Katara, of the Fire Nation

Chapter 10

Katara, Aang and Sokka re-enter the earth kingdom after bidding farewell to the water benders from the North Pole.

Before they head to Omashu, Katara brings Appa down by a stream so she can teach Aang some more Water Bending moves.

As she removes her tunic she hears a foul curse from her brother's mouth, she flinches when she hears him cross over to her.

"Katara," He gapes, she can feel him staring at the exposed parts of her back.

"They are burn scars," Aang breathes, suddenly his hands are on her and she leaps away from the Avatar's touch.

"Don't," she says as she walks into the waters.

"But, Katara," Sokka gapes, "I don't understand."

"I was a Fire Nation prisoner," Katara says, snapping at her brother who tries to reach for her again, "What did you expect? That I'd escape perfectly fine and unharmed?!"

Katara storms off, she sits away on a rock and watches the fish that swim in the river. She hears the avatar walk up to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks.

"No," Katara says, "Leave me be."

Aang leaves Katara alone, she sits on the rock and watches the fish. She remembers the first day she was burnt on purpose. Katara took the fall for Zuko again, she let him win so that his father was proud of him. But it came at a price, Fire Lord Ozai came to Katara's room. He was disappointed in her for failing, she wasn't improving and Ozai was furious. He took his anger out on her, he hit her across the face when she tried to talk back to him, then he burnt her back.

Iroh found her, coiled on her floor, crying with her burnt shirt stuck to her back and her lip bleeding.

"Don't tell Zuko," she had begged Iroh as he helped her.

It wasn't the first time it happened, it was the last that hurt the most. Before Katara left with Zuko in banishment, Ozai had sought her out again, he found her in her room.

"You spoke against your Fire Lord," Ozai had said, his fists were engulfed in flames.

 Katara was afraid, but in a sign of bravery she took off her shirt and knelt down with her back to Ozai. Ozai burnt Katara three times, two lashes down from her shoulder blades to her hips, and one giant burn over the back of her heart.

Katara wasn't able to heal the burns on her back; the water couldn't reach, so now Katara's back is calloused and riddled with pale scars. 

Katara pushes her past behind her and then teaches Aang water bending moves, ignoring the looks that she receives from her brother and the avatar. Then they head back towards Omashu, but when they reach the city, they find it occupied by the Fire Nation.

"We have to find King Bumi," Aang says, after devising a way to get the city's people out.

"We don't have time," Katara argues.

"Just give me tonight," Aang says, he takes off on his glider before Katara can convince him otherwise.

Katara sighs and then goes back to the group, only to find that there is an extra person added to the group, a baby.

When Aang returns at the break of dawn, a messenger hawk arrives moments after.

"They think we kidnapped him," Katara gapes, reading the letter, "They're willing to bargain for him."

"We can get Bumi!"

So Katara, Sokka and Aang go to rendezvous with the child's parents.

But instead of the child's parents, they are met by three ladies, ladies that Katara knows all too well.