A/N. Well… only one chapter after this one. I hope you… enjoy?
I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.
Over… It had to be over! There was no fire in the night sky, no great roaring of a fire that burned its way over a continent… It had to be over! As they flew through the comet-streaked heavens, Katara kept her eyes trained on the horizon, towards the east. If something happened, it would be there. If her friends managed to destroy the airship fleet, they would need her to get away from the battlefield. She needed to see… She needed to be there! Mentally kicking herself for having gone to face Azula, the waterbender knew it had been the right choice.
As Iroh had said, Zuko wouldn't have been able to do it alone… Or at least, it would have been more destructive, and someone would have died. And Katara didn't know if that someone would have been the prince, or Azula…
No, not the prince. The Fire Lord. Tui and La, if someone had told her some months ago that she would help Zuko become the ruler of the nation she had hated so much… She would have laughed in their faces. Even now, it felt… well, not wrong, but rather bizarre. Surreal even. Had they really executed a coup in the Fire Nation? Or would their efforts be in vain?
"Come on Aang… Show me you are alive…" Katara whispered into the dark, as Appa groaned softly, clearly thinking along the same lines as she was doing. The airbender had to be alive! He had to be! No way the spirits would be so cruel as to yank her happiness away now… would they?
Looking down towards the earth, she saw several islands race passed them. Appa had taken them quite high in the sky, where birds didn't fly. Katara suspected that the Sky Bison had done so because he wanted to fly in one long straight line to Wulong. She didn't even have to tug at the reins at any given moment, for the bison knew that he had to go east.
That seemed a good thing, for the last time she had wanted Appa to go look for Aang was when he had disappeared. Then, in that tiled courtyard on Ember Island, the bison had just given up, but now, he had not needed to even think about it. He had just flown in the direction the airbender was supposed to be.
Letting her eyes go upwards, Katara watched the comet, still burning in the sky. Such a… beautiful sight… And it had caused devastation beyond any imagination. Its power had encouraged a tyrant to kill off a nation, unbalancing the world forever. There had always supposed to be four nations. The Water Tribes, forming one of the great Nations… Then, there was the Earth Kingdom, vast and populous… But fractured by in fighting. Sure, there was the Earth King who was supposed to rule over the continent, but his power was quasi-nonexistent.
The Fire Nation was the third still existing nation… And had committed so many horrors that the reputation was probably forever stained by it. Even though, with Zuko as Fire Lord… Katara supposed there could come some good out of that country.
Certainly, if Aang was at the side of the new sovereign, helping and serving peace… That what the fourth nation, the Air Nomads, had always done… Tui and La, how she hated Sozin for having done that. Katara would make sure the Fire Nation would know what it had done to her love. Even though, a small, so very small, part of her brain knew that in a way, she should be actually thanking Sozin…
It sounded and felt horrible, but without his actions, she would never have met Aang… And to be honest, it had been worth everything… The whole war, and everything it had brought with it, had led them to each other… And she couldn't hate that fact. The war was the most destructive thing in recent history… But Spirits, she would be lying if it hadn't resulted in something good.
Letting her eyes rove over the horizon, there was still nothing… She had been flying for at least two or three hours, and if Katara had to guess, she was approached the outskirts of the Fire Nation, slowly inching towards the Mo Ce Sea. Still, no sign whatsoever at that far away skyline…
Would she even be able to see it? The waterbender didn't know how far the human eye could perceive things… But the greatest fire in the history of the world, burning a whole nation… That had to be seen from far away, right? Looking towards the earth, lit in orange comet light, Katara made out an island, slightly larger than the few before. Squinting her eyes, she could even make out the lights of a town… But which town, and how big it was, she could not tell.
Appa began to bellow softly, and it seemed to Katara that they were losing altitude quickly… Tui and La, of course, the poor bison had not got a break in days…
"Just a few minutes boy… We can take a real break after crossing the sea. I'm so sorry, I wouldn't ask you this if you weren't the fastest option… But when we have crossed, there will be Aang, and Sokka, Toph and Suki." That was more hope than reality speaking, but Katara just knew… She knew that it was impossible for the others to have been killed. She would have sensed that. She just knew!
As the Sky Bison was slowly descending towards the island, it began to grow larger and large. This had to be one of the bigger outer islands… Those they had visited at the beginning of the summer. Exhaling in relief, Katara remembered those had not been densely populated. The one they had visited at the very beginning, the one with the cave… And that hut… Karchi? No, Kirashi! Yes, that was the one.
Was this the place? In the orange-tinted light, everything looked rather… The same. Still looking over the island as Appa began to approach it, Katara that the town was actually hugging onto a steep hill on the southeastern corner of the island. There were rolling plains around the town, changing into a young forest. The northern part was made up of mountains, in which the valley and sides were covered in thick grass... And small huts...
"You brought us back…" She whispered, padding the bison's ear. This meant that they were just one island away from the edge of the Fire Nation! Crossing the Mo Ce Sea from here to Wulong would take no more than three hours she guessed… So, if there was a great fire on that peninsula, she should be able to see that from here, surely!
Appa's paws grazed the treetops as he made a beeline for the coast. Katara began to recognize this part of the island as the cliffs they had walked to reach the town… So, to the north had to be the alcove and the cave they had used as a base, while the town was further away, to the southeastern part of the island.
Good… At least, she kind of knew their surroundings. Even if it was to take a small break, the waterbender couldn't help but feel glad to be back… Back to the place where she had told Aang, for the first time, that she loved him. Back to the place she had known happiness for the first time since Ba Sing Se…
As the bison touched the ground, Katara let herself glide off his head. She too could use a break to be honest… She had travelled so many miles these last few days, that her muscles ached, and there was a distinct empty feeling in her stomach. Turning to the Sky Bison, she couldn't help but smile softly as she saw how Appa firmly place his belly on the ground, half closing his eyes. Padding his fur, Katara shook her head at the display.
"Just a few minutes… We can't stay any longer. The others might need us…" She whispered to the bison, who groaned softly as an answer. Well... She couldn't deny him a break. Maybe even longer than a few minutes. Half an hour. Tops.
Maybe… Well, maybe she could eat something.
Climbing back into the saddle, she overlooked the bags that were strapped at the back of it. They had left Ember Island, only taking the essentials. But she had refused to leave without Aang's chest, and his glider. Then, at the camp of the White Lotus, she had also taken some food with them when they had left for the Caldara.
Grabbing that bag, she jumped out of the saddle, sitting down at one of Appa's paws, and letting her back rest against it, while overlooking the cliff towards the eastern sky.
"This feels kind of surreal… doesn't it, Appa?" She spoke, even though she knew very well that the bison wouldn't respond, "Here, we are just sitting… While on the other side of the sea, there is probably a battle…"
She knew that her part had been played, and that she could not reach the others in time to change the outcome of their missions… But still, she wanted to be able. Katara knew that her task now was getting there as fast as possible. The others would be stuck there, having destroyed the airships. Aang wouldn't have his glider… So, no way to reach over the sea. Or even just tell her he was alright…
All she could do is get there as fast as possible.
Katara opened the bag and took out an apple. Biting into it, she felt her stomach protest as she chewed on it for a few moments. The last time she had eaten… Well, was lunch? No? In any case, it had been too long.
Taking another bite, the reality of the situation began to sink in. She had defeated Azula… She had done that. Katara, the only waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, the only representative of the bending art from that corner of the world… Had defeated the Fire Nation's most dangerous weapon… Except Ozai that was. She had stood her ground and won! Against a firebender, under the Comet!
She couldn't help but feel quite proud of the feat. And it was so sweet that it had been Azula. Remembering the sudden terror in those ember eyes as she had said the words to her… The princess, chained and powerless, listening to why Katara had done so…
That had been revenge. At first, the waterbender had wanted to kill Azula. Then, it had changed in pity, but now? Now… Katara tried to suppress a smile, in vain. Now, she knew that this had been the right choice. She had refused to give in to her darker, deeper desires… And had found an even better way to punish the princess. By letting her live and see what her Nation was going to become. For someone who loved violence and war like Azula, that had to be constant torture.
Good.
What if the others had won? What if everyone was alive and well, waiting for anyone, or anything, to come and search for them? What if… What if the war truly over? Was it possible? What would the world look like if it was truly over? The western Earth Kingdom was in ruins after a century of bloodshed in those regions… And the Water Tribes, at least the Southern one, had suffered immensely, and was at the brink of extinction. The Northern one had suffered greatly too during the Siege of the North, but it was more easily fixable… But the worst was the Air Nomads.
Their civilization hung on the thinnest thread possible… Aang. As Avatar, he was perhaps even now fighting for his life. Had the others, or even anyone, even considered what it would mean for the world if the airbender died? Not only would the Avatar be gone, reborn into the Water Tribes, and out of action for the foreseeable future… But also, the Air Nomads would truly be gone, their only trace ruined temples, and the small chest of scrolls presently roped tightly to the saddle of the only Sky Bison… That would be all that was left of the Air Nomads…
And of course… Well, what Aang had told her.
But that was not important at that very moment… The idea of the Avatar dying against the Fire Lord was one most people could live with, for their everyday lives would not change that much… But Katara could not imagine a world without Aang… Not anymore. Looking at the apple in her hand, she sighed, trying to will energy into the bison next to her.
What if… If Aang had died?
She would be a widow, and to be honest, Katara didn't think that that kind of life would suit her. No… She would make sure those who had hurt the people she loved would pay for their crimes. It would be the life her father had been afraid of for her all those months ago, and the one he had warned her not to take. But she would. Aang's ideals and principles be damned, he would do the same if she died, he had told her himself. They would rip apart the world if needed to get to the one that had destroyed their most treasured heart's desire.
A normal life, free of the burden of ending a century old war…
A sudden change of light at the far horizon caught her eyes suddenly. Lowering the apple, she squinted her eyes towards the eastern sky… What the…
There, ever so faintly, was a small blue light, accompanied by an orange glow.
Aang…
The apple rolled into the grass as she stood up, racing to the edge of the cliff. That had to be Aang! It was the exact same colour as when they had found him in the iceberg! Wringing her hands together, she stared into the night sky, trying to figure out what was happening hundreds of miles away… But that orange… Glancing up, to the comet, she saw it was the exact same colour…
Sozin's bloodline…
Aang was fighting the Fir… Ozai! That had to be it! Katara cursed the distance, but still kept her eyes trained on the horizon.
"Come one my love… I know you can do it!" She spoke out loud, watching the blue shades on the horizon grow dimmer and dimmer… What was the meaning of that? No… No. The horrible feeling in her heart grew as she watched the orange grow stronger and stronger…
"Don't you dare. If you even touch a hair on his body, I'll come and kill you myself." She whispered angrily, still looking over the sea. The blue faded and slowly disappeared. For a second, Katara felt her knees grow weak as the possibility hit her. Aang… Had lost. No… That could not be! No! She refused to believe that! That was not their fate!
Turning around, she marched back to Appa. She was going there, one way or another. And if it was true, then she would rip Ozai apart! She would fly back to the Fire Nation and do the same to Azula! To everyone, until there was no one left that thought the Fire Nation was superior in any way! She would cleanse that Spirit forsaken country! Everything and everyone be damned, she would make sure there would be no more war!
As she approached Appa, she saw that the bison had his eyes open now, but instead of the soft brown, there was an image mirrored in the damp eyeballs. Looking at the eyes, Katara felt her mouth fall wide open. Turning around, back to the sky, the waterbender felt her own eyes well up with tears, knowing that Aang was definitely not dead…
Because, in the eastern sky, a bright blue beam of light stood tall and proudly. A blue beam that was so much like the one she had seen all those months ago, at the South Pole… That she knew it had to be Aang! Falling down on her knees, as they gave out on her, she let out a wet laugh.
Whatever was happening, Aang was winning! She knew it! Only that could explain that light on the horizon! Quickly blinking her eyes, Katara saw her vision become clearer. The beam of blue light softly dissipated into the orange-tinted sky… And after a few moments, the world looked as it had done just a few minutes ago. Dark, orange, with the comet burning through the night sky.
But for some reason, Katara couldn't help but feel relieved. That had been a clear sign that Aang had at Wulong! No one else could do that! And last time she had seen that beam, he had been in the Avatar State, just after the iceberg! Did that mean… that the airbender had accessed it to fight Ozai? She knew Aang hated that power… Things would probably have been rather dire if he had chosen to use it. Or perhaps, the Avatars had helped him, as they always did in hopeless situations?
But, in that case… He wouldn't have been in control…
"Appa?" She turned back to the bison, whose eyes were still fixed into the horizon, "Ready?" She whispered as she closed the distance between them. Appa just groaned once more, closing his eyes. It seemed clear to her that that meant eh… Just a few more minutes please.
Alright, she could live with a few minutes.
Walking back to the edge of the cliff, there was nothing to see now. Even as she searched and searched over the horizon… Nothing. Surely, surely, that meant that the fight was over? No enormous wall of fire appeared in the night sky, heralding the beginning of the end for the Earth Kingdom. But… No sign of Aang either. Or of airships, fleeing whatever had happened. What had happened?
Letting her sight follow the coastline, she saw that from here, the town was visible. Feeling a frown appear between her eyebrows, Katara looked again. Had the town always possessed walls? Last time they were here, now nearly three months ago… Her memory was surely mistaken. But he thought there had been ruined town walls.
Yeah… That had been the case. She had even talked with Sokka about it, that it was weird that the Fire Nation didn't put much effort in its own defences. As if they were too arrogant to believe they could be attacked. Why… Why were those town walls restored? Had it been because of them, because of the Invasion? Had Ozai put time and effort in repairing the town walls of each major centre in the Fire Nation?
It seemed absurd, because there were many other places where those resources could and should have been used. Surely the Fire Lord would have preferred to attack the Earth Kingdom with as many airships and soldiers as the Fire Nation could muster… So why invest so much in repairing the town walls?
Maybe this particular town had done so, because in case of a counter-offensive by, for example, the Earth Kingdom, they would be the first to actually have to fight anyone? Yeah… that was a possibility.
Or maybe her eyes were mistaken…
Glancing back towards Appa, she saw that the Sky Bison was still vastly asleep. She knew that they had to get going sooner than later… But this was worth a few minutes. She didn't need to get too close, just a bit closer, to confirm whatever the town had indeed been reinforced.
Quickly walking away from Appa, she glanced back several times to check on the bison. In any case, she didn't plan on going further away than a few hundred yards. Just to get a better look. That couldn't hurt, could it? And in case of resistance against the new Fire Lord's rule, it would be good to know the defences of any place, for those could be used as bases…
And Katara seriously doubted Zuko would know about new town walls in the Fire Nation, build after the invasion. Perhaps it had already been planned, and her small scouting mission was all for nothing? No… It would surely serve a purpose. Even if that purpose was giving Appa a few more moments of rest before they would cross the sea.
Turning once more, she still saw the white bulking mass that was Appa. Far enough. Looking towards the town, she saw that there were indeed new defences… Even worse, it was not only walls… But there were also towers, and a deep, wide moat protecting the town. Protecting the moat on the outside was a bank, forming a long slope, clearly just thrown up, for no grass had had time to grow on it. On the slope, Katara could see spikes…
Why? Why this place? And no, this couldn't have been a local effort. These kinds of things demanded way too many resources for one rather small town to bear alone.
She remembered that Sokka had once tried to organize such works back home at the South Pole. He had wanted to build a wall around the village with a watchtower… He had built the "watchtower" himself, but when it had come to actually building the wall, they had not known what to use, as her own waterbending had still been rather limited, and snow would not stay in place… So, they had tried to dig a ditch, but after a few days of failing miserably, they had just given up, accepting that the horrible bad watchtower would have to do…
But this, this had clearly been masterfully planned. Round towers stood perfectly straight, crisscrossing their lines of fire. The moat was too deep to even hope to cross, and those banks would be a menace… Tui and La, why had the Fire Nation built a fortress in this place? And a small part of her heart hated the fact that that Spirit forsaken nation had once more militarized a place of importance to her! How dared they! This place had had so much promise…
All those people from the school, which had cast off their strict upbringing and had loosened up for the first time in their lives! And… And the place where Aang had held her, where she had softly whispered those words to him… And where they had actually been themselves, for the first time in weeks… Where, to be honest, she had hoped to come back to a relive some moments… Like the one in that hut…
"Agni, another one." A voice suddenly sounded behind her, and, whipping her head around, she saw two Fire Nation soldiers stand at the edge of the forest, just a few steps away. One, a tall man with a lean build, was lazily leaning on a spear, while the other had no weapons in his hand. That one, a smaller man, was blinking at her with unmasked curiosity. Shit…
"Curfew has been called a few hours ago Miss…" The one holding the spear was letting his eyes go all over her, Making Katara shudder. What had the others said during the play? That… That the domestic army had orders of the Fire Lord… They had not said what kind of orders… But Katara could guess. The same kind that Azula had given her own guards during the Invasion. Capture her… To break Aang.
And with a little bit of bad luck, these two would know the description. Know who she was…. Feeling at her hip, she cursed herself. Katara had left her water skin near Appa… Putting her hands behind her back, in what she hoped would look like a casual gesture, she turned her hands in a circular movement… Only to discover that the air was dry. Too dry…
The Comet…
Holding in a groan, she just smiled at the soldiers. With a little bit of luck, they would be lazy…
"Oh… I didn't realize… Sorry." She did her best to sound as stupid as possible. Maybe, they would not ask questions…
"I know it all miss. Oh, I didn't realize! Oh, we didn't keep an eye on the time! Oh this, oh that. You know the punishment for disobeying the curfew rules. And for… wearing whatever that is." The weaponless man gestured to her in general.
Katara tried to feel out the water in the trees behind the men, but… nothing. Frowning, she didn't think it was possible… A tree without any moisture inside? How could that thing be alive?
"Eh… No?" She held the slightly pitched voice she had been using.
"A day inside the jail, and then, depending on the mood of the governor, ten lashes, or just a warning. There are posters on every street corner." The spearman sighed, as if this was a daily recurrence. Biting the inside of her cheek, Katara tried to come on with a solution. Darting her eyes towards where Appa still lay, she hesitated. If she sprinted to the bison, they could perhaps catch her. She would have to create enough distance to make sure she could wake Appa up… And to get away.
But if not, and they saw the bison… They would puzzle it together. A Sky Bison was such great evidence of who exactly they were speaking to that it would put her in even more danger. Behind her the soft sounds of waves crashing on the cliff made her think. The water was far below… but she could manage that. Her hands still on her back, she smiled at the soldiers.
"Ten lashes? Isn't that… Somewhat extreme?" Extending her energy below, towards the water, she suddenly felt the push and pull of the water. Hiding her relief, she slowly inched her fingers up, down, and up again, as she edged the water upwards.
"Not me who makes the rules. Come on, back to the town." The spearman stepped forward. Katara felt the water inch slowly up the cliff. Letting her eyes dart from one soldier to the other, the waterbender surmised that the one without weapons was a firebender, while the spearman was a non-bender. So, bender first, soldier second.
Balling her fist, she put all her force behind the energy that was creeping up the cliff.
"No." A voice suddenly sounded in her head. It sounded distinctively Fire Nation… What?
"They gave him everything he wanted, destroying what I did for the Fire Nation." The voice sounded in her head. Him? Him? Did, whoever was speaking, mean… Aang? And give him anything he wanted? Was that… Did that mean…
"Yes, child. Yes. Your young airbender vanquished Ozai. Was that what you wanted to hear?"
Relief coursed through her whole being.
"I don't agree. The Fire Nation is not perfect, but it is the best of the four nations! I won't allow any of you to destroy it. A plan has been set in motion, by some of the like-minded… Spirits. Avatar Aang shall not enjoy his victory for a long time. He will suffer unspoken horrors, to begin with you."
The water suddenly dropped back down into the sea, crashing into the waves with a thunderous sound. Katara eyes widened, as the push and pull sensation suddenly disappeared. A hand closed around her arm.
Tugging at it, she realized she didn't stand a chance… Looking to her right, to the arm that was still free, she pulled once more towards the water, not bothering to hide the movement this time. Nothing… What was happening?
"Oh no you don't." The firebender grabbed her right arm, pulling it back. He had thought she wanted to firebend…
"First, he shall know heartbreak. Then, I'll make sure that death will await him with open arms. And only then, only then, shall you be reunited. You shall only hear the last words he will speak. That, I promise you."
"Let me go!" Fear gripped her heart at the words in her head. Who was it? A spirit that was aligned with the Fire Nation! Had to be! No! This was not fair!
"Stop screaming miss." The spearman spoke gently, all the while holding her arm firmly.
"Jurchi, don't bother. I have a simple remedy." She heard the firebender speak. A sudden sharp pain appeared at the side of her head, and all went black.
Answers:
Well… Sorry?
Jjsmith103: Well, what you thought kind of happened, only way worse! I nearly feel guilty ending her storyline here for this story lol! But seriously, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!