A Different Destiny

Chapter 29

Katara felt like one of the earthbenders who had built the great walls of Omashu. They had sailed through the night, at the Boss's urging, afterall, "time is money" and as he pointed out, he was steering a cargo ship not a sightseeing ferry. Gua had protested at this decision, saying that they all needed at least an hour or so of rest. He pointed out that Katara and the rest of the men looked as though they were nearing the end of their limits.

An hour of rest sounded wonderful to Katara but the Boss had grumpily shut Gua down. "Remember whose in charge boy." he growled, throwing Gua a dirty look. Gua bowed his head in response. The Boss grunted in approval at not being challenged further.

The first rays of sunlight were starting to peak over the horizon, they reflected off the morning waters giving the whole scene a glowing and ethereal appearance. Katara paused for a moment, mesmerized by the serenity of it all. For so long she hadn't seen or known anything other than the monotonous ice caps of the South Pole.

Now just a few months later she had been to the other side of the world. She had been to the great spirit Oasis of the North Pole and even stood on the great outer walls of Ba Sing Se itself. The little girl who used to spend days chasing Sokka and otter penguin pups around would be in utter shock and disbelief of the person now standing in front of them. Younger Katara wouldn't of thought twice about a scene like this, the beauty of the light reflecting on the waters would've been lost to her in the quiet of it all.

Back then she had yearned for action and excitement. She wanted to dance at the posh and exclusive gatherings of Ba Sing Se's elite and learn from the great masters of the Northern Tribe. Now that she had experienced all of these things and much more, she found herself wanting nothing more than for a simpler time. As much as she hated to say it, a time even before Aang. Though Aang brought hope to her and the rest of the world, she wished that life wasn't always such a fight.

She wanted to just live.

Katara closed her eyes and found herself transported to another time. A time when Kya, her mother was still alive to sing her asleep and chase away all the bad dreams. Though he would never admit it because of his manly pride or whatever it is boys got held up on, she knew that Sokka missed that too. There had been times over the years, since their mother had died, that Katara had caught him silently humming one of the songs she used to sing to himself. She actually doubted he remembered what it was from, likely it was just the sound that made him feel a little comfort and a little less lonely in the world.

But she knew that sound reminded her of warm fire in the hearth and familiar smells. Her dad in the kitchen cleaning up what was left of dinner. Sokka fighting with her over who would get to pick the story that night.

Yeah, she wished she could go back and live in a time like that.

She opened her eyes, the scene before her had remained mostly unchanged. Except now on the edge of the horizon she could just make out the masts of another ship. There was a sudden pressure in her chest, at this distance she couldn't make out the nation it belonged too. Although they had had a long journey from the northern corner of the Earth Kingdom, they hadn't seen any other ships on the water.

She had expected that, guessing that most ships were tied up near Ba Sing Se.

"Everything okay?" she felt a hand on her shoulder and without meaning too she jumped backwards a little. It was Gua.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention for a second."

He gave her a tired smile. "Don't worry about it, we're all nearing the point of exhaustion. The old man will do anything to make sure he turns an extra few bucks."