We learned that Hama was originally from the Southern Water tribe. Katara and Sokka were incredibly shocked.
"But how come you didn't tell us?" Sokka asked.
"I wanted to surprise you!" Hama exclaimed, with a smile. "I bought all this food today so I could fix you a big Water Tribe dinner." Katara beamed and said,
"I knew I felt a bond with you!" She said, as Sokka butted in.
"And I knew you were keeping a secret, so I guess we're both right-" Katara punched him in the shoulder. "And I'm sorry for sneaking around." He added.
"Apology accepted." Hama smiled and said, "Now come on, let's get cooking!"
Katara insisted that I help out with the cooking.
"Katara, I don't even know what an ocean kumquat is." I said, "I don't think I'll be much help here."
"Just come and help," Katara insisted. Her eyes were bright with excitement. "I'll teach you everything. You haven't had Southern Water Tribe cuisine before have you?"
"Never had the chance to." I said, as I was handed a knife to chop up some vegetables.
"Where are you from, dear?" Hama asked as we peeled and chopped things left and right.
"Um, I'm originally from the Fire Nation." I said, sliding what I had chopped into a boiling pot. "I met these guys a long time ago, and I've been journeying with them ever since."
"Is that so?" Hama said, glancing at me. For the briefest of moments, I saw her eyes flash with hatred. I blinked as she quickly smiled and continued to cook. Something felt off, but I pushed it away, seeing how happy Katara looked.
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Not long after, we had set all the food onto the table. Hama returned with a large bowl. Aang leaned in to whisper to Toph and I,
"I'd steer clear of the sea prunes." He said.
"I thought we replaced them with ocean kumquats." I said.
"Close enough," Aang muttered, still looking a little queasy.
"Who wants five flavor soup?" Hama asked as we all raised our hands. Much to our surprise, Hama waved her hands over the bowl and shot out five blobs to our empty bowls.
Katara clapped her hands,
"You're a water bender!" She said, excitedly. "I've never met another water bender from our tribe!" Hama sighed sadly,
"That's because the Fire Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one..."
"So how did you end up here?" Sokka asked. Hama's eyes darkened.
"I was stolen from my home," She said, beginning to recount her story, "It was over 60 years ago with the raids started. They came again and again, each time rounding up more of our water benders and taking them captive. We did our best to hold them off, but our numbers dwindled as the raids continued. Finally, I too was captured." Hama sighed, "I was led away in chains. The last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. They put us in terrible prisons here in the Fire Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape."
"How did you get away?" Sokka asked, "And why did you stay in the Fire Nation?" I watched Hama very carefully as her shoulders shook.
"I'm sorry, it's too painful to talk about anymore." Katara took Hama's hands and nodded, understandingly.
"We completely understand. We lost our mother in a raid." Hama looked and Sokka and Katara sympathetically.
"Oh you poor things," She said. I looked down at my hands. Guilt flooded my mind as Katara and Hama continued to talk. Knowing that all this sorrow and destruction was caused by my own people... It left me wondering if the world could truly forgive the Fire Nation for all they had done.
YOU ARE READING
The Eternal Flame (ATLA) (FIRST PERSON POV)
Fanfiction"I don't want Ozai to die. I just want him to face the cruelty he's thrown the world and suffer, just like the world has. And death doesn't seem like an equivalent exchange." Kira is a Dragon Child, a child born with a spirit of a Dragon within her...
