The next time Katara saw Jing was far less dramatic.
The next morning, he shoved the door open, slammed the food tray on the floor, and then trudged over to her.
She was surprised by his directness. "What are you…?" Before she could finish, he grabbed her neck. She would have defended herself if she had been expecting an attack but Jing hadn't attacked aggressively towards her since she'd been imprisoned.
With a quick yank Jing ripped her mother's necklace right off. He turned around and opened the door without a word.
Katara was furious. That necklace was her most precious possession. "Give that back!" He didn't even turn around. "Shut up." Jing closed the door before she could even stand.
She ran to the door and tried to open it. It was locked this time. Apparently, they had anticipated her reaction. "Get back here! That's my mother's necklace!" She pounded on the door desperately. She turned toward her faucet and prepared to destroy the door before she stopped herself. She remembered there were several guards waiting for her outside.
"Damn it" she cursed. "He's going to use my necklace to bait Aang somehow, I just know it!" She clenched her fist. Jing had seemed urgent. "They must be putting their plan into motion now."
She rubbed her belly nervously. She felt tiny feet kicking and despite the situation she couldn't help but smile. Her babies felt strong and healthy with a kind and happy chi. She pictured herself and Aang, in a picture that looked so far away. Two very much in love parents happily raising their children. It was the most beautiful thing imaginable and she knew Aang felt the same way.
Aang…without him the picture just wouldn't be the same. He was the only man she could ever love and the best father possible for her children.
"Aang…" Katara said with a sad sigh. "Forgive me for being a burden." Aang had told her how his love for her had almost prevented him from mastering the Avatar State. He just never felt right about choosing power over true love even if it was his duty. It had almost been the death of him when Azula shot him in the back during his second attempt to open his last chakra. Only Spirit Oasis water had saved him and just barely. Katara knew if anything could throw Aang off enough to take away his advantage she could, even more now that she was pregnant.
"Forgive me for what I have to do" Katara said. "I do believe in you and I know Long Feng can't win but I'm tired of being your weakness." She rubbed her stomach lovingly, nurturing her babies. "I don't want to risk our babies' lives but I'll put us all in more danger if I let Long Feng's plan work."
She grew determined and serious. She pictured her family in her mind as clearly as she could; her mother, father, brother, friends, Aang, and in her and Aang's arms four perfect, beautiful babies.
As she focused on the picture harder her mother faded until she disappeared. "I can't let the picture lose anyone else," she declared. "I swear Aang I'll get us all out of this alive." Her thoughts turned to Jing. She had felt sympathy for him and hoped he would help her but there was no more time to waste. She had to escape before anything else happened.
"I'll escape no matter what I have to do."
Meanwhile, in another part of the Earth Kingdom Long Feng's control was being exerted over a Fire Nation colony. Much like other colonies there was a mix of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation citizens living there. Long Feng's army had recently invaded and overthrown its governor, who was a Fire Nation general. After killing him the army then moved to purge all Fire Nation citizens from the population, separating them from those in the Earth Kingdom then killing them. That was the plan at least.
"Let go of my husband!" a woman shouted as two of Long Feng's soldiers were pulling away a man dressed in red and orange clothes.
"You married a Fire Nation man?!" one of the soldiers replied, obviously shocked. "I'm not Fire Nation!" yelled the man.
"Shut it ash-maker!" they shouted as they twisted his arms.
His wife ran up and grabbed one of the soldiers, trying to force him away. "Leave him alone!" He simply threw her to the ground.
"Mom!" an adolescent boy shouted as he ran up to her. He knelt down to inspect her for injury. Both his clothes and his appearance were a mix of Earth and Fire Nation. He wore a red and green tunic and his complexion was a very light brown. He stood up and faced the soldiers. "You bastards!"
The soldiers laughed at him. One sneered, "You sure are one to call us that. Look it's a little half- breed!"
The boy became furious; he kicked up a rock and prepared to attack, taking an Earthbending stance.
His mother stood up. "Don't son!"
One soldier laughed, "That's right protect your filthy half-breed offspring." The mother glared at him. He then asked, "How could you contaminate your Earth Kingdom blood with…this?" He shook her husband to make his point.
"I'm not Fire Nation!" the man reiterated. "Look!" He lifted his leg and a pillar of earth erupted from the ground.
The soldiers were so shocked they let go. "An Earthbender?! Why are you dressed like that?!"
The man smoothed his shirt back into place. "My grandfather was a Fire Nation soldier; I've dressed like this my whole life. But like my wife and son I identify with the Earth Kingdom."
The soldiers exchanged a couple of confused looks. They were at a loss for what to do. Their orders were to eliminate all Fire Nation citizens and liberate the Earth Kingdom people. But in this family, they had found a mixture of both and had no idea which one to treat them as. And this was one small example of the dozens of confusing situations going on throughout the colonies.
Jing was currently going over this issue with Long Feng. "The colonies are proving a problem. There's been so much race mixing that carrying out the Fire Nation purge has been difficult."
Long Feng sighed in exasperation. "Can't we simply eliminate the pure Fire Nation people to start with?"
"That's the problem" Poli explained. "With the exception of a few higher classmen there are almost no citizens in the larger colonies that are either pure Fire or Earth Nation. What's more allegiances are all over the place. There's been talk of Earthbender who swear by their allegiance to the Fire Lord and even Firebenders who are loyal to the Earth King. It's an extremely complex and volatile situation. We've had a very hard time recruiting any colonials to our side."
Long Feng put a palm to his forehead. "I guess that's to be expected. We are the enemies of both the Fire Lord and the Earth King. If we recruited soldiers with Fire Nation blood, I doubt our most zealous would followers peacefully abide it."
"Indeed not!" Jing said angrily. "I can't believe Earth Kingdom citizens would actually breed with those Fire Nation savages!"
Long Feng crooked an eyebrow, intrigued by the sudden outburst. "I suppose that would be a rather sore spot with you Jing."
Jing gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Of course, sir…you know what happened to my wife."
Long Feng put a hand on his shoulder, doing an excellent job of faking sympathy. "Oh of course I do you poor, poor man but fret not. The colony issue is complicated but allow me to think on it and I will figure out the solution. For now, just be happy we have freed them from the Fire Lord's control." His voice then took a sinister curl. "Once we have control of the Earth Kingdom we will take vengeance on the Fire Nation."
Jing smiled. "Yes sir."
"Do you have the necklace?" Long Feng asked. Jing nodded and handed him Katara's bans, the strap still broken from when he ripped it off her neck.
"Excellent" Long Feng acknowledged. "I heard the Avatar has come to answer our invitation. I'll give him a nice warm greeting. Return to the prison and make sure his wife remains incarcerated."
Jing bowed his head. "Yes…sir" he said with slight hesitation.
Long Feng noticed. "Something wrong Jing?" Jing shook his head. "No sir nothing."
"Good you are dismissed." Jing nodded and left. Long Feng looked at another follower of his that was standing near the adjacent wall. He handed him the necklace. "Give this to the Avatar. Tell him I'll be waiting."
Aang was flying behind June and her Shirshu Nyla. He had made the mistake of flying in front a few times and Nyla had gotten nervous and lashed at him with his tongue.
"How are you not scared of him?" Aang had asked.
"Oh, this is nothing!" June replied. "You should see a female Shirshu! Not only is their venom twice as paralytic but it's fatal too!"
So, he had been flying behind her for a few hours. They had reached a barren part of the Earth Kingdom that seemed largely uninhabited. It was refreshing to see a place that wasn't ravaged by war but depressing to see somewhere people had never lived.
Finally, Nyla stopped at the edge of a broken fence. On the other side of the fence was what appeared to be an abandoned mining town. There were tipped over dusty carts and empty boxes everywhere.
"This is where the scent is coming from," said June.
"There's no one here" Aang had just finished saying when he felt someone approaching on an ostrich-horse with his seismic sense.
He was surprised to see a boy no older than ten riding the horse. He was dressed in full military garb, wearing armor that was much too big for him.
"Who are you?" Aang asked.
"I'm a member of Long Feng's army!" the kid said happily.
Coming from a culture that had no form of military at all much less one that involved children Aang was understandably surprised. "What?! You're just a kid!"
The kid seemed only more encouraged by that statement. "Everyone gets to be part of the army. Long Feng gives us food and keeps the Fire Nation away."
"That's horrible!" Aang shouted. The kid didn't seem to care.
"Long Feng told me to give this to you" he said, digging around in his pocket. He pulled out Katara's necklace and handed it to Aang.
Aang had been on his search when Katara was kidnapped. He had no idea anything at all had happened to her.
"Katara's necklace?!" he shouted unbelievingly. "What happened?!"
The kid scratched his head like he was trying to remember something important. "Long Feng said…you should have stayed behind to protect her instead of chasing wild turtle ducks…or something like that."
Aang's heart sank. He had played right into Long Feng's trap. "Where is she?!" he asked the kid.
The kid pointed at the entrance to the mine, which was covered with collapsed rocks. "Long Feng says if you want to find out then go to the bottom of the mine. He'll be waiting, if you aren't scared that is."
Aang became determined. "Oh, the last thing I am is scared!" It was quite an assertive attitude for an Air Nomad but at the moment Aang felt as stubborn as an Earthbender and as passionate as a Firebender.
"Good luck" the kid said casually before riding off back towards the mine. Aang nodded and took a step forward. He stopped when June said, "Hey!" Aang turned back. "What's wrong? I already paid you."
She looked unusually serious. "Be careful kid. Don't go falling into his traps and getting yourself killed." With that she snapped Nyla's reigns and took off.
Aang faced the mine again. "There's nothing to worry about. I'm the Avatar. Long Feng is no match for me."