Sora's promise to Jett has been fulfilled so what happens now?

Freedom's Heir
Part 2

(Two Years Later)

We were sitting together and eating lunch. We were all telling stories and laughing. I haven't really laughed this much in a long time. We were celebrating. It was my birthday and the Earth Nation civil war had finally ended a year ago.

"Hey Sora," Popo came up to me with Ayame and Keigo.

"What is it?" I asked looking at them.

"C'mon, we got a surprise for you," Ayame smiled. I just looked at them suspiciously.

"C'mon," Keigo pulled on my arm.

I chuckled, "Okay. Okay, I'm coming."

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"Why would you put a surprise way out here guys?" They were leading me to the river.

Ayame smiled, "You'll see." We stopped at the edge of the river just a short distance away from the village.

"Well, here it is," Popo grinned.

"Your surprise is the river?" I looked at them.

"Whoa Sora, you sure have grown," A familiar voice said behind me. I froze with shock. I slowly turned around. My hands flew over my mouth as tears flowed down my face when I saw that he was really there, that I wasn't dreaming. He smiled gently. He held out his arms to me. "Come here, baby girl," He told me softly.

I ran to him and threw my arms around him, "DADDY!" Daddy held me tightly in his embrace. He placed a kiss on top of my head. I couldn't hold back the tears that I've been holding back for eight years anymore. I sobbed heavily into his chest, "Daddy…Daddy…"

"Shhh-shh-shh, it's ok baby girl, it's ok," Daddy soothed me tenderly. "I've missed you so much," Daddy said as he held me even tighter.

"I missed you too," I told him, my voice muffled. I looked up into Daddy's brown eyes.

Daddy caressed my cheek, "I'm so proud of you, Sora." I smiled and wiped my eyes dry on my sleeve.

The rest of our family came out of the trees. Smellerbee and Longshot hugged Ayame. Popo shook Pipsqueak's hand. The Duke ruffled Keigo's hair.

We all looked towards the forest when a birdcall echoed through the woods. Me and my friends looked at each and nodded. I answered the birdcall with one of my own. "We gotta go," I told Daddy, "We'll be right back." Daddy nodded. We ran into the forest as fast as we could go. We heard our parents following us.

We followed the birdcall all the way to the clearing of the forest, where there was a huge gap in the treetops above us. "What's going on," I asked Shinobu, one of the girls that the others and I grew up with.

"There are some rebel soldiers at the edge of the forest. They're going to set it on fire," Shinobu answered.

"Go back to the hideout, Shinobu." I told her, "We'll take care of it." She nodded and left. My friends and I went to the edge of the forest. We climbed the trees above the soldiers. There were more than we thought there were, ten of them. We waited for the right moment then we dropped down on them.

Three of them came at me. I drew my swords. I dodged their attacks of rock they shot at me using their hands. I grabbed two of them by one of their legs with the hooks of my swords. I flipped them over with me and they hit two other soldiers and the four of them fell in the river and flowed down it. I turned to the other one. I blocked his two punches with my swords and kicked him hard in the stomach. I did a back flip. My feet smacked him in the chin. The impact sent him falling back.

We sent them running. We saw our parents had been watching. Daddy smirked at me. I returned his smirk. Something came up behind him. I gasped, "Daddy, duck!" Daddy reacted and I threw my sword at the Earth Bender. I didn't mean for it too, but it lodged through his throat. He dropped back dead. "Oops," I said, "I didn't mean for that to happen." I pulled out my sword from the dead thug's neck. I wiped the blood off on the lush grass.

"He had it coming though," Ayame stood beside me.

"Yeah, but I didn't mean to kill the guy."

"But you got admit, Sora, you got one hell of an aim," Popo said.

I sighed, "I guess."

"You guess? Damn, if I could aim like you I would definitely be hitting more targets," Ayame stuck her bow in her quiver.

"I wonder what they were doing here," Daddy stood beside me, "I thought all of the rebel soldiers evacuated after the war ended."

"I guess some stuck around to see if the could find us," I said. I was a little shaken up; I'd never taken a life before.

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I laid down that night in my hut. I closed my eyes, barely unable to contain my happiness. My Father was finally back and my heart had stopped aching for his company.

I giggled as I played with my friends in the confines of the hideout. I stopped when I saw Daddy and Mama training below on the ground. My Daddy's hooked swords blocked the stroke of my Mama's Water Bending.

I slid down one of the numerous ropes to the forest floor. I sat by the tree and watched. When my parents stopped training they looked at me. I looked at them with indifferent expression.

"Sora," Daddy said, "I thought I told you to go play with the other kids."

"I just wanted to watch you and Mama, Daddy," I answered Daddy.

"Jett, she's not doing anything wrong," Mama placed a delicate hand on Daddy's shoulder.

"Katara…" Jett looked at her.

"She's five years old, Jett." Mama said. "You did tell her that you would train her with swords soon, didn't you?"

"Yeah…" Jett answered. He looked down at me when I hugged his leg. I smiled up at him. Daddy couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face. He took me in his arms. I wrapped my small arms around Daddy's neck. Daddy kissed my cheek.

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Daddy left with Longshot and Pipsqueak when Smellerbee reported that someone was about to set the forest aflame. I snuck out and followed Daddy to the edge of the woods. I ducked behind a bush and watched as Fire Benders fought Daddy, Longshot, and Pipsqueak. I gasped when Daddy was kicked hard in the stomach up against a tree. He fell to his knees and hugged his stomach as he coughed. I grabbed the hooked swords that he had dropped and got between him and the Fire Bender.

"No one beats up my Daddy!" I growled at the tall man.

"Sora, what are you doing?" Daddy asked me. "Get out of here, now!"

"What are you going to do little girl? Are you going to dance with pretty little swords?" The man chuckled.

"Well, if it'll make you happy. Let's dance!" I came at the man and mimicked the moves that I had seen Daddy do so many times. With Pipsqueak and Longshot I sent the men running.

"Sora," Jett coughed.

"Daddy!" I dropped Daddy's hooked swords and ran to him. "Are you okay?"

Daddy scowled at me. I looked at him taken aback. "I thought I told you not to leave the hideout!" He shouted at me. I cringed away from him. I backed away from him and clung to Longshot's leg. "What did I tell you about disobeying me?" Daddy glared as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Y-You were…I just wanted to help Daddy," I told him. "I'm sorry Daddy," I said when Daddy got up and walked over to me. "Please don't be angry." Daddy continued to frown at me. I whimpered; Daddy rarely yelled at me, but when he did it scared me.

Longshot looked at Daddy. Daddy looked at Longshot and sighed, "You're right Longshot." Daddy looked at me with his frown gone. "Come here Sora. I'm not angry," He got down on one knee and held out a hand to me. I went to him and hugged him. Daddy hugged me and stood up with me in his arms. "Let's go home."

FIN