Author's Note: ER. MAh. GERRD! I'm so sorry I've kept everyone waiting! I had a lot to do last semester and for whatever reason I didn't post this over break. But here it is! Sassy Karuna is sassy and there are some Mulan referrences, so I hope that makes up for everything! Enjoy guys!
~th3rdhal3~
"Who's up for some musical entertainment?" Sokka asked us that night once the five of us had gathered around the campfire. Toph pulled the wheat grass out of her mouth with her index and thumb and laughed out loud.
"You doing the entertaining, Snoozles?" The Water Tribe boy lifted his head high, looking quite proud of himself.
"Yes, I am." He declared. The rest of us chortled in unison.
I snorted. "No offense, Sokka, but if I have to hear 'My Love is Like a Boomerang' one more time, I think I'm gonna lose it." My input resulted in more laughter from the others.
"If I had the tsungi horn from that Fire Nation school I could play us some songs." Aang chimed in. I cringed a little, remembering our experience in music class together. The avatar did have rhythm, but it was put to much better use on the dance floor. I chuckled and nudged him in the ribs.
"Good thing you don't!" I teased the younger boy, who stuck his tongue out at me in return.
"Well aren't we critical tonight?" Suki raised an eyebrow at me. The warrior girl stretched out on the log she sat upon. There was a black wrap fastened around her waist- a result of our sparring match earlier that day. "Why don't you show us your musical expertise then?" Her comment was sarcastic and I couldn't wait to surprise my friends with some of my hidden talents.
"Alright then," I agreed with a warm smile on my face. "I learned how to play a few instruments when I was younger." After hearing this information, Sokka stood up and headed towards the tents.
"I'll be right back." The Water Tribe boy returned a couple of minutes later with a stringed instrument in his hands. As he drew closer, I realized it was a pipa. "Will this do?" He asked me.
"Where did you get that?" It was news to me that the team carried around random musical instruments. Sokka shrugged his shoulders casually and flashed a small grin.
"We've picked up a lot of stuff in the past ten months. Almost forgot we had this." The pony-tailed boy handed the pipa to me.
"This is a Fire Nation instrument..." I pointed out as I examined its make. "did you guys go to the Fire Nation before you met Toph and me?" I certainly didn't remember acquiring any pipas with the gang. Sokka nodded his head.
"When Aang first tried to learn fire-bending we were at a festival shortly after the winter solstice. That was the same night we met Jeong Jeong."
I sat down on the log and strummed a few chords on the pipa. My ears perked up at this information. "Huh. If I remember correctly, Jeong Jeong was my father's teacher." I had never actually met the fire-bending master, but I had heard much about him from my father. My friends looked upon me eagerly to continue. "More of that later." I put the thought on hold. "You all wanted to hear me play, right?" The group nodded together and I chuckled. With my attention now directed on my music, I began to play. I used to nails to strum across the strings and the melody started off slow and soft:
Bei fan you jia ren
Jue shi er du li
Yu gu qing ren cheng
Zai gu qing ren quo
Ring bu zhi
Qing cheng yu qing guo
Jia ren nan zi de
*In the North there's a lady
Stunning and singular
One look confounds a city
A touch dooms an empire
Rather not wishing to know
The ruination that may follow
Rare beauty is here and now.
I half expected to hit some sour notes; I hadn't played a pipa since I was ten or eleven. When I was done, my friends clapped and it almost felt like a mini performance. It felt nice to have a talent other than fighting. Though my martial arts filled me with such thrill and drive, music helped soothe my mind and relax my nerves.
"That was really great!" Suki praised me and I lowered my head modestly. I was glad they liked my performance. I had never considered myself to be a great musician, only a decent one. "How did you learn to play like that?" I turned the pipa over in my hands.
"Li Ann taught me." I answered the warrior girl. " She was a good friend of my father. She kind of became a mother to me over the years. That's where I get my creative side from." I smiled warmly.
"So your father taught you everything else?" Aang asked curiously. I nodded. "Must be a really bright guy."
"Everything from street smarts to academics. Oh and fighting as well. He was a pretty well rounded person so he kind of knew something about everything."
"If you don't mind me asking," Suki began. "...what happened to him?"
I paused for a moment as I processed the question in my head. I didn't enjoy discussing the topic, but I felt comfortable bringing it up with my friends. "He was sent on an assignment to the North East part of the Earth Kingdom. It seemed like everything was going fine until months later when we found out the ship had been destroyed and no one was there. There was a search for a while but they gave up when they couldn't find anyone." I left out the part about seeing my father's spirit; it was personal and I didn't feel the need to bring up my emotional breakdown. In the back of my mind I could remember that night as clear as day and I kept replaying it over and over again. Never would I ever forget the lighting I had conjured that evening. The blinding light and booming crackle would forever stick with me.
"Your father could still be alive." Aang interjected with optimism. "Just because the search party didn't find anyone doesn't mean that-" It was a nice sentiment but I knew better.
"No," I shook my head sadly and dismissed him gently. "The ship was found in the middle of the ocean." I reminded the avatar. "I don't see how anyone could have survived." The Air Nomad shared my silent sorrow and stared at his hands as well. It remained quiet around the campfire for a few minutes until Sokka spoke up again.
"You said earlier that your father's teacher was Jeong Jeong..." The blue eyed boy waited for a second to receive my confirmation before continuing. "Did he happen to know Zhao at all?" I laughed dryly at the question and made a face.
"Yes, and unfortunately I was acquainted with General Zhao at one point too." Sokka raised an eyebrow. "I had various conversations with him when I was in the Fire Nation military-especially before and after war meetings."
"War meetings?" Suki interrupted. I had almost forgotten that she wasn't up to speed on my past. "Wait a minute, Karuna are you-" Sokka shushed her as politely as possible so I could continue.
"Firelord Ozai had me take my father's place in the military to uphold his legacy-my training impressed him or something. That's how I became a general."
"So your father was a general?" Aang asked in clarification. I nodded in response.
"Yeah. He would have held a much higher title too if he would have accepted his promotions. Anyway, I've never been a fan of Zhao, just something about him. Probably his hubris. Whenever we'd chat, I could never tell if he was being sincere or not because I knew he envied my father."
Sokka folded his arms across his chest. "So do you think Jeong Jeong preferred your father over Zhao?" I snorted.
"Definitely." I answered without missing a beat. "My father was and still is considered one of the best fire-benders in the last hundred years. Zhao's just a whiny copycat who wants to get straight to the top."
"Was a whiny copycat." Sokka corrected me. I gave him a strange look.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Admire Zhao is no more." The Water Tribe boy said to my surprise. "He didn't survive the battle at the Northern Water Tribe." That was certainly news to me. I was sure that Mr. Sideburns was still around and about, taking gain for the Fire Nation.
"Whoa..." I breathed, soaking in the new information. Aang nodded gravely, confirming Sokka's statement. The look on the boy's face indicated there was more to this story, but before I could question the avatar about it, Sokka changed the subject.
"Hey, what's that?" He pointed at me.
"What's what?"
"Around your neck?" The warrior boy clarified. I took my necklace in hand and pulled the cord over my head. I held it up so they could see the pendant...well Toph couldn't see it so I let her hold it instead.
"It was my father's. He gave it to me before he went off to sea." I explained. "It's a leopard head engraved on it."
"Is it gold?" Suki asked, looking down at Toph's hands."
"It's a mixture of gold and bronze I think. It would be too easy to bend and break if it were just pure gold."
Toph really seemed to be studying the pendant. "It's so intricate." The blind girl commented. She felt the metal some more. "What's this on the back? It's like a flower or something." My ears perked up at this. My cousin handed me back my pendant, which I showed Sokka. On the other side was an engraved flower which looked eerily familiar. It took the darker skinned boy a few moments to make the connection as well. Out from his pocket, the boy pulled out the Pai Sho tile we had received from Master Piando; the flower matched.
"A White Lotus..." The two of us said in unison. We stared at the items in silence for a few moments.
"Well this is interesting." I breathed. "It's gotta mean something."
"You think so?" Sokka looked at me. I studied both the game piece and the back of my necklace.
"Yeah." I nodded my head. "This isn't the first time I've seen this actually. Zuko's uncle plays Pai Sho a lot, and he tried teaching me when we were younger. His favorite piece was the White Lotus, in fact."
"Okay..." Sokka took in the information. "But do you really think there's a connection here?" I chuckled at the skeptical boy.
"I know you guys didn't know him, but my father was never one for flowers." Li Ann had the green thumb-my father not so much. "So why would he have one engraved on the back of his necklace? And the same question could be asked of Master Piando."
"Maybe the flower is a good luck symbol." Suki suggested. I shifted on my log and propped my chin up with my fist.
"I don't know enough about it to verify if that's true." I admitted. I hadn't even given the White Lotus much thought at all until then.
Sokka folded his arms. "I guess we won't figure that out until we find someone who does know more." I nodded my head. Maybe when everything was over we'd run into Iroh or Master Piando who could give us more answers. The mystery of the White Lotus would have to wait for now.
Soon enough, Katara and Zuko returned from their trip and I as well as the others was anxious to hear about what happened. I had to know if the Water Tribe girl followed through on her statement.
Aang and I accompanied Zuko to the pier in which Katara retreated to. She had kept her distance from us since coming back. The prince told us prior to seeking her out what transpired during their small journey and that in the end Katara had made the right decision.
The sun was setting and the water-bender sat on the edge of the wooden dock with her feet dangling over the water. Though we couldn't see her face at first, I had a feeling she was deep in thought. "Katara," Aang spoke in a soft voice, so as not to alarm her. "Zuko told us what you did...er what you didn't do actually." The bald monk scratched the back of his head. "I'm proud of you." there was a slight pause before Katara answered.
"I wanted to do it. I wanted to unleash all my anger onto him, so that in his last moment he could feel the suffering that I've endured all these years. But...I couldn't do it." The water-bender kept her back facing us but I could tell she was still upset because sorrow and frustration lined her voice. "I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it, or...if it's because I'm strong enough not to." I frowned. The blue eyed girl sounded so unsure and disappointed with herself. I wanted to say something positive and encouraging, but at the moment it seemed as if the girl would stay in that state forever.
The wooden boards creaked a bit as I approached the darker skinned girl though they were very sturdy. "You're not weak, Katara." I reassured her. "It takes a lot of will power and guts to do what you did." The brunet turned her head slowly to look up at me. "It's not easy to forgive. Especially in thi-"
"But I didn't forgive him." Katara cut me off. The girl rose to stand on the pier with us. "I'll never forgive him." The anger had vanished from her words, but determination still lingered. She remained silent for a few moments, then she gazed upon the scarred boy who stood behind us. "But...I am ready to forgive you." Then, to both mine and Aang's surprise, she captured the prince in a warm embrace which he returned. I felt a smile creep up my lips after a few moments. It looked like their trip had helped both understand the other more. The sight warmed my heart because Zuko rarely showed nor accepted affection; and there the two stood in front of us as unlikely friends. I began to wonder if it had been the prince who had changed Katara's mind about revenge. My thoughts were interrupted when the water-bender asked me to walk back to camp with her. The boys still conversed with one another on the dock so I figured why not.
The water Tribe girl was eerily quiet for the first part of our trek. She brought me back from outer space when she finally addressed me. "How does someone do that?" I didn't quite understand the question and at first I thought maybe the girl was asking herself. She then looked at me, with blue eyes like the sea once the sun comes up. "How does someone manage to do what I did? I mean, how can a person have so much hate and anger and then when it's at its peak it just dies?" The frustration returned to her voice and I began to understand. "It-it just vanished! Like it was never there to begin with." Katara folded her arms and stared at the ground as we continued to walk. She bit her bottom lip and it was apparent something else still bothered her. "Is something wrong with me?" The water-bender's voice began to waver. "I-I...can't even avenge my own mother." I could clearly see the hurt and pain in her eyes; they were windows into her soul, reflecting her innermost emotions. Though I too felt the heartbreaking loss of a parent, I couldn't exactly sympathize with her on this. It was an entirely different situation.
"Don't do this to yourself, Katara." I pleaded with her. The poor girl could be so hard on herself at times. "What happened was for the better and I truly think-" I trailed off, noticing she had stopped. We stood in the tall grass, feet apart, staring at one another.
"Better? Better how?" She asked and I didn't have an answer. Better on your conscience, was what I didn't say out loud. "The man who took our mother from us still draws breath, all because I didn't have the courage to do it!"
"No!" I corrected her, trying not to raise my voice. "You have plenty of courage. But that has nothing to do with it"
"It has everything to do with it!" The Water Tribe girl argued persistently. "Tell me what would you have done?" The question stung but I wouldn't let it sink under my skin. "If you were me, what would you have done?" In those moments I had to keep my thoughts in check. I blocked the smoke and ash from memory. I shut out the noise.
"Aang and I are proud that you didn't go through with it." I told the Water Tribe girl.
"You're not answering my question." My stomach dropped. "What would you have done, Karuna?" The tree. That gods awful blood stained tree flashed before my eyes. I shivered as I tried to flush it out. "Would you all of a sudden let go like that?"
The pale light of the moon outlined the fear across the boy's face as he glanced behind his shoulder."Kari, please!" His last words he begged. Seconds later, his body was driven into the Willow Tree with great force . A loud thunk resulted from the impact on the tree. Quin's lifeless hazel eyes stared off into nothing; His head tilted on an awkward angle. Thick, red streams ran down the fingers and wrist. The tree, coated in crimson towering over.
Another chill shot down my spine. I glanced up at Katara again once snapping out of my trance. "You know why I'm proud, Katara?" The darker skinned girl did not further interject. The look on her face revealed that she was puzzle and listening intently. "Because you were able yourself from making the mistake that I made." An uncomfortable tingling sensation worked its way from my fingertips to eventually the rest of my body. "And once you take that step, you can't take it back." My voice was thick in my throat as was my saliva. At first, the water-bender didn't say anything; she only gazed upon me with a sense of sudden understanding. I could practically see the gears shifting inside her mind as she began to comprehend.
"What happened?" Her words were soft and barely audible. A better question to ask would have been what didn't happen. A nauseous feeling began in the pit of my stomach once the memories flooded back. This time I didn't stop them from returning.
"I lost control. That's what happened." At the time-that everlasting moment, I believed my actions were justified. I was blind to the consequences and ethical repercussions that would follow. Blinded by vengeance and harbored rage. Like Wong Shi Tong had said, all humans believe their wars are justified, just as Quin and I had. The malevolent fire-bender deserved to perish as he did, but too late I realized it wasn't my divine right to deliver that fate unto him. The universe would ultimately determine his destiny or demise.
"I had a reason." I added, noticing the mixed emotions across Katara's face. "But in the end it could have been avoided." Two years ago, those words would have never come out of my mouth. I wouldn't have felt any remorse nor guilt for my actions that dismal and fateful night. Looking back on myself then worried me. It showed how impulsive I was and how dark I really could be.
The water-bender gazed upon me with looks of fear, wonder and sympathy. There were more emotions behind her eyes, but I couldn't pick out all of them. "What?" I asked her, after a long moment of silence where all we could hear was the gentle roll of the waves. "I'm even more fucked up than you thought?" I wouldn't have been surprised if she was thinking along those lines. The darker skinned girl shook her head at me.
"No. you have more restraint now than most of us because you know what it's like. So when faced with that decision again, you'll know how to approach it." It didn't strike me that the water-bender was right until moments later when more excerpts of my past came to visit me.
When Toph and I first met the gang, I wanted to kill Xin Fu and the rest of Earth Rumble VI for kidnapping my cousin and Aang. I was seconds away from ending Azula's life in the crystal catacombs underneath Ba Sing Se before Iroh stepped in. At the Boiling Rock I could have easily snapped the neck of the bothersome prison guard who had possession of my necklace. And that...beast they set on me in that pit cell...well I wasn't quite sure what his fate had been. Point being, there were many instances since the first in which I was able to stop before I did something I would live to regret.
Upon returning to camp, we packed up and got ready to depart on Appa. Zuko had suggested to Sokka that a good safe spot would be his family's old house on Ember Island. It would be perfect because no one would think to look for us there. A feeling of nostalgia washed over me as we unpacked our items and equipment into the mansion. It reminded me so much of the Fire Nation palace where I had spent a majority of my childhood. At every corner I half expected to see the princess leaning against the threshold with a mischievous smirk on her face- the same smirk that indicated she knew how we were going to find ourselves in trouble for that day. It almost disappointed me to learn that the entire estate was vacant, but of course that was for the better.
The boys were practicing their fire-bending that afternoon in the courtyard of the mansion. I did want to join them, but I felt kind of lazy. Instead, I sat on the sidelines with Toph and Katara and observed. "Shouldn't you be training too?" The water-bender asked me. I shrugged my shoulders at her.
Zuko sat on the edge of a stone fountain which looked like it had been empty of water for quite some time now. "Trust me, she's trained for Armageddon." The prince spoke on my behalf while he dried his sweaty head with a towel. He cracked a smile once he saw me chuckle at this. "Though the extra practice wouldn't hurt...why don't you join us when we resume later?" He offered. I saw no harm in the idea.
Just then, Sokka and Suki came outside and the Water Tribe boy had something rolled up in his hand. "You guys aren't gonna believe this!" He exclaimed, rushing towards us.
"We were just in town and found this poster." The Kyoshi Warrior explained and Sokka unraveled it for us to see; on it was Aang, Katara and Sokka done in an artist's rendition. It took me a minute to notice it was Zuko's eyes in the background...only the scar was drawn on the wrong side for some reason. "It's a play about us!" We were all pretty surprised and skeptical about this new discovery. I mean, a play about us? Sokka read off the info to us from the poster.
The play, "The Boy in the Iceberg" was a new production from the play writer. Pu-On Tim. The man apparently went all over the globe to gather information about Aang and everyone else. "Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island players." The darker skinned boy concluded.
Zuko groaned loudly from his seat still on the stone fountain. "They're horrible! My mother used to take us to see them. They butchered 'Love Amongst the Dragons' every year!" If I remembered correctly, Azula wasn't a fan of the actors either. At least, that's how it sounded from the vacation stories she used to tell me. Sokka however, was rearing to go.
"Come on guys! A day at the theater is exactly the wacky time wasting nonsense we've been missing!"
Hours later, the gang and I were a the theater, headed towards our seats. We picked a small balcony section so that there was only enough room for our party- for obvious reasons. Though we were all wearing our Fire Nation garb, we still didn't want to risk being recognized. Aang, Zuko, Katara and Top sat in the front of our sky box section while I sat with Sokka and Suki behind them. I had mixed feelings about going to see this play. Would we be portrayed properly? Did the play writer include all the right facts? What would he include and what would he leave out? Before I could ask any more internal questions, I was given my first set of answers as the curtain pulled back and the show began.
My first impression of the actors was not a very good one. The portrayal of the Water Tribe siblings was pretty poor in my opinion. Katara was pretty put off by the over dramatized version of herself on stage. To be honest, I found it rather funny, so I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud. Sokka's actor was just as bad, making it seem like everything was just a punchline waiting to happen. And don't even get me started on Aang's. The first part of the play was a bit painful to watch though it was kind of cute how Sokka got all teary eyed at the reenactment of Yue's sacrifice. Things got worse once Toph and I were introduced.
First off, Toph was a guy. A really buff guy- who used sonic waves from his mouth to "see"! My cousin was thrilled with her casting and thought it was the coolest thing ever. It was utterly ridiculous. Right beside the Toph actor was a young woman clad in... black which I assumed was me. She wore a hood which was strange because I never remembered wearing anything of the sort. The gang on stage asked her who she was and she pulled down her hood so the audience could see her face.
"The name's Karuna," She stated in a grim tone. "Got it memorized?" I raised an eyebrow. Got it memorized? I didn't sound like that, did I? So dismal and serious? So far, my portrayal seemed more dark and dramatic than Zuko's and that was saying something! I rolled my eyes and sighed. Only another act and half left to go.
The play had it's fair share of awkward moments too, like the completely different twist in the crystal catacombs under Ba Sing Se. I could see the water-bender and the scarred prince eye one another nervously as their actors announced their feelings for one another. I felt bad for them; it was starting to make me feel uncomfortable even. Aang must have felt the same way because pretty soon, the avatar got up and left our section. Fresh air sounded like a good idea, but I was too curious to see what else would get butchered up next; it was a guilty pleasure.
It was a miracle I was still somewhat engaged in the play by the end of the second act. They had made the battle of Ba Sing Se look absolutely foolish- they had my actor run around with a dragon mask on for Agni's sake! I felt pretty insulted and it bothered me that so many people were glorifying Aang's "death." I was glad when the second intermission came. It gave me a chance to stretch my legs and clear my head. Out of the corner of my eye, a young woman with light brown hair stood out from all the other audience members. Her outfit wasn't quiet as professional as the one I had seen her last in, but it still had authority written all over it. The girl turned her head as if she had felt my gaze, then gray eyes met bronze. For a sliver of a moment, time seemed to come to a halt. Oh no. No, no, no.
Naomi broke away from the crowd and made her way over towards me. Instantly, I looked away and leaned my back against the wall closest to me. Unfortunately this didn't discourage the other girl from approaching me. She leaned against the wall just as I did, only a few feet away from me. Her head as turned on an angle to the left where I was. "You're either really brave or really stupid. Maybe even both." She muttered just loud enough for me to hear.
"It's good to see you too." I sighed with false optimism. "Aren't you supposed to be at the prison?"
"I got discharged." Naomi responded. I opened my mouth to ask why, but then realized it wasn't a necessary inquiry. "What in Agni are you doing here, Sankari? Do you have any idea how much shit you'll be in inf you're discovered?" I shifted onto the balls of my feet and exhaled calmly.
"Well you haven't turned me in yet." I pointed out. "I'll take my chances." The ex prison guard gave me the same look she used to when we were little kids; the one that read 'you're weird, I don't get you.' "It's sweet that you're worried." I continued my dry banter. Naomi sighed heavily and eyed the lobby cautiously.
"This isn't a game, dammit!" She hissed at me. "I'm still a member of the sentry-I could have this place surrounded and locked down on my signal." I observed the young woman carefully as she said this. It was true that she still held an authoritative position but her eyes gave her away. The bronze irises swam with uncertainty.
"But you won't..." I stated, and the other fire-bender softened her gaze. I was suddenly curious. "Why is that?" My childhood friend stared at me for many moments without blinking. Her chest rose and fell from her steady breathing. Then, she lowered her head to the ground.
"It's not worth it anymore." Naomi mumbled and it was barely audible. "I was fighting this war with them, but now they're gone. I see no point in it."
"Who's gone?" I inquired gently. The light brunet slowly lifted her head to gaze at me.
"Razi and Deepthi are dead." This struck me as a shocker. Dead? I had never been anything other than acquaintances with those two but I would never wish anything that horrible to happen to them. "And Kenzo's gone off, spirits knows where." Distraught lined the poor girl's voice.
"What about Sarayu?" I asked.
"She's in Yu Dao." Naomi explained. I began to sympathize with her because everyone close to her was suddenly slipping away. And to make things harder on the girl, her family resided in the colonies of the Earth Kingdom. Many of the same rules applied to the sentry as well as the military; she was not allowed to leave or abandon. Naomi was all alone out here with no one. I leaned closer.
"This is all going to be over soon." I reassured the ex prison guard. "I'm with the avatar. We're going to stop this nightmare." A gleam of hope flickered in Naomi's eyes. Then she suddenly asked,
"Do you think it'll stop once it's all over? The violence...the separation?" To be perfectly honest, I had no answer for her. It wouldn't have surprised me if nobody else in the world did either.
"I hope so." I finally responded after some deep pondering. "But we won't find out until after the war is over and we've won." Naomi nodded in understanding.
"I wish you the utmost luck then." She smiled wryly at me. "Because you have all of us counting on you now." Naomi's words filled me with a certain warmth and motivation. Her being on our side now made our cause seem even stronger.
"I wish you well too," I smiled as the two of us began to part ways as friends again. "In starting over." I was halfway up the stairs to our balcony seat when Naomi called out to me.
"Kari!" I stopped abruptly and turned to face her once more. "About that night," I instantly knew which even she referred to. "About Sameer..." My heart felt heavy in my chest. "He was a brother to me, really." She shook her head at the ground in shame. "I didn't know Quin's true intentions. Honestly. I wish I could have done something." I sighed, sharing her heavy conscience and pain.
"So do I."
Once I returned to our sky box, Sokka began filling me in on what I'd missed while conversing with Naomi. "We went to the Fire Nation, you and Aang had that dance party. Katara was the Painted Lady, and I got a sword, I think Combustion Man died but I'm not sure- ohhh here comes the invasion!"
No sooner had he said that, his actor and the others came onstage on top of the submarines. "Hey Toph, would you say that you and Aang have a...rocky relationship?" The audience burst out into chuckles and giggles at the one-liner. Finally! A joke actually Sokka worthy!
"Well if that's true," The muscly Toph responded. "Your sister's and Karuna's must be as swift as a coursing river." The audience roared with laughter and I nearly chocked on my water. More like the force of a great typhoon. Where they really going there? Nuh-uh.
Soon after, the actor gang made it to the palace, but much like what actually happened, nobody was there...but then the Zuko actor appeared...What? He didn't join us until AFTER the invasion! Then, the Azula actor appeared on the prop throne. "It seems like your plans have been foiled again, Team Avatar!" She cackled wickedly. Then they went into the drama about my true identity being revealed which evoked gasps and shocks from a non-suspecting audience. Then a cat fight followed suit involving both the Katara actor and the Azula actor. Each grabbed an arm on the actor me and began a tugging war. Both actors pulled with the strength of a raging fire. I slapped a hand to my forehead. Of all the things...
"I have to pee." I got up to excuse myself from that awkward scenario but Katara pulled me back down in my seat.
"Oh no!" The water-bender exclaimed. "If I'm staying you're staying!"
The play's ending left much to be desired. It pretty much eluded to the fact that Aang died taking on Ozai. Azula killed Zuko in a final duel and I got jumped by the Fire Nation military. So as the rest of the audience erupted in a loud and joyous standing ovation, the gang and I sat in our seats eyes glued to the stage in disbelief. Though relieved it was finally over, the ending made all of us feel pretty crappy.
"That was not a good play..." Zuko said once we walked along the shore of the beach towards the mansion. The best part of the night was how serene and beautiful the ocean and night sky looked.
"Hmm you don't say." I teased the boy, my tone dripping with sarcasm.
"The effects were decent." Sokka shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm going to have nightmares about that god awful play." Katara groaned once the seven of us entered the estate.
"Me too." Suki agreed as she began to head off to her room. "And I was barely in it!" Sokka stopped her from leaving just yet.
"Wait guys, I have an idea!" Oh boy...I laughed internally. Another of the Water Tribe boy's brilliant plans. What would it be this time? "We can tell stories by the fire like we used to. I bet anything we can come up with will cancel out that atrocity we just saw!" It was actually a great idea-probably one of his better ones. We agreed that might help us sleep better at night and went out to the courtyard.
Zuko and I made a fire around the inner ring of the dried out fountain. Then, all of us sat upon the stone outer circle above it. Up above, I could see the silhouette of the clouds that were against the navy blue sky. This was what I loved about summer. "So..." Zuko got the ball rolling. "Anyone have any ideas?"
"Why don't we tell legends?" Aang pipped up. "Those ought to be good." I liked the avatar's suggestion. "Are there any that we haven't shared before?" The group was silent for a bit while they sat in thought.
"Karuna," Katara looked at me from across the way. "You never finished telling me about Avatar Sango." This was true. I hadn't.
"I've never heard of that avatar." My cousin said.
"She's the one that Fire Nation teacher talked about." Aang said, referring to our incognito days when we infiltrated one of the schools. "She said you looked like her." I nodded my head at the air-bender.
"That's the one." I confirmed. " Only, she mixed up her facts about her. I realized I had too. Avatar Sango wasn't in the cycle before Kyoshi. She lived over 2,000 years ago." This snagged everyone's attention and I began to tell my story.
"Avatar Sango was born in what is now known as the Tu Zin Village. The world was a very different place then; not so divided and separate as it is now. She was born an earth-bender, and discovered she was the avatar at age 14. It didn't take her long to learn the other elements as well, for she was already masterful in earth at quite a young age. By age 18 she had traveled to nearly everywhere in the globe, learning from different masters of different elements. It was then when she was proclaimed a fully actualized avatar.
"A few years later, things in the Eastern part of the Earth Kingdom began to take a turn for the worst. Ba Sing Se's first and only empress ruled during that time, and her reign began to transform into a nightmare. Empress Wu Zhao was a powerful woman and a powerful earth-bender. In some cases she even made earth-bending illegal in the lower classes so none could rise up and take power from her. For you see, the throne did not truly belong to her. It was her late husband's and would be given to her son. However, her child was no more than a toddler, so she was able to rule in his place temporarily. When it was time for her son to take his rightful place, his untimely death occurred. One can guess how that was arranged. A second son in line for the throne met the same fate. The empress got away with both accounts.
Wu Zhao's tyranny was recognized throughout all the land but none could act out against it. Her military was loyal to her as well as the nobles of the region. Word spread and soon Avatar Sango had received notification of the oppressed people. She arrived in Ba Sing Se, which was actually called Luoyang back then, to confront the empress. The meeting turned hostile and a duel began. Sango, being the honorable avatar she was refused to fight with any means other than solely earth-bending. It was said that the two fought for days to no avail until finally a treaty was set in place. The empress would uplift the strict governing of her people and retire her power hungry practices if Avatar Sango would agree to ally the Water Tribes with her kingdom. The avatar agreed because it was a humble request of the Empress and no harm would come to anyone because of it.
Avatar Sango set out on her journey to complete the tasks given to her by the empress, but of course being the avatar she was sidetracked by helping others in need as well. The first year, she managed to create a positive bond between the earth region and the Water Tribes which dwelt in the south. During the second year, she traveled to the North to begin counseling with the tribes and people in those regions. Accompanying Sango was her friend and lover, Nanook, who was a member of the northern tribes. Tragedy struck when the two were ambushed on the tundra by Wu Zhao's men. The empress was furious that the tasks had taken the avatar this long to complete. The bender couple brawled with ease at first because Wu Zhao's warriors posed no major threat to them. But the snow storm began to make things more difficult for them. Seconds before Avatar Sango went into the avatar state, a dagger penetrated her side and struck a vital point. She wanted to rip the blade out, but Nanook discouraged her from doing so-she'd bleed to death if she did.
There were still a dozen men still standing and fatigue was slowly taking a hold of Nanook. Sango knew he would surely die if she did nothing. Regardless of the consequences, she ripped the dagger out of her flesh and hurled it into the neck of the squad leader, saving her lover's life. The rest of Wu Zhao's men fled the scene now that their work was done and disappeared into the blizzard. Nanook knelt down in the bloodied snow, holding the love of his life in his arms. He was not a healer and he wept because there was nothing he could do. He couldn't leave her there in the snow but if he tried bringing her the rest of the way north she'd surely die on the way. So he stayed with her, holding her close as her last breath of life escaped from her lips. Then he laid down to die beside her.
"And that's where we get the term 'till death do us part'." I explained to the gang. All twelve eyes were on me, and they were wide with astonishment and wonder. I didn't expect the story to be such a hit, but from the looks of the group they certainly enjoyed it.
"That's so sad..." Suki then frowned. Katara did the same beside her. I nodded my head at the two of them. It indeed was a tragic story.
"It is...she died the youngest of any avatar. " I added.
Zuko sighed loudly. "And you all thought I was depressing." He said at last. I chortled at his remark and the others chuckled at him. The scarred boy had his funny moments every now and again when he wasn't trying to be as grim and mysterious as the dark side of the moon. Under all that doom and gloom was a smile or two waiting to come out.
"That's because you didn't have us around." Katara teased him. This evoked a snort from the prince and he crossed his arms.
"Yeah, that must be it." I couldn't resist laughing out loud that time and neither could anyone else. Zuko sat there with a sly grin on his face, looking rather proud of his funny. I love these guys. I sighed contently. In those perfect moments, the world seemed alright after all.
* The song sung by Karuna in beginning of chapter is called 'Beauty Song' and is from the movie 'House of the Flying Daggers'
Avatar Sango's story is also inspired by House of the Flying Daggers but the Empress Wu Zhao is a real person from history.
THANKS FOR READING! (Review too :3)
~Th3rdhal3~