Scars and Ashes (Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfic)

Leftover Feelings

The feeling left behind wasn't the boredom from before she started making her escape, but something else. Boredom existed, being Gran Gran and Oya remained her only company in her father's house until—

"Katara?"

"Oh, Sokka?" Katara frowned at her latest attempt at carving bone. "You want something.

"Do you remember my friend Rarlak?"

"You mean the one you complain you have to hang out with because his father Gilak is his close friend, but not as close as Uncle Bato?"

"Yeah. That..."

"And he also belittles you every chance he can get?"

Sokka's jaw dropped, his finger pointing. He took a deep breath. "He wants to talk to you."

"I'd rather not."

"Yes, well..." Sokka frowned. "He's quite adamant about seeing you. Like now. And I'm inclined to..." Sokka sighed, holding out his hand in a fist. "Sorry. But I'm inclined to agree."

"Why?" Katara stood up, storming over, the room not shaking despite her temper. "Why are you so..."

Sokka opened his hand.

Katara frowned, swallowing. "Sokka, where did you get that?"

"That's my..." Sokka sighed, frowning. "Well, not quite my question. Why, Katara, is it Rarlak is suddenly handing me mother's necklace, demanding you speak with him rather than this being around your neck?"

Katara took a deep breath. "Where is he?"

"Rarlak?"

"No! Lee!"

"Who?" Sokka frowned.

"Just," Katara gritted her teeth together. "I'll talk to him."

"I, that's great!" Sokka said. "I thought this would be much more difficult, given how stubborn you can be."

"Oh, you've not seen how stubborn I can be!" Katara said, hands at her side.

"Wait! Katara!" Sokka followed after her, then pointed in a slightly different direction. "Here! Please don't bite our heads off."

"Excuse me!" Katara said, storming into the room. "Rarlak!"

The young Water Tribe youth sat on the edge of a raised platform in the icy room, hands on his knees. "Can we sit and talk?"

"I don't want to sit and talk!" Katara said. "I want to know where Lee is!"

"Who's Lee?" Sokka asked.

"The person who stole your sister's betrothal necklace," Rarlak said.

"Nobody stole my betrothal," Katara started saying. "Wait? My what?" She turned to Sokka who still held onto their mother's necklace. "What is he talking about?"

"It's news to me."

"While far less common here than in our sister tribe, when a guy wants to propose to a girl, they carve them a betrothal necklace, and she wears it to signify...."

"Yeah. It's not a betrothal necklace," Katara said, waving her hand. "It was my mothers."

"With the understanding that the necklace would go to whoever you choose."

Sokka sighed. "So, effectively, Rarlak, you're throwing a fit over Katara, picking someone other than you to marry?"

"Except on top of her not understanding the significance of that necklace, it was stolen."

"Lee didn't steal the necklace," Katra said firmly."

"If Katara says," Sokka said, then his mouth twisted into a frown. "Katara?"

"Not now, Sokka!"

"How exactly could you give some guy mother's necklace without father and I knowing? You're not allowed out of the house unless..."

"It's not as either of you've noticed it's been gone!" Katara said. "And for your information, I can actually come and go as much as I want!"

"What you mean is you have some way of getting past everyone so nobody rats you out to Father!"

"And I wouldn't have to do that if either one of you didn't try keeping me locked up in here as if I'm some kind of precious snowflake!"

"You are the head chieftain's daughter, though," Rarlak said. "But given the riffraff you've been associating yourself with..."

"Lee isn't..." Katara started saying.

"What rifraff?" Sokka said.

"...you should be locked up here."

"Didn't ask you, Rarlak," Sokka snapped.

"And I don't need to be locked up!"

"But honestly, who is this Lee?"

"Not from our social circle," Rarlak said.

Sokka sighed, rolling his eyes and doing annoying quotes in the air when needed. "So you're mad my sister picked a "commoner" over you?"

"Worse than a commoner."

"How can someone be worse than..."

"He's Fire Nation," Rarlak said.

Katara glared at the older boy. "And where is Lee? Where's my friend?"

"Friend?" They're not our friends, or are you so blind that..."

"Me? Blind? Blind are the ones who throw a Water Tribe child out of their homes just because that child turns out to be a firebender. Blind are the people who won't have anything to do with a waterbender because his eyes are Fire Nation! I am not the one who's blind here! Where is Lee!"

"Dude," Sokka said. "You just had to go and wake the beast, didn't you? I've repeatedly told you that Katara's a pain to deal with when she gets like this."

"Your Fire Nation friend, as you call him, the thief, is in front of the council of elders."

Katara swallowed, her hands clenching beside her. "Wait. I thought he'd done something like beat Zuko up or—no. Zuko is too skilled and too agile for Rarlak to get the better of, even Sokka." She took a deep breath. "You! You had him arrested, didn't you!"

"What do you think would happen when the elders found out they stole your necklace, Lady..."

"Do not!" Katara motioned with her hands, melting the platform Rarlak was on, causing him to topple over. "Call me Lady Katara! Lee did not steal my necklace! And I am actually far more aware of my father's intent because I did give it to someone I liked and trusted. So go jump into an ice pond, you moron!"

"Wait. Katara!"

"I do not want to talk to you, Sokka!" Katara said, only for Sokka to grab her wrist.

"Good. We should..."

"Shut up, Rarlak. Katara?"

"Let go!"

"Do you really..."

"I said, let go!" Katara swung her hand around, causing frost to appear in her brother's hair, yet it did not freeze him in place. It was annoying enough that he let go of her hand.