By the time Aang and Katara embarked on Crescent Island, the explosions had stopped. Katara secured her waterskin across her shoulders, and Aang lit a small fire in his palm so they could see where they were going. The island's terrain felt strange underfoot, like pillowy rocks. Katara remembered the ground seemed to be having an elemental identity crisis the last time they were there. It was like liquid fire. The combination then struck her as significant and almost… prophetic.
Fire and water. Team liquidy hot. Opposites attract. I was here two years ago, and I'm back here now. For a reason, I bet.
"Katara!" Aang whispered. "I think there's someone over there."
In full-on stealth mode, they crept toward the figure, but all the precaution and sneakiness turned out to be unnecessary.
"Shyu? Is that you?" Aang called out once they were within a few feet of the man. The Fire Sage sat with his legs crossed and his eyes closed and didn't acknowledge them at first.
"He's meditating," Katara observed.
"Unsuccessfully," Shyu spoke suddenly.
"Sorry. We didn't mean to interrupt. What are you doing out here?" Aang asked.
"Yeah, why weren't you at the festival?" Katara then remembered Fire Sage Alla's words. Don't ask questions. Too late…
"I…uhh…" The old man rubbed his temples. Katara and Aang joined him around the small campfire he had made and waited a few minutes before Shyu finally answered.
"I'm trying to contact Avatar Roku," he explained. "My efforts have been futile, though, which I should have expected."
"Oh," Aang said. "Is it because the temple and statue are gone? Because that was kinda my fault. Sorry."
"No, no. It's the full moon. Or lack thereof," Shyu replied. Aang and Katara stared at him blankly. The Fire Sage held their gazes as the firelight danced across their faces, and then shook his head wearily. "It's a long story."
"The moon was full when we came here two years ago," Katara said. "Did that… mean something?"
"It does." Shyu paused. "But like I said, it's a long story. I'm not even sure where to begin."
Aang and Katara said nothing in response but simply sat there looking wide-eyed at the man. The fire had settled into a bed of glowing embers by the time Shyu shifted his weight and cracked his knuckles, finally resigning to tell his tale.
"My father was executed by Fire Lord Azulon for his allegiances to the Avatar. He passed on a few things to me before he died one of which was the capability to contact Avatar Roku whenever there is a full moon on a Winter Solstice. The phenomenon doesn't happen often, only every 20 years or so. The first time I was able to do it, I was 40 years old, and Avatar Roku gave me a prophecy. He said that one of his descendants would be the next Avatar."
Aang and Katara exchanged confused glances. Shyu took a deep breath and continued.
"When Fire Lord Azulon found out what I was doing, he insisted that I tell him what Roku had said. I didn't fully understand what the prophecy meant, but I knew that the Fire Lord was ruthless where the Avatar was concerned, so I altered it. I told him that Roku had said one of his descendants would become the most powerful person in the world. Shortly thereafter, Azulon sought out Roku's granddaughter to have her marry his son. In essence, he thought he was carrying out this prophesy in order to empower his own bloodline.
Since we had not heard anything about a new Avatar after Sozin wiped out the Air Nomads, I assumed the cycle had been broken. With Roku's prophecy, however, I thought maybe it had only been suspended, and that an airbender would somehow be born in Roku's line. It seemed impossible until I found out there were airbenders living in secret in the Fire Nation. I advised Chin Lee to position some of his family members in the royal court. He resisted at first, but after Prince Zuko was born, I thought surely one of Chin's seven granddaughters around his age would make an impression. Ty Lee definitely got close, but then events started unfolding quite differently.
Two years ago, I expected another full moon on the Winter Solstice and planned to seek out Roku again. Fire Lord Azulon had died under suspicious circumstances, the prince had been banished, and the war raged on with uncertain dread. All hope seemed lost, and I needed his guidance more than ever. Two weeks before the Solstice, however, Roku's statue began to glow, and I received a vision then instead.
He said the Avatar was alive and coming to Crescent Island on the Solstice. He would bring with him the power of the full moon. The other Fire Sages heard this part, too, but to me and me alone, Roku revealed that you and your friends would need my help when you got here and to take special care—that the power of his bloodline would lie where there is power over the blood.
Of course, you know the rest of the events from that night. Although, I still have not been able to make sense of the prophecies. I came back here last year on the Solstice with hopes of finding answers, and here I am again. I know I am powerless without the aid of the full moon, but…"
Power that comes with the full moon… power over the blood… Katara looked at Aang and saw that he had made the same connections she had. "Aang, what nation is next in the Avatar cycle?" She asked the question but already knew the answer.
"Water Tribe," Aang confirmed.
"Master Katara," Shyu spoke again. "I… did consider…"
"It's true," she whispered. "It has to be."
"Do you know why—" Shyu started.
"Yes. Because I have power over the blood. It's called bloodbending. And I can do it on a full moon. I couldn't then... I found out later, but I guess that doesn't matter with prophecies..." She shuddered as thoughts and memories flooded her mind. The one that echoed loudest was Hama's words, "The choice is not yours. The power exists. And it's your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war." With this prophecy, do I have a choice? I love Zuko, but now it's somehow my duty to be with him?
Shyu seemed to be pondering the revelation himself. After bearing the awkward silence for as long as he could stand it, Aang asked, "Since, uhhh, we're here and all… do you want me to see if I can contact Roku? Maybe he has more prophecies for us?"
"Could you?" Shyu's demeanor shifted from contemplative to ecstatic and then quickly to that of concern. "Or… wait. Only if Katara is comfortable with it. I know that it could make you feel strange or act in ways you wouldn't otherwise. I suspect that you love Fire Lord Zuko, but I don't know how seriously you have considered your future with him. This, ah, affects that… I imagine…"
"It's fine. I mean, we've talked about it some. The part that makes me uncomfortable is that when there's a new Avatar, it means that Aang is…"
"Don't worry, Katara." Aang smiled. "Besides 'descendant' could be a long time from now. You never know."
"Maybe we can ask Roku when… or is that a bad idea? I don't know. This is the closest I've gotten in years to understanding all of this. I will follow your lead, Avatar Aang." Shyu nodded to the young airbender who assumed the meditation position.
After the better part of an hour, Aang gave up. "Sorry. I haven't really mastered… um, usually when I contact my past lives, it's kinda by accident."
Shyu's shoulders slumped, but he forced a smile. "It's OK, young Avatar. We'll just have to wait another 18 years for the next full moon."
"But in 18 years, I could be…" Katara couldn't finish. Would the next Avatar be her child? Would she have to let Aang go so soon?
"Well, my father spoke of another way, but I haven't been able to try it. Avatar Roku's things were all destroyed when his volcano island home erupted. I haven't been able to locate any artifacts of his. I don't suppose the current Avatar counts… if we could use something that belongs to Aang or not…"
"You need something that belonged to Roku?" Katara asked.
"Yes," Shyu replied. "To act as a portal, of sorts, into the spirit world."
Katara sifted through the contents of her bag until she found a bundle of fabric. She unfolded it carefully to reveal the topknot piece she had discovered in Zuko's Ember Island room, the one Iroh said had belonged to Sozin who then gifted it to Roku.
"Wow, Katara! Where did you get that?" Aang reached out and cradled the decorative flames secured by a metal pin and band. "It's definitely his. He's always wearing it when I see him…"
Katara shrugged. It was part of something she was planning for Zuko's present, but that seemed irrelevant now. His 18th birthday had felt so significant, but now she was facing the future of their children and the fate of the world.
Shyu reignited the fire and set the crown on a rock in front of the flames. He resumed his meditative stance, and Aang did the same without hesitation. Katara eyed them both with some suspicion, but then figured it was worth a try, at least.
As soon as she sat down, the scenery around her changed abruptly. Was she floating on clouds? No, it still looked like pillowy lava rocks, but in shades of soft pinks and blues. Wherever she was, it was definitely dreamy… serene… and a little bit unnerving.
"Katara, I'm so glad to see you," a voice spoke.
"A-a-vatar Roku, is that you?"
"It is."
"Where am I? The spirit world?"
"Hmm, somewhere in between here and there."
"Are Shyu and Aang here, too?"
"They are not. The message I have is for you."
"Oh, Avatar Roku, please tell me it's not our son or daughter. I don't think I can bear it if Aang dies that soon. He's so young."
"You forget that Aang is actually 114 years old."
"True, but—"
"Do not worry, Katara. The prophecy I told Shyu about my descendant was referring to my great great great granddaughter."
"So…uh… that would be… Zuko's granddaughter?"
"Yes."
"Ok, I guess that's… a little better. And the bloodbending thing? Does my future involve that somehow? Because I'd really rather not—"
"What you do with that ability is up to you. Your granddaughter, however, will have to face dire implications of bloodbending. You may choose to respect its power, but I assure you others will not."
"There are… other bloodbenders? Besides Hama?"
"Katara, I am only privy to limited information and only when it affects my bloodline and the Avatar cycle."
"Oh. OK, then. Anything else?"
"The Winter Solstice. It will also be significant to the next Avatar. I have known this since Zuko was born. It is how I knew he would be the one to help restore balance in the world. And the next Avatar will be the one to help restore balance between our world and the spirit world."
"Wow, that's…"
"A lot to take in, I know, Katara. There is nothing you need to do differently. Love him. Help him stay to the right path. Guide and grow your children well."
"So that's just it. I'm only as good as the heirs I produce, then?"
"On the contrary, Katara. You are the power of the moon, the power over the blood. None of this would be possible without you."
"But what does that even mean?"
Avatar Roku appeared to be done with dolling out prophetic wisdom for the moment. Katara felt her breath catch in her throat, and then on her next inhale, she opened her eyes to find herself back at the campsite. Shyu and Aang were gaping at her.
"Katara! Did you talk to him?" Aang reached out a hand to steady her. She didn't even realize she had been swaying, but she then noticed the firelight fading in and out focus.
"He…I… it's our granddaughter," she said before collapsing in Aang's arms.
The next thing she knew, she woke up in her bed on Ember Island. It was still dark outside… and someone was screaming.
"Zuko!"
A/N: Welcome to the tangled web that has become my head canon! Full moons and solstices and bloodbending, oh my!
But seriously, did Katara get fucked over in Legend of Korra or what? I just... can't...
So, I obviously ignore Kataang and therefore Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin. I really think that Aang would be committed to restoring the Air Nomad population, and well, that wouldn't likely happen efficiently through a monogamous relationship where one out of three kids ends up being an airbender. I like Aang, and there are a lot of Zutara shippers who don't. I just think he is 1) young and immature and 2) very attached to his people/culture and perhaps moreso than an Avatar should be. And let's face it, LoK doesn't really present Aang in the best of light, either. I'm OK with him wanting to "sow his wild oats" when he's a little older, and err, consequently, repopulate the airbenders. He's a free spirit, anyway. Sure, I think he would be involved in diplomatic stuff in Republic City, but his passion would be with reviving his culture. I also think this lifestyle would NOT be for Katara. She wants stability. Zuko may be an emotional wreck (in my fic anyway) but he's not going anywhere.
There are family tree gaps that I want to play with then. (Because I am shit at coming up with OCs.) If we take Kataang and their brood off the table, then who is left? Well, Izumi's mother is a mystery. Nope, not anymore, she's Zuko and Katara's firstborn, a firebender and heir to the throne. Hmm, then there's Senna, Korra's mother. We don't have much background on her, either, except that she marries Tonraq who becomes the chief of the Southern Water Tribe after a falling out with his father and brother in the North? So, that was a little far-fetched to me, unless Tonraq had a connection to the SWT already through his mother-in-law, Katara.
See, this works out well (in my head, at least, so bear with me). Sokka doesn't want to succeed his father as chief because he's in love with Suki, and they're involved in new and exciting things in Two Rivers (which becomes Republic City). But Hakoda wouldn't pass the tribal leadership into just anyone's hands and especially wouldn't be that trustful of someone from the North (unless they plan on revealing something in the new comic books, but I've pretty much denied those plots, too). So, enter Senna, daughter of Zuko and Katara, who has the SWT connection through her mother. I haven't thought far enough in advance for how she meets Tonraq and all that, but the Water Tribes are still pretty traditional/patriarchal, I'd guess, so Senna couldn't become the new chief, but her husband could.
None of this comes into play during Rising Tide, really, other than Roku's revelation. I don't even think I'll get as far as Zuko and Katara's marriage in the third part of the trilogy, much less them having children. But I liked the idea of Roku being a bit cryptic with his prophecies, "a descendant as the next Avatar," but how does that work exactly? And the whole "power of the moon" and "power over the blood" thing. I originally planned for it to be spelled out more gradually, but instead it all came out at once in this chapter. There was just too much in LoK, too, that I felt could tie in nicely with Amon and the bloodbending and the harmonic convergence on the Winter Solstice.
Meanwhile, Katara will do what Roku said in regard to Zuko. Love him well. Help him stay to the right path. And continue to be one seriously badass waterbender and strong-willed woman, you know, the role she was denied when the ATLA series ended.