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 "Breaking Free" from High School Musical
Rating: General Audiences. Warning: some scenes contain dark themes and minor violence
Chapter 7: Spirit
Your faith, it gives me strength
Strength to believe
Can you feel it building
Like a wave the ocean just can't control
Connected by a feeling
In our very souls
We're soaring, flying
"We only have two weeks before Sozin's Comet," Sokka says, sitting across from the others. His maps and papers are spread out on the grass in front of him.
"Sozin's Comet? What's that?" Toph asks. She's leaning back against a rock, picking at the thick callouses on her feet.
"It's a comet that passes by the earth once every hundred years. Firebenders can harness its power and bend at an unparalleled strength." Zuko looks tentatively at Katara as he adds, "It's named after my grandfather Sozin because he used the power to begin his siege on the Water Tribes."
"That's why we weren't able to fight back," Katara realizes. "We never stood a chance. It's like Waterbenders on a full moon."
Zuko shakes his head. "It's even more potent than that. It's like five full moons." His voice turns grave. "My father plans to use the power boost to stomp out the last few rebellious strongholds in the Earth Kingdom."
"They won't stand a chance," Aang says, his eyes wide.
"We have to defeat the Fire Lord before then." Sokka turns to Katara. "Do you think you can master airbending by then?"
"Master it? No." Katara glances over at Aang. "But hopefully I can learn the basics."
"You'll have to. We won't have another chance. If Ozai is successful in conquering the entire Earth Kingdom, there's nowhere we can hide. We'll be on the run until they find us."
"And they will eventually find us," Zuko adds.
"We know the Fire Nation has a fleet of war balloons. They're going to use those to rain fire down on the cities from the sky. From what Zuko tells me, the entire army will be either flying or marching out."
"How do you know all this?" Suki asks, looking at Zuko. "I can't imagine Ozai would be so careless about his plans."
"He had this plan made when I was in the Fire Nation. And he doesn't care if I know it; he's confident in his strength and advantages."
"And he thinks the Avatar is dead."
"So we have to attack before the comet." Sokka holds up a map. "We can't do it alone, though. We need some allies who have inside information on the Fire Nation."
"We have Zuko," Toph points out.
"I was only back at the palace for a few weeks. We need people who never left and who were close to the royal family." Zuko takes a deep breath. "We need Ty Lee and Mai."
A sudden silence falls over the group.
"You're kidding, right?" Toph asks, breaking the quiet. "They tried to kill us."
"And they saved us at Boiling Rock," Zuko says. "They were close to Azula and knew everything she knew."
"They're good fighters," Suki admits. "We could use their skills on our side."
"That brings us to the other allies we wanted to release." Sokka shows a small red circle on the map. "This is a labor camp on the outskirts of the Fire Nation. Zuko says that this is where most of the war prisoners go. They're usually guarded by a hundred or more soldiers, but Ozai will be moving as many troops into the Earth Kingdom as possible."
"He's going to scale back the number of guards," Zuko continues. "I estimate that he'll leave just enough to keep the camp running. A few dozen at the most. It will be almost easy to break out our allies."
"Zuko thinks that the Kyoshi Warriors are there," Sokka says, turning to Suki.
A smile breaks out across her face. "If they are, they'll be ready to fight. I know my girls."
"It should only take us a day, day and a half flying to the prison, but we won't be able to fly everyone back on Appa. It might take up to a week to return."
"So we have enough time," Katara nods.
Sokka hesitates. "Actually, Katara...I don't think you should come for the prison break."
She blinks. "Why not?"
"You can't learn airbending if you're running around the Fire Nation. And the chances of you being seen and recognized are extremely high."
"So...what am I going to do while you're gone?"
"I was talking to Aang, and he thinks that you would benefit frok going with him to the Air Temple."
Katara glances over at the younger kid. "The Air Temples? Am I even welcome there?"
"Anyone studying spiritual matters are welcome. To learn airbending, you must explore the spiritual side that goes along with it. They will not turn you away."
"So we're separating again." Katara rests her chin in her hand. "Is everyone going to labor camp instead of Aang and I?"
"I think that's the best idea. We're not sure anyone else would be welcomed to the Air Temple, and even if most of the guards are deployed, we're still going to need powerful benders. With you and Aang gone, we'll only have Toph and Zuko left."
Katara nods. She isn't happy, but she's accepted it. "Alright. You guys should go over your plans for the prison break, then. Aang and I should continue our airbending practice."
They split up for the day. Aang tells Katara to meet him at the beach. She's a little curious as to his intentions, but she doesn't argue. She walks over to the edge of the surf and begins warming up with some of her waterbending movements.
Aang's footsteps are so light that she doesn't hear them against the sand, but she can sense that he's there. Less than a year ago, Katara had no idea who Aang was. Now she feels as honed into his presence as she does with Sokka. If something were ever to happen to Aang, she'd feel it, no matter how far from him she was.
As hard as this life has been, Katara almost doesn't want it to end. Part of her wishes she could stay with her little family forever, running around the four nations and taking part in dangerous but fun adventures. What's going to happen after Ozai is defeated and they can all return home?
She shoves the sad thoughts from her mind and focuses on the present, turning around to face Aang. He's standing just a few feet behind her, his hands holding something behind his back.
"What is it?" she asks, cocking her head to try and peer around him.
His face splits into a wide grin as he reveals a glider and holds it out to her. "Teo's dad made this for you before the first invasion, remember? I've been holding on to it until you were ready."
She takes it out of his hands and activates the canvas wings. They pop out in a brilliant flash of blue. Katara can't help but smile as she examines it. She'd completely forgotten about the gift in all the excitement and chaos of the invasion - not to mention her almost dying and travelling all the way to the North Pole and back.
"Do you really think I'm ready to fly already?"
"Flying is one of the easiest parts of airbending. It doesn't require any generation or manipulation of air. With Toph's exercise, you proved you have quick enough reflexes. Flying is the same exact thing, only you're moving around and with air currents instead of on the ground with rocks."
Katara isn't entirely convinced of the simplicity of the task. "If I make a mistake and fall in the air, I can get hurt really bad."
"That's why I'm going to be up there to help you." Aang pulls out his own glider and snaps it open. "Since it's your first time, I'm going to give you a big gust of wind to help you get airborne. All you have to do is hang on tight to your glider and tilt it upwards to catch the draft with the canvas. It will carry you up, and then you have to steady yourself. Got it?"
No. Not at all. Katara remembers the last - and only time - she's flown. It was at the Western Air Temple. Teo had explained how to use the glider. "The wind carries you, supports something inside of you, something even lighter than air," he had said. "And that something takes over when you fly."
"I've changed my mind," she'd replied, fear pounding in her chest. "I think I was born without that something."
And what had Aang said?
"Spirit," Katara whispers.
"What?" Aang asks, looking over at her.
Her resolve hardens, and she meets him eyes. "Remember when we were with Teo at the Western Air Temple? I tried flying there. I was terrified, but then you told me that spirit is what takes over when you're in the air. And I knew I could do it because I knew I had spirit."
Aang's eyes gleam with what looks like pride. "No one has more spirit than you do."
She grins. "You might."
"That's because I was born to fly." Aang pushes her forward. "Now, get ready. I promise I'll be right behind you."
Katara clasps her hands around the beam of the glider, angles it slightly upwards, and then begins running. She's only taken a few steps when she feels a whoosh of wind blow behind her. She angles the wings up her glider and it picks her up. Her stomach drops as she's carried high into the air, but there's also a sense of exhilaration.
She's doing it. She's flying.
She lets out an excited laugh, tilting her glider and soaring over the waves. She hits an air current wrong and drops a few feet, but with a slight alteration of her glider that feels completely natural, she settles back into comfortable air space.
Aang appears beside her a few seconds later. He grins when their eyes meet.
"See?" he calls over the wind. "Not hard at all!"
Then he shifts his body weight, causing his glider to spin and move him upwards in a spiraling motion. Katara copies, following him up higher towards the sun.
They spend most of the day in the air, Aang teaching her new tricks. He shows her how to move higher or lower, how to spiral or fly sideways or dive bomb. They fly so low that their feet trail in the water and so high that the rays of the sun burn their backs. They fly fast and slow, up and down.
The sun is setting in the horizon when they finally coast back to the beach. Katara's hair is hopelessly knotted and her face stings from wind burn, but she feels lighter and happier than she has in a long time. Her spirit may help her fly, but flying also helps her spirit.
She drops her glider in the sand and then follows it, laying down. Her arms are aching from holding on, but it's a good ache.
Aang collapses next to her, looking completely satisfied.
"You're a natural," he says. "You'll be a master by the time you fight Ozai."
She turns her head to look over at him. "But airbending is about avoiding fights. When we were in the air, we moved ourselves to coincide with the air currents instead of trying to fight them. If I'm truly an airbending master, then shouldn't I not fight Ozai?"
Aang thinks about it for a long minute. "You're right. But I think being Avatar trumps that. You have to do what's best for the universe." His mouth turns down. "Even if that means going against yourself and everything you've learned."
He's not just talking about her. Katara knows he's talking about himself, too.
"You're nervous about going home, aren't you?" she asks.
"Monk Gyatso told me it was destiny to find and help you, but he was the only one who understood. The other monks believed that we should all stay away from the conflict, safe in our Air Temples. I think…" His eyes begin to glisten. "I don't know if I'm welcome back. If there's still a place for me."
"They have to understand. The Fire Lord won't spare them just because they isolate themselves. He wants complete power. And with his new airships, he has the ability to reach the Air Temples." Katara sits up. "We'll warn them about Sozin's Comet. They'll have to fight, even if it's just to protect themselves."
Aang scratches at the base of his neck. "I'm not so sure. Ozai hasn't tried to attack them yet; they think they're safe. They won't listen."
"Gyatso will. He already has."
Katara thinks of the White Lotus. She still isn't sure what the Pai Sho tile means, but she knows that its presence has been helping her and the gang since she met Iroh. The Pai Sho tile led Gyatso to send Aang to them; it sent Suki and Sokka to her; it convinced the hidden Waterbenders at the North Pole to help her and Zuko; and it was given to them by Sokka's swordmaster. Whatever the flower signifies, it's enough to convince anyone to help.
"And what if the others override Gyatso? He holds a high status, but he alone can't make the others do anything."
"Then I will. They have to listen to the Avatar. Aren't Airbenders connected to the spirit world?" Aang nods. "Then they can speak to the past Avatars and know that this is the moment where everything has been leading to. The destiny of the world is converging, and they would be ignorant to sit back."
Katara feels the conviction running through her veins. Although she may doubt her power and her strength, she knows for certain that her destiny is calling. And as the Avatar, her destiny is the world's destiny.
Aang stares at her.
"What?"
He shakes his head, smiling. "It's nice to see your spirit shine out again."
"Princess Azula." Ozai's voice thunders around the throne room. Even though she's in good standing with her father, it still unnerves her. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
She settles into a bow before straightening up and meeting his eyes. "I have an idea, Father. One that will ensure total victory for the Fire Nation and complete destruction of our enemies."
To her dismay, his eyes drop and settle on the sleeve of his robe. He begins picking at the seam. "Do I not already have a foolproof plan?"
"Of course you do, Father. I just thought of some...slight alterations."
"Go ahead."
He sounds bored. Azula's hands clench into fists at her sides, but she keeps her face clear of the frustration boiling inside of her, instead replacing it with passion.
"On the day of Sozin's Comet, we should only deploy half of our airships into the Earth Kingdom. The other half should go directly to the Air Temples. Those stupid monks think we have forgotten them; I say we destroy them before they can blink out of their meditation. We have left them untouched for too long. Now they can join the spirit world they love so much."
Ozai looks up, interest in his eyes. It eases Azula's frustration. "I hadn't considered that," he muses. A sly smile grows on his face. "Yes, you're right. I have been quite generous to them, have I not?"
"They do not seek out a fight, but they are powerful when they do. We'll have to crush them without warning." Her eyes blaze at the thought of glorious battle. She's conquered invisible cities before; what are a few religious zealots? "Those remaining will bow before us. Our statues will be built in their temples and they will worship us. When they meditate, it will our faces they fixate upon."
"I like the sound of that…"
"I also had some ideas about after our victory." Azula begins shaking, but it's not from fear or nervousness; no, it's from the excitement bubbling up within her. "You would be the high lord of the world, of course. Fire Lord Ozai would be feared more than ever. And I could take stewardship of the Fire Nation while you rule over your new territories. I would be known as the Phoenix Queen."
"The Phoenix Queen…" Ozai holds his chin with his hand as he thinks. "Interesting. You're right; while the new lands adjust to their new leader, they will require more of my attention. You're the only one I trust to take care of the Fire Nation while I'm attending to them."
Azula feels elated. Her father likes her ideas! She isn't useless; she's powerful and intelligent. No one will ever doubt her now. Not when she's ruling the Fire Nation and certainly not after her father dies and she becomes the high lord of the entire world.
"I want to personally lead the offensive against the Air Nomads," she continues. "You'll be leading the main attack, of course, against the mighty Earth Kingdom."
"The final battle for the world will be written about in every history book and discussed for millenia to come." Now Ozai's eyes are burning with intensity. "They'll write about my power forever. The man who took down the Avatar and defeated the other three nations."
"No one will ever doubt our might," Azula adds. "Our statues will adorn every village square. Every flame of fire will remind our people of us."
"Every gold coin will have my face on it," Ozai declares. "Every new baby will be dedicated to my service. No one will look me in the eye, for they will fear they will turn to ash."
"They will beg for our forgiveness for even a stray thought." Azula pictures Mai and Ty Lee and Zuko bowing before her, begging for her to spare them. Maybe she'll be generous and allow them to be her stable hands. Maybe she'll just kill them on sight. However she feels on that particular day; the power will be in her hands.
"I will be more powerful than the most powerful Avatar." Ozai suddenly grins. "The next Avatar born will be mine to command. My own black hand to do my dirty work."
Azula tries not to feel annoyed by that statement. She's his black hand, the one who does his most important tasks. She's the only one he trusts to do it. But when she's Phoenix Queen, she can afford to get her own black hand.
"I have been dreaming for so long about killing the Avatar that I failed to imagine what would come next." Ozai's cold golden eyes meet hers. "Thank you, Azula."
She slips into a bow. "Of course, Father."
She walks out of the throne room with her head held high. No one can think less of her now. She's just as strong and powerful and cruel as Ozai. And soon, she'll be the one sitting in that throne.
And when Azula is sitting on the throne, she won't hear the voices in her head any longer.