Zutara Week: History

History (n.): an established record
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"Uncle Sokka, do you really have to go to bed?" Tanzin asked from his bed. He was tucked into the blankets so nothing except his face was showing out from the sea of green blanket. Syaoran was doing the exact same thing as his brother, just a few feet away in his own bed. The crack between the beds was slightly big enough to allow the older Sokka to stand between the two boys' beds, turned to look at both of them at the same time. He used the end bedposts to help himself stay upright.


"Don't be silly, boys. I'll only be down the hall." I'll always be there to protect you, baby sister.


"Please, Uncle Sokka," they chorused, both jumping out from under of their covers and tugging on his hands, trying to keep him in the room. "Please, please, please, please!"


Sokka heaved a deep sigh, letting his wrinkled, tanned hand connect with his forehead and slowly slide down his face. He can't believe he was about to do this. "One story," he grunted, "then it's time for bed, all right?" He had learned-ever since becoming a parent-that sometimes you had to be stern before you could give into their demands. This was one of those times that he could bend the rules because he was their uncle.


The two boys obediently jumped back under the covers, snuggling in and adjusting their green pillows before finally settling down. Sokka pulled out a chair from the corner of the room and pulled it straight in line with the foot of their beds. He sat down, but his back stood straight and tall, hand on Tanzin's bed, and he felt like his old self again. He closed his eyes and could feel his wolf-tail back on his head, the cold bite of his boomerang in his right hand, the smell of smoke and destruction as he was back in his old village. In that moment, he knew the perfect story to tell.


His blue eyes opened slowly and peered down at each of the boys. They looked so much like their grandfather, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference: Jet-black hair; chalky skin; long, gangly limbs; their grandfather's firebending ability. Only their soft blue eyes told of Katara's genes.


"It all started off with a panda-moose-lion," Sokka started, deciding to tease the boys a little to get the serious looks off of their faces, "and a boy that craved meat." The feeling of Suki's fan hitting the back of his head made him flinch before he even realized it. As expected, the boys before him started to giggle and grins spread over their faces.


"Many decades ago, a great war had spread over the land," he started, trying to tell the story in a deep, story-telling voice. He failed, and only made himself look like an idiot trying to contort his face to get his voice right. The two boys giggled behind their blankets, but Sokka blundered on. "The powerful Fire Nation was planning to attack the other three nations, for they believed they were the better race. With the help of the comet we know as Sozun's comet, they destroyed the Airbending Nomads with the help of the comet." This sentence was punctuated with  Sokka imitating a comet coming to land on the Airbending Nomads. Sound effects were added for a dramatic flair. The two boys looked at their great-uncle like he was a little crazy. They shared a few glances before Sokka halted his demonstration mid-screech. He had noticed the look the two boys were sharing. He winced once more and even reached up to gently rub the spot on the back of the head where he had been 'hit'. Gods, he missed Suki.


He cleared his throat and continued on. The boys seemed to understand and settled back down into their beds. He explained their whole trip through the Water Tribes and teaching Aang how to waterbend, their travels through the Earth Kingdom and picking up Toph Bei Fong along the way, and finally reached to the end of the war. Along the way (usually on distinct parts of battle) he added in great sound effects, like the sound of a boomerang passing by, or the sound of a sword slicing through the air. Each time he received weird looks from his grand-nephews, or maybe even eyerolls (they reminded him of his baby sister), who didn't understand why he was making those sound effects. However, Sokka enjoyed making the effects thoroughly and wouldn't stop.


Throughout the tale, he stressed the relationship between his sister and the Fire Nation Prince, walking them through almost every moment they had spent together. From the beginning, when he tied her to the tree and tried to tempt her with her mother's necklace ("You touched my baby sister??!!"), until the end of the war when they both went up to face Azula. He described every moment in detail, thanks to his baby sister's tales he had heard.


"Now, at the end of the war, we tried to achieve peace. Leaving the Fire Lord powerless was only part of the defeat. Now that the bad guy was gone from the story, we had to clean up afterward. Fights still broke out through the nations. Some didn't even know that the war had ended! Only through the help of the new Fire Lord Zuko did we ever strive to receive peace. It took years of rebuilding and rearranging to get everyone happy and back into peace again. And, even then, with everyone settled, some people still weren't happy enough. They would attack the Fire Nation and retaliate in what they believed was right. Many times the Fire Lord was threatened with assassination letters, saying they would kill him if he didn't give up Fire Nation soil to their family. He ignored most, but one was deathly serious. He kept receiving letters, and they wouldn't stop. Luckily Katara was there, or he might not have made it out.


"An Earth Nation civilian entered into the Fire Nation one night, slipping in through a back way unnoticed by the guards." Sokka's voice turned deathly serious and the boys stared, wide-eyed, at their uncle, the blankets pulled up closer to their faces so only eyes were visible. "He climbed his way up to the tower, set on the Fire Lord's room. He scaled up the wall in little time and pulled out a dagger. He swung himself onto the balcony, the wind whipping his hair out of his face. Through the window, into the room, and on the side of the bed. The Fire Lord slept peacefully on the bed, unaware of what was happening. The Earth peasant raised his dagger and aimed for his heart. He got ready to pull down the knife and it fell into his leg. The Fire Lord woke up instantly and burned him to death. Katara, just a floor down from the Fire Lord, was summoned to help heal his injured leg. "From that day on, they found a small comfort and solace in one another. They had to stay together to make sure that his leg would heal, and they just enjoyed each others company. They would talk mainly about politics, for Katara had a good eye for the projects that would lead to the most beneficial or best end for the Fire Nation. Even after his leg had healed, they spent hours together after meetings in his library, discussing plans for the future of the Fire Nation and how things would turn out. Katara was invited to the meetings soon after, and wanted to do nothing more.


"Years later, after many meetings and plenty of projects overseen by the two of them, they finally decided that they loved each other. They couldn't ever imagine being with anyone else but the one who had helped them through so much.


"Finally," Sokka overstressed this part here. Though he had been against Zuko at the beginning, over time he saw his sister's attraction to the man. He approved of their love, for he had seen the love in Zuko's eyes as well. "after all of that time, they got married. They lived happily ever after." He grumbled slightly, having used the cliché ending he never had liked. Life never just ended like that! There was always more to it. So, why did they tell their children there wasn't? "The end! Now, it's time for you to go to bed."


"Aww!!" the two cried, jumping up from out of their covers. "One more story, Uncle Sokka, one more story!"


"I believe that history lesson was one enough for both of you. It's time for bed." He pulled himself up out of the chair and moved over to the boys. He tucked the blankets in underneath them, just like he had done so many times for Katara and Zuko's own kids, and put the chair back into its place.


"Goodnight!" the two boys chorused, smiling happily up at their great-uncle.


"Good night," Sokka whispered, closing the wooden door behind him. He'd never known the story of the two boys' own history would be so fascinating to them."