A/N: Hello everyone! I wanted to say thankyou to all of my new followers and to the people who left me reviews! It really makes me happy to have your support! And a huge thankyou to my new beta Scarlet Nyx for the suggestions on this chapter. I feel better about it now. :) So thankyou, everyone! And this chapter has a good amount of elements from the original Siege of the North episodes, but it's hugely different. Let me know what you think :)
You're a tragedy,
A queen for his majesty
All this blasphemy;
Your kingdom is crumbling.
- White Tie Affair
We couldn't have arrived soon enough. Only two days after we'd reached the Northern Water City, soot from the Fire Navy ships began to fill the air. It covered the ground, staining the ice and snow with messy black spots. It rained down everywhere and I knew that the attack would be as large as I'd feared. That, and it was fast approaching.
Toph is beyond frantic. She stays inside all the time, waiting for the Fire Nation machines to arrive so that she'll be able to use her bending. It unnerves me to see Toph in such a vulnerable state. Here I was thinking she had no weaknesses. She may be young and small, but she packs a punch. It was slightly humorous to see her all riled up back home in the South Pole, but here… thinking of her being unable to see as hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers attack us… well, it makes me feel like…like I want to protect her. Her sarcastic nickname for me be damned, I've grown to care for her. I almost asked her to stay behind, but I knew she would never have it. She's a part of our team now. Plus, I doubt any of these Fire Nation bastards have ever encountered a metal bender before. She's like our own industrial secret weapon.
Sokka has been going over formations and techniques with his warriors for the last two days. Before Sokka became Chief, we'd visited the North Pole a few times with our father. Sokka and Chief Arnook's daughter, Princess Yue, always seemed to have something going on between them. Though I never teased him about it the way he likes to tease me. I'm certain that if Sokka didn't have to stay and train with his men that he'd be with Yue right now. But instead he's sharpening his boomerang and preparing to, as a teenager, lead a troop of men into battle.
Master Pakku, my water bending teacher, has been drilling all of his benders with water bending lessons. Aang and I have been up early each morning, working on bending with the group as a whole. Master Pakku can be a real hard head and he doesn't play around when it comes to water bending. That must be why everyone who trains under him becomes such a talented bender. I have full confidence in the strength of the North Pole's water benders.
Sokka and Chief Arnook have assembled their men at various locations inside the City's first ice wall. Benders are waiting at the base of the wall, while others are in watch towers atop the second wall, prepared to ring the bells that signal the Fire Nation's arrival.
A few small groups of Master benders are waiting in boats in port, prepared to meet the naval fleet head on and keep them held back for as long as they can.
I am standing in formation with Master Pakku and a small number of elite benders. Aang is right beside me, followed by Appa. Everything is still except for my heart thudding in anticipation.
We are prepared. We have a plan. And yet, I still feel nervous. At times like these, I wish my father was still here to tell me that everything will be okay.
When the bells sound, my chest tightens. The Fire Nation is here, aimed on raiding and destroying the home of my friends, family, and allies for a second time. But I'm not a scared little girl this time around. Nervous, maybe, but not scared. And I have every intention of winning this battle. No more water tribes will fall. Never again.
I can see the first Fire Nation ship in the distance. A thick cloud of smoke is billowing from the top of it. I search the horizon for more ships and see none. But I know that they're there, moving in swiftly.
The rhythm of the bells alters drastically, signaling an oncoming attack. When I look up, I see a giant ball of fire headed straight for the city. It collides with the ice wall, creating a booming and sizzling sound that rattles my chest.
Another fire ball is launched toward us immediately following the first.
"Stop that fire ball!" Pakku shouts, his voice a bellowing command.
Moving in sync, our formation draws our arms back and push forward, sending an ice wave into the air to catch the blast. The fire sizzles and dies as the ice swallows it up.
Aang grabs my arm, turning me toward him. "I'm going to see how many ships I can disarm!"
Before I can protest, he leaps up onto Appa's saddle and grabs hold of the reigns. They're in the air in an instant, flying head first toward the next fire attack. At the last second, Aang sends the fire ball into the ocean with a gust of air bending.
The other Fire Nation ships have made their appearance now. I can see dozens of them, lined up in rows along the horizon. And they're headed straight for us at a rapid speed, leaving entire black clouds in their wake.
Fire balls from all different directions are launched to us. Each impact that they make against the wall weakens it and makes the ground rumble beneath my feet. There's only so much that our formation can do at once. For every attack that we're able to fend off, three more make impact.
I glance at the encroaching fleet occasionally to see Appa moving from ship to ship every so often. Aang and Appa are having the exact same problem as our bending formation; every time they take one ship down, a whole row of them appear, firing away.
This isn't getting us very far. We won't be able to hold them back for very much longer.
As the time passes, my arms start to stiffen and sore from bending so much and so fast. The first ice wall is significantly damaged and full of holes. The city is being destroyed right before all of our eyes. But when I look up, I notice that the sky has faded to pink with the setting sun. The moon will be out soon! And water bending will be more powerful! If we can just keep them back for a little while longer, we'll be able to win this battle.
"They've stopped attacking!" Someone calls. The fleet commander must have heard my thoughts because one by one, each ship drops anchor where they are in the ocean. We don't have the manpower to advance. We'll have to wait until they attack again in the morning. A wise choice on their part, but not so beneficial to us. Or maybe it is…
Everyone splits up in a disorganized fashion. Some to start repairing the damages done to the wall, others to find their families. We can expect a full night of peace while the Fire Navy sits on the ocean. But should they attack, we'll be more than ready.
Right now, I need to find Toph in the palace and let her know what's happened. She'll be anxious after hearing all of the attacks.
"Yue!" I call, catching up to her at the foot of the palace stairs.
Her face is hardened in worry. "Katara! Is everything alright? Why'd they stop?" She lifts the skirts of her dress so that she can walk quicker down the steps toward me. Yue is tall and beautiful, with bright, white hair and the bluest of eyes I have ever seen. It's no wonder why Sokka is enamored with her.
"They're fearful of our bending during the moon. But this is good news! Tomorrow night is the fullmoon and we'll be undefeatable then!" I can't help but smile. We'll finally have a bigger advantage over them than they do over us.
Yue's face lights up. "You're right!"
Appa's low rumbling growl echoes through the sky and our attention turns to his approaching figure. He and Aang drop onto the ground below us. "Aang!" I cheer, hurrying down the steps toward him with Yue close behind.
Appa slumps onto the ground with fatigue as we approach. Aang easily slides down Appa's leg, landing in a sitting position beside the bison. His face drops into his hands and he groans. "I can't do it." He says simply.
"What happened?" I ask, my worry easily portrayed in my voice.
Aang shakes his head, not meeting mine or Yue's gaze. "I must have taken out a dozen Fire Navy ships, but there's just too many of them." He turns to the side, his voice lower as he says, "I can't fight them all."
Yue steps forward, her hands pressed together beneath her chin in the sweet, innocent way of hers. "But…you have to. You're the Avatar."
"I'm just one kid." Aang corrects, his head dipping down lower.
My heart hurts as I watch him sit there with the weight of the world pressing down on him. But he's reminded me why I'm here; why we're all here. We're fighting for our freedom and our lives back. Aang reminds me of why we must all stay strong. The Avatar is the hope of our world.
I kneel beside Aang and wrap my arm around his shoulder. "Well, you're not alone." I remind him.
Instead of sleeping like we probably should be, Sokka, Aang, Toph, Yue and I all sit in a circle on her plush fur pillow chairs. Aang is restless, the way he has been after his attempt to disarm Fire Navy ships. Toph is fretting, the way she has been since she first encountered so much ice. Sokka is staring, the way he has been at Yue since we were kids. Yue is sharing, telling stories the way she has been for the past few hours.
And I'm just waiting. When the sun is raised high in the sky, the Fire Navy will attack again. And even if we don't get very much sleep tonight, we will be prepared. And we will win.
"I owe the moon spirit my life." Yue tells us, breaking my train of thought.
Sokka tilts his head. "What do you mean?"
"When I was born, I was very sick and very weak." Yue looks down at her hands as she speaks, as if this is a story that she rarely shares. And it must be if after all these years, even Sokka has never heard it. "Most babies cry when they're born, but I was born as if I were asleep, with my eyes closed. Our healers did everything they could. They told my mother and father I was going to die. My father pleaded with the spirits to save me. That night, beneath the full moon, he brought me to the Oasis and placed me in the pond. My dark hair turned white. I opened my eyes and began to cry and they knew I would live. That's why my mother named me Yue, for the moon."
"Wow." Aang says.
Sokka frowns, "You never told me that."
Yue smiles, showing off her perfect teeth. "You never asked." I look at her closely, trying to imagine her brilliant white hair the same black color as Chief Arnook's, but I can't picture it.
"Ya know, that's really cool." Toph concludes.
"Does that mean you have the moon's power? Just standing next to you should make our water bending even better!" Aang teases, squeezing himself between Sokka and Yue.
Sokka's eyes narrow and he pushes Aang off of the pillow, sending him onto the floor with a loud bang. Everyone laughs, including Yue, although she tries her hardest not to. Yue has to be one of the kindest people that I've ever met. I remember being so jealous of her when we were younger. She's taller, prettier, and nicer than I am. Her voice is quiet and yet, whenever she speaks, every single person listens intently. But now I look up to her, like an older sister. Sometimes I wonder if her and Sokka will ever be married. Then she really would be my sister.
"I want you all to know how much I appreciate you being here. If you hadn't warned us about the Fire Nation attack, well I don't know how today would have turned out. So, thankyou." Yue smiles again, glancing to each one of us. When her eyes reach Sokka's, he takes her hand in his.
"Yeah, well, just wait until I get my turn out there!" Toph says, punching a fist into her palm.
Everyone is laughing again and I feel a strange pulling in my chest. Maybe when all of this is over, after we win the war, maybe we'll be back here. And we'll be laughing and talking the way we are now. Only, there will be no threat of war and battle hanging over us. We'll just be together, like a proper family. I like the way that sounds.
The second day of battle is nearly over when the third Fire Navy ship bursts through the ice barrier, opening its metal front ramp to allow the breach of soldiers into the city. Rows of men in Fire Navy uniforms stomp down the ramp with their Jii spears in hand. After their initial launch of fire balls to weaken the wall once more, the first Fire Navy ship collided into the barrier a few hours earlier. Every formation and group of men has been fighting their hardest to keep the Fire Navy as far back as possible.
"Get to the east side!" Pakku commands our formation. "Don't let them past the second wall!"
I spin on my heels, following behind the other benders as we sprint toward the soldiers who have broken into the city's walls.
A flash of fire in my peripheral vision causes me to slow my pace. A man is standing on the bridge to my left.
It takes me a moment to recognize General Zhao. I haven't seen him in months. It wouldn't surprise me if he were the man in charge of this entire raid. I knew I hated him from the moment I met him at Pohuai Stronghold. And nothing would please me more right now than to encase him in a sphere of ice.
I charge forward before realizing that if Zhao sees me, he'll know that Zuko lied about my death. This lie just gets more complicated every single day. Instead of facing Zhao head on, I hide behind the edge of someone's house and peer around the corner. I'm only two dozen feet away from him.
Suddenly, another figure jumps down onto the bridge, shouting something that I can't make out. Hopefully it's another bender, about to take Zhao down.
My eyes widen in surprise when I see that it's Zuko. For a moment I think that they're working together, but then I hear Zhao speak.
"You're the Blue Spirit, an enemy of the Fire Nation!" Zhao shouts, sending a blast of fire toward Zuko. "You freed the water bender!"
He means me! How does Zhao know that Zuko is the Blue Spirit? How could he possibly know that? Does Ozai know? It appears as if I missed the beginning of their fight.
Zuko dodges Zhao's attack and springs forward, unleashing his own. "I had no choice." He says coolly, kicking his left foot forward to bend flames at Zhao. I can almost feel the heat from their fire.
With a wave of his arm, Zhao dissipates the fire in front of him and straightens. "You should have chosen to accept your failure! You're a disgrace." He sputters. Apparently this argument is personal and long-standing. Much more that I don't know about must have happened between these two.
Zuko has the upper hand while Zhao attacks wildly out of anger. Zuko maneuvers skillfully out of flame and fist's reach and Zhao is unable to grab or wound him. I shouldn't be standing here watching this. I should be joining in and helping Zuko fight Zhao off. I should be with my formation, keeping the soldiers back. I should be doing something. If Zhao sees me alive, it'll be over for Zuko and I. But I just can't look or move away.
Zhao growls after another unsuccessful swipe at Zuko. His hands come to his sides, balled up in fists. His anger is very visible and his eyes are glinting dangerously. "I hear you tried to have the Avatar's attack called off. Why's that?" Zhao's voice is taunting.
Zuko stiffens, but doesn't respond.
Zhao's lips curl up into an evil smile. "Maybe because you grew feelings for the little water tribe peasant, eh?"
I can't believe what I'm witnessing.
A small flame ignites in Zuko's palm, but again he doesn't respond.
"How awful it must have been for you, then, when you killed her." Zhao steps forward and he eyes Zuko carefully, who seems to be losing his calm edge. I want to tell him to relax, that Zhao's an idiot. Zhao takes another careful step, smirking as he plans what to say next. He purses his lips before speaking again, "Such a shame, really, to waste beauty like that. And to think I almost had my hands on her."
I lean back, thoroughly repulsed by his words. But Zuko's reaction is the opposite of mine, as usual. He lunges forward, his hands curling in a way that makes me think he's aiming for Zhao's throat.
But Zuko's anger gives Zhao the upper hand now. He catches Zuko easily by his forearms, yanking him forward. Zhao's fist collides with Zuko's head so hard that I can hear the impact. His body goes limp and Zhao tosses him to the ground.
I slap a hand over my mouth to keep from making noise.
Zhao straightens out his uniform before leaning over Zuko. "Pathetic. I'll be back for you later."
He turns to leave, walking swiftly across the bridge. It takes me a moment to realize that he's headed right to me. I scramble backwards, nearly losing my footing as I run. Zhao cannot see me.
I don't stop running until I collide into Master Pakku's back. He glares down at me and demands to know where I've been. There are Fire Nation soldiers and water warriors scattered around us, fighting against eachother with all of their strength.
Aang grabs my hand. "Katara! Are you alright?"
I let out the breath that I didn't realize I'd been holding.
Three Fire Nation soldiers appear in front of me. The water jet that I bend knocks the first onto his back. Aang uses his air bending to push the other two a few dozen yards back, where they land on their stomachs.
Over the past hour, more soldiers have broken through the ice barrier and crossed into the city on their Komodo Rhinos and metal tank machines. It's nearly sundown now and I can feel the power of the full moon working its way through my body and into my muscles. Once the moon is up in the sky, we'll be able to end this battle.
Aang and I stand back to back, using our most advanced bending to keep the soldiers from further entering the city. I have a major conflict with using any kind of force against the Komodo Rhinos. It's not like they know what's going on. They're only doing what they've been beaten into learning. Instead, I bend the ice beneath their feet so that it swallows them up to their knees; leaving them immobilized.
Toph was with us before, but she and Master Pakku went to the inner city bridge so that he can direct her metal bending from an aerial view while still maintaining close distance. So far, I've witnessed her sever the wheels off of four tanks and crush six from front to back just far enough that the soldier inside is trapped and yet somehow unharmed. If only there were other benders like her, they could easily take down entire Fire Navy ships.
The fire that had been flickering all across the first level of the city is dimming as water over takes it. The sun slips down over the horizon and a new burst of energy surges through me. I smile to myself, eyes gleaming. Now they won't stand a chance.
Ice gets thicker, water moves faster as all of the benders use their newfound power to overwhelm the Fire Navy soldiers. Tui and La guide us to send the Fire Nation out the way that they came in.
My attention turns to the scene around me and as I glance up, the sky flashes a brilliant shade of red. The moon fades from white to black and I move to shield my eyes from the painful light. What in La's name is going on!
Aang stumbles beside me, clutching his palms to his forehead in affliction. I latch onto his arms to keep him steady. His gray eyes find mine and his brow is crinkled with frustration. "Something's wrong. The moon spirit- I think the moon spirit is in trouble." He bows forward as another stab of pain pangs him.
I move to comfort him just as a helmeted Fire Nation soldier advances toward us, bursts of flames shooting from his palms in my direction. One swipe of my arm across my chest draws a stream of water in front of our bodies to shield his attack. I push my palms forward and the water stream follows the direction, hitting the man squarely in his chest and knocking him into the snow. I turn my hands upward to encase his feet in ice.
Only nothing happens.
My body feels empty and hollow, missing any sort of power that I previously felt. The sky seems to burst and I watch with sheer horror as the moon disappears from the sky altogether. An eerie darkness that I've never experienced falls over the entire city. The only light sources are from lanterns and the fire benders. It feels unnatural.
It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. As I survey the area, I can see the other water benders struggling to get their bending to work again.
"Aang," I whisper hotly, reaching for his arm. "You need to get to the Spirit Oasis."
He nods and his fingers dig into my palm as he clutches my hand. We force our way toward the back of the city, steering clear of the soldiers and Water Tribe warriors fighting around us. Without our bending, our chances of winning this battle are at a complete zero.
Halfway to our destination, I find Sokka using his boomerang on an unsuspecting Fire Navy soldier. He sees me and his eyes widen. "Katara,"He grabs my upper arm. "What the hell is going on?"
"It's the moon spirit. Something's happened to it." Aang explains, sounding out of breath.
"Sokka, we need to get Aang to the Spirit Oasis right now. Get your men to help us, my bending is gone!" My voice sounds more on edge than I'd intended it to.
Aang shakes his head. "Wait, what about Toph?" His face is covered in worry.
"I'll find her. Go!" I yell, barking the command almost too forcefully. The boys glance quickly at eachother before turning to sprint toward the palace.
I hurry in the opposite direction, making my way back toward the battle zone. Master Pakku would have had to fall back without water bending to aid him and his tanks burst out onto the streets as I reach the base of the second ice wall. Flames of fire light up the plaza as they press further into the city. Now the fire is overcoming the water, in a horrific turn of events.
Soldiers surround me and I have no choice but to turn and run. The second wall of ice, our last protection against the pursuing Fire Nation is starting to crumble, threatening to allow in more Fire Navy soldiers.
People are shrieking. I can only hope that Toph and Pakku retreated already. I rush toward the deeper part of the city in a crowd of frantic people, racing to the same destination. If I can't keep the Fire Navy behind the walls, I'll have to atleast find a way to secure the palace and the Spirit Oasis.
Suddenly, I'm stopping. I remember Zuko, who was unconscious the last time I saw him. And I remember Zhao's threat to be back for him later. What does that mean? Locking him up and revealing his Blue Spirit identity to his father? Or… could that mean something worse? I was there, I should have helped him fight Zhao off. La knows I wanted to.
Now that I've stopped in my path, people keep slamming into me as they rush toward safety.
He's fine, Katara. He's probably left the city already. It's Zuko, he can take care of himself.
I start toward the city again, but my feet won't move. Oh La, I have to go back. I have to check. If Zhao hasn't yet made good on his promise, I could find Zuko a hiding place.
Son of a…
With what little strength I have left I run full force, pushing back against the hectic crowd, headed in the opposite direction as I will myself back to the bridge where I last saw Zuko.
"What are you doing, girl?! You're running the wrong way!" Someone shouts before shoving me out of their way.
I don't care. I have to make sure.
I keep to the building edges and shadows to avoid encountering any Fire Navy men. As I get further back to the second wall, there are much fewer people trying to get to the city. I barely have to dodge any fleeing bodies.
My heart pounds with anticipation as I round the corner of the building that I'd stood behind as I witnessed Zhao and Zuko's fight.
There's no light to light up the area between the buildings or the bridge. I walk cautiously forward, blinking rapidly as I try to force my eyes to adjust faster. As I step onto the platform of the bridge, I'm greeted with complete silence. It manages to comfort me for a split second, before my eyes come to rest on Zuko's unconscious form sprawled across the ground. Right where Zhao left him. He's been out cold for the last two hours atleast. I wonder if the cold has anything to do with that.
I rush to his side and my knees skid across the icy ground hard enough to leave stinging scrapes. I grab Zuko by the red collar of his robes and shake him violently. "Get up!" I command.
He doesn't respond. When I let go of his collar, his head lolls to the side, facing me. His shaggy black hair is matted to his forehead in clumps and although I didn't think it possible, his skin is even paler than ever. Oh La, why did it take me so long to come back here? He must be freezing with his body pressed into the ice this way. But he looks so calm. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was sleeping. There are rare moments when Zuko isn't frowning or scowling or staring ahead blankly.
I try again, "Zuko, wake up!" The last thing I need is Zhao showing up to make good on his threat while I'm here.
He doesn't budge. I get to my feet quickly and wrap my arms under Zuko's shoulders. I lock my fingers together over his chest and rip him from his spot on the ground.
He's dead weight, much heavier than I was expecting. I struggle to pull him back to the edge of the bridge. If I can just get him away from here, Zhao will think he's escaped. And if only my bending wasn't gone, I could easily create an ice sled to carry him along. I need to get him somewhere warm.
I step off of the bridge onto the ice steps, where Zuko's boot catches on the inside of the rail. I give a ferocious yank and we both go tumbling backwards down the stairs.
When I look up, I swear my heart stops beating. The entire ocean seems to be raised hundreds of feet in the air, ready to swallow all of those below it. I stare at the wall of water in terrified horror. Even with my bending, I'd be useless in trying to stop this wave. This is the wrath of La. Nothing can stop her.
The thought sends me into a frenzy. "Zuko, wake up!" I shriek, slapping him hard across the face. I grab his arm and start to drag him across the ice, away from the angry ocean.
Screams of terror come from behind us. People are running again, sprinting for the city. The water wall is closing in fast. I'll never make it there in time if I have to drag Zuko with me.
I try to consider leaving him behind, but the thought won't even form in my mind. I doubt I could even if I tried.
I see a man in a blue tunic running towards us from a few yards away. "Help me!" I call to him in a pleading tone. "Please, help us!"
The man stops beside us, takes one look at Zuko and the royal Fire Nation seal on his robes and scowls. "What are you doing trying to help him? Be smart and save yourself, little girl!" He sprints away. I'm momentarily stunned by his harshness before I remember that we're currently in battle with the Fire Nation. This war has twisted us all in terrible ways, but if we're going to become evil and not help someone in need, even if that someone is the enemy, then we might as well hand ourselves over to the Fire Nation. Because we're no better than them.
Zuko and I are the only people left in the lower plaza. Everyone is gone; either inside the city or well on their way.
The ocean wall is climbing higher still and only about a hundred yards away from where Zuko and I are on the ground. My heart is pounding so loudly that I can't hear anything but its steady throbbing inside my head.
I grab Zuko again and give shaking him another try. "Please, Zuko!" I jerk him around in my arms, but it's no use.
The water wall is only fifty yards away.
I pull Zuko's head and upper body into my lap. His face is still relaxed in the same innocent calmness. "Zuko…" I wrap my left arm under his neck.
Twenty yards.
This is when I'll accept defeat. Atleast I can die knowing that I tried to do the right thing. Sokka and Aang and Toph will be okay as long as they stick together. I can hear my father's voice in my head; everything will be okay.
I lean forward over Zuko and press my forehead against his.
Everything will be okay.
I can feel the icy cold of the ocean. It's hardly ten feet away now. I shut my eyes tight. When I wake up, I'll be with my parents.
Everything will be okay.
Another blast of cold air hits my face and suddenly everything stills. I peer up to see that the giant wall of water has stopped advancing toward us. In fact, I think it's receding.
I turn to face the city and when I do, I see that Aang is standing at the top of the second ice wall. He's moving his arms in water bending patterns. His tattoos and his eyes are lit up brightly, shining in contrast against the gray sky. I've seen them glow before while he was meditating, but never like this. Never so strongly.
I'm glad that Toph and I weren't able to provoke Aang into the Avatar State. The fact that he's bending the entire ocean wall is terrifying enough, but without the moon to give him bending power… I'm fearful and amazed at the same time.
When the moon appears in the sky once more, I'm not surprised. With shaky hands, I test my bending and pull a stream of water up from the ground. I breathe deeply as I try to calm myself. Only moments ago, I had thought I was going die. It's a hard shock to reel back from.
Zuko is still draped in my lap and I know that I need to move and get out of here. Zuko needs warmth and I need…well, I don't know what I need but I'm starting to think that I might pass out. I wrap my hand in a healing glove of water and press it to the side of Zuko's head. The swelling goes down as the water presses into his skin and hair.
I must have stayed seated there for a considerable amount of time. Finally, Aang is beside me. His eyes are back to their normal gray and him back to himself. Although there is an indistinguishable pain in his expression. He bends down in front of me and shifts Zuko out of my lap. Zuko starts to stir, which startles me enough that I scoot backwards.
He coughs, letting a small burst of fire out of his mouth. He does this twice more before I understand that he's trying to get warm again.
Aang reaches down and takes my hand, pulling me into a standing position. I still don't trust my limbs to act as they should. I clutch onto Aang's shoulder for support and stare down at Zuko. The color has returned to his cheeks, which is a comforting sight. When his eyes open, I grab Aang's hand and run. I'm not sure why. But when I glance back, Zuko's golden eyes lock on mine and the feeling I get from seeing that he's alright tells me that running was the right choice.
After the initial shock of nearly dying fades away, I'm feeling a sense of pride. Aang defeated the Fire Nation. The Northern Water City did not fall and never will. I feel like celebrating and cheering. But as Aang and I step inside the palace, the silence that greets us speaks volumes.
My eyes search nervously from face to face. Chief Arnook is seated before his men, his face concentrated on some far off point in the distance. It doesn't appear as if he's really here with us.
The seat beside him that is usually filled by Yue is surprisingly empty. The looks of pain and distress on the faces of the men in the room are unsettling. Panic strikes my chest, settling deeply and gripping painfully onto my heart.
When I see Sokka, his face blank with the stillness that always seems to petrify me, I feel my knees buckle beneath me.
Aang turns to me, swallowing softly. "Katara…" He whispers, his voice hitching with sadness, "I need to tell you… Princess Yue…she gave her life for the moon spirit's."
Tears sting the back of my eyes, but I will myself not to cry in front of Sokka. Instead, I press my face against Aang's shoulder and pray to Yue that the stillness won't consume Sokka forever.