Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate hearing the feedback from you guys!
Well, a fire was lit, and I cranked this out. I highly, highly doubt the next update will be anywhere near as quick, but apparently, you never know. Hope you enjoy this one!
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
XxXxXxXxXxX
Hakoda sipped the warm drink in front of him, taking comfort in its heat. The Tribe had become colder, and darkness seemed almost permanent. The Sun had lost its potency.
Once, he would have basked in it, delighted that Fire was losing and was compromised. But the bitter chill of his flesh was louder than his old warrior competitiveness.
He was not the man he once was, full of hate and bitterness, ready to swim in the blood of Fire for what was done to Kya - to himself and their children. He was old, and he felt older than he actually was; the intense cold did nothing to help his aches.
And it only intensified the ache in his heart.
It had been over two years since he had seen his children - when he had been impatient with them both. He had been furious with Katara for her stubbornness, by her refusal to do right by the Tribe, to fulfill her duty as a Chief's daughter. He had been irritated by his son's immaturity; not even his marriage to the wonderful Suki had tempered his immaturity and refined it into maturity, into a Chief who Hakoda was comfortable leaving the Tribe with.
After the Great War, when they had returned to the South, Sokka and Katara had seemed to revert to who they were prior to finding Aang.
Hakoda understood that; children should have had no part in the Great War. The horrors his children saw and endured were too intense, and they blocked them from their minds, finding joy in repressing those memories, living a life of simplicity.
But life was not simple, especially for children of Chiefs.
Sokka had done his duty and found a worthy wife in Suki and married her, but his son's burden was more extensive than past Chiefs; he was heir not just to the South but the North. And that came with expectations that Sokka failed to meet. His son's immaturity had alienated the North, he knew, and it was only Arnook's grip of control in the North that ensured a smooth succession, nothing of Sokka's own doing.
And Katara had rejected all her suitors, refusing to ruminate on her position as Chief's daughter and sister to the future Chief of the Water Tribes. Initially, he had been lenient, understanding. But years passed, and she continued her refusal, forcing him to act.
Then he had given her the list of suitors he had crafted from various powerful, leading men across the Earth Kingdom and even Fire Nation who had expressed interest in her hand, although he had included Fire Lord Zuko even though the Fire Lord had never expressed interest. Katara had been appalled and furious, condemning him, but Hakoda had continued his grace.
He had given her the option of choice and two years to decide.
Now more than two years had passed, and he had only received word from Ba Sing Se from Sokka, who described much of what happened in a letter. But beyond that, he had heard nothing from either of his children since that day they had left after receiving Fire Lord Zuko's urgent message.
Hakoda hadn't expected them to be gone long, maybe a few months. He honestly didn't know if they were still alive.
Because he had received word through his stepfather from King Bumi of Omashu of the events transpiring. The Order of the White Lotus, of which Pakku was part, had been slaughtered off, and a powerful spirit - who he later learned was Vaatu - was targeting Avatar Aang's power structure, weakening him. Vaatu held a powerful grudge against Avatar Aang, meaning those close to him were at risk.
Had he seen the last of his children?
Now with the Sun weakening, he feared the state of the world once more. And because their sister Tribe had been devastated, leaving only a few hundred men left out of the original thousands and thousands, things were getting worse. So much worse. He thought he would never see something worse than the Great War, especially since the Great War was only a decade ago. He knew something worse would come along, for that was the way of the world, but not in his lifetime, not while Avatar Aang was alive.
But this seemed worse than the Great War.
Because he knew terrible things had happened since he had last seen Katara and Sokka - and Suki, too - and he knew there would be more terrible things, but he didn't know if those terrible things had happened directly to his children and daughter-in-law. Were they affected by Vaatu's machinations? Were they… dead since he had received Sokka's letter months ago from Ba Sing Se?
Cutting through his somber thoughts, Hakoda glanced to his hut's entrance at the sound of incoming feet. Within moments, his stepfather entered his hut.
Hakoda had been initially wary of Pakku, but through the years, they had reached an understanding, built on love for their nation. Together, and with Katara's help, they had rebuilt the South until it rivaled the majesty of the North, at least according to Pakku.
"This letter is from Iroh," his stepfather informed him with a grim face, holding up parchment in his hand.
Hakoda blinked and sat down his bowl. "The Dragon of the West?"
"He rules the Fire Nation now."
He stood to his feet in shock. "Fire Lord Zuko's dead?"
Did that mean Sokka and Katara and Suki were, too?
Pakku sighed and shook his head; he walked to one of his furs and sat down heavily. "No. Iroh serves as regent of the Fire Nation. He rules now until Fire Lord Zuko returns."
Hakoda sat back down in understanding, considering what such intelligence meant. "Yes. Sokka mentioned something about Fire Lord Zuko being with them in his letter. They are fighting against Vaatu."
"Iroh says Vaatu seeks to become his own Avatar and depose Avatar Aang, erasing him and all memory of The Avatar from existence."
He marveled in horror at such ambition. "And they say spirits aren't like us."
Pakku looked grim. "According to Iroh, Vaatu has three elements - Fire, Earth, and Water. Ozai is nearing ascendancy as Vaatu's vessel."
"Aang won't let Ozai get Air."
"He let him get this far. I had hoped time would neuter his laziness."
Hakoda shook his head. "No, Aang is different; he's aged; he's mature. Sokka described him in his letter to me, how sometimes Aang isn't recognizable because he's so different from who he was before. He's a true Avatar. Sokka said Aang has mastered every bending art he could. And we heard what happened to King Kuei. Aang doesn't mess around anymore; he's serious. Maybe too serious."
Hadn't that been a shock - The Avatar murdering the King of Ba Sing Se, who he had considered marrying Katara to, had sent waves of horror through the Four Nations, and Hakoda had been as astounded as anyone. Whispers had consumed the Tribe for months after the news had reached them, and Hakoda had done nothing to deter the whispers, for he was as concerned as his people.
How couldn't he be? Because the image of The Avatar slaughtering King Kuei and his trusted Council of Five didn't correspond with the Aang Hakoda had known. But he had to remember that the Aang he had known was a boy dealing with the weight of the world who clearly used distractions to deter himself from despair and horror - the trauma of a lost world. And when he had received Sokka's letter, his son had been more than clear - quite sad, according to the tone his son conveyed in the letter - that Aang had changed, for better or worse. His son had mentioned specifically that Aang's wrath was terrifying, so somehow, Hakoda knew that his children were on the receiving end of Aang's wrath or were close enough to watch that wrath directed at someone else.
Either way, the thought was not a comforting one. Whispers of Avatar Kuruk's wrath after the Face Stealer stole his wife's face were still whispered about in the Southern Water Tribe; they say the ocean boiled every single day for the rest of his reign – some centuries, according to the Sages – until his life dimmed and slipped into the Earth Kingdom to signal the beginning of Avatar Kyoshi's reign.
Pakku sighed. "Be that as it may, we must be prepared for his failure. If he fails, it won't be long before Ozai comes to destroy us. We must fortify."
He stared at his stepfather for several moments, considering him. "This is different from the Great War; this is worse. Aang is fully-realized now and no longer that boy you trained during the Great War; he's an adult. He's either twenty-two or twenty-three now. If he can't stop Vaatu, we have no chance of stopping him, nonetheless preserving our way of life here in the South. If Ozai becomes an Avatar, he has waterbending, and whatever fortifications we make will be wiped away by his hand. Someone would have to fight him, but are you comfortable in your ability to fight him if Aang can't?"
His stepfather looked away, but Hakoda took no solace in his 'victory' over him. "We need to do something."
"We do," Hakoda agreed. "What else did the Dragon of the West say?"
"He says Vaatu unleashed a plague on Firebenders, and that there are very few Firebenders left in the world by now - only Masters, who are immune to the plague."
He was frozen at such news; once he would have celebrated such intelligence. Now he felt dread. "What kind of plague targets only Firebenders?"
Pakku had never looked older in Hakoda's eyes. "Somehow through energybending."
"That's how Aang took Ozai's firebending," he recalled, still amazed all these years later over such an ability. "I don't know how he did it. But Ozai somehow regained Fire; it was only temporary. I don't understand."
"Not even Iroh understands it," his stepfather said. "But he understands the effects and limitations of the plague. It targets only Firebenders and can be carried only by Firebenders. This plague is why the Sun has dwindled in potency; Agni is suffering."
"This is worse than the Great War," he repeated, running a hand through his hair. "This involves spirits. This isn't something that any of us can deal with like the Fire Nation; we don't have a target to kill. Only The Avatar can deal with spirits."
"He also says that… King Bumi was killed."
Hakoda leaned back in disbelief. "Shit. How?"
"The entire Upper Ring of Ba Sing is gone, and many thousands died in the attack, including King Bumi and King Bipin of Chyung."
At the look on Pakku's face, Hakoda nodded in understanding, still amazed - in the worst of ways. "I'm sorry. I know King Bumi was your friend."
His stepfather nodded in return. "I have lost so many friends in this new war. All I have left is Iroh."
"Did Iroh say how?"
Pakku shook his head. "There's no confirmation - because why would there be? - but it was an agent of Vaatu. Who else could it be? Bumi was the strongest Earthbender in the world."
Hakoda thought of Toph, the girl he had known briefly during the Great War. "There has to be something we can do. We need to help Aang." A dread curdled in his gut, and he leaned forward in desperation, tempted to snatch the letter from Pakku's hand. "Did Iroh mention my children? Where are they? How are they? I've heard nothing for so long."
"That is why I came."
He froze in horror. "They're dead?"
"Iroh doesn't know. Look at the last paragraph," Pakku said and handed him the letter, and Hakoda read the last paragraph with keen eyes:
And Pakku, please discuss with Chief Hakoda the possibility of visiting the Fire Nation to confer with me. I need people I can trust. Tell him that I have been doing my best to track his children, along with The Avatar and my family, through their fight against Vaatu, but I have lost track of them. Tell him his children could be anywhere, and if he wishes to make a difference, he must visit with me so we can conceive a plan to help our children wherever they are. They need our help against this monumental threat.
Prince Iroh, Sage of Fire, and regent ruler of the Fire Nation
Hakoda looked up. "Prepare the ships."
Pakku stood to his feet and nodded. "You'll need to call a gathering to explain the situation and ask for volunteers to join us. I suspect The Avatar will need more soldiers for his army to fight against Vaatu."
He nodded. "Yes. The South has stayed out of this far too long. My children won't be alone in representing us; we have a vested interest in this war, too. Everyone does. We're going to find my children and help Avatar Aang."
His stepfather inclined his head in respect. "Yes, Chief Hakoda. But know that there may be several of the men who demand Katara's hand in marriage for repayment of going to war for you."
Hakoda frowned. "This isn't for me. It's for the world; it's to help The Avatar."
"They may still ask."
"She may no longer be mine to give away," Hakoda admitted. "It's been two years since I've seen her, and Sokka didn't say much about her beyond that she was healthy and safe. For all I know, she may be married already. She was always rebellious; it wouldn't surprise me if she married - and married a man I didn't approve of."
Pakku hesitated and gestured to the letter. "You may have your answer if you read paragraph six, I think it was."
Hakoda found the paragraph:
But I got to know your student quite well, my friend. Lady Katara is interesting to me, very interesting. I knew her during the Great War, and while I saw the potential and connection, I failed to see how deep it was. She is good for my nephew; in fact, she is perfect for him, if I may be so blunt. When she stayed in the Caldera for those first months, I watched a progression that I never imagined. My nephew loosened himself of his restraints; he opened himself up more, and his jaded disposition smoothed out - at least partly, as much as Zuko would tolerate. Unfortunately, a Fire Lord needs a certain jadedness to survive. But their shared connection is vibrant and noteworthy. In fact, Dowager Fire Lady Ursa and I both recognized it and shared several conversations about it. I raised the point several times with my nephew, but Zuko avoided the issue - quite clumsily for a Fire Lord, might I add. However, I know my nephew, and I got to know Lady Katara, too, and understand how special she is. Since they have been gone with Avatar Aang to fight Vaatu, and been gone for so long, I imagine their relationship has progressed steadily if not rapidly. I estimate that my nephew yearns for Lady Katara to be his Fire Lady, and based on my knowledge and understanding of Lady Katara, I do not think in the slightest she is opposed to such an idea. When all this is over, I believe we will have reason to celebrate in a wedding of Fire and Water, an alliance more than possible and beneficial. If I were a dutiful uncle, I would message Chief Hakoda myself to inquire about an official match in marriage between them, but this tenuous time - and the fact I sense they are already unofficially married - has prevented me. Perhaps you could raise this issue with Chief Hakoda and gauge his reaction to this news.
Hakoda digested that news for several moments. His daughter and the Fire Lord. What would Kya think?
When he had written Fire Lord Zuko's name on the list of men who were acceptable candidates to marry Katara, he had never imagined that it was an actual option - even if it was, by far, the most beneficial match. He had always imagined Fire Lord Zuko would marry either a Fire Nation noble to show his loyalty to his nation or marry an Earth Kingdom princess as a sign of peace.
But Fire Lord Zuko had chosen his daughter, and according to the Dragon of the West, Katara had chosen the Fire Lord back.
His daughter, of her free will, had chosen to marry into the most powerful bloodline in the world - the line of Sozin.
It was a terrifying thought, but he knew Fire Lord Zuko from the twilight of the Great War, and Pakku vouched for the Dragon of the West. The remnants of Sozin's evils were diminishing with each passing generation. If his daughter married into the bloodline, the evils would be eradicated that much quicker.
"This is fantastic," he murmured, proud of his daughter and happy for her. It had been easy to see during the Great War that the then-Fire Prince was often on her mind, though for the wrong reasons. There had been a connection; even he had briefly seen that. And based on his own relationship with Kya, he knew how passion always burned under the fury. His wife had once hated him as Katara had hated then-Fire Prince Zuko.
"Quite an unexpected development," his stepfather said.
Hakoda looked up at Pakku. "But an excellent one. If any of the men ask, I'll say she's taken."
"And when they ask to whom?"
He remembered the teenager he had known briefly, the same teenager who had risked everything to help Sokka save him from the Boiling Rock. "A good man."
XxXxXxXxXxX
"The Avatar killed you?" Ozai asked, intrigued. While it was strange to be speaking with the body of Ty Lee, the gleam in the gray eyes was more than a blatant reminder that Zaheer, his renowned airbending Master who would teach him everything, including the mastery of True Flight, was in control. There were no similarities to Ty Lee in personality or beliefs or actions. It was literally someone else. "Why? Was he afraid of your power?"
Zaheer floated in the air before him, basking clearly in the feel of the art stolen from him long ago by The Avatar. "Perhaps she was, but I surmised always she wished vengeance on me; I suspect she feared only what else I could do, not me personally."
Ozai felt fascinated, recognizing a kindred spirit in Zaheer; Chin V and Hama had both hated The Avatar, but their hatred, too, burned for Fire. Chin V hated The Avatar more than Fire and was willing to work with Ozai after recognizing his identity, but Hama hated Fire more than she hated The Avatar.
Unfortunate.
At least that bitch was dead; she had created the situation allowing his wife to flee! How he wished Vaatu to pull Hama from the Gardens of the Dead so he could inflict his fury on her!
But Zaheer was different, someone worthy, someone of equal mindset and perception to Ozai. Just as himself - and Vaatu, as well - Zaheer's hatred was focused solely on The Avatar, strengthening their bond as Master and student.
Ozai looked forward to having a worthy ally. He anticipated success where before there were failures and complications.
"I suspect the same," Ozai said, feeling the phantom pain in his arm that The Avatar had once taken from him. "He fears what I can do, not me personally. I am no match for him, not yet."
"You will be," Zaheer assured. "He is borne of Air, yes?"
"The last of the old Air Nomads," he confirmed. "He seeks to revive his people through my whore-daughter; he has bedded her, and she spreads her legs for him. Pathetic."
Zaheer chuckled. "I admire his brutality and commitment to bedding his great enemy's daughter. He is a true Avatar."
Ozai seethed, but inwardly, he recognized had already reached the same conclusion. "Yes. And it makes my hatred burn even more."
"As it should. What most fail to realize is that Avatars are not like us even though they look like us; they are capable of horrors beyond mortal conception. Do you know why Keska killed me?"
"Why?"
Zaheer smiled, clear reminiscence on his face, which teemed with pride. "Because I dared take revenge against her. I did the unthinkable - I challenged the supremacy of The Avatar."
Ozai felt the passions of his heart sing in joy; he had found a worthy ally. "What did you do? Tell me."
"I sparked a rebellion against the leaders of my people, disgusted by their weakness," Zaheer said. "I knew we could take over if we wished. I knew my people could do as- … What was your ancestor's name?"
"Fire Lord Sozin," he answered, pride washing over him. He was the heir of a great inheritance, and he would not let The Avatar, his whore-daughter, and his pathetic son ruin his inheritance for a second time!
Zaheer nodded. "Yes. Fire Lord Sozin. We could have done as he did and unleashed power against the other nations, subjugating all under the supremacy of Air. For we were the first of the Four Nations to rise to prominence and master our bending arts due to our superior insight and keen understanding; our spirituality eclipsed stubborn Earth, mutable Water, and chaotic Fire. We were Masters when all other benders were novices, but we stagnated quickly and allowed the other nations to catch up because our Elders were weak; they were fools, mired in their arrogance and static positions on their precious Council. All it would take was a little aggression and stretching of our power to remind the other nations to whom they owe their gratitude and service in repayment for our benevolence and nonsensical generosity. That is what the Elders failed to understand - no one touches Air unless we allow it. The only reason the other nations exist is that we allowed them to exist."
Ozai narrowed his eyes. "Fire crushes Air. We are Power."
"Do not deceive me," Zaheer rebuked, and Ozai actually respected him for it. "Vaatu has shared the knowledge of the events that have transpired. I know The Avatar stole the air from your lungs; I know he nearly killed you because of it. And that does not include the arm he took with airbending."
The memory of agony assaulted his senses, and Ozai snarled, "For which I will repay him a thousand-fold. With airbending, I will take his penis with which he seduced my daughter."
"And I will teach you," his new Master promised. "You will know Freedom, which transcends the limitations of Power. Power can only flourish when there is Freedom to know and wield Power; Air allows Fire to exist. Without air, no flame can burn. When there is no Freedom, there is no Power."
"Yet my grandfather annihilated your people," he reminded, temper flaring. The blasphemy! "It was Fire that consumed Air until there was only one left - The Avatar."
"Only because The Avatar stopped my plans," Zaheer dismissed. "And your people needed the celestial advantage provided by the Great Comet, revealing inherent weakness. You must rely on Agni's light, as well - weak. You relied - and continue to rely - on something other than yourselves. But we rely on no one but ourselves. Even though Indra is so weak, even weaker than Agni, I am as powerful as I have ever been, but Firebenders suffer under Agni's diminished state. Air supersedes Fire; Freedom supersedes Power."
Ozai was deprived of speech, too furious to admonish such blasphemy.
"I will credit Fire Lord Sozin, though," Zaheer said, with little respect in his tone. "He recognized his people's inherent weakness - his inherent weakness - and attacked masterfully. His timing was impeccable; it was perfect. He succeeded where I failed. But that was only because I had the misfortune of living during the prime of Keska's reign. Your grandfather's victory had nothing to do with him and everything to do with luck. He was lucky; I was not. Otherwise, I would have crushed the other nations, and I would have needed less than a decade, not a century as your people did - and you were defeated still with the incalculable advantages of two appearances from the Great Comet."
The fury overwhelmed him, and Ozai snapped his hand forward, anticipating flames consuming Zaheer, who dared insult him - him! An heir of Sozin! The Phoenix King! The new Avatar!
But instead of flames, a pathetic gust of wind lapped at Zaheer, whose laughter rang in the air. Before Ozai could react, Zaheer whirled around with impossible speed, air surging around them like a tornado, and smacked him back with airbending. It was a crushing blow that Ozai had only before felt when facing The Avatar.
Vaatu had chosen wisely, indeed.
He held his chest, which he knew would show bruises in the coming days. "I suppose I see your point," he conceded - but he would never believe it. He needed Zaheer! He needed that power! And after he had mastered airbending - or as much as he could - and after they defeated The Avatar, he would show Zaheer his superiority - Fire'ssuperiority. Fire vanquished Air before, and he would remind his new Master of that fact.
It was a long game within his long game.
How exhilarating if not vexing.
Zaheer stared down at him, a strange smile on his face. "I respect you, Ozai, for we are the same. I challenged Keska's supremacy, and you challenge this Aang, who I understand is more powerful than Keska."
Ozai stood laboriously to his feet. "Will my challenge end the same as yours did - lost to the Gardens of the Dead?"
"We are in the same misfortune I was against Keska - challenging The Avatar during his prime." Zaheer's face finally showed apprehension. "When I rebelled against the Elders to pave the way for my plan of conquest and glory, I taught those who felt the same as me the ability of True Flight, and we killed several Elders and many others who fought against us. They were no match for us in the heavens, even with their gliders, which are laughable in the face of True Flight. Gliders only mimic flight, and we destroyed all who stood - glided - against us. But Keska was near - why, I have never been able to figure out - and she crushed my rebellion. I watched the horrors she inflicted against my friends, felt the monstrous power that buzzed against my flesh unlike anything I had ever felt. I fled in terror, leaving the rest of my friends to die under her monstrous power, and I was humiliated. I laid low for several months as my people hunted for me - to bring me to the Elders, no doubt - and I dared not use my advantage of True Flight. I never knew if Keska was waiting."
A chuckle escaped Ozai. "You banned yourself from using the ability as your Elders did. Ironic."
"It was not banned before my death," Zaheer corrected. "It was thought impossible to access, so knowledge of the ability was lost. But I found Laghima's scroll in which he detailed the ability, and I mastered it. I alone. Then I tried to teach others, but I realized swiftly there was a reason why the ability was forgotten; it is impossible for nearly everyone to master. I estimate that only a handful from an entire generation can do it, and that is with the proper training and understanding, which no one but I - and now The Avatar - know. But I found all who could - a little over a dozen stretching across generations - and trained them and influenced them to my conquest, and in those few days when we attacked our own people, it was the harbinger of greatness; it was glorious. They could not stand against us, even those Elders whom I was taught were beyond us. I suspect that is why the Elders banned the ability after my death - because they saw the destruction wielded by it. They saw how unmatched they were, for they could not master it."
The fact that so few Airbenders could master the ability worried him. "Will I master it?"
Zaheer smirked. "I have tricks to ensure you do."
"Good. How did Keska find you?"
Zaheer's smirk vanished. "It was not difficult. I grew tired of hiding, furious, and flew higher and higher until I was part of the stars. I named each of them. But I was still angry, and I desired revenge. So, I descended from my dwelling and attacked the Water Tribe, killing thousands, everyone I could find. Borne of Water, Keska was enraged when she arrived. I did not see her coming until it was too late. I tried to fight against her, but it was impossible. She smote me with a glowing hand and condemned me to the Maze of Thorns."
Ozai narrowed his eyes. "Water Tribe?" he asked, narrowing his eyes, noting the emphasis on the singular. "The Water Tribes were once unified?"
"In my time, they lived north of the Earth Kingdom and past the Northern Air Temple."
"There was no Southern Water Tribe?"
The pleasure on Zaheer's face was unmistakable. "No. My attack weakened forever the Water Tribe, for half of the populace split away, creating their own Tribe across the world. Even in death, I won. And Vaatu revealed my attack provoked Keska to create the Order of the White Lotus, which you eliminated."
Ozai felt admiration for his airbending Master. "So fearful of another attack, they fled. Despite your death, the memory of your power remained. I will share in that legacy. We are kindred spirits, Zaheer."
"And allies," Zaheer murmured, drawing his arms outward, head craned back, basking in the stars overhead. "It's been so long… I remember these stars, the same ones I named. The Four Nations have changed drastically since my time, but these stars… they remain the same."
"That will be our legacy, as well. We will remain while The Avatar and his disciples are swept away."
"Despite this inferior body belonging to this weak spirit- "
"She still lives?" Ozai asked, shocked.
Zaheer chuckled. "She is dormant, and I am slowly destroying her spirit, piece by piece. She will never reclaim herself; she will be eradicated. Her will is insignificant next to mine."
Ozai thought it was a fitting ending for a traitor who supported his weak son, his whore-daughter, and The Avatar.
"I will ensure mighty Vaatu's supremacy," Zaheer promised, turning back to him, and Ozai found that he matched the smile directed at him. "We have the misfortune of fighting against The Avatar in his prime, but we have Vaatu; that is the crucial difference. He resurrected me, gave me a second life, and appointed me as a Master to his vessel. You will learn everything I know. Your dwelling will consist of the stars, too. You will be apotheosized."
Ozai basked in such promise and felt his anxiety at the final battle against The Avatar decrease; he felt his chi, felt the foreign energy that Vaatu had left him, energy he knew that only three other living beings possessed. "You will help herald my ascendancy. Once Vaatu and I have bonded, you will be my fist. My worthy general. We will take over everything."
Zaheer's eyes glinted. "Let's get started."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Having made Sokka chi-block Hama once more, Ursa sat across from their captive and her liberator. They were alone, and for reasons that she knew stemmed from empathy, she wished to obtain her help, to shift her perspective.
"I owe you my life, along with my granddaughter's."
Hama glared at her, uncompromising. "Then you owe me my freedom."
She shook her head. "You know I cannot permit that, for I know what you would do."
"I would have killed your husband if not for Vaatu."
"I am aware," Ursa said, remembering those terrible moments when her husband had merged with Darkness and Chaos, becoming even more of a monster. "Never have I loathed that spirit as much as when he appeared to save my husband. That alone makes him irredeemable. But what you failed to do, Avatar Aang will accomplish. He will vanquish- "
"It should have been me!" Hama snapped, eyes frothing. "I wanted to plunder the heart of Sozin's line! And your son's my next target!"
Ursa's eyes turned to slits. "If you touch my son, whatever grief you have suffered from my husband will be insignificant next to the torture I will inflict on you. Not to mention what my daughter, my brother, Katara, and Avatar Aang will do to you."
"Don't say her name!" Hama hissed. "That whore doomed me!"
"Did she doom you, or did your actions doom you? I heard what you did, what happened. Using your power to torture innocents- "
"I was innocent when your people invaded my Tribe and butchered my people and then imprisoned me!"
Ursa stared at her. "But you became so much worse than those who tortured you."
"Liar!"
"Stealing one's free will- "
"My free will was stolen from me!"
"But you escaped and regained your free will," she countered. "Then you chose to inflict everything that happened against you to those innocent of anything resembling what happened to you. The crimes of a few, of Sozin and his leading tormentors, are not the crimes of everyone. You had the chance to prove your strength by not succumbing, by choosing to be better, but you descended into that pit. You became a monster."
Hama's lips curled back in disgust. "Spare me, Fire Lady. I don't know why I saved you, but what I do know is that it was a mistake. And when my power returns, it won't be a mistake I make again."
"You kept me imprisoned," Ursa responded after several moments, capturing Hama's gaze. "We could have all escaped. Do you remember my offer?"
"It would have done nothing," Hama dismissed. "Vaatu was there still."
"But because of your decision, my husband continued to rape me," she retorted, voice strong as she did her best to fend off the horrible memories and phantom sensations. "Yet… I am willing to help you."
Hama scoffed. "Don't twist it, Fire Lady. You gave yourself willingly."
Ursa smiled thinly, fists clenching under her robes. "To spare my granddaughter, yes. But there was no arousal, and it hurt every single time he took me. I did not want it, and when he came to take me, there was no choice. I had to do as he demanded, or he would murder my granddaughter in front of me - and then he would take me anyway. I deem that rape."
Hama looked away, but Ursa felt no vindication; she felt tired, and she hated the reminders of her time under her husband's will. And Hama reminded her like nothing else.
Yet, she was willing to help Hama.
She sighed, voice soft. "Avatar Aang will vanquish my husband and those who follow him, but you can give us information to- "
"Why would I do that?" Hama's words did not possess the vitality and intensity they once did.
"You can save my husband from using innocents as he used you," Ursa replied. "And me. And my granddaughter. You can stop innocents from enduring the same fate that you did when you were imprisoned, for it is more than within Ozai's capability to inflict such vicious cruelty on innocents. You know it is."
Hama finally looked back at her, breathing heavily, quiet for several moments. "I don't know a lot. They didn't tell me much. My job was to teach him waterbending."
"And sleep with him," she reminded, unable to help herself. But she had to be careful, knowing of the child growing inside Hama - Ursa's own step-child, to whom she will be a dutiful grandmother.
"Yes," Hama agreed, ashamed. "After I learned his identity, I still did it, and it felt like rape - even though I know it wasn't. It wasn't like… like you. I have no experience with it; the guards on the ship when I was imprisoned the first time never wanted to touch 'water filth.' I'm sorry. I shouldn't compare our situations."
Ursa shook her head, closing her eyes for a brief moment to alleviate the stinging in her eyes. "It is only natural. Is there any information you know?"
Hama nodded. "He was going to use your granddaughter as a vessel for a dead Master Airbender; it was how he planned to learn airbending. Vaatu would pull the spirit from the Gardens of the Dead. But now, I don't know. There's no way they can have airbending."
Ursa reminded herself to tell her son to vastly reward Sokka. Sokka had saved Samir from a fate beyond horror. "Anything else?"
"He and Vaatu are going to merge permanently, but I don't know how. Vaatu never revealed that information. And I know that he planned to… sire an army of children, for his spawn would be powerful."
Her Noble upbringing and training ensured that she did not react to that information beyond disappointment; she feared Hama's reaction to her pregnancy. "That was doomed to fail."
Hama nodded as all of the fight seemed to leave her, for she sagged back; she looked weary. "He believed that he would have years, perhaps decades, before The Avatar and he would battle - why, I don't know. It never made sense. He could never see that The Avatar was no longer that boy he fought in the Great War. And I never tried to correct him; his rage is… terrifying. And Vaatu's is even worse."
Ursa nodded, understanding. "Ozai was blinded by a memory. He was unable to recognize that Avatar Aang is capable of evolving to match - and surpass - him, to put measures in place to prevent his plans."
"It will be the death of him."
"It will be," she agreed. "Is there anything else?"
"That's all I can think of that was significant. They have Fire, Earth, and Water. There's no way they can get Air now, right?"
"I can conceive of no way without my granddaughter. Thank you for your candor. I request more of it."
Hama blinked, surprised. "For what?"
Ursa felt vulnerability coil around her heart. "Why did you save us?"
Hama was quiet for several moments before her eyes looked away, voice soft. "He used both of us. If you could stand against him, stand tall and… and resolute, could do what I couldn't, then I could try."
Ursa felt a kinship with Hama. "And you succeeded," she congratulated. "Thank you for saving my granddaughter's life, and the lives of myself and the others."
"But you will never give me the reward I seek."
"Did you do it for a reward or because it was the right thing to do?"
Hama squirmed, bitter, and refused to answer.
Ursa laughed, but there was nothing at which she felt amused. "Have you ever considered her position? Katara's position?"
Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say, for Hama burst to life in fury.
"She never considered mine!" she snarled, madness glinting in her frigid eyes. "She then condemned me to that life again! She took the presence of the Moon from me!"
Ursa took several moments to reply, thinking carefully. "Does the burden of understanding fall to the child or the adult? Katara was a child in a war in which she should have never been involved, nonetheless near its heart. You were the adult, and you had been living free from your torment for years. You should have achieved clarity- "
Hama cackled, madness apparent. "But I did."
"It was up to you to understand her position," she finished firmly. "Will you show grace? Mercy?"
The sudden intent in Hama's gaze made Ursa fearful that the chi-block wore off.
But nothing happened. She was thankful for Toph's efforts in molding a large sheet of metal around Hama until only her head was visible; no part of her body, except her head, could move.
"There is no such thing!" Hama snapped. "The Avatar's mercy is why all of this happened! His mercy produced death and evil!"
Ursa closed her eyes, wondering where her son-in-law and daughter were; they needed to be all together once again. "Which he understands now as an adult. He is no longer that boy you knew."
Hama scoffed. "I know that all-too-well. I felt his power in the North when he came to rescue you; there is nothing like it. And I saw the consequences of your husband's battle against him. I had to heal him."
"And Katara healed you when she could have refused, letting you die."
"I didn't ask to be healed, least of all by her! I didn't want to remember my failure to kill Sozin's line!"
Ursa knew all the understanding they had reached earlier had been obliterated. "Do you feel no gratitude? Despite everything that happened to me by my husband's hands, I am grateful to you for saving my life - and the lives of the others."
"I am not like you, Fire Lady."
An absurd laugh bubbled in her chest. "Yet, did you not save me because you recognized we are alike?"
Hama's neck craned forward as much as it could. "If we are alike, you will let me have vengeance against Katara. I call in your debt you owe me."
Ursa shook her head. "You know that is unacceptable. Katara will be the future Fire Lady; my son chose her. My loyalty is to her, as my son's subject, over whatever debt you have inspired by saving my life and my granddaughter's life. I can pay my debt by bridging the gap between you and the others. When Avatar Aang arrives, he will agree with me; I know it. When he learns you saved his daughter's life, he will grant you much." She honestly had no idea if she was lying; her son-in-law had been through so much, and she could not determine his state of mind. "And if he does not, my daughter likely will," she amended. "You can have a new life. If you help us against my husband, you can have a new life. You can live again, without being under anyone."
Hama was quiet, interested clearly. "In return for what? My bloodbending? I know The Avatar can take someone's bending."
Ursa paused and thought of the child inside Hama. "I imagine Avatar Aang will have conditions," she said carefully, "and if you meet those, you can live in freedom."
Hama sneered, losing interest. "No. No, no. I'm not losing my bending again. I want Katara."
"What does that do?" she demanded, patience thinning. "It does nothing. You know it does. And I do not believe you hate her as much as my husband."
"Katara is why your husband was able to get to me in the first place!"
Ursa's temper appeared finally. "Do you take no accountability? You made your choices - horrifying choices - and that is what provoked you-know-who to take an interest in you! It was your actions and choices that allowed my husband 'to get to you in the first place,' not Katara's. They say you are twice my age, at least, but you act like a child. My granddaughter is more mature than you."
Hama's smile was monstrous. "Well, what do you expect, Fire Lady? She watched your husband rape you."
Ursa's eyes widened in shock before they narrowed in fury; fire crackled between her fingers. "My debt is paid right now by not killing you."
A laugh was her response, and it was mocking but genuine. "Of course, so quick to violence. You are of Fire."
She stood to her feet and exhaled slowly, trying to release her fury; she was not quite successful. "You are of nothing, Hama. You have no home, no people. You were borne of Water, but you turned against them and helped lead my husband's attack against the North, against the people you once called yours. I have my son, daughter, granddaughter, and I have Avatar Aang, my son-in-law, and Katara, who will be my daughter-in-law. You have no one. You would still have my husband if we did not save you - because you know he would have never allowed you to die after betraying him. He would have healed you - you taught him how to do that, yes? - and prolonged your agony. Then he would rape you worse than he raped me, for he still considered me his wife, but you would only ever be considered his whore. And after betraying him? You would know him violently in the most degrading of ways as he brutalized all your orifices, and you would have no comfort as I had in my granddaughter. Your only comfort would be your tears."
Hama's face had drained of blood, but before she could respond, Ursa glided out of the room and continued walking, knowing if she stopped before she found Master Sokka, she would turn around and do something she would regret - like burning Hama alive.
She exited the inn and found Master Sokka with Lady Suki watching King Bor and Queen Toph practice earthbending outside of the town. The joy on Queen Toph's face lightened her weary spirit, but she placed a hand on Master Sokka's arm.
"Chi-block her again," she said shortly.
Master Sokka's eyes crinkled in sympathy. "That bad?"
Ursa smiled tightly. "Worse. I am still reeling from what she said."
"Well, I can make her be reeling after I smack her in the face," Master Sokka suggested, looking awkward. "Would that help?"
Lady Suki looked at her husband in exasperation. "That's sweet of you, but I don't think that would help."
Ursa's smile became more genuine. "I appreciate it, Master Sokka, but a chi-block will suffice."
"Got it. Come on, Toph! Chi-blocking time!" Master Sokka said and walked off into the town and towards the inn. Toph followed swiftly, leaving King Bor alone for several moments. He glanced at them, inclining his head before deciding to follow Master Sokka and Toph.
She watched them go before looking at Lady Suki. "He is a good man."
Lady Suki smiled, hands caressing her swollen belly. "He is. I love him."
Ursa tried to smile, but after everything she had endured at the hands of her husband, whom she still loved, it was forced and bitter.
Sensing her distress, Lady Suki placed a gentle hand on her arm. "I'm sorry you never had this."
She shook her head, emotions boiling inside her. "I did initially; I loved him, and we were happy. He was kind, which may seem impossible, but I remember. That is why it is so painful now, for the monster he has become is not the man I loved in marriage and who gave me my children. Do you know what is most painful, Lady Suki?"
"No."
"That I still love him - love the man he was, at least. But that love is getting smaller and smaller. Yet, I do not only want to know hatred when I think of him. I want to retain those memories of our youth together and the beginning of our marriage when we were so happy. I do hate him, yes, but how can I hate him when I remember his kindness? How can I hate him when he gave me two amazing children, both of whom triumphed over the curse of Sozin's line - and they did it without my help? He gave me the greatest gifts of my life, the greatest times in my life, and for that I love him."
Lady Suki nodded. "I understand. I can't imagine what it's like, but I think I would feel the same if Sokka became like him."
Tears welled in her eyes, and she tried to blink them away, but they came regardless. "But I should not love him."
"You love who he was, not who he is. I understand."
"What he did to me…" The recent memories assaulted her, and her heart raced, breathing wavering. "He… he- "
"Sokka told me what he did to you," Lady Suki whispered, eyes angry and distraught. "I'm sorry. We're going to stop him."
"He raped me," Ursa murmured, the pain in her heart provoking the memory of the painful sensations her husband inflicted on her. "I tried to keep Samir from knowing, ordered her to look away and cover her ears, but… she is a child, curious and innocent. She heard and watched; I know she did. I destroyed her innocence."
Lady Suki's grip on her arm tightened briefly before it relaxed. "He did, not you. Don't blame yourself."
Ursa's face twisted, and she tried to control her emotions. "There was part of me - a big part - that thought I could… get through to him; I thought I could make him stop and end this. I never visited him in prison; I wanted to, but the thought of looking in those eyes was unbearable. But because I never visited him, I never knew of the depths of his fall. I know how he tricked me into murdering Azulon, and I know what Zuko has told me, saw what he did to our son's face; I have heard what Avatar Aang has said and saw the aftermath of his attack on Azula that would have killed her if not for Avatar Aang, but I never saw with my own eyes, never directly experienced it - at least beyond his deception involving Azulon. And that was my fault. I thought foolishly that I had power over him and could convince him to stop. Because he would always at least listen to me and consider my advice when married; he valued my words and honored his promises. Even after everything, I thought I could reach him, reach the man I married underneath the monster who stole his face."
"Because you are a good woman," Lady Suki said fiercely. "You are good. Someone good will always look for the good in others even if it's not there."
She bowed her head. "And I learned it is nowhere to be found in my husband, who corrupted Samir's innocence and repeatedly took me."
Lady Suki's eyes were kind and gentle. "You are away from him; you both are. He will never have you again."
Ursa closed her eyes, trying to erase the sensation of her husband's rough fingers harshly gripping her breasts and yanking her hair.
She had a ways - a long ways - to go.
XxXxXxXxXxX
The fire to find his daughter before Vaatu could pull a dead Master Airbender from the Gardens of the Dead burned ever brighter as more time passed. Aang could think of nothing else but finding a signal of either Ozai or his friends. Nothing else mattered. Nothing.
The initial determination had evaporated into sheer panic, and he continued to push Appa more than he ever had, trying to do something. He had even thought of entering The Avatar State to force Appa to go faster through terror, but he hadn't acted on that thought.
However, their breakneck pace for two days straight had finally caught up to Appa, for Aang no longer felt the wind rushing through his hair. No matter how firmly he urged Appa faster, Appa only inched forward through the air, barely flying anymore, too exhausted to roar his displeasure and exhaustion.
"We must stop, Aang," Azula said beside him. "You did not even push him this hard when we had to get to the North from the Sun Warriors after Yue notified you what was happening."
Aang closed his eyes and nodded. "I know."
"If you healed him, would that recover his endurance?"
He sighed. "That's not how it works."
"We need to rest," Azula urged. "We are all tired, Appa most of all. Night approaches; we will have no visual guarantee of perceiving anything of importance. We will fly blind. For all we know, we could have missed a sign last night and the night before while we traveled."
Appa huffed in agreement, and the exhaustion in his friend was clear through the bond. Momo chirped in agreement, as well.
"I'm taking him down," Aang said.
Azula did not respond.
Appa didn't need encouragement, descending rapidly at an unbearable angle for anyone but an Airbender. Aang held onto Azula as they descended, feeling the tightness in her body, how rigidly she held herself.
He hated it.
But he knew he was stiff, too.
The forest approached swiftly, and Appa landed and collapsed immediately, panting. Aang felt remorse as he hopped off his friend's head and felt the exhaustion through their link.
It was worse than he had thought.
He hissed between his teeth. "I pushed him too hard. I don't think we'll be able to fly tomorrow."
When Azula said nothing, he turned around, concerned, and saw her staring at the cove. Within moments, he understood what had captured her attention.
"This looks like where- "
"It looks like where Ozai nearly killed me," Azula finished, holding a hand to her chest. She turned back to him, a sad smile on her face. "The same place where Samir first called me 'Mom'."
He swallowed and patted Appa's head before joining his wife. "That's where we made love the first time, too."
Azula's eyes squeezed shut. "Is our daughter gone by now?"
The words struck at the core of Aang's soul, and he pulled her into him, breathing uneven. "Don't say that."
His wife remained quiet for several moments, held against his chest. "Is it true?" she whispered, voice flat, and it would be an eerie resemblance to the girl of the Great War if it were not for the fact that her beautiful face was stricken with devastation. "We have flown for two days straight and found nothing. We do not know where Ozai and Dark are, and we have seen no signal from Sokka or the others. Is Samir… gone?"
The truth stared him in the face, but Aang could not believe it; he couldn't!
Even if it made too much sense.
Vaatu had Samir, who was an Airbender; Vaatu had secured Indra through threats and gifted himself airbending, thus giving Ozai airbending, as well; and it wouldn't take Vaatu long to pull a dead Master Airbender from the Gardens of the Dead and put the spirit in Samir through energybending.
So much death and destruction had already happened - and will continue to happen - because of Vaatu. Why wouldn't that include Samir's life just as it had included Bumi's - and so many others whose names he didn't know?
Azula was right - Samir was gone.
First, Bumi, and now his daughter.
Aang finally found words, the void in his heart growing, gaping wide with all of the suffering he had endured; this newest agony was as great and severe as any of the others. "I won't rest until I destroy them."
His wife looked up at him, golden eyes weary. "Do not vow impossibilities. You need rest; we all do."
His gaze drifted to the cove that reminded him of that joyful time in which he had officially adopted Samir and confessed his love to his wife, and he remembered the innocence of his daughter, who had looked up at him in awe with a shy but mesmerizing smile. The memories overwhelmed him, and he fell to his knees, bringing Azula with him, and she said nothing, holding onto him.
They sat there together, grieving, mourning, but basking in someone who understood. They knew what each other felt, and it was better somehow, just a little. To share the pain was better than rejecting it or holding it to yourself.
Momo chirped and Aang looked up, watching as Appa roused himself and lumbered to the lake for a drink - a long drink.
There was a small part of him that wanted to blame Appa, who failed to fly fast enough to prevent his daughter's death, but he knew it wasn't Appa's fault, not in the slightest.
Reason instead of feel.
"Reason instead of feel," he whispered. "I think that's why I haven't destroyed the world - and Vaatu with it."
"Me too," Azula whispered back. "I swore to see the world burn to get Samir and my mother back, but now, I cannot fulfill my oath. I feel tired. So tired."
Aang knew it was up to him, and he raised them to their feet. "Come on," he said, guiding her into the cave. "I'll build a fire and get us some food."
"I cannot eat, not now."
"I can't either, but I'm going to try. We can't… wallow." He let go of her as Appa lumbered in behind them. He quickly started a fire. "Remember what you told me? Reason instead of feel."
Her golden eyes were old, and the flames from the fire washed over her, emphasizing how weary she looked. "I know its validity, but it seems as valuable as Dragonshit right now."
Appa laid down, and Aang pulled them down onto his tail.
"It does," he agreed hollowly, thinking of the last time he had seen Samir. It had been in the North above the Spirit Oasis; she had looked terrified, held under Ozai's grip. She had called to him with airbending, and he had arrived, only for Hama to use bloodbending to slow him down. By the time he entered The Avatar State, it was too late.
He almost envied his wife, whose last memory of Samir was a brief hug and a happy smile, not recognizing the danger of the situation in the North, unaware of her impending fate. Unaware that Aang would fail her, that the last she would see of him, her father, was in The Avatar State, enraged.
Her last memory of him would be associated with failure and terror. And she died not knowing that Aang let Indra go with Vaatu.
"I gave them the means to destroy her," he said, unsure why he said it. "There was no other choice to make, but… she still died. No matter the choice, the result was the same - death."
Azula jerked and looked up at him, eyes burning. "She is not dead."
"I know you don't want to- "
"I would know," his wife hissed, glaring. "A mother knows, does she not? I am her mother, even though she is not of my body; I would know if she were dead. I do not believe she is dead; I would feel it if she were."
Aang felt astounded. "You were the one who convinced me that she was!"
"What?" she demanded, and her hands felt hot on his chest. "I was voicing a query."
He grit his teeth. "You seemed awfully sure, just short of saying it yourself!"
Azula closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. "No. This will not fracture us, not a foolish misunderstanding. I suppose I was seeking comfort when I voiced it. Forgive me."
Aang sagged and nodded, briefly squeezing her. "Me too. I'm sorry. I'm just… tired. It's hard to get my hopes up with everything that's happened. After Bumi- "
"I understand, Aang," she cut in softly. "I am weary, as well."
"This won't last much longer," he whispered. "The Phoenix will be complete in a little over a month. And Koh is defending him against any attacks. This new war is in its twilight; it's almost over. By the Solstice, there should be peace. I hope."
Azula looked up at him. "But will it be a pyrrhic victory?"
Aang thought of all the lives lost, of Bumi and maybe Samir, and the many lives that were snuffed out that he knew nothing about. "Maybe. I don't know."
"But Samir will be part of our victory," she assured, certain. "You hold no faith, which I understand, but I will hold the faith for us both. Our daughter is alive. I would know if she were not."
"Reason instead of feel," he repeated into Azula's hair, closing his eyes.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Aang had been unable to sleep, mind too chaotic and worried, prohibiting rest. However, looking down at his wife, who managed to rest, he wondered if he was punishing himself - because he didn't deserve sleep; he didn't deserve a reprieve; he didn't deserve peace.
Not after he failed and failed and failed - the one trait that described his reign as Avatar. The fact that he had ended the Great War didn't matter because he had failed to prevent the much deadlier and catastrophic new war heralded by Vaatu.
Guilt was all he knew, and while his chakras were still clear and mastered, he acutely felt the burden - because he was so tired. And his anxious and worried mind fixated on the guilt and mistakes, the failure to stop Vaatu and kill Ozai.
He hated it and knew he was regressing, but there was no one to talk to. He refused to wake Azula, who needed rest, and he didn't think she would understand, not fundamentally as he needed. Their talk on Appa before reaching the first Air Temple and their talk at the first Air Temple were very helpful, but he needed more.
He needed someone who knew the depths of failure as Aang did.
Conclusion reached, Aang gently removed himself from Azula's arms, careful not to wake her; he stood from Appa's tail and exited the cave, the fresh air gentle and cool. Darkness was prevalent, almost suffocating, but it was a welcome reprieve.
He sat in the Lotus Position on the ground and clasped his fists together, trying to clear the anxiety from his mind, the splintering chaos. It was a lot harder than normal. But within minutes, he succeeded, and when he opened his eyes, mist coalesced before him, swirling and forming in an ancient pattern only he - and the lives he lived - would ever understand.
"Aang," Roku greeted warmly, voice familiar and comforting.
He nodded his head in greeting at Roku, who sat across from him, but the movement felt sloppy. "Roku."
"I sense your burden, my friend. It is one familiar to me; it is one familiar to all of us." For a moment, behind Roku, all of his predecessors - all his past lives - appeared for a brief moment in solemn harmony. "History judges Avatars by our failures more than our successes. None of this is new, Aang."
Aang's face twisted. "Vaatu is different; this is different. Maybe the failure is still the same, but its severity is different. We've never encountered something like this before. Wan did, but this is so much worse. Wan stopped him- "
"Wan held inherent advantages over you, my friend," Roku consoled, eyes warm and dependable. "He stopped Vaatu because Vaatu underestimated The Avatar and wasn't seeking his own vessel with whom to merge permanently. Vaatu considered Wan for less than a moment; he considered you for thousands and thousands of years, preparing for this, preparing for you. The fact you're still standing and have achieved victory over him with The Phoenix is significant; it's remarkable."
"I don't know if it will stop him," Aang admitted, glancing back at Azula to make sure she remained in slumber. "He's always had a response to everything I've done; I fear his response to this. Maybe The Phoenix won't do anything; I don't know. And now he has Indra. I gave him Air to save my daughter. I know I shouldn't have, that I should have purified Agni and Devi and imprisoned Vaatu right then and there, but Samir's life meant more."
Roku's shadowed with sorrow. "You faced an unbearable dilemma. I would have done the same as you. I think even Kyoshi would if it meant her children were safe."
Aang took no comfort from Roku's words. "And I chose to contribute to Ozai's ascendancy and Vaatu's victory. They would have never gotten this far if it weren't for me."
"They would have gotten this far so much sooner, probably within a few months of Vaatu freeing Ozai from his prison, if it weren't for your diligence, Aang," Roku corrected, voice adamant but gentle. "You have held steadfast against Vaatu's strivings for two years now; he had thousands of years to plan, while you have had two years. I admire your strength and endurance- "
"What does strength and endurance mean when I can't do anything against him?" he demanded, trying to keep from yelling; Azula needed sleep. "I can't track him; I can't even sense him unless he's near, and he keeps taking and taking from me, from this world. I don't know how many people have died because of him; I don't even have an estimate - because it's that many. This is as bad, if not worse, than the Great War - and it's only been two years rather than a century!"
"I don't know the number of people who died during my time, Aang," Roku said. "No Avatar does."
"That's not comforting. We should know."
"Perhaps we should, but that is not our duty. We are to keep balance, which includes death."
"Which includes Bumi's death and maybe - probably - Samir's death," he added softly, pain flaring in his heart.
Roku shook his head, sad. "You are so young for one of us, Aang. This should have never been your burden. My reign did not start until I was almost thirty; yours started when you were twelve. I'm sorry about your friend. And your daughter, I understand; I know the pain of losing a child."
Aang looked up, startled, and, to his shame, relieved. "You do?"
"There is nothing like it," Roku shared, face gaunt. "When one is old upon death, it's normal and acceptable; it's right. But when a child dies, it's monstrous; it's horrifying and wrong. I lost one of my sons when he was a boy from an accident that was no one's fault. But I blamed myself and considered it my failure, a failure that any parent dreads more than anything else. When the elderly die, the past is lost; when children die, the future is lost. My boy's death significantly aged me, as you can see, and my commitments as Avatar suffered. I'm convinced that my mourning is how Sozin began colonizing the Earth Kingdom - I wasn't paying attention, too consumed by grief. I trusted my friend would do nothing while I was compromised, but I was wrong - and I continued to be wrong until you corrected my error by ending the Great War."
Aang looked into Roku's heavy eyes - a heaviness he knew shone in his own - and felt a kinship he knew he would feel with no one else, not even his wife. "I'm sorry about your son. I fear that is Samir's fate."
Roku's face was solemn. "You will never know until you receive confirmation, whether alive or dead. Until then, you must fight; you must do what I could not."
"You died young - very young - for an Avatar," he murmured. "Part of me envies that; part of me wants to stop and rest forever and join Gyatso, Bumi, and everyone I ever knew… join Samir if she is gone."
"Our journey is never over as others understand life," Roku responded. "My journey is your journey, just as Kyoshi's journey was my journey, and just your journey will be your successor's journey, whenever that is. Death is not the end of our story, only the beginning of the next chapter, and all of our chapters are interconnected in ways we don't realize during our reign, only the reigns of our successors."
"But to stop forever would be to desert those I love most now," Aang said, gaze drifting over Azula's slumbering form. "I will never do it, but I do feel the urge. I feel it a lot, especially now. Part of me wants to give up rather than fight."
"That was my mistake," Roku confessed. "I gave up after my son's death - at least for about a decade. I did my duties, yes, but it was the bare minimum, enough of a feeble effort to delude myself into thinking I was The Avatar I should be. But I was almost as bad as Kuruk. I stopped fighting, only for a fraction of an Avatar's lifespan, but the world paid the price. I was borne of Fire, but I lacked the will to fight. You, Aang, borne of Air, have shown more will to fight, particularly as an adult, than I did."
Aang's laughter revealed itself in a huff. "I think that's more from being married to a Firebender, an heir of Sozin nonetheless."
Roku shook his head. "You fought to end the Great War; you fought before your union with Azula. You hold more spirit than I ever did. I'm not sure if that's because Gyatso instilled resilient rebellion in you or not, but you are different from me in the best of ways. You continue to fight when no one else would. Your losses have strengthened your will to victory; you are determined to stop Vaatu and kill Ozai."
"They have all the elements now, but I don't know how they will merge permanently. I don't know if I can kill Ozai, no matter how much I want to. If I kill him, I may condemn the world to two Avatar Cycles."
"Perhaps that's what the Tree of Time meant about balance being achieved," Roku suggested. "Whatever happens, the world will never be the same, and you cannot go back to what was. Everything will change. Perhaps there will be two Avatars, who battle in every life for the fate of the world and his reign is only ever ended when the other Avatar vanquishes him, or perhaps another solution will reveal itself to you when the time is right."
Aang nodded, taking several moments to respond; he had already reached the same conclusions. "What would you do?"
Roku laughed, and it was genuine. "I am not the right Avatar to ask that question. You sought me out for failure; you must seek another Avatar for war."
Knowing he was right, he inclined his head in farewell. "You're right. Thank you, Roku."
"I'm here always, Aang," Roku said with a kind smile before he dissolved in mist and rushed back into Aang.
He inhaled deeply for several moments before glancing at Azula, who still slumbered. Within moments, he summoned Kyoshi.
"Avatar Aang," she greeted imperially.
Aang sighed. "Avatar Kyoshi."
"You seek advice for war."
"Not exactly. You know the situation."
"I do."
"If Vaatu and Ozai merge permanently, become a rival Avatar, what are my options?"
"My instinct is to kill him."
Aang closed his eyes, wishing he felt surprised. "Even if it starts another Avatar Cycle, which would condemn the world to conflict and alternating between peace and chaos with each reign?"
Kyoshi didn't blink. "Yes. We will have the strength to dismantle this pretender in all his lifetimes."
He shook his head. "I'm not willing to do that."
"Because you are weak, Avatar Aang. This is your fault. If you had not been emotional and killed Ozai as I had advised, this wouldn't have happened."
He grit his teeth, tempted to banish her. "You're the one being emotional and not thinking it through. Vaatu was always going to break free, and he would have chosen someone else as his vessel, and there were plenty to choose from. I'm not willing to kill Ozai and Vaatu when they are merged permanently because Roku showed that not all Avatars will fight. He just confessed his failure to me. Whatever I choose to do will have repercussions for all-time."
Kyoshi's face stretched into a small smile, looking impressed. "You have matured wisely. I commend you. Perhaps you are worthy of our power when so few are."
"And only you can make such a judgment," Aang assumed.
"Indeed."
He wondered if any of his other past lives were so arrogant. Thinking of Kuruk, he realized Kyoshi was pretty tame - and at least she did her job, however severely.
"There's nothing else you can tell me?" he asked.
Kyoshi stared at him. "Whatever you choose to do, Avatar Aang, whatever the effects of your decision, it is yours. But know that the consequences - for there are always consequences, especially for something so monumental - will never align with your perception. There always will be something you failed to foresee. You can try to anticipate the consequences, but it's only an anticipation, an idea based on the past. Maybe you anticipate correctly, but most, if not all, of your anticipations will be for naught. Time is ruthless and reveals the deficiencies in all your plans. Maybe you will be lucky like Kuruk and Roku and the deficiencies are revealed in your successor's reign, or maybe you will be unfortunate in that the deficiencies are revealed in your reign - and all the ire of the world is directed at you for failing to foresee those deficiencies."
Aang was beginning to better understand Kyoshi. "No matter what I do, I damn the world."
"Yes. Our decisions have consequences we never imagine." Kyoshi looked old, so old, even beneath the paint on her face. In fact, the paint almost seemed to exacerbate it. "I had many consequences, Avatar Aang. So many. When my reign started, I thought the world was simple and understandable; I thought everything would be okay. But then I realized the incompetence of Kuruk and had to fix his innumerable mistakes, many of which only got worse no matter what I did; I knew the pain of lost love when Chin refused me and tried to kill me, turning our son against me in the process, though I never knew it until you discovered the truth. I know the pain of failure in creating the Dai Li, who desecrated everything for which I - we - stand. And there was so much more, so many consequences. As Avatar, our burden is beyond the conception of others, even the most powerful of benders, even those inducted into the Order of the White Lotus; as Avatar, the world is what you make it, and only your successor understands the depths and consequences of your decisions. You may do the right thing, Avatar Aang, may make the right decision, but then there will be consequences that you never imagined."
Aang swallowed. "I know. Sparing Ozai to end the Great War showed me that. It was the right decision, but there have been consequences I never foresaw. I didn't think there would be any consequences to sparing him - such is the… naivety of a child. I miss that."
"I do, too. But that is the cycle, and there will be no changing it. There are always consequences. The world is an intricate place, even for an Avatar, perhaps especially for an Avatar. Each nation has customs and traditions that belie the others', and we must keep everyone satisfied if not happy. And if a dreadful situation arises, the situation is always levied on our shoulders, even if the fault lies elsewhere."
"You had a hard life," he whispered in compassion; he finally understood Kyoshi.
Kyoshi nodded. "I did. We all do. But your life, what you have endured at such a young age, is impressive if not horrifying. Over the entire expanse of my reign, I did not face what you have faced in the ten years of your reign so far. They will sing songs about your prowess."
"I always thought we were different," Aang confessed. "I didn't like you; I really didn't like you."
"I know."
"I refused to look deeper and think and be honest. Because then I would have seen that we are alike. Maybe I always feared how similar we are, how similar all Avatars are with each other."
"Except Kuruk, of course," Kyoshi said with small mirth, delighting in condemning her predecessor, who caused much of her torment and strife.
Aang chuckled. "Yeah, except him. Thank you for your advice, Avatar Kyoshi. You have given me much to think over."
Kyoshi inclined her head. "I wish you luck, Avatar Aang. As long as you fight and strive, the world is what you make it, and not even Vaatu can take that from you. He cannot win - because he suffers from a lack of vision. His gaze, while intent and powerful, is narrow. He cannot perceive a world unlike that which he perceives, and he is not Time; he cannot perceive All. What he perceives the world to be will not the world become."
"Thank you. Farewell, Kyoshi."
"Farewell, Aang."
Aang felt the mist rush back into him, and the anxiety in his mind, while still there, had lessened quite significantly. He knew Samir may be dead; he knew that the future remained uncertain; and he knew this time was a time of decline as Vaatu ravished the world. But he also knew that he could have peace - because he would fight and strive to do everything in his power to stop Vaatu and end the new war.
He knew there would be consequences no matter what he did, but he sacrificed that anxiety, snuffing it out - because it did nothing.
The Tree of Time knew what it was doing, no matter how infuriating it was. For whatever reason, Vaatu and Ozai were meant to obtain all of the elements.
It had yet to be revealed if they were meant to merge permanently. But Aang would abide by whatever Time wanted.
Peace washing over him, or as much peace as he was capable of feeling, Aang stood to his feet, knowing the peace wouldn't last, and entered the cave, hopping onto Appa's tail; he reclined next to Azula, who opened her eyes.
"Did you find the answers you sought?"
He blinked in shock. "You knew?"
"I missed your warmth," she said simply. "When I looked up and saw you outside the cave speaking with Roku, I knew not to disturb you; you needed it. I suspect you needed someone else's advice besides my own."
Aang shook his head. "It's not what you think. I value your advice- "
Azula laughed, and her gaze was fond. "What advice is mine next to an Avatar's? Next to one of your past lives, who understand your burden on a fundamental level, whereas I understand it on a secondary level? I am not surprised; I am only surprised you waited this long to contact one of them."
He marveled at her understanding. "Two, actually. I spoke with Kyoshi."
Her brows rose, intrigued. "You are calm rather than disgruntled. Did she grovel and express regret?"
"I understand her now," he explained, pulling her to him as he rolled his eyes. "She was ruthless but pragmatic. I understand that; I understand it more than I was comfortable admitting. I can be more ruthless than anyone; Kuei's death exemplifies it. And I must be pragmatic to end this war. As a boy, I never wanted to admit that I was like her; I think I almost hated her - such was my stubbornness in honestly looking at myself and assessing my actions. But I'm no longer that boy."
Azula's fingers drifted over his chest. "You are not," she agreed. "I would shoot lightning at you if you were."
"Again," he added in amusement.
The regret was tangible in the air. "Again," Azula whispered. "Although, I think it more likely you would catch my lightning rather than be harmed by it. You are fully-realized."
Aang ignored her words and remembered the Great War. "I didn't understand the world nor myself; I didn't understand The Avatar's burden. I was… hurting, and I threw myself into mastering the elements to distract myself from the pain, the bitterness, the helplessness. That's why I mastered everything I could after the Great War ended - I was doing the same thing over and over again, avoiding and evading like an Airbender. I couldn't face it, not… as a boy."
Azula's lips pressed against his neck as she sighed. "I was the same. In the asylum, I plateaued because I could not face the truth; only when I met you, 'Kuzon,' on Ember Island did my journey begin. And it culminated at the Eastern Air Temple with Pathik."
"I hope he's alright," he whispered, thinking suddenly of the possibility of Pathik's death. "There are some things I need to ask him about Air Nomad culture. I'd rather ask him than read scrolls."
"You will have the chance," Azula promised, rising on her elbows to gaze down at him. "We are not losing anyone else."
Aang's gaze shadowed. "Roku told me his son died young."
Azula stared down at him for several moments, and to his worry, he couldn't decipher her expression. "Samir will not share Roku's son's fate, Aang."
"Is that an impossible vow?" he asked softly.
Her face pinched in displeasure. "I believe she is still alive; she must be. If a new spirit invades her body, Samir would fight, and she would endure."
Aang closed his eyes; the semi-peace he had once had vanished. "Against a Master Airbender? Samir wouldn't have the will to fight."
Azula's hands came up and cradled his face, ignoring clearly the prickling from his beard hairs; she leaned closer, hypnotic eyes snaring his gaze. "She was touched by The Avatar and made to look like him. She possesses your strength, Aang. She will fight just as you do; she will never surrender, no matter her young age. She is a fighter, even against a Master Airbender devoted to Dark."
He blinked and sat up suddenly, startling his wife. "That's it," he breathed out, awe and relief surging through him as he stared at her. "You're right. I gave her part of myself; I used energybending to give her airbending, and her chi copied mine, making us connected because of it. I would feel it if she died, or if her chi was being marred. I've felt nothing to suggest that… she's gone."
His wife nodded, proud. "Our daughter is our daughter, Aang; she would never give up because we have never given up."
Aang swallowed, feeling ashamed. "I did. I gave up on her; I thought she was dead. But she's not dead."
"After everything you have lost, particularly King Bumi's loss you just learned about, I believe it is understandable."
He collapsed back on Appa's tail, exhausted but relieved. "She's not dead," he repeated. "She's still out there, and we need to find her."
"It is still night," Azula reminded, lying down next to him.
Aang felt Appa's energy and was grateful. "We could leave if we wanted to."
"That would be unwise."
"We should go, but… this is nice," he whispered, closing his eyes, breathing in the moment, feeling the way her body molded against his.
"It is necessary," Azula added.
"We need this."
"We do. We have not had a moment's peace nor rest since the Sun Warriors."
"Feels longer. A lot longer." He opened his eyes, connecting her gaze to her golden one. "Since Ember Island."
Azula nodded, beautiful eyes hazy in remembering. "That was a long time ago. Things were simpler then. When we met, we both presumed Ozai imprisoned and possessed no knowledge of Dark."
Aang marveled at such simplicity - simplicity he had known but could barely remember. "I can't wait to go back there when all this is over. I also want to show you the Southern Air Temple."
His wife perked up, staring curiously, almost hopefully, at him. "You hold faith we will vanquish him?"
"Something Kyoshi said to me."
Azula raised an inquiring brow. "Do tell."
"She said Vaatu won't win because of his lack of vision; his perception is narrow. He's spent thousands of years mastering this plan, but some plans can be too perfect, unable to account for resilience in the most unlikely of ways. 'How Vaatu perceives the world to be will not the world become,' she said, because his perception is not All. His perception, despite the length of his gaze, is limited. Only the Tree of Time perceives All, not Vaatu, not me, and not Koh. I never thought Kyoshi would revive my faith, but she did. She had a tough life, and I understand that. We understand each other."
"I like her," Azula praised. "If half of the legends I have heard of her are true, I like her more. Perhaps you will give me the chance to speak with her some time."
Aang's brows rose. "That's a terrifying thought."
She smirked and smacked his chest half-heartedly. "A gift to your wife is terrifying?"
"It's not the gift," he defended, a small smile stretching his lips. "It's the particular recipient."
Azula raised a solemn hand. "I swear on my honor to utilize such a gift for good."
"According to whom?"
Delight danced in her eyes. "Well done, Avatar. That boy would have not caught the ambiguity."
Those words catapulted him to the past, and Aang laughed softly, the mists of anxiety nowhere to be found - for now. "If my younger self, 'that boy,' knew he'd one day give you, Princess Azula of Sozin's line- "
"And Avatar's wife," she added proudly.
"- the chance to share a conversation with Kyoshi, he probably would have made a new iceberg to escape such a reality - such would be his horror. Not to mention his shock."
Azula smirked. "I would have melted that iceberg."
"And taken advantage of me."
"If only that had happened," she said with a regretful sigh, amusement clear on her face. "The possibilities."
Aang smiled. "I would have been terrified of you."
A brow rose. "You are not terrified of me now?"
His amusement faded as he was reminded of his actual terror. "Not of you. I breathe easier knowing Samir is okay. The fear isn't as overwhelming. And the guilt. It's easier to reason instead of feel because the feelings aren't so strong."
Azula remained quiet for several moments. "I understand. When all this is over, there will still be much to do."
Aang shook his head. "I know, but I need a break. Before I met you, I just wanted a vacation, which led me to Ember Island. At least I got some time off with you before all of this. After this, I want another vacation with you - and Samir. At least for a little bit. I think the world could use it, too. I have a feeling that people will be sick of The Avatar after having two of them battle for dominion over the world."
"But they will always know who is the legitimate Avatar and who is the pretender Avatar."
"That's what Kyoshi said," he recalled. "She called Ozai a pretender."
Azula hummed. "Now I must speak with her."
"But I fear he's more a contender than a pretender," Aang confessed. "I won't underestimate him. I know better than anyone what it means to battle with all the elements under your command. The advantages are…"
"Innumerable," Azula finished.
"They are. I never saw it as a child, but now… I understand."
His wife leaned up to look down at him. "Speaking of children, I have thought about what Indra mentioned."
"Which part?"
"My lack of pregnancy."
He frowned. "You want to be pregnant during all of this?"
Azula glared briefly before it faded. "No. I am thankful I am not. I cannot imagine how frantic you would be if I were."
Aang swallowed, perceiving the possibilities. "I can."
"But we must plan. If I am to provide you the Air Nomads' rebirth, we must- "
"Later," he promised. "We'll get to work after all this is over."
Azula smirked. "A fun kind of work. The most fun. You will grant me the seed of your loins."
Aang pulled her to him, feeling her breasts press into his chest; it was enticing and exhilarating. "I think I've granted you a lot of that already. It's a miracle you haven't fallen pregnant."
"Indeed. But you shall grant me more; if I may be so amorous, my womb years for it."
A small laugh escaped him. "After all this is over. We'll have that fun kind of work."
She sighed, but she looked unsurprised; she stared at him for several moments. "Miracle is an apt observation. It is a miracle that only Suki has fallen pregnant. I know my brother and Katara have engaged several times since they started at the Sun Warriors, and our own activities have been frequent and consistent - at least before Ozai's invasion of the North."
Reality crashed around him, and Aang closed his eyes. "I'm looking forward to our vacation; I look forward to peace; I look forward to more Airbenders."
"We will have many children, I know; we must if we are to succeed. But I do want a few of our many children to be Firebenders."
Aang didn't blink. "Of course. But they must know that when they have children, they may have Airbenders; it's possible."
"Do you want sons or daughters?"
"Both," he responded, catching her curious gaze. "Sons will make rebuilding a lot easier, for… they could have many children - many Airbenders - a lot quicker than daughters would. And I'd understand them. But I want daughters, too, even if I'm not sure I'd understand them."
Azula's brows rose. "How so?"
"The first girl I ever actually knew was Katara and then Toph. Then it was you, Samir, and your mother - and Mai and Ty Lee. I don't have much experience with girls beyond that. I've seen Katara and Toph go crazy, like they would claw your eyes out; you were insane and hunted me across the Earth Kingdom with Mai and Ty Lee; and your mother murdered the Fire Lord himself. Every girl I've ever known - besides Samir - has been crazy, or done crazy things, at one point or another. I don't understand it; I am but a sheltered monk."
His wife nodded, an expression of enlightenment on her face. "That is a… worrying pattern, but you do well with Samir."
Aang swallowed. "I'm afraid she'll go crazy eventually. It's the pattern I've witnessed."
"I do not think that pattern is accurate exactly. All those girls, myself included, were raised during the Great War. Samir will not be. This new war with Dark is almost over. And we will win. There will be no other war after this."
"There better not be," he murmured.
"I think it will be different with Samir. She will know peace and balance; she will know stability You are already an excellent father to her."
"And you're a great mother," Aang added.
Regret flickered across his wife's face for a brief moment. "Well, I do worry. I do well with Samir, but what of our other children we will have? I am not exactly… conventional."
Aang chuckled. "We have a shared foundation; that's what matters. I don't think my wife could ever be conventional. Otherwise, I would have married Katara."
Azula laughed. "An absurdity not fit for The Avatar. She balances Zuzu out, and I balance you out."
"And that balance will trickle down to our children. They will learn their heritages from both of us, for they will be your children as much as mine."
Her golden eyes lit up. "I will give them the Fire Royal education while you transmit to them the Air Nomad teachings; I will teach them knowledge, and to them you will convey wisdom."
"I think we both have some wisdom to share with them."
"Regardless, they will be knowledgeable, wise, and excellent; they will be elite. The children of The Avatar and Fire Princess deserve no less."
Aang nodded after several moments. "We can decide later on. But yeah. Our sons and daughters will be okay; they will be."
"You will be an excellent father to both your sons and daughters, Aang. Your experience with Samir attests as much."
"I hope so."
"If it helps, no daughter will resemble me," Azula said, words spaced in consideration. "I am who I am because of my father. Unlike me, our daughters would not likely resemble my disposition since they will not have Ozai for their father."
Aang closed his eyes, the thought of Ozai souring his mood. The anxiety returned swiftly - with the speed of the wind, in fact. "Whatever happens, we'll deal with it."
"If we are to deal with it, you must rest," Azula encouraged. "Let your dreams reveal the answers to you. I know you have not slept in days."
The exhaustion came at her reminding words, and he tried to fight it off. "No. We need to leave soon. Appa will- "
Azula's hands were firm on his chest, pushing him down as he tried to rise. "I will wake you when we need to leave."
Aang collapsed back on Appa's tail and nodded; slumber came swiftly.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Zuko watched as Katara's glowing hands hovered over Suki's swollen stomach. "They're strong and healthy, and yes, they're Waterbenders."
Sokka grinned from ear to ear. "Yes! Yue made sure of it! Now the North can't reject me!"
"She was looking out for us," Suki said, smiling. "We've been blessed."
Katara removed her hands, and Zuko helped her to her feet. "Congratulations," she gushed. "You'll make great parents."
"Well, you're gonna have a kid soon enough," Sokka reminded, and Zuko closed his eyes, still coming to terms with that; he needed to speak with Katara about it, but they needed to be alone. "Speaking of, how do you plan to tell Hama?"
Zuko glanced at Katara, hoping he conveyed correctly his need to speak with her alone without saying the actual words; he wasn't sure he was successful. "I was thinking that we could eliminate almost all of the danger she poses to us and the child if you take away her bending."
"Perfect!" Sokka sagged in relief. "It's nerve-wracking having her here, knowing that she could use her bloodbending to kill all of us if the chi-block wears off before we're ready. I've done it three times today, and each time, she looks at me like she'll eat me if she had the chance. I believe she'd do it." Sokka turned to Suki. "Do you think I would taste good?"
Suki frowned, unimpressed. "Why would you ask me that?"
Sokka puffed up in pride. "Because you've tasted me - and you did it last night."
Zuko pinched his nose while Katara gasped. "I don't want to hear that, Sokka! It's enough knowing how you guys became parents!"
"Can you take away her bending?" Zuko asked, cutting in.
It worked, for Katara frowned. "I don't know."
"What?" Sokka cried out in dismay. "Why not?"
"Even though Aang taught us energybending, and we all learned it, none of us have done it before yet. If we're going to experiment, test ourselves on one of the most powerful benders in the world, I think we'll be destroyed."
"But that's what Aang did! He did that to Ozai!"
"He's The Avatar," Zuko reminded, seeing Katara's point. "Rules that apply to us don't apply to him. And even he, The Avatar, was nearly destroyed."
"Because he was twelve."
Zuko hesitated before nodding. "Yes. But there was probably more to it, I think- "
Katara peered at him, curious. "Like what?"
"He was a kid who was alone," he began slowly, trying to find the words of his thought process ten years ago. Then, he had been terrified for Aang, but he had also been terrified for the Fire Nation. Not to mention he had been terrified of becoming Fire Lord. "He had no one. Even if we like to think he had us, he was still alone - because we couldn't imagine what he was going through at that young age. Not even Toph, who was his age, could. Everywhere he looked, everything he gazed at, was different from when he was born. That world was stolen from him because of Sozin's pride and greed - well, and Dark - but he was a kid who was so hurt that the rage rarely surfaced. He was a boy rather than a man, and looking back now, it was the ultimate mercy that I can think of. I used to think otherwise - we all did, I know - but it was better that he was just a kid rather than an adult. Because I always feared there would be a reckoning one day. Back then, Aang was just a twelve-year-old boy who distracted himself at all times from the fact of his existence - alone and the last of a dead world. If he thought about it, truly thought about it, for even a second, it'd kill him. It'd send him into a rage that could destroy the new world that had stolen his world from him. So, he didn't think about it; he refused to. It was clear to see."
Katara's eyes shadowed with sadness. "You're right."
Zuko sighed in amazement and sorrow. "So, he threw himself into mastering the elements, distracting himself with the impending arrival of Sozin's Comet; he didn't have the time to think about his loss. Thankfully, he didn't have that luxury. If he had, he would have never beaten my father. But all of that was on his mind when he faced my father, especially when he was energybending. But for energybending, Aang taught us that the mind must be clear and pure and true, and I know that Aang's mind was none of those things when against my father, especially since he wasn't truthful with himself about what he was dealing with. It must have overwhelmed him; I don't know how he did it."
"He's The Avatar," Suki said quietly.
"The exception to the rule," Zuko repeated. "But after the Great War was over, Aang did have time to think about it all, to obsess, and I know it was all he could think about for years. Why else is he so powerful? He did the exact same thing after the war - threw himself into mastering the elements to distract himself from his loss. But then it didn't work, and he was no longer a boy. He was maturing into a man. And he isolated himself, making it worse. I never feared the retribution of a boy against the Fire Nation," he admitted, ashamed, "but I did fear the retribution of a man, of an adult Avatar who is fully-realized. I kept in contact with him by writing him letters as much as I could- " Katara winced beside him, and he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "- but I'll admit that it was always on the back of mind. And I was never sure if I was going to try to stop him and fight back if he did decide to finally take the vengeance he's owed."
Sokka looked solemn. "I think Jet's plague solved that."
Zuko nodded. "I know, but that's not why I bring it up. Aang was grappling with that loss while fighting my father, and he was alone. All of that, everything, including the fact that he was a boy and my father was an intense and driven man, ties together somehow in a way I can't express adequately, but I do think it's all why he was nearly destroyed. Because Aang admitted to us when he was teaching us that he was nearly destroyed by my father's spirit and energy. Hama's hatred and spirit is intense, and Katara's right. We'd be risking too much by trying to do it without Aang here. We need to wait for him. I think he needs to do it. And we don't even know how it would affect the child if it would. And we don't know exactly what we're dealing with like Aang was. Azula was right - it was the ultimate gamble. I'm so relieved it paid off, but I'm not going to take that gamble, especially with someone as powerful as Hama. And no one else should except The Avatar - because the rules that apply to us don't apply to him. We have to keep chi-blocking her."
"I guess," Sokka grumbled. "But I'm tired of chi-blocking her by myself. I want someone else in there with me besides Toph. She's fucking terrifying. Not even Toph could take her if it came to it."
"Then take Suki with you and go chi-block her again," Zuko dismissed, tired of the conversation. He needed to speak with Katara.
Katara smacked his arm half-heartedly while Sokka glowered at him. "I'm not taking my pregnant-with-waterbending-twins wife to that bitch! She may try to corrupt our twins or something through waterbending!"
"Not if you chi-block her."
Suki closed her eyes and shook her head and grabbed Sokka's arm. "I think what Zuko is tactlessly trying to say is that he wants to be left alone with Katara."
Zuko gratefully looked at her in silent thanks.
Sokka puffed his chest out and pointed a finger at him. "Don't be making any new babies. We've got enough - and that doesn't include Samir, who's still a kid."
Zuko rolled his eyes. "Noted."
Thankfully, Suki dragged Sokka away before he could say anything else.
Katara pointedly raised a brow at him when they were left alone. "I think you could have done that better."
"I don't care."
"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned. "Did Sokka's question to Suki about if he tastes good make you sick, too?"
He chuckled softly, but he didn't feel much mirth; the anxiety was too much. "That's not it."
"Then what is it?"
The burning sensation inside him flared. "You got your wish. You're going to be a mother."
Katara winced. "It's not exactly what I had in mind- "
"It was my idea," he admitted grudgingly.
"It was a good idea," she countered, raising a challenging brow. "It was a kind idea; it was the right idea. You know it. I understand that you're scared, but- "
Zuko scoffed. "A Fire Lord doesn't get scared, least of all of a fucking child."
Katara smiled, amused. "Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai - all Fire Lords - were terrified of Aang, a child, for an entire century, remember?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's not the same, and you know it. I thought I would have more time."
"I understand. We haven't really had a chance to talk about this," she said softly, gazing up at him. "We're going to be parents."
"We are."
"And parents to Hama and Ozai's child," she whispered, eyes amazed. "I mean, this is big; it's huge. This could have- "
"Consequences," Zuko finished quietly. "It will have ramifications for not only us but the entire Fire Nation."
Katara sighed. "I think I know how your people - our people - will react, but how will they react?"
Zuko considered it. "They won't be pleased," he admitted. "Fire Lord Houka was killed in a mob because his heir was born of an Air Nomad woman."
"But this child won't be your heir like Zyrn was Fire Lord Houka's heir," Katara challenged, and he was impressed that she remembered the story. "Waterbender, remember? I felt the energy myself; it was impossible to miss. And when Aang gets here, he'll verify it."
"I don't doubt your ability; I doubt the strength of this plan. I know we're the best equipped in the world to handle Hama and Ozai's child, but this reeks of going wrong. Disastrously wrong."
Katara shook her head. "I have faith it won't. We'll be good parents, and we'll raise him like we will raise our other children."
Zuko wished he held such faith, he really did. "Do we tell him the truth?"
She paused, face twisting in uncertain sadness. "I don't know," she whispered, morose. "Hama hates me. I don't want her child - our child - hating me because of it."
"It's not you I'm worried about."
Katara sighed. "I can see that."
His good eye widened. "No, that's not what I meant. You'll be fine because you'll be a great mother; you're already great as it is, and you'll adapt easily."
"You're going to be a great father, Zuko. I know you're scared- "
"So, the child will know he won't ever be heir," he interrupted, hoping she'd drop that line of thought; he really, really didn't want to discuss that. Katara didn't look happy, but she didn't interrupt as he continued, "But he will be raised a prince; he is of Fire Royal Blood. Maybe we tell an abridged version when he comes of age; tell the bare basics. Thankfully, Hama and Ozai will be dead, so they won't be able to corrupt him, swaying him to that dark inheritance. But there's still so much that could go wrong."
"The people will accept," Katara assured. "I believe that. Do you?"
Zuko nodded slowly. "I think they'll accept it, yes, but it may take a while. It honestly depends on how long this war against Dark takes - and not to mention Jet's plague. I think the people, not just of the Fire Nation but all the nations, want peace, and if peace means undertaking this deception, it's worth it - even if it may go wrong."
Her eyes narrowed. "What's your problem with it? Your real problem?"
He clenched his jaw. "Raising my brother as my son- "
"Or sister as your daughter," she added gently.
"I'm thinking of the worst-case scenario," he snapped, temper sparking. "It's how I'm wired."
Katara wasn't affected by his temper; she only shrugged. "Okay. What's your real problem?"
"Raising my brother as my son seems wrong. The age gap is large; it's even bigger than the gap between Uncle and my father."
Katara's beautiful eyes lit up in understanding. "And you think, somehow, that this gap will make him Ozai reborn - because you think you'll fail like Iroh did."
"I guess," he muttered. "It just feels wrong. Two of Ozai's children beat the curse of our blood against all odds - and that was with Roku's blood in our veins. I don't see how this newest child of his will beat the odds, especially with Hama's blood in his veins instead of Roku's."
"You're setting him up to fail," Katara pointed out, tone irritated. "We will counter whatever curse you think is in his blood. He will also have a much better childhood than either of ours; there will be no conflict. There will be peace and balance."
"Knowing our luck, he'd try to ruin it and revive the Great War or somehow ally with Dark."
Her blue eyes tightened in displeasure. "Are you going to be his father or his executioner who condemns him to his fate?"
He scoffed. "What kind of question is that?"
Katara placed a hand on his arm. "No. I need you to answer; you're avoiding it."
Zuko's fists clenched, and steam hissed between his fingers. "Azula and I barely made it out, and we had to sacrifice and take so much until we came out the other side - and that's with Roku's blood. But this child has none of that. Do you know what I had to do? I had to admit to myself that I was the villain." He watched Katara's eyes widen, but it did nothing for his temper. "It was me who was the monster, not The Avatar, who we were taught as children would wipe out the entire Fire Nation by just looking at it. We were taught that he would slaughter every man and boy and all the elderly, and then that he would take all our women and girls and try to revive the Air Nomads through them. That's what we were taught - that The Avatar was a slaughtering and raping monster unlike anything us mere mortals can imagine."
Katara looked sick but enlightened. "I understand."
Zuko shook his head. "No, you don't. You had the luxury of always being in the right; you were on the right side from the very beginning. I thought that I was on the right side - and Azula did, too - but I wasn't; we weren't. That was crushing. I felt like death when I realized it. Everything I ever did, every decision I ever made, was wrong. It was a lie. Everything I believed - and believed in - and prided myself on was a fucking lie that got so many people killed. I had to look myself in the mirror and admit the truth - that I was the bad guy and the villain of the story. No one, I mean absolutely no one, wants to be the villain of the story or deliberately chooses that title. Not even my father thinks himself the villain; he thinks The Avatar is the villain who deserves destruction - and same for Dark. But I realized that I - including my father and everything I had ever, throughout my entire life, believed - was the villain, and it was horrifying; it was monstrous. And I didn't want to be the villain, so I forced myself to change, and it was work; I had to work to change. And that was so fucking hard, and, if I can say it, rare because most people don't change. But I put in the work and changed my perspective and outlook; I abandoned my post as heir to the Dragon's Throne, and I renounced my father to his face before joining you guys. My entire worldview, that which I once thought was invincible and cohesive and sensible utterly, was shattered, but I picked up the pieces and made a better one until eventually, I found the right worldview - helping Aang and defeating my father. I did all of that; I had to do all of that - because I realized that I was the villain."
She looked up at him in amazement, beautiful eyes roaming his face. "I think if that's what you had said when you met us at the Western Air Temple, we would have trusted you immediately."
He wasn't going to let that praise distract him, although it felt nice. "But Azula and I did change - and that's with the curse of our blood. Because we had Roku's blood, we were able to change. But this child possesses none of the redeeming qualities of Roku's blood like me and Azula did. I don't think he'll be able to do what we were able to. He won't be able to put in the work like I did and Azula later did. Two children of Ozai beat the odds, which is astronomical, but three? I don't see how another child escapes that curse, especially without Roku's blood."
"What about Iroh?" Katara challenged. "He doesn't have 'the redeeming qualities of Roku's blood,' Zuko."
"That's different," he dismissed, annoyed. "Ilah was a good woman who tempered Azulon's worst traits; the Fire Nation flourished during their marriage. Uncle had her blood."
"I think you're emphasizing the blood too much," Katara said after several moments. "Blood doesn't make you who you are. You're not… predetermined to a fate just because of whose blood is in your veins. You have a choice, and you have a choice in this, Zuko."
"What are you talking about? I've already made my choice. I said I'd raise him, and I will."
Katara shook her head. "No. This goes much deeper than that. This child will look up to you as his father - yes, even though you are his brother. But you are connected to him in ways I never will be, and he will sense that connection to you, who he thinks is his father. What will he see when you look at him? Will he see disgust? Judgment? Fear? Condemnation? You worry about his fate and the curse of his blood, but maybe you will make him express the curse and live such a fate by the way you treat him."
"That's insane- "
"Will he see what you saw when Ozai looked at you?"
Zuko sprang back as if burned, memories erupting in his mind, and he closed his eyes, recognizing that she was right, but it did nothing to lessen his fear.
"Ozai gave up on you," Katara continued gently. "Will you give up on this child? Iroh never gave up on you."
He laughed, but there was something broken in it. "I shouldn't have chosen a Fire Lady so perceptive."
Her eyes were soft as she approached him. "I shouldn't have chosen a Fire Lord so complicated."
"I'm not going to be my father," he swore fervidly, something like desperation rising inside him.
"No, you're not," Katara agreed, cool hands brushing across his cheeks.
"I don't want to be like him."
"I know."
Zuko's breathing wavered. "But I don't know how not to be. I'm afraid I will be like him, and then I'll condemn my brother - or sister - to the fate of our cursed blood."
Katara smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'll be here to make sure that doesn't happen."
"My mother once thought the same," he whispered painfully.
She pulled his head down and kissed him slowly. "Iroh will also be there," she whispered against his lips. "He'll probably get him hooked on tea."
Zuko frowned. "I really don't want to think about Uncle while kissing you."
Katara laughed and a smile split her beautiful face. "Me neither. But we make a good team, don't we?"
"We do."
"We'll make sure this child will be good. I have faith, and I need you to have faith, too. Maybe not as much faith, but faith all the same - because we're a team, and we'll put in the work."
Zuko couldn't look away from her mesmerizing eyes. "He'll turn out okay."
And he believed it.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Ozai refrained from snarling as his connection to the air was so weak; weak gusts were all he could unleash, and no matter how he centered himself, nothing improved.
Zaheer floated before him, peering down at him with those gray eyes he once recognized as Ty Lee's; now, they were a lot different. "You lack spiritual understanding."
"I understand enough," he defended.
"Then manifest your understanding."
"You're a terrible teacher."
"You can refine shit, but it is still shit," Zaheer dismissed. "It is your fault."
Ozai's eyes narrowed in fury. "If Vaatu were here- "
"He would agree with me. I can teach you everything I know, but the burden lies on you to accomplish the tasks I lay before."
"I need a teacher who will show me what he means," he snapped. "No wonder the Air Nomads were wiped out! They knew nothing of action!"
Zaheer glanced at him, unimpressed. "I could kill you."
"And face Vaatu's wrath?"
"I've already faced the worst agony - the Maze of Thorns. I fear no fate Vaatu can deliver."
Ozai felt his respect rise even though he was furious. "What must I do? I must be untethered as you are to face The Avatar!"
For the first time since Zaheer had overtaken Ty Lee's body, he tethered himself to the earth. "I am tethered now, but the connection remains. You must start at the beginning. Feel the air around you and inside you; feel the currents and eddies that supply life to all; feel its ubiquity, for it is the most ubiquitous of all the elements. An Airbender can fight anywhere, even above the ocean against a Master Waterbender. There is no place where we are at a disadvantage." Zaheer stared at him almost harshly. "I know you perceive Air as weak due to Fire Lord Sozin's luck; no more. Dissolve such arrogant notions, for they will not help you. Remember what I did to the Water Tribe - a lone Airbender slew thousands of Children of Water, Waterbenders and non-benders alike. Their homeland did not help them; it was insignificant next to the might I wielded. If you continue such a mindset, you will never be a Master of Wind, nonetheless of Air; right now, you are a Master of Nothing."
Ozai seethed, but he knew Zaheer was right. He knew firsthand how powerful airbending was from The Avatar's airbending attacks against him. "What do you suggest?"
Zaheer tilted his head, thinking for several moments. "You are borne of Fire. I know Firebenders look inward for their connection- "
"Yes."
"But you are looking outward like a Waterbender."
Ozai hissed in realization. "Of course. I must look inward."
Zaheer shook his head. "You must do both. Look inward for the connection while grasping the outward connection. I believe it is similar only in that regard to earthbending."
Before Ozai could say anything, Vaatu appeared in a haze of shadows, but he was alone.
"Where are the Elementals?" he demanded.
"Looking for where Koh has taken The Phoenix," his ally divulged. "My son would sense me from afar, but he would not sense his siblings until too late. Agni is eager to regain his flames The Avatar stole from him."
Ozai's fists clenched, and he was unable to keep from looking around in anxiety. "And The Avatar? How close is he?"
Darkness emanated off Vaatu in pleasure. "Worry not, my friend. I bought us more time. The Avatar is looking for us; I know he is. He is frantic and enraged, and he would have found us if I had not… distracted him."
He admired his ally more and more. "What did you do?"
"I sent a force to capture his gaze while we elude it. Innocents will die, and he will not be able to stop himself, even with the promise of his daughter's death, or so he believes."
"Foolish morality," Zaheer chided, looking disgusted. "He is just like the Elders I so despised. Borne of the old Air Nomads, indeed."
Vaatu seemed to purr. "Our ascendancy is the result of his morality. We must thank him, Ozai."
He stood taller. "By taking everything from him."
"Indeed. I have a plan to secure an invincible army, one that The Avatar and his allies will not be prepared to face."
Ozai frowned. "And you're waiting, why?"
"If The Avatar gets word of what I do, he will figure out my plan and stop it from happening. I must wait until the opportune moment. Time is our enemy and our ally right now, Ozai."
"Then we must expertly wield our time," Zaheer said, expectantly staring at him. "Control the air, Ozai; wield the wind."
He closed his eyes and got to work.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Agni's dim light shone and provided as much illumination as possible while weakened, and Azula wondered if The Phoenix was tenable. It almost seemed too good to be true, but she trusted Aang's judgment. He sat on Appa's head, guiding them as they traveled further; his posture was not as tight nor burdened as the previous days after they surrendered Indra to Vaatu.
He believed that Samir was alright, now.
Azula knew she operated on faith rather than reason, rejecting her own claims to Aang, but she could not conceive more harm to befall her daughter. And Samir was strong; she could stand against whatever threatened her.
She tried to force herself not to think of those innocent airbending children slaughtered by Sozin and his armies.
To prevent her mind from obsessing, she breathed small fire out of her mouth, the warmth of her flames a brief reprieve from the weight of dread.
During the Great War, she had been convinced of the Fire Nation's victory, but they had lost. Now, she was convinced they would win against Vaatu and her father. Did that mean they would lose? Would history repeat itself?
It was certainly cruel enough to.
"The Solstice draws near," Aang said suddenly from his position on Appa's head.
Azula moved closer to him. "It's two months away."
"I have a feeling."
"Meaning what?"
"As the Solstice approaches, the divide between the two Realms will weaken. I'm afraid of what Vaatu may do if The Phoenix isn't ready by then. I fear what he's done already during the past Solstices, but I have no idea what he could have done."
"But he will be done by then, yes?"
Aang glanced at her, resigned. "He should be. I hope so; I really do. But so much has gone wrong that I'm not sure if something will happen. They may attack Koh, wherever he is, again to delay The Phoenix."
"Koh will let you know if that happens."
"What if he doesn't?" Aang asked, frustrated. "I would stay this entire time in the Spirit World to make sure The Phoenix is safe, but I can't. I can't leave you all against Vaatu because he'd capitalize on it. No matter what I do, I leave myself - and all of us - open to attacks."
Azula recognized he was regressing and sighed, dropping her forehead to his shoulder. "Do you trust Koh?"
"I trust he will do what's right for balance."
"Which means The Phoenix's safety."
"Yes."
"If you trust Koh, trust him," she urged. "Have faith in his strength. He is the Face Stealer, after all; he is one of the Great Spirits. He will ensure The Phoenix's safety."
Aang nodded, but she was unsure if he was convinced. "Do you know how to defeat him?"
She blinked, lifting her forehead from his shoulder. "You mean…?"
"Vaatu," he clarified, voice flat.
"I thought you were going to imprison him in the Tree of Time again," Azula said.
Aang tensed. "Something tells me that won't work again. And even if I did drag Vaatu to the Tree of Time, I don't think the Tree of Time would let me do it." He shook his head, angered. "Something It said when I spoke with It. It wants true balance."
"What does that mean?"
"That I need another solution."
Worry churned inside her, and her mind raced with possibilities to defeat Vaatu, but there were no answers that she could conceive!
"Did you ask your past lives?" she demanded, frantic.
Aang glanced at her for a moment, but it was enough.
Dread turned into fear. "What did Roku say?" She knew it was Roku, for Aang had been pleased with Kyoshi - a shocking development.
Her husband hung his head. "He suggested that there will be two Avatars who fight in every lifetime. He thinks that is the only solution. It means balance. It's the suspicion I already had, and he only verified it. Now I think it's the conclusion."
Azula gripped his arm tightly. "You cannot let that happen."
"I know!" he snapped, looking anguished. She hated that the brief peace he had obtained in the cave while they rested was gone. "I don't want the world to be a trophy to alternating Avatars! But I don't know what to do. All I know is to fight. If that is the solution, it will be the inheritance I leave my successors."
She marveled in horror at such a possibility. "That cannot be what the Tree of Time means."
"Who knows? It showed me the truth when It sent me back," Aang said, voice drifting curiously. "Maybe this is the truth It wants - two Avatars. Maybe it is."
"It cannot be," she said, certain.
Aang looked at her, and he looked terrified. "But It was right about me and right about the world I came from. The old world I idealized is not the world that was. It took me a long time to accept, but that world was… a lie in a boy's head who grasped at the familiar in a time of chaos and confusion and horror. But the Tree of Time was right. I went back and saw it; I felt it. I hardly know anything about the world now, even as Avatar, for the world is an intricate place, as Kyoshi told me. And I'm a man now. How could I have possibly known anything about that old world as a boy? I was in a state of perpetual childhood, seeing only a beautiful and comforting lie."
Azula tried to visualize that old world, but all she knew was what Aang had told her and the bare information from scrolls in the Dragon Bone Catacombs. "It was painful."
"Yes," Aang affirmed, ancient eyes holding her in place. "There was nothing more painful, but it turned out alright; somehow, it turned out better. We'll rebuild the Air Nomads and make sure they don't fall as they did before. I could never see it for a long time, but I did see it eventually. I saw the rightness in the Tree of Time's decision. Maybe I'll see the rightness in having two Avatars. Think how much we know today compared to yesterday and the day before; now think how much we'll know tomorrow and the day after. Our understanding is refined constantly, but the Tree's understanding needs no refinement. It's perfect. If It wants two Avatars, there will be two Avatars, and yes, there will be nothing more painful, but somehow, it will turn out alright; it will turn out better."
She remained quiet for several moments, ruminating on such a conception; it made sense, she could admit. "You do not believe that."
"It doesn't matter!" her husband exploded, the air warping around them; it felt much warmer, and she basked in it. "I don't want it, but that's not good enough, is it? I need to visit the Tree of Time. There has to be another way that I'm just not seeing. There must be."
"The Tree of Time permitted the Great War to restore balance," Azula said, spacing her words in consideration. "If balance was restored by the Great War's end, why has this new war superseded its devastation, not including the Air Nomad Genocide."
Aang closed his eyes. "Because there is no balance; there are only three nations. And the Fire Nation has been reduced drastically due to Jet's plague. And the Air Nomads are gone. The world is unbalanced fundamentally, and the Tree of Time wants it to be fixed somehow. Two Avatars fighting could force the world to get better and adapt, to stop making the same mistakes."
Azula shook her head. "No. It is a compelling argument, but I refuse to believe that two Avatars results in balance and a greater good."
He stared at her, eyes flat. "My people's slaughter was for the greater good, and I had to let it happen. Maybe I need to let two Avatars happen even if I don't want to."
"You believe that is the Tree of Time's plan?"
Aang bowed his head, tired and ashamed. "I wish I didn't, but I fear that it is, and my belief gets stronger with each passing day."
"Then take me there," Azula demanded, sitting tall. "Right now. Take me. Take me to the center of the Spirit World to ridicule the Tree of Time for It's absurdity; I will express my displeasure at It's nonsensical plan. If that is the best It can do, then I doubt It's permanence since the Beginning. I will use energybending and shoot lightning at It until It deigns to reveal It's pathetic rationale. Then if It ceases to change It's designs, I will have you attack It's roots until sap flows." She leaned forward, holding his astonished gaze. "And you know I am very persuasive. You will wound the Tree of Time for me."
Aang's eyes were wide, so wide she was unsure if they could widen further, and he opened his mouth but snapped it shut, leaning forward. She followed his gaze and stiffened.
There were raging fires in the distance; smoke spiraled into the air.
"An attack," she whispered, thoughts about the Tree of Time vanishing; she watched her husband with careful eyes, saw the struggle on his face, how he was pulled by two forces - finding Samir or helping those innocents below.
Azula made the decision for him. "Drop me off, and I will help them and tame the fires," she said quickly. "You go find Samir and unleash calamity on Ozai. We will find each other- "
"No," Aang cut in, shaking his head. "I need to do it."
"Samir needs you more than me right now," she defended, refusing to fight him - it was absurd! "You can help her exceedingly more than I can. The Avatar is always more important than a Fire Princess!"
Aang stood to his feet on Appa's head, impervious to the powerful, roaring winds as Appa continued flying; his gray eyes connected to her own. "No. You need to take Appa and go. I'll stay here and deal with all this. If Vaatu did something- "
"Then it is a trap meant to delay you from finding Samir!" she interrupted, raising her voice.
Her husband looked away from her. "Maybe, maybe not. But it is my duty."
Azula's fingers curled into Appa's fur in helpless fury. "I cannot fight my father, nonetheless Dark, Aang!"
His gaze snapped to her, eyes darkening. "I won't delay finding Samir because you are going in my stead. Keep flying. This shouldn't take me long, and I will be quicker than you. Stop arguing!"
She noticed finally how desperate his eyes were, and she relented. "I will find the others and, if you have not caught up to me, take them with me to find Samir."
Aang relaxed in relief. "Thank you. They'll see Appa and signal you, wherever they are, so be on the lookout. Then I'll catch up to you. Don't worry; I'll find you."
Azula surged to her feet and pulled Aang's head down, snaring his lips in a quick but heated kiss. "Ensure you do, Avatar."
He placed his forehead against hers for the briefest of moments. "Hold me to it."
"I intend to," she promised.
Aang pulled back and floated off Appa's head, gaze drawn to the wild flames down below; she could now see villages in need of help, and she felt regret that she had argued with him. "Now go," he said. "Find the others; I'll catch up. I'll take care of all this. You focus on Samir and the others. Go! Appa, yip-yip!"
Appa blazed faster, and Azula watched her husband dive toward the earth.
XxXxXxXxXxX
He ran as fast as he could, his mom's command echoing in his ears - but it was close to being drowned out by all the screams and chaos around him. Jouri didn't know where he was going, but he had to get away.
These monsters had hurt Dad and Mom!
The fires burned around him, so hot and so scary, but he tried to be brave and keep running, drawing as big of breaths as he could so he could keep running. But he was tired. Jouri panted and looked behind him but shrieked when he saw one of the monsters running after him.
He tried to run faster, but he tripped and fell to the ground. Jouri turned onto his back and tried to back away, but the monster was so close.
He screamed and pushed his arms forward, and thankfully, flames came out - but the flames weren't big. They weren't anything like he had seen some of the other Firebenders do.
The monster grinned and reached toward him, and Jouri gasped, eyes slamming shut.
But nothing happened.
He opened his eyes and saw the monster getting up from far away, disoriented; in front of Jouri was a pillar. It had launched the monster away. Jouri blinked in awe, looking for a sign of his father, but there was nothing.
But there was a man dressed in orange and yellow and red across from the monster.
"You want to steal a Firebender's chi?" the man said. "Steal mine."
Suddenly, a ball of fire appeared in the man's hands, and Jouri gasped as a sensation swept over him; he wanted that fire. It called to him! It sang to him! The heat was so warm and so pure, he wanted everything. He had never felt anything like it. It was so powerful and beautiful. He wanted it more than anything.
The monster howled in ecstasy, staring at the fire in the man's hands; suddenly, other monsters appeared, drawn to the fire just like Jouri felt himself drawn to it. They wanted it like he did.
Did that mean the fire was bad?
"Such energy," one of the monsters whispered, shaking in anticipation and amazement. "Such power. It will be mine. It will all be mine!"
Jouri gasped in awe as the heat from the fire in the man's hands increased impossibly and blanketed over everything; he could feel it! It was singing in his blood, and he wanted such power.
"Then take it," the man goaded as more and more monsters appeared from everywhere.
Suddenly, all the monsters - there were so many that Jouri couldn't count them all - rushed at the man, and he shrieked, trying to warn the man, but the man wasn't doing anything to stop them, merely holding the fire in his hands.
But right before the monsters destroyed the man, the man suddenly disappeared from sight, and Jouri blinked in shock; he watched as all the monsters suddenly dropped into the earth, only their heads visible.
But the monsters screamed in rage and broke out of the earth.
Jouri had never seen anyone with such strength, not even his dad. He looked around for the man, and saw him drop onto the ground, and the entire area shook, and Jouri gasped as he tumbled over from the power. He barely saw the monsters tumble, too, but they did.
The man appeared behind one of the monsters in a blur of color and placed his hands on him. The monster collapsed to the ground, not moving.
Was he dead?
Then the man spun around and slashed his arm through the air in an arc; the wind howled and smashed into the approaching monsters. Before they could get up, the man squatted and stretched his fingers while stomping his foot. Suddenly, the ground turned into fire-water, and Jouri had never seen anything like it.
It was so warm - so hot! - but it looked beautiful. The fire-water seeped toward him, and he reached out, wanting to touch it, but before he could, the man ran across the fire-water and picked him up, strong arms embracing him - it was like his dad!
Jouri looked up at the man, but the man wasn't looking down at him; he looked behind him, and Jouri gasped as fire shot out of the man's forehead, causing explosions to ring in his ears, disorienting him.
When he opened his eyes, the man's face was staring down at him; it was intense and determined. Jouri felt safe. For the first time since those monsters appeared and attacked everyone, he felt safe. Suddenly, the man jumped into the sky and walked on the winds, and Jouri had never seen anything like it.
"You're safe now," the man said, eyes looking over him, and Jouri hugged him tighter, shaking.
"It's scary," he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. "It's so high."
"You'll be okay," the man whispered back. "It's alright. You remind me of my daughter."
"Is she a Firebender, too?"
The man chuckled, but there was something wrong with it. "No, she's an Airbender."
Jouri nodded, nestling into the man's warmth; it was so nice, and he was drawn to it. "Where is she?"
"Not here."
"Okay."
"What's your name?" the man asked.
"I'm Jouri," he said.
"My name is Aang."
Aang? Where had he heard that name before? Jouri frowned and blinked before he realized. "You're The Avatar!" he shouted, proud that he had figured it out.
The man - The Avatar - nodded. "Yes."
Jouri snuggled into his warmth, feeling it soothe him. "My daddy hates The Avatar."
The Avatar was quiet for several moments. "I understand that."
"Where are they? My daddy and mommy?" he asked, fingers picking at the fabric of The Avatar's clothes.
The Avatar's sigh ruffled his hair. "I'll find them."
Jouri believed him.
XxXxXxXxXxX
No matter what he did, Haru failed to erase the image of Ty Lee being thrown into Fire Lord Ozai's camp. How could he erase the last image he had of his lover, even if it was so horrible? He needed to remember her. Not even watching Bor and Toph spar was enough of a distraction, although it was a good one.
Maybe he was punishing himself because he hadn't told her he loved her.
Why him? Why Ty Lee? Why did he have to lose her? Why were the spirits so ruthless that they singled him - and her - out? Why did Sokka get to keep his wife and find out he was having twins? Why did Ursa still have Samir and her children? Why did Samir still have her grandmother and her parents - and everyone in the group who would help her?
Haru knew he shouldn't feel such bitterness towards his friends - or, really, family since they were all he had left - but he felt raw. And nothing he did helped. He had wanted to talk to Sokka about it, but he knew he would feel crushing guilt if he did.
They would all hate him if they knew what he felt.
Haru winced as Toph laughed loudly, digging her healed feet into the ground as she punched through one of Bor's boulders.
"You gotta do better than that!" she called out with a wild grin. "I take shits that are bigger than that boulder!"
"You take a dick that's bigger, too!" King Bor yelled back.
Toph hooted, "Yeah, I do!"
Haru closed his eyes, the bitterness growing. Their ease with each other and joy despite everything grated on him. How could they be so relaxed? How were they so happy?
It infuriated him, and he was so close to ruining their happiness, but he knew he was at fault, not them.
He couldn't blame them for their happiness over their change in fortunes since they had all been reunited and Toph's feet had been healed by Katara using her gift of Spirit Oasis water for her help in saving the North.
Jin, the rightful Queen of Chyung, sat near him, just as quiet as he was as she watched King Bor and Toph. He took a moment to stare at her. There was a sadness in her face, one he recognized in himself, and he saw the same inward anguish seething inside her.
Why them?
Everyone else, no matter the horrors they faced, still had someone who loved them, but they had no one. Before she was taken from him, all Haru had was Ty Lee, but she was taken from him. From his understanding, all Jin had was her husband before he was killed right in front of her.
Suddenly, Toph walked towards him, face curious. "Snoozles told me that you were looking for me before you connected with his group. He said you wanted me to help you become a Master."
Haru blinked. "That's right."
"You wanna start now? I'm about to go over metalbending with Bor. He's hopeless without me."
He thought about it for several moments before shaking his head with a stiff smile. "I'll watch."
Toph shrugged, but he glimpsed an understanding on her face; she didn't press. "Okay. Pay attention."
She walked back to King Bor, and he didn't follow her command; he thought about Ty Lee and what he would have done differently if he had known the inevitable. Why didn't he fight harder against Fire Lord Ozai and those Children of Chin? Why hadn't he been clever or cunning? Why hadn't he been ruthless and slaughtered everyone he could? Ty Lee deserved life more than any of them! She was amazing and kind!
At least Hama had killed all of them except Fire Lord Ozai. For that, he owed her a debt; she unleashed vengeance when Haru had been unable to.
He would respect her for it if he wasn't so terrified of her.
His attention was drawn by King Bor hissing between his teeth, fingers flexing as a metal block, shaped by Toph, slowly expanded under his control.
"Yes!" Toph shouted, punching her fist into the air. "You're a Metalbender!"
King Bor grinned and stretched the metal even further, twirling it in the air. "I had a fucking awesome teacher."
Toph grinned back. "Let's investigate the 'fucking' part." Then she pulled King Bor, who dropped the metal, away to the inn, where Haru knew they would, indeed, investigate thoroughly.
It made him think of Ty Lee. But then again, everything made him think of Ty Lee.
"You did not accept Toph's offer," Jin said, curiously staring at him. "I thought you would want the distraction."
Haru knew she understood, so he shrugged tiredly. "Distraction only gets you so far. Maybe it's good to face it every once and a while."
Jin's face was tired but knowing. "By yourself?"
"Who else knows better than me?" he challenged, raising a brow; he gestured to where Toph and King Bor had sparred. "You think they would know? You think anyone here would know? I lost the love of my life, and she didn't even know that she was the love of my life because I never told her. Everyone else's been reunited. They still have something to look forward to - a future."
"Children," she supplied, understanding; she looked off into the distance. "Everyone will have children with their loves, but we will not."
Haru closed his eyes. "No, we won't. For all I know, she may have been pregnant when she was killed. We were… doing it a lot."
"Thryn and I tried to have children, but I never carried any of them to term," Jin said, voice hollow. "My cursed womb poisoned all of them, killing them before they could experience life."
"I'm sorry," he whispered, unsure of what else to say. "It must be hard seeing Suki and… Hama."
Jin's smile was sad. "It is. I know the stories of this Hama. Sokka has been vocal about it, and Katara, too, to a lesser degree. Why can she bear children, even after everything she went through? Why is her child not only alive but thriving after she was nearly dead while my children died when I did everything right and stayed healthy? Why? She should lose her baby as I lost all of mine. She does not deserve the title of Mother."
Haru thought of the determined and happy gleam in Katara's eyes when she and Zuko had decided to raise Hama's child as their own. "She doesn't," he agreed, "but the child does deserve to have a good mother. I think Katara more than suffices."
She sagged. "She will; I know. She is a kind and generous woman. The Fire Lord is blessed to have found such a wife."
"They're not married," he pointed out.
"They will be," she dismissed. "A woman knows these things. But I resent their happiness, for my happiness with my husband was tarnished. My last experience with Thryn was watching that animal murder him." A sharp glint appeared in her eyes. "I am glad King Bor killed him; I wish I would have."
Haru nodded. "I wish Hama had killed Fire Lord Ozai; I wish she would have crushed his heart before Dark saved him."
"The more time passes, the more my bitterness grows," Jin confessed, ashamed. "I am most fond of Suki, but my resentment lingers in my heart, and no matter what I do, it remains. How can I call her a friend when a part of me, much bigger than I am comfortable admitting, wants her to experience the pain that I did? What kind of friend am I? I am horrible. My only consolation is that she confessed to me that she and Sokka have been trying to have children for seven years. Thryn and I had only tried for three years. But it is still horrible - taking solace in my friend's hardship and wishing she would lose her twins as I lost all my babies."
He scooted closer to her, shaking his head. "You're grieving; you've been through a lot."
She sniffed and wiped away tears he had been unaware were there. "That is a pathetic excuse. We have all been through a lot. I do not like The Avatar, but I am reasonable enough to know that his torment has exceeded my own; I know the stories of what he has endured."
Haru stared at her, astonished. "You don't like Aang?"
"I do not like The Avatar," she said stiffly, looking away from him.
Did any of the others know? If not, how did none of the others know?
He remembered the boy Aang had been during the Great War; that was his only understanding of Aang until he met the mature man he had grown into, The Avatar. Remembering the story of what Aang had done to Kuei, he supposed that not liking The Avatar was understandable.
"Well, I think that's different," he responded slowly. "Aang is different from all of us."
Jin's eyes were red-rimmed. "I did not have my feet scorched by lava, and I was not blinded."
He looked around, making sure no one was near. "Do you resent that she was healed?"
She sprang back, face twisting as she refused to look at him. "Of course not."
Haru stared at her, feeling a connection, a shared understanding. "I do," he whispered, watching her gaze snap to his, shocked. "I do resent that Katara was able to heal her feet. I'm really glad that she was healed, yes, but why only her? That's what- "
"It was an individual gift rather than a collective gift," Jin finished, face open with emotions. "She lost so much when the Butcher blackened her feet with lava, and I lost everything when Thryn was taken from me. But Toph still had King Bor and Suki; I had no one. I had to be rescued by King Bor, and it was only his grace and kindness that have resulted in my being here. But I lost more than she did, did I not?" she asked, eyes roaming his face in desperation; the tears thickened in her eyes. "Why was… Thryn not brought back to me? Why was Katara not there in Ba Sing Se to heal him with that special water?"
"And why not Ty Lee?" he added, voice lowering. "I feel as you do. I'm bitter that Toph was healed of what harmed her while I wasn't. I still have to live with the pain from losing Ty Lee."
"And I with the pain from losing Thryn."
He was thankful there was someone who understood him. "It's hard watching everyone be happy and relieved and joyful while we have nothing to feel joyful about - besides the fact, I guess, that we're alive. But it's a poor consolation to what we've endured."
"Yes," she whispered, face scrunching. "I feel isolated around everyone else; they would not understand."
Haru shook his head. "I think they would understand, but I refuse to feel guilty about feeling this way - because if I did talk with any of them, I would feel guilty. I can't think of Ty Lee with guilt."
Jin looked at him. "I wish I could do that."
He sighed. "It must be the Earthbender in me."
"Maybe."
A comfortable silence descended over them, and for the first time in a long time, the silence did not irritate him. It wasn't peace, not at all, but it was… alright. It wasn't unbearable; it was bearable.
"You're going to be a queen after all this is over," he said eventually. "Congratulations."
"If we win," Jin responded, voice quiet.
Haru leaned back, considering her. "You doubt The Avatar?"
She shrugged, but there was a sudden tightness in her posture that he didn't understand. "I cannot say." Her voice was too controlled, and he remembered that she did not like The Avatar. "I do not know him."
"I don't know who he is now, but I know who he was," Haru shared, hoping she would share in turn why she didn't like Aang. "He was a kid during the Great War, and every time I think about it, I'm in awe. Because he did what no other kid could - save the world from Fire. I'll admit that I didn't think he was actually going to be able to do it, but he proved me - and countless other people - wrong. Now that he's a man who, according to what I've heard from Sokka, is no longer that kid, he's a fully-realized Avatar. He's a man now. You know what happened to Kuei, right?"
Jin's face pinched, and a terrible grief shone in her eyes. "I lived in Ba Sing Se's Upper Ring. I felt The Avatar's wrath that day. It was terrifying. Thousands died, and it was a miracle that anyone survived. I lost so much that day due to The Avatar's fury. He slaughtered King Kuei and his Council of Five like it was nothing. I saw the carnage with my own eyes, the bodies and blood." Something crossed over her face, something bitter and enraged and hysterical. "I lost my baby when he shook Ba Sing Se to shambles. I was four months pregnant, the longest I have ever carried a child to term, and the chaos was too much; my polluted womb ensured its legacy."
Haru cringed, horrified. "I'm sorry."
"I wanted to die with my baby. It was Thryn who got me through it," she continued, voice quiet and intense. "He gave me faith that we would have children. But The Avatar did nothing to fix it. He offered no apologies, nor did he fix the devastation he had wrought. He flew away and relied on King Bumi to come in and fix his grievous conduct."
He wished he had a clearer understanding of who Aang had become. "I get that, I really do, but… I'm not sure you should say that to him, although I understand if you decide to."
Jin scoffed. "I am no fool. I do not court death, although I would accept it if it were to befall me. If it were not for that day the Butcher and his men desecrated my life, I would say The Avatar's slaughter was the worst day of my life."
Haru blinked rapidly, trying to process all that she was saying. "Why are you here?" he asked, bewildered. "You do know that Aang - The Avatar - will be here eventually, right?"
"I know."
"Then why are you here if you hate him so much?"
She shook her head. "Hate is… not what I feel for The Avatar. I hate the animal who murdered my husband and tried to rape me. I always believed in The Avatar, and I suppose I bitterly still do. But where I always believed in him and trusted him, I only still believe in him; he lost my trust. I do not trust him. But hatred? Never. Rage? Initially, yes. It was a mother's fury; it was the most rage I ever felt until that animal attacked Thryn and I. But my polluted womb was always going to poison my child; I know it. The fifth pregnancy was never going to be different from the first, second, third, and fourth pregnancies. The result was inevitable; The Avatar only… made it happen sooner. I blame The Avatar for the loss of my baby, but I blame my cursed womb more. I will never hate him, no matter how much I initially wanted to."
"But why are you here?" he asked gently. "It can't be easy knowing he'll be here soon."
Jin swallowed. "King Bor saved my life and prevented the most depraving of humiliations to befall me. I owe him a lot. And I like Toph and Suki; they are my friends. I have had few friends in my life. Perhaps I want to look into The Avatar's eyes and see if he is sorry, see if he knows what he did to me. Perhaps I want him to apologize. I cannot say. I dread the thought of his arrival."
"No wonder you don't trust The Avatar," Haru whispered, saddened. He felt pulled by his previous loyalty to Aang and his newfound understanding shared with Jin.
"I said I did not trust him, and I do not, but I trust his power," she retorted, hands shaking. "Of that above all things, I trust. For I know his power. I can still feel it floating in the air and crushing me under its weight; I felt Ba Sing Se tremble under his grip. Fire Lord Ozai and Dark do not possess such power; no one possibly could. The Avatar will vanquish them - of that I am certain. There is no doubt."
"Me too."
"What I doubt is my ability to survive this war; I am not like everyone else here. I am not a bender; I am not a fighter. I was never raised for ruling; I do not know the intricacies. It would be better if I died before I ruin Chyung."
Haru watched her hands twist and curl, clench and unclench. "Maybe it wouldn't be," he offered.
Jin stared at him, eyes crinkling in sadness. "I do not believe so. There is nothing left for me. If I had the drive, I would end my life. I cannot see how we recover from this. We have lost so much - too much."
"We can rebuild. It's the only thing we can do. You can be Chyung's Queen- "
"If I could not carry a child to term, how could I carry the burden of ruling Chyung?"
"I think that's a false comparison," he said slowly, hesitantly. "Carrying the burden of ruling Chyung has nothing to do with the body; it has to do with the mind."
"My mind is weak and feeble," she dismissed, clearly finished with the conversation. "One of my sisters can take it if neither have already. I want nothing to do with it; I want nothing to do with everything."
Haru grabbed hold of her hand when she was about to stand up. "I'll live if you live," he proposed. "Ty Lee wouldn't want me to… become nothing, and from what it sounds like, Thryn wouldn't want you to be nothing, either."
Jin looked at him, assessing him, and he was reminded that she was raised a noble. "We do understand each other," she murmured.
"I'm not trying to replace Thryn, and you're not trying to replace Ty lee. But if all of this has proven anything, it's that we can't do it alone. None of the others would understand what we feel, but we do; we need allies, someone in our corner. We can help each other until this is over and then go our separate ways."
"Perhaps there is wisdom to your suggestion," she mused softly.
"I haven't felt right since Ty Lee died," Haru began. "And I still don't feel right, and nothing has made me feel better. But sitting with you and talking, that made me start to feel better."
Jin nodded, eyes misty. "It has been a relief to speak with someone who understands."
Haru thought of Ty Lee's beaming smile and nodded back. "It is."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Gormo's eyes spasmed open, and he blinked blearily for several seconds, an onslaught of multiple voices - too many to decipher - assaulting his ears, and he listened for a long time as he gathered his bearings:
"You know what I'm thinking?"
"What?"
"That I owe The Avatar an apology."
"Just you? We all owe that son of a bitch an apology. Holy shit! I mean, did you see what he did?"
"It was insane."
"Yeah. When those freaks attacked and started doing whatever the fuck they were doing, none of us could fight; they were so strong and fast. And they kept going after- "
"All the Firebenders, yeah. But then The Avatar showed up and just fucked 'em all up the ass! Talk about a beauty to watch."
"Exactly! I always knew The Avatar wielded all four elements, but I never knew what that meant, as in I didn't know what it meant in seeing him in action."
"Oh, we know now, don't we? Very few people actually died because he showed up."
"There were a lot of close calls, Gormo more than included, but he saved everyone he could. I owe him a bunch of apologies."
"We would have all died if it weren't for him showing up."
"Well, not all of us. The Firebenders would have become like those freaks. You saw what happened to Ruram, right?"
"Of course, I did. That bastard deserved it. Serves him right."
"Wait. What happened to Ruram?"
"The same thing that happened to all the other Firebenders they got to. One of those freaks got him, and then a few minutes later, I saw Ruram acting just like those freaks, and he attacked every Firebender he could."
"At least he was attacking his own kind rather than other men's wives."
"You heard about that?"
"Who didn't around here? He was caught doing something he shouldn't have with Wren's wife, and Wren tried to kill him."
"You were there?"
"I watched the aftermath. I would have applauded if I didn't have a sense of decorum."
"Your hands were full, I'm guessing."
"Fine. Wren handed off his daughter to me while he went to deal with Ruram being a bastard, and my hands were full, yes."
"Well, those freaks served Ruram like he served Wren's wife. Took out that firebending prick. You think The Avatar killed him?"
"That would be the first death The Avatar made that I would approve of."
"I don't think The Avatar killed any of those freaks. He seemed to scare most of them through sheer power because they couldn't affect him, and I heard some people say that he actually healed some of them from whatever it was."
"I heard some people say he hurled lightning down at them."
"You think that's what he did to Kuei?"
"Wouldn't surprise me. I dare you to ask him."
"Fuck that. If I had a death wish, I wouldn't have run from those freaks! He'd probably hurl that lightning at me for asking!"
"Not with Jouri right there. Now's the time to ask!"
Awareness spread through Gormo, and he sat up as much as he could, choking on a gasp of pain. Many eyes were riveted on him, but he didn't see the pair of eyes he needed to see.
"Jouri?" he asked in a hoarse, desperate whisper. "Jouri? Where- "
Maruko shrugged. "Good to see you up. And Jouri's hanging with The Avatar."
Gormo sputtered for breath. "Wh- what? He's here? The Avatar?"
"He said The Avatar helped him. What do you remember?"
Images flashed through his fevered consciousness, and he groaned. "Those…"
"Freaks," someone supplied, but he couldn't determine who.
"Those freaks attacked, and they were after Jouri. I told him and his mother to run, but… when I tried to kill one of them, I was thrown through one of our buildings. That's it."
"Pretty standard." Who was talking? What did it matter? All that mattered was his wife and son, but where were they?
"Where's… where's Enura?" he asked.
"With The Avatar," Maruko answered.
Gormo tried to swing his legs off the cot, but he was still too weak. "How long?" he whispered. "How long has it been?"
"You've been out of it for almost four days. The Avatar has stayed and is helping us rebuild. He's also been healing those who really needed it. We didn't let him heal you because we didn't think you'd want him touching you."
"Thank you," he acknowledged, raising a hand to his throbbing head.
"You should have seen it! He raised an entire city from the ground with earthbending."
"No, he didn't! A city? Really? It was more like a big village. I've been to Ba Sing Se; The Avatar didn't raise- "
"He certainly didn't! You know what he did to Kuei and Ba Sing Se last year!"
"Careful! He may hear you!"
Gormo pushed himself and swung his legs over the side of the makeshift cot. "Shut up," he muttered and looked around. They were under a massive dome that looked the size of Ba Sing Se's walls and was… made of earth.
"What is this?" he asked, dumbfounded.
"The Avatar built it. And no, this isn't the village."
"There are thousands of us in here. There were a lot of freaks, and The Avatar built this shelter for all of us, and I've heard people talking about how he rescued everyone and ushered them to this shelter while he dealt with those freaks."
Gormo looked around, finally noticing that there were so many other people around him, each situated as he was on small beds made of soft soil. And people were joyful and smiling and relieved, so different from the expressions on their faces when he had seen some of them running for their lives and screaming their heads off.
"The Avatar did this?" he asked breathlessly.
Maruko nodded. "He did. I heard someone say he's been working so hard that his arrows are disappearing. You know, the arrow tattoos that signal- "
Gormo waved him off. "I know, I know. Take me to him."
They helped him along - Maruko and several No-names he failed to identify because of that damn freak knocking him unconscious - and he was mesmerized by the vitality brimming in the air. Everyone smiled in greeting at him, and despite the fact their homes had been destroyed, there was joy.
The Avatar had reinvigorated them.
"The leaders of the other villages?" he asked after several moments.
"No one knows," Maruko responded. "No one's seen them. They're probably dead. That means you're the last leader and… in charge of everyone."
Gormo closed his eyes and nodded as they continued, bypassing many faces that were unrecognizable. The attack had been all-encompassing, including many leagues across the Colonies.
"Do you know what happened to the freaks? Do we know how many there were?"
"Hundreds at the least," one of the No-names said immediately. "It wouldn't surprise me if there were thousands. You should have seen The Avatar; it was like he was everywhere, fighting so many of them. But they kept coming, and he kept buying everyone time so they could escape and find shelter under this dome."
"Perhaps I was wrong," Gormo whispered, the foreign sensation of shame gnawing at him. "Owing apologies, indeed. Where is he?"
"Last I heard, he was outside," Maruko said, craning his neck. "Do you think- "
Gormo inhaled sharply, causing him to cough - but it was unmistakable! It was him! And there was his son and wife!
The Avatar.
Ahead in the distance, he saw a tall man in Air Nomad robes carrying Jouri, and Enura walked alongside him, listening to something The Avatar was saying.
Before Gormo could think of how to approach the situation, his son saw him; his eyes bulged in delight, and he squealed, "Daddy!" The Avatar let go of Jouri, who raced toward him, and Gormo laughed as his son tightly hugged him.
His family was safe - because of The Avatar.
His wife's familiar fingers curled through his hair, and he tilted his head, resting it on Enura's shoulder. His eyes met brilliant gray eyes that rivaled any storm he had ever seen. Gormo blinked in surprise at the exhaustion carved into The Avatar's face. He was young, so young. He looked younger than he thought The Avatar would look.
"Avatar Aang," he greeted, aware of the numerous eyes watching them.
"Jouri's father," The Avatar responded, and Gormo was surprised to see wariness on his face.
He never imagined The Avatar capable of such an emotion, especially about someone he could dispatch effortlessly.
Gormo let go of Jouri and stood as tall as he could; The Avatar still dwarfed him in size. Were all Air Nomads that tall? "I'm Gormo. Thank you for your help, Avatar Aang."
Jouri tugged at his hand. "He helped me, Daddy. He made all the monsters run away from me, and then he made fire-water! But he wouldn't let me touch it."
His eyes darted to The Avatar. "Fire-water?"
The Avatar looked uncomfortable; it should be impossible! "He means lava."
"You control lava?"
"I do."
Such power terrified him, and Gormo swallowed. "Thank you. Thank you for saving my son's life. Thank you for saving my people's lives, and the lives of everyone else from the other villages."
"I'm glad I could help." Something in The Avatar's face tightened. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to save everyone; I'm sorry I couldn't do more."
He was amazed. The Avatar felt guilty about the lives he failed to save. It seemed unthinkable in the face of King Kuei's murder at The Avatar's blood-dripping hands, but Gormo knew what he saw; his eyes weren't deceiving him.
Gormo nodded. "What did they want? Why did they attack us?"
The Avatar looked old - as old as rumors suggested he was. "They were chi-stealers, and they wanted to steal each chi of every Firebender in the area. They will never stop hunting until all Firebenders are no more. It's like a hunger for them."
He glanced down at his son, who was oblivious, drawing stick figures in the soil with his fingers. "You mean… my son- "
"Because Jouri is a Firebender, they sensed it; they were drawn to him, like they are to all Firebenders."
Whispers erupted through the crowd, but Gormo raised his voice. "Why? How could someone turn into something like that?"
Something indecipherable crossed The Avatar's face. "It was a plague designed to destroy the Children of Fire for the Great War. These chi-stealers are actually former Firebenders who seek out other Firebenders to transform them into chi-steales. It was most devious."
The realization was swift. "You mean, Jouri would have- "
"Yes."
Fury swallowed his horror. "Who is monstrous enough to design such a plague?"
The Avatar solemnly stared at him. "A Child of Earth is who unleashed it."
Gormo took a step back in denial. "No, no. There is no Child of Earth- "
"It was revenge against Fire for the Great War," The Avatar repeated. "But it made everything so much worse. But he didn't care, the damn fool."
"You knew him," he whispered.
"I did."
Gormo swallowed as sweat broke out on his forehead; he felt his heart race. "Did you kill him?"
There were many people in the crowd who leaned forward to hear the answer, and Gormo almost didn't want to hear the answer, certain of what he would hear. The Avatar was the murderer above all murderers, after all.
The Avatar's eyes darkened like storm clouds before utter exhaustion seemed to consume him. "No, I didn't. Fire Lord Zuko killed him."
An exhale of relief surged out of Gormo's lungs, and he knew he wasn't the only one. "Thank you for saving my son's life, Avatar, but I'm still confused. I believe everyone is."
"That's understandable. What are you confused about?"
"You said they wanted to steal my son's chi- "
The Avatar interrupted, "Perhaps I worded that wrong. I think 'steal' is the wrong verb if you want to understand. Think of it as if they wanted to drink your son's chi until there was nothing left and then change him until he was like them."
Gormo leaned back in understanding. "So they would drink and then poison the well?"
"That's a good analogy."
"Then how did you deal with them?"
"I lured them all away from people since I am the strongest Firebender in the area," The Avatar explained. "They couldn't resist, and they either ran off, terrified, or I healed them of their affliction."
"Could they have done that to you? Drink your chi?"
The Avatar seemed to almost look amused if he didn't look so exhausted. "No one can drink the ocean."
Gormo almost wavered from the weight of such a statement.
"Is there anything else, Leader Gormo?" The Avatar asked. "I had been waiting for your awakening, for I knew you were the Elder. I have done what I can to help you rebuild; there are enough huts created and there are food sources- "
"You've done more than enough," he rushed out. "Thank you. I was wrong about you."
The Avatar smiled, but it was heavy with sadness. "No, you weren't. What I did to Kuei was wrong; I should have handled it better."
He had no idea how The Avatar knew the source of his hatred, but he wasn't going to question it.
"Is there anything else I can do, Gormo?"
Gormo shook his head. "We will rebuild, Avatar Aang. We are strong."
"I believe you," The Avatar said. "You are true Children of Earth."
XxXxXxXxXxX
Azula peered down at the earth from Appa's head, squinting her eyes, trying to perceive as much as she could. She had kept an eye out for her husband or her friends, but for hours she had flown and seen no signs nor signals to suggest their friends were nearby. She was not worried about Aang; she knew he would deal with the distraction Vaatu had sent. But he had entrusted her with Appa to find their friends, and she would succeed.
And then they would rescue Samir and her mother with the help of their friends.
Were they her friends?
She knew they were Aang's friends, but did that make them hers? They had only accepted her, some more begrudgingly than others, because of Aang. Strides had been made between them, certainly, but friendship?
She could not say for any of them but Toph. Their time together at the Eastern Air Temple had cultivated a friendship, along with their similar dispositions. Katara had proven to let bygones be bygones after they had cleared the air, and so had Suki, but would either consider her a friend, or would she consider them friends? She really did not know.
There was always Mai and Ty Lee.
Azula knew she could count on her former friends if necessary, and there was part of her that did want to count on them as she used to. They had been good friends, and maybe they could be again.
Appa roar ruptured the air around them, and she tensed against the ripples and petted the side of his head. "What is it? What do you see?"
It was clear a moment later.
Zuko's dragon, Druk, was flying in the air several leagues away, visible despite his small size.
Her eyes lit up in understanding. It had been a roar of greeting on Appa's part.
"Yip-yip," she said, and Appa zoomed forward.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Katara stared at the door leading to Hama's room, preparing herself. She had been unable to summon the courage to speak with Hama ever since that initial conversation - more like shouting and insulting match - after healing her.
Inhaling slowly, she opened the door and those eyes that had haunted her for years rooted on her with intensity.
"You have finally entered my tomb," Hama murmured as Katara closed the door behind her. "My murderer has come."
"You murdered yourself," she countered. "Your decisions are what imprisoned you, not me. If anything, I'm your healer."
Hama snarled and strained against the metal binding her body; Toph had been most unforgiving when she had regained her feet. The metal contraption was molded around Hama's body, keeping only her head visible. Whenever Sokka chi-blocked her, Toph was with him to shift the metal, giving him the necessary openings. Katara knew the area around the stomach would have to be expanded soon - very soon. It was a miracle that Hama had never realized she was pregnant.
How did the first Bloodbender not sense another heartbeat in her own body?
Katara could admit that she had used her bloodbending to see if she had fallen pregnant since she and Zuko started laying together. Thankfully, she had not, for she did not want to be pregnant in the middle of this war with Vaatu and Ozai, but the disappointment was still strong despite that.
She desperately wanted a child, parts from her and Zuko fused through love, beauty, and miracle.
Her eyes were drawn to where Hama's stomach was under the metal molding, and she swallowed, looking away. She could not let Hama know she was pregnant. That was a conversation she was not - not! - ready to have.
Zuko would probably handle it; she would prefer it if he did.
"You sicken me," Hama hissed, eyes poisonous. "You spread your legs for a son of Fire. You will wed a monster. I hope the seed of Sozin scorches your womb and burns you from the inside out."
Katara crossed her arms across her breasts and raised her brows, unimpressed. "You slept with Ozai."
You're carrying his child.
"He deceived me!" Hama shrieked. "I thought he was Piandao!"
She was unconvinced. "Yet, you still slept with a son of Fire, which you condemn me for. You knew he was of Fire to begin with, but you did it anyway."
"Whore!"
"Hypocrite," she retorted. "It's not that you slept with Ozai that's the worst part. The worst part is your hypocrisy in condemning me for something you did - but yours was infinitely worse. Zuko is a good man; he is amazing, strong, and wise. Ozai is the opposite of his son in all areas."
Katara refrained from acknowledging that Zuko's temper would always probably resemble his father's - but less destructive, of course.
Hama's eyes gleamed with ice. "Why didn't you let me die?" she demanded, voice shrill. "I should have died with my failure! Now I have to live with the memory of holding his heart in my grip and not instantly crushing it! And I have to live under your pathetic gaze!"
"Why did you help them get Water?" she asked after several moments, betrayal coursing through her. She knew Hama was many things, but she had never imagined that Hama would ever side with Fire over Water, no matter how much she had been deceived. "Why would you help them desecrate so many of our people?"
"Does this eat at you?" Hama wondered, sudden delight piercing through her madness. "It does. I can see it! No, I won't tell you. You don't deserve that information. You deserve nothing but death!"
"Why? Because I beat you?"
"Because they took the Moon from me for years because you beat me! My chi was blocked, and I couldn't feel the Moon. It wasn't until Vaatu restored my health and body to its peak condition that I felt it again." Hama smiled, but it was disgusting. "I may hate Ozai, but I love Vaatu. But my love for Vaatu was not enough to overcome my hatred for Ozai and those of Fire - and you. I'm in the same position again - removed from the Moon."
Katara's fists clenched, and she hid the evidence by curling her fists under her arms. "But he is why Ozai was able to deceive you! Be consistent! You're nothing like Water."
Hama bucked against the metal molding imprisoning her. "Neither are you! A true Child of Water would never spread her legs for a Child of Fire!"
"I love Zuko, and I will be Fire Lady," she said, impervious to Hama's death glare and the terrible sneer on her lips. It was quite a saddening sight; Hama would look beautiful if not for her apparent madness. "I am doing what you never could - forgive. It doesn't mean you forget because you never forget what happened. You remember, but you forgive - because this is so much bigger than us. It's bigger than me. Did your precious savior tell you how the Great War started?"
Her question registered, for Hama stilled. "What are you talking about? I know what happened! Sozin and all the rotten Children of Fire burned for conquest and power!"
Katara felt no vindication in revealing the truth; well, maybe a little bit. "No. Your precious savior influenced Sozin through Agni's corruption. Sozin is guilty, absolutely, and he always will be, but your precious savior is to blame."
"No, no- "
"Yes, yes," she interrupted, nodding her head, watching as Hama's face slackened and paled. "He deceived you even worse than Ozai did. The Children of Fire suffered as we all suffered! No one since the Great War was immune from the agony it provoked. No one. Look outside of yourself, Hama. This is bigger than you; it's bigger than everyone."
Hama sneered. "Even The Avatar?"
Katara hesitated, unsure. "Maybe. But Aang has had more reason to destroy the Children of Fire than anyone, and not only did he not destroy them; he forgave them and has chosen one of Sozin's heirs as his wife, and she will be the Mother of the Air Nomads."
Disgust crossed Hama's face. "He's too weak to do what needs to be done."
"You felt his power, you said. You know he's not weak."
"Yes, he's The Avatar with more power than we could possibly know," Hama said, sounding like she was reciting something. "But he failed to wield such power as it should be wielded. And he chose to wed one of Sozin's line - despicable."
Katara's brows rose; she had once been of the same mindset after Aang had visited the Tree of Time and been transported to the past before Sozin's Comet - and during Sozin's Comet. "You think you know how The Avatar should wield his power more than he does?"
Hama's neck craned forward, anticipation drawing her face into cruel lines. "I'll tell him to his face when he arrives."
"Why won't you act like Water and change?" she asked, feeling desperate. Would this be the fate of the child? "We could use your help against Ozai. You want revenge, but why won't you direct it at your precious savior, who is responsible for the Great War?"
"I don't care if Vaatu started the Great War. I hate Sozin and his heirs, and I hate you, Katara, for taking everything from me."
"You are comfortable in the lies," Katara whispered, aghast.
"I don't trust your truth because I don't trust you. Vaatu saved me and restored me. For that, I love him."
"He helped Ozai deceive you!" she cried out in disbelief. "Can't you see that? He was in on it from the beginning! You think he cares about you? He doesn't. He only considers you a tool to wield against Aang and all of us!"
Hama's eyes narrowed. "As opposed to The Avatar? You said I could help you - because you consider me a tool to wield against Vaatu. I will never join you and, because of it, the Avatar will take my bending, won't he?"
Katara hesitated. "That's not- "
"Liar," Hama taunted. "He will, won't he? And he takes it from the wrong person. He should have taken the bending of every Child of Fire, but he was too weak. Lee was strong and did what your precious Avatar was never able to do - reduce Fire to nothing."
"You lost the feel of the Moon for years," she said, ignoring the reminder of Jet; she sensed an opportunity. "You want to go back to that?"
"I'm already there!"
"But if Aang takes your bending, it will be even worse. Won't you join us just so you can keep your bending?"
"I don't trust whatever you offer," Hama dismissed. "Bring The Avatar. I'll speak with that weak boy."
Katara stared at her for several moments before she left without a word, slamming the door shut behind her. Frustration boiled inside her, and she couldn't believe Hama! How could she be so foolish? How could she remain loyal to Vaatu, who was responsible for so much?
She left the inn, stewing in her bitter thoughts.
Would Hama's child act like Hama? Would the child hate her, sensing the hatred his mother felt for her?
"Aunt Katara!" Samir shouted, running to her.
Katara blinked, her bitter thoughts dissipating upon Samir's enthusiasm; she was still amazed how similar to Aang the girl looked, and she kneeled in front of her. "What is it?"
"Druk is doing tricks for Uncle Zuzu! Come see!"
"Okay," she said through her laughter and let Samir pull her along. In the distance, she could see Druk's outline.
Sokka had told her what Ursa had endured at Ozai's hands, and it filled her with fury. It gave her a terrifying glimpse into the darkness that had presided over Azula and Zuko's childhood. It also told her what Samir had been forced to watch.
She didn't even hate her mother's murderer more than she hated Ozai.
When Aang discovered what Samir was forced to witness, she knew Ozai's death would be most painful. She was glad it would be.
"It's up ahead," Samir yelled, pointing, anxious to go faster.
Katara smiled. "Go. I'll be right behind you."
Samir bolted, and she went slightly faster than a normal child due to airbending, and Katara pictured another child running - one with her features and Zuko's.
She was going to be a mother. There was part of her that did feel nervous, but her excitement overwhelmed whatever minimal anxiety she felt. Mainly, her only anxiety was telling Hama that she was pregnant and explaining that she would not be able to raise her child. She knew Zuko would likely handle that part; she suspected he would take vindication if not pleasure from it.
He hated those who allied themselves with his father.
Katara knew he would have killed Hama if it were not for the fact that Hama had saved his mother and niece. Her actions had saved her life, along with the fact she was pregnant.
Hama was the most dangerous person out of all of them until Aang and Azula arrived, and Katara knew she wasn't the only one who was on edge waiting for them to arrive.
If Hama somehow did break free because the chi-block wore off, or something else happened, Katara was prepared to use her own bloodbending to fend her off and immobilize her.
She had beaten Hama once, and she would do it again if necessary.
Avatar Kirku had shown her the truth about waterbending, and while bloodbending can be used for horrific evil, it can be used for tremendous good - just like all the bending arts. And Katara would make sure that Hama's child - perhaps she should start thinking of the child as her own child rather than Hama's - understood true waterbending.
Zuko's concerns were understandable, especially after everything he had faced growing up under Ozai, but Katara had confidence in their ability not to be anything like Hama nor Ozai.
The fact he was so desperate not to be like his father affirmed her faith - her knowledge - that he was going to be nothing like Ozai.
The child was not going to be like Hama nor Ozai - he was not!
XxXxXxXxXxX
Azula realized her brother and Katara were resting in a small town; she could see the area clearly from her vantage above. But as Appa zoomed closer, she discerned the figure of her brother, but there were other figures, and within a moment, she recognized one of them.
Toph.
Her eyes widened as she realized that her brother and Katara had found Toph, Bor, and Suki. As Appa approached with a mighty roar, the figures turned and raised their gazes, and Azula inhaled sharply as lightning erupted behind her eyes.
Her mother was amongst them.
Without waiting another moment, she leaped off Appa's head and dove to the earth, wind painfully cutting into her face. Before she crashed - and died - plumes of sapphire flames broke her fall, allowing her to temporarily hover before she landed on the ground.
She dashed to the group, seeing her brother, her mother, Soka, Suki, Toph, Bor, and several others unfamiliar to her.
But where was Samir?
"Where's Aang?" Zuko asked, coming to meet her.
"Where is Samir?" she demanded, desperate eyes roaming the area for a sign of her daughter. "Where is she, Mother?"
Her mother smiled, but there was something exhausted in her eyes. "She is safe. She went to- "
"Mommy!"
Azula whirled around and something realigned itself inside her as Samir rushed toward her, the air propelling her faster, with an enormous grin. Before she could react, her daughter launched herself at her, and Azula stumbled back at the unexpected weight, but she adjusted effortlessly.
Something churned inside her, and Azula descended to her knees; she pulled Samir closer into her arms, fingers brushing through her hair, reassuring herself that Samir was no specter conceived by her desperation to see her.
She was real; she was safe.
"I miss- missed you, Mo- Mommy," Samir choked out through wavering sobs, shaking against her.
Azula did not care at the numerous eyes watching them; her golden eyes were misty, and she let the tears fall. "I missed you, as well," she whispered back into her daughter's hair. "I am so thankful you are safe."
She did not care that Vaatu had tricked her and Aang; she did not care that Indra had sacrificed herself for nothing; she did not care that Vaatu and her father now possessed all four elements, producing a much more dangerous threat. All she cared about was that her daughter was safe and in her arms after so long apart.
"This is too weepy for me," Toph said without conviction, and Azula glimpsed the tears in those milky eyes.
Bor placed a gentle arm across Toph's shoulders. "Everything's looking up. Finally."
"You found them," Azula whispered finally, bypassing the weight in the back of her throat, grateful eyes locking onto her brother as Katara appeared next to him.
Zuko shook his head. "They found us, and we just happened to be paying attention to flying boulders."
"Where's Aang?" Katara asked, concerned. "What happened?"
Samir desperately tugged at her arm, gray eyes teary. "Yeah, where's Daddy?"
Azula despised Vaatu so much for putting that expression on her daughter's face - not to mention whatever else Samir was subjected to by her father and Vaatu.
"There was a situation," she explained gently. "We had to separate; he left to deal with it, and I came to find you."
Samir sniffed. "I want him here."
"He will be," Azula vowed. "He was merely delayed."
"What kept Twinkletoes, Lightning Psycho?" Toph demanded, and Azula was surprised at the patience. The restraint not to ask immediately was remarkable.
"I cannot say exactly what the situation is, for Aang left to deal with it. There were massive fires. I suspect Dark sent a distraction to prevent us from hunting him."
Zuko's good eye widened. "Wait. What about the Air Spirit? Indra?"
Azula almost admired Vaatu for deceiving them so completely; he had, indeed, been bluffing. Aang's suspicion had been right.
"Ozai has all the elements," she notified, watching their faces waver in horror. "Dark tricked us into believing that he still possessed… his captives." Her arms squeezed Samir for reassurance. "We believed him."
Sokka groaned. "Just like I believed Piandao was actually alive. Wasn't that a painful surprise. How many other lies are there?"
Her eyes widened. "You fought against my father?"
Before he could answer, her mother cut in with a nod. "Master Sokka and his group rescued Samir and me. And Hama, too."
She looked around, noticing finally that Sokka's group was missing beyond Sokka himself. "Where are Mai and Ty Lee? Where are the Kyoshi Warriors?"
Both Suki and the man whose name she did not know flinched. "It wasn't without losses."
Azula leaned back in understanding, seeing the somber confirmation on her brother's face and in her mother's eyes. "He killed them."
"I'm sorry," Zuko said quietly, eyes watching her.
She could not deal with that, not right now; she needed to focus on Samir, who grasped onto her as tightly as a child could.
"Who are they?" she demanded, eyes locking onto the two unfamiliar people, who stood near each other. Were they spies for her father?
Toph waved her hands. "Watch it, Lightning Psycho. They're with us; you can trust them."
Azula refused to relent. "I will be the judge of that."
"You're exactly what Ty Lee described," the man said, voice pained but fond.
Her eyes narrowed. "You knew her?"
"As much as a guy can know a girl."
She recalled the name after several moments, and the mustache confirmed it. "Haru."
"King Bor saved my life," the woman cut in, and Azula knew she was in the presence of a noble; the bearing was blatant, the way she held herself. "I am not allied to Dark or your father, Princess Azula."
Azula's golden eyes flashed; she would not trust her. "You forgot my most important title."
Zuko sighed, pinching his nose. "I vouch for both of them, Avatar's wife. This is a waste of time. They're trustworthy. Bor saved Jin's life, and she's been helping out, and she's the rightful Queen of Chyung. And Haru goes without saying; we all knew him during the Great War."
She felt Samir's comforting weight and released her paranoia; she trusted their judgment. "Very well. Is this all who are left?"
Katara hesitated. "There is Hama. Sokka's been chi-blocking her- "
"So, where's Aang?" Sokka interrupted, desperately staring at her. "I don't want to have to keep chi-blocking her! She's insane!"
"There's no way she's gonna be able to escape," Toph assured. "But we were waiting on Twinkletoes to get here to take her bending."
Zuko's eyes captured her own. "And she's pregnant. We're going to have a new sibling."
"A Waterbender," Katara added as Azula's eyes widened. "No threat to the Dragon's Throne."
"Thankfully," her brother muttered.
Azula's gaze snapped to her mother, who only looked tired. Something had happened to her mother during her time captured, and she feared her suspicions were true based on the way her mother held herself.
"Are you certain?"
Her mother nodded. "She has confessed to laying with your father. I know. Your brother and Katara have decided to raise the child as their own."
"Very prudent," she praised, proud of her brother for effectively wielding his power as Fire Lord. "How far along is she?"
"She's already started showing," Katara answered, face amazed. "I don't know how she never knew. She's a Bloodbender; she should have felt the heartbeat. She should have noticed the curve of her stomach."
"And she still doesn't know," Bor added. "We figured we should wait as long as possible - or until Avatar Aang gets here when he can take her bending."
Azula rapidly considered such information. "She never felt it because she never looked for it, nor did she look down at herself to see. I surmise that it never occurred to Hama that she may fall pregnant with my father's child."
"Stupid bitch," Toph muttered, kicking her feet into the ground.
"Quite right," Azula agreed. "You are certain she does not know?"
Katara laughed, but there was something haunted in it. "Yes. We would never hear the end of it if she did know. She hates your father, and I mean really hates him."
"She would be a worthy ally- "
"If she were willing to be," her mother finished. "I have tried to persuade her- "
"I have, too," Katara added.
"- but she will not."
Zuko's arm rose and cradled Katara, who looked morose, against his side. "She can't look past everything that happened. She would never ally with Ozai's children who are also heirs of Sozin."
Katara's eyes shadowed with sadness. "And she hates me even more than Ozai."
Azula's brows rose. "Stupid bitch, indeed," she said, watching Toph nod vigorously in agreement. She turned to Zuko. "You are certain she knows who we are?"
Zuko shrugged. "Even if my identity wasn't confirmed multiple times in front of her, I'm pretty recognizable; my face looks like scorched meat."
Sokka groaned. "Great. Now I'm hungry."
Toph snickered while Suki smacked her husband's arm. "Don't say that!"
Zuko looked amused, glancing at Sokka. "Komodo Chicken?"
Sokka stared back with a solemn nod. "Komodo Chicken."
"I'm hungry, too," Samir said, voice tired.
Azula nodded, feeling the pangs of hunger. "I am, as well. I do not know when Aang will arrive, but he will find us."
"I can't believe they have all the elements," Bor murmured. "At least they have no army now."
"We will begin afresh," Azula said. "I know Ozai will come to nothing in the end."
The various nods of confirmation that met her gaze were a stark relief, almost as much as knowing Samir was safe. If only Aang held such faith. While he believed that he would defeat Ozai and Vaatu, he didn't believe that it would be a permanent victory. He believed that it was a temporary victory that would be challenged every lifetime.
Azula would need the help of the others to sway his mind. His interpretation of the Tree of Time's decree was wrong - it had to be!
XxXxXxXxXxX
Well, that's all for this one, everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed it and I'd also really appreciate it if you left a review; it would help me out!
**Hakoda appears finally! Remember, by the time Katara and Sokka (and Suki, too) left after receiving Zuko's letter at the beginning of the story, the relationship between father and children was strained. So his perception is a little different, and the relationship is a little different, too. He doesn't know much of what has happened outside of the Southern Water Tribe beyond the basics, so he has a lot of catching up to do. Pakku shows up with a letter from Iroh, and Hakoda and co. are going to meet Iroh in the Fire Nation. They'll get their money's worth, certainly.
**Ozai and Zaheer talk. So, Zaheer has taken Ty Lee's place. Her spirit is still inside the body, but Zaheer is dismantling it, since there cannot be two spirits in one body for long. In effect, Ty Lee is dead. She won't be able to come back. Putting a new spirit into a body has irreversible consequences, and not even Aang can magically reverse it. Everything has a cost; the cost for putting a spirit in a different body is permanent. There is no undoing it, unfortunately. (If there weren't any consequences, it opens the door for very, very problematic actions someone could take.) Anyone who Vaatu decides would be a good vessel for someone from the Gardens of the Dead, pretty much, replaces the dead spirit in the Gardens. Ty Lee can't come back, and the scribe whose body Jet stole can't come back, either.
So, Zaheer attacked the Water Tribe (which existed in the North) in his life for revenge against Avatar Keska because she dismantled his rebellion against the High Council of Elders of the Air Nomads. Keska, who was the Water Avatar before Kuruk, was enraged from all the devastation Zaheer caused, and she killed him and condemned him to the Maze of Thorns for punishment. However, his attack had consequences that not even Keska could prevent. Half of the Water Tribe (which existed in the North) separated and journeyed to the South, terrified of another attack. Zaheer fundamentally transformed the Water Tribe, dividing a nation into two factions - the Northern Water Tribe and the Southern Water Tribe. Also, his attack provoked Keska to create the Order of the White Lotus.
The philosophical battle between Ozai and Zaheer was really interesting, especially when taking into account exactly how much of an advantage Fire had due to Sozin's masterful secrecy before the Great War. Fire should have crushed Water and Earth due to its technological advantages and decades-long preparations for war, but Fire was never able to do it, suggesting a fundamental failure. The Fire Nation not only had one Great Comet but two Great Comets to augment their abilities, but they still weren't able to achieve victory over the span of a hundred years. It's actually remarkable. So, Zaheer would mock the Fire Nation's failure - specifically, Sozin's. Now, this is my own opinion, but I think there is a lot to what Zaheer is saying. If the Air Nomads had been the conquerors, there would have been no denying them - and certainly not denying them for a century. Air has all the advantages in a war, no matter the opponent. There is a reason why the high ground is such a fundamental necessity in war; whoever has the high ground is significantly more likely to win. And when the Air Nomads not only control the high ground but the air above the high ground, it would be a slaughter. They control the skies, and no one but them can do anything in the sky. Whereas, Water, Earth, Fire, and Air can act on the ground and do many things on the ground. Water, Earth, and Fire (except for Dragons, but the Dragons would be dealt with easily enough with time) can do nothing in the sky. Air controls an entire domain, whereas the other domains (the ground and ocean) are shared by the other elements. Maybe Water controls the ocean, but there is still Air directly above Water, looming above it, threatening to drop and smash and crush.
**Ursa talks with Hama and tries to get her to help them, and while she succeeds somewhat, she also fails. Remember, Hama's hatred burns for Fire and Katara. That's not a good combination, for Katara is in her presence (or at least near her) and then Ozai's own wife and son are in her presence. She's a liminal figure, not loyal to any faction. She pretty much hates anyone; it's just a matter of who she hates more. The problem is that she hates Ozai but loves Vaatu for saving her life and restoring her body and making her waterbending/bloodbending stronger, but she hates Katara and feels no love for anyone of the Gaang. She hates The Avatar because he didn't take revenge on the Fire Nation and didn't allow anyone to take vengeance against them. Not to mention her pregnancy, which she is ignorant of, and everyone is keeping a secret from her. And then she's also chi-blocked, blocking her connection to the Moon again. There are really no positives for Hama right now. She doesn't even want to be alive to begin with, too ashamed of her failure to kill Ozai - because she certainly had the opportunity, but she basked in the moment too long rather than swiftly crushing his heart.
However, Hama does feel a kinship with Ursa because they were both used by Ozai and deceived by him. But that kinship isn't enough to overcome her hatred for Katara, causing her to lash out and say some pretty sick shit.
**Aang and Azula have to stop because they have pushed Appa so far, and night has fallen, obstructing their ability to see. They have a conversation in which tension erupts when Aang thinks Samir is dead and Azula doesn't, but they get through it. Then Aang summons his past lives and speaks with Roku and Kyoshi for advice and understanding. I did change some things by having Roku lose a child in his life. I mean, Roku's entire reign as Avatar is defined as failure. I think that failure would trickle into his personal life, for he fails to save his son's life. But it creates an even firmer connection between him and Aang. As for Kyoshi, I wanted to give a little more insight into why she was so ruthless and pragmatic - because she learned the hard way. That is where she and Aang are similar. He has learned the hard way that he must be ruthless and pragmatic, and that he is capable of horrifying violence and destruction. In all honesty, Aang is probably more similar to Kyoshi than he is to Roku, something he's finally beginning to understand and accept. He no longer hates Kyoshi; he understands her and empathizes with her. For she had a hard life, too - because all Avatars do. If you take into account how epically Kuruk screwed everything up, she had a lot of work to do during her reign, for all of Kuruk's mistakes were revealed in her lifetime, and thus blamed on her rather than Kuruk.
**Katara confirms that Sokka's twins are Waterbenders! I'm pretty sure that wasn't a surprise to anyone. Zuko and Katara talk about raising Hama's child since they haven't had the chance, and Zuko is understandably worried, especially because of the curse of his bloodline. The worry isn't going to just disappear, but it's alleviated briefly by Katara's affirmation that he won't be like his father since it's a team effort, and they make a good team.
**Vaatu sends a distraction of chi-stealers to prevent Aang from finding him, and Aang and Azula split up; she goes to look for the others, who she will then take with her to find Samir if Aang hasn't caught up by then, and Aang goes to deal with the distraction.
**Haru and Jin talk. They are probably the most similar in terms of everything they've lost in this war against Vaatu; they each have no one left, and they are outsiders who joined the Gaang later on in the story. So, they reach an understanding and discuss everything that's been going on. And Jin doesn't like The Avatar because of what Aang did to Kuei, which led to her having a miscarriage from the sheer destruction and chaos he had caused that day due to the massive stress. But Jin stays because she is at least reasonable rather than purely emotional. She has good reason to not like Aang, but she has good reason to trust in his power, which is the only thing that can stop Vaatu, who's responsible ultimately for her husband's murder and her near-rape.
**Katara speaks with Hama! It goes about as you would expect. Hama's resistant to an extreme degree no matter what Katara says.
**Azula finds everyone and reunites with Samir! I figured I should end this chapter on a nice note, so I hope it ended smoothly.
I think that was everything so leave a review and tell me what you think of the chapter. I'd really appreciate it!
Stay Safe
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