Legacy

Chapter 4

The next morning, Tenzin made his way downstairs groggily. He had managed to get some sleep when he came back inside, but not much. He was exhausted.

He stumbled into the kitchen and sat down, laying his head on the table. Bumi and Kya stared at him sympathetically. They turned their gazes away, however, when their parents walked in. Katara passed the food around silently. During the whole meal, nobody spoke. Kya and Bumi would occasionally glance at their brother and parents, but Aang and Katara focused on their food. Both of them looked as if they hadn't slept well, and in truth, they hadn't. Neither of them could, as hard as they tried, fall asleep.

They finished their meals and went their separate ways. Tenzin expected his father to take him outside to train, but instead, Aang went to his study, shutting the door firmly behind him. Tenzin sighed and went out alone.

He stood before the spinning gates and took a deep breath. He began to bend the air currents around him, and sent them blowing at the gates. The gates began to spin quickly. Tenzin easily glided in and began to make his way through.

Soon, though, his pent up emotions threw him off balance, and he misplaced himself. A gate whacked him harshly and sent him banging against other gates until he was flung out of the circle of gates.

He landed on his back hard enough to knock the wind out of him. Tenzin remained there, gasping, until he could breathe normally again. Then, he sat up. He cringed as a sharp pain shot through his head. He stood up and wobbled around for a minute before he fell back over. This time, he didn't try to get up; he remained laying down, and eventually drifted off to sleep.


"Tenzin?"

He stirred lightly, but didn't get up.
His mother crouched down next to him.

"Tenzin, honey?"

He groaned, but didn't open his eyes. Katara sighed and picked him up, cradling him in her arms like an infant. She carried him inside and walked to her husband's study. She knocked on the door lightly once, then walked in.

Aang looked up from his papers to see his youngest son, who was dusty and had bruises and cuts, cradled in his wife's arms, unconscious. Stunned, he jumped up and rushed to her side.

"What happened? Is he okay?"

"Relax," Katara soothed. "He's asleep, and just a little beat up."

"Where was he?"

"By the spinning gates."

Aang frowned. "Well, that explains the injuries. He tried to go through."

Katara frowned. "I thought he could go through them with ease."

"Under normal circumstances, yes, he is very capable. However, his emotional turmoil must have thrown him off balance."

They both watched him sleep for a moment. Katara sighed.

"What is he hiding from us?"

Aang shook his head sadly. "I wish I knew. I would take away his pain if I could." He set a hand on Tenzin's head.

"Well, I'll go put him to bed and let him sleep for a while. Then later, I will bring him some soup or something and see if I can't heal him up some."

She turned and walked out, leaving Aang alone in the room. He watched her go with a sad expression. Then, he sat back down at his desk and leaned on it, putting his head in his hands.

"What am I doing wrong?" he muttered.



Katara walked into Tenzin's bedroom and gently set him down on his bed and covered him up. She sat down beside him, on the edge of the bed, and stroked his cheek with her fingers.

She still considered Tenzin to be her baby, even though he didn't like it when she called him that. She wanted to just hold him and protect him from the world, but she knew she couldn't. How else would he learn?

She sighed, stood up, and began to walk out. Then, she heard Tenzin's little voice.

"Mom?"

She turned. "Yes?"

He stared and, much to her amazement, began to cry. "I'm sorry." he whimpered, tears flowing now.

"Oh, Tenzin." she walked back to his bed and sat down. She opened her arms to him. He sniffed, and crawled into her lap, and cuddled into her. She held him close, and, out of habit, began to rock him. "It's alright."

He sniffed again and shook his head. "No, it's not."

"Why don't you talk to me about it?" she said gently.

He nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Okay.