A/N. So, last chapter of Hakoda's point of view. I may bring him back for a chapter or two in the story, but we all know who is going to take over his chapters…
I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.
It had been nearly a week. It had taken a week to get to the Serpent's Pass. It would have been faster, but Hakoda had miscalculated the currents in the lake. He had not counted on the fact that the current had taken them further south than planned, and so, they had to travel north wards, up the rocky pathway that jutted out of the water.
Now, as the passage approached… They discovered yet another unpleasant surprise. Sokka had told him that there was only one way through the Pass, and that they had travelled through it. And now… Well, standing on the bow of the ship, Hakoda saw the rather large gates, fiery red and pitch black, decorated with golden flames. The Fire Nation had built a gate over the Serpent's Pass. And they needed to cross it…
"Well, what is the plan?" Bato asked, while handing him that horrible helmet with the horns on it. Spirits, how did the Fire Nation think this was something worth wearing into battle?
"Well, the guard will probably be bored out of their minds… So, just talk a bit, and hope they will let us pass…" Hakoda sighed. It was a shit plan, but the only one he could come up with at this very moment.
"Someone who can do a Fire Nation accent should do it. Sorry Hakoda, but when you try… well, it sounds as pleasant as two otter penguins screwing each other." His friend laughed, and walked away, still murmuring his little joke.
Spirits he could be an idiot.
The chief saw his son walk towards him, also with a helmet under his arm. His was the kind firebenders wore, with the faceplate and the small golden flames on the sides. At least, it hadn't these stupid horns. Why had he wanted to wear the captain's armour? It was itchy and impractical.
"So, just hope we get across?" His son spoke when he entered earshot.
"Yeah… Is the bison hidden?"
"Appa's doors are closed and Toph is with him, keeping him silent." Sokka cast a look over his shoulder, to check what the storage doors looked like.
"How do you feel about your Fire Nation accent?" Hakoda kept his eyes trained on the gates, which moved ever closer.
"Well, I make a decent Harshi Islander, but nowhere close to the main island chain." Sokka answered. Well, it was the best they had. Harshi wasn't the most prestigious of the islands, being on the very southern tip, but it had to suffice. Not as if they had any better.
"Well, I'll let you handle this in that case. Make sure you don't give us away."
Hakoda knew that if the guards talked badly about any of his son's friends, Sokka was often tempted to speak his mind… And well, the chief didn't want that…
Patting him on the back, Hakoda turned around, walking to the railing. He put on the ridiculous helmet and watched. His job would be to look important. Too important to talk to common soldiers!
After a minute, they came to a halt in front of the giant gates. How did they put this up so fast? Spirits, they were screwed.
"Who goes there?" A voice shouted from the gates. They could only hear in because the soldiers shouted through a device, a wooden megaphone. They had found a similar one in the communication room, so they had suspected it was used to shout messages from one boat to the other. Luckily, GIlak, wearing his full armour with faceplate, handed Sokka theirs.
"Scout ship of Admiral Chang! We have been ordered to patrol the Pass!" His son spoke through the device, in a half-decent Harshi accent. Well, at least that would not make them suspicious:
"Noted! Have you encountered resistance?" The man asked, while walking to the machine next to him.
Spirits… No questioning? No soldiers on their ship, looking for stowaways? What was this military? Were they so arrogant that they thought there was no threat whatsoever to their rule? Well… That was good. Really good.
"No, those Earth filth have been keeping quiet!" His son shouted back. It was strange to hear Sokka use that kind of insult.
"They have probably seen the bodies on the Outer Wall!" The man at the gates laughed, while pulling down a lever. In front of them, the gates creaked open.
"What bodies?" Sokka shouted, as the machine under their feet began to roar to life.
"You haven't heard? Before the princess left with the prince, she made a show hanging the Avatar's body on the outer wall! She told the troops that those Air Degenerates would leave their dead in the mountains as an offering to the animals! So, she said that she would do the same!" The soldier laughed, waving to them.
And Sokka took a step forward.
Shit, shit, shit, shit.
Hakoda saw how his son hesitated and took a step backwards. As they passed the gates, he walked to Sokka, grabbing his arm.
"Please, stay calm!"
"They make a mockery of his culture!" His son spoke through gritted teeth.
"I know but remember that it isn't the airbender who hangs from the battlements. They probably hung a body so high up exactly for that reason. So that no one would check." He whispered back, still keeping the arm in a firm grip.
Spirits, the Fire Nation didn't respect anything. They had already wiped out the Avatar's culture and people. And now, they made a mockery out of it. And Hakoda knew that. He had witnessed it firsthand while sailing past the islands where the Air Nomads had lived…
He knew, from the stories, that a comet had shone high in the sky early in the morning when the Fire Nation attacked the Air Temples simultaneously. And that while the elite firebenders took the temples, the soldiers took care of the valleys.
And while they had sailed past a misty beach on the islands close to the South Pole… He had seen it. The mountains of skeletons. The charred remains of a civilization.
It was so messed up…
Wait. Sokka talked about a comet, coming at the end of the summer. The stories… they tell about a comet cutting its way through the sky while the airbenders were killed…
Spirits… No…
"Sokka… That comet that will come… Does it do anything special?" He whispered. Spirits, everything but that…
"Eh… yeah… It makes the firebenders immensely powerful…" His son answered, not looking at him.
"Why didn't you tell me! That is kind of important!" Hakoda tried to remain calm. Shit, this was really not good.
"I thought it wasn't important if we defeated the Fire Nation before, at the eclipse!" Sokka answered.
"It is! Imagine we can't defeat them! Ozai will use that comet! If you know it's coming, then he will too! Spirits, remember what happened when that comet was here the last time!" This was really not good… Shit.
"I have a constant reminder of what happened the last time! Aang is the only survivor! He told me once that the temples were filled with monks and children! Hundreds and thousands of people massacred! That is kind of difficult to forget Dad!"
They exited the gates and entered the Western Lake. This was the last thing that stopped them from reaching the western coast. Now, they also deserted the Fire Nation Navy. They were fugitives from now on.
"Sokka, it is important. This means that the invasion has to happen!" This was exactly what he didn't want to happen. Last week, when they had discussed it, Hakoda had been against it. Not only was it difficult to organize such a military operation in just under two months' time… But it also meant putting the Avatar in immense danger, and if he died, Katara would be in mortal danger, if not by the fact that she would try and kill the Fire Lord herself. But if they managed to escape… Then, Katara and Sokka would be killed just for being the Avatar's friends… and more in Katara's case.
"Well, that is kind of why I wanted to do the Invasion! So that Aang doesn't have to fight that man during the Comet! He doesn't know any firebending! And who would teach him? So, our only chance, our one chance, is the eclipse!" Sokka tried very clearly not to shout.
"Shit. Well, I will support it! Not like we have a choice!" Hakoda sighed, releasing Sokka's arm and walking away. Spirits this was not good. They would have to fight the Fire Nation Army, the strongest armed forces in the nations… And attack the Fire Nation capital, defended by the best of the best… Spirits, they were screwed…
And the Avatar would have to fight the Fire Lord in two months. And in three, a destructive comet would come… The Fire Nation controlled most of the world, and the only chance that the free world had were a hundred water tribe warriors, some earthbenders, apparently some swamp people, and a blind girl, a very angry waterbender and a crazy water tribe boy.
And the Avatar.
A young man who didn't hurt a fly. Hakoda had asked around during these days, listening to Sokka, to Bato and to the two 'Freedom Fighters'. And what he had learned didn't make him feel any better. The Avatar was a man who didn't kill, didn't get angry and was just… nice.
And Katara had told him that the Avatar didn't give up, was brave and would do anything for the world. But Hakoda knew one thing. His daughter loved the Avatar and having seen the young man for himself before the fall of Ba Sing Se… Aang would never choose the world over the safety of Katara. And that was the thing. That was a real problem. As much as Hakoda loved the fact that his daughter had found someone who would do anything for her, the Avatar was the one person who couldn't do that.
Walking over the deck, he saw how his daughter and the blind earthbender emerged from the door leading inside the ship.
"Can we walk around now?" he heard Toph shout at old Gilak, who answered positively. The two girls walked over the railing and began to talk to each other. Hakoda didn't hear the words, but he saw how the blind girl was gently pocking his daughter with a finger in the ribs, with a grin. Katara looked quite embarrassed, and it looked so… Well, so normal and good, that it made him forget the problems that plagued him.
He walked to the door, and entered the ship, closing the door behind him. He had taken the room on the opposite side of the captain's room, and nobody would suspect something if he walked inside, towards his room. But that wasn't his destination. As he walked up the stairs towards the few personal rooms this ship had, Hakoda sighed. It was all just so messed up.
Arriving at the top of the stairs, his own room was on the left, while the Avatar was on the right. Opening the door to the captain's room, he entered. This last week, the room had changed a bit. In one corner stood that wooden staff the Avatar had walked around with, and if his son was to be believed, it actually could be made into a glider, and the airbender could fly with it.
On the desk lay several books, two of the ones Katara had bought. That orange and yellow book had disappeared, and Hakoda knew why. That was the thing that had embarrassed her, and she had hidden it somewhere. He didn't want to know what it was, so wouldn't look for it.
Grabbing the chair from the desk, he pulled it next to the bed. The Avatar had some real colour on his cheeks, and he actually looked healthy. The hair on his head had begun to grow even further, and Hakoda saw that the boy had changed a bit. Before his injury, the airbender's face had been rounder. Now, it had lost the little fat in the cheeks, and had become leaner. He looked older like this.
"Hey… I know you can't hear me, but I want to talk to you… I believe you and I have more in common than most people think. We wish to protect the people we love, and have already failed several times… Me, when Kya died and my stupid choice of leaving to go fight. You, when you lost your people… I'm sorry about that actually, I never had the chance to say that when we met before." He padded the shoulder of the young man gently.
"I worry… Katara was in a dark place, and maybe she still is. Sokka and Toph are worried about you, even if they try to act strong. And… well, even I worry about you. I worry that Katara will lose her sanity if you take any longer to wake up… So please… wake up. We need you. I need you to assure me that the fight we are getting us self into… Can we win it? Can you do what needs to be done?"
He had tried to show Katara the problem. The possibilities… But she had acted as he had predicted. She wouldn't change her mind, his daughter was too much like Kya… And that worried him. That was exactly what he was afraid of. When Katara had shown her abilities to waterbend for the first time, Kya had been so happy… so proud. And even if he had also been immensely proud, he had also been afraid.
The Southern waterbenders had been hunted down, killed and imprisoned. And he had been afraid for his small girl, who had been happily freezing the snow underneath her big brother to play. Kya had just told him not to worry, and that they would make sure she was safe. And she had done exactly that. He had known why the raid had come. And why they had left so suddenly. In those years, he had had enough time to think about it.
The merchants had probably learned that a waterbender had been seen in the Southern Water Tribe, and they had sold that information to the Fire Nation fleet. And they had come to kill that threat. An eight-year-old girl. Savages.
And they had only killed one person. One. They had come for a waterbender. And knowing Kya… They had got a 'waterbender'. Hakoda had not told his daughter this, of course. No one should live with the knowledge someone had sacrificed themselves for their safety.
"I'm afraid she is too much like Kya. That she would do anything to protect you… Even die. And that, I would not survive… At least, not emotionally… So, please wake up and tell me that I'm a fool, and that everything will be alright…"
Sighing, he stood up. It was no use… the airbender still laid silently on the bed, with his head on the pillow with that hated emblem embroidered on it…
He quietly left the room, walking back to the deck. Why didn't he wake up? He was healthy, his wounds were healed, what was he waiting for?
Tui and La, wherever he is, kick his butt back to his body. Make sure he wakes up.
When he emerged from the ship, he squinted his eyes. Spirits, this summer was going to be horribly hot. He saw Bato walk over to him.
"Sokka told me you agreed… Want me to assemble the warriors for a vote?" His friend looked concerned. He probably had seen the dark look in his eyes…
"Yes." He nodded, trying to calm himself down. He had felt it again. That rage, that anger. Towards the Fire Nation. For what they had done. And he knew he couldn't let himself slip. Not now.
As the men began to assemble, he saw how his son and daughter talked to each other. They cast furtive looks to him, and he knew why… They were hoping he wouldn't go back at his word…Spirits, it hurt to be distrusted by his children. But he deserved it…
The last warrior, one of the younger ones he had put in the machine room, emerged from the ship. Well… Now or never.
"Men! We have a choice to make today. You may already have heard talks about it, but the invasion of the Fire Nation will still happen! I know that it sounds crazy, but Sokka assured me that with the help of their friends and warriors, we could make it happen! The plan is to cause a distraction during an eclipse, so that the Avatar can take out the Fire Lord! It is in two months!"
His warriors had never liked long speeches, were leaders made long promises. No, he wouldn't do that. Hakoda would tell them the truth.
"If the Avatar graces us with his presence!" Young Alqaok spoke up, grinning. That young idiot had been a pain in his ass. Together with Iqaluk.
"He will." Katara spoke up, and the tone in her voice left little to the imagination.
Insult him once more, and I'll kill you.
"If he does, what then? Killing the Fire Lord will only inflame their resolve to kill us!" Iqaluk spoke up.
Let the young fools shout and rave. Then, the more experienced would speak up, thinking clearly and logically. And then, they could vote.
"What do you know about Fire Nation politics?" Katara bit back.
"Probably a deal more than you!" Hakoda heard Iqaluk mutter, and he had forced himself not to laugh. This was a bad idea. Poor little Iqaluk.
"The Fire Nation nearly worships the position of Fire Lord, not the one occupying it. At least, that was how it was before the war. I really doubt that would have changed." Katara spoke clearly. Where she had learned this, Hakoda didn't need to ask.
"So that is the plan? Let the Avatar kill the Fire Lord, place another on the throne and make him stop the war?" Kranook stepped in. As much as the old man was a sour old imbecile, he knew when it was time to stop the bickering in favour of real discussions. So, that had been the young boasting and raving part of the vote. Now the more important part.
"Yes!" Sokka smiled, but Kranook didn't seem convince.
"I may be old, but sometimes, that is beneficial. My grandfather told me about the airbenders. If the Avatar is as attached to his beliefs as we are to ours… He will not kill. Not in a million years. Air Nomads do not kill."
Shit. That was a good point… A good point against the invasion.
"Have you visited the temples Kranook?" Sokka spoke up, leaning against the metal wall of the ship.
"Of course not!"
"Well, we have with Aang. At least, the Southern and Northern ones. There were as much Fire Nation skeletons as Air Nomads… He will do it if needed."
Hakoda quickly glanced to his daughter, and he saw the small expression of doubt pass quickly in her eyes. She wasn't sure. And if someone knew the airbender… It was her.
"Oh… Alright." Kranook took a step back. His son had just taken the wind out of the sails from the old man.
Hakoda let the men talk in murmurs between themselves. No need to try and convince them with long speeches and arguments. If they wanted to, they would vote in favour. The chief saw how several men looked dubious.
"I can feel them having doubts." The blind girl nearly appeared next to him.
"I know. I have them too. But it is no use, it is the only thing we can do." He sighed. Suddenly, the blind girl spoke up, making most men look up.
"Hey sissies. Listen up. You do realize that if we don't defeat them as soon as possible, that the Fire Nation will wipe out the Water Tribes, do you?" The blind girl crossed her arms.
"Why?" Gilak asked, but Hakoda heard the apprehension in his voice.
"They think Twinkletoes is dead. And I'm not an expert, but I believe the Avatar cycle goes Earth, Fire, Air… and then, Water."
Oh fuck.
The Fire Nation would wipe them out… Just to make sure the next Avatar would not be a threat. And they would kill the Southern Water Tribe for their role in the war.
The vote was over quickly. In mere seconds, all the warriors were in favour.
When night fell, the lanterns were lit. Old Gilak didn't see how the lanterns he had already lit flared up, as if the fire was breathing. Sokka watched over the dark water but didn't see the waves in the lake. Toph, who had opened the doors hiding Appa, didn't feel the rumbling on the seabed, where cracks appeared in the soil. And Bato, standing on the prow, with his eyes closed, feeling the wind in his face. He didn't remark how the wind come from the north, the south, the east and the west.
Answers :
CoyoteLemon : I'm an archaeologist! I send you a message explaining what I do!
Jjsmith103 : Yeah, she isn't unkind, but she really doesn't know how to interact with people thanks to her parents. So, she hides it under all that brashness, but underneath it, she is a softy. And for Aang and Katara, you'll see next chapter!
Gabriela N. Gonzalez : Yeah, the invasion is important, and I needed a reason, so I made it like this! Thank you for your compliments, it is always good to hear!
Rak : Yeah, Katara feels strongly every emotion, but that doesn't mean she would just threw herself into it without thinking. Only, her heart will often rule over her head, and that is what Hakoda is afraid of. And for the feelings, you will see in the next chapter!