Disclaimer: I do not own ANY part of ATLA in any way, shape, or form. I own NOTHING!
Chapter 5:
KATARA
My footsteps are heavy. The snow feels more like thick tar than snow. I'm scared. I'm still not ready to see the baby, the baby that could be the next Avatar, but this morning, I resolved to try. But trying is harder than it used to be. A lot harder.
Luck, however, is on my side. Yanna sits outside of her tent doing some sewing, and there is no baby in sight. It is probably in the tent, which means I'm in the clear. I can do this gradually.
I have to ingest things little by little. If I take in too much or if I confront too much at once, I shut down, and I'm trying not to do that anymore. I'm failing, but I'm trying.
Yanna's pale blue eyes find mine, and she smiles warmly at me.
Her dark brown hair is longer, but she still wears it in a braid that falls over her right shoulder. Her features are less round than I remember. Some of her youth has been drained away. Her features are more angular and less childlike as a result, but she is cute. Her beauty is subtle.
"Katara." She rises to her feet and hugs me briefly. "It's good to see you. I'm glad you're okay. Sokka… Is he…?"
I nod. "He's fine aside from a broken leg. He had some other business to attend to up north, but he'll hopefully be back soon. I wish he could see what everyone's done for the village."
"It's definitely different." Yanna's expression goes solemn as her eyes meet mine. "Katara, I'm sorry about…everything. I'm glad you're home. I just wish the circumstances were different."
"Yeah. Me too…" I wrap my arms around myself, a pitiful imitation of a hug, my vain attempt to hold myself together.
"So I hear you're a mother now. Congratulations!" I beam, eager to change the subject. I can't talk about Dad (how there is still no trace of him) or Aang. I can't go back. It hurts too much. I'll lose the little composure I've managed to regain.
She smiles, and it reaches her eyes. "Thank you. She's asleep now, but I'd love for you to see her."
"I'd like that too." I try to smile back, but I fail. My heart is too heavy. "...Can I ask you a serious question?"
Yanna tenses, but she doesn't get defensive. "Sure."
"There have been raids here, right? Since the baby was born?"
A nod.
"Did any of the firebenders…? Has anyone tried to take her from you?"
Yanna sits and resumes her sewing. "I've tried my best to be careful. They come and poke around, of course. It was worse right after the comet. Before any negotiations happened."
"If there's anything we can do to help, just let me know. We still feel linked to the Avatar. I still feel that it's my responsibility… I guess I'm saying that I'm here to help in any way that I can, even if she isn't the Avatar."
Yanna smiles warmly again. "Thank you, Katara."
She asks me to join her, and I do, reluctantly. I help her sew the animal skins together and tell her stories about my journey while she fills me in on some of what I've missed over the past year. We talk for what feels like hours until the baby cries. After that, I politely excuse myself.
"I've never lived in a Water Tribe igloo before…"
We've offered Zuko his own igloo. With all the expansion, there are plenty to go around. One was close to Gran Gran and me, so we decided to snatch it for Zuko before someone else took it.
He is uncertain of the accommodations at first. He wanders the space like he isn't sure what to make of it or what to do with it.
I fold my arms over my chest. "I'm sorry if our accommodations don't meet your ridiculously high standards, Your Majesty."
Zuko scoffs. "That's not what I meant. I'm just saying that this is a first. It's better than our tent in the Earth Kingdom and much better than some of the leaky caves Uncle and I stayed in when we were fugitives."
"But not as nice as your palace," I finish for him because it's true. I know for a fact because I stayed in that massive palace with him after we defeated Azula, while we were still waiting to hear from Aang.
"No, but I like it." He shifts from foot to foot and rubs nervously at the back of his neck. "Will you visit?"
I'm taken back by how surprisingly intimate that innocent question is, but I recover.
"Of course. Someone has to cook for you." I say casually, but as Momo curls up on Zuko's bedroll, I can't keep from thinking about sleeping next to Zuko and how much I miss doing so.
His eyes are low, but he smiles. "Thanks, Katara."
"You're welcome." I sit next to Momo and rub him behind the ears. "You can stay here as long as you want."
I don't know what Zuko's plans are. I haven't asked, and I am afraid to know. I am uncomfortable with the thought of being without him. I'll admit that I like him being here. A part of me is still reliant on him. There is a broken part of me that needs him.
Running a hand down his face, he nods. There is some stubble on his face. He looks older. He is also weary and tired, but that isn't new. I've grown used to him looking this way.
Something in Zuko has changed. Some of his fire fizzled out. His temper rarely makes an appearance, and when it does, it is nothing like it used to be. I don't know if it's the fact that he doesn't have the energy or if it is the fact that he has lost a piece of himself.
I am tempted to believe the latter, and I am continually assaulted by the need to heal him. I want to fix him, spark that fire back to life, to find that piece of him that he's lost, but I don't know how. I can't even fix myself.
I stay with Zuko the rest of the day and make dinner from our latest hunting trip. Together, we got a decent haul. Gran Gran gave me some fruit and vegetables to help fluff up the meal, and I brought some spices since Zuko complains of our food being bland.
I try to teach him how to do some of these things himself. I season the food the way he likes so the meal is spicier and not as 'bland'.
We eat together, but I don't really eat. I play with the food I've prepared. I lost my appetite when I thought about how long Zuko may or may not be staying.
"I think I'lll try to see the baby tomorrow," I say. I'm not entirely sure why. To distract him? To distract myself?
Zuko tenses, visibly uncomfortable but takes another bite of jerky.
"At the very least I'll talk to her mother again," I continue.
He nods. "Sounds like a good idea."
"I'll break the ice then maybe next time you can come with me? "
Zuko doesn't answer. I'll ask again another time.
When I leave Zuko's igloo, the sun is almost down. I stayed longer than I mean to, but it is easy to lose track of time when we are together.
I make my way back to Gran Gran's, my eyes low and my pace quick. Apparently, I am too quick or maybe I'm not paying attention because I bump right into someone.
Firewood flies everywhere, and I kneel into the snow, trying to help pick up the mess I've made.
Filling my arms with firewood, I apologize without looking at whom I've bumped into. When I do finally glance up, I realize that it's one of the young men from up north. I've seen him around before. There is something familiar about him, but I can never really put my finger on it.
"It's okay. Don't worry about it." He avoids eye contact with me. He is uncomfortable, and my curiosity spikes further.
I squint as I hand the wood back to him, and it dawns on me that he is Yue's fiancée. Or would it be ex-fiancée?
His hair – still pulled into a partial wolf tail – is longer. He has a more rugged look now. He has grown taller and broader. He now has the beginnings of that thick, masculine build most tribesmen have, but I recognize the steel blue of his eyes and his strong jawline.
"You probably don't remember me…" He smiles shyly. War has changed him. That arrogance that once seeped from his pores is gone, replaced by humility that can only be gained through loss and trials. "But we've met before. Briefly. My name is Hahn."
"You were engaged to Yue, right?" I ask and wonder how ridiculous I must look with Momo happily perched on my head.
He frowns. "Yeah. You were traveling with the Avatar, right?"
It's my turn to frown. "Yeah."
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah. Me too."
Days have passed since I mentioned going to see the baby to Zuko, and I still haven't gone.
Zuko and I are in a rut. And by a rut, I mean we are in a state of permanent inaction.
We have done here what we've done everywhere else we've gone together since Aang died. We learn the patterns of our surroundings, find a niche in those surroundings, and then we don't deviate from the rhythm we obtain in those surroundings. We like routines, and when we find them, we don't leave them. We are in a cycle of routines. Or is it a routine within a routine?
This rut is our way of avoiding the things we aren't capable of dealing with. And we both know if we see the potential Avatar, we will be reminded of all the things we have to do but are still unable to do. We will be forced to confront it, to talk about it.
I've grown fond of my denial. I find comfort in it. But I can't hold onto it forever. The haze that I've been in since the comet is dispersing, clarity is creeping in around me, and as much as I don't want to see what is beneath all the fog, I can't close my eyes or turn away from it forever. Slowly but surely, reality is sinking in, and it hurts. It hurts a lot more than my denial does.
This morning I made the decision to take my old boat out and go fishing. Alone.
It should be good for me. It might jar me out of my state of perpetual inactivity. I can't help anyone if I continue going through life this way.
I have to snap out of it. Somehow.
As I drift out and try to find a good fishing spot, all I can think about is Sokka and Dad and even Aang. I am too close to our old stalking grounds. I am close to where we first found Aang. I feel alone. That unbearable emptiness is back, but I am also overwhelmed by everything around me, by how much has changed in such a short amount of time.
Realizing this was a mistake and that I am about to have some sort of episode or come apart, I head back.
I shouldn't have come out here alone. I should have at least brought Momo with me.
But then, I think that I need to face this. I have to stop running.
I start paddling again and eventually make it as close to the spot where we found Aang as possible, but now that I'm here, I'm not sure what I was hoping to get out of this. Do I want closure? Do I want to say goodbye?
I don't know...
Whatever the reason, I keep urging myself forward. I paddle until I get stuck between two giant slabs of ice. I try bending the water and somehow get myself even more stuck.
Frustrated and angry with myself, I stand and push at the edge of the glacier with my paddle. I consider bending the ice itself, but with the way my boat is trapped, I may end up crushing it, so I continue hacking away at the iceberg with my paddle and the knife I brought with me.
The ice chips away after what feels like half an hour of kicking and punching, hitting and stabbing (and even some screaming). There is finally some give, and my boat bobs against the water again. I put my hands on the floating chunk of ice and use it to push free, but something stops me.
I hesitate, suddenly looking for Appa and Aang sleeping inside the iceberg beneath my palms.
But they aren't there. I know they aren't. Aang is cold and submerged somewhere but not here. He is somewhere beyond my reach. Gone. Gone like Mom and probably Dad too. Gone like the Earth Kingdom. Gone like our last hope for peace. Gone like so many other good things.
I know all this, but when the ripples in the water settle, I can see him in the water, in the iceberg, an ethereal glow radiating around him. He smiles and reaches for me.
Unthinking, I reach back.
Something inside me snaps. I am ready to break the iceberg apart just like I did the very first time I saw him. But this time, I'm willing to rip it apart with my bare hands if I have to.
He needs me, my mind cries. I have to get him out…
The boat flips. I fall. I'm submerged, and there is nothing but the comforting hum of my element in my ears.
It's cold. There is the sharp prick of a thousand needles all over my body, but the cold slowly becomes a tingly numbness. I can't feel the darkness or the pain or the emptiness anymore, so the numbness might be a mercy.
I open my eyes, and Aang is in the water with me, looking at me with sad, disappointed eyes. I reach for him again, but this time, he shakes his head.
I'm confused and hurt, but I keep trying to get to him. I'm swimming at this point, trying my hardest to reach him, going deeper and deeper, using everything I have to tear at the veil between life and death.
The water grows thick as jelly. I can't move. He is right there, but I can't get any closer. My arms flail. My legs kick. I even try bending, but nothing works. I'm frozen in place by some otherworldly force.
He is telling me to stay. He doesn't want me to get to him. He doesn't want me to waste energy on an impossible task, to ignore what remains, what is currently more important. He doesn't want me to lose sight of myself, to drown both figuratively and literally while I search in vain for the past and all that has been lost to me forever.
He doesn't need me… Not anymore…
He smiles, knowing that I understand.
Goodbye, Katara…
The last of my strength leaves me as those words sink in. They hurt, but they give me a strange sense of peace. I wanted so badly to say goodbye.
Goodbye, Aang…
My lungs burn for air, but all I can do is close my eyes and just…float.
"Katara!"
Someone calls my name. The voice is familiar, but it doesn't belong to Aang. It isn't in my head. It is faint and far away.
"Katara…!"
I'm coughing, thick icy water leaving my lungs. It hurts a lot more coming out than it did going in.
Warmth touches my face. I want to lean into it.
"Katara! Please!"
My eyes open, and my vision is filled with blinding white, but when the white dissolves, Zuko stares down at me. He is wet. Water drips from his hair and slips down the regal slopes of his face. He is terrified.
"Katara?! Katara, are you okay?" He holds my face and shakes me. "Breathe!"
I cough more, but I can't speak. I am numb and disoriented.
He sees me breathing then he pulls me to him and presses his forehead to mine.
His hand desperately grips the back of my neck as he holds me to him. I gasp, and the first thing I'm able to do is touch his neck. I feel his hair and the familiar warmth of his skin. Like always, I want to burrow my way inside him and make a cocoon out of that magnificent heat.
Zuko pulls away to look down at me, and I stroke his face. Why? I have no idea. I just don't want to see him hurt. I don't want him sad. On some level, I realize what I've done, and I feel guilty for worrying him, for causing the pain that tortures him now.
"Aang…" I whisper, trying to explain. I may be delirious. "I saw Aang… I …found him…"
The look Zuko gives me is the look I saw Dad give a wounded polar bear dog once. It was hurt, dying but still trying to crawl away, still trying to survive, oblivious to its own suffering, that it needed to be put out of its misery.
I might be crying. "Do you think I'm broken…?"
He shakes his head and squeezes me, wrapping me in more heat. "No."
His voice is so sincere, and his eyes are so soft that I believe him. Zuko doesn't think I'm broken. He isn't like the others, and there is an unnatural comfort in that.
Zuko holds me amidst the snow a bit longer before finally lifting me and cradling me to his chest.
I don't know where he is taking me, but for some reason, it doesn't matter.
I'm wrapped in blankets. Gran Gran has put yet another hot beverage in my hands. I don't drink it, though. She's been filling me with all kinds of hot drinks, and I may bust if I drink anymore, so I just hold the cup, enjoying the heat against my hands.
Zuko sits far away from me on the other side of the igloo but watches with concerned eyes.
Gran Gran gave him a blanket too, but he discarded it a while back. I can only assume that he is using his own heat to stay warm now.
For the first time in my life, I'm jealous of a firebender. I'd give anything to be able to regulate my temperature that much right about now.
"I know you aren't used to being here, Katara, but you have to be more careful. You know how treacherous the tundra can be in the winter," Gran Gran chastises lightly as she wraps me in more blankets.
"I'll be more careful from now on. I promise." I offer a reassuring smile.
She sighs and slowly straightens her posture. "I'm going to make some stew, then I want you to take a hot bath to knock off the last of the chill before it sets up in your bones and you get sick."
She leaves, and Zuko immediately takes her place beside me. His expression is stern, and his mouth is tight with unasked questions.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
"Cold." I want him to hold me, but Gran Gran will get the wrong idea if I ask him to do that. She'd see it as affection instead of a means to get warmer. Who knows? Maybe it would be. I'm no longer sure why I want him the way that I do. "Better but cold."
He surveys me, seeing if I am truly coherent. I am. When I woke up again, my delirium had faded. I was no longer at risk of chasing ghosts that may or may not have been in my head.
"Do you remember what you said?" he asks, his eyes focused on mine with an intensity that almost makes me squirm.
I shake my head because I don't. Not really.
"You said you found Aang." His expression is a weird cross between concern and discontentment.
"I did…kind of." I shake my head. I sound crazy. I don't know. Maybe I am.
"Kind of?"
"Yeah. In the water, near where Sokka and I found him. My boat got stuck, and when I started trying to get unstuck, I saw him."
Zuko leans forward, running his hands through his hair. He clearly isn't happy with what I'm telling him.
"And you jumped in after him…" he finishes for me, his words smothered with disbelief and vexation.
"It's just… It's been so hard letting him go..." I look down into my cup of tea. "I didn't even get to say goodbye… I think maybe I just needed to try to look for him… To see him one more time…"
"You weren't going to fish at all," he says matter-of-factly. It isn't a question.
He has seen through me. I don't give Zuko enough credit. He knows me much better than I thought he did. He probably knows me more than I am comfortable with.
"No. I guess not." I sigh.
"Did you get it out of your system?" There is a slight edge to his tone. He almost sounds like a concerned father or a possessive brother. I scared him. I see that now.
I nod. "I think I was finally able to say goodbye."
At least it feels that way…
Zuko's eyes stay low. "I know how much that meant to you – saying goodbye. I'm glad you were able to get some form of closure." He scoffs. "I just wish you could've found a better way to do it."
"I wasn't trying to drown myself," I snap, squeezing the cup in my hands as I fight the tears. "I just… I miss him so much."
"I know," Zuko says softly. "And it's okay to miss him. You'll probably never stop missing him, and that's okay too. You aren't broken, Katara. You're still grieving. There's a difference."
Those words feel like yet another blanket being wrapped around me. They comfort me. I needed to hear them even if he didn't mean them, even if he was just saying them because he knew I needed them.
Likely sensing my distress, Momo crawls into my lap and nestles my hand until it covers his head.
"And seeing the new Avatar doesn't mean you have to forget Aang," he continues. "You aren't betraying him. In fact, he'd probably be encouraging you to see it. It needs you."
I sniffle and chuckle dryly. "When did you get so good at comforting people?"
He reclines and folds his arms over his chest. "I don't know. I'm sure I caught it off you and the others somewhere along the way. That or this village has already rubbed off on me."
I chuckle again before curling into a tight ball, suddenly very sleepy. I unfold Zuko's arm, take one of his hands and hold it in both of mine near my face as I close my eyes.
He squeezes my hand, and I feel him brushing my hair off my face, stroking it lightly. His touch is tentative and unsure yet affectionate.
It's…nice.
"Thank you," I whisper without opening my eyes.
"For what?" he hums, his hand doesn't leave my face. It continues to glide along my cheek and into my hairline.
"For…everything, I guess."
He pauses a moment before murmuring, "...You're welcome…"
We don't talk about my accident any more, but Zuko doesn't let me go fishing alone anymore either. I assure him that there is nothing to worry about. That incident was some kind of weird closure for me. It needed to happen so that I could get some clarity. Acceptance. I've explained this to him, but I'm not sure if he believes me.
Even though I only have a mild case of the sniffles, Gran Gran and Zuko have been intent on keeping me prisoner until I'm 'better'.
Whatever that means...
As a result, I haven't been able to go see Yanna or the baby even though I'm finally capable of doing so. I've expressed this to them several times, but they insist it can wait. My well-being comes first.
I am held hostage in my own home, but today, I am finally allowed to go outside and get some much-needed sunshine. It's nice even though I am just a few feet from Gran Gran's igloo.
Zuko left early this morning to go on a hunting trip, so it's just Gran Gran and me. I've spent the morning helping her prepare blankets for the winter (which, because of the comet, Gran Gran thinks will be particularly harsh) and stitching a tear in a pair of Zuko's pants.
Sometimes I feel like Zuko's wife, and as a mend a hole in his clothing, I look like his wife too. Wives are always fixing their husbands' clothes after they obtain a tear or rip while hunting. I don't necessarily mind. I pretended to be his fiancée throughout the Earth Kingdom, so I might as well take up the role of his wife here too.
"Hello, Katara."
Hahn stares down at me with a half-smile on his face, the steel blue of his eyes shining dully as the corners of his eyes crinkle at the edges.
"How are you? I heard you had an accident."
I frown.
Our tribe has definitely expanded in terms of population, but apparently, word still travels fast. That was one thing I didn't miss when we left home. I didn't miss how everyone knew everything about everyone.
"I'm fine. It was just…a bad day…" It is the only way I can think to explain it without going into detail.
"I understand." He puts his hands in his pockets. "I've definitely had a few of those."
I want him to elaborate. I desperately want to know what happened after the siege up north. I want to know how he got here and what changed him, but I don't probe because I hate being asked questions recently too.
"Lunch is ready, Katara." Gran Gran peaks out from her igloo's entrance and sees Hahn towering over me. "You should invite your friend to stay."
Obviously, Gran Gran wants me to have a social life outside of Zuko.
"Oh, he's not my…" I stammer, looking back and forth awkwardly between Gran Gran and Hahn, but she is already back inside.
He chuckles a little. It's soft but deep. He is trying to suppress it.
Sighing, I relent. I fold Zuko's pants over my arm and stand.
"Would you like to stay for lunch?" I ask, trying not to sound too sarcastic.
His crooked smile is back. "Sure."
We have a surprisingly nice lunch together. Hahn enlightens us on how he left the Northern Water Tribe to help fight the Fire Nation with some of the other men from their tribe until he became a prisoner of war. He then explained how he eventually escaped and came to help rebuild our tribe since he felt unworthy of returning to the North Pole.
"I wanted to redeem myself, for failing during the siege," he explains coolly, but his eyes are distant. "I just wasn't happy with who I was. Oddly enough, the whole situation with your brother made me realize that I needed to change. He was right about me. I hadn't deserved someone like Yue. I guess I was trying to find a better version of myself and ended up here. Home just wasn't home anymore, you know?"
It is obviously my turn to reply and share my story, but I can't go there again. It was hard enough retelling it to Gran Gran, and I've known her my whole life.
Before I can decide how and if I should reply, Zuko enters the igloo with blood all over his hands. It was apparently a successful hunt. He is getting better at this, and I can't fight the weird sense of pride I get from watching him succeed.
Hahn, however, isn't as pleased to see Zuko as I am. His pale eyes widen, and his posture straightens at the sight of Zuko. This is the closest he has ever been to the Fire Prince.
Zuko stares at Hahn with no small amount of scrutiny. His gaze is molten but ice cold. It is a lofty, condescending stare, a stare only a man of royal blood could perform.
"How was your hunt?" I ask, trying to dissolve some of the awkwardness.
"Fine," he replies flatly. "I killed what almost qualifies as a yak."
"Good. You'll need that meat for the winter," Gran Gran replies, rising to get some water for Zuko's bloody hands.
"Hahn, this is Prince Zuko." I look back at Zuko. "Zuko, this is Hahn. He's from the Northern Tribe. We met before the siege."
"It's nice to finally meet you." Hahn stands to properly address him. "I've heard a lot about you."
Zuko's gaze stays emotionless, but there is a hint of a cocky grin on his lips. "I'm sure you have. Sorry I can't say the same."
If I were close enough, I would have kicked him in the shin for being rude.
Hahn chuckles nervously. "Well, I better go. Thanks again for a lovely meal, Kanna." He turns to face me. "I'll see you around, Katara."
Hahn nods to Zuko on his way out, but as expected, Zuko does nothing but look down at him until he is completely out of the igloo.
I rush up to Zuko. "Would it kill you to be polite?"
Zuko smirks at me, his golden eyes gleaming with mischief. "It might."
I roll my eyes as he brushes past me and goes to the bowl of water Gran Gran provided for him. He bends over and rubs the blood off his hands. When the water is good and bloody, I bend it into his face.
Zuko howls, reeling backward as the corrupt water sinks into his hair and clothes.
Realizing I'm the culprit, he glares at me. I should be afraid of the black look he gives me, but I can only put my hands on my hips and smirk with triumph.
His nostrils flare as he exhales harshly through his nose, bending the bloody water into thick steam.
He is still glaring at me, but I'm still smiling.
A few days after my incident, I decided that it is time to visit Yanna.
With yet another stage of my healing/grieving process behind me, I almost want to see the baby. I miss Aang to the point that I long to see him – or even just a sliver of him – in anything.
After finishing my chores, I steel myself with my newfound courage and go to see Yanna.
Like always, she is warm and inviting, which I am grateful for. It makes all of this easier.
She asks about Gran Gran and even Zuko although she's never met him. The fact that she asks about Zuko is encouraging. She'll be open to him visiting. Eventually.
We engage in small talk for a while, and I help her make dinner.
Eventually, she catches me sneaking glances at the bundle of blankets that hide the baby. I am not as subtle as I thought I was.
Yanna smiles knowingly. "Would you like to see her?"
I blush. "If you don't mind…?"
"Of course not!" Yanna leads me across the room, abandoning her bowl of sea prunes without a second thought.
Timidly, I follow her lead and peek into the makeshift bassinet.
The baby is fast asleep, covered head to toe in furs with only her small face showing.
Her skin is traditional Water Tribe pale brown, but Gran Gran was right. She is paler than most. Her lashes are long and black, tickling her plump cheeks. Short, little curls of dark brown sit atop her small head, contrasting beautifully with her skin.
The sight of her fills my heart with warmth. It does a little leap in my chest as my breathing catches in my throat.
"Her name is Korrine, but I think we are going to call her Korri."
"She's beautiful…" My voice breaks, but there is a strange joy in my sadness.
"Do you want to hold her?" she asks even though she is already pulling Korrine out of her furs.
The baby stretches her little arms and squirms as Yanna moves her but doesn't cry or whine. She is only mildly inconvenienced by the movements.
"She's a heavy sleeper, so don't worry about waking her." Yanna giggles as she gazes down at the baby lovingly.
It's been a while since I've held a baby, but that isn't the only reason I'm reluctant. I can't help myself as she places her in my arms.
She's small, warm, and limp with sleep. Her eyes open briefly, and I see that they are a beautiful cyan before she shuts them again.
I'm crying yet again. I don't even know why. Maybe I'm afraid. Maybe I'm hopeful. Maybe I'm both.
I feel closer to Aang than I have since I learned of his death. I feel him here with me now, and I know in the very pit of my heart that the child in my arms is the next Avatar.
A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!