Well school has started and so far I give it a huge resounding...Eh.. X_x
I know i shouldnt judge since its only the first day but still....well at least i got work to look forward to. Anyways, heres the new chapter. And remember dont be afraid to give your most honest opinions on it.
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Chapter 6: Home
Without the cart holding him down, Appa was able to fly swiftly through the air and over the forest toward an area of cliffs where he last saw Hakoda. It took a good half hour and a lot of circling, but he finally spotted the cliff side which was littered with shards of broken glass from the lantern.
Quickly Katara jumped off and started looking around for clues as to where Hakoda could have gone. Unfortunately all she found was a short trail of faded footprints that lead into the forest followed by animal footprints. Fearing that her father had been attacked by animals, Katara was about to run blindly into the forest when she spotted a piece of blue cloth stuck to a branch. Knowing it had to be from Hakoda's cape, she showed it to Appa who quickly caught the scent. Jumping back into the saddle, Katara grabbed the reigns and held on as Appa charged head on into the forest.
Time had passed and it was getting dark out by the time Appa finally found the source of Hakoda's scent. Jumping off, Katara looked up in amazement as she walked toward a large iron gate that stood before an even larger castle. Having only seen others like it in her book, Katara was awe struck that a castle of such size and design could exist only a bison ride away from her house "What is this place?" she wondered looking at its dark outline.
Just then a wind blew through, rattling the gates and scaring Appa who began to get fidgety. "Steady Appa, steady..." Katara said as she tried calming the frightened bison down. Then out the corner of her eye, she spotted something wafting in the breeze and quickly turned around. "Oh no..." Looking between the gates, Katara instantly spotted the shredded remains of the blue scarf she made. "Dad..." Opening the gate, she picked up the wet scarf and noticed that some of its tattered remains were leading towards the castle.
Bringing Appa inside the courtyard, she tied his reigns to an iron poll and grabbed her water pouch. "Stay here Appa." Katara said as she pocketed the scarf. "I'm going inside to find dad."
--
Inside the dining room, Suki was venting all her agitation out on Sokka who seemed deep in thought.
"Couldn't keep quiet could we?" Suki nagged "Just had to invite him to say didn't we? Serve him tea; sit in the master's chair, pet the lemur!" When Sokka didn't respond, she let out a frustrated groan. "Ugh! Sokka, are you even listening?"
"Huh?" Sokka asked looking up. "Oh I'm sorry, you were saying something about curtains?"
Slapping her palm to her face, she shook her head in disbelief. "What is with you? You've been out of it ever since that guy was thrown in the dungeon. I told you letting him in was a bad idea."
"Well excuse me Suki for trying to be hospitable!" Sokka said defensively. "But can you blame me for trying to maintain what little purpose I have left in my purpose-less life? Can you blame me for trying to maintain what's left of our humanity?"
"What is this rubbish you're talking about?"
"Look at us! Look at you." He said poking her in the nose.
"Hey!" Suki yelled covering her nose. "What about me?"
"Don't you see what's happening to us? How this enchantment is affected us more and more as the years go by? By not serving normal people, we're becoming more like the things that we are."
Suki looked bewilderedly at Sokka who sighed and tried again to explain. "Do you remember what you were like when we first met? How insufferable you were, always going by the book, making sure everything was carefully prepared and driving the rest of crazy with your punctual timing?"
Suki scoffed and crossed her arms. "Well, so what if I was? Nothing wrong with being organized."
"But despite all that, you still knew how to loosen up and have fun once in a while. Now look at you. As every day goes by, you become more and more...inflexible...a little more tightly wound...and a little more ticked off-"
"I get it, I get it! Spare me your stupid puns!" Suki said in an annoyed tone. "I know I've changed a lot since then...I'm becoming more like...a clock."
"See what I mean? And it's happening to the rest of us as well." Sokka said with a sigh. "It seems as each day passes, we slowly but surely become more and more like...things." Sokka said looking at his candle hands. "Hey Suki, do you still remember things from before you worked at the castle? Like your friends and family?"
"Well, not really. But then again, I've lived and served here since I was little. Why do you ask?"
"It's just...I can barely remember anything before I came here. Not my parents or hometown or anything. The furthest I can think back to was that day you found me in the back alley foraging for scraps in the garbage. Before that...it's all fuzzy."
Suki thought for a moment before walking up to Sokka. "Come to think of it, I don't remember much before the enchantment. Do you think this is happening to everyone else?"
"It's possible, maybe...all I know is when that guy was here, suddenly I got all these pictures in my heads of places and people I didn't recognize...yet somehow they felt familiar...but maybe I'm just hallucinating from being cooped up in this castle for so long."
"It's possible. I can feel this place get to me sometimes too...being stuck here all day with nothing to do, nobody to serve, no new people to meet..." Suki then let out an exasperated sigh. "Ugh! This isn't fair! Why did WE have to get dragged into this spell business? It's not like we were the ones who slammed the door in the beggar woman's face!"
"No but didn't Yue say we were responsible too?" Sokka asked. "For helping to make him the way he is?"
"Oh...I suppose so..." Suki said with a huff. "Still not fair though...I mean how is the master supposed to find someone when he's cooped up here all the time? It's not like girls are just going to waltz through the front door and-"
"HELLO?"
Hearing an unfamiliar voice, they froze into their positions and watched silently as a cloaked figure walked past the dining room.
"Hello? Is anyone here? Hello! Dad! Are you here?"
Once she was out of site, Sokka and Suki quickly jumped off the table and raced to the doorway. They gasped in shock upon realizing that the cloaked figure was actually a dark haired girl and waited till she rounded the corner before talking.
"Did you see that Suki?" Sokka pointed excitedly. "It's a girl! IT'S A GIRL!"
"Well obviously!" Suki retorted. "She must be looking for that guy the master locked up."
"Forget him! Don't you see what this means! She's the one! The girl we have been waiting for!" Sokka exclaimed jumping up and down in excitement. "SHE HAS COME TO BREAK THE SPELL!"
"Sokka shh!" Suki hushed "Now let's not be hasty about this-"
"Isn't it wonderful? After all these years!" Sokka said, his candles all aflame with excitement "Happy, happy day!" He then pulled Suki into a hug and kissed her on both cheeks before rushing past her. "You coming?" Sokka shouted back to her. Suki, who was now a pale pink and seemed to be a state of shock and bliss, immediately snapped back to her senses and quickly followed him down the hall.
--
Inside the kitchen, Iroh was refilling himself full of hot water and was sitting comfortable on top of the stove, which was actually the castle cook Haru.
"So now he's just sitting in the dungeon? Must be freezing up there!" Haru said.
"I should say so. And nothing I said could change my nephew mind." Iroh said as he tossed sum tea leaves under his lid. "Could you please turn the heat up a little?"
"Oh sure" Haru said adjusting his knobs so the stove flame went higher.
"Ahh...much better..." Iroh sighed in contentment. "My combination ginseng and raspberry tea should be done in no time." Just then there was a loud clanking noise followed by an excited Aang who hopped as fast as he could onto the counter.
"Iroh! Haru! You're never going to believe what I just saw! Not in a trillion million years will you ever believe it!"
"Yes Aang? What is it?" Iroh asked.
"It's the thing everyone's been waiting for since...since...well ever!"
"Out with it boy. What did you see?" Haru asked.
"There's a girl in the castle!" Aang said enthusiastically.
"A girl?" Haru said in amazement.
"Oh wouldn't that have been lovely..." Iroh said absentmindedly as he hopped off the stove and into his tea cozy.
"No really Iroh! It's true! I saw her!"
"Now Aang, I won't have you making up such wild stories and getting everyone's hopes up for no reason."
Just then there was a loud girlish squeal as Ty Lee swept into the kitchen. "Oh boys did you hear? There's a girl in the castle!" She said breaking into an excited dance "I saw her myself walking down the east hallway!"
"See? I told ya." Aang said smugly to Iroh. "And she's really pretty too."
Ty lee stopped dancing and instantly started to pout. "Well I don't know about that...she's good looking at best..."
"You're prettier than any girl in this castle Ty Lee" Haru said looking down at her with admiration.
Perked up by this compliment, Ty Lee giggled and smiled. "Why thank you Haru" she then blew him a kiss before exiting back out the doors. Iroh and Aang smirked to each other and at Haru who was trying hard not to blush.
--
As Katara continued to search up and down the halls for her father and any person she thought might live in the castle, she started to feel like she was going in circles. With the castle being so large and the hallways so long and twisting, she soon forgot what path she took to get in and came to the conclusion that she was lost. As she tried calling out to her father again, she heard a faint creaking noise and turn to see a door open and shut.
"Dad?" she called as she turned and opened the door. No one was in the room but she spotted a dim light as it disappeared up a spiral staircase. "Hello? Is someone here? Wait! I'm looking for my father-" Quickly she raced up the stairs but still she saw nothing except for a lit candelabrum that sat on a window ledge.
"That's funny...I could've sworn I saw someone..." She said looking around the dark room which appeared to be an old dirty dungeon. "Is anyone here?"
After a moment, there was a faint cough followed by a hoarse voice. "Katara? Is that you?"
"Dad!" Katara shouted recognizing his voice. Grabbing a torch, she raced toward the middle cell and knelt down as Hakoda appeared in the small opening of the door.
"How did you find me?" Hakoda asked reaching through the metal bars and grasping tightly onto Katara's hands.
"Oh dad, your hands are like ice!" Katara said looking at his hands. "And they're...oh dad!" Looking closer at his wrist, she saw that he had large claw shaped burn marks all over them. "What happened? How did you get these burns?" Taking out her water pouch, she poured water over his wrist and began to heal them.
"Katara listen to me-" Hakoda said pausing to let out a rough cough. "I want you to leave this place-"
"Who's done this to you?" Katara asked after freezing the water onto his wrists.
"There's no time to explain! You must go now!" Hakoda insisted.
"I won't leave you-"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"
Suddenly Katara felt someone grab her cloak and whip her around. Panicking, she threw the torch at the figure and ran to the far wall where light from the moon flooded in through the window. The figure quickly darted back into the shadows, avoiding the torch which landed in a puddle on the floor.
Taking a fighting stance, Katara anxiously stood her ground and looked around for the person who grabbed her. "Who's there?" she called out nervously to the darkness. "I know someone's there! Who are you?"
"The master of this castle...the Blue Spirit." the figure said as it darted through the shadows. "What business have you being here?"
"I've come for my father." Katara said as she backed toward Hakoda's cell. "Please let him out. Can't you see he's sick?"
"Then he shouldn't have trespassed here!" the Spirit bellowed from the darkness. "He entered my home uninvited and must now pay the consequences!"
"But he could die! Please, I'll do anything!" Katara pleaded as she knelt onto the ground.
"Save your breath" The Spirit said as he moved toward the stairs. "He's my prisoner now and there's nothing you can do about it. Now leave!"
"But there must be something I can...wait!" she called to the Blue Spirit who stopped at the top of the stairs. Thinking quickly, Katara knew there was only one way to buy her father's freedom. Standing up, she walked timidly into the light. "Take me instead."
"No!" Hakoda shouted.
The Blue Spirit paused for a moment before turning back toward Katara. "What did you say?"
"Please...take me as your prisoner instead of my father." Katara pleaded.
"Katara stop! You don't know what you're doing!" Hakoda begged.
"Silence!" yelled the Spirit to Hakoda. Walking forward, he came just close enough for Katara to see the outline of his body. "So you would be willing to take his place?"
"If I do, will you promise to let him go?"
"Yes" the Spirit said as he looked at Katara. "But only if you promise to stay here...forever!"
"Forever!" Katara exclaimed in horror. "But that's not fair!"
"Forever!" the Spirit repeated. "Or else I leave him to die in the dungeon!"
As Katara thought about her choice, she caught a glimpse of the Spirit's face from a glare of light through the window. Squinting into the darkness, her curiosity got the better of her. "Wait...come into the light."
The spirit hesitated at first but then slowly made his way into the light. Katara's eyes widened in terror at what she saw. While his body was covered from head to toe in grey, his face was a pale blue and silver color, lined with sharp teeth, pointed ears and dark hollow eyes. Gasping in fright, she turned away and grabbed her father's hands.
"No Katara! I won't let you do this!" Hakoda shouted. Katara realized however that she had no choice and reluctantly let go of her father's hands. Standing up, she bravely approached the spirit and held her head up high.
"You have my word."
"Done!" the spirit shouted as he walked past her. Overcome by her decision, Katara covered her face and fell to her knees. Hearing the clanking of metal on metal, she looked up to see Hakoda rushing toward her.
"Katara listen to me" Hakoda said gripping her hand. "I'm old. I've lived my life! You don't need to-wait stop!" Hakoda was then instantly dragged off by the spirit who tied a rope around his hands and bound him to the railing.
"Wait, just let me-" Katara pleaded before the Spirit grabbed her firmly by the arm and pulled her into the dungeon. Shutting the door before she could run back, he then grabbed the rope binding Hakoda and pulled him down the spiral stairs.
The whole way down, Hakoda pleaded and begged the Blue Spirit to spare Katara but his words fell on deaf ears. Finally reaching the outside, the Spirit dragged Hakoda to an old ivy covered carriage and rapped on its doors. The carriage lifted itself off the ground and opened its doors as the Spirit roughly shoved Hakoda inside.
"Please! Spare my daughter!" Hakoda said in his final plea. "Do what you want with me, but just let her go!"
"She's no longer your concern!" the Spirit said slamming the door in his face. He then walked to the front of the carriage which stood ready for his command. "Take him to the village...and make sure he stays there." Without a word, the carriage hobbled down the stone path toward the woods as Hakoda banged furiously on its doors begging to be let out.
--
From up in the tower, Katara watched sadly as the carriage carrying her father exited out the iron gates and disappeared beneath the trees. Crying into her arms, she didn't notice as Sokka hopped off the ledge and was watching her through the opening in the door. Having heard the whole deal, Sokka's heart went out to the poor girl and her father and he couldn't help but feel partially responsible. He also couldn't help but notice that she seemed awfully familiar. But like Hakoda, Sokka could only draw blanks and decided to deal with the issue later. For now, he was determined to make the girls stay at the castle as bearable and as comfortable as possible.
Nervously, he waited at the top of the stairs for the Blue Spirit to make his way back up before bravely confronting him.
"Um, master-" Sokka asked.
"What?" the Spirit asked turning abruptly toward him.
"I was thinking...since the girl is going to be with us for quite some time, that maybe you could offer her a more...comfortable room?" The spirit paused for a second then scoffed and stepped over Sokka as he made his way to the cell. "Okay, maybe not..."
Opening the cell door, the Spirit stepped inside to see Katara who was still crying into her arms. Looking up, she turned to face him, her eyes full of sadness, anger and hurt.
"You didn't even let me say goodbye!" she shouted as tears ran down her cheeks. "I'll never see him again! Why couldn't you just let me say goodbye..."
Feeling a strange twinge of guilt nag at him, the Spirit looked pitifully down at Katara and back at Sokka who was gesturing for him to bring her downstairs.
"Come..." The Spirit said "I'll show you to your room."
Looking up in surprise, Katara wiped her tears away. "My room? But I thought-"
"Do you want to stay in the tower?" the Spirit asked gesturing around the stone dungeon.
"No!"
"Then follow me." Grabbing Sokka, the blue spirit made his way to the steps and waited for Katara to follow. Joining him, Katara and the Spirit walked back down the stairs to the hall and began making their way across the castle.
As Katara followed close behind, she couldn't help but notice all the dark statues and paintings that hung on the walls. Despite the amount of windows, the castles looked a lot darker and drearier then the outside and even more depressing. As the realization that she would be spending the rest of her life this dark place came back to her, she silently began to weep.
Meanwhile, the Blue Spirit was starting to become unnerved by Katara's tears. Every time he glanced back at her, she would still be crying and that annoying twinge of guilt would grow stronger. He wanted to make it stop but had no idea how to without making her cry even more.
"Say something to her..." Sokka whispered out the corner of his mouth. "Something comforting..."
"I, uh...hope you like it here..." the Spirit said awkwardly to Katara. Nodding, Sokka gestured for him to continue. "The castle is your home now so you can go anywhere you like. Except for the west wing."
"What's in the west wing?" Katara asked.
"Its forbidden!" the Spirit shouted turning back toward her. As Katara recoiled in fear, the Spirit heard a faint coughing sound and saw Sokka making a cutting motion over his throat. Pulling back, the Spirit silently led the rest of the way down to the east wing hallway. "This is your room." Opening a grand set of door, he gestured for Katara to step inside and followed in after her.
"I hope you find everything comfortable." the Spirit said as Katara looked around the magnificent bedroom. "If you need anything, my servants will attend you."
"Psst!" Sokka whispered. "Dinner! Invite her to dinner!"
"One more thing." the Spirit said as Katara turned to face him. "You will join me for dinner!"
"What!" Katara shouted in shock. "But-"
"You heard me!" the Spirit said loudly. "And that isn't a request!" Turning on his heal, he rushed out the door and slammed it behind him.
Feeling angrier than she ever felt before, Katara threw a pillow at the door and began slamming her fist against it. She knew it wouldn't help matters but it made her feel better doing it.
Yes, I made the choice
For my dad, I will stay
But I don't deserve to lose my freedom in this way
You monster!
If you think that what you've done is right, well then
You're a fool!
Think again...
After pounding it relentlessly for a few minutes, Katara collapsed against the door and began crying her eyes out. Looking up at the high ceiling, Katara saw matted cobwebs and spiders that stretched down to the curtains which were covered in dust. It was hard to believe servants lived in this dismal place and even harder to believe that they cleaned once in a while.
Is this home?
Is this where I should learn to be happy?
Never dreamed
That a home could be dark and cold
I was told
Every day in my childhood
Even when we grow old
Home should be where the heart is
Never were words so true!
My heart's far, far away
Home is too
Standing back up, Katara walked over to her bed and sat down. The pillow and mattress were very soft but faded and slightly wrinkled. This did little to distract from the fact that her bedroom was nothing more than a cushy prison cell. One which she'd have to get used to as she was determined not to see the Spirit, either for dinner or any other time.
Is this home?
Is this what I must learn to believe in
Try to find something good
In this tragic place
Just in case
I should stay here forever
Held in this empty place
Oh, that won't be easy
I know the reason why
My heart's far, far away
Home's a lie
Looking out the window, she saw that she had a wonderful view of the courtyard and the forest. She then spotted Appa who was tied up where she had left him, munching on some hay and drinking from a trough of water. 'Well wherever these servants are, at least they're taking care of Appa', Katara thought. As she watched him eat, she suddenly found herself missing her old town. As dull and boring as it was, at least she felt safe there and wasn't under lock and key.
What I'd give to return
To the life that I knew lately
But I know that I can't
Solve my problems going back
Is this home?
Am I here for a day or forever?
Shut away from the world until
Who knows when
As Katara undid her cloak, she spotted the remains of her father's scarf sticking out of the pocket. Picking it up, she noticed it was still wet and had small traces of his hair on it. Sighing sadly, Katara hugged the tattered scarf as it was the only thing she had left of her father.
Oh, but then
As my life has been altered once
It can change again
Build higher walls around me
Change every lock and key
Nothing lasts, nothing holds
All of me
My heart's far, far away
Home and free!
Holding the scarf tenderly in her arms, Katara leaned sideways onto the bed and cried softly into her pillow.
--
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Poor Katara...reminds me of when I lived in my apartments in florida and paterson...talk about prison cells x(
Also, quick note i wanted to bring to your attention: As I've bin living under a rock for sum time, i just recently found out about the cast lift for the Avatar movie being made and as a result...I...AM...PISSED!!! D:
If you want to know my reasons, read my profile page, click on the link and join in the outrage. Also on a personal note:
Jesse McCartney as Zuko....X_X
in short: NO!
in long: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!