Chapter 1 – Life Starts Now

"The sky was filled with black ash that day. Everyone panicked at first, but a sense of calm fell over them as my father walked to the gates to greet the invaders, knowing perfectly well what might happen."

Katara clung to Kya as the rest of the villagers stood in a half moon around the front gate. Behind them the town waited, glistening with ice from the most recent storm. Flakes of black snow spotted the ground.

In the distance, the small fleet of floating metal fortresses approached. The southern raiders had visited them before, but not within the last six years. Katara had been too young to remember. Even her older brother Sokka could only recall the sounds of the attack. Kaya had hidden the two of them away in the back of their igloo with herself as the fire nation soldiers took away two young men: two of their warriors. This visit came as a complete surprise to the village. The ice had hardly begun to melt from the long winter. Most trading ships would not arrive for at least several more weeks when the journey was free from calving icebergs.

The two children stood with the rest of the village to face the invaders. They were not the youngest to stand with their mothers watching the ships dock against the ice wall they used for protection from the wind. What else did they need to defend themselves from in the south pole? Rogue polarbear dogs and the packs of wolves that could be found on the tundra tended to stay away from the village. Their tribe had dwindled to just over 40 members, none of whom could bend. Their benders were all taken long ago, back when Kanna was just a girl. If it was obvious the whole village was hiding in their igloos, it would only incite the firebenders' rage, burning the homes down in an attempt to smoke them out. The elders told stories of those occasions. The southern raiders only came to instill fear in them, the destruction of the village was not necessary if they could avoid it.

The ships landed against the icepack and dropped their gangplanks. Soon, a small army of fire nation soldiers filled their village. Hakoda stood tall between his people and the enemy. The admiral of the fleet approached him. His red helmet shone bright against the purity of the white snow. Katara stepped behind her mother's legs, squeezing her hand tighter. Sokka subconsciously stepped back, but he refused to cling to Kaya as his sister did. He would stand tall and fearless like his father even though his heartbeat quickened at the sight of the imposing soldiers.

"What do we owe this visit?" Hakoda questioned. His words filled the cold air around them, echoing off the snow walls of the igloos. The admiral waved his lines of troops past him and into the village.

"We have no more benders as you know. We aren't a threat to the Fire Nation, we've never been." Hakoda called, his voice still strong, but it held hints of understanding of what was to come today from this visit. The tension was different in the air. The warriors of the town leveled their weapons as the fire benders got into stance. Children called out in fear, sobbing into their mother's parkas. The admiral lifted his head to look down at them all, a sneer growing on his face.

"The entire Southern Water Tribe will be taken prisoner for the violation of Fire Lord Azulan's fishing regulations." The fire benders closed in, shooting fire into the air to scare the civilians into quick submission. Kya dropped into a crouch, scooping Katara and Sokka into her arms and covering them from any errant flames. The warriors called out their fierce battle cries and rushed the enemy. The rest of the tribe scattered, trying to escape, but the fight gained them little ground. It was a matter of minutes before the Water Tribe warriors were taken down and the tribesmen rounded back up. The soldiers secured the warriors' hands behind their backs and marched the entire village onboard the deck of the main ship.

The village was not able to put up as much of a fight as they would been have decades ago. Every time the Southern Raiders showed up, more benders were taken; it was always only a small handful of villagers that were stolen away, and they always would put up a fight over the accusations. The benders would be taken on false claims of over-hunting turtleseals, baiting Fire Nation patrol ships, or fighting with soldiers at nearby ports. How the fire nation knew what happened in their icy neck of the woods was beyond Hakoda, but he did know that this event was a setup.

The Firelord had sent them decrees in the past. There had been a 'peaceful takeover' several decades ago when the Water Tribe was taken into the Fire Nation as a new territory after even more decades of raids and fighting in order to provide cold-water shellfish and oil for their lamps. The Fire Nation history books may have called it a 'bloodless battle', but the tribe lost many of their benders and warriors over the course of that week. Eventually, the Southern Raiders won, taking with them every last waterbender the town had and promising to be back should they fight their new masters. The perks of being part of the superior Fire Nation never materialized though. They were still on their own at the edge of the world. The only thing that changed was news of the war and other propaganda that their normal trading ships brought to them once or twice a year. The pamphlets made good fire starters.

Half the Southern Raiders lined their village up on deck as the rest of the soldiers searched the buildings, rounding up strugglers and setting fire to whatever they could. Hakoda, bleeding from the from a cut on his left temple after the short fight, moved to stand with Kya and the children. Kanna waited nearby. All three adults had their hands bound; neither child did, though they stood close to their parents, fearful they would be separated..

When the fire benders returned to the ship, the bow was lifted back into place. The ship moved under their feet, sending several tribesmen to their knees as they lost their balance. Katara turned and looked over the edge of the boat. She was barely tall enough to see over the side, but from what she could see the village lay in shreds, burning in multiple locations where wooden beams were exposed. Igloos lay broken, clothing and hides were ripped from inside them and thrown about.

"Momma, why did they-?"

"Shh," Kya replied, crouching beside the two children as best she could with her hands bound. "Everything will be ok, as long as we stay together. The Fire Nation doesn't want us to try and escape and go home, but as long as we stay together, you will always be safe." Katara nodded, tears glistening in her blue eyes. She did not understand the implications of the words, but her mother's soothing tone and the promise of staying together was just as meaningful. The admiral of the Southern Raiders called out to the soldiers and gathered tribesmen closer together on deck.

"Southern Water tribe!" He announced. "You have violated your promise to our great Fire Lord by breaking the 3rd law in the fishing regulations contract." This statement enlisted much shouting by the men of the tribe. Claims that they never signed such a treaty and that they did not violate it even if they did filled the air. The Admiral called for silence. When he did not get it, he punched his closed fist into the sky, filling it with angry fire. The tribe quieted, though the air was still filled with resentment.

"Because of this violation, you are now prisoners of the Fire Nation. You lose all your rights and privileges of honored citizens-"

"The Fire Nation had never seen us as honored citizens," shouted one of the younger warriors.

"You insolent boy," a nearby soldier growled as he stepped forward to stand before the man. He lifted the young man off his feet by the collar of his fur jacket. The soldier was met with sharp glare.

"Lieutenant." The Admiral stated. "There are better ways to show this boy to respect his superiors. Take him to solitary. Take the rest of them go to the holding cells!" The fire benders moved like a well-oiled machine, stepping forward as one, grabbing all the tribesmen's left shoulders and shoving them forward. They were escorted down the steps that lead under the deck. Katara and Sokka clung to Kya and Hakoda as they were manhandled down the stairs. Voices called out as people fell, tripping on the too-small steps. Small children struggled to follow their parents without being separated. The cells in the brig were small; there were only five of them. It appeared they were meant to hold maybe twenty men at once; they had twice that. This ship was obvious not built to capture and confine an entire village.

Kanna, Kya, Hakoda, and the two children were pushed into a cell with a young couple. Others were not so lucky to end up together. A mother with an infant was separated from her husband, and two young girls just older than Katara ended up with their grandfather instead of their parents. There was much crying and shouting when all the cells were locked. The door to the hold was shut as the fire benders left. A single shadow stood watch outside the door. As the group quieted down, Hakoda patted a tearful Katara on the head while she clung to her mother and moved to the bars of his cell. Sokka seemed to have given up being brave and held on to Kya as well. The hold fell completely silent.

"My brothers, the Fire Nation has done us a great wrong today. I know that the journey will take us months for us to sail to the Fire Nation on this ship, in that time we will be far away from our home. I ask you not to fear but to be strong. If we stand together as proud water tribesmen not even the Fire Nation will break us." He did not need to shout to have his words heard. Everyone in the room watched him with complete trust.

"What's your plan Hakoda?" asked a warrior from the cell across the room. He sat with an elderly man, helping him get comfortable against the metal side of the ship.

"The plan is-" The door swung open and the ship's admiral walked in. The soldier that stood guard at the door closed it behind him so he could speak without being interrupted by his other soldiers.

"There is no plan," he interrupted. "This ship is headed for the Fire Nation capital. There, you will all be sent to the arena where you will fight other prisoners to the death for the amusement of the loyal citizens of the fire nation. There is no escape. Your village has been destroyed; as prisoners of this mighty nation no one will assist you in any escape attempts you make. So, I suggest you put all these ideas of escape aside. Because if anyone tries, the punishment will be severe." Hakoda and the Admiral glared at each other for a moment before he turned and left the prison hold. The door slammed, locking behind him.

"No matter what anyone tells us," Hakoda spoke, watching the door. "We must stay strong. As long as we keep our will to live and fight on, we have not lost this war." The villagers looked to each other, understanding on their faces. They seemed to realize that they would never see their homeland again, but their chief's words still kept them from losing all hope. Katara curled up in Kya's lap, her tears pushed away by her mother's fingers as she patted her back with soothing strokes. Hakoda sat down next to this wife, watching over his tribe as they turned to each other for comfort. The ship sailed onward.

The tribe was mostly forgotten about for what felt like the next week. They had long since gotten free of their bindings, since no one was around to stop them. They were feed and given meager amounts of water, but that was extent of the interaction they had with anyone aside from themselves. It wasn't until the sun went down and the soldier who came to collect their empty bowls from their daily rations appeared that they knew something was different. Three fire benders, none of them in uniform, followed the usual soldier inside the holding room. The fire benders walked up and down the individual cells, examining each of the occupants.

Kya held Katara tighter on her lap, the child practically lived there now, and she reached to Hakoda. She intertwined their fingers and gave them a squeeze. Hakoda shifted to sit closer to her against the outside wall of the ship. Sokka slept soundly beside them. The child typically fell asleep after he ate the skimpy rations he was afforded. When the firebenders came to their cell, they paused.

"That one," he pointed. The other young woman in the cell went still, her blue eyes widening in fear. The door was unlocked and two benders entered the cell. She shrunk back into her husband's arms but was forced to her feet. Hakoda tensed beside Kya. The soldier called up a flame to his hand when the young woman's husband rose to defend her. His pained shout woke both Katara and Sokka from their dreams, as well as anyone else in the hold who was not already paying attention to the scene. Hakoda jumped to his feet seconds too late to help. The woman was pulled from the cell and the door was bolted shut, the lock clicking soundly. Her husband grabbed the bars, calling her name as she was taken from his reach. A similar scene unfolded in another cell, only the woman was pulled from her mother's arms. The tribe gathered at the bars, calling out, pleading with the fire benders not to take them. Both woman were pushed up the stairs, the door slammed shut, leaving only the heartbroken sounds of the tribe's tears and attempts at comfort.

"Momma," Katara asked, rubbing her eyes. The child was still fighting off hints of remaining sleep. "What happened? Where did the fire benders take them?"

"Shh," Kya comforted. "They'll be back soon. No one will take you away from me. Just go back to sleep now." Kya felt her own heart pound and tried to take deep breaths and stay calm. Katara looked up, her eyes fearful for reasons she did not know. She twisted her gloveless fingers into the fur trim on her mother's coat and snuggled deeper.

The two women were returned in the morning, bruised, tearful and slightly burned. It was no secret why they had been taken.

Every second or third night, the fire benders would return and take two more women. They worked through all the women without children in their arms who weren't elderly, but by the second week, they ran out of new options. Eventually, they took Kya. Hakoda put up a good fight to keep her safe, even giving the younger man a good hit to the chin. Katara called for her mother from Kanna's arms, wiggling to get to her side as children do. But as all the others, she was taken upstairs as well. Katara cried that night, curled up with Sokka. The two of them sandwiched between Hakoda and Kanna. As much as Katara loved her father and grandmother, she craved her mother's touch to help her through this fearful situation. There was little her other guardians could do.

When Kya returned, the reunion was tearful. Kya sank to her knees when Katara ran to her across the cell. Any separation for the young child was terrifying. Her heart beat like a small bird, fast and fluttering. Sokka approached next, slowly, silently asking for his mother's touch. Kaya extended her hand, bringing him in. He sniffled, wiping his eyes quickly. His eyes were red and puffy from the tears he refused to let anyone see.

"It's ok to cry Sokka," she smiled, but it did not reach her eyes; her voice was sad. She refused to look at Hakoda or Kanna, even when they came closer. Hakoda placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Kya," he whispered, his voice cracking. His wife still did not look up at him. Instead she buried her head between her children's shoulders and tried to comfort them as best as she could. It broke his heart to see her put in this situation.

The journey to the Fire Nation was long and filled with heartbreak. They lost of member of the tribe, an old man, to illness within three weeks. The stuffy conditions of the cells and holding rooms did not help anyone. Soon, several tribesmen were sick. The admiral feared the loss of his entire cargo and ordered the whole group brought up onto the deck and the hold aired out. The tribesmen's hands were rebound as they were led upstairs on the main deck. The soldiers who were luckily enough not to have to clean out the hold were tasked with watching them.

The ship was only a third of the way back to the capital, but already the sun was warmer. For a moment many of the water tribe was able to forget the dire situation they were in and bask in the sun. Escape was futile in the middle of the ocean, so the afternoon was spent reuniting family members who had been sent to separate cells.

As the night fell, the hold was deemed good enough for the prisoners to the returned to it. They were marched back down. The room smelled of salt and was humid; it was obvious the crew had used saltwater right from the ocean to wash the room down. They were pleased to discover the porthole style windows were opened. The tribe had originally thought them to be welded shut. Now, a pleasant crosswind brought the smell of the sea straight into the room. It was a slight memory of home, though the nip in the air had long since vanished.

Their happiness ended the next night when the soldiers returned to continue their taking of women. This time there were four men and they took four women with them instead of the usual two. The shouts followed the woman up the stairs until the door was shut behind them. And the cycle continued for the next two months. Every other night women would be pulled from their cells to spend the night in the soldiers' beds. Every third week, the admiral would order the hold to be cleaned. The tribe lost seven of their members in the three months they were held prisoner at sea, mostly elderly, but also a single young child. His mother took his loss hard. The rest of the tribe was helpless to help her.

The ship stopped for supplies twice at two colonized Earth Kingdom towns. At one stop, they took on more prisoners. The soldiers were forced to move around the number in each cell to make room for the newcomers. Nearly a dozen Earth Kingdom men were brought on board. It was obvious that some were earthbenders, though it did little good in a metal prison cell. Their rations grew thinner.

Then, two weeks out from the capital Hakoda noticed a change in Kya. Between the first time she had been pulled from his arms to warm another man's bed and now, he had told her multiple times that he still loved her and that nothing that happened to her would change anything. He thought she finally believed him and would come readily into his arms when the children fell asleep. But he woke to her crying, hugging herself as she wept silently.

"Kya," he offered. "Its ok. Come here." He extended his arms.

"No," she sniffled. "This is different, I'm- I'm-" Hakoda assumed she was still referring to the last night she had spent in the soldiers' quarters.

"Nothing has changed Kya," he repeated, meeting her tear stained eyes as he cupped her face in one of his hands. "I love you. Nothing will change that."

"Hakoda," she whispered, looking away. "I'm ruined, everything has changed now. I've disho-"

"No," Hakoda said, interrupting her, "you've dishonored no one, not your tribe, not your family, not me. No matter what they did to you Kya, I will love you forever. It's these men who have no honor Kya, not you."

"You don't understand Hakoda," Kya shook her head, "I'm- I'm pregnant. It must have been one of the first times, they were careless and I couldn't-" she fell into tears as she watched Hakoda's face fill with shock and then anger. He pulled her into his arms and squeezed her tight.

"I can't dishonor you this way Hakoda," Kya mumbled into his shirt.

"We'll find a solution Kaya," he answered. "I'll make sure of it. Kya shook her head, pressed against her husband's chest as he stoked her brown hair.

In the two weeks it took for them to reach the Fire Nation capital, Kya all but faded to nothing. It pained Hakoda that he could do nothing for her. At least she had not pulled away from Katara and Sokka. She still sang them to sleep when they were scared and held them close, but when they slept, she was lifeless.

It would have been understandable back in the Southern Water tribe for her to feel dishonorable and embarrassed. It was a crime in their nation to partake in such activities without being married or even engaged, and it was as much the woman's fault as the man's. The punishment mostly involved public humiliation, since family was the most important value to the tribe. It had been a long time since anyone had been accused of it. In their current situation as prisoners, and the fact that every woman of age had the same stigma over her head now, no one had said anything to anyone. it was not necessary. Hakoda simply hoped this was not what waited for them once they reached the capital. He feared he might lose Kya if that was the case.

When the call went up on deck that they were pulling into port that morning, Kya sat Katara down in front of her. She undid the necklace around her neck and fastened it around the child's neck. Hakoda watched in silence; he wasn't sure what to make of this. It wasn't his to tell her to keep it, but he had hardly ever seen his wife without her trademark necklace. It had been passed down to her from Katara's grandmother, and now Katara was receiving it. The child touched the necklace and Hakoda's heart grew heavy in realization that his chances of seeing his daughter happily married were now slim to none.

"Katara," Kya smiled. "I want you to always keep this safe. Your grandmother gave this to me when your father and I were married, and now I want you to wear it. It's important that you keep this close to you. As long as you do this, not matter how far we are from each other, we will always be together. Do you understand this Katara?" The child stared at her mother for a moment and nodded slowly, returning the hug Kya surrounded her in.

Shortly after, the ship slowed to a halt and was secured at the harbor. The deck grew noisy and the tribesmen got to their feet in anticipation. Kanna grabbed Katara's one hand even as she reached to hold her mother's. Hakoda kept Sokka within reach while watching Kya. Something was up. Did she think that they would be separated? He felt his own nervousness build as he put a hand around her waist and held her close.

Lead up onto the deck, the soldiers checked their bound hands and lined them up along the ship's side to examine them all.

The heat of the sun and the air was unbearable, even in the morning. The soldiers, even with their heavy wintertime arms, seemed unaffected. They appeared not to have a second set of armor. Hakoda wondered if they returned to the Fire Nation that often. Beads of sweat already ran down some of the warrior's foreheads as they stood for the inspection. While the situation may have looked hopeless, Hakoda stood with his back straight and head up. He said nothing, but he would not give the soldiers the satisfaction of seeing him broken. The admiral walked down the row.

"Welcome to the Fire Nation capital city. This will be your new home from now on. There is no point in trying to escape, there are guards throughout the city once we leave this boat who know exactly how to catch any one of you who tries to get away. Now, if everyone would turn to their left the carts will take you all to the arena. If anyone of you even thinks about bending, you will find yourself wishing for a quick death. And I'll tell you right now, you won't get it," the admiral explained, looking towards the earth benders. The row of prisoners turned to their left to move down the front of the ship, and Hakoda watched the unthinkable happen.

Kya gave him a tearful smile and leaned backwards over the side of the ship. Her fingers slipped from Katara's hand in slow motion. Hakoda moved to catch her but was too slow. He shouted her name as the ocean swallowed her whole.

The other prisoners all looked over the side in mad flurry of activity. The admiral ordered the soldiers to scramble and maintain the order they had just lost. Kanna was forced to scoop Katara up into her arms, bound as they were, to keep the child from following her mother to her death in the ocean. She fought to get free. The soldiers quickly moved the line of prisoners away from the edge, but not before the bubbles from Kaya's splash subsided and Hakoda knew he would never see her again. He was forced to watch Katara cry over Kanna's shoulder. The child's small hands reaching towards the last place she had seen her mother. He was forced to listen to her calls all while trying to keep a hold of Sokka, who was just as confused, maybe even more so since his view of the event had been blocked. They stepped on land, for the first time in three months, and Hakoda saw the admiral send troops to search the shore.

"If the woman is a bender she'll find a way to shore and escape," the man explained to the lowly soldiers. Hakoda hung his head. His wife was no bender; there was no way she was coming back. She was gone. Kya had escaped in her own way, escaped the uncertainty of the fate that lay ahead of them. The look Katara gave him, with her big blue eyes red with tears and confusion made him wish Kya could have held on a little longer. He would not blame her, never. She had not choosen what had happened to her, but she had choosen how she handled it. He swallowed his own tears, it was easy enough since he was still in shock over the event. They were loaded onto the komodo-rhino drawn carts and Hakoda pulled both children close. Kanna watched in silence, simply staring at the ocean. Her eyes swam with tears as well.

"Where's mom?" Sokka asked, worry in his voice.

"Why aren't they rescuing her Dad?" Katara asked. "She can swim, she'll come back right?" Hakoda did not need to explain to them that Kaya had taken her own life. Not yet. They were too young. They would not understand.

"She hit the water hard Katara," he stated, his voice cracking. "The ship was too high."

"But," Katara cried. Hakoda pulled her close and met Sokka's gaze as his own tears began to fall. The family slowly came to terms with the fact that Kya was not coming back.

The arena was in the center of the city. It stood as the tallest building in the capital, aside from the palace which glittered on the hillside. To the two sobbing children it seemed like the city was inside a giant mouth that gapped open, about to eat them all. They were unaware that the jagged cliffs and rocks that surrounded the city in a makeshift barrier were actually the sides of a long forgotten volcano.

The arena was a massive building. It appeared the outside was coated with red marble, over a metal structure. It sparkled with gold lining that chased intricate columns around the edges. From the outside, it was impossible to see in. The carts moved inside the building through large metal double doors. Once inside, the tribe was overwhelmed. 3 stories of mostly empty seating towered over them. The building was nowhere near full; very few people occupied the upper levels, most of the crowds and noise came from the ground level that they stood on. A crowd of Fire Nation citizens gathered around a makeshift platform. The moment they spotted the carts, the crowd rushed to them, voices shouting over each other, pointing and bickering. The soldiers settled them enough to get the prisoners off the carts.

"Keep hold of Katara," Hakoda shouted over the noise. Kanna scooped the girl into her arms once more. She hoped she would not need to hold her for long; her strength had not abandoned her yet. The moment their cart was unloaded, the soldiers immediately separated them. The men were sent to the left and the women to the right. Hakoda struggled to get back to Kanna and his daughter, but the soldiers kept a good grip on him and the others, forcing them their separate ways.

...

And that's the first chapter of my newest fanfiction. Sound interesting enough? I'm hoping to post a new chapter every week or so. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with that pace. I'm hoping to name all the chapters after songs and their lyrics, since the title of the story is song lyric.

Feel free to say whatever you feel like i need to know in a review, whether it be that my grammar/spelling is atrocious, my characters aren't staying in character, you like the premise so far, or whatever. I'm trying to get better and everything helps : )

Thanks. Hope everyone enjoys the story!