Katara tries to escape the ice that encases her, but Tikali tightens the hold around her and her hands clamp, unable to move. The creature wrapped around his arm hisses as Katara snarls a foul curse at him.
"You're supposed to be in the fire nation," Tikali tsks, circling around Katara like a vulture, "Sitting on the fire lords lap, like a good little bitch."
Katara grits her teeth and tries to squirm as the ice bites into her, both Tikali and the creature on his arm stare at her with predatory eyes.
"What are you doing here?" Tikali says, looking Katara up and down.
"You kidnapped my father," Katara snarls, "What, did you think I'd never find out?"
"So you think you'd come here and stop me?" Tikali laughs, the creature coils around his arm tighter, "I won the chiefdom, fair and square."
Katara pulls against the ice and Tikali laughs again, mocking her.
"Do you know why you're so invaluable?" Tikali asks, Katara stops struggling as Tikali grabs a piece of her hair and twirls it around her thumb, "Do you know why the fire lord wanted you so badly?"
"Because he thought I was the avatar," Katara sighs, rolling her eyes.
"You were destined to become the avatar," Tikali says, "Aang was supposed to reign as the avatar for seventy-three years, then, when he died, you were supposed to become the next avatar."
"So?" Katara shrugs, "Aang lived, and I didn't become the avatar."
"But a piece of that spark, that avatar flame, is inside of you," Tikali says, he runs his hands over the ice that traps Katara, "I bet you're wondering how I know this."
"I'm not."
"This is Norouge," Tikali says, ignoring Katara as he holds up the arm that the creature is wrapped around, "He is a spirit."
The creature slithers off of Tikali's arm and then onto the ice that encases Katara.
"I found him in the northern spirit oasis," he continues, watching the spirit as it wraps around Katara's neck like a rope, "He is the reason I knew that your avatar was close. He is the reason I knew you were close. I must say, I was disappointed when you didn't try and stop me for killing your father last night, I sent all my guards away and gave you an opportunity to come for me, I was defenceless after all. And yet you left, without even a hint that you were there, if it wasn't for Norouge I wouldn't have even known. Was my trap too obvious?"
Katara snarls as she pushes against the ice, trying desperately to free herself.
"Ah ah ah," Tikali tsks, waving his finger at her, "Don't go trying to escape, Norouge is not very fond of quick movements."
The spirit tightens around Katara's neck and spits a hiss at her.
"What do you want with me?" Katara asks, glaring at Tikali as the spirit relaxes its hold.
"I don't care if you live or die," Tikali says, "You're not that important, no, my goal is to unite the two nations and overthrow the fire nation."
"Why?" Katara asks.
"Why?!" Tikali echoes with a laugh, "Because they're one step away from starting another hundred year war! You have no idea how many people I lost to that war, I was forced into hiding because of that war. My mother sent me away, to keep my powers out of the fire lords grasp, she thought that it was I who was to be the next avatar."
"Zuko isn't like his father," Katara says, "aren't you tired of wars? He wants peace, just as much as you do."
"Peace will never come until the fire nation feels what we felt!" Tikali snaps, the spirit tightens around Katara's neck again and she snarls at it.
"Help me," Tikali says, Katara looks at him in shock as he steps towards her and places his hand on the ice, "With your powers, we could take down the fire lord, we could start a new era where fire does not have a place in the world."
"So you'll eradicate an entire civilisation, just for revenge?" Katara gapes, "You're a madman!"
"They eradicated the air nomads," Tikali shrugs, "They almost eradicated us too. Why shouldn't they feel the fear we felt?"
"Why should we aid in the distribution of fear and hate?" Katara asks, as she talks she distracts Tikali, taking his attention off her movements beneath the ice, "The Phoenix King has fallen, let the wars fall with him."
"Of course," Tikali sighs, rolling his eyes, "I would expect nothing less from the Fire Lord's weapon, you're not water tribe, you don't understand."
Katara has had enough of talking, the ice around her starts to crack, and whine under pressure.
"What are you doing?" Tikali says, stepping back in shock as the ice continues to crack, "How are you doing that?"
The fire in Katara's blood has helped her melt the ice around her hands, now, with her hands freed, she bends the ice, making it crack as the moon reaches its peak. The ice shatters and Katara grabs the spirit that is tightening around her throat, she squeezes it and it hisses in pain before disappearing.
Katara turns her gaze to Tikali and his eyes widen in horror as the fire in her eyes roar.
"I am Katara, of the Fire Nation and Water Tribe," she snarls as she brings her hands up, "You killed my father, prepare to die."
Tikali's eyes widen as he falls to his knees, the sound of his body tightening under her control make's Katara smile. She can hear his veins constricting as moving at her command, but before Katara can end it, Sokka bursts into the room and looks at the sight before him. Katara twists Tikali under her hands, she looks at her brother and he frowns.
"Don't," Sokka says, his voice breathless as he watches his sister.
"Why not?" Katara growls, her eyes turning back to Tikali, "Why should I let this monster live? So Aang can take his bending? So he can live in a cell? So he can live in a cell? He'll kill again, Sokka, if we don't stop this now, there will never be peace."
"Then let me do it," Sokka says, he unsheathes his sword and Katara looks to him in shock, "You don't need his blood on your hands."
"Your hands are shaking, Sokka, let me do it," Katara says, noticing the way Sokka's sword trembles.
But Sokka doesn't listen, he lets out a war cry and then shoves his sword through Tikali's chest, Katara listens to the sound of the sword slicing through Tikali's entire life and poke out through his back.
Sokka steps back and Katara stops bending, Tikali's lifeless body slumps forward, with the sword's blade sticking out of his back, slick with his blood.
Sokka's hands are still shaking, he turns back to his sister and tears well in his eyes.
"Hey," Katara breathes, she pulls her brother close and holds him as he wraps his arms around her waist, "It's ok," Katara soothes as Sokka presses his forehead to her shoulder.
"Katara," a voice stammers, Katara looks to the door where Aang stands, pale-faced and wide-eyed.
Two days pass and Katara stays in the water tribe for Hakoda's funeral, she watches as a small canoe is prepared for her father, the tribe come together to paint the canoe and lay wreaths of silk and fish appease the spirits.
Katara watches the people as they mull around, she feels empty, cold and alone. Sokka is rundown with his new responsibilities as chief, Toph and Suki spend their time helping rebuild from the damage caused during the riot, Aang mills around, helping where he can but mostly avoiding Katara and Sokka.
Katara feels alone, she feels out of place at the tribe and she can't wait to leave. But that afternoon a ship appears on the horizon, a royal Fire Nation ship, decorated with the royal coat of arms.
Kiki told Zuko, she received a letter from her father, then Zuko received a letter from Sokka, both explained what happened, how Hakoda had lost his life in what they were referring to as 'the incident'. But then Zuko received a letter from Katara and it made his heart leap into his throat.
In her shaky handwriting, it read:
Dearest Zuko. Everything is fine, the threat has been neutralised, the earth king has been informed of the situation and will hopefully be rethinking his stance on war with the Fire Nation. However, I must stay in the tribe for a few more days, there were casualties, Sokka is chief now. Katara.
Zuko can tell that Katara's hand was shaking when she wrote the letter, she couldn't even bring herself to write the words 'my father is dead', there is a small droplet stain on the corner of the note, a tear must have fallen as she wrote the letter.
Zuko didn't consult with his council, he didn't want their opinion on his decision, so he places a regent in control and then finds Kiki, telling her that he will accompany her on her trip to the Southern Water Tribe.
He has his ship ready for him and his things packed by that afternoon and as the sun sets, the ship leaves the Fire Nation.
Zuko hasn't been on a ship for months, not since he returned home as the saviour prince to the Fire Nation. Zuko remembers the time he would spend with Katara during their years of searching for the avatar; they would train for hours on the deck, sparing together with Iroh instructing them.
Zuko was so angry back then, he was filled with bitter rage and hatred; he is a different man now.
Now, his heart seems to be pulling him towards the south, yearning for Katara. He has missed her terribly, and the thought of her being in pain makes his chest feel tight as his heart races.
Katara watches as the ship docks, she watches as Kiki races off the ship, into the arms of her awaiting father.
Katara expects that to be the last of the visitors, no matter how much she hopes, she doesn't expect Zuko to leave the Fire Nation, not now.
But Katara is wrong, Zuko steps onto the docks, and Katara's heart starts to race.
"Katara," Zuko breathes.
Katara doesn't say a word, she breathes out a sigh of relief and then races into his arms, she throws her arms around his shoulders and he holds her close.
"I'm sorry," he whispers, burying his nose into the crook of Katara's neck.
Katara presses into Zuko as his grip tightens around her waist.
When Katara lets go, so does Zuko, he lets her step out of his arms and then looks up at him with wide eyes.
"I've missed you," Katara breathes, she wipes her eyes and then smiles As Zuko caresses her cheek.
"ZUKO!" a voice calls, suddenly the rest of the gang are on the docks, including Aang who races towards the Fire Lord.
Katara takes a step back from Zuko and then rubs her arm as the gang greet Zuko, wrapping him in their arms and smiling.
"Hi, guys," Zuko beams.
"What are you doing here?" Aang asks, smiling up at maybe the only person who doesn't hate him at the moment.
Zuko looks to Katara out the corner of his eye and then to Sokka.
"I heard what had happened," Zuko says, "I've come to offer my condolences."
Zuko holds out a hand to Sokka and the new chief, they grab each other's arms and then Zuko pulls Sokka into a hug.
"Thanks, man," Sokka laughs, stepping out of Zuko's hold as he sniffs and tries not to cry, "Come on, we have a lot to catch up on."
Katara smiles as she watches her brother wrap his arm around Zuko's shoulders and lead him into the tribe.
Zuko doesn't know, nor does Kiki, that Aang is the reason why Hakoda is dead. Katara, and the rest of the gang figured that it wasn't their place to tell the others.
Sokka shows Zuko around the tribe, the rest of the gang go around with Zuko, catching up on all the things they've missed out on over the last six months.
Katara trails behind the group before splitting from them, she wanders around alone for a while before finding herself walking into the sacred hut.
"Katara," the mortician says, greeting Katara with a warm smile.
"Can I see him?" Katara asks, her hands shaking as she clenches them in front of her.
The woman nods her head and then takes her further into the hut, Chief Hakoda is laying on a table made of ice, he is dressed in ceremonial clothes and his face is lined with the light blue paint of their tribe.
"I'm sorry," Katara breathes, standing over her father, "I should have done something, I should have stopped him. There was so much... so much more that I had to say to you," Katara's voice wavers as tears well in her eyes, "I never got the chance... Dad, I don't know what I'm doing." Katara slips her hand into her fathers, "I still need you, and there is so much I needed to say to you. Dad..." Katara sucks in a deep breath and tries to blink away her tears, "I hated you..." she finally admits, "For a long... for a long time I hated you. I thought you abandoned me, every night I would pray to the spirits... I'd pray that you would come find me and take me home. I hated how you put the war over me, and I hated that you let them take me away... I was so angry when you left again, when you let the war separate us, again. I hope you're with mum, I hope you join her in the spirit world and are at peace. I hope..." Katara's voice cracks as she squeezes her father's hands, "Spirits, I wish you would just squeeze my hand... I hope I can make you proud... I hope I can prove myself a legacy you'll be proud of."
Katara lets go of her father's hand and wipes her eyes, she kisses her father's cold cheek and then walks out of the hut. That night, as the sun dips below the horizon, Katara and Sokka lead the people out to the coastline, they both wear ceremonial clothes and carry twin bows, each with a single arrow.
"Today, we say goodbye to our beloved chief," an elder says, standing next to the canoe, "We send him into the great beyond, where we pray he may find peace in the waves. Hakoda was a son," the elder looks to where Gran-Gran stands in the front of the crowd, "He was a father," the elder looks to Katara and Sokka, both of whom stand hard-faced, not showing any hint of emotion, "And he was a husband. But he was also our chief; the chief the people chose, he protected us and served us as the greatest chief he could be, and for that, he will live eternal in the spirit lands."
Two of Hakoda's closest friends wade into the shallow waters, they push Hakoda out as Katara and Sokka nock their arrows. The men walk with the canoe until they stand up to their armpits in the icy water.
Katara and Sokka hold their bows up and the elder lights the arrows on fire. Katara and Sokka draw the arrows back at the same time, Katara steadies her breath and then lets her arrow fly at the same time as her brother. Both arrows find their mark, one at the foot of the boat, and one at the head, the canoe quickly catches fire and Katara watches her father burn.
It is of paramount importance that she does not cry, she holds back her tears as the flames dance on the water, if Katara or Sokka were to cry, it would be a sign, a sign that Hakoda's spirit is not at peace, for if it were, surely the chief's loved ones would not be crying.
"And now, we welcome the next chief," the elder says after a moment of silence, "Sokka, son of Hakoda and Kya."
Katara watches as her brother steps forward and kneels at the elder's feet.
"A new moon rises," the elder says, he grabs a bowl of light blue paint and swirls it with his thumb, "The tide rises to welcome the new chief."
Sokka is marked by the elder, painted with the lines of a chief, the same lines that were painted on their father.
"Rise, young wolf," the elder commends.
Sokka stands to his feet and then turns to his people, in response, his people lift their heads and howl out, accepting Sokka as their new chief.
That night celebrations commence, the people celebrate their chiefs, they dance around a bonfire and drink deeply from their cups.
"You disappeared," Zuko says, walking up to Katara as she watches the celebrations from the top of a nearby hut.
"I had to do something important," Katara says, watching as the fire reaches for the stars. Sokka dances with his people, with Suki and Toph, laughing as the sour yak's milk buzzes in his blood.
"You look beautiful," Zuko compliments, eyeing the white furs of Katara's dress.
"I am Tui," Katara proclaims, leaning back and looking up to the moon, "Daughter of the great moon, she who watches over all, sister to the great la," Katara gestures to her brother and then offers Zuko a sip of her drink.
"Not a fan of yak's milk," he says holding up a hand.
"It's wine," Katara says, she grabs the bottle from behind her and fills her cup, "nabbed it from the Tikali's cellar."
Zuko accepts the wine and sips from Katara's cup, the wine is sweet and dances on his tongue playfully.
"It's good," he says, lowering the cup from his lips, "So, why aren't you down at the festival of chief's?"
"There are too many people," Katara says, swinging her legs over the edge of the hut's roof, "Too much noise."
Zuko watches as Katara drinks straight from the bottle.
"I love you," Katara says, putting the bottle down as she looks to Zuko, "I'm in love with you."
Zuko's eyes widen, his heart races as those words make his skin tingle and the fire in his blood race.
"I love you too," Zuko says, smiling as he takes Katara's hands, "And I'm here for you," Zuko adds, "Whatever you need."
Katara smiles and leans into Zuko's shoulder, he puts his arm around and she takes another deep drink from the bottle.
The next thing Katara knows, is that she's waking up in a pile of furs, she's stark naked and she feels like she's swallowed a whole dessert.
Katara rolls over and realises that this isn't her bed, she frowns and holds the furs to her chest as she sits up and finds that she isn't in her hut either. Katara's head throbs as she looks around the room, trying to figure out what happened last night, her legs ache as she has a dull memory of dancing by the fires.
"Well, good morning you," Zuko says, walking into the room, he is shirtless with water droplets gleaming on his skin.
Katara's heart races as fear spikes through her, "We didn't..." Katara stammers as Zuko rubs the back of his neck with a towel, "Zuko... did we...?"
"No," Zuko laughs, "No we didn't, you were just determined to get naked."
"What happened last night?" Katara groans, putting her head in her hands.
"Well, you fell off the roof," Zuko says, throwing his towel aside as he rolls back into bed, "you found that absolutely hilarious while I freaked out and tried to convince you to stop drinking."
Katara winces as she can hear the echo of her laughter in her mind.
"Then, you ran from me," Zuko explains, he slides behind Katara and holds her in his arms, "calling for me to catch you, you ran into the party and I found you dancing with other drunkards. And, let's see, what happened next? Oh, that's right, you started stripping off your clothes, claiming that you were the queen of the water tribe and that you would dance under the moon."
"I didn't," Katara groans in shame, "Tell me you were able to stop me."
"I couldn't get you to stop," Zuko says, as Katara gets out of bed and looks for her clothes, "So I threw you over my shoulder and tried to take you home."
"Then why aren't I there?" Katara asks, finding her dress.
"Because you wouldn't tell me where it was," Zuko chuckles, "You just kept struggling against me so I carried you here."
Katara finds her underwear and then her leggings, but her parka is missing, so are her gloves and her shoes.
"You then stripped down and fell into my bed, asleep before you hit the mattress," Zuko says, he gets out of bed as Katara pulls on her clothes.
"If anyone sees me like this... oh spirits, what will they think?" Katara hisses as she pins her hair off her face.
"Don't worry, most of the tribe is still blacked out," Zuko assures, "Your people sure know how to drink."
"We could drink any fire bender under the table," Katara says with a wink, she turns to the door, intending to leave, to go home and change.
"Kat," Zuko breathes, he takes Katara's hand and turns her back to him, "We need to talk."
Katara's eyes widen as a feeling of dread fills her, she looks up to Zuko and he squeezes her hand.
"Last night, before you fell off the roof, you told me that you had regrets," Zuko says, sitting with Katara on the fur rug on the floor.
"I was drunk," Katara says with a dismissive wave, "I don't even remember what I said."
"You said that you wished you could have spent more time here, in your ancestral home," Zuko says, Katara looks to her hands.
Sure, Katara felt like there was something missing in her blood, there is a part of her that longs to stay within her tribe, to grow and heal from the fires that burned her.
"Katara, you're still young, we're still young," Zuko says, taking Katara's hands and looking in her eyes, "I'm bound by duty to return to the Fire Nation, but you don't have to."
Katara's heart races as she is placed between her love and her tribe.
"You may be of the Fire Nation, but the Water Tribe is in your blood," Zuko says, continuing as Katara is at war with herself.
"Are you breaking up with me?" Katara asks, looking up to Zuko with tears welling in her eyes.
"No," Zuko laughs, "No, Katara, never. But I don't want you to live with regrets, I want you to experience all the things you couldn't, and when you decide, you can come back to the Fire Nation, and we'll figure out what this-" Zuko gestures between himself and Katara for effect, "-is. Even if you find out that it's not what you want, well then... we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"I love you," Katara says, "And I don't want this to end, but you're right, I do want to be in the tribe, just for a little longer."
"Of course," Zuko smiles, he pulls Katara into his lap and holds her, "You need to be with your people, take all the time you need. I love you, Katara."