Chapter 24: The Coming of the Avatar

Rumor was running wild through the Fire Nation. People said that the great Lion Turtle had returned, springing to life as if from the pages of ancient history. Although I could not say why, I did not like the stories. Just now I was leaning on the balcony railing at the Fire Nation royal palace. My mind was wandering; I was thinking about many things, the Lion Turtle far from the priority. My priority was Zuko.

It was the beginning of summer now, and blazing hot. It hardly seemed believable that just last month I had been shivering in the North Pole at the celebration party. The morning after the party I woke up and stretched contentedly, remembering nothing at first. Then all the memories hit me like a slap of freezing water. I had kissed Zuko. He had kissed me. I had thought things…treacherous, lustful things.

I shot up out of bed, horrified at my actions. There was a painting of Aang that Sokka had done; crude, but beautiful in it sown way. I always kept the little painting on my bedside table, so I could look at it and remember.

"Oh, Aang!" I exclaimed, clutching the framed picture frantically. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done it—" But there didn't seem to be anything else to say. The more I thought about it, the more horrified I became at the realization that I wanted to see Zuko again. I wanted to be close to him and feel his breath again. I wanted him to protect me and keep me warm like he'd been doing for so long without my knowing it. I wanted him. And that was scary.

I took my picture of Aang and slipped outside before anybody noticed. I needed time to be alone. The icy waters looked strikingly different. Great clefts of ice had been pushed out of the way, and there was a clear path for ships of all sizes leading to a smallish harbor. There were docks, canoes and igloos on the edge of the harbor where Sokka's great wall of snow watchtowers used to be. Ironically enough he had designed a new wall—this one out of stone—which the construction crew were now working on. On the land beyond the dock there were big houses of combined ice, crystal, and white stone imported from our sister tribe. Still further, beyond the large dwellings and newly erected ice palaces, only a mile of hills separated us from the wild and empty tundra.

I walked over the great hill with my fur coat wrapped around me. The beauty of the tundra was amazing. It was summer, so in places the snow had melted and tiny wildflowers of all colors dotted the open expanse. I saw a blue fox dash into a thicket fifty feet from me. It was only a pup. I smiled as it played and mock-hunted, jumping around and diving head-first into what was left of the snow. For some reason, it made me think of Aang.

Sinking down to my knees, I held Aang's picture close to my heart. I hoped, out here alone, that some clarity of mind would come to me. But I only grew more confused. Falling in love with Zuko, that was not my thing. It felt wrong to be cheating on Aang. I wished somebody would come and take me away before I got in too deep.

"Katara?" Zuko's voice came.

Maybe I was already in too deep.

"What are you doing out here?" the Fire Lord asked.

Sokka was with him, and I had desire to let my brother know of my interlude with Zuko last night. "Yeah, we're having breakfast inside," Sokka stated.

"Oh, go away and leave me alone!" I snapped.

Zuko was surprised. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! Is it too much to ask that I can skip breakfast today?!!"

"Well, it's the most important meal of the day, you know," Sokka chimed in.

I folded my arms and tried to ignore them. But they simply walked in front of me and made me look. As usual Zuko's eyes bored into my soul. "Look, guys…I don't feel right," I admitted.

"That's why you should come inside and get some nourishment!" Sokka grinned.

But Zuko was serious. "How do you mean?" he asked.

I looked at Sokka. "Ahem. Could you excuse us please?"

"Okay," he said with an exaggerated sigh; "but you're missing out on the scrambled eggs and seal bacon!"

When we were alone I turned to Zuko and said frankly, "I feel like I'm cheating on Aang."

A hint of a smile crossed his royal face. It was quickly replaced by a solemn expression, though. "Katara, I miss Aang too. He was one of my best friends. He taught me so much, and we learned so much together. But…Katara, Aang is dead."

The words were terrible to hear. They tore into my heart. But as far as I knew, Zuko was right.

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All this happened in the North Pole. After spending a few days with Grangran and Paku, I returned to the Fire Nation with Zuko. The trip took a week or two, and during that time, the last of the ice between me and Zuko began to melt. When I stood gazing at the waters, Zuko would join me. He held my hand, and soon I became used to it. When we got back to the palace, we spent a lot of time together; visiting, hosting balls, sightseeing, and just spending time. Zuko was my hero.

When I looked in his wonderful face I saw a fiery wealth of life. When he moved his mouth the words he spoke blazed like a wildfire, burning down my defenses, wearing no disguise, and destroying all my lies.

And Zuko cared about me in return. He once inquired, "Do you ever stop trying to be good, Katara?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Because underneath all that thorny morale, you're just a little girl left out crying in the cold. Nobody's understood you for far too long."

It was a humbling statement, but I knew it was true. "I wish I could be stronger."

"You don't need to be. You don't need to be anything other than what you are: an angel."

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No sooner had I settled back into the palace than the word reached me of the Lion Turtle's return. There were great stories spreading rapidly among the peasants and even the richer people; stories that told of the great beast's "magical" qualities and his mind-boggling wisdom. Naturally, I didn't believe a word of it. The Lion Turtle was not a friend; he had taken away my Aang. Thinking of the Turtle made me think of Aang, which made me think of my relationship with Zuko. It also made me think about the civil war and the loss of my father and the terrors of Azula and all the gallons of blood on my hands. My emotions were in a huge whirl. Nothing made sense. I was grumpy and stressed for days.

The explosion happened one day when Toph decided she was going to go see the Lion Turtle. "I'll challenge it for ya, if you want," she offered. "I'm sure if I can lure him on land, my earth bending would be a match for him."

The idea sounded slightly appealing. But I was already extremely irritable, and I knew Toph would only hurt herself getting into a fight with something as dangerous as a Lion Turtle. "It's out of your league, Toph," I said hastily.

She bristled up, offended. "What are you saying, Sugar Queen? Think I'm too little to take on that tortoise? Think I'm still a baby?!"

"No," I retorted. "It's just…you might get hurt."

"I might not."

She was irritating me more by the second. "You can't go, Toph! Just do something useful for once in your life!"

Toph's cheeks flushed and her long, black bangs fell over her pale eyes. "What do you know about my life?! It's mine, not yours, you big overgrown mommy!"

She stomped off in one direction and I stomped off in the other, both of us screeching our frustration. I went outside and away from the palace, down towards the bay and beach where a crowd of people were sunbathing, surfing, and swimming. Here was a place I could get away and be alone for a while. If only I wasn't still so furious at everyone.

I stomped across the golden sand, froze some water into a slab of ice, and surfed out into the great blue. Then I skidded and rode far out into the water, trying to burn off my easily-aroused anger. The waves began to grow bigger and threatened to wipe me clean off my board. But this only fueled my energy. I shouted at the ocean to give its best, and it responded accordingly. Before long I was thrown into the water, somersaulting and half-winded by the force of the wave.

When I resurfaced, I screamed furiously, "How dare you! Stupid waves!"

I made another ice-board and balanced on it. Eyes burning with rage, I used some of my strongest water bending to force the oncoming waves backward. I was fighting the tide. "Ha, take that!" My anger temporarily subsided because I knew she was powerful enough to turn back the very sea.

But then without warning it happened.

A gigantic wave began to rise hundreds of feet. It was a tidal wave! I could see the other people on the beach staring in perplexity or running away already. If they didn't get away, they could be drowned.

"I'll save you!" I shouted passionately, and raced out to meet the tsunami. Standing steadily on the ice-board, I moved my arms and my body with the grace and skill of a master water bender, conjuring up my own waves and sending them out to challenge the big one. Still my waters faded like ripples before they even reached their opponent. Furious, I began to do the impossible: bend the tidal wave backward! However, it didn't work for long; the wave was getting closer.

"Give me your best shot!" I challenged.

Two seconds later, the greatest pressure I had ever felt had crashed full force on my body. My head swam. I tried swimming to the surface, but my body was in shock and I couldn't move. The chaos continued all around—foam, pressure, salt, and frigidity. Things quieted down and for several seconds, I was rocked back and forth, unable to control my own body, at the mercy of the great deep. Then suddenly pain scorched across one side of my face and arms: friction burn. I had hit sand.

Opening my eyes, I could see that I was safe on the shore. There were no people, so I must have been washed up a little distance from the public beach. There was a long silence. I was aware of something deeply meaningful in being wiped out by the ocean; but I couldn't put my finger on it. Shaking the feeling, I turned and faced the sea.

Then I froze in awe and terror.

Out in the water, huge and solemn, was The Lion Turtle. He'd just made that wave that knocked me out. He was so huge and colorful, his wooden face a picture of sternness and power, his claws mighty enough to toppled the Fire Nation palace in one strike. His roar could echo down the coast for miles, and the waves that went out from his wake could sink three hundred warships, which had happened before.

When I hit the sand a moment ago my rage had been neutralized; but now it was on me again tenfold. This was the beast who took my Aang. I ordered the fleet to fire on the Lion Turtle, and he had roared in pain. Aang was sorry for him, but just as the Avatar had turned back to me, the Turtle's great paw had swept him underwater. That was the last time I had seen my husband. Everything in me wanted to charge out and fight that Lion Turtle, but there was no need. The evil beast was coming directly toward me at an astonishing pace.

He stopped about fifty feet from the shore, his great reptilian claws, golden head, and furry sides dripping hundreds of gallons of water. I stood on the shore, ready to attack. But the moment I started conjuring up a wave, the Lion Turtle gave a roar. It was not nearly as loud as his roar the day Aang died, but it was enough to knock me off my feet. My legs and hands were shaking when I stood up again—

And when I did, I thought I was insane.

Standing on the Lion Turtle's neck, between the wood-like head and the mountainous island on the back, there was a man in airbender clothes. His head was bald. He had blue arrow tattoos. The beginnings of some thin whiskers were on his chin, and in his hands he clutched a staff/glider. I stood staring, open-mouthed, for I don't know how long.

"Katara."

It was Aang's voice. I couldn't move.

"Katara!" The young man leapt nimbly off the Turtle and flew on his glider, bridging the gap between shore and water. He came close, a questioning look on his face. "Katara?"

Still I could not react. Then I looked at the young man's face. His eyes were large and appealing, glowing with energy and shy love at the same time. They twinkled like big, happy stars in a summer night's blue-velvet sky

"Oh, Aang!" I cried. "It's you!" I practically pounced at him.

Then there was nothing but tears and laughing and his familiar arms around me.