Adult-FanFiction.org : Cartoons

Bitter Alliance	By : Looneyluna Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > Het - Male/Female > Katara/Zuko Views: 31138 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
- 26
Act III

Chapter Four –

The steam and smoke from the battle swirl around me, obscuring my view of the carnage that surrounds me. The cloud is crimson, carrying the stench of death and another piece of my soul toward the sky. My broadswords drip with the blood of my enemies, the religious zealots who believe that my father will return to honor his roll in the grand scheme of their madness. Cries of mercy echo in the distance as my forces drive them back. I ignore them.

I don’t know what I’m fighting for anymore. My nation? My honor?

My nation is a shadow of its former glory, or so I am told. The outer islands were lost to the sea. Thankfully, they were mostly uninhabited. The coastal villages were also flooded. The waters have yet to recede. It’s unlikely they ever will.

The fire rain did most of the damage. The land is pockmarked and desolate. The ones who survived the initial event took refuge underground. None of them have returned.

Why would they?

The land is dead, a morbid reflection of the battles that are continually waged here. The Sect of Kroni is relentless, determined to bring the malevolent deity into this world. The cult is one of the oldest in existence, predating our benevolent Agni. Whereas Agni is the spark of life, Kroni is the destroyer.

The legend of Kroni was lost until Sozin uncovered it and resurrected the sect. My ancestor became obsessed with the scroll -- the promise of godhood too much for him to resist. For whoever unleashes Kroni upon this world will be granted eternal life and dominion over all.

That is what my father aspired to. Now the cult is without its leader and it is vengeance they seek. Without the line of Agni and the Avatar to wield the power of the comet, Kroni cannot cross the threshold between the spirit world and this one.

Since the Avatar is dead there is no way for the sect to gain what they seek. Unfortunately, they are like a plague on the land, their fervor unmatched by even Mahari’s belief in my destiny.

The Earth Kingdom woman, who dresses like an Air Nomad, perplexes me. She speaks of my destiny, manipulating it to suit her own needs. She encourages me to use the power of the comet to rid my land of the vermin that infest it, but I won’t. The land is the way it is because of that power. I won’t wrought more destruction upon the brave souls who have remained behind to try to make a life here. This place is the way it is because I was too weak it to control the power of Sozin’s comet.

I am stronger now.

The power of my ancestor’s comet seduces me like a long-lost lover, constantly whispering in my mind.

I belong to you, Zuko. I will give you what you most desire. Wield the power and use me. We belong together. Those words are a constant, lulling song in my mind. They wake me in the middle of the night, chasing my dreams away with uncertainty and anguish.

For that I am thankful because my dreams are a bitter reminder that I have no honor left. The woman with the sad blue eyes haunts me whenever I close my eyes. Katara. Her name is like a soothing prayer; one I know that I don’t even deserve to whisper.

She is the mother of my children, according to Jeong Jeong. I don’t know their names. I know nothing of their birth. I don’t even know what sex they are.

But they are the reason I fight. I fight to protect them. I fight to rid this world of the evil that would see harm to them. Unfortunately, I am not the last descendant of Agni. They are. Mahari assures me they are well protected, but I don’t trust her. I doubt I ever will.

The brief respite of the battle is over and I hear the telltale sounds of a firefight and the clash of metal in the distance. I feel nothing except the renewed rush of adrenaline as I run toward the fight. Heat assails me and I can see flashes of fire through the haze as the combatants fight.

I hear Jeong Jeong’s familiar growl as he bends an arc of flames toward numerous adversaries. I am too far away. He is surrounded and the plateau is eerily devoid of the blood-red cloud. I can see everything, including a lone archer targeting my friend.

“No!” I cry out, watching as my advisor turns to defend me. Instead he turns into the deadly path of the arrow. It pierces him in the chest, just above his heart, surely a mortal wound.

Incensed, I block an arrow with my broadswords and fight my way through the enemy. I am surprised the blood on my swords has not dulled their deadly accuracy.

Jeong Jeong has fallen.

He is grabbed by his collar and slapped. “Where did she hide the Avatar!”

Defending myself, I cut down my opponent and battle my way toward Jeong Jeong. His mouth gapes as though he’s trying to speak, but blood dribbles down his chin.

“Where did Mahari hide the Avatar!”

Past the scene of interrogation, I see reinforcements. The sage holding my advisor spits on him and throws him to the ground. “Capture the Fire Lord!” he commands.

I am submerged in total chaos, swinging my swords and blocking all strikes against me. The heat of the attacks from multiple Firebenders warms me. Their power is now mine as I absorb the element with which they seek to subdue me with. It crawls beyond my soul, beckoning to the power of the comet. The surge is a fraction of what the comet is actually capable of.

Hearing inhumane screams, I open my eyes and watch as my enemies burst into flames. I hear the comet’s voice signing to me, congratulating me on the death of my enemies. The power is terrifying, yet beautiful.

The charred bodies writhe and moan. Their deaths are slow and agonizing.

Insatiable, the power coursing through me calls for more blood.

“No!” I hiss shakily, climbing my way toward Jeong Jeong.

Like a scorned lover, the voice hisses its outrage and withdraws, the promise of later hanging thick in the air. I sway on my feet, wanting to embrace that which the comet offers me.

“Over here!” a soldier calls, rescuing me from the drunken stupor.

A group of men run up to their fallen comrades. I see the familiar blue tunic of Damuk as he rushes about and triages the wounded. His crystalline blue eyes assess me from the distance and I can see his shrewd gaze as he determines that I am fine. He kneels next to Jeong Jeong and sets about healing the wound just over his heart. The Waterbender motions to me for help.

I hurry over, dropping to my knees and gathering Jeong Jeong in my arms. His armor is soaked with blood, his eyes glazed with pain.

Staring at Damuk, I see the hopelessness in his gaze. “Is there anything –”

“Pray,” he replies quickly as he continues assessing the closest person I have to a friend.

Wheezing, Jeong Jeong snatches my sleeve and pulls me to him. “The desert…”

“Stay still,” I encourage him sternly.

“She’s in the Si Wong Desert,” he rasps, whimpering as Damuk thrusts the arrow through his upper torso to free him of it.

I shake my head, wincing as I watch the healer work quickly. He clips the tail off and pulls the shaft clean through his back.

Jeong Jeong screams in pain.

“It was close,” Damuk states, summoning water from a pouch and touching it to his chest and back. “Another inch lower and it would have been fatal.”

Jeong Jeong’s grasp on my sleeve tightens. “She’s in the desert,” he breathes.

Seeing that he won’t rest easy until he tells me what he wants to tell me, I lean closer. “Who?”

“Your daughter… She’s…the Avatar.” The whispered words send a chill up my spine, even though the fires around me would stifle such a sensation.

Jeong Jeong closes his eyes and succumbs to his pain. Damuk gives me a nervous look as he heals my second-in-command.

Gently setting him down, I stand and look at the Waterbender. It is time to seek the answers from which I have hidden.

--

TBC

A/N – Any mistakes are my own. My beta reader didn’t get a chance to read it over because I was impatient to post. Thanks to all who have reviewed. Reviews fan the flames of creativity (wink wink).
- 24
- 25
- 26
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Bitter Alliance