboard and hold on tight," Aang opened his glider and they gaped at him.
"Are you sure you can carry the three of us—and yourself?" Sokka asked in disbelief.
"We have to try," Aang glanced at Toph. "…Toph, just hold onto me tightly—okay? Don't let go."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Toph latched onto his neck tightly, already fearing the wind under her feet.
Ameya and Sokka glanced at each other and with a small sigh, she held onto one side of the glider. Sokka held onto the other and with a powerful lunge, Aang carried them threw the river. Sokka and Toph were screaming their lungs out at the heat dancing close to them and Aang struggled to maintain the balance between all four of them. They nearly crashed onto the ground at the end—Toph immediately kissing the dirt in happiness as the two elder ones struggled to stand up.
"Let's never do that again," Ameya breathed out.
The three agreed, catching their breathing and running towards the end of the tunnel. A giant door blocked their path—one that Toph easily broke through and Sokka gushed again at her addition to the team.
They ran through the tunnel, following Toph blindly and rounded a corner. The three nearly missed a passing Fire Nation noble until Ameya reacted—pushing the older man against the wall with the sheathed sword close to his neck.
They paused, turning towards the woman and prisoner quickly and the man quickly blurted out the unspoken question.
"The Fire Lord's chamber is that way, down the hall, to the left, and up the stairs, you can't miss it!"
Aang smiled brightly as Ameya let him go. "Thanks!"
They sped off towards the area he motioned towards, standing before another grand door. Sokka informed them of the eclipse to begin in less than thirty seconds, their time running short on finding the Fire Lord in time yet determination filled Aang as he stared at the metal door.
"I'm ready. I'm ready to face the Fire Lord."
He blasted the door open and they rushed in, surprise taking over them at the one sitting on the throne.
"So, you are alive after all. I had a hunch that you survived. But it doesn't matter. I've known about the invasion for months."
Azula.
Azula was here—she was waiting for them. The other man had given them false information—they probably knew Aang was going to come after them. Ameya could only observe the situation quietly, taking note of the relaxed form of the firebender even though she should be the one cornered. Azula looked too relaxed—too calculated—and the golden eyes glaring into her own icy ones confirmed her suspicion.
There was something Azula knew—she could see the recognition flash by the princess's eyes despite her new appearance. Ameya twitched be stayed strong, icy orbs glaring back into Azula's. She cannot forget their last encounter—cannot forget how she was the one that inevitably lured Zuko away.
"Where…is he?" Ameya growled out.
Azula smirked, entertained by the anger the waterbender displayed. "Everyone's always asking for Father Dearest or Prince Zuzu. Why—am I got enough for you all?"
"The Fire Lord," Ameya explained, taking a step forward. "I don't care about the other."
"Well, I'm glad you feel the same as he."
She resisted the urge to flinch, the scar within her heart throbbed again at that thought. No—not here, not now. There were other things to focus on. Ameya already severed her times with the Prince. Even if he was going to somehow arrive and fight them too—she already promised to fight him off. There was no more mercy for him.
"For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought it was my honor I wanted, but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn. My father, who challenged me, a thirteen-year-old boy, to an Agni Kai. How could you possibly justify a duel with a child?"
Zuko faced Ozai head-on, finally expressing the thoughts bubbling underneath him for the past three years. He was finally able to confront him—the man he had once admired due to his blind devotion to family. But Zuko understood—he knew the path he must take.
"It was to teach you respect!" Ozai scorned.
"It was cruel! And it was wrong," Zuko argued.
"Then you have learned nothing!"
"No, I've learned everything! And I've had to learn it on my own!" Zuko retaliated back, "Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history. And somehow, the War was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness. They hate us! And we deserve it! We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness."
He had been so blind. Ameya had been right the whole time. She had been one of the many victims of them war—one of the many he encountered but she left the deepest impression on him. Despite everything they had gone through—Ameya had been there for Zuko and he pushed her away.
What a fool he was.
"Your uncle has gotten to you, hasn't he?"
Zuko smiled. "Yes. He has."
And it wasn't just him. Someone else had been there—and Zuko was fully prepared to face them both again.
The battle raged on between Azula, Aang, Toph, and the Dai Li agents behind the grand wall, separating Sokka and Ameya from the rest. They had been stunned to see the earthbenders protecting the princess but Ameya was confident in Toph's abilities.
She turned towards Sokka, running towards the small hole Aang had made when he ran into it moments prior. "C'mon! I'll give you a lift!"
The boy gulped but ran forward, jumping onto Ameya's palm and she threw him upward with the momentum. Sokka let out a small yelp as he landed on the hole, sighing in relief once before screaming again as Azula tumbled through the hole.
She landed in front of Ameya and the waterbender dashed forward, gripped the princess's upper arm tightly and prevented her from moving. Azula reared back to elbow her but Ameya moved to the side, losing her grip on her.
"What's the matter? Not going to waterbend?" Azula taunted.
"I didn't think it would be fair against you," Ameya matched her tone evenly, arms raised to fight.
Azula's eyes narrowed just the slightest. "You know, Zuko is looking quite happy these days. Leaving you behind was one of the best decisions he made—followed by dating a Fire Nation Noblewoman."
Her blood boiled at that thought but Ameya refused to let it show on her features. She mocked a smile, hoping Azula would not see through her carefully masked features and tilted her chin upwards.
"I could care less."
Azula studied her closely, trying to pick out any weakness on her features but Ameya showed none. The princess could be playing mind games with her and as much as Ameya wanted to know how Zuko was faring—she would not fall into the trap. What he does was none of her concern any longer.
Azula reached an unknown conclusion, boredom shining in her eyes at Ameya's unwavering resolve.
"Shame."
She turned around and ran out the grand door and Ameya gave chase, barely dodging the wall of earth that emerged from the ground to block her way. Aang, Sokka, and Toph followed close behind, cutting the last Dai Li agent off as Toph trapped him in a metal beam.
"Wait! You guys! Stop attacking! Don't you see what she's doing? She's just playing with us. She's not even trying to win this fight!" Sokka shouted towards them as they stopped running.
Azula stopped as well, standing casually nearby with a raised brow. "Not true. I'm giving it my all."
"You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!" Toph accused.
"Um, right, I think your friend just said that, genius. And since you can't see, I should tell you I'm rolling my eyes," Azula edged on again and rolled her eyes.
Ameya walked back towards Toph, holding her back as she shouted back at the princess in anger.
"She's baiting us," Ameya said evenly, knowing full well of what Azula was playing at.
"Okay, so what do we do, just ignore her?" Aang stared on in confusion.
Sokka turned around. "We don't have a choice. We just have to get out of here and find the Fire Lord on our own somehow."
"It's a trap. Don't say I didn't warn you," Azula nearly sang behind Sokka's back.
"Ignore!"
"So, Sokka's your name, right? My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time," Azula continued on, her voice alluring to the secrets she kept. "She was convinced you were going to come rescue her. Of course you never came, and she gave up on you."
Ameya's eyes widen at the realization, turning back to Sokka who had stayed rooted on his spot. It all happened at once—her shout of 'Sokka, don't!' echoed the cavern as he charged towards Azula. Ameya recognized the calculated look in her eyes before her hands shot forward, twisting them in a familiar movement she had done only once before and Azula dropped the hidden dagger from her sleeves, body immobile as she stared at the waterbender.
"What—?!"
Aang watched Ameya in alarm at what she had just done right as Sokka slammed Azula into the wall, Toph chaining her to the earth with her bending. A hand rested on her shoulder as Ameya let go of her bloodbending, shocked that she had that capability and let out a shaky exhale. She could feel the moon at its peak during the eclipse but she least expect herself to…bloodbend again.
Azula glared at the waterbender but focused back on Sokka's angry face in front of her, sneering in amusement at his rage.
"Where. Is. Suki?!"
Azula kept her mouth shut, refusing to answer any of Sokka's questions and knowing full well he would not harm her. She was only buying time for the eclipse—something they had all tried to convince Sokka of but he refused to relent. Ameya caught onto the glares Azula had sent her way—knowing that her moment of immobility was due to the waterbender's ability but did not understand how.
"Sokka, we have to go." Ameya snapped out of her daze, hoping the other boy could as well.
"She knows where Suki is!"
Suki, that name again. Ameya frowned, unable to place a face to the name she had heard more than once already. If she focused more, she could possibly try to come up with an answer but at the moment, there were more dire things to worry about.
As if on cue, an explosion set off somewhere far away yet they still heard the rumble clearly. Azula hummed in amusement, another smirk emerging on her painted lips as she flexed.
"Oh, sounds like the firebending's back on."
She firebended with her legs at Sokka, freeing herself from the rock cuffs and dashed forward. Azula locked eyes with Ameya again, almost taunting her to try that weird technique again on her body but Ameya knew she could not.
"Dad's all the way at the end of the hall then down a secret stairway on the left. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to see you now."
Azula ran away and this time, they did not give chase. Sokka let out a shout in frustration, apologies tumbling out of his mouth for their wasted time. They were conflicted with the next plan, unsure whether to face the Fire Lord now that the eclipse was over or go back to their friends.
"The Fire Lord knew we were coming this time. We thought we had surprise on our side but we didn't. It just wasn't our day. What we need to do now is go and help our friends." Toph became the voice of reason in their silent dilemma and quietly, Aang agreed.
They flew back towards the other on Appa, landing in front of Hakoda and Katara and explained the situation to them. They watched as Fire Nation airships emerged beyond the mountains and Azula's careful planning thwarted their own.
Katara and Aang rushed off on Appa and glider to slow down the air balloons and the rest of them made way towards the harbor. There was no way they can fight off the air power with earth and ground soldiers. The Fire Nation had outsmarted them and Ameya bit down on her lips at the sense of helplessness fulfilling her.
It was futile—their invasion was seen through and countered. Ameya forced thoughts negative thoughts away as she led them down the hill, helping Hakoda walk on one side. Aang and Katara reached them again shortly after taking down a few airships, unable to maneuver around the dozen of them in the air and helped the troops down the mountain.
"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara asked as the airships flew over them, sapphire eyes staring at the red balloons above.
"They're heading for the beach..." Ameya observed.
"They're gonna destroy the submarines!" Aang shouted, grey eyes widen in worry as they saw explosions light up the harbor.
"How are we all going to escape?" Sokka gasped.
"We're not."
Ameya helped Hakoda walk towards the ground, realization settling in at his choice.
"Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have the Avatar, we could still win," Sokka noted.
"Yes, with the Avatar we could still win. On another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together."
That's right…Aang was their hope. He cannot surrender now. Even if all of them fought against the Fire Nation—there was only a slim chance of their survival. It was too risky—a risk they cannot take with the delicate situation.
"We can't leave you behind!" Katara refused, turning to stare at Ameya helplessly. "We won't leave anyone behind!"
Ameya let her grip on Hakoda go, leaving the father and daughter's side at their touching exchange. "You're our only chance in the long run. You and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive."
"The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners, but we'll all survive this battle," Bato said reassuringly, standing besides Hakoda as his second-on-command.
"I've got some experience with the Fire Nation prisons. It's not going to be easy, but we'll get by," Haru's father, Tyro said lightheartedly.
Ameya paused, silently conflicted with the situation. The adults were giving up their freedom for the young one's survival. They were willing to wait again—however long it may take—for Aang to recover and fight the Fire Lord again.
A bitter feeling twisted in her gut at that realization.
Always—someone was always giving up their life for her. She was reminded of Xiao and Lu Jie—of Iroh—and now, Hakoda was willing to do the same for them.
But no.
Ameya refused.
She stayed motionless as the children said bye to their parent and friends. One by one, they climbed onto Appa's back and Katara went to retrieve Aang, smiling in assurance despite the tears on his face. Ameya stayed by Hakoda's side and when they turned to her, she smiled.
"I'm not going."
"What?!"
"You have to!"
"Ameya—"
"Listen," she interrupted Katara sharply, voice in a command they had only heard before when she's final in her decision. "Appa can only carry so much and so far. I've had experiences in Fire Nation prisons too. Hakoda still needs my healing." She glanced to the approaching airship. "And…I know how Azula works…kinda. She doesn't scare me."
They looked at each other in worry, Katara opening her mouth for protest until Ameya looked at her again. Icy eyes stared back at them, determined and filled with a cold fire within that they knew anything they say would be hopeless. Ameya was always on her own agenda—making decisions for them even when they did not ask for it.
"It'll be okay," she assured again, softer this time as another smile appeared on her lips. "You have each other. You'll be okay."
But why—why was she always the one leaving them? Can't she see they need her too?
Ameya had made up her mind. She refused to let someone else take her fall again. She will own up to it—and she will face the Fire Nation Princess. Even if it may only buy the Avatar time in delaying their chase on him, every little thing helps.
She unhooked the ribbon from her neck and brought the beautiful short sword up towards Katara. "Keep this safe for me, will you?"
Katara took it with shaky hands, nodding her head as she tucked the necklace and ring safely into her bag.
"Go." She faced Aang, final with her decision despite the tears in his eyes.
He wiped them away, nodding shakily at their sacrifice and stood on Appa. "Thank you all for being so brave and so strong. I'm gonna make this up to you."
The sky bison flew, the residents staring behind as the people on the ground grew smaller and smaller. Ameya watched them fly off, hopeful knowing that Aang and the rest of them will be safe.
"Why…did you do that?" Hakoda whispered in disbelief.
"Because they're children," Ameya turned to him with a smile, "And children needs our protection."
Hakoda watched as she walked towards the approaching Fire Nations confidently, hand twitching on the sword by her hip. He cannot imagine why she would say that—this was not the first time she had faced hesitation with his children and Avatar.
Because in the end—wasn't Ameya a child too?
She—who was the same age as Sokka, was shouldering the same responsibilities as he. She—who appeared to them one night with his children's full trust—was willing to fight and leave everything behind. She—who fought with more vigor than his trained warriors.
As Hakoda stared at her back facing the Fire Nation general, her face even and voice controlled as they announced their surrender, he realized she was far more mature than her age. And…a small sense of pity hit his aged heart as he compared her to his children that were her age—faintly realizing that Ameya was forced to grow up way too soon just like his daughter.
Author's Notes:
Wow it's been a hot minute since I've updated huh? I'm so sorry for the long delay! I've been busy with my BTS story and may have been a little too invested in them too but that doesn't mean I forgot about this! Thank you so much for the reviews even when I was gone and I hoped this chapter was able to make up for the months of silence!
And—nope! Ameya did not meet up with Zuko ehehe. I never had them plan to meet up anytime soon…even though I kinda teased it last chapter. I have other things planned for that ehehe. I hope those who are still reading this story are enjoying it so far! It's getting to an intense part that got me excited to continue this story and I would like to update at least once a month and finish this story this year. I'm just refreshing my mind and ideas with all the Avatar characters and angst planned so I hope it will still go on smoothly.
Happy New Years to you all! I hope you've all been well!