Katu, Son of the Avatar – Chapter 3
Disclaimer: 'Avatar' does not belong to me.
Katu rubbed his eyes and yawned groggily. He looked around, and remembered that he was sitting in Appa's saddle. The bison was flying, and as he carefully peeked over the rim, he could see the plains of the Earth Kingdom moving past far below him. He looked towards the front, where he found his mother sitting on the great beast's head. He crawled up to her, still staying in the saddle and holding onto the rim, and called out to her.
"Mommy?"
Katara turned around. "You're awake!" Katu nodded slowly, and yawned. Katara carefully clambered into the saddle and held him close. The air up here was cold, and although she was used to such temperatures, she could see her son shivering slightly despite the coat he was wearing. !-- page size: 21.59cm 27.94cm; margin: 2cm P margin-bottom: 0.21cm --The cold reminded her of her home. She regretted not being able to bring her children to the South Pole more often, but Aang's duties forbade him to reside in such a remote location of the world, and so she had followed him into the Earth Kingdom instead. She had promised herself not to abandon him.
Guilt overcame her again.
Katu's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Mommy, where are we?" She was dismayed that it was so weak and small. She stroked Katu's hair, black like his father's. "We're close to the coast of the Earth Kingdom, sweetie. Soon we'll be over the ocean."
He coughed. "I'm cold."
Dread coiled itself around her heart and closed it in tightly. Over the past year, Katu had become weaker and weaker, falling ill often. Her healing abilities were only able to cure his sicknesses, but his overall condition remained frail. Katara sometimes had nightmares that Katu would die, and she always awoke in terror, crying from relief that it was just a dream, crying from fear that it might become real one day.
She took a blanket and wrapped it around Katu. "Shh, it'll be okay. Stay under this blanket, I'll tell Appa to fly a bit lower." As Katara went back to the front, Katu lay back down, snuggled against the rim of the saddle and some bags. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted back into sleep.
--
"Tell us about Avatar Kyoshi tonight, dad!"
Kya's plea as Aang tucked her in brought a smile to his face. All three children were in their beds in the room they shared, and were hoping for their father to tell them a story to lull them to sleep. And he had discovered that the tales of the past Avatars were excellent for bedtime stories, provided he didn't get lost in them himself and rambled on until well into the night. It was then that Katara would come in and remind him to go to sleep himself. Or at least come to bed with her.
He sat down on a chair between the beds, and thought for a moment. "Avatar Kyoshi? Well, she was an earthbender first, and one of the Avatars who lived the longest. She must have been an impressive person even without her powers. Did you know how she formed Kyoshi Island, the place your aunt Suki is from?"
As Aang continued his tale, Katu listened to it with great interest. He was only three, so he didn't understand everything, but he didn't ask any questions to interrupt his father. Slowly, he could see the great Kyoshi in his mind, how she stood against Chin the Conqueror, and how she singlehandedly separated Kyoshi Island from the rest of the Earth Kingdom. He closed his eyes, trying to stay awake to hear more of the story, but slowly his father's voice grew fainter, and Katu eventually gave into sleep.
--
They were quickly approaching the coast, she could already see it ahead. With the ocean coming closer, she steered Appa to fly lower, out of the cold air. Aang had warned her about flying too low, in case someone spotted the bison in the sky, but she had her sick son to worry about. Besides, she figured, there wouldn't really be anyone to spot them once they were flying over the ocean. She just hoped that the old bison wouldn't tire, and that she could tend to Katu properly once they were at the palace.
--
"Fire Lord Zuko, our scouts have reported seeing a flying bison approaching the Palace City!"
Zuko stood up in surprise. "A flying bison?" he asked the messenger kneeling in front of him. "Did the scouts see anyone on it?"
"They said there was definitely someone riding it, but they couldn't make out any details."
The Fire Lord nodded. "Alert me at once when the travelers are here, I wish to be taken to them immediately. Dismissed."
The messenger left the throne room, and Zuko sat back down. Appa has been spotted, he thought. Could Aang be paying him a visit? Perhaps Katara, or both? Granted, he hadn't seen them in many years, but he knew that they now had their own family in the Earth Kingdom, where Aang was keeping an eye out for any disturbances left over from the war. Why would they suddenly come here unannounced?
He had unconsciously gotten back up and had started pacing the room. Zuko feared the worst. The resistance had been causing him troubles ever since he ascended the throne, causing setbacks and obstacles in his efforts to rebuild his nation. Lately, though, they had become quiet. His advisors pointed out that this might just be a pause, an opportunity for the loyalists to regain their strength. He had warned Aang to stay alert.
He admitted that it would be nice to meet his old friends again, for the last time they had seen each other was more than a decade ago, shortly after their daughter had been born, to celebrate the birth of Zuko's own son. Since then, there really hadn't been any cause for visits. He was busy reforming the Fire Nation, and every so often, he would get a letter from them, updating him on the newest developments in the Earth Kingdom. And just to keep in contact.
He caught himself walking past his throne yet again, and stopped. He tried to calm down, letting worry burden him like this right now would do no good. He would get all the answers once they were here.
Leaving the throne room, he went through a hallway to a nearby balcony, overlooking the back courtyard of the palace. The little pond with the turleducks was still there, a golden hue draping over the scene from the setting sun. It was such a beautiful Autumn evening, when the Summer heat finally gave way to more comfortable weather. Yes, he thought as he went back into the throne room, impatience and anxiety making themselves visible, it would be nice to see his friends again.
But Zuko feared the worst.
