Disclaimer: All rights belong to Nickelodeon, Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and all the men and women that created the A:TLA show, books, and comics. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made. The lyrics are from the song "You're Not the Only One" by Lukas Graham
Rating: General Audiences. Warning: some scenes contain dark themes and minor violence
Author's Note: I want to clarify that the discussion between the group about Katara being paralyzed only comes up as a relevant issue because of her duties as the Avatar. I live with a sibling with a severe disability and in no way mean to insinuate that quality and worth of life is less than anyone else's. I would also like to take this time to warn you that this book is significantly darker than both the previous books and the show. Some dark and heavy topics come into play, and there are some major character deaths that do not happen in the show. I almost rated this fic T because of this book, but while I believe it borders on T, I do not think it is ultimately a T. But please read at your own discretion. I do not believe there are any triggering topics, but I may mention more warnings in the Author's Note, so please be aware
BOOK 5: The Phoenix Queen
Water. Fire. Earth. Air.
Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.
Only the Avatar, the master of all four elements, could stop them. But when the world needed her most, she vanished. A hundred years passed and a new Avatar was discovered, a Waterbender named Katara. Although her Waterbending skills are great, she was struck down by the Fire Lord. And unless her allies can find a way to save her, she won't be saving anyone.
Chapter 1: The Aftermath
If life's another game of chess
We lost a couple pieces
The ones who had a dream for us
The legends who would lead us
All I know is
We need them right now
Six war balloons fly to the capital city, loaded with missile weapons. Legions of tanks roll to the gates, filled with Firebenders. Six more war balloons, these ones made of metal and three times the size of the smaller ones, rise behind the first row.
Ozai, Azula, and the palace guards spectate from a watch tower near the palace. The ratag army stands no chance against the might of the Fire Nation. They may have taken the city, but they cannot hold it. No major casualties have been reported. Sure, it will cost a lot to repair the battlements at the harbor and some of the gates, but they can just weigh heavier taxes on the colonies.
At the end of the eclipse, Ozai is still Fire Lord. He still has mighty armies and vast territories and near unlimited power.
And now his greatest foe is perished. Nothing stands in his way.
The sun is still partially hidden by the moon, but the danger is over. The fire has returned. Ozai is stronger than ever.
There's still the nuisance of his traitorous son, but that won't be an issue for too much longer. Once he has conquered all the lands, it will only be a matter of time before Ozai captures his son, his brother, and his former wife. Their public executions will set the tone for his new empire - an empire that stretches as far as the horizon and encompasses everything the sunlight reaches.
Yes, it is a very good day for Ozai.
Zuko carries Katara out of the tunnels, following Toph and Sokka as they run as fast as they're able. Appa is waiting for them at the surface and they climb on his back, laying Katara as gently as possible on the saddle.
Zuko holds her hand the entire time. It's still warm. Toph had found a very faint heartbeat after her initial call, but it's barely there. She's between worlds, as healers would say.
Appa lands near their allies in the middle of the city. Suki and Aang run up to meet them.
"It was all a trap!" Sokka spits out as he jumps off of Appa. "Azula knew we were coming. She distracted us during the eclipse. And then…" His voice trails out and he presses his lips together tightly.
"Sokka, what's wrong?" Suki asks, holding on to his arms.
"Where's Katara?" Aang asks.
"We need a healer. ASAP." Toph peers over the saddle. "Get on. We have to get out of here."
"Where's Katara?" Aang repeats.
"Sokka, slow down. What's going on?" Suki shakes him a little, and he loses what control he has. Sobs burst out. She holds him tightly, peering over his head and raising her eyebrows at Toph in question.
"We have to get to the beach. If we can access the submarines, we have a shot at getting out of here," Toph continues.
"WHERE'S KATARA?" Aang explodes.
"Ozai shot her," Sokka sobs, lifting his head from Suki's shoulder. "He shot her in the back with lightning."
Aang leaps up onto Appa's back. His eyes start watering the moment he sees her lying there. He kneels down and takes her other hand. The tears start flowing freely.
"Katara?" he whispers. "No. This can't be."
"We don't have time to mourn," Zuko snaps, standing up. He vaults off Appa's back. "Where's Kodakah? We need to get out of here."
"How can you be so harsh?" Aang yells. "Don't you even care about her? You're not even sad!"
Zuko pulls him away and shakes him. "We're in the middle of a battle, and she's not dead yet! But if we don't get out of here, then my father or Azula or any random soldier is going to finish the job. So I recommend you all pull it together long enough to fight our way out."
"He's right," Toph says. "So wipe your noses and grab your weapons. We have to get out of here while we still can."
Sokka wipes his eyes. "Okay. Let me think for a moment. They have tanks approaching the city - there's nothing we can do about those. They are coming from the land side, so we just have to outrun them to the beach. The war balloons are our biggest problem right now. We don't have any long-range weapons."
Aang straightens up and whips out his glider. "You need air support? I've got air power. Ozai's gonna regret this day for the rest of his life!"
He flies into the air, heading toward the war balloons.
"I'll get the army mobilized and on their way down the volcano," Suki volunteers. "You guys protect Katara and get her out of here."
Sokka glances up to see Aang flying through the canopy of the first war balloon, puncturing the canvas. It begins to deflate slowly. He moves on to the next one.
Their army has started to travel down the mountain. Without having to fight, they make good progress. They're about halfway down when the big war balloons reach them.
"Take cover!" Zuko shouts. "They're about to drop bombs!"
The Earthbenders created ledges to cover everyone. A round of bombs drop, incapacitating a couple of tanks, but otherwise inflicting light damage.
"They're flying over us," Suki says. "Why?"
"They're headed for the harbor," Sokka says grimly. "They're going to bomb the submarines."
"How are we all going to escape?" Toph asks.
"We're not."
They all turn to see Kodakah surveying the scene grimly. "You guys have to get out of here. We must protect the Avatar at any cost necessary. Live to fight another day. The Avatar is our only chance at ending this war."
"We can't just leave you," Sokka protests.
"You must. We'll be okay. But you have to go. Take Appa. We'll distract the Fire Nation and cover for you."
In the distance, they watch as the Fire Nation drops the bombs over the ships, blowing them up. Out of choices. Out of options.
Aang flies down and lands by them. "I couldn't stop more of them. I'm sorry." He wipes at his cheeks. His eyes are red and bloodshot. "I wasn't enough."
"None of us were today," Suki says, patting his shoulder. "Today was a Fire Nation victory, through and through."
"We may have lost today, but we've never been so close. That counts for something." Kodakah crosses his arms. "Now go. Find a way to save the Avatar. Restore hope."
"We won't let you down," Sokka promises. "Any of you."
They climb onto Appa. With a muted "yip, yip" the bison takes off.
It's a very bad day for the Avatar and her allies.
"How do we save Katara?" Aang asks the moment they're out of Fire Nation range.
"She needs an experienced healer. Someone who can -"
"No."
Everyone turns to look at Zuko.
"She needs a magical healer. No healer I know could save her from a wound this bad, and I grew up with the best healers in the entire Nations. And even if a normal healer could save her, she'd be paralyzed. Look where the injury is. Her spine. She won't be able to save the world if she can't move her limbs."
Aang gapes at him. "Do you even care about her at all? I don't care if she's crippled! At least she'll be alive."
"It's not about Katara!" Zuko throws his arms out. "Don't you get it? We just abandoned our allies for a chance to save her. We can't throw that sacrifice away. We do this right, or we have to let her die so the next Avatar can be born. And maybe they'll be able to defeat the Fire Lord."
He knows how twisted his suggestion sounds. But you know what's really twisted? This entire situation. And it's all Zuko's fault. He tried to take the high road with his father. He had his father at his mercy and he could have killed him. But no, he took the moral high ground and spared his life just so that he could turn around and kill Katara.
Zuko's done with doing the right thing. He has to be a survivalist; he has to do what needs to be done.
"Zuko's right," Suki says quietly. "We need a supernatural healer. Someone in touch with the spirit world. Or we have to let her go."
Aang's eyes widen so much that they about pop out of his head. "Are you all CRAZY? Toph, say something. Back me up here."
She lowers her head. Aang makes a strangled noise in the back of his throat and turns to Sokka. "She's your sister. Don't you want to save her at any cost?"
Sokka wipes his face with a hand. "Of course I do. But Zuko's right - no normal healer could bring her back from a direct shot of lightning. Even if we saved her and doomed the world in the process...she would never forgive us. She would never forgive me. She would be miserable the rest of her life."
"Aargh! You are all so unbelievable!" Aang leaps off of Appa, flying away on his glider.
"I don't want to lose her, either," Sokka says, his eyes watering. He looks over at the others. "Anyone know any magical healers?"
Suki shakes her head. Toph shrugs. Zuko stares at Katara. He looks conflicted.
Sokka feels so frustrated, like he wants to rip his hair out. "There were magical healers at the North Pole, but…"
"But my grandfather murdered them all one hundred years ago." Zuko shakes his head. "It's useless."
"Actually, the healers weren't magical." An idea pops into Sokka's head. He grabs his bag and starts digging through it like a crazed man.
"Sokka? What is it?" Suki lays a hand on his leg.
"Ha!" He pulls out his fist, clenched tightly around a crystal vial.
"What's going on?" Toph asks.
"Before I was frozen in the ice, I was at the North Pole. The healers there weren't magic, but they could perform extraordinary feats using the water from the spirit pool. The moon and sun spirits used to swim there, which is probably why the water had magical properties. Anyway, Master Pakku - the waterbending teacher there - gave me this before I left. He said that Katara would need it one day. The day the Fire Nation attacked our home, Katara gave it to me for safekeeping." Sokka lets out a short laugh. "With this, we don't need a magical healer."
"What do you do? Just pour it on the wound and it makes everything better?" Toph crosses her arms. "Sounds a little too good to be true."
"I'm...not sure," Sokka admits. "They always used it with Waterbenders."
"Katara's our only Waterbender," Zuko points out.
"What about the Swampbenders?" Suki asks.
"They aren't trained in healing forms, and they were captured by the Fire Nation." Sokka sighs. "I thought I was on to something."
"There could be other Waterbenders," Toph says. "Hidden ones. Like the lady in Katara's prison when she was with the Fire Nation."
"But how do we find them? They'd have to be hidden really well to have evaded the Fire Nation for so long."
Zuko sighs. It's long and loud and everyone turns to stare at him.
"What?" Sokka demands.
He runs a hand through his hair. He looks everywhere but their eyes. He rubs his face.
"I know of someone," he finally admits.
"Who?"
"She's a witch. Powerful and dangerous. I was going to take Katara to Her when we first met, to get her memories fixed. See, this witch...She knows almost everything in the world. If there are any Waterbenders, She'll know where to find them."
"So why didn't you say this earlier?"
"Because She's evil!" Zuko throws his hands up in the air. "She'll help, but for a price. An awful price. She'll read into your soul and take what's most important to you."
They all stare at him in shock.
"And you know this how…?" Sokka begins.
"I've been to Her once before."
"What did She take from you?" Suki asks.
Zuko doesn't want to say it. He's ashamed to. But they don't understand how terrible She is. "She took away my favorite memory of my mother."
Suki's jaw drops. "She took away a memory? How?"
Zuko shrugs. "I don't know the source of Her power. I just remember that I had to give it up in exchange for information. I can't remember what She took, but I can feel a gaping hole in my mind where it used to be. It's awful. The woman is horrible."
"But She can help us save Katara," Toph argues. "I don't see why we're even debating this."
Zuko shakes his head. "We're not. I'll take Katara to Her. But I'm doing it alone."
"We shouldn't split up. Now when we're already so splintered."
"I'm not taking you guys to see Her. It's too dangerous. I've dealt with Her once before; I can do it again. I'm taking Appa and Katara."
"Aang won't like this," Suki remarks.
"Aang will agree to anything to save Katara."
Sokka leans over and hands the crystal vial to Zuko. "Take the spirit water. If you find out where the Waterbender is, don't come back for us. Get Katara healed first, then find us. We don't know how much time she has."
Zuko nods. "I'll leave tomorrow. We'll get you somewhere safe first."
Aang can't believe how callous and cold the others are. Aren't they Katara's friends, too? Don't they want her to survive? Don't they want to hear her laugh one more time? See her beautiful smile cross her face one more time? Be taken care of her one more time?
He feels like he's the only one that cares about Katara the person and not Katara the Avatar. Aang doesn't care about her powers or her fighting ability. He cares about her as a person. She's beautiful, inside and out. She's caring and compassionate and determined and smart and brave. She's so much more than just a person who has to save the world.
He's the only one who sees it. Not even her brother, Sokka. Not Suki or Toph or Zuko. Just Aang.
Ugh. Zuko. Aang isn't violent by nature but he could have ripped his head off. Suggesting that it was better for the world if Katara died rather than be crippled. Zuko doesn't deserve Katara. He doesn't deserve the love and affection she gives him. She's given him chance after chance after chance and yet he continues to make bad decisions and betray her. So why does she like him? Why would she choose Zuko over him?
Aang has been nothing but loyal and selfless. Aang left his entire life behind and he risked his life for her and fought for her and starved for her and went sleepless for her. He's done everything for her, and she still looks at him like some kid she has to babysit.
He's not a kid anymore. He's grown up now. He's mature and willing to make the hard decisions that no one else can. And he loves her. Isn't that enough?
No, because Aang is a monk and not a prince. Because Aang's powers are flying and blowing air while Zuko can summon fire and keep her warm. Because Aang is shorter than her and has boring gray eyes instead of being tall with golden eyes.
It's all so superficial. Katara's just going through a phase where she likes bad boys. But she's going to wake up one day and realize that Aang is the perfect one for her. That's he's always been the one.
Aang feels himself calming down. He doesn't care what the others say - he's going to find a way to save Katara. No matter the cost.
He doesn't want to live in a world without Katara in it. Maybe the others can live like that - maybe her brother and her boyfriend can live like that - but Aang can't. And he won't. He refuses to.
He'll be the one to save Katara if he has to.
Aang lands lightly on Appa's back. He's been out for about an hour. The others are dozing off, but Zuko is still awake, holding Katara's hand. The sight makes Aang want to puke.
"I'm not going to let her die," Aang hisses defiantly, keeping his voice down to avoid waking the others. "I'll fight you if I have to."
"We have a plan," Zuko replies tiredly. "I'm taking her to someone who has answers. If there's a way to save her, I'll know by the day after tomorrow."
"I'm coming, too."
"No, you're not." Zuko shakes his head. "You need to stay with the others."
Aang crosses his arms. "I'm not a little kid. I'm coming."
"Appa will fly faster with only two passengers, and time is important. Besides, you won't be of any help."
"I don't care. I'm coming."
"No, you're not," Zuko repeats. "Look, I don't want to fight. This is the only way I know to save Katara, and if you come you're going to screw it up. We're going to see a horrible witch and She'll suck out any goodness in you - and you have a lot to suck out. So sit down and take it easy."
"I don't trust you."
"I don't care what you think."
"That's why I don't trust you."
Zuko sighs. "You love Katara, right?"
Aang nods.
"And you would do what she wanted, right?"
Another nod.
"You know she trusts me. So you don't have to trust me, but at least trust that Katara trusts me."
He has a point. It's a weak one, but enough to give Aang pause.
"If you hurt her, I'll hunt you down," Aang warns.
"Don't worry. Appa will be there to keep me in line," Zuko replies dryly.
Aang sits back. Zuko eventually falls asleep, but Aang doesn't. He's going to keep an eye on Zuko.
Momo chitters and climbs into his lap. Aang strokes him. An idea suddenly occurs to him.
"Hey, Momo? How do you feel about spying?"
Momo squawks.
"Good. You're going with Zuko. Keep an eye on him. And report back if you see anything suspicious."
Aang stays alert the whole night. It pains him to let Katara out of his sight, but if there's even a chance of her surviving, then he has to take it. Even if it means letting her go.
It's the hardest decision Aang has ever had to make.