The following day the Northern Water Tribe came into sight. A massive glacial fortress standing out in the barren iceland. Luckily, since the Water Tribe was familiar with Appa they didn't have to worry about being attacked from the air. As they flew over the wall, water tribe citizens dropped to a kneeling position in reverence, as they had when Aang and the Spirit of the Ocean had saved them from the Fire Nation. It was their way of saying they would not forget what the Avatar had done or the debt that was owed.
They flew straight to the center of the Royal Palace, knowing that they would need special permission from Chief Arnook to access the Spirit Oasis. Before they even touched down Katara lept from Appa's back, creating an ice ramp to aid her descent.
"Master Katara! It's good to see you!" waved Chief Arnook. He strode over to the snow covered courtyard, flanked on either side by four guards. How have times changed. Katara thought to herself. Although they were met with offensive sheets of ice when they first visited the Northern Water Tribe, she remembered everyone behind the walls being relaxed. Everyone had known there was a 100 year war raging within the landlocked nations, but behind a wall and an ocean away, the citizens of the Water Tribe had been accustomed to a certain amount of safety and security. The Fire Nation's attack had changed everything, the Chief walked around with a guard and even the young kids playing in the street could be seen with short knives made of whale bones strapped to their waists.
Katara moved quickly down the slide, letting the water fall away behind her. "Chief Arnook." she said with a solemn bow. Before she could say anything else she was jerked forward into a hug as Chief Arnook embraced her.
"None of that Katara! What are you doing here?"
Katara bit her lip. The fight in the catacombs seemed like it was a lifetime away. She had come all this way and now the words were failing her. Where did she start? How did she tell him that the world's only hope might be lost forever and it was her fault? "It's Aang-"
Chief Arnook's face dropped and his eyes darted to Appa who had now landed. Toph had stayed on Appa's back, letting everyone know on the way there how excited she was to have her vision essentially frozen. Zuko and Sokka were working together to gingerly unstrap Aang from Appa and bring him down from the saddle.
"What happened!" Chief Arnook demanded, looking from Katara to her companions frantically. His eyes rested on Zuko and a look of pure fury crossed his face. "It was him! You brought that Fire Nation filth back here after what they did to us?! After what they did to my daughter?!"
"Chief Arnook! No you don't understand, Zuko didn't do this!" Katara shouted, but it was no use. Once Chief Arnook had seen Zuko he was unable to hear anything else, unable to see anything else other than the enemy that robbed him of his daughter's life.
Chief Arnook pushed Katara to the side, gesturing towards the warriors at his side.
"Men! Kill the Fire Nation Prince!"
Moments later, eight of the most elite benders in the Northern Water Tribe sprung after Zuko. Zuko paused and Katara waited for him to fight back, waiting for the entire thing to fall apart. Instead he flipped backwards out of reach of the waterbenders, drawing their fire away from Aang and lowered his hands and head into a submissive pose.
Despite his clear surrender, the tribesmen were on him immediately. Several blasts of water hit Zuko at one time, sending him sprawling backwards on the ice. He started to get up coughing, "I'm not here to hurt anyone, I just want to help." Thick tendrils of water snaked out from one of guards arms wrapping itself tightly around Zuko's throat, in a sharp upward movement the guardsman lifted Zuko several feet above the ice, cutting off his air supply.
"Stop! You don't understand!" Katara yelled.
Zuko's hands flew to his throat, trying to disrupt the attack. His fingertips easily passed through the water but the grip it had on him remained steady, unable to alleviate the pressure. Katara shrieked and threw herself at the other waterbenders. Sensing her attack one of the men sent an icy disc towards her. She could tell that the warrior had meant it as a buffer to keep her away from the fray. It was one of the most rudimentary maneuvers that she had learned with Master Paku. It was something that any beginning bender would be able to dodge or break apart. It was never actually supposed to hit her.
But ever since the catacombs, when she had failed Aang and the rest of the world. Katara had been a little off her game. She tried to turn away but wasn't quick enough. Part of the icy disk slashed Katara across the face, from forehead to cheek. Instantly, Katara's world exploded into a sea of red as blood covered her vision.
Somehow she managed to stay on her feet. Katara screamed in frustration, couldn't they see how pointless the fighting was when Aang needed help? Zuko's struggles had begun to weaken and he was starting to look blue in the face, Katara knew she didn't have much time. Using all anger and emotions that had been building up inside of her she swung her fists downward and stamped her foot. "I SAID STOP!"
The normally sturdy ice beneath their feet exploded apart, sending the warriors flying backwards. They hit the ground with a resounding thud, many of them knocked unconscious. Zuko fell to the ground wheezing, trying to get air back into his lungs.
Katara's limbs felt heavy as though all of the energy had gone from her body. "What have you done?" asked Chief Arnook in a low voice. She ignored him, making her way to Zuko. She dropped to her knees next to him. He was still doubled over on all fours trying to regain himself.
She reached out to him and he caught her hand in his. Without thinking she brought it to his face. "Thank you, Katara." he whispered before collapsing. She caught him just before he hit the ice.