The events of Kyoshi island still haven't left Katara's mind. She tries to rationalize those events, being objectively but not even that changes her conclusion. she reaches the same conclusion every single time: Is the destruction of Kyoshi worth it? all those houses burnt to the ground, the answer remains the same.
Yes, saving the prince worth it.
The true question is why. there is no denying how handsome he is. There is beauty even in fire, but that can't be enough, right?
katara's thoughts are interrupted by the voice of her brother. "Aang, we can't keep going. we have to rest," says Sokka, annoyed. "I am hungry, and Appa is hungry too, right, Appa?"
the giant bison groans his agreement with the young man from the southern water tribe.
"I think we are lost," says Sokka. "we are nowhere near Omashu, the place you want to go. I think we traveled north too far. the storm truly messed up our senses of direction."
"I think you are right, Sokka. lets leave Appa here and explore a little. I think I saw a town nearby," replies Aang as cheerfully as usual. there is nothing that cheers him up more than a good exploration and meeting new people. that is what katara loves about him: the love for anything new; how his eyes shine at the thought of meeting new people.
katara guesses it is because of his nature as an airbender, but the nature of air has a dark side. Air flows around the world but sadly it never stays; he always leaves these new people behind. That is the true nature of wind.
if you don't travel with it, you are meant to be left behind.
While the party is usually commanded by the will of the wind, today is the day of the might of the water. The fate of the world may rest on the airbender's shoulders, but the fate of a village will soon rest on Katara's shoulders.
during their multiples fights, in which the fire nation ambushed them, katara's brother commented, "It appears Agni himself cursed us." he may be right because fire always follows them. the party pops out in the middle of a fire nation camp, and as expected the soldiers attack them. in theory, they can blame themselves; after all, they are the ones invading a fire nation camp in the middle of a forest.
The party has only one option since they have nowhere to run. Their only alternative is fighting their way out, which was only avoided by an interruption:
"beware," yells somebody in the forest.
Katara quickly turns her head and sees him, such a handsome man, surrounded by a wild aura. the boy looks like a wild spirit made flesh.
"not as handsome as the prince and certainly not as dangerous as him," the treacherous voice whispers in Katara's mind.
the boy in front of her quickly takes an offensive position. he is wielding two hook swords, clearly an expert and he speaks with a voice filled with anger for the enemy.
"cutie, you should be more careful," says the boy "my name is Jet. what is yours, precious? "
"katara," the waterbender replies, embarrassed. it is obvious Jet is looking at her with lascivious eyes. the teenager part of her brain betrayed her; she is unable to stop her blush. who doesn't love a handsome bad boy?
it appears today is going to be one of those days for katara. truly, a handsome face can distract people.
"So , pretty lady, what is a damsel like you doing in a place like this?"
before katara can reply, Aang jumps and places himself between katara and jet. with a subtle hint of jealousy in his voice, the avatar says, "I am the avatar and we were trying to find a good place to rest."
in an instant Jet`s face changes. his entire demeanor changes from flirting to serious.
"after we deal with the Fire Nation scum," Jet says, "come with me. we have so much to talk about."
The fight doesn't last long and it also doesn't take much time to go from the camp to the freedom fighters' hideout. once there, Jet introduces everyone.
"I want to introduce you to the freedom fighters. we are more than glad to find you. the avatar will lift up our morale, especially if the avatar is accompanied by people from other tribes. Looking at you, you must be from the South Pole."
Jet continues, "A tribe of heroes, if I may add . we heard about people coming from the Pole. There are rumors about a bunch of raiders harassing small Fire Nation vessels."
"Pretty girl," he says to Katara. "Your warriors from your tribe are my heroes. do you know what people are saying about them? People say they sank Fire Nation ships and they never rescue the sailors. they let the cold water of the ocean drown the scum. they are my inspiration for future plans. it is almost poetic that the people from the Earth Kingdom find inspiration in water. "
everyone misses how Jet pronounced the word drown: the bloodlust in his tone, the anger in his eyes. That the Gaang missed it was their first mistake.
katara just stares at him, not sure what to say. for the world her father is a hero, but for her, he is not. he abandoned them. it was up to the few remaining girls and the elders to protect the village and save it from starvation, fighting sea-wolves for food, fishing in what it can barely be called a fishing ship.
Katara worries about Sokka; he is following the same tracks. Luckily for him, unlike his brothers in arms, he knows how to formulate a good strategy.
It appears katara can put words to how she is feeling. She is angry with the men who swore to protect their wives and kids and broke their promise. Where was their honor when the tribe need them the most? They disappeared beyond the horizon for years.
Katara knows she has to lie. this is what Sokka wants to be. he wants to be an amazing warrior and a proud member of the Water Tribe. she doesn't have the heart to take that away from him.
"Yeah, Sokka, I am sure our father is doing great things for many people," says katara, faking happiness.
"So, boys," says Jet, "now that you know me, I want to introduce you to my own gang. Meet Smellerbee, Pipsqueak, Sneers, and the Duke. we all hunt ash-makers at any cost. we vow to keep this route free of Fire Nation scum."
the words 'at any cost' resound in everyone's minds: is he saying that literally? how far had they gone in their goal to expel the Fire Nation?
"Follow me," Jet says. "I want to show you my hideout."
the hideout is more than impressive; it is a well connected hideout, with several lines that help them reach various section of the forest. the hideout has strong "houses" that can withstand heavy winds and heavy rain. they are high enough so no flames can reach them. even if the soldiers burn the trees, they can escape quite fast.
Sokka is quite impressed. this hideout is a well -designed base. curiosity gets the better of him and of course has to ask, "What are your next plans? we want to help. now you have the avatar on your side, I am sure whatever your plan is, we can make it a reality. but we gotta do it fast. we have to continue our march to Omashu. "
"Awesome," Jet exclaims in happiness. "here is the plan., listen carefully because we can't mess it up; we have one shot." He pauses for emphasis and then says, "I need you guys to go to the south and steal some explosives. my gang will blow up a nearby bridge, but I need you to you guys stay here,. we must do it , since you don't have time to learn the details."
Sokka is about to complain but Aang beats him to the punch: "He is right, Sokka. we don't know the fine print."
Jet, proud of his deceptions decides to push it further: maybe he can get the town destroyed and get the girl for himself, too. He says, "if I may suggest something? while you are grabbing the explosives, why dont let Katara stay here? you know, protecting the fort? I am sure a fine waterbender like her is the perfect back up if something goes wrong while you aren't here."
But unlike before, this time Katara does pick up something: Jet doesn't sound truthful. she notices how Jet's personality is like a pendulum: he changes from a sweet, mighty fighter only fighting for good to this version–a version she cannot trust because there is something in his voice that screams "don`t trust him!" yet katara is still naive. why would a freedom fighter harm innocent people? after all, they are fighting for freedom, right?
"So , pretty lady , do you want to take a nap first? it's going to be awhile until your bro is back . if you want , you can stay with me . I am sure we can have a good time . girls say my bed is quite comfy . "
it is clear for katara the innuendos he is sending, and a part of her blushes while another is annoyed by such advances.
"I am not tired , Jet. don't worry thou gh, I am curious about the local region . I heard the soldiers talking about a town . I want to explore it a little . "
"I like how you think, pretty girl. is a date then," Jet says. "make yourself beautiful for me. I will wait for you."
Lucky for Jet, Katara wasn't paying much attention to what he said, because certainly she would have been extremely mad at a boy for demanding she pretty herself up for him. She is not a doll.
It doesn't take much time for Katara to go down and meet Jet. Jet tries really hard to get Katara's attention, but his signature cocky smile and his attempts to grab her hand are all failing, which angers him.
After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached Gaipan, a small village, north of Omashu.
It is a beautiful village. it impresses Katara because people here look happy. they look safe, unlike many other towns she has visited.
"look, Jet. the town has a wall to keep thieves out and the city is so clean. I haven't seen such a well-organized village in the Earth Kingdom in a while."
"if by nice you mean filled with Fire Nation scum, then you're right. the Fire Nation took this village a while ago and some colonists decided to start their new life here. But you know what it worse? some people, some disgusting girls, decided to whore themselves out and embraced the filth.
"they chose to become whores of the Fire Nation and gave birth to their evil spawn. they are a disgrace for this land, falling in love with a Fire Nation boy should be considered treason.
"they are not worthy of living among us . they are not worthy of living in this village and I am going to make sure this village becomes free of the filth . "
"Falling in love with a Fire Nation boy means treason," katara whispers softly. "Saving the prince meant treason." her words taste sour, but maybe Jet is right; maybe this is what she needs. she needs somebody changing her mind–somebody to make her believe the Fire Nation is tainting the land, corrupting everything.
"You know, Katara, I have a plan. if you help me, I promise you I am going to travel with you . with me on your side and the avatar, we can clean the world of the filth."
without further warning, the cocky warrior steals Katara's first kiss. It was neither short nor long. Katara felt Jet's warm lips on hers, but it was quick. she didn't have the chance to wonder if she truly liked the kiss or not. it was like taking a small sip of soda, enough to feel the bubbles in your mouth and taste a hint of the flavor but not enough to truly say if you like it and want to have it again.
Katara is mute. what does she want to say? Jet is waiting for an answer, but what to say? she just met him, and something feels wrong–and it is not just the kiss.
"It appears the princess doesn't know what to say. don't worry I have that impact on naïve and cute girls," Jet says. "I have to leave you, cutie, but don't worry we will meet soon at a dam nearby. you just have to follow the river upstream."
and just like the wind, Jet disappears from her sight, surely on his way to get the explosives from the avatar and her brother.
"You are not that foolish," her inner voice says to her "do you truly believe that? do you truly think Jet is going to blow up a bridge?" Katara just shakes her head trying to get rid of those nasty thoughts. surely Jet is not lying.
Suddenly a kid stumbles and falls just right next to her. Katara's motherly instincts kick in and helps him. at first she makes a quick inspection to see if he was hurt and then katara starts noticing the little details: he is a kid with beautiful yellowish, almost brown eyes–certainly not from the Earth Kingdom, but the shape of his nose and shape of his head screams Earth Kingdom.
"The spawn of evil, a child born from filth and betrayal." That is what Jet called the children here moments ago.
But that doesn't sound right. Katara only sees beauty in those yellowish-brown eyes. How cute the boy looks with his little flames coming from his mouth as he coughs softly because he inhaled some dust. Katara wonders what her firebender kids would look like.
wait, firebender kids?! the heat is certainly affecting Katara's mind; that has to be the explanation because if she has to choose a man from another nation, surely it won't be from the nation of ash-makers. the sole idea of marrying a firebender with glimmering gold eyes makes her stomach feel weird.
As Katara walks toward Jet's hideout a beautiful sight captivates her: a sunset with all its yellow and orange colors.
"What a marvelous sight! even in the middle of the war you can find beauty even in a simple sunset," Katara thinks happily.
"beauty or hope won't last if you refuse to act. you know what Jet is going to do… he will blow up the dam, water will drown them all, Katara," her conscience reminds her.
Another voice invades her mind. this time it was not her conscience; the voice sounds more manly; it sounds dangerous; it sounds commanding: "you cannot fool yourself forever. are you ready to let my people die?"
the idea of those children being killed by her own element, the prosperous village turned into ruins makes Katara's chest ache.
I have to stop him no matter what, Katara decides.
those people will not die under her watch. she will not allow the fire inside the kid to die. she will not allow the people of the Earth Kingdom die because of her. she will not allow people who fell in love with the wrong people die. But how? How can she save them? She is just a little girl. the Fire Nation soldiers will certainly not going to help her. She remembers the small talk the people of the village were having. they were talking about a small regiment currently marching toward the village. the rumors say they are following a dangerous criminal, a threat to the Fire Nation.
Katara prays to the moon and the ocean for her plan to work.
fire will summon fire. with a torch in her hand she raises it and she proceeds to burn a small hut. dark smoke quickly rises, higher and higher until it can be seen by everyone–even by people far away. if the rumors are true, the smoke will summon the ash-makers, but that is not enough; Katara needs them to go to the dam. an idea pops up; it is so easy!
"People of Gaipan, I am going to burn your village and drown you. I am going to blow up your precious dam," screams Katara. her words are heard by everyone. soldiers are finally following her, but Katara notices they aren't anymore as she leaves the village proper., maybe they can't leave the village unprotected, but a single soldier decided to follow her. one is better than nothing. then another soldier leaves the village, but he is riding a rhino downstream. he is heading toward the marching regiment. Katara's plan is working and is getting better and better. soon the regiment is going to help too. Katara just needs to stall for time, to delay Jet as much as possible.
Katara may not be a master waterbender, but when adrenaline kicks you can do amazing things. water always follows her command, and her command is clear. She needs to travel fast, so the water acts accordingly. The river below freezes so she can ski upstream. For any outsider, Katara looks like an ice elemental, freezing everything around her and smoothly traveling on ice.
after what it seems an eternity and not knowing when the dam is going to blow up, the stress she is feeling is starting to pile up–the uncertainty of everything–but those worries vanish as soon she reaches her destination. this time Katara is not so lucky. the entire gang of freedom fighters is here, almost in ecstasy about the idea of killing an entire village. but they won't, not under Katara's watch. using her waterbending abilities, she jumps and propels herself to the top of the dam, ready to finally engage in battle.
in the forest, a fire prince sees black smoke rising on the horizon. according to his map it must be coming from a Fire Nation-controlled village. as soon he see it he orders to his troops : "soldiers, march as fast as you can. the village is under attack! as soon you get. there engage any enemies in defensive position. I don't want any of you hurt or my people dead."
"yes, sir," the entire battalion answers to the order of their prince.
Zuko rides as fast as he can, heading towards the village. the people of Gaipan inform him of a girl dressed in blue. she burnt a hut and not only that, she threatened to destroy the village. at the mention of a girl in blue, Zuko thinks about Katara but it doesn't sound like Katara she wouldn't do that.
Zuko has to find a girl dressed in blue who had the audacity to burn a hut, a hut from a town belonging to the Fire Nation.
It doesn't take long until he finds her. At first he is angry because the girl is Katara, the same girl that saved him. Zuko will not tolerate this betrayal. before any more dark thoughts invade his mind, Zuko sees the peasant rise from the ground and land on top of the dam using waterbending. Maybe he is misunderstanding because what Zuko is watching is not an enemy of his nation. he is watching a girl fighting rebels, in a dam filled with explosives. Zuko sees her fight with all her might.
"She is amazing" Zuko hears a soldier say behind him. for some reason a wave of jealousy powered with fire spreads from his chest to the tip of his fingers, making his body ready to fight. from his heart another feeling blossoms: he is proud.
Zuko can't deny Katara's beauty and the beauty of the fight, how the sun during its sunset is bathing her with its warm rays in a beautiful mix of orange and blue.
her intentions are clear:, she isn't planning the destruction of the dam; she is protecting the people from the village. she is protecting Zuko's people and while doing it she is showing her might.
Some people say love can spark from dark feelings, possessiveness and lust can become love.
The royal family of the Fire Nation is famous for lusting for power and what Zuko is watching screams power and honor. this peasant with no formal training is fighting against an entire rebel squad with a single goal in mind: protecting people.
"you damn girl, why aren't you letting us blow up this damn dam?" Jet screams. "I told you we must wash away the scum from the Earth Kingdom! your own element will do it. be proud of the water and let it wash away those bastards."
"I won't let you, Jet," Katara cries. "you wont kill anyone, even if they are Fire Nation. they are still people. there are kids and I also saw Earth Kingdom citizens. "Are you going to kill them because you want to satisfy your hunger for destruction?"
"So be it, pretty girl," says Jet. "we are not allies, we are enemies"
Clearly Jet underestimated Katara's will, her desire to protect people, to help the people in need.
Jet also underestimated Katara's control over water. fighting a waterbender near such a big body of water is not a smart choice. with that much water at her disposal, not even the entire freedom fighters gang is a match. but Jet is a crafty fighter. he knows when he is about to lose and he knows even in loss there is room for victory. with the goal of killing as many Fire Nation people in mind and not even caring about his own life, Jet jumps. as he falls, he activates the bombs. some of them actually explode. after a few seconds of falling, Jet crashes onto the ground. lucky for him the ground was soft, muddy. it was almost a miracle–if by "miracle" you mean falling in front of the fire prince.
while the base of the dam survives, the upper part cracks and then breaks before the water starts flooding the area. a determined waterbender stomps the ground with her foot as strong as she can and the water obeys her. the sound of freezing water resonates around her.
"Jet , water is not your weapon . it is mine to command ! "
In a matter of seconds the hole is completely blocked by ice. the rest of the freedom fighters decide to flee. their commander is out of reach and they have no desire to fight against an angry waterbender.
slowly adrenaline is fading away from Katara's body, letting her be a little more aware of her surroundings. it doesn't take her long to see him: the prince who plagues her thoughts. their eyes lock.
Instead of feeling afraid or anxious because her enemy is here, Katara feels happy, happy because a beautiful smile appears on Zuko's face: a small one, a smile mixed with pride. it looks good on him, but sadly Katara can't stay there. she needs to go to make sure Aang is safe.
At the bottom of the dam and with Katara out of sight, Zuko pays attention to the rebel on the ground, hearing his annoying grunts of pain and discomfort. This is the man who almost kills an entire town, a town belonging to his nation. before Zuko can question the man or even say something the rebel speaks first:
"I've seen that look before, you are proud of watching me getting my ass kicked by her. I also saw the way she looked at you. she's not looking at you with hate." Disgusted by everything Jet spits. "Now I get it, that is why she stopped me. Katara is a Fire Nation whore.
"she could not imagine a world without those half-breed kids with those disgusting golden eyes. Was it you who corrupted her? I don't think it was you, not with that face, no one can love a dude with that face. maybe it is one of your soldiers. did she open her legs for him? or maybe the little whore was used by all of your soldiers."
while hearing those words Zuko feels how his chest is burning. everyone around him quickly notices their prince. with each breath he exhales fire, his fist burning with hot flames. the flames coming from his mouth grow bigger and bigger with each breath.
"You filthy rebel, you will not call her whore" Zuko says, sending a blast of fire towards Jet
Jet barely dodges by rolling.
"Yeah, rebel," Zuko says. "be a pig and roll over the mud. You cannot escape me forever. she is not a whore. she did not open her legs for anyone and never will."
other than me but the last part was left unsaid.
zuko is extremely angry and he did not realize what he just thought. he is too angry to notice the deep feeling he is starting to develop for the girl, who is his enemy, but is also the girl looking at him like nobody has ever done before–not even Mai.
with a possessive smile and words filled with pride, Zuko says, "The waterbender of the Fire Nation sounds much better than the waterbender of the dirt people."
another blast comes from Zuko's fist, aiming the rebel, but Jet is not finished., he continues teasing the prince.
"Maybe the pet of the Fire Nation still has her purity , but I stole her first kiss . I should ha ve done worse . she betrayed the freedom fighters ! "
Did he just say he stole her first kiss? yeah, he did. now Zuko is furious. an enormous amount of flame comes from his mouth, roasting the ground below him. dark smoke comes from his nose while he expels flames from his mouth. the hellfire inside his chest wants to come out and roast Jet.
"you will not taint her further, you filthy dirt rebel . "
Before Zuko could roast the rebel, the freedom fighters jump into action and save Jet, leaving a frustrated Zuko behind.
after the battle is over, the soldiers around their prince decide to interrupt.
during the entire battle they didn't want to interrupt; nobody would dare to interrupt a fight between their price and somebody else.
"My liege, it appears…" the soldier pauses, trying to find the right words because it appears their royal highness has some unresolved problems with the girl. she is clearly an enemy but it is also evident nobody is allowed to trash-talk her.
"it appears the girl in blue stopped the flooding and she saved the town, but the ice will melt soon. we need to send engineers and workers from the town as soon as possible. my fellow colleague here wants to say something . "
"My prince, we are ready to follow your orders. I will do my best to supervise the repairing process and also drop the charges against the lady in blue. she saved my child, my village, and my fellow countrymen. my lord, this girl has the gratitude of my village and your people."
a more relaxed prince of the Fire Nation responds, "you may proceed with the repairs of the dam."
with those last words, Zuko finally marches away from everybody. he needs to do some heavy thinking about what the hell Katara wants and why was he so angry with the rebel who called her a whore. while he thinks, a blue necklace floats by and comes to rest on the prince's foot. it appears somebody has lost it in the middle of the battle, and that someone is katara.
"we will meet again, Katara. I will have you and the avatar. I need my answers."