Deafening silence filled the hall.
It was like the entire world had gone quiet, everything was muted, except for the erratic thumping of my heart. I looked around at the unfamiliar faces staring back at me. No one smiled, no one laughed.
They just stared at me.
And suddenly I just wanted to run out. I just wanted to run away from there, away from all of the speculative looks and to the safety of my borrowed room, but I wouldn't run again like a weakling, I would stay and fight.
"Katara," Bato warned as he rose up next to me. "I don't think you know what you're saying. There can be dire consequences if you're caught."
"I know exactly what I'm saying, and I know the consequences. I know I can do it," my voice was forceful, giving me the appearance that I was more confident than I actually felt.
"You could die. Your father and brother fought to make sure that didn't happen."
"And look where they are now! Probably rotting away in some Fire Nation prison because I was too much of a pansy to stay back and give myself up!" I heard a few sharp intakes of air. "I'm not sitting on the sidelines again this time."
"Katara," Chief Arnook called and I turned to look at him. "There is a chance you may not come back."
"Yes, I know."
"And it will be a more difficult mission considering you are a woman." I tried not to cringe as he said it, but it was out in the open now, what everyone was thinking when I volunteered. Stupid sexist tribe.
"I would be honored if you would let me accept this task." I bowed to him.
He hesitated, watching me intently, judging if I was really serious or just playing him. I stood impossibly still, waiting for his decision. Moments later, he gave a curt nod, his choice made.
"Step forward, sister, and accept my mark."
I walked up to the stage and Chief Arnook stepped down, dipping three of his fingers into a thick brown paint. I passed Kiano, feeling his steady blue gaze with every step I took, then stopped about a foot in front of Arnook. I closed my eyes as he reached forward and made a simple, three-fingered design on my forehead.
I could feel the mark strengthen me, give me the courage to stand tall and look into the face of my fears. I could feel the new rush of adrenaline course through my veins, the feeling that came with a new purpose.
I'm coming. I'm coming to save you both.
Three weeks of intensive training followed that meeting. I'd sparred with some of the best warriors till I was drained of every ounce of energy I possessed. I was already familiar with sword forms from practicing with Sokka when we were younger, so keeping up with the other warriors in training wasn't a big deal. They taught me how to shoot a bow and arrow, which just seemed like too much of a hassle to me, having to load and reload your bow in the middle of a fight.
Then they showed me the knives, and I immediately knew that this would be the best form of defense for me. They were small, easily concealed, and maneuverable. I could swipe and punch at the same time, doing double the damage that I could do with a sword. They also allowed me to move closer in to my enemy, providing more opportunities to strike.
The last part of my training had caused quite a conflict in the tribe.
I'd fought long and hard with the Chief and counsel to get what I wanted, because I knew that I wouldn't feel prepared going into this mission without extra means of protection. I knew I would have to keep it a secret while I was undercover, but I also knew that if I was caught and needed a quick escape, I was going to need my bending to be considered a larger threat.
Master Pakku and Chief Arnook would not budge from their customs, explaining that their ancient traditions have never been broken and they intended to keep them that way. I held my tongue and resisted the temptation to tell them where they should put their customs, knowing that giving them an attitude wouldn't help the situation come to an end.
"I know your tribe has certain traditions that have been strictly observed, but you need to understand that I'm different than the other women here. I'm going into the Fire Nation, collecting information for you, possibly finding my the whereabouts of the warriors of my tribe, and you can't return the favor by simply teaching me a bit of water-bending, to defend myself?"
The Chief looked like he was about to speak, but Master Pakku quickly spoke up.
"No. The answer will remain the same as before, and always will." Pakku turned and strolled away, like he was happy with himself. Bastard, I sneered internally.
"I'm sorry, Katara. I know how much you wish to learn," the Chief said before walking away, but I barely heard him. I was focusing on the retreating figure of the master walking away across the plaza. My fists clenched, and a stream of water started to rise toward my hand. Before I could even think about the consequences of my actions, my right hand swung back over my shoulder, pulling the water with it and then whipped it forward, watching with satisfaction as the thin stream smacked the back of Pakku's head.
The sound echoed throughout the plaza, and heads snapped up to see what, or who, had produced the sound. Their gazes fell on the master and myself, silence spreading like wildfire. Pakku spoke as he turned his body to face me.
"Fine, foolish girl. If you want to learn so badly, watch closely!" he remarked sarcastically. I took a fighting stance. Finally, I would get my chance to smack some sense into this old geezer.
With a simple wave of his arms, a large wave came from the fountain straight at me, but I was able to roll out of the way in time. I ran straight at him, pulling water from the snow and sending it in his direction, but he easily deflected it with another wave of his own.
Bystanders pushed back to give us room, others rushed forward to see the action, already making bets on who would win. I knew exactly who would win before we were even ten seconds into the match, but it didn't matter. I just needed this man to see that I wasn't the weak, little, pathetic girl he thought I was.
He sent frozen spikes of ice toward my head, and I jumped back, twisting and turning to avoid the stakes. I'd missed most of them, but one grazed my left cheek, leaving a searing sensation in its wake. I ignored the pain, I could deal with that later. Right now, I had a crazy, sexist pig to deal with.
I bent the water to my hands, wielding two streams like whips, pivoting this way and that, closing in on him, but he was too fast. He brought another large wave toward me, but this time, instead of it being directed at me, it was being directed around me. He bent the water so it surrounded us in a circle, enclosing us in a water prison.
"I have to admit," he started conversationally. "You are an excellent bender."
"But you still won't teach me?"
"No."
I still had control of the whips, grunting and wildly thrashing at him with any chance I could get, but it was hard to concentrate as he pulled the ring of water smaller and smaller.
Trying to keep my hold on the water whips and stay away from the wall of water Pakku was bending was becoming too much work. I lost my footing and fell, and Pakku didn't hold back. He broke the circle of water and sent the entire wave toward me, letting it crush me with its powerful force. I slammed into a snow column and felt my breath whoosh out of me. From my peripheral vision I could see Pakku approaching, slowly, thinking he'd won this battle, but I had a plan. I always had a plan.
He stepped closer, closer still, until he was only a few more steps away.
Wait, Katara. Wait.
And then he was standing before me, smiling like and shaking his head like he was scolding a child. "Foolish girl."
I snapped up and swiped my hands forward, letting the column of snow fall over me, toward Master Pakku. I had about a spilt second to enjoy the look on his face before he registered what I was doing and countered my attack. As the snow came falling down, he clenched his hands, the snow turned to long stakes of ice, falling around me, and trapped my body between the spikes. I struggled against the ice, feeling the stares of the spectators, their pity.
I don't want your sympathy. I want to bend.
"We're done here." He turned and started across the plaza.
"No, we aren't. I'm not finished with you, Pakku! Get back here!" I thrashed wildly against my constraints, eager to get my hands on him.
"Yes, we are." He continued to walk away and then stopped short, staring at something on the ground with interest. He bent down and picked up the piece of blue material that had a small round moonstone attached to it. "This is my necklace," he said quietly.
"No, its not! It's mine!" I struggled against the ice again, desperate to get back what belonged to me. It must have fallen off while we were fighting and I hadn't noticed. "Give it back!"
"I made this necklace sixty years ago, for the love of my life…Kanna." His tone was nostalgic, and for a moment, I actually felt bad for him. The ice holding me in place melted, freeing me from the cold prison.
"My Gran-Gran was supposed to marry you?" I knew she lived here as a child, then left later on, but she never told me that she was betrothed.
"Yes, I was," said a familiar voice calmly. I whirled around and saw my grandmother standing there, hands clasped in front of her. She stepped forward, stopping when she was next to me, never taking her eyes off of her should-have-been husband. "I see you've met my granddaughter, Pakku. Or rather, dueled her?"
"Oh no," I mused sardonically. "We were just having a nice little chat over tea, isn't that right Pakku?" A few snickers sounded from the crowd. "Why did you leave, Gran-Gran?" I asked on a more serious note.
She sighed. "For the very reason I suspect you fought with Master Pakku, here. I didn't believe that the customs were fair, so I left with some others and we went to the South Pole." Pakku hung onto every word she said, like his life depended on it. Wow, he really did love her, and after all this time, he still loves her. That's probably why he's so bitter, being left by the one woman he cared for most in the world.
He slowly walked over to us, like he was afraid my grandmother would leave again if he made the wrong move. When he reached us, he held out a hand toward me, returning the necklace to me.
"I'll teach you what I can."
I bowed, completely stunned. "Thank you, Master Pakku."
So two weeks of rigorous training followed that day, and I learned more about water bending in those fourteen days than I had ever learned in seventeen years of my life. I had better control over the water, and it took less of an effort for me to command it. My sparring partners couldn't keep up. I'd bested them all, except for one.
Kiano had come to training one day, asked by Master Pakku, so I could have a more even match. It was a close fight, but Kiano did win, having about twelve more years of training than I did. Master Pakku lightened up on me, but I couldn't tell if it was out of respect for me, or awe of my grandmother.
I decided I liked the first option better.
The day of my departure had come quickly, quicker than I had expected. Many people came to thank me, to wish me good luck and safe passage on my journey, and to tell me that I was a hero, doing this for them. I shook off their compliments, suddenly aware that their hopes in ending this war rested on my shoulders. Master Pakku came to me later that morning.
"Katara, you've advanced more quickly than any student I've ever trained. You have proven that with fierce determination, passion and hard work, you can accomplish anything." He smiled at me, and I smiled back. "I'm so proud of you."
"Thank you," I bowed deeply, but decided it wasn't enough. I hugged him, hard, and he hugged me back. I'd given this man a tough time, and he gave me an even more difficult one, but I had to admit, it was fun to bicker and I was going to miss him. "Take care of my Gran-Gran, will you?" My voice was muffled from speaking into his parka, but he understood.
"I will."
When I pulled away, I could see Kiano watching us a few feet away, leaning on the side of one of the snow huts. I quickly walked over to him, and pulled my friend into a tight hug.
"You can still back out if you want to," he said lowly in my ear.
"I can't. I want this war to end, and there's a possibility that my father and brother are alive and somewhere in the Fire Nation. I need to do this." I tightened my grip on him.
"Be careful," he squeezed back. He pulled out of my embrace, but kept his hands on my shoulders. "Good luck. We're all counting on you."
I gave a short nod. "I know."
I said goodbye to my grandmother last, letting her hold me for a long time before we parted. I didn't speak, at first. We both knew exactly what the other would say, so it wasn't really necessary for words to be spoken, but still, we had to say it.
"Your mother would be so proud of you. I'm so proud of you, Katara."
"I love you, Gran."
"I love you too."
And then I was sailing away, watching the Northern Water Tribe disappear in front of me on the horizon.
No tears were shed on my part. Crying wasn't exactly my thing and it never has been. I could count on one hand the number of times I can remember crying, one being the day my mother died, and another was when I left the South Pole a month ago. Other than that, I don't really remember ever crying. Sure, I could have been sad, but growing up with a father and brother who were warriors, you learned that most things aren't worth crying about.
The plan was simple. I would travel with the warriors from my tribe to a small island controlled by the Fire Nation, called Kyoto. The men were going back to the South Pole to survey the damage and determine if it was safe to return, so they were going to drop me a few miles away from the island where I could bend the currents to pull me into shore. It would take around two weeks to reach the Fire Nation blockade, maybe less, so while on board the boat, I sparred with a few of the men, taking their critique and learning a few new things in the process.
They mostly taught me Fire Nation sword forms, ones that they had gone against numerous times in battle, so I wouldn't stick out so much. I would be enlisting in the Fire Nation army, specifically, the Task Force. The Task Force protected the royal family on many occasions, from vacations to special missions, and they were highly trained non-benders. Being accepted into the Task Force was a high honor in the Fire Nation, a rare occasion for someone to be accepted into the elite group.
Even more rare for a woman to be accepted into it.
No woman had ever been admitted into the Task Force before, so I was basically walking into rejection, but I wouldn't look at it that way. I had to believe that I still had a chance, that I wouldn't be turned down.
Two weeks flew by and soon we could see the black smoke rising from the blockade ships. We stayed far away from the blockage, out of sight, just to be cautious.
I got my pack ready and put on my clothes, a simple red one shouldered top and a matching red skirt that fell below my knees. It was what a typical Fire Nation peasant would wear, nothing too flashy or fancy, just a simple red outfit. I slipped a knife into a sheath attached to my thigh, easily reached if needed, underneath the flowing red material of my skirt. I kept most of my hair down, like my usual style, but put the upper portion into a small bun and let the rest flow down my back.
I shouldered my pack and looked in the small mirror, my eyes immediately falling on the small moonstone that hung from my neck. I touched it lightly, knowing that I couldn't wear it in the Fire Nation. It was a clear symbol that I was from the water tribes, and would give me away if my tan skin and blue eyes didn't. I unclasped it, and slipped it in a small pocket hidden on the inside of my bag, hoping that, one day, I would be able to wear it again.
There. A normal, teenage, Fire Nation girl.
I walked outside onto the deck, into the white moonlight. It felt like I wasn't really standing there, like I wasn't really preparing to infiltrate the enemy's territory.
"Are you ready?" Bato walked up next to me.
I nodded, my hands gripping the side of the boat tightly, knuckles turning white.
"Someone will meet you in Caldera in about a month. If you believe there are suspicions about your intentions, you can leave with the messenger. If not, you can stay."
"Okay."
"Do you have your money? And your supplies?"
"Yes, I have everything."
"Alright. Whenever you feel you are ready, you can go." He paused and put a hand on my shoulder. "Good luck."
"Thanks. You too," I gave him a tight smile, then gripped the railing tighter than I already was and flung myself over the side, letting my body fall toward the black waves. I pulled up with one hand, and a thick stream of water met me half-way, breaking my fall and pulling me into the water. As soon as I was submerged, I bent the water away from my mouth, forming a small air pocket so I could breath. Keeping a hold of the bubble, I controlled the currents around me so I went a bit deeper and started forward, toward the blockade.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins, made my mind race, and suddenly I was aware of every single movement around me. It was like my mind was on hyper-alert, and time froze around me. A few minutes later, I passed underneath the hull of a ship, sucking in a deep breath, thinking that somehow they could see me, but I was deep enough to be hidden in the dark water.
And I made it.
I made it past the blockade, and about a half-hour later, I could see the island. It was small, but illuminated with golden lights that made the island look like it was glowing, radiating warmth. I couldn't help but smile, infected by the beauty of it.
As quietly and discretely as I could, I swam onto the small stretch of beach and bent the water from my clothes and pack, double-checking to make sure that no one would see me. I could see a large, black ship docked about a mile down the beach, a few men hauling wooden crates on board. That's where I would be stowing away.
If the information collected by the warriors was correct, the ship would be leaving tomorrow at sunset, the day after the summer solstice. From the looks of it, they were right, so I deposited my pack in a bush nearby the ship and made my way into town to find some sort of food.
As soon as I walked one hundred feet away from the beach, I could hear the music and singing, the laughing and celebrations of the civilians, probably a festival celebrating the summer solstice. The square was a collage of color and people, children chasing each other, adults dancing and drinking, teenage girls flirting and giggling with the guards while the boys watched enviously. It was all just so innocent.
I almost felt guilty for trespassing.
But then I remembered my father and brother, and how they were probably being tortured in a Fire Nation prison while these people were celebrating.
Almost.
I stayed hidden in the treeline, watching the last of the crew members return to the ship after the festival, and waited until it there were only about two men left lingering on the dock. They were talking and laughing loudly, probably drunk.
They staggered up the board that bridged the gap between the ship and the dock, and I jetted out from the bushes, pulling the black cloak I had bought in town tighter around my body, hoping to blend in with the dark night. I cautiously made my way down the dock and up the plank, pausing at the opening to listen for any signs of movement.
I could hear the two drunk men talking as they walked down the hallway, but other than that, I couldn't hear anything else. Slowly, I edged through the doorway and looked down each wing of the hallway before stepping inside. There was a set of stairs to my right, leading down to what I presumed to be the cargo area.
I kept my treads light as I made my way down the stairs, and found myself in a large room filled with wooden boxes. I let out a breath of relief. I'd made it.
Then, the sound of footsteps against metal and voices caught my attention. Some one was coming down! I ran as far back in the room as I could and ducked behind a large stack of crates, holding a hand over my mouth to muffle my ragged breaths.
"...and everything is accounted for?"
"Yes, sir."
"The weapons?"
"Yes, sir."
"The food?"
"Yes, sir. All here."
"Alright, set sail for Caldera."
"Yes, Captain."
I heard one set of footsteps shuffle up the stairs, but kept my breath in my chest, listening closely for a second set, and immediate relief washed over me as I heard the distinct sound of metal hitting metal, the Captain's footsteps.
They were coming toward me.
Shit!
I unsheathed my knife, leaning against a wooden crate, heart hammering in my chest. The Captain was getting close, but I didn't know if he had any idea that I was hiding right there. I gripped the knife tightly as his footsteps grew nearer, my muscles tensing, ready to attack.
And then there was silence. Deafeningly quiet silence. The Captain had stopped moving.
A few seconds passed, but it felt more like a lifetime. The anticipation had me twitching, and all I wanted was to jump out and say "Here I am! Behind the crate! I've been here the entire time!" but I stopped myself, knowing that it was a foolish in-the-moment kind of idea.
Then there was shuffling, and more footsteps. This time, they were retreating, traveling toward the stairs. I held my breath as he walked up the staircase, and didn't let it out until I heard a door creaked closed. I gripped the knife tighter and slowly peeked out from behind the crate.
I was alone. At first, I felt relief. I wasn't caught, and I could continue the mission. I hadn't let my people and family down.
But then I realized that it wouldn't matter if I was standing in a room filled with ten people or ten-thousand people, I would still be alone. No one was here to help me, to hold me and keep me safe. The only person I could trust was myself.
It made me realize how alone I really was.
Okay, so I had fun writing this chapter, but the fight scene between Katara and Pakku was really difficult to write! But I hope you enjoyed it, and leave me some feedback to tell me what you liked or disliked about it!