Chapter Text
This fic starts right at the middle of the the last chapter of book 3: "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang", up to this point it is canon compliant, but I will make some canon divergence based on the comics and my own version of the events of the comics. Here are some important dates:
94 AG: Iroh sieged Ba Sing Se, Kya is killed (Katara is 9 years old and Sokka is 10 years old).
95 AG: Lu Ten is killed, Azulon is killed, Ozai becomes Fire Lord, Ursa is banished.
97 AG: Zuko is burned by his father in the Agni Kai and subsequently banished to search for the Avatar (he is 13 when this happens).
99 AG: Katara and Sokka awaken the Avatar Aang (this happens in Winter).
Here are the ages of the characters in 99 AG:
* Aang is 112 years old (staying 12 in body and mind but 100 years passed since he was born).
* Katara is 14 years old.
* Sokka is 15 years old.
* Zuko is 16 years old.
* Suki is 15 years old.
* Yue is 15 years old.
* Azula is 14 years old.
* Ty Lee and Mai are 15 years old.
* Toph Beifong is 14 years old.
* Iroh is 54 years old.
Here are the birthdays and ages of the characters in 100 AG:
Sokka, Katara, Toph, Suki and Aang were born under the equator, which means that for them winter is in the middle of the calendar year and summer is at the end/beginning. For Zuko, who is located near the equator, there is no clear distinction between seasons, but winter would be at the end/beginning of the year and summer at the middle
* Aang turns 113 years old in early Autumn 100 AG. (SH Autumn, NH Spring).
* Katara turns 15 years old in late Spring 100 AG.(SH Spring, NH Autumn).
* Sokka turns 16 years old in late Summer 100 AG. (SH Summer, NH Winter).
* Zuko turns 17 years old in mid Summer 100 AG, somewhere around the Day of the Black Sun. (SH Winter, NH Summer).
* Suki turns 16 years old in mid Spring 100 AG. (SH Spring, NH Summer).
* Azula turns 15 years old in late Autumn 100 AG. (SH Spring, NH Autumn).
* Ty Lee and Mai turn 16 years old in Autumn 100 AG (SH Spring, NH Autumn).
* Toph Beifong turns 15 years old in late Spring 100 AG (SH Spring, NH Autumn).
The 100 year war ends at 100 AG (in Summer) and the Harmony Restoration Movement starts immediately after.
Aang
"You're weak! Just like the rest of your people, they didn't deserve to exist in this world! In MY WORLD! Prepare to join them, prepare to DIE!"
Killing Ozai might end the hundred year war, but it would not end the conflict inside Aang's heart, he could not kill him, even the lightning strike he redirected, he could not aim at Ozai, not after watching his defenseless look. Aang was not sure if the battle would end him, the sight was bleak, and even as Ozai used all his power to break Aang's shell, his thoughts wandered to the people he would fail if he could not do this, his thoughts wandered once more to Katara.
"Come on out, Avatar! you can't hide in there forever!"
Aang was growing increasingly shaky, both from exertion and heat, he could not hold his protective sphere for much longer. His mind raced trying to figure out what to do next, at the same time, his mind kept picturing Katara, her smile, her eyes, her laugh. As he felt the sphere crumbling around him slowly, the image of Katara was replaced by the Guru, and her laugh was replaced by his voice, urging him to open his last chakra, "you must let go". The echo of his voice resonated in his mind's eye, he couldn't do it then and with that he closed the door to the avatar state. As tears fell from his eyes and mixed with his sweat, he realised that he would die, he saw Katara one last time, and knew that even if he died, the hope would not die with him, it must not die with him. Taking one last breath while taking in Katara's eyes for the last time, he decided to let her go, it was hard to detach from her, but as soon as the decision was made, he felt a big weight on his chest. Even though he knew it was too late now to gain the control of the Avatar state back, by letting her go, he could open the way for hope to end the war after he could not. The next blow from Ozai melted the last trace of his protective shell, and as he prepared for the blow by closing his eyes, his spirit was light, floating, no longer tethered to earth. Right when he was about to take his final breath, a familiar power took over him. He felt the power flow through his veins, his limbs, his heart, the Avatar State took hold of him before he could even realise that it did. Almost on instinct, his bending took over for him, and at that moment exactly, the tides of war will change after one hundred years.
***
Katara
Relief could almost feel like happiness, but it was not quite happiness, not after all that was lost, yet here was Katara, embracing her best friend, the boy she loved, so young yet unfortunately so grown up. He was alive, and he had done it, just a boy, a marvelous boy, he had ended the war, he had saved countless people, and he had not lost his innocence and humanity entirely in the process. Her wonderful friend, her love for him was so strong, she did not think she would have been able to continue if Aang died, and if he asked her to, she would follow him to the ends of the earth. He was alive and he was a hero. As they broke the embrace, Katara looked in his eyes, his beautiful and bright silver eyes, she felt so much love for Aang in this moment, she started leaning in for a kiss, at the exact moment Aang gave a sideways smile and broke the eye contact while looking back at the clear sky. Katara was shocked for a moment, her heart slowing down while she turned to see the sky as well. It was over, the war was over, and in some way her friendship with Aang had changed. She loved him, she adored Aang, but no longer as an equal but as a saviour, her heart broke a little bit, the war had changed all of them, and thrusted Aang with a responsibility that adults crumbled under, and yet he came out brilliantly, he was still, in a way, the innocent boy in the iceberg.
They continued looking at the changing sky in silence for a few minutes. It was Aang who broke the silence by thanking her, she was caught by surprise, Aang thanked her for believing in him and being by his side. Finally he turned to her, a slight smile while he told her what had happened and how he came to reach the Avatar State. Katara did not realise she was crying until Aang wiped a tear from her cheek. She was crying because in front of her was Aang, not yet a man but not a boy either. Her wonderful friend, the boy she spent every day with for the better part of a year, the boy she fought alongside, her best friend. He grew up right in front of her eyes, the war had taken her's and Sokka's childhood and innocence, and she naïvely thought she could shield Aang from the same faith, but here he was, in front of her, wise and calm. The spell was broken when they heard Sokka coming down to the deck:
"Would you stop flirting and join us already? Dinner is ready!"
Aang's laugh was so pure that it made Katara laugh as well, she wiped her tears discretely with her sleeves before responding "nothing comes between you and meat, not even your love for Suki, I see".
Aang
While the bickering siblings joined the celebrations, Aang was behind them in deep thought. He told Katara the truth, and even though he expected her to be sad, he could not anticipate the tears. Katara was his first love, he would never stop loving her until the day he died, and the tears that streamed down her face while he spoke broke his heart. He hoped Katara would still be his friend after all this, after breaking her heart. Aang felt a part of himself also perished while he reached the Avatar State, but he was not sure what it was.
Aang did not know at the time and would come to realise years later that what he lost was, in a way, what many child soldiers lose to the war. The war was over, in a sense, but the post-war was only beginning. There are countless epics, scrolls, songs, plays and poems written on war, but seldom were there chronicles of what happened after the war, at least not that he knew of. Maybe this was one of the reasons why Aang became, among other things, a great scholar and historian. He lost his people, his family and his traditions. The responsibility of passing the ways of the Air nomads to the future generation was a great one and weighted heavily on his shoulders. It was a great task, especially since Aang was not particularly scholarly as he was growing up in the temple. For a long time, he thought that the Air nomads will only exist in his writings as his memory will go with him, the last air bender. He saw his friends having children of their own and the warmth of the new generation, untouched by war, reignited his vitality. Although he accepted that he would be the last air bender, he did end up bearing children of his own, so his writings did diminish once he became a father.
At this precise moment, Aang was only happy it was all over, he was happy to see his friends smile and joke around. He was happy that, after all, he did not have to take a life. As optimism was setting into his heart, he knew that his friends and him would manage anything that crossed their paths. Swiftly, he joined them for dinner.
***
Katara
The coronation was organised in a bliss, although Zuko was apologising at every turn about how rushed and small it looked, Katara found everything absolutely beautiful. She was not one to desire opulence, but she could not deny that everything felt shiny and regal to her. Zuko took most of the organising for the hero’s awards ceremony, while the crowning ceremony was handled by the palace’s staff. Katara knew that the new fire lord would face a lot of opposition. He was young, he was previously disgraced and betrayed his royal family, he was but a boy that was away from home the last three to four years. However, in that moment, Zuko looked like a painting, only sixteen years old, yet looking much older, self assured, he commanded the room not like he belonged there but like the room belonged to him. In contrast, Katara felt every bit the outsider she was. To her eyes, Zuko, even with half the opulence and shimmer of the past fire lords, looked every bit more deserving. If she were an artist, she would paint many frames of this scene, the crown descended upon Zuko as if it was always meant to be there. His amber eyes were stern and detached, almost as if he was bored by the whole affair, which only increased his power over the room. Mai was right beside him when Zuko was crowned, since they were not yet married, she was not being crowned herself, but she looked every bit as aristocratic as Zuko did, if not more ‘Zuko could not have chosen a better partner’, Katara thought. Not even an hour after the ceremony ended, the Gaang was already in the strategy room discussing the colonies. Katara felt in her element once more, she might not know about etiquette at the Fire court, but she knew the war and she knew the people.
Earth King Kuei wanted to get rid of the fire nation colonies, it made sense, in a way the Earth kingdom did not want to face the constant reminder of their former colonisers. While Aang and Zuko discussed the fine print, Katara thought that the task was going to be simple. Since the colonies started as military settlements and the families would surely want to come home on their own volition, after all, she was eager to go back home. Little did she know that the main reason why the Fire Nation was able to conquer the other kingdoms so thoroughly was not due to sheer force, Sozin was no brute, but a political strategist that surrounded himself with the best minds of his time, including Avatar Roku. Sozin sent intellects, spies, cartographers and resource planners among other brilliant minds to the nations in expeditions long before there was a whiff of war. The expeditions were fruitful, as, unlike the colonisers of the past, the Fire Nation did in fact learn about the cultures and customs of the other nations, they completely integrated with their regions. Katara was not aware at this moment that the best and most complete recollection of history of the four nations was in the great libraries of the Fire Nation.
The conquering of the other nations was, in a way, brilliant, as it was not done with military campaigns, it was done insidiously over a period of years. Every bit of intel was used against the nations. In the beginning, the Fire Nation colonisers were instructed to follow the laws, regulations and customs of the other nations as best as they could. The diplomatic missions were rather spying efforts. Once the Fire Nation knew how to dominate the enemy, it was too late. Sozin knew that the conquerors of the past never bothered to learn about their conquests, which was ultimately their demise and cost them the longevity of their reign. Sozin expected the most diligence from his people, so every local dance, festivity and even accent should be learned, written about, studied and brought back. His sentiment, paired with the timing of the comment, was what brought upon the great success. Although Sozin could ensure that his domain would pass to his descendants, he did not consider that the power made his son too comfortable and his grandson too blind to see his own faults. The Fire Nation’s power was doomed the moment Ozai neglected to realise that the people find it easier to antagonise outsiders than insiders.
Katara did not know any of this at this point, the same way that she did not know yet that she was, much like Sozin, a natural strategist. Had she had the tools then, the insight and the vision, she would have done things differently, but hindsight is unhelpful and she was only 15 when she mounted Appa on her way to the first Harmony Restoration Movement campaign.
The Gaang decided to embark on this expedition together, it was a shaky ride as they left before the end of the celebrations, and the fireworks were painting the sky in different colours, much to the annoyance of Toph.
“This is so beautiful! I’ve never seen them so close before!” exclaimed Suki, while Aang maneuvered Appa a bit closer to the action.
“Would be a whole lot better if I could SEE what is going on instead of just hearing random explosions!”, said Toph. Sokka and Suki immediately went to comfort her, again forgetting that Toph was, in fact, blind. While Aang moved Appa further away from the celebrations, Katara noticed that Zuko was not as lively and excited as the rest.
“What is wrong, your majesty, is it not allowed to have fun with the peasants anymore?” said Katara jokingly, to which Aang turned from Appa to Zuko.
“It is not that, I am sorry it is just that, after the coronation, I visited my father in prison…” said Zuko to Katara and Aang, much to their worry. Zuko turned to Aang and said “Aang, I need you to promise me something, please. If I ever start to become like my father, I need you to end me”.
Aang immediately started protesting, the thought of jailing his best friend, taking away his bending, his title, all of it was too much to bear, too soon. It was Katara who stepped between them and took control of the situation, as calm and cold as a stream at the end of Autumn.
“I’ll make sure of it, Zuko, we will not let another war break out. But you also must promise us that you won’t become like your father.” Katara held Zuko’s gaze after saying those words, until Zuko finally relented and said “I’ll try to… I won’t, I promise”.
“I know you won’t, but it is only fair, or I’ll beat you in Agni Kai myself!”. Katara said the last part half joking to ease the tension that was forming, it did achieve to lighten Aang at least, but as Aang turned back to navigating Appa, Katara’s eyes never left Zuko’s, both of them unrelenting to give away any ground. It was Sokka who finally got them out of the trance with his scream after Toph had startled him with a loud noise to demonstrate how fireworks felt to her. Suki started laughing and Katara’s heart felt slightly lighter, but the sadness never quite leave Zuko’s mind, even though the rest of the Gaang did not notice anything amiss, Katara did, and she decided then that she would keep an eye on Zuko, at least for this expedition.