Rise from the Ashes: Chapter 6: Sozin's Comet Part 5: The Avatar Returns
There is always a calm before a great storm.
Far below Team Avatar, who were approaching from the sky on their flying bison, the fleet of the Fire Nation sinisterly cut through the frigid polar waters. Like a knife about to slowly pierce and kill a wounded animal.
The fleet's target was a wounded people, and this last invasion was to be a final, fatal blow.
The oldest members of the Water Tribe would see the looming fleet as a reminder of dark times. How the unified future of the Southern Water Tribe was torn from them after endless raids at the command of Fire Lord Azulon. Waterbenders, from the old and wise to the young and promising were swept away aboard the machines of war and were never seen by their loved ones again. Mothers lost husbands and children. Children lost their fathers and mothers. Wise elders who led the tribe were taken, and the entire culture had been fading into obscurity in the decades that followed. The tribes had decreased in population to dangerous levels and those that were left behind were left scarred and afraid. Every night Kanna, the de facto Matriarch of the tribe when her son Hakoda was away, would shed a tear for her childhood friend Hama who had been taken away in a raid sixty years ago.
There were brave men like Chief Hakoda and had forged a living for the scattered and crippled tribes, but such efforts, while valiant and brave, would be inconsequential.
The Southern Water Tribe still existed solely based on its obscurity. It had no resources to speak of other than fishing, and the polar caps were worthless to settle for any culture that had not evolved and adapted to the environment long ago. Their culture had been destroyed only to ensure that no Waterbenders came to the defense of the Earth Kingdom, and now it was to be crushed to ensure that the Avatar would be raised under the Fire Lord's rule.
At the bow of his ship, Admiral Zusai surveyed the waters beyond as they swept between the walls of ice. His military attire made it clear that he came from the top of the military's command. That he was a man who reported directly to the Fire Lord himself. The Admiral was approaching forty, with a beard filed into a point below his chin reminiscent of the style the Fire Lord himself had.
It is a shame that these peoples are so uncivilized and weak, there is little honor in subjugating a hapless foe. The Admiral mused with a barely contained frown.
It should be a privilege, the pinnacle of his military career to be leading a campaign during the Great Comet. Yet the post felt empty to him. It would be a mostly miserable and tedious incursion.
The real battle that would be immortalized in glory was taking place on the other side of the world at the North Pole. There Fire Lord Ozai would bring down the walls of the Northern Water Tribe and remove the last barrier that remained to total victory. The four nations would become one under the enlightened Fire Lord that Zusai had been taught to revere absolutely since childhood.
Loyalty to the country and to the Fire Lord, always. He and entire generations of Fire Nation children had been taught this in the classroom and in the home. Like any well-organized propaganda, it lead to generations of loyal, obedient soldiers who could be trained to commit immoral acts in order to obtain what they perceived as honor and glory.
Zusai would have given his right arm to be able to participate in the fall of the Northern tribe, but instead he had been entrusted to secure the South.
The Tribes were positioned along the coasts in order to take advantage of the fishing supply that was necessary for survival. Additionally, the further inland on the polar caps you went, the more unforgiving and bitter life was.
Records documented by the Southern Raiders showed that the villagers would attempt to flee inland during raids and it made tracking the Waterbenders more difficult. However, infants with the potential to be the next Avatar were the target, and it was much harder to keep an infant alive in the bitter cold. Nevertheless this would not be a quick journey, Zusai knew that he needed to be thorough and to not allow any child to escape. Failure would be unacceptable.
This will be essentially sanitation work, far below the skills of an admiral….but if I were to secure the new Avatar…I'm sure the Fire Lord would be most grateful.
With the fall of Ba Sing Se, resistance morale in the Earth Kingdom had crumbled. With the power of the comet the Fire Nation would scorch the earth in territory that had delivered military stalemates for decades.
With the acquisition of so much new territory, Fire Lord Ozai was prepared to install regional governors to oversee his empire. A success here in the south pole could ensure that Admiral Zusai became Governor Zusai.
I came from nothing. My family line came from peasants, but my bending prowess opened many doors. Fire Lord Ozai respects power above inherited nobility. After all he banished his own son because the boy was weak.
The Admiral was ready to hang up his military uniform, take his wife and young children with him into the new empire, and enjoy the benefits of Governship.
First however, I need to swat away these peasants and get this over with.
On the surface the twelve battleships looked overwhelming and imposing as they should be. That was their purpose, because only sixty benders were present, five on each ship. Their overwhelming power would be all that was required to dispose of the peasant resistance. Benders were desired across the empire to trample resistance groups across the Earth kingdom when the comet arrived. The hundreds of additional soldiers in the bowels of the ships were non benders to be used for the logistical problem of gathering all the infants across every village. Benders were not required to round up women and children, common soldiers would suffice.
If he was honest, Zusai believed that he himself could take down every able bodied man in every village at once by himself. He was a master and had always been gifted. He was handpicked due to his bending potential for elite training as a boy.
The Admiral could see the comet now, a beautiful sight streaking across the sky. Then he could feel it…and it was intoxicating.
He considered himself pragmatic, composed, and always in control. But now…he had incredible power at his fingertips and it was impossible not to be exited. His earlier disgruntlements about the mission was fading. He felt invincible.
And this man, who was drunk on power, spied a target.
The boats were small and easily maneuverable, the tribes probably did not have enough resources to build much bigger and they certainly were not warships.
The Admiral turned to the Lieutenant that was standing attentively to the side. The young man was barely over twenty and his name was Lee. A name that was more common in the Earth Kingdom. Lee came from a mixed household, his father had descended from Earth Kingdom citizens in Yao Dao, the earliest colony that was established by Fire Lord Sozin.
It was an increasingly more common occurrence now that the Fire Nation had expanded. While there was certainly nothing wrong with it in the Admiral's opinion, it was inevitable that those such as the Admiral, who could trace their lineage completely to the original islands, looked down on those who could not. Total assimilation was acceptable of course for those who swore themselves to the Fire Lord. But converts brought a history of prior cultures, rulers, spirit worship, and other religions. This created a good amount of suspicion on all children born out in the colonies and especially when they entered the military. There was an unspoken suspicion if they truly believed in the Fire Lord's vision like those from the original islands did. Lee was a gifted bender, a brilliant tactician, and more than capable of commanding his own ship. But, Zusai did not trust the young man, so he kept him where he could see him. Unfortunately, the common soldiers liked him, so it was best to overshadow the young Lieutenant and keep him suppressed and subordinate where he belonged.
"And so it begins." Zusai told the lieutenant. "I hardly think this raid is worth the effort of issuing orders. The ice peasants have to throw themselves against our hull in order to protect their pride and die honorably. Put this petty rabble down and then let us do our duty." He did this while surveying the minimal resistance and not looking in the lieutenant's direction.
"Admiral! Look!" Lee exclaimed, Zusai noted with annoyance that the young man sounded amazed.
Zusai turned to face Lee with barely contained irritation. Lee was pointing towards the sky. The peasants could not summon any defense from the air, so what was Lee wasting time with?
"I have seen the comet Lieutenant. We all have. It's a pleasing sight but stay focused. I do not need to see the comet, I can feel it." The admiral balled his right hand into a fist and summoned a scorching ball of fire beyond what he was typically capable of.
All this power at the palm of my hand.
"Not the comet sir, a sky bison."
The Metalbender
Toph Beifong clutched Appa's saddle tightly as Team Avatar descended from the sky.
If she ever saw the two morons who had captured her in order to bring her back to her father, she would thank them for forcing her to discover metalbending.
Down at the pole without any actual earth she would not have anything to bend with. If she stepped onto the ice caps she would be truly blind and it was a feeling she absolutely hated ever since the badger moles had taught her how to see. The desert had made her vision extremely fuzzy but she could make some movement out. When crossing the Serpent's pass on a pathway of ice she could not see a single thing. She was helpless just like her mother and father had told her over and over again. There were constant, daily reminders why they did not tell anyone outside of the estate security that they had a daughter.
Aang at least had put out a more positive presence this morning, but for the past few days he had acted as if he wanted to get himself killed. It was clear he needed help. He needed his friends.
And Toph Beifong, the greatest earthbender alive was not going to be helpless today.
Aang had promised that he was going to get her on the ships. That is all she needed, because once she got her feet set, it was going to be fun turning these big fancy ships into scrap metal.
"Go Toph! Kick some butt!" She heard Aang shout with an authority that would make a stubborn earthbender proud.
With a smirk, Toph leapt off of Appa with a shout and with the force of a hurricane.
It was not the first ship she would twist apart and wreck today. Soldiers who had believed they would participate in honor and glory found themselves thrown around by a twelve year old girl as the very ship they stood on was ripped apart.
Many of the men had seen the popular propaganda play 'The Boy in the Iceberg'. As the play was written based upon actual accounts and eyewitnesses, they believed the earthbender that had travelled with the Avatar to be a huge, thickly built man. As professionally trained solders were thrown around the deck of their own ships by a young, small, blind girl, they realized why the play's 'sources' had lied about what had beaten them up.
The Warrior
Appa descended upon the water tribe ship, startling the crew in the process.
Sokka leapt off the Sky Bison with Aang and Katara joining him. Every eye was on them. The warriors of the tribe. The men he had tried to emulate as a boy. The ones he was too young to join when they went off to war. They all had war paint on and looked fearsome close up. It filled Sokka with pride to see the villages' defenders, but he knew their efforts would be futile. If Aang and Katara did not act, everyone on this ship would fall before sunset.
It was the largest ship and therefore had the greatest chance of finding Chief Hakoda, and fortunately for once it seems the group got lucky.
"Sokka! Katara!" It was the unmistakable voice of his father as he moved his way towards the trio. Chief Hakoda looked impressive in his full war attire, even in the face paint, Sokka recognized him instantly.
"Dad! We have a plan to turn them back but we need to keep you around that ship." Sokka indicated the Fire Nation ship looming ahead. "Anywhere else and you are going to get hit by what the Avatar and Katara are going to unleash."
"Katara! Are you…" Hakoda instinctively began to protest against his daughter going into harm's way.
"I'm with the Avatar dad, and I am a member of this tribe. We are stopping this invasion, right here and right now." Katara replied.
Hakoda looked at his daughter and then nodded. "If we do not stop them in the water than all is lost. Our scouts saw them coming so we pulled together what we could. There is about fifty of us in total"
He turned towards Aang. "I'm glad to see you on your feet Avatar, can you do this? I can intercept our other men and direct them towards the one ship."
"Do it, I will clear the deck. Then board as fast as possible, you are most vulnerable when you are on your own ship in the open. You cannot retreat now, if you turn back, they will attack you as you try to return." The Avatar responded.
Aang and Katara leapt back on Appa. "Best of luck to you Chief, Sokka, stay safe." And with that, the Avatar and his sister ascended back into the sky.
"You heard him, men. Intercept the other vessels." Hakoda shouted to the helmsman. The chief then turned to Sokka, and he could feel his legs threatening to turn to jelly in the presence of his father. Thankfully, the rest of the men busied themselves, giving Sokka and Hakoda as much privacy as possible on a crowded ship.
"It is nice to see you son. I wish it were under better circumstances."
"We brought the Avatar, dad. He and Katara will turn the tide. I know they will."
"I hope they literally turn the tide. I would love to see those battleships sink."
Sokka grinned, the small speck of humor putting him more at ease.
Hakoda put his hand on his son's shoulder. "You are taller than when I saw you last. You've grown so much travelling with the Avatar, caring for your sister."
"To be honest Dad, she takes care of me, I'm not going to be out there trapping and sinking battleships."
"You two are a pair, you need each other. I think you two know that. You two were inseparable as kids, and when destiny called you were right by her side for the journey of a lifetime. I doubted you when you swore that the Avatar was still alive and that you were staying with him. Because of your faith we have a chance to see another sunrise."
"I'll be right beside you Dad, we are going to protect what is ours."
Their vessel came up upon the Fire Nation battleship. From the low ridding ship that Sokka was on, looking up at the massive Fire Nation hull made the single ship look more imposing than it did from the sky on Appa.
Sokka closed his eyes and took a deep breath and looked to banish his nerves. His sister and Aang belonged together with their bending prowess doing the heavy lifting and accomplishing what no normal people could do. It made him chuckle thinking that last time Katara had been home she could barely hold water over her head and now she was side by side with the Avatar as a bending master. Their place was together, but his place was here. These men were who he had always looked up to, and together as a unit he could contribute to doing their part in repealing this invasion.
He had seen Aang and Katara land on the deck of the ship before them and he had held his breath at the amount of fire that was flying away from the ship. He released his breath in relief when he saw Aang and Katara leave the ship. Aang was flying on his glider, while Katara had leapt off the ship and used her bending to cushion herself and then skate across the water at a rapid speed. Sokka and the rest of the men cheered when they saw it.
There was no time to lose, Aang and Katara had to move quickly to head off the other ships before they reached the shore.
"The deck is clear, it's time to board." Hakoda commanded, and together using grappling hooks and ladders they boarded the ship.
The deck was cluttered with unconscious soldiers, but more were beginning to ascend from the bowels of the ship and charged towards the boarders.
The soldiers did not bend, they ran towards them instead. The benders were taken out, the non-benders remained. Sokka grinned, evened odds were all he could hope for.
He threw his boomerang and hit the lead soldier square in the head, knocking him over and tripping three others before the two sides clashed.
Sokka tried to keep his distance as much as possible, trusting more in his boomerang throws than his swordsmanship. More than once he knocked opponents to the ground or disoriented them allowing a Water Tribe warrior to take advantage and take out the soldier.
When he had to, he defended himself with his sword. A lot of the soldiers were older and stronger, but Sokka was quicker, and he liked to think, much smarter. When a larger man looked to bully through him with brute strength, Sokka was able to dart and pivot to the side, keeping the opponent off balance and clumsy when they overexposed themselves. The fighting became a blur and it seemed to never end. The drawn out fighting was taking its toll, his strategy was keeping him safe, but it was making him very tired.
Should have exercised more and eaten less. He thought desperately. Occasionally he would hear a loud crack of ice shattering or the horrible screeching of metal being torn apart as evidence of the bending battles that his friends were involved in.
With one soldier, he bit off more than he could chew. He was a bit too slow on his feet, he blocked the blow but the force of the hit knocked him flat on his back and sent his sword spinning away clear across the deck. As he fell, his foot got caught on the ground of the deck and he felt a searing pain. He tried to scramble to his feet and then hit the deck again with another shout of pain.
He looked up and saw the soldier standing over him, the blade of his weapon now resting under Sokka's chin. Sokka could not see his father, there were no Water Tribe members nearby. His sister, Aang, and Toph would not be here to bail him out.
So this is how it would end.
He looked up at the man standing over him. But after the frenzy of combat faded it was clear that it wasn't a man really, it was a boy. He was built as stout as a tank, but he must have been Sokka's age, perhaps even younger.
Blue eyes stared at crimson ones as the two boys from two different cultures stared at one another. Sokka kept a brave face, he would not spend his last moments as a coward.
The fire nation boy bit his lip, took a look at Sokka's foot, and without a word, withdrew his sword and walked away.
Sokka was stunned. I suppose some of them do have a conscience. Maybe there is a chance for them if we can get the right person on their throne.
Trying to wipe away the last tense moments from his mind, Sokka struggled to find leverage in order to prop himself up.
I am not going to lay here like a juicy cut of meat.
"Sokka" he heard his father cry out. Then Sokka saw him looking every bit the warrior he imagined as his father placed himself between his son and a Fire Nation soldier that was slowly approaching. Hakoda and the soldier engaged as Sokka struggled to get up, the swordfight brought them close to the edge of the ship. Sokka had just managed to bring himself up from the ground, keeping his weight off his left foot when he saw his father take a blow to the chest.
Pure adrenaline kicked in, it didn't matter that his foot screamed at him in protest. Sokka with the determination of a true warrior launched himself at his father's assailant. He had no weapon and was not strong enough to tackle him head on. Sokka slammed his shoulder into the larger man's armored chest with the intention of knocking the man over the side of the ship. Sokka broke his clavicle on the impact, but his plan worked as the man, who had not expected the impact, stumbled and fell over the side.
Sokka, gritting his teeth from the new sudden pain dragged himself over to his father who lay prone and the deck and had shallow breathing.
"Damnit dad, don't die. Please don't die." The emotional pain was far more than any physical trauma.
The fire nation soldiers were stepping back, with the benders already incapacitated and the Water Tribe warriors fighting for their homes and families the garrison remaining on the battleship were outmatched. Armor prevented most deaths, but many on both sides lay wounded, and the Water Tribe's temporary victory turned bitter when they saw their wounded chieftain in his son's arms.
The Waterbender
It was surreal to be home and enraging to see the Fire Nation vessels intruding on their land. But there was comfort knowing that there was hope that she could make a difference.
There were three master benders coming to the defense of her tribes, and that would have to be enough.
Initially, it was going well. On the first ship that they cleared for the men of her tribe the heat of the flames were intense. But she had an entire ocean of water at her disposal and the Avatar at her side. She was not afraid, and after the first few benders on the ship were incapacitated, the next soldiers were not benders. The next ship was much the same, about five benders that brought considerable challenge but with Aang by her side they handled them. After they were dealt with, the ships were in effect neutralized much easier to halt.
Using waterbending, Aang and Katara cracked apart icebergs and froze the water, trapping ships on all sides. When they could, Aang got Appa to transport Toph to her next batch of victims as she twisted the ships into worthless wrecks. She was currently putting the finishing touches on her latest work.
Aang and Katara swept to the back of the ice channel and froze the water to seal the channel shut. The three ships that had not yet entered were cut off, and they drifted too close to the newly formed wall of ice. Unable to turn the massive ships around in time, the firebenders with all their power, could not melt the ice without the melted water flooding their ships.
The pair sent walls of ice crashing down, blocking ships' path in the channel. For all the firebender's power in this moment they were frustrated and stuck. There was really only one more ship that posed a real threat. Toph, Aang, and Katara had worked well as a synchronized team to grind the entire fleet to a halt.
She wished that they could have taken the time to completely neutralize the first ship and keep her brother and father out of harm's way, but the ice that was being bended would have shattered the Water Tribes smaller ships rather than trapping the thick hulls of the battleships. If they had taken the time to completely clear out the bowels of the ship, the other battleships would have reached the village and all would have been lost.
There was one more ship, and then she could go back and make sure they were okay.
She was thrown out of her train of thought as a fire blast larger than any she had ever seen was aimed directly at her. While skating across the water, she bent it into a ramp to propel herself into the air and avoid the fire and continue to move in a wave of her own making. But the fire kept on coming. The relentless assault was becoming harder and harder to avoid.
But, as she had come to rely on, Aang was at her side and was using airbending and waterbending to intercept the blasts. With the short reprieve, she could see the origin of the attacker. The massive strikes were originating from a single man on the deck of the remaining ship. It was clear that they would not have the time to stop this ship with this man constantly attacking them.
She bent her ramp of water towards the deck of the ship, and Aang mirroring her movements joined her on the deck.
The man was dressed in a spectacular military uniform with a pointed beard and a cruel looking face.
"The last airbender and the last waterbender of the southern tribe. How fortunate am I to have you deliver yourselves to me." The man's face twisted into an arrogant smirk before he attacked them. It took mere seconds for Katara to realize that attacking him directly may have been a mistake. There was no doubt that he was a master firebender, and with the power of the comet he stretched the two young benders to their limit.
Aang and Katara were on the defensive the entire time, they could hardly summon an offensive attack before a blast of fire sent them reeling backwards.
Katara tried every technique she learned from Master Pakku, keeping her offensive and defensive movements varied and unpredictable, slowly but surely the amount of attacks they were able to execute increased. She was getting tired, every muscle in her body ached, but she could not falter now, she was fighting for her home. Everyone was depending on her.
The man sent a blast towards Aang who had to leap into the air and to the side to avoid it. A second strike at the Avatar forced him to hastily block the fire blast but put him out of balance so that he landed on his side and sprawled on the deck, stunned. The man then prepared to attack Aang as he was dazed and vulnerable. The firebender desired a chance to strike the Avatar when he should have been defending against the master waterbender instead.
Coming to Aang's defense Katara summoned a water whip that sent the firebender sprawling, but as he fell he fired a blast directly at her. With no time react, Katara tried desperately to physically move out of the way.
She did not pull her hand away in time.
The Avatar
Laying on the ground, Aang heard Katara's scream and it made his heart stop.
Blowing air out of his mouth, he propelled himself off the deck's surface and on his feet.
He saw Katara slumped over, clutching a blistering, burnt hand in shock.
During the entire invasion, Aang had been attempting to summon the Avatar state and had been unsuccessful, the trigger for its activation continued to elude him.
Seeing Katara injured and her attacker rising to his feet was the final key to unlock his potential.
The wind began to howl around him and the waves of the ocean crashed violently against the ship, the crashing waves rocking it harshly. Smaller vessels would have sunk immediately.
The Avatar rose off the ground and the firebender and all of his crew were blown backwards. Powerful gusts of wind pinned every member of the fire nation to the deck of the ship.
The airbender tattoos began to glow and Aang's eyes went white, the pupils disappearing completely.
The Avatar spoke in a thunderous voice, though the words were not his. The words seemed to shake the sky itself as everyone in the ice channel and the villages could hear the proclamation.
YOUR NATION HAS DEFILED THE EARTH AND BROUGHT DEVESTATION TO ITS PEOPLE. YOU HAVE ABANDONED ALL MORALS TO SERVE A TYRANT WHO WOULD DESTROY A NATION TO KEEP WHAT HE HAS STOLEN. YOU HAVE TORN APART THE BALANCE OF THE WORLD PIECE BY PIECE FOR ONE HUNDRED YEARS, BUT YOUR EMPIRE WILL WITHER AND DIE. THERE WILL BE A PRICE FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS.
The master firebender was lying flat on his back, looking up at the hovering, glowing, ranting child that was about to kill him. He did not blink, he did not flinch. He stared back defiantly.
No strike came. The harsh wind lost its intensity and slowly faded away.
The Avatar became a boy once again and slowly descended to the deck. The bright light faded from his eyes and tattoos. Aang wanted to turn and run back towards where Katara was slumped against the side of the ship. The fire had missed her face and torso, but her right arm was burnt horribly. Her sleeve was burned off and her entire arm was so badly burnt that it nearly made Aang sick when he had first saw it. Katara's eyes looked bloodshot, as if she was in shock and still registering what had happened to her.
Despite the pain, she was lucid enough to shout out to Aang. "Don't be distracted Aang! I will be fine! Focus on him!"
The firebender had gotten to his feet from the sprawled position on the floor. There was a hard look in his eyes. Standing five meters away from the Avatar and nearly two meters tall, he towered over the young boy who had previously held the admiral's life in his hands. Around him, the group of soldiers consolidated around their leader. There were firebenders among them and too many for Aang to take alone, but it would not be a problem for the Avatar State. But, Aang hoped that the previous display of the Avatar state would dissuade them from action, because he did not want to have to use it again. Looking at the soldiers they looked terrified and in awe. They did not look like them would dare to attack him. Katara's attacker however was a different matter.
"It is over." Avatar Aang spoke with authority towards the members of the Fire Nation.
"Avatar. I am Admiral Zusai. I command this fleet and I have direct orders from Fire Lord Ozai. The pacification of the Southern Water tribes will end only when I decree it." The man spoke with such viciousness and hatred that it almost took Aang aback. Most would have cowered in fear at the display of the enraged Avatar state. It had only seemed to put the Admiral into a rage himself.
"Admiral. Your invasion is over and you will not lift a finger to harm anyone here ever again. From the South Pole to the North Pole and every village and city in-between. They are under my protection. Gather your men onto the three ships north of here that are stuck beyond the ice channel, but not destroyed. When the comet ends I will release those ships. Return to the Fire Lord, and tell him that the Avatar has returned."
There was eerie silence, there was no louder sound than from the soft blowing of the wind.
"No." The Admiral said, the word was laced with venom. The single word cut through Aang's heart like a knife.
"So go on ahead. Summon your powers boy. Nothing is stopping you from killing us all."
The soldiers around the admiral were terrified of the Avatar's power, now many of them were going as white as milk at the Admiral's challenge of that same power.
The admiral is standing firm, but not all his men share that sentiment. If I can move some of them…
"Consider the well-being of your men…" Aang began.
The Admiral snapped back, taking control of the exchange "Their lives mean nothing compared to the entirety of the Fire Lord's vision. You will have to kill them all if you have the stomach for it. I came here to secure the Avatar, and as luck would have it, he is standing right in front of me, though a bit older than I expected. Prince Zuko has some explaining to do for taking the credit in your demise."
Zuko was the one who killed me? I never asked Katara which one it was that hit me. I was so wrapped up in my own self-loathing that I did not consider how she felt. She trusted Zuko, she must blame herself for my death as much as I blamed myself.
"I promised Ozai personally that if the Avatar was here I would deliver it to him alive. It's the only order I will ever disobey. End my life, or I will end yours. Prove that you are not bluffing and that your threat of power is real. Only then should surrender even be considered. I have read all about your culture's pacifism. Your aversion to lethal punishment. I can come here with any intention I choose, I can even harm those you travel with." The admiral's eyes flashed over Aang's shoulder to where Katara lay on the ground. "And you still would not take my life. You cannot drive my invasion force away without causalities."
The Avatar state did not take over, but Aang felt his emotions spike. His anger was quickly reaching a boiling point.
"You will harm no one." Avatar Aang proclaimed. His voice seemed to drop an octave lower than usual.
"Then prove it boy, without action your words are empty. Loyalty to the country and to the Fire Lord, always." The Admiral sneered, his entire face was twisted in defiance.
"Admiral! Wait! We have a responsibility for the lives of our crew we must consider…" A young fire nation man, a boy, really not much older than Sokka, spoke out as he stepped forward.
It looked like the Admiral's eyes were lit aflame. He shouted in a deranged frenzy. The two must have had history built up between them. "Lieutenant you are being tricked by a child, you stupid, ill-bred mutt!"
Whether the comet increased aggression or it was simply an act of cruelty, the Admiral sent a blast of fire at the young lieutenant.
Aang sprang into action, swirling his staff in an arc to guide his airbending around the young man to protect him.
The Admiral pivoted and fired a blast in quick succession at the Avatar, then a second, a third, a forth. Not one flame touched Aang as he dissipated each attack.
It was not lost on either Aang or the admiral that there was only one person attacking the Avatar out of the thirty soldiers that were currently on the ship. Whatever hold of authority the Admiral had on his men was lost when he had lashed out against the lieutenant.
"Cowards! you all will be…" The Admiral shouted before abruptly stopping and pivoting to his side as a jet of water flew past where his head had been a moment before.
Aang heard a grunt of pain behind him from Katara, as her attempt to defend him despite her injuries clearly pained her. He then heard her hit the floor of the deck.
With a snarl, the Admiral aimed his clenched fist away from Aang towards the defenseless Katara instead and sent off a lethal attack.
Time stopped for Aang. In the past he could not control any action in the Avatar state at least not when he first entered it. He could pull himself out of it eventually like he had minutes before and he was aware of others like when Katara had calmed him in the desert when he had been ready to attack the sandbenders. But those times it always felt like an outside force was controlling his actions. This time it felt different. This time, Aang actually felt in control. The decision was his. And the only thing going through his mind, overriding everything the monks had taught him, was that the man in front of him had hurt Katara, aimed to kill her in cold blood, and would be willing kill everyone else if he was not stopped.
Aang blocked the attack and the wind began feverishly swirling around him again. His tattoos and eyes flashed again with a blinding white light. The Avatar thrust his fist forward. He did not know firebending techniques, but in the Avatar state it did not matter. Fire erupted from his fist as his shout of anger could be heard from miles away.
Aftermath
The Admiral died instantly, the fire blast from the Avatar killed him before had any chance to register what was happening. He never felt anything.
Aang in that moment had wanted nothing more in that moment to kill the man and words could not express how deeply it cut him at his very core. Nothing could properly express the shame he felt that he had followed through. In the moments that followed after the Avatar State faded away it took all of his self-control not the weep right there on the deck of the ship.
He wanted nothing more than to run to Katara, but the lieutenant stepped forward and went to one knee.
"The day is yours Avatar. The admiral issued a challenge and you succeeded. We will not challenge you further, we are honor bound to receed."
Aang snapped back, trying to still sound assertive despite the wave of emotions that were hitting him. "Honor? Right, this attack was very honorable, wasn't it? Go! Leave as I told you to and never return! Think long and hard during your voyage home where honor can be found in attacking the defenseless." He was shouting towards the end of his response.
He turned and ran to Katara's side. No one dared attack him. They could not leave the ship fast enough. The ice frozen by Aang and Katara connected to the other ships. The soldiers ran to spread news of the surrender to the others. They could not leave the South Pole soon enough.
Katara smiled weakly when he approached. She held glowing water above her burned arm. "I'm a healer Aang, don't worry about me."
She did look better, it only looked like a bad injury now instead of a horrific one. She was not going to be able to heal overnight.
"It's more than a simple burn, let's get you to your village rather than this cold ship. You can see Gran-Gran and your father."
She nodded. "We need to look for Sokka, Dad, and Toph. I need to know that they are okay."
She then looked into the sky. "The comet's gone. You saved hundreds today Aang, don't forget that." Sure enough Aang looked up and the comet was gone. The horrific day that he had dreaded had come to a close. The majestic splendor of the Northern Water Tribe had surely been destroyed by now, melted away until nothing remained.
Katara reached to brush his cheek with her good hand. "I know what you are thinking right now, and I know what we are all facing. It may take months, years, decades, maybe our whole lifetime. But we will be free."
Appa arrived shortly afterwards with Toph on his back. Katara needed Aang to carry her to get into the saddle.
"You have a smart animal Twinkletoes, he found Sokka and me all by himself. We should hurry, Appa can get you to where Sokka is. He is with your father...Katara…your dad is badly hurt." Toph's tone sold how serious the situation was.
Just as the last nights had went they sped on Appa as fast as they could. Appa took them to the largest Water Tribe boat that was making its way to shore.
They found Hakoda treated with the wounded on the ship until they could get to shore. Sokka was there at his side, his face battered and bruised and his foot kept off the ground. It looked like he had taken a beating, but nevertheless hobbled on one leg to embrace his sister when he saw her and yelled in anger when he saw her arm.
The four friends stayed with each other all evening and into the night.
Aang had to leave briefly to use his waterbending to free the trapped ships and push them back out into the ocean with the Fire Nation invasion force aboard. Aang watched them leave, and vowed that he would see that they would never return here during a time of war.
When the group had come ashore they relocated to a small hut in the village. Katara spent her time healing her father and herself whenever her father weakly forced her to treat her own arm.
Hakoda tried his best to placate his children with small smiles. "Sokka and Katara…I am so proud of you. I could not hope to ask for anything more. With the Avatar you saved our tribes, everything we have."
It was not certain if Hakoda would survive, but the fact that he survived into the night and was able to sleep peacefully was encouraging.
Eventually Toph, Sokka and Katara succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep in the early hours of the morning. It took longer for Aang to do so, but he wished he had not. His dreams were plagued by the worst nightmares. The ones that were true. The Northern Water Tribe was collapsing, there was the face of the man that he had killed, and there was a looming shadow that had to be the Fire Lord looking down on him. He woke up shaking and threw up, his head was spinning and his heart racing.
He was thirteen years old and he had intentionally killed a man. The worst part of it was, if he was put back in the exact same position, he was sure that he would do the same thing again.
He had saved the Southern Water Tribe. In the following days, every villager regarded him with almost holy reverence. It put the attention he had received on Kyoshi Island to shame. He was a hero. A beacon of hope. The Avatar had returned.
He wanted to speak with his past lives now more than ever. Not Roku, but the previous Avatars who had been Air Nomads. He had always worn his tattoos with pride, now he could not bear to look at them. He took off his traditional orange robes and found clothes and a coat with a hood that covered the symbols of his culture. He planned to grow out his hair to further hide the arrow on his head.
Someday maybe I can become worthy to be an Air Nomad again. But…today is not that day, and I cannot wear the traditions of my people while disrespecting every ideal they taught me. Forgive me Gyatso. I was the wrong Avatar at the wrong time, they need a warrior, not a monk.
He had lost his innocence, he would have to be the Avatar in a war torn world. He would need more than the threat of power, he would have to actually be willing to unleash that power in order to stop Ozai.
In order to be the hero that was needed, he could not be an Air Nomad.
A/N
A long chapter that has been in the works for a while. I could not bring myself to break it up as I could not find a good stopping point without it feeling like a horrible pointless cliffhanger, so I kept it all together.
I hope you enjoyed it.
When I came up with the premise of the story, the trials that Aang and his friends would have to face with a more powerful fire nation is what compelled me to write it out. Tough choices will need to be made if they want to topple a nation that controls the entire world.
Additionally, while Azula was certainly sinister because of her upbringing, I didn't see her as someone who was completely amoral and I think she would have an identity struggle if she was pushed by her father to do crueler things than what she does in the show.
I felt so bad for Aang when watching the series. A pacifist who is thrown into a world wide war, and only he can stop it. That has to be some of the worst luck ever.
Given how attached he is to Katara, I don't think its a stretch to say that her being maliciously attacked multiple times and entire villages being threatened would send him over the edge to kill one person. I am sure Avatar Kyoshi is thrilled right now, but it would really rip him up inside.
I am not going to write this story as overtly violent, but I do want it to be realistic. If this attack did happen, there would be consequences and there is no way that nobody would die during it or that the main characters would walk away without a scratch.