Chapter Three
I am in the kitchen again. It seems as if I am chained inside its white walls, forced to stare into a pot, tasting its contents, adding spices until it tastes perfect. Sometimes I miss home. The little village, faces I knew. We were a family. I smile, remembering that one time when Sokka tripped over the Ice I had waterbended and smacked his head hard against the snow wall that surrounded our village like an icy barrier from the real world. The snow had crumbled around him. Everything had been so unstable there. Not like in Omashu, where the walls were unbreakable, its earth wall tough as stone. But I also remember how little our world was there. We had nothing. Just the snow around us. But I miss that, a bit. Here, although the walls are made of iron, just like the hearts of some of the officials walking through this building, everything seems so fragile, like one shove could break everything. Send the hard-earned peace crumbling into oblivion. If Zuko changes his mind, then, in the shape the whole world is in right now, peace won’t last long. With or without the comet, Zuko is a terribly strong firebender.
My eyes widen as I lift my head from the pot. Something that the old fortune teller once told me..
You will be with a very powerful bender.
Maybe it wasn’t Aang she was talking about. For now, that did not seem like the case...
But Zuko...
I shake that thought out of my head. Maybe it is true. But I can’t just switch from one guy to the other, being with Zuko right in front of Aang's eyes. Then again, why should I care.
I am now bending the steam, sending it back into the pot and out again. I separate the water, making it look like a donut, the steam in the middle. That is when Aang walks in.
I ball my fists, ready for anything.
“Why hello there. How did you sleep Katara? I heard you crying.” Aang greets me, taunting.
“Well atleast your ears work. Maybe it was because of you? Because I left everything for you? And then it turned out, all you are, is a stupid, ugly, bald, big-headed, freak kid who can never do anything right alone, always messes up, desserts people for 100 years, then attempts at killing someone who happened to be the one who helped you along the way, was there for you, and was the one that discovered you. Nice Avatar business going there. Lets save the firelord who has been cold-bloodedly killing millions, but lets kill the girl who helped you, and who you would be nothing without. Wow. How stupid, selfish and idiotic can you get?”
“I didn’t ask for a rant, Katara. It was a question.”
“Are you too stupid and childish to comprehend what is going on? Can you not understand ANYTHING? Do you have cobwebs where your brain is supposed to be? Or maybe it froze when you were in the ice, busy doing NOTHING about the deaths of millions of people. Face it, Aang. You were cowardly. You turned your back on everyone. You are the worst Avatar ever. At least Roku died trying to save others. You went missing because you were cowardly.”
That hit Aang hard. He looks at me, his eyes full of pain and sorrow. Aang turns his back on me and walks out of the room.
“We have a problem.” Zuko tells me during dinner.
“What do you mean?” I ask Zuko.
“Aang is feeling quite shifty. I am not sure he will want to help us create Republic City.”
“What? Why?”
“I think he is sort of sad about the break up..”
“I see... Any good news?”
Zuko smiles slightly. “I think I know where my mother is.” But at that instant his smile turns into a scowl. “But if I am correct, then the journey of finding her will be hard. And it will take a long time.”
“Great! When do we get started?”
“Pardon?”
“Should we start finding your mother tomorrow, or now...”
“You are willing to help me?”
“Of course! But please can we make a quick visit to the south pole? My Gran Gran is sickly, and apart from that, I know the perfect animal that can help us get there.”
“Sure thing. What animal?”
“Well... It is going to be extremely hard to catch, you know.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Okay then. There is there rare species of animal. The Southern Tribe’s Polar Wolf. It is like the Polar Dog, except vicious, a tiny bit smarter, better swimmers and faster runners. And they are good at hiding.”
“Amazing.”
“One problem. It is extremely complicated to befriend one. And there is only one place where they dwell. In the heart of the South Pole.”
“That doesn’t matter. “
This was amazing. I could finally leave this palace were I had been confined for the past two months, go see my Gran Gran, and help Zuko find his mother.
“Should we bring anyone else along?” I asked Zuko.
“Would Toph and your brother be okay with coming?”
“I bet they would. They are in Ba Sing Se right now, so...”
“So at first sun, we should get going.”
And with that I said goodbye, running to my room in joy. I packed everything I would need, not like I had many possessions, when one thing hit my mind.
Aang would be even more furious. The old team back together... But without him...
I shook the thought from my head. He wouldn’t want to come, anyways.
I fell onto the soft bed and sooner than I had expected, I heard Zuko telling me to wake up.
It was time to find his mother.
