A/N. Three chapters left! One of Sokka, then one Aang, and the last, I will see.
For the moment, enjoy! The plot of Ashes of Autumn will begin to take form from here on out!
Standing in the gallery, the waterbender perked her ears to hear whatever could be useful. There were shouts and cries coming from far away, from the direction of the Fire Sages temple. But no sound that could indicate fast running feet coming towards her, or the soft crazy laughter that she imagined from the princess.
Katara had stood on the grates for just a few moments, but those precious seconds had felt like years. Years where her heart was beating like a maniac, knowing that any moment now, Azula could appear and attack her.
Let her come.
Let Azula come. She had a plan, and she could nearly taste victory. If everything went alright… Tui and La, if her wishes could just become the truth… Then, she would be content. But before she could even dream about that, there was the problem of actually defeating Azula.
Holding the chains, she had taken from the wall in her fingers, Katara dared to look around. The square was empty, except from a few fires and the body of a hopefully alive Zuko. Spirits, her heart stopped beating for a second at that thought, something she would not have considered possible a few weeks ago. And yet, it was true.
Scanning the other parts of the square, the great iron gates were still closed, and she could see the white fur of Appa clearly through it. At least, the bison was still safe. Letting her eyes go to the left, Katara saw the great temple at the other end burning, with Fire Sages running around, trying to calm down the flames. But no Azula.
Where was she? The princess would not have fled… not from her. Azula knew that by capturing her, she could end the war in her own favour. Yes… Aang would drop down the moment he would thin she was in danger. Katara gritted her teeth, knowing that that was the worst outcome possible. She would rather die than being captured and being the reason that the Hundred Years War was won by the Fire Nation.
That had been the thing she was afraid of. That the Fire Nation would use their relationship as a weapon. But she had thrown caution into the wind, realizing that they would do it no matter what. So why not do as they wanted?
And to be honest, Katara couldn't help but feel jubilant at the fact that it was her that would take down Azula. At least, who would try and take down the Princess everyone feared. That bitch had killed Aang. She had been the cause of so much pain and destruction. And yes, if she let her heart rule her actions, she would beat Azula to a pulp and enjoy the sight of her dying at her feet. Oh yes… She would enjoy that very much.
But as the fight had progressed, Katara had realized that Azula would want to die fighting, for her nation. Or at least, in an honourable way. And the waterbender didn't allow that. No. She would not give the princess the satisfaction of dying in the defence of her radical and horrible ideas. And Aang had been right all those weeks ago, after Hama…
It was their own choices that made them evil. And Katara refused to be that, to be feared and respected just for the fact she was the one that had killed Azula of the Fire Nation. No, she wanted to be remembered as the one that had helped people… Who had done some good in a world destroyed by war.
So, no. She would not kill Azula. But Katara would make sure that the princess would never see daylight again, after seeing what she had caused. And that Azula would see what the world would look like when it was ruled fairly and in peace. Oh… That would not even come close to what the darker parts of her spirit wanted to do to Azula… But it would be a great start.
"There you are, filthy peasant." A soft whisper sounded from beside her, near the colonnade. Whipping her head towards the sound, Katara was met by the ember eyes, wide and full of hatred. Burning hatred, towards what, Katara suspected she knew.
Towards her. Towards Zuko. Towards the world.
Zuko, she could understand, in a certain way. Azula had always been told she was better than her brother, and now, she saw that it was not only wrong, but also that her brother had the support of friends… While, if the waterbender remembered correctly, Azula's friends had betrayed her… For her brother.
Towards the world, Katara could also understand. The princess had been taught that the world was inferior, and that the ways of the other nations were important to understand, but also to understand that they were mere insects compared to the Fire Nation.
But hatred towards her, she didn't understand. Sure, she had resisted and fought Azula several times, but why would she have a particular hatred towards Katara?
Glancing at the feet of the firebender, the waterbender saw that she wasn't standing on the grates, underneath which water flowed… Gritting her teeth, she knew what needed to be done. She needed to get Azula to get closer.
But the princess wasn't that stupid…
"Your father is already dead. Aang is coming." She whispered, taking a step backwards. Azula needed to think that the only way to win, was by getting to her. Capturing her, and force the Avatar to stop his efforts against the Fire Nation. Katara knew she was playing with fire, as trying to provoke the clearly unhinged Azula was a dangerous thing to do.
"Liar." The princess hissed, as the ember eyes flickered towards the chains in Katara's hands.
"You broke the rules…" Katara squinted her eyes slightly, because the heat radiating from the firebender a few yards away was immense.
"There are no rules for me. I am Fire Lord!" The last sentence was spoken way louder than before, and the princess took a step towards her, on the grates.
Just… Just one more step. Just one, then you can attack me. But not before. I need you completely at the water's mercy…
"Zuko will be Fire Lord… And you? You will be forgotten… You didn't even manage to kill the Avatar…" Katara jeered, getting frustrated at the fact that Azula was not aggressively trying to get to her. And she felt the slight pang in her heart as she spoke those sentences, because in fact, Azula had managed to do just so…
And it had been the worst three weeks of her life since her mother's death.
"The Avatar will find Zuko burned to death… And you, gone. To the army. Did he tell you what I planned for you? Did that sweet Air Degenerate tell you? Of course, he didn't…" Azula's lips parted to reveal the evillest grin Katara could imagine.
No… Aang had told her that the princess had told him horrible things, and Katara had kind of filled in the gaps herself. But to actually hear it from Azula's own lips… Fear gripped her heart at the idea. There would be no escape if that happened now…
Steeling herself, Katara took one more step backwards, to the limit of the grates. She could go no further than this, if she wanted her plan to work…
Come on you bitch. One step. One step is all I need…
Her eyes quickly flickered towards Zuko, over Azula's shoulder. The prince had turned around, on his stomach, and was trying to get himself up by pushing his elbows on the ground. Suddenly, as she focused for a millisecond on him, Katara saw movement from the corner of her eye.
Azula had moved at the moment her focus was elsewhere, just for a second. The princess was now in the middle of the corridor of the colonnade, and had her hand extended in a firebending move Katara had seen Zuko teach Aang.
A move that didn't actually produce fire, but rather heated the air around something… or someone. It would unable someone, who would be in excruciating pain, his or her lungs burning by inhaling the hot air…
Shit.
NOW! Another voice suddenly sounded in her head, one she could not place, but as she let herself fall backwards to at least escape the worst of what Azula could do to her, Katara pulled up the water in the basin underneath the grates.
Underneath them.
As the water erupted from the floor, the air that had begun to feel warmer disappeared, as was replaced by the cool and soothing feeling of water all around her. The water roared past her face, upwards and upwards. Quickly lifting her hands up, to chase the water ever higher, the waterbender clenched her fists. All around her, the water froze, and the sound of water suddenly disappeared, being replaced by eerie silence.
The crackling sound of the fires burning all around the plaza was silenced, as were the cries of people. The soft sound that had been present in the air since Sozin's Comet had appeared in the sky was also gone, and the only sound was the deafening silence that you could only hear under the water.
Silence in which Katara was completely comfortable.
Concentrating on the ice around her, she froze it as much as she could bear. As much as she loved water, she knew that fire was able to melt ice… And certainly, comet fuelled fire. Azula's fire and flames were more than capable of doing that… The ice had encased them both, and, looking towards where the firebender had been standing, Katara could see a black, red and golden shape. Those had been the colours of the armour Azula had been wearing… And she didn't seem to be moving…
And there was no air.
No air…
Exhaling softly, Katara let the ice around her liquify just a bit. Not much, but enough to be able to create a small bubble of water around her. Moving her index finger, she also created a little bubble of air around her nose, inhaling the cold air quickly before removing it. As long as Azula had nothing to bend, there was a chance. And for fire, she needed air. Sure… There were probably small pockets of air in the ice, but Katara seriously doubted that even someone as good as Azula would be able to bend without moving.
Kicking her feet around, she was able to move slightly towards the left… If only she could get behind Azula… And get the chains around her arms… Looking at the fingers that had pointed towards her, Katara melt the ice around the firebender's forearm, looping the chain around it a few times, all the while keeping an eye on the hand, to make sure that no ice was melting around the firebender's fingers… If she gave her access to any bending movement, she was done for…
Freezing the water behind her, she inched closer and closer around the shape in the ice, all the while dragging the chained arm with her. Just a bit more… Just a bit…
It surely didn't take more than a few seconds, but in her mind, Katara thought it was hours. Hours where she didn't dare breathe or create a new air pocket… And hours were the fate of this fight hinged on her ability to keep the ice as solid as possible. She could feel a source of energy inside the ice trying to meld it down… But she concentrated on freezing the water where it was needed. Inching closer to the figure, she saw only the blackness of Azula's hair… No shape or colour indicating it was her face.
Katara was behind the princess!
Letting the water melt just a little bit more around her, the waterbender held the chains firmly in her hands as she knelt down on the ice. Melting a bit more ice away, she saw that Azula's other arm was at her back. Sighing in relief, Katara put the other end of the chain around the arm. Both arms were constricted now… But as long as Azula was able to keep going, it would be no use…
Melting down the ice underneath her, Katara let the water flow away, revealing the grates. The ice block trembled slightly, and she quickly hardened it again. No. Azula was not getting away. No, she was going to pay for her deeds… And to be honest, a dark part of the waterbender's mind screamed at her to just plunge an ice spike in the back of the princess.
No. That is her way. To kill people from behind. I will look her in the eyes as she will realize all her dreams are gone. Let her know how it feels.
Looping the chains around the iron bars of the grates, Katara froze some water around it and around the hands in the hardest way she could. If Azula was going to use bending, let her be restricted to her mouth and feet. And if her fingers fell off because of some frostbite… Well, that was just a bonus.
Slamming her hand down, Katara unfroze the ice and let all the water fall down through the grates, back into the canals. Coughing, she heard the same coming from beside her. Looking up, she saw the princess, completely soaked coughing and gasping for air. Looking further, Katara realized that Azula had fallen down on her knees as the ice had collapsed. Sensing her chance, the waterbender quickly froze the firebender's feet against the grates. This way… This way, Azula would only have her mouth to breathe fire… And hearing the coughing and the gasping, Katara doubted that would be an option the coming moments.
Standing up, she took a few steps to stand in front of Azula. Looking into the ember eyes, which were quickly going from left to right, as if scanning the surroundings, Katara smiled.
"It's over. You lost… Azula. You got beaten by a savage peasant… During Sozin's Comet…" At that, the waterbender laughed aloud, loving the fact that she was able to taunt the firebender now, "The Fire Nation will never be yours… all thanks to a water savage. And one other thing… I did this because of what you did to my husband." With that, Katara turned around. Let the world know what she was. Let the world know it all. She wasn't afraid anymore.
She was Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, the person who had beaten Azula of the Fire Nation during the comet. She was the Avatar's companion and his wife. And all the dangers be damned, the world was going to know all of that.
A groan sounded from behind.
Shit. Zuko.
Turning around, Katara saw that the firebender had collapsed back onto the ground, his face against the marble of the plaza. Running back to him, she knelt down next to him, grabbing his shoulders as gently as possible before pulling. Another groan sounded as she managed to turn him on his back. The smell of burning flesh hit her nostrils, but steeling herself, Katara managed to put down the unwanted bad memories.
"Is… Is she… dead…" Zuko's voice sounded pained and slow, but clear. His tunic had been burned away, revealing his torso and stomach. Scanning the wound that crossed over his upper abdomen and the lower part of his chest, Katara was relieved to see it wasn't deep. Apparently, he had managed to pull the worst away by redirecting the lighting.
A bloodcurdling scream was heard, coming from behind them.
"Does that answer your question?" Katara spoke, without taking her eyes off the wound. The fighting was done, now was the time for healing. Pulling water out of the pouch at her hip, she got to work. As the water glowed around her hands, she sensed the weak points in Zuko's chi, and began to repair the burned muscles and flesh as best she could.
She had some experience, to say the least…
"Katara… Thank you…" Zuko whispered softly.
"I think I need to thank you. Are you crazy, jumping in front of that?" She scolded him, surprised at the relief she felt that he was alive.
"No… no more killing. The Fire Nation has… has… done enough of that. Better… better me than yet another innocent bystander. And I couldn't look any of our friends in the eyes… knowing I let you die…" Zuko's voice sounded a little bit stronger as she knitted back the muscles together. There was still a gaping wound around his chest, but… Well, he would survive she guessed.
"Well, thank you all the same." She smiled, feeling the veins in his flesh slowly come together once more. A groan sounded from the firebender, but that was not important… At least he would survive. A little bit of pain was a good price for a throne she guessed.
"Az… Azula? What… What happened? I think I kind of… fainted… At a moment."
"She tried to capture me… Or kill me. I don't know. But I subdued her. She will have trial when she is… Well, in a condition to have one." Katara glanced over her shoulder, seeing the princess with her mouth wide open, still with those big ember eyes wide open, looking in several directions. Suddenly, the eyes met hers.
And Azula screamed, flames flaring out of her nostrils. She began to pull at the restraints, but apparently, her handiwork was good enough to keep the princess in place. Katara turned back to Zuko, smiling.
"I would say I'm sorry for your sister… But I'm not." It sounded hard, but after all Azula had done, she should be thanking her for sparing her life. Removing the water from her hands, she looked at the wound. It still looked rather horrible, but there was just so much she could do… at east, in one session.
"I understand." Zuko sat up, groaning as the pain hit him. Katara, standing up, offered a hand. The prince took it, and she quickly moved underneath his arm, as to support his weight. Forcing him to turn towards the Fire Sages temple, instead of the screaming princess, the waterbender saw that the sages were actually not even trying to stop the flames destroying the temple. They were just staring at them, open mouths and fear in the ember and brown eyes.
"You… You… stopped the princess…" One sage, a young man of around thirty, stepped forward. She heard Zuko hiss, and it did sound more irritated than pained. So, she supposed that this particular Sage was not one of the good ones.
"I did. Now, who is Fire Lord?" She needed to hear it from them. Sure, they supposed that it was alright… But what would the priests actually do?
"Well… by tradition, the… Prince… Zuko is victorious. By a technicality." The young man pursed his lips. That didn't sound… good.
"Zuko was removed from the scrolls! He doesn't even have a claim. He has not won the throne, he has no claim!" Another young man spoke up, this one no more than twenty with a wispy beard.
"Lord Ozai would have our heads for crowning him!" The first sage agreed.
"You crown Zuko." She spoke, pulling his arm tighter over her shoulder. This was not good.
"Azula was defeated by you! He had no role whatsoever!" The sage bit back, with a look of poorly hidden disgust.
"Enough!" Zuko spoke up for the first time, and to her astonishment, she saw several of the sages, mostly the older ones, take a step back and bow their heads. That was the group that was going to support them, she supposed…
"Azula broke the rules, Ozai is dead! Iroh has refused the throne! There is no one else!" Zuko continued, before being interrupted by the sage with the flimsy beard.
"There are the grandchildren of Lord Sozin's sister!"
"Nonbenders can't sit the throne!" An older sage spoke up for the first time.
Spirits… What a bunch of old traditionalists… But suddenly, Katara understood. The younger ones were probably chosen by Ozai himself, they owed him their elevation… While the older ones were appointed by Azulon, or perhaps even Sozin… They didn't owe their allegiance to Ozai…
"I am Fire Lord. By the rules of the Agni Kai, if not by blood and right. If you don't accept my familial claim, I will claim it by combat! As the Fire Lords of old." Zuko retorted, silencing the sages. Katara nodded, knowing that there was no better solution at the moment. When the order of the White Lotus would be here, with Iroh, they would be able to chance this… But they were just two people, in the middle of enemy territory…
"That is… agreeable." The older sage spoke up, a thin smile on his lips.
"Good. I command you, as Fire Lord, to…" a groan followed, as Zuko clutched his chest, "To recall the armies. To evacuate the Earth Kingdom! We will retreat to the colonies for the moment! But the war is over! We will stop the war today! Sens messengers to every governor, every clan! They are to present… present themselves within a week at the Palace. Anyone who refuses will have to deal with me, Prince Iroh and the Avatar."
One of the younger sages, the one with the beard, spat on the ground before removing the hat from his head, throwing it on the ground and walking off. One of the priests took a step towards the man, probably to stop him, but the older Sage just shook his head.
"The Avatar lives?" The older man asked, stepping forward. He seemed to take charge of the group of Fire Sages.
"Katara?" Zuko's voice suddenly sounded a lot weaker than a moment before, and the waterbender quickly moved to let him sit down on the staircase leading to the burning temple, "Does… Does Avatar Aang life?"
Katara couldn't help but smile.
"Yes." Letting her eyes lift to the eastern horizon, there was still the orange hue of the comet discolouring the night sky, but… she didn't know why, it felt… hopeful.
"How can you be sure? He is probably fighting Lord Ozai at this very moment!" The Sage sounded angry now.
"I will fetch him, and the others." She stated, feeling a strange, giddy pang in her stomach. Tui and La… They had won their fight. And the eastern horizon wasn't lit in flames… As she supposed it would have been in case of defeat at Wulong…
"But how can you be sure?" The man repeated his question, before making a small sound, between a groan and a sigh, "Agni… the stories are true."
Katara didn't need to ask what stories he was referring to. Letting her eyes meet Zuko's, she saw the firebender smile and nod. And make a move with his lips that she understood.
Go.
Turning around, she ran, as fast as her feet could carry her, towards Appa. The bison, who had been plastered to the great iron gated, saw her coming, and moved away from the gates, clearly anticipating her. Throwing the gate open, she continued and ran up to the bison. Letting herself fall into Appa's fur, she gave him a quick hug before climbing up. Sitting down on his head, she rubbed a hand over one of his ears.
"Boy… Do you think you can find him now?" She whispered, glancing once more towards the temple, where Zuko seemed to be discussing something with several of the Sages… Yeah, he would be safe there… For the moment at least.
Appa lifted his head, and suddenly bellowed loudly, standing up on all six paws.
"Oh! I suppose you do! I know we already asked so much of you… But please… please my sweet Appa… Bring us there." She laughed as the bison leapt into the air, without even waiting for her to finish her sentence.
And she still laughed as the bison flew off towards the east, towards where she knew, in her heart, that her brother had managed to stop the air fleet with Toph and Suki. Where, and that she felt with utter certainty, Aang had stopped the Fire Lor… no. Zuko was Fire Lord. Where Aang had stopped the bastard Ozai. She knew that.
…
"I told you Daughter, you could have had it all… If only you had chosen friendship over your father."
"I'm sorry Azula… But at least, they have given you a chance at redemption…"
The princess hit her head against the marble ground, trying to drown the voices in her mind. Azula, the best firebender in the world, they had said! That water savage had tricked her! In a fair fight, she would have won! She would be standing over a dead Zuko, and a captured savage! The Fire Sages would be crowning her, instead of talking to him!
Yanking at her hands, they were still encased it that Agni damned ice! If only she could move her fingers! Then, she would be free and would be able to stop Zuko being crowned… Crowned with her birthright! It was hers, by right! Father had named her heir!
Suddenly, her forehead hit something else than marble. It felt smaller. Lifting her head, she looked at the ground, and saw what she had been hitting.
A stone, attached to a silken band. Glancing towards Zuko, she saw he was too engrossed in his injury and apparent triumph to even give her a second glance. Turning her attention back to the object in front of her, she saw that the side that lay on the ground was engraved. Bending down, she used her teeth to turn it around.
A laugh, uncontrollable, escaped her throat. Agni… Water and air symbols…
Oh… She may have lost her birthright this night… But with a bit of luck, she would be able to regain it tomorrow.
Answers :
TheQuietReader23 : Thank you for the compliment! It really warmed my heart to read it! I wasn't too sure of the whole energybending thing, but I'm glad you enjoyed it! And yes, the thing with the eyes was a whole theme, even through the story! With the whole Avatar being d*cks deal : I wanted to show that the Avatars are not all inclined to help or even agree with Aang. And we'll have to see what that is going to give!
Kalaong : I never even considered that, but yeah! You're completely right lol. The guy saved millions but probably put the whole of the population of Wulong Forest out of a job with that kindness lol!
