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Borealis: A Zutara Story	By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 34026 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, any historical figures or events, or easily recognizable persons, places or things. I make no profit from this work of fanfiction

Chapter List
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Chapter 201
Katara’s wails gradually died down as she poured out her heart to her brother. He didn’t understand most of it; her words were too garbled so he just rubbed her back and hummed a lullaby to console her. When she was finally capable of speech her throat was scratched and her voice was so hoarse that Sokka still wasn’t fully able to understand her.
Sokka wiped her tears, “Be strong little sister, our northern kinsmen heard you. They’ll find Dad and he’ll come for us. Just be strong until then. He’ll save us, chop Zuko into tiny little bits, feed Azula to the sharks, and toss that crazy admiral in the middle of a group of skunk-walruses during mating season.
“Gran-Gran will be so happy to see us that she’ll make us a big pot of stewed sea prunes and when I slurp she won’t even throw her boomerang at me. Amnak will make snow cream and roll her eyes while Bato and Dad will take turns telling whoppers about how many Firebenders they defeated and how big they were. What do you want to bet that Dad will go for size and Bato will go for numbers? Or maybe they both will have defeated a million fire breathing giants with one hand tied behind their back, using a broken club while hopping on one leg?
“Me and Taruk will fight over the last scoop of snow cream but by the time we finish you’ll be licking your spoon and smiling. The three of them will spend the night at our house because it will be too cold and late to go home. The next morning will hear Gran-Gran and Amnak singing in the kitchen while they cook breakfast. The room will already be warm because Dad and Bato took turns during the night to keep the fire going. Taruk will try to kiss you with his morning breath but you’ll smack him on the nose with a water whip, intentionally this time because you know what you’re doing. Not just because he’s a boy and boys are yucky.
“We’re going to escape Katara. I know we will. We just have to have faith that Yue will continue to watch over us until Dad gets here. That’s all, we just have to be strong and wait on Dad. He’s coming for us. I know he is.” By the time Sokka finished speaking his eyes were watering too and his voice was starting to tremble but Katara’s eyes were closed and her breathing was even.
“Hey Jerkbender,” Sokka said composing himself and addressing Zuko, “Do I even need to ask what you did to my sister?”
Mai and Ty Lee had left. Mu wouldn’t have cared what he said but there were others present. The prince chose his words carefully hoping that Sokka would be able to read between the lines, “There was a battle and your sister is a fighter. We would have won anyway but having a Waterbender when fighting other Firebenders is very useful. I tried to cover her eyes, but she insisted on seeing the party favors left over from the victory celebration. You know Katara; she can’t stand to see anyone hurting.”
“You bastard. I’ll kill you for doing that to her” Sokka growled. He knew exactly what type of victory celebration and party favors Zuko was talking about. He had seen the frightened group of women being herded into the jail as he and Aang were being ushered out and knew none of them remained untouched.
Zuko laughed, “It’s no secret my parents were not officially married before I was conceived. If you want to kill me get in line behind your sister. She tells me that every time I finish with her.”
Sokka lunged for him, upsetting Katara with the action. She jumped and screamed so he quickly began muttering to reassure her everything was fine even though the soldiers had leapt at him with their weapons drawn.
Zuko glared at them, “Do you think me so weak as to not be able to handle him?”
They were saved from having to answer that question by Chu-Hua’s return.
The admiral took one look at them and sighed, “Get out of my room all of you.”
Sokka clumsily attempted to rise with Katara in his arms.
Chu-Hua’s hand clamped down on his arm, “Not so fast, you will be staying. Give the girl to Zuko.” She frowned when she noticed Aang had not moved.
Mu noticed the direction of her gaze and stepped forward, “Admiral Chu-Hua, the Avatar heard the Waterbender’s tantrum and became upset. I drugged him. He will not wake until tomorrow.”
Chu-hua tilted her head in Sokka’s direction, “Give him a dose too. Bind them Mu. Use that special knot your father taught you. You four are dismissed. Send squad 8 to replace you. Tell them I am not to be disturbed unless we are under attack.”
Most of the soldiers literally tripped over themselves to obey her but not her younger cousin. He took his time and she could not help notice how carefully he lifted the Waterbender and carried her out.
“Ursa damn your soul wherever you are for leaving me to deal with that unfortunate mismatch of you and Ozai,” she cursed once the Water Tribe boy had been knocked out.
The admiral shook her head and exhaled smoke as she tried to assess the situation. Things were fine when she left the restaurant amidst the sound of the Waterbender crying and begging for Zuko to do something to help the other women. The girls wails followed her down the street and partially out of town but she’d returned to find an Ursa House had been established. Yes it was Ursa’s birthday true enough but Ozai would see through that. He would know Zuko used his mother’s name and birth as an excuse to appease the Waterbender.
More importantly the establishment of the Ursa House directly contradicted the principals of psychological warfare.
These people would take longer to break now that they knew someone in the Fire Nation royal family acknowledged their humanity and offered them a modicum of dignity. By taking care of the women and children who had been raped the men in this city would also feel it was their right to do so. They could be beaten within an inch of their life and would continue to fight for their wives, daughters, and sons because the Prince of the Fire Nation had shown they were worthy of protection.
The women in this place would not be the anchor that pulled the spirit of this city down. These women would not return home to their helpless husbands, fathers, and brothers bearing the scent and semen of an unwanted man. They would be allowed to cleanse themselves first using water that was drawn by hands other than the ones who failed to protect them. Their loved ones would not see them at their worst; they would have knowledge of what had been done but they would not see the women in their lives battered, bruised, limping, half-dressed, eyes wide with terror only to have them shrink away screaming when they tried to help. These women now had a choice of hiding safely away until they gathered their wits. They could make themselves presentable before going home to their loved ones and pretending everything was okay. They would do as women all over the world had always done: cook dinner, clean house and swallow their tears for the benefit of others.
Chu-hua snorted and clenched her fist - that is if they returned home at all. There was no violence toward occupants allowed on the Ursa House grounds and no limits set to how long a woman could stay. These women could remain there infinitely under Fire Nation protection. Without the Ursa House the men of this village would have been forced to witness the ugly truth of what was done to their family members and no amount of lies would have ever made it ok. Each time they looked at their woman, child, or sibling, no matter how wide the smile or how happy they pretended to be they would see spiteful creature whose eyes blamed them for allowing their innocence to be stolen.
There was no pretense to be had once a man saw what he was too weak to prevent another from doing to his sister, wife, daughter or son, especially the sons. Most men could survive if their wife or daughter had been raped but to know the little boys they were raising in their images had been taken and used like a woman broke them. Without that haunting visual these men would allow themselves to believe the well-meaning liars that told them that everything was okay.
And with one kind hearted gesture to his own victim, Zuko had ruined what otherwise would have been an easily victory with minimum bloodshed. Half of the effectiveness of rape as a tactic of war lied in shame but the Ursa House would minimize that for these women. They would see each other torn and bloodied and know this unspeakable act had not just happened to them. Some may have had worse wounds while some had less but they all had been raped. It was human nature for one to compare themselves to another and the thought of “I may have been done bad but at least I was not done like that” allowing those with the worse wounds would boost the self esteem of those with less. Of course in their guilt for thinking so selfishly; they would be inclined to help. Nothing boosted the spirits of the downtrodden more than feeling useful.
For all of the backbiting, competition, and petty squabbling among her gender Chu-hua knew that when the worse happened, women stuck together. Her stupid little cousin had given these women the means to support each other not understanding that nations were carried on the backs of women. Once these men saw their loved ones fighting to restore normalcy to their life; they would take that as encouragement to make things normal for them. They would fight for the women who found hope in Princess Ursa’s benevolence.

Kain: Holy Moly! What a review! I love it! The cultural differences between the Fire Nation and Water Tribes has been one of the things I wanted to highlight in this story as it plays a role in how Zuko and Katara interact. Their upbringing is one of the many obstacles they will have to face before truly understanding each other. Those differences will become more apparent in the upcoming chapters. All I can say is grab a nice pitcher of lemon water for your blood pressure and I sincerely hope you continue to enjoy the story.
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Borealis: A Zutara Story