Chapter One: Homecoming

   Katara leaned against the railing of her father’s ship, expecting to see the huge ice chunk that she called home any minute. She sighed, and recalled the events that happened nearly three weeks ago now. It seemed like forever ago…
   The war was over, the hundred-year war. After a century of the world living in terror, she and the rest of the Gaang came in, knocked out Ozai, the Fire Lord, or more recently the Phoenix Lord, and ended the Fire Nation’s reign of the world. All her life, she had been waiting for the war to be over, so that no one would have to live in fear again. But instead, strangely enough, she felt sad, incomplete, and utterly alone. The defeat of Ozai marked the end of the war, yes, but it also marked the separation of probably the best friends in the world.
   The Gaang had parted at the Fire Nation capital, after about a month of celebration. It had been the saddest day since her mom had been killed, and everyone was crying, even the usually stone-cold Prince Zuko, now known as Fire Lord Zuko. Ahh, Zuko. How she hated him at first. It was funny to think that she had met him where she was on her way now, and how he had been so devoted to capture the Avatar to restore his honor. Then, after a long period of inner conflict, he realized that he owed nothing to Ozai, and decided to join the Avatar to serve as his Firebending mentor. Even then, after proving himself over and over again as a valuable member, Katara still didn’t trust him, and it took a long time for her to forgive him. Then again why should she be so quick to forgive? Up until then, the only time she saw him was when he was attacking them, trying to capture the Avatar. But eventually, she came around, and they became great friends.
   Suki, she really didn’t have much to do with. The Kyoshi Warrior and Sokka were dating, but Katara really didn’t have any friendship with her. She liked Suki, of course, and it’s not that they didn’t get along, but they were just acquaintances. Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors had traveled with them as far as Kyoshi Island, where they were dropped off. Parting with Suki had hit Sokka pretty hard, and he gazed in the direction of the island long after they had left and were out of sight. But they both promised they’d see each other soon.
   Then there was Toph, who she couldn’t stand in the beginning either, and still had personality conflicts with now. She could be so stubborn and self-centered sometimes. Katara would never admit it, but she knew that the root of her problems with Toph was that they could be so much alike. But if someone ever told her that to her face, they would get water whipped for sure. Through all their hardships, she still missed the young blind earthbender to no end, and she was on Appa now, being escorted home by Aang.
    She paused in her thinking. Aang. The bald monk that she and Sokka first discovered frozen in an iceberg not too far from here. When they first found him, and for a while after that, he was just a carefree kid who didn’t seem to care about the fate of the world being on his shoulders. Though she always had confidence in him, despite the many times Sokka tried to convince her that staying with him was a waste of time, and it even worked once. But some time between her cracking the ice open and Ozai’s last breath, the young Avatar had changed. Of course, he was still a crazy kid, but he was also humbled at the same time. He knew when to stop goofing off and when to be serious. When to be sad, when to be angry, when to be in love…
   You should consider yourself lucky. Katara told herself. I’ll bet some girls would kill to be the girlfriend of a guy like Aang. Think about it, if there was a guy…maybe a few years younger than you - or many years older depending on how you saw it - who saved the world, was the most powerful person alive, and you had to admit they were cute, wouldn’t you be falling for him? Katara did, but lucky for her, he returned the favor. She remembered the last words she heard him say, as he took off on Appa, were, “I promise I will see you again! And soon!” She hoped he was right, as there was a chance the Gaang may never reunite again.
   And now, she, Sokka, Hakoda, and the rest of the Southern Tribe navy was returning home. Aang, Toph, and Appa rode with them until they neared the Southern Air Temple, when they flew off toward Gaoling to drop Toph off. They had dropped off Suki and the other warriors, but since then, life on this boat was pretty boring except for the occasional practical joke made on Sokka.
   “We’re nearing land, sir!” Bato’s report interrupted her thoughts. Sokka came up beside her and leaned his hands on the rail, where she was looking.
   “I know, I miss them too,” Sokka said. There was no need for him to specify whom.
   Hakoda came up behind them and put his arms around each of his children. “I’m anxious to see how they’ve fixed up the tribe since we left,” he said, trying to change the subject. “I hear they’re really coming along.”
   Katara and Sokka looked up at their father, who smiled down at them. Suddenly, his attention was diverted away from them to something just ahead, his eyes became as round as the moon, and the young waterbender looked up too see what her father was so enthralled by.
   At first, she couldn’t see what her father was looking at, all she saw was fog. Then, the fog cleared a bit, and she couldn’t believe what she saw.
Instead of seeing the familiar huge chunk of ice filled with small igloos and makeshift tents completely exposed to the weather, she saw a huge ice wall, with the symbol of the Water Tribe carved in the center. It’s exactly like the North Pole! she thought. The wall began to open up, and a completely new Southern Water Tribe was revealed to her. A large harbor rested just beyond the gate with a large roofed marina just beyond, under which she could see ships parked. From the main harbor, waterways flowed in different directions, making a sort of road system, again, as she had seen at the North Pole. There were ice structures that appeared to be buildings just beyond the harbor that looked as if they could be accessed if you were to travel down one of the multiple waterways. The buildings were not quite as large as the ones up North, and there were definitely fewer of them. She had to remind herself that she was in the Southern Tribe, not the North. She never would’ve dreamed that her campsite of a home, void of any waterbenders would one day grown into a city of ice, that was obviously built with the aid of skilled benders. And in such a short amount of time! Eight months?
Suddenly, just beyond the covered marina, Katara spotted an elaborately decorated ice...she couldn’t describe it. It was like a castle, yet smaller. It was gorgeous; she had never seen anything like it. Wait a second, it does look familiar… Then, it struck her. It was exactly like the mansion Chief Arnook and the late Princess Yue had lived in the Northern Tribe. What could that building be for? There was no royalty in the Southern Tribe. Sure, her dad was the Chief, but that was never a big deal. They had always lived just like everyone else. Pakku probably lives there. Katara rolled her eyes.
   “Whoa,” Katara heard Sokka whispered, half to himself.
   “This is the Southern Water Tribe?” Katara muttered, half in response.
   There already was a large crowd gathering at the marina, and growing. They were cheering, running about, and some clearly kissing at the sight of the returning Water Tribe warriors.
   Hakoda turned to Bato, “Tell Sadok to park by the huge mass of people,” he said, laughing. Bato turned with a smile and headed to where the pilot was steering the boat.
   Katara was not paying much attention to her father or Bato. She was searching the crowd for one familiar face in particular, the one that had acted as a maternal figure for her and Sokka ever since their mother had been killed, and the one who had been there for them during the two years when their father was away at war. Katara dared to take a glance at Sokka. From his expression and his shifting eyes, she could tell her brother was searching for the same person. She looked back to the crowd of people. There were people pushing to get a view of them. But then, the crowd seemed to part, and a woman was shoving her way through them. Katara could not see who it was, the woman was apparently shorter than the rest of the people. She knew who it was, and what was coming, but she wouldn’t believe it until she saw her.
   A frail old woman emerged from the crowd, just an inch from running right off the dock. Her hair was white, unlike the familiar silver-gray Katara remembered, and seemed to have aged and lost weight. The old woman rubbed her eyes, did a double take, and gazed back at Katara in disbelief. Yes, this was she, the woman whose arms she wanted to be in since she left them.
   Gran Gran.
   She couldn't wait any longer. She jumped out of the boat and waterbended a wave to carry her to shore, surfing on a piece of ice. She "surfed" straight to her grandmother, and when she was in reach, she flung herself through the air at Gran Gran, and hugged tighter than she had hugged her before. They both burst into happy tears.
   "Oh Gran Gran, I missed you so much..." Katara whispered.
   Gran Gran held her granddaughter tighter and replied just as quietly, "I missed you too."
   Sokka was there in a heartbeat, but he stood off to the side a bit. The old woman looked up at him and, seeing the left-out look on his face, said, "You too, Sokka. Get in here, my little warrior!"
   Sokka was more than happy to join in. He pried his way in between his grandmother and sister and squeezed them both.
   "My life is now whole again." Gran Gran whispered.