literature

The Price of Freedom-Ch 9

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“NO! NO! There is no way I’m doing that. Not happening.” Zuko backed away slightly.

“Come on, you are the only one who can. You have to.” Sokka protested. “There is no one else.”

“No way, absolutely no way.” He shook his head, disagreeing with the warrior.

“It’s our only plan. You have to do it Zuko.” The Prince took a look at the warrior and noticed something. His eyes were sadder, almost as if he was crying. Of course he would have been. It was his baby sister still there. The one they were trying to save. But couldn’t there be another way?

“I still don’t like it.” He sighed.

“Enough Sparky! I’ve had enough with your whining! I’m sick of it!” Toph snarled. “You don’t know how much this war has hurt all of us and the one time we ask you to do something, you refuse?! How dare you! You have no right to refuse!”

“You think I don’t know? I know full well what this war has cost us all!” Zuko became outraged at the thought. How dare she accuse him of something like that!

“Really? Because you don’t seem to act like it. You parade around acting as if you care, but you have no idea how much pain it has brought us all. You refuse to see it! Aang sacrificed himself so that we all could live and have peace. I’m sure he didn’t actually think he would die. And just when we think his sacrifice was worth it, Ozai turns out to be alive. All his efforts were for nothing. The Avatar is no longer with us. Aang is no longer with us. Do you know what that is doing to us all? Do you know what that is doing to me?”

Zuko looked at Toph and could almost see a tear fall from her eye. Was it that emotional for her? Was she that upset about it? Or was there something else she wasn’t saying?

“Toph… I….” He struggled for words. “I didn’t know.”

“Of course not! No one knew! No one was supposed to know!” Her body shook, tears fell from her eyes, and for the second time in her life, she cried without caring. “I cared for him like you do Katara. He cared for me as well. The day before the invasion, we were off together and I wanted to tell him, but I was too afraid. I was sure he would make it. I was sure I would have another day with him. He didn’t think he wouldn’t see me. We talked about what we were going to do after the war.” She paused. It was becoming too much for her to talk about it. “It has been nine months since I have seen him. And I will never see him again. You saw your love seven months ago. She is still alive. I have to live forever knowing he will never be with me and he will never know. Imagine never seeing Katara ever again.”

He couldn’t even fathom that idea. Never seeing Katara? That would be like not being able to breath anymore. And this is how she felt with Aang? How did he not notice? Had he been blind?

“Zuko, son, I know you may not appreciate this plan as much as we would like you to, but you do understand you must do this.” Hakoda’s voice was gentle and kind, even though inside, Zuko could tell he was breaking. “You must understand what it’s like, as her father, not to see her, not to be able to do anything. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for my daughter and there is nothing I can do. Do you know how hopeless I feel? I’m her father! I’m the one who is supposed to protect her. I’m the one who would risk anything to save her, and yet, I can do nothing. If I could go in there myself, I would. But, I can’t. You know that. The only way this will work is if you go inside. I need you to do this for me. I need you to help my baby.”

Zuko could feel tears well up in his eyes. Everything Hakoda was saying was true. Zuko could see all the pain inside Hakoda, the pain he had for months now. Not knowing what happened to his daughter would drive any man crazy. It was all up to Zuko. He was the only one to stop it, the only one who could do something about it.

“I can see in your eyes you share a special bond with her. I’m not denying it, I won’t refuse it. But to hear that you outright refuse to do the only thing we have to save her, that breaks my heart. How can you claim you love her so if you refuse to help? You should be willing to do whatever you can in your power to help her. No matter what. Now, I have remained calm as long as I can here, but if you continue this, I can’t guarantee how calm I will be.” His body began to tense. “How can any man be calm knowing the one person who can save his daughter refuses to do anything?”

Zuko hung his head, thinking about what was said between Toph and Hakoda. He could hear their reasoning, feel their pain, and he knew he had to do something. He was the reason they were still suffering. He was the one who could help ease their pain. Aang’s sacrifice would not be in vain.

“Zuko, you and I both know you can do it.” Sokka smiled. He was always confident of Zuko. “At the boiling rock, you did what was needed, even if it meant getting caught. You can do this. You’re Zuko. You never give up without a fight. You can do this.”

Zuko smiled. They had confidence in him and he knew what had to be done. It really was the only way. “Alright, let’s do this.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


“Come on, you’re doing fine.” The healer tried to calm Katara down. “Just a little further.”

“No! I can’t do anymore!” Katara cried out. Sweat was dripping down her forehead, her knees were shaking and her breath was shorter. The pain increased tremendously. All of this for a baby?

Katara had seen her own share of births before, even go so far as to help them herself, but never once had she actually experienced one before. The pain was excruciating; how could anyone go thru this? She tried thinking of Zuko and her family instead. Maybe if she distracted herself, she wouldn’t think of the pain. That was the best she could do.

“Almost there.” The healer’s voice wasn’t that clearly. Katara figured it might have been because she wasn’t paying much attention to what she said. “It’s out!”

The healer walked away from Katara to clean her baby off. “It’s a boy! Congratulations.” She smiled, walking towards Katara with her son.

A dark figure stepped out from the shadows and stopped the healer. “I will take the child.” Ozai snarled as he grabbed the boy. “Now leave.”

The healer was afraid to say anything more, especially against the Fire Lord. She ran quickly out the infirmary. Ozai remained with his back towards Katara, refusing to even let her look at her son.

“Let me see him! Let me see my son!” Katara cried out, pulling on the Fire Lords’ tunic.

“No. You will never see your son again. I will make sure of that.” He snarled. He took one step away, but Katara held onto him. She wasn’t going to let him go anywhere.

“Let me see him!” Tears ran down her face. After all this, she couldn’t even see what her own son looked like? “We had a deal!”

“And you broke that deal!” He screamed as her turned to blaze fire in her direction. The child began screaming in fear. Katara shrank back on her bed, afraid of what he would say. “You released the prisoners. You think I didn’t know that? I was well aware months ago. If it hadn’t been for the fact you were pregnant, you wouldn’t be here right now. You never were going to kill Zuko. That was part of your deal. I should kill this worthless bastard. However, I’m going to take him away so you never see him again.”

Ozai walked to the door, pausing before he left. “Or maybe I’ll just kill him myself.” He smirked before exiting.

Katara curled her knees up to her chest. She let the tears flow from her eyes. How was she to live with herself now? Everything she thought she was doing to save everyone, meant nothing. She lost her only child, she hadn’t seen her family in months, her best friend was dead, the one she loved wasn’t there, and her life was full of torture, what more could go wrong?
Well, I wanted to post this yesterday, but didn't. It took me a bit longer to write some of the emotions. I still don't feel like I have them all right. I feel like it's all blah or something. Some things I wanted in, I don't have. Some things I added in.

But for now, it stays.

Chapter One [link]

Previous Chapter [link]

Next Chapter [link]

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Crimson-Kaizer's avatar
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!1

MOTHERF***ING OZAI!!!

I WILL EAT YOUR SOUL!!!