Chapter Text
The wedding of Avatar Korra and Asami Sato was one of the most beautiful Katara had ever seen. And she had seen many different weddings in her life, that much must be said.
Today, the wedding of these two women felt almost like a harbinger of something new, a new era.
Katara caught herself getting a little teary-eyed.
“Need a tissue?” she heard someone say beside her.
She turned in that direction, meeting Zuko’s golden eyes. Her husband stood close to her, and from the look on his face, she knew he was wondering if he should hug her, but he was aware that they were in public.
Katara decided that at their age, there was no need to worry about such things, and she snuggled into him, letting him wrap his arms around her.
“No,” she said. “I’m just happy.”
She realized she was in love with him the moment he took Azula’s lightning bolts into his heart for her and nearly died, because of her.
For a moment, she felt as if the world around her was shattering. For a moment, Katara was so furious. Fighting Azula was easy because Katara was fighting full of anger, such righteous anger.
When he opened his eyes and their gazes met, Katara knew she was in big trouble, because she was completely, utterly in love with him.
She didn’t dare kiss him, which she regretted a few days later when she realized that he and Mai had gotten back together.
She realized there was no point in clinging to that foolish love. And Aang, her precious, beloved Aang, had been giving her signs for a long time and was waiting for a response, for some move on her part… Katara knew that Aang needed her; besides, a part of her loved him, loved him so deeply. She didn’t think it was possible to love two people at the same time, but apparently that was exactly what was happening.
Zuko had chosen a life with Mai, so Katara decided to devote her life to Aang.
And she was happy. Being with him, she was happy. Aang cared for her, respected her, and adored her. When he proposed to her, Katara accepted his proposal without hesitation. She had no reason to refuse him, and she wanted to help him rebuild his nation.
She loved him, deeply. She never doubted that. She wasn’t sure if she would call it the greatest love story in the world, considering how young they were when they started dating… but she loved him; that much was certain. It was a steady love. Katara knew that Aang would never leave her; just as Aang knew that she would always be faithful to him and that she would support him.
She didn’t regret it. They started a family together. Together, they ended the war. Together, they restored the Air Temples.
They were happy. For many years, they were happy.
They supported each other. Being with him, Katara felt needed, wanted, loved. Aang never pressured her, never told her to abandon her culture or her beliefs; likewise, she never pressured him, never told him to abandon his culture. It wasn’t easy to bring two such different cultures together, but they managed, somehow.
Of course, they weren’t always completely happy. Sometimes, Katara felt as though her culture came second, always less important than Aang’s. Sometimes, she wanted to yell at him, to tell him to focus more on Bumi and Kya, that his children needed a father, that he couldn’t devote all his attention to Tenzin… but in the end, she never did. Ultimately, she didn’t have the heart to say something like that, because she knew Aang was trying, was trying so hard. Aang would never willingly hurt his own children; he would never do something like that on purpose… he was just focused on his own culture, because Aang was the last one, and then Tenzin came along and suddenly Aang wasn’t the last one anymore.
Katara understood that. She tried to be a good wife; she tried to support her family. But Bumi left as soon as he had the chance, and Kya left not long after…
Aang remained. Her Aang, faithful, loyal, and good Aang remained. He had his duties, of course, and sometimes he wasn’t at the Air Temples, but Katara understood that. She wasn’t selfish enough to force him to abandon his duties.
And then, Aang died, too soon.
And Katara was left alone.
Suddenly, she couldn’t bear to stay in the Republic City. She couldn’t stand the city because everything reminded her of Aang. Because she still loved him, because a part of her always would.
She returned to her hometown, the South Pole, which she had visited so rarely of late. Sokka welcomed her with open arms and held her close.
Toph and Zuko came to her, never letting her feel alone. Together, they mourned Aang’s death. Zuko had been preparing his daughter, Izumi, to take the throne for quite some time, so his absence from the Fire Nation wasn’t an issue.
Together, the four of them somehow survived Aang’s death, just as they had survived Suki’s death together.
And then, Korra turned out to be the Avatar.
Then, a few years later, Sokka died trying to protect her.
Katara never blamed her. She knew it would be wrong; she knew Sokka wouldn’t have wanted that. But knowing that didn’t make Sokka’s death any easier.
Once again, Zuko and Toph came to her, making sure she wouldn’t be alone. They made sure she wouldn’t cry in solitude. Their presence brightened her life.
And when they left, Katara realized she had no one left at the South Pole.
She had spent her adult life away from her tribe. Before, her family had been here, her father, Gran-Gran, Sokka. Then, when she arrived here, she had been close to Sokka, and his friends had become her friends.
But now… now, Katara realized she had no one here. The Tribe had changed over the years she’d been away. Katara had changed a lot. Sokka’s friends talked to her, but they were his friends, not hers. Katara saw pity in their eyes, as if she were a lonely, old woman.
At some point, her greatest joy had become reading letters from Zuko and Toph. They were, in fact, the only friends she had left.
Two months after Sokka’s death, Zuko abdicated.
A month later, he appeared at the South Pole. He had come only briefly to visit her, but one glance was enough for him to realize what was happening.
He reached out his hand to her and asked if she wanted to leave with him.
For some reason, Katara took his hand.
Together, they went to Ember Island, a place Katara still loved. It was still full of memories of Aang, but oh, how few there were compared to the Republic City.
Ember Island, in its own way, turned out to be a better place to spend one’s twilight years. Toph came here without hesitation, preferring the sand to the ice, which made it impossible for her to see anything. Tenzin and his children came here more often because it was easier to get to than the South Pole, and Tenzin’s wife had never been fond of the harsh climate of the poles. Izumi came often, even just for weekend trips from the capital. Bumi stopped by every now and then. Kya loved the blue waters of the sea surrounding them.
Her family and friends visited her often. And when she wanted to, she was the one who visited them. With Druk, Zuko’s dragon, traveling was easier. Besides, she was never alone here.
Before Katara knew it, Ember Island had become her home. Zuko had become her home.
In the summer, they would go to the South Pole. Katara wanted to remember her roots; she wanted to go back there. It was always a bit weird, to be there: she loved those lands; she felt so at home there, but at the same time, it wasn’t her home. She had no friends there, no family… But they were the lands where she had grown up and which she loved so much.
Two years after Sokka’s death, she got married again.
They didn’t want to wait. Perhaps it was foolish to marry again, but they were both widowed, they had both been faithful to their partners for so many years, and they had both had feelings for each other since they were teenagers, feelings they had given up on because, in the end, what they felt for others was stronger.
With Zuko by her side, Katara never felt alone.
They had a private wedding. Many people weren’t even aware that they had remarried. They didn’t want to make a big deal out of it; besides, they had both retired from politics and wanted to finally rest.
Together.
Now, years later, Katara watched as the next incarnation of the Avatar got married.
Korra looked happy. Katara wished her all the best, because the girl deserved happiness, deserved joy, after everything that had happened recently.
As soon as Katara thought of that, tears of emotion began to well up in her eyes.
“I really hope you aren’t crying, Sugar Queen,” she heard.
Katara turned in that direction, meeting the white eyes of Toph, her dear friend.
“There’s nothing wrong with crying at the wedding of people who are close to my heart,” Katara remarked.
Toph made a face that clearly indicated she disagreed with that statement.
In her old age, Toph had become a bit eccentric. Instead of spending time at home with her family like a normal person, she decided to start “seeking enlightenment,” by which she meant withdrawing from civilization and generally avoiding people. Katara remembered how she had hidden away for several months in the Foggy Swamp, claiming she was “gathering wisdom.” Katara still didn’t fully understand it, but eventually, they managed to persuade Toph to return to her family.
“If you say so, Sugar Queen,” Toph said. “What’s up, Sparky, not crying today?”
“No,” Zuko replied. Which was true, because he was holding up a little better than Katara. Or perhaps he wasn’t as close to Avatar Korra as Katara was.
Toph once again made a face as if she thought they were overreacting. And then she made a face as if she were wondering how she could cause chaos at this wedding.
Katara, just to be sure, grabbed her by the arm.
And then, just to be sure, she exchanged glances with Zuko, and the two of them led Toph aside, away from the reception.
“So, you’re dead,” she heard two hours later.
Which was an incredibly rude thing to say, considering that all Katara had done was take Toph aside to make sure she didn’t do anything stupid at the wedding. And okay, they did walk quite a distance, but that was because she, Toph, and Zuko had simply gotten caught up in reminiscing about the old days. Besides, walks are good for your health.
It’s just a shame that two hours later, Katara heard that oh-so-comforting statement that she was dead.
The truth was that her surroundings had changed quite a bit. It was a bit like she was in a fog, and she herself felt a little… lighter? Her old bones didn’t ache quite as much.
And in front of her stood a strange creature that was definitely not human. It resembled a monkey, but its gaze was a bit too wise for an ordinary monkey. Not to mention that it spoke with a human voice. And it looked more like a monkey than a monkey-bat.
“I beg your pardon?” Katara asked.
“Well, you’re dead,” the monkey began picking its nose. Ugh. Incredibly rude. “Sorry. You trespassed on my territory and I kind of accidentally killed you.”
“How can you accidentally kill someone?” Zuko didn’t understand.
“Well, it was an accident,” the monkey said. Or was it a Spirit? “I wanted to kill someone else, I set a trap, but you walked into it… and it happened. Not my fault. You shouldn’t have strayed from the main path.”
Katara gave the monkey a sharp look.
“That’s still no reason to kill people,” she remarked.
“I’m curious how he did it without us noticing,” Toph interjected.
“A trap,” the monkey-Spirit said simply. “You didn’t even realize you were dead. Sorry. That was a bit unplanned.”
“It’s fine, we understand. Could you bring us back?” Zuko asked. “None of us are mad at you. We’d be grateful if you’d let us return to our bodies.”
“Can’t be done,” replied the Monkey-Spirit. “Sorry. It’s an accident, but I can’t undo it now. The trap is working as it was meant to. It can’t be changed now. Your bodies are dead in this world. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
“So you’re telling me that the former Fire Lord, the waterbending Master, and the creator the metalbending simply died on the day of Avatar Korra’s wedding?” Zuko asked for clarification.
“Yup,” the monkey-Spirit confirmed. “I feel a little bad about it, because that wasn’t my intention, but oh well. You’re dead. Welcome to the world of the dead! Yay!”
Katara felt like burying her face in her hands. She knew that if Zuko were a few decades younger, he would have started screaming right then.
Instead, Zuko sighed quietly.
“Are you sure there’s no way to undo this?” he asked.
“Nope,” said the monkey-Spirit. “The only thing I can do is turn back time a little.”
“Really?” Toph asked curiously. “Oh, great. That sounds cool. Do that.”
“I can do that,” the monkey- Spirit shrugged. “This world won’t cease to exist. I’ll just send you to an earlier version of this world.”
“So what, there’ll be two of us then?” Toph smiled widely, as if the thought of it gave her an unhealthy thrill.
Katara suppressed a shudder. Two Toph Beifongs were a terrifying version of the world.
“No, because your bodies will stay here,” said the monkey- Spirit. “You’re dead. But I can send your souls back to your old bodies and merge your minds, or something like that… you’ll just wake up some time in the past, and that’s it. It’ll be the exact same world you were in before, just a little younger.”
The monkey- Spirit thought for a moment.
“But I don’t have to do that,” it said. “You can just go wherever people go after they die.”
Katara thought for a moment. All things considered, that wouldn’t be such a bad idea either. Part of her just wanted to fall asleep and rest… but at the same time, she still wanted to live. There were still so many things she wanted to accomplish.
She took Zuko’s hand, intertwining her fingers with his. They exchanged glances. From the look in his eyes, she understood that he would follow her, no matter what she chose.
“Are you sure you can’t return us to our bodies?” she asked again, just to be sure.
“Yep,” replied the monkey- Spirit. “One hundred percent. My trap works in such a way that you have no way of returning to your bodies. You’re marked. You won’t be able to go back like that.”
She squeezed Zuko’s hand.
“All right,” she said. “If there really is no way for us to return to our bodies, then please, turn back time. Toph?”
“Sounds interesting, I’m in,” the woman agreed.
Zuko also gave his consent.
The monkey-Spirit finally stopped picking its nose (finally! How rude and unhygienic!). It smiled broadly.
“Wonderful,” it said. “Good luck, then. Oh, and be so kind as to save the world once again, okay?”
It hadn’t even finished speaking when the world began to blur before Katara’s eyes. A little too late, she realized what the Spirit Monkey had said.
“Wait!” she shouted. “What do you mean by ‘save the world once again’? You didn’t say anything like that!”
The monkey-Spirit merely laughed in response.
And then, the world vanished from her sight.