Freedom

Chapter 55: The Woman Who Loves

Katara did not know how long she had been running; it felt like she never stopped. Her heart thudded in her ears but she had to keep going, or else it would crash into her like a ton of bricks.

Everything she had worked for. Everything she strived for. It was all for nothing.

She was a monster.

She could now control people against their will. It was an ability she never asked for.

Her feet ached and begged for relief. But her legs pushed through and kept moving. Her mind was afraid to stop. She hoped she wouldn't be followed even though she knew someone would.

Sokka, Aang... Zuko.

When she closed her eyes, she saw the life draining from their eyes as Hama sucked the blood from their lungs. But just beyond them, it was her who held the power. It was her whose hand was contorted, performing her will.

Even as she ran, she could hear the voices of the villagers.

"Burn her at the stake!"

"Stone her to death!"

"Treat her like the savage she is!"

For a moment, Katara wondered if they were talking about her. The horrors that Hama committed, kidnapping people... killing people...

She could do the same.

But she wouldn't. The ability did not make her a monster. The person did.

She wasn't Hama, the woman who killed innocents for revenge against men who were long dead. The woman who controlled people against their will to do her own bidding.

She was Katara. The woman who was fighting for the greater good. The woman who trained the Avatar. The woman who set free innocent earthbenders from a prison. The woman who saved an entire town of men, women and children from a fire nation factory polluting their river. A woman who tries. A woman who loves.

She was nothing like Hama.

At least, that's what she kept telling herself.

Her worst thoughts and fears tried to creep in, tried to tell her exactly who she was. She was suddenly very aware of the blood flowing through her veins, pumping her heart. She could feel every heartbeat, pounding in her ears.

She finally stopped at a rivers edge. It was flowing too fast for her to cross. She had to stop.

Katara fell to her knees in sobs, her hands clutching her chest. Everything came crashing down, all her preparations, everything she told herself, didn't matter. She felt like she couldn't breathe, her lungs refusing to expand.

She wanted everything to go black. She wanted everything to disappear and wake up in her sleeping bag tomorrow, like nothing ever happened.

She wasn't sure how long she cried, gasping for air; it felt like hours. She cried until she felt two warm hands hold onto her shoulders.

The touch brought her back to reality. Her lungs felt like she could breathe again. The shakes in her hands stilled.

Katara looked back to see Zuko standing over her. His expression was filled with worry but he offered her a warm smile, trying to ease every pain she faced, every burden she carried.

She sniffed, wiping her eyes, "Did you follow me?" she asked him. Zuko nodded, sitting down next to her, "I tried to keep my distance... I figured you'd want your space..." he looked away from her, "But I couldn't watch you cry like that..."

Katara looked into her knees, "I'm surprised Sokka and Aang didn't grab me the second I started running..."

Zuko tried to smile, hoping it would lighten her mood, "They tried... I stopped them..."