ZUTARA WEEK 2023: Day 4: JEWEL
By a Wondrous Compass Steered
DISCLAIMER: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Bryke but Zutara Week belongs to all Zutarians.
NOTE:
A really great prompt and one of those that would have been great for art, if only I could draw. Instead, here's my take on this. I quite enjoyed imagining what kind of jewel would be relevant to Zutara beyond the obvious betrothal necklace.
The title is from the poem "The Mariner's Compass" by Ernest Jones.
Enjoy and let me know what you think. Thank you!
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It was one of the worst storms she had ever endured.
The violent winds were relentless and it took nearly all of Katara's strength to keep the waves from engulfing the small ship that was on its way back to the Fire Nation. The rest of the ship's passengers, a combination of firebenders, waterbenders, and earthbenders did all they could whether to keep the vessel afloat or to simply hang on for dear life. In an instant, a simple, diplomatic expedition to the Earth Kingdom had turned into a deadly voyage.
It didn't help that it was the night of the new moon, when all the waterbenders' powers were weakest, and even a master like Katara was struggling to keep the raging sea at bay. Thankfully, the captain and his crew, though firebenders, were experienced sailors and knew their way around a tempest. And there was some comfort knowing they had the help of waterbenders on board.
They held on for hours but the storm would not abate, and the situation became dire. The greatest challenge became navigation. Katara sensed this but did not want to alarm the others. Instead, asking one of the other waterbenders to take over for her for a moment, Katara then approached the captain, an elderly firebender who had spent many years at sea and who had even travelled with Zuko during the latter's banishment.
"What's wrong, captain?" she asked him gently.
"I hate to admit it, Lady Katara, but we are lost," the old man replied forlornly, "The wind and waves have destroyed most of our navigational equipment and without the light of the stars, we cannot make sense of where we are. It is too dark to consult our maps, and some have already been completely damaged by the rain. I'm so sorry."
"Do not lose hope," Katara reassured him, "We will not let this storm defeat us."
The captain nodded but did not look convinced. Katara could not admit it but some of his fear had rubbed off on her as well. She was not sure how they would be able to make their way back.
But she was also stubborn enough to refuse to die in such a way. This was not how things would end. They would make it back alive. They would go home. She would see Zuko again.
As she thought of her beloved, she suddenly remembered a gift he had given her not long ago. She kept it with her always and she admonished herself for not thinking of it sooner. She pulled something from inside her shirt, a precious item that she had worn around her neck. She held it towards the captain, who stared at it curiously, as it glowed with a green light around it. Crafted in sterling silver, inlaid with seashell and embellished with green crystals, the pendant hung from a slim, silver chain. It was both beautiful and functional.
"Would this help?" she said, removing it from around her neck and giving it to the old man.
He held it gently, in awe of something that looked so precious, and then realized what it was.
"A compass!" he exclaimed incredulously, "And one of the finest I have ever seen, this is some expert craftsmanship and it is made of the most durable material. How remarkable!"
"It was a gift," Katara said simply, smiling at the memory of the one who had given it. But she returned to the matter at hand. "Can you use it to get us out of here?"
But the captain had already started. "Yes," he replied confidently, "This is exactly what we needed."
"Good," Katara said, sighing with relief, "Lead the way and me and the other waterbenders will help move the ship in the right direction."
"At once, Lady Katara," the captain replied, and he called his crew to make all the necessary arrangements. Immediately, everyone found their positions and followed the captain's instructions.
As he consulted the compass, the captain noticed that the green glow of the crystals ensured that he could always see the arrows, despite the darkness that surrounded them. He could not help but mention this to Katara.
"I have never seen crystals like these," he remarked with wonder, "They illuminate the compass even in the deepest night."
"They are from the Crystal Catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se," Katara said but did not elaborate. The captain did not pry.
Those memories were precious and belonged to Katara and Zuko alone. It was at the Crystal Catacombs that everything changed, that she saw him for the first time as he truly was, and where he made the momentous decision of turning back on his father and joining the Avatar. And the rest was history.
"You helped me find my way when I was so lost," Zuko had said to her when he had given her the necklace, "You always guide me down the right path and shine a light in the darkness. So I thought I would give you something that showed you what you have done for me."
Katara had pulled him into a warm embrace and expressed her gratitude eagerly. She had never owned anything so beautiful and so meaningful.
"And I've never really been one for purely ornamental jewelry," Zuko had admitted, "So I figured, it should be something that you can use in your travels, with some reminders of home and of the place that means so much to us both."
"It's perfect," she had said, and as she stood in the center of a tempest, Katara was even more convinced of this. She was almost moved to tears but she willed herself to concentrate on her bending and on helping the captain steer the ship. Somehow, the waves seemed to be more obedient now and the raging tempest seemed a frail thing in the face of her resolve.
"I'm the one who's lost now but you've given me a way home, a way back to you," she thought with determination "And I swear that I will see you again."
The storm was no match for her.