I didn't want to leave Kita's side. I had so many questions for her, but nearly all of them were frozen in my throat as she told me her story. We were seated by a fire in the Earth Kingdom stronghold, wearing clean, dry tunics and trousers and sipping tea that Kateri had brought us. She, Etka, and Naheel were sitting far enough away to give us privacy, but close enough for security. For the first time in a long time, I felt secure, and oddly enough, at home.
My mother told me her story. After she had given birth to me, she had begged my parents, Nasuh and Sukah, to take me in. She explained in a patient, gentle voice that there was no possible way she could have kept me, that she feared that she would die soon and that I would have no one. Even though Nasuh and Sukah already had a young baby of their own at the time - my brother Naheel - they agreed to take me in. And then, fearing for my family's lives if she were discovered with them, Kita left the Water Tribe, and snuck her way into the Earth Kingdom.
She was weak, and still recovering from giving birth, but stealing some and going without, she eventually found a village that was welcoming enough, and found work at a tavern there.
From the tavern, my mother heard all sorts of stories, and tried her best to eavesdrop on the many travelers who passed through the inn for news of the Fire Nation, and of course, of my father. It was this way that she heard of his marriage, and the births of his two children, Zuko and Azula. Part of her longed for news about me, but the other part told her than no news was good news. Every day, she worried if I had been discovered, if my new family had been killed.
She lived like this for years, until one day, someone who worked for the strong hold came into the tavern. Kita had overheard him mention the fire nation, and her connection into the secret organization, called the Democratic Alliance, had begun.
Her pain and anger at the Fire Nation only began to grow as more atrocities of what the military had done came through and spread through the ranks. Kita reinvented herself, training and practicing every day without yield. By the time she was thirty, she was accomplished in the use of the great sword and accompanied members of the Alliance on missions against the Fire Nation.
Informants in the Fire Nation had passed rumors and other news along to the Earth Kingdom stronghold, and the story of a girl claiming to be the daughter of the Fire Lord spread like wildfire. "I knew it was you right away," Kita told me, pride filling her voice. "They spoke of a young woman who's firebending was almost as strong as the Fire Lord's. They told us how you faced down with him and survived. But after the Kosumi Temple was razed to the ground, we - "
"Wait, what?" I cut her off, my eyes going over to my group sitting in the corner. Naheel's eyes widened, and he looked at Etka in alarm. I looked back at Kita, who looked surprised and concerned.
"Did - did you not know?" She asked, getting up with me.
"She was knocked out in a blast," Etka said gently, his eyes finding mine. The whole room seemed to spin. "Kateri carried her out of the Temple when we made our escape."
"No!" I cried, gripping the edges of the table. "The Temple... The Temple is gone?"
My eyes found Kateri's, and I saw the true pain and hurt held inside them for the first time. She wasn't depressed because she had to leave her home. She was grieving for the home that had been destroyed. She nodded slowly. I understood.
The magnitude of the situation began to sink in. The Fire Nation had attacked the Temple to get to me, and they had razed it to the ground, likely killing hundreds to get to me.
"Oh my God..." I sank to my knees, covering my face with my hands. I was physically shaking with the shock. Etka reached out to comfort me, and I pushed him away. "How could you not tell me?!" I demanded, tears running down my face. "How could you?"
"We knew you would be upset," Etka said gently, kneeling down in front of me. "We knew that you would want to go back and turn yourself in. We thought it would be best if you didn't know."
"You didn't want me to go back?" I demanded, getting up. "That's exactly what I need to do!"
"No, Anahi," Kateri got up suddenly, knocking back her chair. She spoke with such commanding severity that I stopped in my tracks. "Don't you understand?" She got up and crossed over to me, her eyes red with anger and hurt. "The Sisters knew who you were. I told them. They were prepared to protect you. They were ready to defend the Temple with their lives, Anahi. We all were."
"They died because of me," I said severely, tears running down my face. "Hundreds of innocent people died because of me - "
"And if you go back to the Fire Nation now, they will have died in vain!" Kateri snapped. I felt the fight leave me at once, and I turned away from her. "You don't get it, do you? What Ozai did to you, did to Etka, was wrong! Does the torture he went through mean nothing to you?"
"No, I - "
"He did that for you, Anahi!" Angry tears rolled down Kateri's cheeks, and her face was twisted in frustration and pain. "Etka suffered for three days under Ozai's fist and was about to be put to death so that you could live! Are you just going to throw that away?
"Your brother came all the way from the Water Tribe to find you, Anahi," Kateri continued, and I stood frozen before her. Her words were like knives in my chest. "He traveled for months trying to find you, to bring you home to your parents who were worried to death about you. Your parents, who risked everything raising an orphaned Fire Nation baby in the Water Tribe, of all places. Naheel was attacked and beaten half to death before sneaking into the Fire Nation. Did he tell you that?"
"Naheel?" I turned to my brother, and by his pained face, I knew right away that it was true.
"I didn't want to upset you," He said, pulling open his tunic to show a stab wound in his chest, the size of a knife's blade. I gasped, stepping backwards. This was too much.
"And your mother!" Kateri shouted, extending a harsh finger at Kita behind me. "Your mother, who was exiled from her homeland, who was pregnant and terrified. She traveled all across the world to find a safe place to have you. She risked everything for you Anahi! She loves you more than anything else on the planet! Etka loves you, Naheel loves you, and I love you! How can you say that you need to turn yourself in to Ozai after everything that we've done for you? How can you throw away what we've sacrificed for you ?"
Tears were running down my face, and I was floored. I was shaking, gasping with sobs. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry," I stammered, looking at all of them. "I'm so sorry..." I turned away from all of them and ran from the room.
It was my brother who found me sitting outside, staring over the walls of the stronghold at the rich forest beyond us. I had been alone with my thoughts for hours, watching the sun sink deep into the horizon. Kateri's words had settled deep inside me, and I realized how much I had hurt everyone in that room. I didn't mean to shame the ones that I loved. I thought that my death would right the losses that the Kosumi Sisters paid with their lives, but in my pain and sadness, I had forgotten all that the others had done for me. I didn't know how I would redeem myself to them for that, or if I ever could.
"She's not angry at you, you know." I looked up to see Naheel bend and sit down beside me, looking out over at the sunset. "Kateri's been dealing with a lot since we left the Fire Nation, and she's tried to close herself off, shut her feelings away. I think...in a weird sort of way, that was her release."
I turned to look at him. "I didn't mean to dishonor anyone," I said urgently. "I was upset...and angry with myself and my father. And I understand why you didn't tell me. Are Etka and my mother upset with me?"
"No," Naheel said gently, and I breathed a sigh of relief. "They understand. You've been through a lot too."
"Naheel," My eyes went to his chest, where the stab wound was. "What happened to you?" My brother sighed deeply, and met my eyes.
"When I was following your trail, I was in the Earth Kingdom, and I had stopped in a bar, a really shady sort of place, but it was the only one around, you know?" Naheel explained. "And of course, I gave a description of you and asked if they had any leads. Some guys in there figured out pretty quickly that I was a foreigner, and I was dumb enough to follow them outside. They tried to mug me and I fought back. I...I got it pretty bad, and I would have bled to death if I hadn't been found by this old man, who took me back to his house.
"As it turns out, he was a waterbender too," Naheel said, smiling a little. "His village had been attacked, and he was hiding in the Earth Kingdom. I would have died had he not been there, Anahi. He saved me, and he taught me almost everything that I know about water bending. I stayed with him until I was well enough to keep looking for you. That's the whole story."
"I'm sorry," I breathed, staring his chest. How badly had it hurt to get stabbed? How much pain had he gone through that I could have prevented?
"In a way, that was the best thing that ever happened to me," Naheel said, giving a sad little smile. "I learned water bending from a master, and I was able to go on and find you because of it."
"You're such an optimist," I chided him, looking down at my lap. "I don't know how you do it."
"I have a lot to live for," Naheel said, smiling contentedly. Behind him, I saw Etka, Kateri and Kita come up the steps, their faces bathed in the light of the falling sun. I knelt down to bow as they approached, bowing my head
"I'm so sorry," I said, closing my eyes. "My words were the result of my shock and dismay, and I didn't mean to make light of what - "
"Anahi," Etka took my face in his hands, kneeling before me as well. I was taken aback by the forgiveness and peace in his eyes, his smile, that my apology froze in my throat. "It's alright. We understand."
I smiled at him, and Etka slid his hands into mine, pulling me up from the ground. He drew me into his arms, and I embraced him, hugging him close. "It's all over," He murmured, kissing my forehead. "We made it. We're safe."