Blow for blow, lightning for ice, Katara matched Azula's pace with frightening tenacity. Iroh could only watch in horror. There was no safe entry for him into their duel; they moved too fast and too aggressively for him to interfere. There was no knowing which one his lightning would strike, and he would not risk hitting Katara.
Azula laughed maniacally as they fought. "I see Zuzu gave you that stupid knife he's been carrying around all these years. How touching. Something to remember him by!" Narrowly averting a water whip, the princess did an aerial spin and sent a torrent of blue fire from her feet.
Katara hastily bent a snow shield, turning the fire to steam. She's lying. He's not dead, she thought, panting as she waited for the fog to clear. Zuko's alive. He has to be.
"You were in love with Zuko, weren't you?" Azula's voice taunted her from behind the filmy white smokescreen. "How disloyal. I wonder how the Avatar would feel about that, if he were still alive. Of course, I suppose I should be thanking you. Everyone you love has a tendency to end up dead!"
Azula jumped through the dissipating steam, her two first fingers aiming a bolt of lightning straight at Katara's heart.
"Noooo!" Iroh cried, leaping in front of her and redirecting the shot just in time.
Unfortunately, he had nowhere to send it but back into Azula's body. The Fire Nation princess howled in agonized defeat, sparks erupting through her frame as she convulsed and was thrown backwards. She landed hard in the snow, melting a hole around her as she fell.
Trembling and unable to speak, Katara walked alongside Iroh to peer down at Azula. The mad princess lay on the ground with her arms splayed wide as if invisibly crucified, her yellow eyes bulging with rage and pain.
The waterbender was torn. Even now, knowing that if the tables were turned Azula would show no mercy, she couldn't bear not to herself.
"I could heal you," she offered, amazed that the words escaped her lips. She started to bend down over Azula's prostrate form, but the fallen princess writhed and let out such a horrid snarl that Katara jumped nearly out of her skin and took a step back.
"Don't touch me!" Azula spat. "It doesn't end here. My father will finish you all! My… my father will…" A croaked sort of sound escaped Azula's throat as her eyes rolled back in her head, never to look on the world again.
Shaking from the inside out, Katara wrapped her arms around Iroh, the two of them practically holding one another up. Neither of them had the strength left to notice that the Fire Nation soldiers were hastily retreating.
It's over, Katara thought Iroh was saying, as though she heard his voice from underwater, let's get out of here… Katara?
"Katara!" the old firebender gasped, catching her as she collapsed like a rag doll into his arms.
ooo LL ooo
A grave silence had fallen around the healing huts. The battle for the snows was over, but now another battle continued - the one of injured men and women struggling to stay alive.
Yugoda wiped her brow with an elbow. She was healing Chief Hakoda's torso, which had been dealt a heavy blow by a Fire Nation captain's sword. It seemed she would never reach the end of the line of groaning Water Tribe men. Thankfully, two other Northern Tribe healers were there to help. So was Kana, who was directing the other Southern Tribe women to help her apply poultices and fresh bandages. Kana stopped short, however, when Iroh carried in the seemingly lifeless body of her granddaughter.
"Katara! No!" Kana's bowl clattered to the floor.
ooo LL ooo
The Avatar paced restlessly to and fro. Beside him, Sokka held Suki and stroked his wife's hair. Across from the young couple, Toph sat next to a forlorn Iroh. Momo perched with curiosity on her shoulder. Master Pakku reclined against the wall, arms folded worriedly against his chest.
Aang clenched and unclenched his little fists with every step and blew out hot, angry breaths. Bitterness consumed him. Had he not chosen attachment and blocked his seventh chakra, the monk felt certain he would be tearing up what was left of the South Pole in the Avatar State. Finally he halted in midstep and looked up.
"What happened?" the boy roughly demanded.
Iroh sighed. He'd already explained this, but he knew the young Avatar was worried over his friend, and didn't have the maturity or inner strength to hold his fears inside. "We were fighting Azula, and -"
"I know that already!" Aang lashed out. "I meant, what happened to Katara? Are we supposed to believe she just collapsed for no reason?!"
The kindly old firebender tucked his head against his chest.
"Leave him alone!" Toph spoke up in Iroh's defense. "Can't you see he's upset enough?"
"He should be!" Aang retorted. "He was there, and I wasn't -"
"Exactly! Iroh was there, and he did all he could! Remember what happened last time you faced Azula? Iroh saved you and Katara! And I've never heard you thank him even once!"
Sokka's eyes flashed open. The Water Tribe warrior shared a concerned look with Suki, but they knew to stay out of this.
Aang's eyes clenched shut; Toph was right, but he wasn't in a proper state to acknowledge that. "It still should've been me there," he said through gritted teeth. "But I wasn't there when Katara needed me. And why wasn't I with her? Because I was with you. If I hadn't had to take you out to the ships so you could actually fight, none of this would have happened! This is all your fault!"
Aang's words hit Toph like a blade through the chest, temporarily knocking her speechless. The air was so thick with tension, one could have bottled it in a flask and drank its bitter flavor. Suki gasped outright and cupped a hand over her lips. Iroh looked up in disbelief. Glaring, Pakku unfolded his arms, ready to drag Aang outside by the collar if necessary. Even Momo reacted, chittering with alarm and jumping onto Toph's head.
"So that's how you really feel." Toph's voice shook, the same way it had when her overly strict father reprimanded her after the Earth Rumble. A single tear slid beneath the shadow of her bangs. "Don't worry. I won't get in your way anymore." Without another word, she ran from the room. Momo chirped, glancing back at Aang with his tail pointed upright.
"I'll go," Iroh volunteered after a moment, standing and heading after his little friend.
Aang suddenly found himself surrounded by angry faces, judging him from every side. "What?" he snapped childishly. "Why is everyone looking at me like I did something wrong?"
Another moment of heavy silence passed before Sokka chose to break it. "It was bad enough when we were in the desert. You blamed Toph for Appa being stolen, even though you knew it wasn't her fault," he said very quietly. "But this…Aang, how could you?"
"How could I what?" the bald monk griped. "What's your problem, Sokka?"
Sokka stood, his usually mirthful face grim. "I just stopped believing in the Avatar, that's all. Come on, Suki." Master Pakku quickly followed them out of the room, his stern brow furrowed with disappointment.
Momo purred sadly as they left. He flew onto Aang's chest, tugging at his shirt.
"No, Momo," he said sharply, "I'm not going after them!"
The lemur's ears flattened. As Momo flew off behind the others, Aang was left alone to wonder where he'd gone wrong.
ooo LL ooo
In a forest clearing not far from Aunt Wu's village, Zuko, Jee, and Tai Lan formed a circle around King Bumi's campfire. They were ringed by the Dai Li escort as well as several guards from Omashu, who were watching the perimeter with care. Their strategizing session lasted deep into the night, but it was worth it. King Bumi knew his region as well as the Dai Li knew Ba Sing Se. Between them, Zuko felt sure that they now had a solid plan to defeat the Fire Nation.
Zuko had been planning to get some much-needed sleep afterwards, but the eccentric monarch invited him into his personal tent. "There's one more thing we need to discuss - alone," King Bumi informed him. "The rest of you, feel free to go on and get a good night's sleep. My men won't let anyone near this camp."
"What is it?" Zuko asked once they were inside, fighting to keep his eyelids from sliding shut with exhaustion. He found himself envying Jee and Tai Lan, whose heads had already probably fallen into their pillows by now…
"I'm impressed, Prince Zuko," King Bumi replied, "by the fact that you care more about bringing peace and balance to the world than you do about having a throne all ready for you in the Fire Nation. Sounds like your Uncle Iroh had more influence on you than he thought he would."
Zuko raised an eyebrow. "You know my uncle? How?"
"Your uncle and I have something very important in common: a very big secret." The crazy king fished into the full sleeve of his robe and withdrew a lotus tile. "Do you know what this is?"
Zuko took the tile in his hands. The sight of it made him miss his uncle terribly. "A lotus tile. Members of the Order of the White Lotus carry them as a sign of their brotherhood."
King Bumi leaned back, studying Zuko. "I wasn't aware you were an initiate."
"I'm not. But Uncle and I ran into trouble at the Misty Palms Oasis, and one of the Lotus brothers hid us and got us safely to Ba Sing Se. That's how I found out about it. Apparently, Uncle's a grand master, whatever that means."
"He's more than a grand master. He's the Grand Lotus - the head of the society. We keep many secrets, Prince Zuko, but it looks as though you're a man who knows how to keep a few secrets yourself. Think you can keep one more?"
"Are you asking me to be a member?" Zuko wondered.
"Well, I wasn't, but…" Bumi stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Okay, two more."
He nodded. "Count me in. Now what's this secret you want me to keep?"
"A secret I've been Keeper of for eight years now, and am ready to pass on to you: the location of the Lady Lotus. It's been my charge, and one other's, to keep her safe and hidden. The other Secret-Keeper will be joining us here soon. He'll be taking you to meet her. As for me, I have some unfinished business to take care of in Omashu." A mischievous smile flickered across the old man's face.
Zuko balked. "What about our plans? The Dai Li will be expecting Lord Naga to lead them back to Ba Sing Se."
"I think Tai Lan seems capable of doing that on his own. He can wear your mask until you return to the city, so no one but us will even know you've gone."
Somehow I doubt that. Zuko thought of Mai, waiting for him like a spider-snake. She would certainly notice if he didn't come back with the others. He hoped Tai Lan was capable of handling her. "Who is this Lady Lotus I'm supposed to help you protect? What's so important about her?"
"You'd know better than me," Bumi admitted, unable to keep the truth from Zuko a moment longer. "She's your mother."