Did you miss me?

We're back!

Katara noticed that Zuko relied on the beating of her heart.

In their few sacred moments alone, and there weren't many, they would curl up on a bunk together. There were far too many people for romantic and sexual exploration, and by the end of the day, they were both exhausted so it felt natural to just sink into each other's embrace and just exist.

Sometimes, Katara was cradled by his arms, her head burrowed at the dip of his collarbone, hair curtaining her view. Sometimes, Zuko was resting on her chest, curled around her figure, cheek to her warm skin as he dozed off.

It was becoming more common that the latter is how they'd find themselves. Katara knew that the nights he fell asleep on her, her nightmares were abated, at least temporarily. He might sometimes whimper and twitch, and she did not wish the undoubtedly dark thoughts that clouded his mind on anyone. They hadn't talked about his father's death, but somewhere she knew that he clung to the horror of it, and one day, they'd talk.

Sleeping on Katara seemed to put this at temporary ease.

The nights she dozed off on him, he didn't sleep, for his eyes were always rimmed red in the morning. He'd yawn throughout his work, and he had the haggard appearance of someone who was haunted by a ghost of the past in the night.

It wasn't just the assurance that she was safe, though Katara was sure that was a large part of it.

No, he was listening to her heartbeat. He'd cling to this like a lifeline, never settling his one good ear anywhere else, his breathing echoing the thumping and falling to the cadence of it. He needed this. He had to listen to her heart to fall asleep, not just for the white-noise to tune out whatever demons snapped at his thoughts, but for the words it spoke to him over and over and over; I'm here, I'm here, I'm here...I'm alive.

I'm still alive.

Because, despite it all, incredulously...Katara was still alive. Katara was living, breathing in front of him, but after the insane turns of the last year, one would be sane to imagine they made a fake reality where Katara survived it all. It seemed almost impossible that she'd slid away from death time, after time, after time. So yes, Zuko needed to hear her heart, to have tangible evidence she was still here, for him to slip into slumber.

And more shockingly, they were alive together. Together in the literal sense...they'd both made it out, and Zuko needed reminders that he'd narrowly escaped his demise on occasions too, but it was deeper than that.

They were alive and they were together.

They'd told no one about the engagement. It didn't seem like the time or place and deep down, they both wanted to hoard this secret to themselves for a time. To know this and send each other little smiles that no one here knew the depth of. It passed the time, kept things interesting.

They were openly a couple, however. They had no qualms about holding hands or kissing or falling asleep in each other's bunks every day. Most had no reaction, if not just a 'finally'. Some of the surviving contestants were a bit disappointed, but no one was shocked. Everyone just accepted it.

Plenty of people were in couples here at the temples, which...thank Tui and La.

Katara would be the first to admit she had no idea how to be a proper girlfriend. She hadn't dated anyone long-term at home and the whole farce of the Choice didn't set anyone up with real knowledge. She'd observed good, healthy relationships from her mother and father, but watching someone catch a fish didn't mean you immediately knew how to do it yourself.

Maybe Zuko didn't either. Maybe he had only ever seen his father and mother and his idea of how to be a good boyfriend was always fighting the way he'd grown up.

Or maybe it was the climate. Maybe no one could be really perfect to each other while starting a revolution. Maybe one day they'd have the time, privacy, and energy to figure it out, but for right now...right now, Katara often wondered if they'd last. She could be stubborn, so could he. She sometimes snapped at him, he was fast to arguments. She'd taken so long to accept him that she worried sometimes he was resentful about it. Though if she asked, he'd say no, but what was he supposed to say?

Yes, she loved him. Deeply, endlessly, selfishly...or trying to be less selfish. It was easy to hold his hand as they walked through the temple halls, or to kiss his cheek as they parted for chores, or to slide under his covers at nightfall...but those were all easy motions. She had to wonder if their whole relationship was built on adrenaline and endless events. Would how she felt be enough?

This wasn't real life. This was surviving, day to day, only putting one foot in front of the other and seeing no farther. So Katara had to wonder if they'd manage outside of strife and adversity, or...deep down...if both of them would even be lucky enough to see the other side of this war?

Yeah, Katara mused as she washed the laundry in the soapy water, she wondered a lot of things.

XXX

Katara watched Aang's chest rise and fall. Rise and fall. Rise and fall. It reminded her of waves; the cyclical sort of rhythm, the unfaltering cadence of it, and how for so many days, it had not strayed at all.

Time was running out. Aang had not awoken yet.

In the beginning, the choice to use her healing water had been a gentle nudge. Now, nearly two weeks later, she knew that she was irking the White Lotus by hedging the question and resisting.

It was silly. The question of 'should she use this water to wake Aang, savior of the world, the literal Avatar' should be easy.

Should be.

She took the tiny vial out of her robes and set it on the floor in front of Aang's sickbed.

"You get it, right, Aang?" she asked.

It felt a bit musty here. It was one of the few times she'd found herself completely alone. Usually, Ty Lee was by his side, whispering about the day-to-day activities of the camp, as though he could hear it all. If not Ty Lee, then Iroh. Or Zuko. Or Sokka. Or any of the airbenders they'd brought with them from the Swamps.

It was unusual that there wasn't anyone else in here, to be honest. Still, Katara took it upon herself to open one of the windows to the main patio and let the light stream in.

"Better, huh?" she said, foolishly wishing he'd answer her, and the question of the water wouldn't be a question at all, because he'd be awake.

She wasn't being selfish, no. She wasn't holding onto the water for some personal reason, worried about her own life. She laughed to herself; she had shown many times over that she held her own life in little value.

Rather, she was waiting for Zuko. He was one part of it, and a big part of her hesitance at that. The more complicated part was her fear of losing more people, the easier excuse was Zuko.

She'd offered once, a long time ago, to heal his scar. She didn't intend to renege on that promise, in case he ever wanted it. And the logical thing would be to just ask him what he'd prefer - scar or Aang - and be done with it.

But it wasn't that easy.

Because asking about his scar meant acknowledging how he got it. And how he got it was from his father. His father who he'd killed, horrifically, in the hopes of saving his nation. And while he'd been wrong, and it was even a bit extreme for Katara, she couldn't help but feel like it was still a relief Ozai could never hurt Zuko again.

Still, it was obvious Zuko was in no mood to talk through it. Whenever she'd start to edge toward that conversation, he'd shut down entirely. Which was all fine and dandy if you made a mistake like seating a politician next to his ex-wife who cheated on him during a fancy gala. That was something you could talk through. Katara wasn't the best at communication, but great Agni, even she knew that this was something they needed to talk about.

"How do you think I do it Aang?" She asked, wincing, "Hey, Zuko, babe...I know that it's been really rough lately. I know your sister is crazy and razing the earth as we speak. I know it's frustrating that it seems your Uncle wants to do nothing. And you killed your dad, so there's that. But hey, remember that scar he gave you? Do you want me to heal it or save Aang with it? No pressure to answer, except, yeah, lots of pressure." She rolled the vial in her fingers. "Tons."

Aang was such a good person. If he was here, somehow, he'd probably say not to worry about him. Which is why she did.

Would Zuko be upset if she just gave it to Pakku? It didn't seem like logically he would, but Zuko's mind was far from a logical place lately.

She let out a groan. Why, oh why, did her life have to be full of hard choices, like going to the Fire Nation to save her people or choosing between the Avatar and her boyfriend for a once-in-a-lifetime fix-it. Why couldn't she have been born into a timeline when her biggest choice was what dress to wear to dinner?

She rubbed Aang's cheek, wanting to talk to him again. She missed his friendship dearly. Seeing him bald had been quite the shock to Karara, as she'd only ever known him with his unruly dark brown hair, but this fit him. The arrows were a sight to see, she mused, the detailing on the tattoos incredibly fascinating.

Someone kept his face and head cleanly shaven, though she saw a few bits of stubble poking through. His cheeks still retained a hint of childhood chubbiness, juxtaposing the fact that if he allowed it, he could grow a beard.

At best, the opposition to Azula was just a group of traumatized teens, Katara huffed. Yes, Azula was no more than a child herself too, but it was clear she had the upper hand.

"Aang, what do I do?" Katara asked, curling her arms around her legs and leaning against the legs of the bed, slouching down.

As expected, though still disappointing, Aang had no reply.

"Yeah, I thought," Katara sighed, tipping her head back, "Betcha can't even hear me, huh?"

XXX

Betcha can't even hear me, huh?...huh….huh…

"Oh, Aangy-poo, I miss you. I miss you so much. I miss you so much and I know how much you hate that nickname, so why don't you wake up and tell me to stop it?... Huh. If you can't wake up for your girlfriend who's begging you to, I'm not sure how the others will rouse you. I can't give up hope of course. Out of everyone, I gotta stay the most chipper. Good ole Ty Lee, they say, always has a smile. I think things would just fall apart if I let anyone know how...how...how sad I am. Losing you was never part of the plan. We were always going together. I don't like being left behind. I'm glad others can't read auras, otherwise, everyone would know. Speaking of which; I'm worried about so many people. Katara, Zuko, Yue, Sokka, Iroh...all of their auras are so muddy lately, so unnerving like someone dumped blackness into their souls. And no one will talk about it. Not to me, not to each other, not even to themselves. I guess we're all just really good at hiding things, right? Even me…No, no more crying. Not right now. Pakku said you probably can't hear anything, but I just want to talk to you again, so I will. And on the off-chance that you can hear, listening to me cry next to you probably isn't helping. I know we only briefly discussed it, but I like to imagine our wedding, Aang. I'm an old flowery romantic, you know that. And I just walk around the Air Temple and I imagine it bathed in bright white flowers or pink garlands or gold strings and I like to listen to the air rushing through the caverns and I think how beautiful a choir would sound with those echos, and I've tried to much good fruit here that I know that the feast would be so memorable and…"

XX

Before Katara began her shift at the medical tent, she did whatever tasks the temple needed help with.

It was never anything inside the Central Planning Room, despite how she lingered by the door and hoped.

But of course, her help wasn't needed there. They had exactly as many people as they needed and no more.

It was everything else that she could help with.

Katara, today, was gardening.

With others, she'd gone and harvested seeds. She'd dried them carefully. She'd looked for those that were imperfect and picked out the best. The chore was not something in itself she was accustomed to. There was nothing to grow at the Poles.

However, what Katara did know was the familiar song of repetitive motion. This she found extremely comforting. It harkened back to days of endless sewing, beading, or stirring stews. It was something she did not know she missed.

At home, the women doing work would tell stories to each other. They would meet and each would have an ongoing tale to tell, adding more and more each time. They'd swap gossip and discuss the goings-on of the village. They'd bind themselves together through this shared time.

Katara did not do this with the others working alongside her, though not for lack of trying.

Most that worked with her were workers from the Palace, including all of the handmaids that had come with their ladies.

She understood the Fire Nation to be a very different place. One that, despite understanding and coming to love, she had to remind herself was strict, traditional, and rigid at the best of times.

Even though they were at the palace no longer, workers looked at Katara in surprise at the very thought of being allowed to do their chores with the addition of something enjoyable. Even though a few were starting to creep out of their shell to talk in a few sentences, it was nothing like back home.

That was fine, for now at least. Katara figured she wouldn't be doing these sorts of jobs - washing and folding laundry, cutting mountains of potatoes and other veggies to seal and can for later, and today planting perfect rows of seeds - forever. Eventually, the fight against Azula would really start and Katara's skills would be needed elsewhere.

Katara wiped her muddy hands on her apron as she stood, stretching out her arms. Today she was working with just ex-handmaids. Iroh had grouped people together in job rotations based on what they'd been doing before, figuring that each group could work like a well-oiled machine. And, he was correct.

The handmaids seemed at ease to be doing something close to what they'd been doing at the palace. Their main job, though it was a rather redundant one in Katara's eyes, was still waiting hand and foot on their contestants. Though they couldn't get any food at the snap of a finger and most conflicts were not something they could fix. They seemed to like the illusion of it and the girls from the Choice felt the same. It was harmless, really, so Iroh allowed it on the condition they all worked one other needed shift per day.

Katara had known most handmaids at least by face but now she was given an opportunity to know them by name and personality. They had at first treated Katara like a goddess...but Katara had convinced them to see her as no more than just another person.

Aiga was not with them, having been pulled to more important things. Katara didn't need someone waiting on her anyway...she'd never wanted someone. The handmaids still treated her a bit differently. Even if her engagement with Zuko was a well-kept secret between the pair, the handmaids still recognized that Katara and Zuko, their Prince, were a 'thing' and responded accordingly.

So no, Katara wasn't being invited over to their after-day parties in their dorm as Aiga was, but they didn't curtsey whenever she was around anymore.

Baby steps.

Ratana's handmaid, Aami, came into view with a handful of water cups and a jug. The day was warm and the sight of the cold water had everyone pausing.

What Katara would not call a surprise at all, was that they were short just one water cup.

Katara was pretty sure Aami didn't like her. She didn't have the energy to figure out why and she wasn't sure she cared at the end of the day.

Purnima noted Katara sitting in the shade sans cup and offered half of her glass. Purnima was Yue's handmaid, from the Water Tribe, and as kind as Yue was.

"Aaaaamiiiiiii!" Ratana's voice pierced through the foliage, startling birds away from their perches. Katara caught a glimpse of a smirk between a few of the handmaids. It seemed in Nadharis' absence, Ratana had taken over as the most insufferable contestant.

Was she as bad as Nadhari? Not by a long shot. She was just demanding, a bit prissy, had weird expectations, and couldn't (or wouldn't) do anything herself. Katara thought it was all tame compared to what they'd gone through.

Sure, most of the refugees had had a big change of their identity in the wake of a coup and a murder, but hey, not everyone reacted the same.

"Yes, Lady Ratana?" Aami asked respectfully.

Ratana stomped through the bushes and trees, whacking leaves back and swatting at gnat-flies.

"Aami, when I went to my bunk today, I noticed that the bed was not made."

"Apologies. I was busy this morning. It will be made by evening tonight," Aami said, bowing.

"In the future, it should be the first priority...after my food is brought to me, of course. I can't have my bed looking so unseemly. Cillia's is perfect every morning."

"Lady Caecillia was in the military. I would be surprised if it wasn't," Katara heard Suki's handmaid mutter. Cillia also made her own bed.

"If that's what you wish, my Lady," Aami responded, never breaking her impassive expression.

"Yes, it is. Let's get back to what matters, hmm?"

Katara couldn't help but let out a snort. One she didn't mean to do, but one that was heard nonetheless.

She'd seen where Ratana grew up. She of all people should know that things like a well-made bed were hardly the biggest issue they had. While everyone else had been humbled by their world thrown upside down, Ratnana had gotten more spoiled. It was as though she'd gotten a taste of luxury and was now clinging to it like a life-raft, unwilling to give up the life she thought she would be having.

Ratana snapped to look at Katara.

"Oh, Princess," Ratana said in a sickly sweet voice, "I didn't realize you were here. I mistook you for a handmaid."

Katara raised an eyebrow. It's not like they were wearing wildly different things; none of them. The finery of the Palace had no uses here. Even Ratana looked the same as Aami, the only difference being the air of imagined superiority on her face. Katara wasn't going to rise to her bait.

When it was clear Katara was just going to ignore her, Ratana's face pulled. "I mean, I guess I'm surprised." She looked at Katara expectantly. Ratana probably wasn't going to leave until Katara answered.

"What are you surprised about Ratana?" Katara asked with a long sigh.

"Just...that you're here, dirtying your hands like this, intermingled with handmaids. Doing servants' work."

Katara shrugged. "We all pitch in where we're needed. I don't mind."

Ratana mirrored her shrug. "Hmm, I suppose it's not so different from what you did at home."

"It actually wasn't," Katara said, glad she could surprise Ratana, seeing no fault or shame in her work in the South being on par with this, "And I didn't dislike it at home either."

"So then the Palace jobs and expectations of future Fire Ladies were harder. Less your style?"

"No, not really," Katara replied evenly, "I am the Chief's daughter after all, still."

"Lady Ratana, we still have a lot of planting to do-" Purnima started, growing tired of this silly pissing match Ratana was insistent in having.

"Of course! I wouldn't want to keep you. What a good little worker you are, Katara. So gracious. So humble." She shrugged, turning away. "I would have thought for sure that with you and Zuko going steady, he would see you as important too. Or maybe Iroh would have. Or even your brother. Guess not."

"I'm...I'm important," Katara said weakly, trying to push aside how that comment actually stung.

"Are you?" Ratana asked, eyes widening, "Because it seems to me that anyone that has any power is holed up in that meeting center...and you're here. Did you know that Zuko brought Mai in today...and they say he doesn't favor her anymore, but perhaps he's reconsidering, now that the dust has settled," Ratana said, smiling when she realized she was hitting a nerve for Katara, "Tell me, have you been invited in once, besides the first day?"

At Katara's silence, and the steadily growing shame, embarrassment, and anger building, Ratana now seemed satisfied, but still needed the last thought.

"As I said. Seems like you've been demoted a few pegs. Hmm."

XX

"I know we've never really gotten on. It's a bit my fault, I understand this. It would not have been...proper for us to be friends, especially not during the Choice. You were an outsider. But more than that, you were a member of the Royal Family. I hardly knew how to act around Prince Zuko...Ty Lee was always so much better at making friends. So yes, perhaps if you knew I'd come to visit you, you'd be surprised.

I'm not sure why I'm here either. Anything I have to say is worth saying in person. If I had to...it's because I'm not so sure you'll wake up. Everyone else is so sure, Ty Lee out of everyone. How can I break her heart? She'll just accuse me of being the cynic she thinks I am. But it wouldn't be out of cynicism, it would be out of realism. If you haven't woken up yet…

I think we both know it.

So, Kuzon, I'm here.

No, Aang.

I have spent so long committing the idea of Kuzon to my mind it will take a while to reroute it.

Did you know at one point that my parents brought up the idea that if Zuko would not take me, perhaps you should? You were as close to Royalty as I might be so lucky to get, especially after Prince Zuko began to favor Katara.

I had no words to explain to my parents this would not work. I had no voice for so long.

I still feel like I sometimes do not.

I am here to...ease myself, I suppose. I know I am selfish. This in itself has never changed. I care for so few people. So I am not here for you...I won't apologize for that. We may never be friends, but I respect your job, and I would hope you could wake up if I were in the business of believing in miracles.

I'm here for Ty Lee. To tell you that I give my blessing.

Ty Lee and I have not been proper friends for moons but I still care for her. She's one of the few.

I also wanted to tell you...I knew. I knew, I think, before you two knew. Back when Ty Lee imagined she would be serious about the Choice because of course we were the first ones Ozai approved.

How could I tell her that I'd seen how you two had laughed as friends and how that's all I wanted? To laugh with Zuko again. How could I show her the way you'd always look for each other? How could I possibly explain the brightness that would grace her face whenever you were in a room. How could I warn her I knew what the end would be before it began?

Kuz…

Aang. Aang. I don't want this to be a tragedy. I don't.

Don't let it be.

Wake up.

Wake up for Ty Lee."

XXX

Katara poked her head into the central meeting room. There were many heads milling about, all working on various things, so much so that no one noticed when she first appeared. She hovered in the doorway for a few moments, about to leave, until Ursa noticed her.

"Katara, dear, do you need some more supplies for the medical wing?"

"No, err...I was just…" Katara's eyes gazed around the area and she pursed her lips. "Erm, Ratana wanted to know if she should make plates for you guys, or do you think you'll be at dinner?" she fibbed quickly.

"Oh, hmm," Ursa frowned and looked around. "Just...tell her not to worry about us," she said, not meaning to be rudely dismissive, but she had much work to do. Just like everyone else in here. Work that couldn't handle delays, pauses, or nosy Waterbenders feeling like a fish out of the sea.

Ursa was working with Cillia to write responses and propaganda to combat whatever they'd heard Azula was saying about them. Ursa seemingly had picked up more political savviness than anyone would have guessed, but then again, no one could survive Ozai without having a good head on one's shoulders.

Toph was talking with Bumi about how to expand the Air Temples to create more room. They were accumulating refugees by the Appa-loads, and well, if things were originally carved into mountains, surely more could be made? Of course, it needed to be done carefully, so as not to collapse any existing structures, and Toph was surprisingly firm about keeping the feeling of organic Air Temple architecture in the additions, as opposed to slapping on rooms.

Aiga was drawing maps with Iroh, charting out everything she knew about the plan to save Airbenders. That was still the main objective, but it was going to be much harder now. They were making lists of who they thought they could still trust, routes they imagined might still be usable, areas where they had inklings there were more Airbenders hiding out, and generally trying to be one step ahead of Azula.

Katara was so proud of Aiga for standing here with her chin high. She'd really grown into her own confidence. She seemed rather nonplussed about her boyfriend being a double agent, but perhaps Katara had imagined them to be more closely intertwined than they actually were. Maybe she'd been so intent on trying to escape her own romance that she'd made it up where there wasn't any because Aiga often just seemed irritated more than heartbroken to talk about Tahoe.

People were respecting her. Whether or not she'd always been the one heading the Gray Lotus, she was undeniably the face of it now. She was the only handmaid or palace worker in here, besides a few lone guards who were here serving as a lookout rather than strategizing. All the rest that had joined Aiga here had voluntarily retreated into familiar work patterns; kitchen aids, cleaners, messengers, and so on. Not only was Aiga taking control of the Airbender Savior Brigade in Shoji's absence, or the ASB as it was being called, deferring to a woman named Diki when she was unavailable to work on something, she was also taking command of the maids and workers, organizing what seemed like a thousand nuanced facts in her mind, to put that person right there, or this person in this bunk, or these three people working on this.

Zuko occasionally had a comment on the ASB, but he was often pulled away to help Jee and Jeong-Jeong make plans. Not quite plans for war, but also...not quite plans for peace. Plans for any sort of issue, rather, so that they were always ready.

In a corner, Arrluck and Hanh were decoding and trying to make communications. The Northern Tribe had organized a clicking sort of language to travel across the ice planes, but Katara had never heard of it until now. It seemed like they were trying to train hawks and other intelligent animals to mimic. It would be far better to send a message with no ink in these dangerous times.

Ty Lee was not in this room, but she was posted next to Aang at all times, to alert everyone in any change...good or bad. It was probably a boring job, but at least it was important.

She did indeed notice Mai was in today, being interviewed by someone, but she seemed more involved with whatever was going on than just a quick 'sit-down'. Even though Katara knew that Zuko loved her, to see Ratana's truth did shake her. She pulled her eyes away and focused on someone else.

And then there was Sokka. Second to Iroh, he seemed to have his finger in just about everything. His strategic mind was put to good use immediately, whether it was drawing out plans for machines or mechanisms that Katara could hardly understand, or discussing organization. Iroh had actually seemingly made Sokka his right-hand man, perhaps because he wished to not weigh Zuko down with the thousands of little, tiny, itty-bitty things they needed to do.

Yes, it seemed everyone had a vital, important job to do.

Everyone except Katara.

She was not so vain that she imagined they were doing this on purpose, that they even gave a second thought to the fact that Katara felt so out of place here.

The thing was, Katara needed to be useful. No, more than useful, she needed to be necessary.

At the palace, she'd felt fulfilled. She'd had a task that she could not waver on - to save her people - and she'd taken that and ran with it. Literally ran all the way to the Fire Nation with this 'need-to-do' scarred upon her heart. And she realized, her entire time there, she'd just...transferred this sense of urgency to other things. To Aang and the Avatars. To figure out the Equalists. To protect Zuko from his father.

All of these things had been tasks she had gladly accepted, pulled onto her shoulders no matter the weight, and grown stronger by what she carried.

But there was no palace anymore, no politicians to curry favor with. Aang was comatose. The Equalists were revealed, and Iroh was not letting anyone leave to try and get revenge. And she could not protect Zuko from his father, not like this, not with what had happened. It was up to him now, even if she may guide him through the process.

So..she had to ask herself, what now?

If she could, she would have left to be doing something, put herself to use long ago, but everyone was grounded. Until they were better. Until they knew more. Until there were better plans. Until, until, until...it was beginning to seem like a code word for 'never'.

Perhaps someone did see that Katara held no important jobs. Before this, she'd been tending to the tedious things that would never not need to be done. Sustaining everyone just on the temples was a lot of work. Manageable, but very difficult.

There was always laundry. Or cleaning. Or helping with food. Or planting; the gardens still were producing many healthy fruits and vegetables, they just needed some guidance on where to grow and a few more plots. Or acting as a human hose to water said garden. It was all menial.

Katara didn't mean to complain. She had always given her all without question to whatever was needed of her. That was who she was. Steady, reliable Katara. Yet, at the same time…

Zuko had spoken up for her. He'd said that Katara's skills shouldn't be unused.

What were her skills? Fighting, which was a bit of a moot point currently. Making rash decisions, which wasn't going to help her now. Waterbending.

She had been pushed to the healer's quarters. While they could dress it up to make it seem far more valuable than it actually was, the truth was that pretty much anyone with half a brain could be doing this.

Most of the bad wounds either had been taken care of immediately or hadn't been survivable. Either way, the worst injuries that Katara dealt with on a day-to-day basis were basic burns, a few thorns in feet, or allergies. The worst she'd had to deal with yet, and frankly the most exciting she'd been on duty, was when someone had nearly sliced a finger off in the kitchens. Even that only took about an hour to fix, and then it was back to the same old, same old boring.

Was she wrong to imagine that the revolution would be slightly more exciting?

And perhaps it was...perhaps it was for everyone in this room. The room Katara suddenly felt so small and unwelcome in, for she felt like she had no expertise to add.

"Katara?" Ursa prompted because Katara hadn't moved from where she sat at the threshold, unwilling to step inside.

"Have you...did you...is there any news?" Katara finally asked. She knew that worrying was useless. She wasn't leaving the temple. What had happened had already happened. There were so many other concerns besides her home, but she had to broach it.

"No, Princess, I'm sorry," Iroh broke in. "We haven't been able to make contact with either of the Water Tribes since the Palace was seized," he said. He came over and patted her hand comfortingly. "You must have faith in your people, my dear."

Katara bit her lip, trying to keep it from quivering. "I'm just worried."

Why shouldn't she be? She worried about her father and her people all the time. But if Iroh let her go, if he gave her permission...would she? Could she? Where was she meant to be? Katara wished she could cut herself into a million pieces to throw herself across the globe to all the areas she felt like she should be in right now.

"I just...I feel like we should have gotten some communication right now, any!" she said, her emotions spilling over. She noticed how everyone paused, looking at her with pity. She wondered if anyone was taking bets about who would break first. She wondered if people would have guessed her, "Why haven't they written? Why hasn't there been any news? Why-"

"Katara, we haven't gotten anything from anyone," Zuko said, as though she should have known that. Or, that's how she interpreted it. She was sure Zuko didn't say it as nastily as her head translated it.

"Dangerous times. We can hardly trust the people within our own walls," Iroh agreed with a slow nod. "And we are not advertising our location, nor are we sending anything out-"

"You're not?" Katara's sadness turned to anger. She spun on Sokka who backed up a few feet, gulping. "You! You told me you sent a message to Mom and Dad! You told me that you told them we got out alive!"

"Hey, hey, what was I supposed to say? We've been embargoed; nothing in or out! A little, teensy-tiny white lie to your baby sister seemed worth it."

"So now I'm some baby that needs protecting? You remember I jumped a ship. I saved our people from starvation! I don't need you!" Katara snarled, hitting Sokka's chest with each phrase until he was backed against the wall. She expected Sokka to apologize, but he just raised his chin and stared down at her.

"Oh please! I had to come to save you from a stupid death. Why do you think we all came to the Fire Nation?" He snorted. "Because dad was afraid you'd do something else foolish and he asked me to keep an eye on you, duh!" Sokka made an 'of course' motion, which just infuriated Katara. She hated being talked down to, and she hated hypocrites.

"Oh, are we really going to start the game of 'foolish decisions'?" she said, throwing her head back to look at Toph, who was trying to shrink behind Aiga's back, "Because I think-"

"Katara!" Zuko snapped, frowning heavily at her. He shook his head, telling her that this was not the time to air her brother's dirty laundry, even if it was common knowledge. Still, the way he was looking at her wasn't helping.

He moved to escort her from the room, but Katara was done.

"Don't touch me. I can still walk. Huh, I'm still able to do that," she said, throwing her hands up.

"Where are you going?" Aiga asked, but Katara couldn't even stand her right now.

"Where you all seem to think I should be," Katara muttered, "Bandaging boo-boos and taping idiots back together."

Hello all! Welcome back to the last book of the series!

So, let's talk about this.

I originally took about six months off with the intention of getting a really good, solid start. And I'm about 50 pages in, which is, not where I wanted to be. If you notice my page in its entirety, I really haven't been writing (nearly) anything for six months or so. I was in a job where the culture was extremely toxic and not a good fit. I was in a heavy bout of depression, in which I did not get nearly as much done as I would have hoped. Because of that, there might be some changes as things get off the ground with this story.

The first is that while I had hoped that this would be a once-a-week update, this seems unsustainable at the moment. I am tentatively putting it at a once every other week update, like the last book, but it could possibly be changed to one every third week. For a while, it seems unlikely it will go down in length, at least until I've found my footing. I will post the next update date at the end of the chapters. The next chapter will drop on April 8th!

With that, I'm still figuring out the structure of the book. I have pretty big ideas of what needs to happen, but I'm still deciding how to actually format it. Basically, we added some new voices last book, but all bets are off for who could show up as a POV in this one, and actually, there are A LOT of people we need to hear voices from: Suki, Aang, Ty Lee, Sokka, Azula, Lu Ten, Nadhari...and it could be many more. I'm waffling between writing this book in arcs, or possibly doing it a-la-Game of Thrones where each chapter is like 'Character Name III' or whatever. The story will primarily follow Katara/Zuko. Poing being, if the structure or chapters change at will, it's because I actually figured out what I want to do with the storyline lol. Thoughts, though?

So in terms of structure that currently DOES exist within the story, the italicize are that yes, Aang can hear what people are talking to him. As almost a pallet cleanser between sections, you'll be hearing what he hears. Sometimes people introduce themselves, sometimes they don't...it will be like a game to figure out who is using Aang as their sounding board today!

In very exciting news to me, and perhaps to you, I set up a Discord for this story! The idea was thrown around/asked by a few people with the last book, and I figured it seemed like an exciting way to experience this last book :) I'll post the link with each update! The 'code' is 'fgJ7BjaC' (put this at the end of the URL). If you can't get it through here, find my tumblr, youngbloodlex22, and it will be updated regularly there!

Lastly, adjacent to some of the things I've discussed, I'm currently in between jobs. I am searching for a new one, and while I hope this gives me the time and mental break to do some art for the first time since August, I also need to pay my bills. I am offering services of proof-reading/copy-writing, essay help, or fan-fiction plot help. DM me if interested!

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter back!