What If… Katara was Told Off for Her Bloodbending?
an Avatar fanfic
inspired by What If…?
by DecaTilde
Katara of the Southern Water Tribe. When she was a little girl, she lost her mother, Kya, to a firebender. However, since then, she freed a young Air Nomad boy, Aang, the Avatar of her time, from an iceberg he was trapped in for one-hundred years. In time, she taught him how to master waterbending, got into arguments with and made up with his earthbending teacher, Toph Beifong of the Earth Kingdom, and developed a complicated relationship with his firebending teacher, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, who was, at first, destined to capture Avatar Aang. Torn apart by their first meetings and his betrayal, even after Zuko apologized to Aang and his friends and was eventually accepted in, she didn't trust him, and even threatened to take his life. However, the relationship thawed out when he offered to help Katara avenge her mother's murder, and she finally forgave him. Eventually, on the day of Sozin's Comet, she helped Zuko overthrow his sister, Princess Azula, in an Agni Kai for the throne, and became victorious. Together, they, along with Avatar Aang, ended the Hundred Year War. Of course, this is how the story was told in your universe. But in another universe, a single choice created a new destiny for Katara…
Chapter 1 - You're a Bloodbender?!
One night, Zuko steered Appa, Aang's pet flying bison. Katara slept on Appa's saddle. Zuko looked through a telescope.
"There!" he called, getting Katara's attention.
He tossed the telescope to her.
"See those sea raven flags?" Zuko continued, pointing to the flags on a raider ship. "It's the Southern Raiders."
Katara lowered the telescope, and glared in determination.
"Let's do this," she said.
After the two raided the ship, Katara yelled out sending a powerful stream of water toward a large door. The impact of the water knocked it down. The commander of the Southern Raiders tried to attack Zuko with his firebending, but he deflected them.
"Who are you?" asked the commander.
"You don't remember her?" Zuko replied about Katara. "You will soon, trust me."
The commander tried to attack again, but his hand failed to move and began to tremble.
"What's…happening to me?"
The commander attempted to control his arm, which bent about uncontrollably. Katara motioned her arms swiftly, forcing him to the ground—she used bloodbending, a rare and illegal form of waterbending, to subdue him. Zuko looked at her stunned and utterly shocked. For a moment, she fixed the commander to a position where he looked right into eyes. She glared at him cold and harshly. However, her expression changed from one of hate to one of shock upon realizing.
"It's not him," she suddenly said, freeing the commander from her grip. "He's not the man."
The commander fell to the ground, breathing heavily.
"Zuko?" Katara continued.
The Fire Nation prince was nowhere to be seen.
"You must be looking for Yon Rha," the commander said, getting up and getting her attention. "He retired four years ago."
Katara's eyes teared up.
"A bloodbender?" Zuko shouted, furiously. "You're a bloodbender?!"
The two were back on Appa, who floated by the raider ship atop the water.
"You shouldn't have offered to help in the first place," Katara snapped.
"It's no wonder you threatened me the day I was accepted into your group!"
"Well, it doesn't matter now," she replied, crossing her arms. "The commander in the ship wasn't the man who took my mother from me anyway."
Zuko turned away from her.
"You were right, Katara," he said, hurt. "Forgiveness isn't just hard—it's impossible. I thought that maybe after we'd find the man who is responsible for your mother's murder, you'd forgive me. I guess I was wrong. If you want to find him, you're on your own."
Katara understood, and hopped off of Appa, back onto the helm of the ship.
"Yip-yip," Zuko continued, pulling Appa's reins.
Appa took flight. Katara looked up at the departing bison, then glared back at the commander.
"Where's Yon Rha?" she asked, clenching her fist.
In this universe, Zuko told Katara off for her bloodbending. This led her down a dark path—a path she feared she couldn't turn back from.