Chapter One
Enemies Meet
"Shoot! Come on water work with me here!" Katara screamed frustrated. Aang was making her mad he could do anything. He was so naturally gifted it made her sick.
"Okay, Katara, shift your weight through the stances... Ugh!" Katara said angrily as the steam of water failed to work with her.
Suddenly she heard the noise of grinding metal. Katara ran over to a row of bushes on her left and parted them to reveal Zuko's small ship now beached on the river bank. She turned to run, but a pirate blocked her path and grabbed her. Katara bended a water whip around and smacked the pirate in the face. He let her go, but she ran right into Zuko's arms, who held on to her tightly.
"I'll save you from the pirates." Zuko said staring down at her
"Let me go!" Katara's eyes shone with fear
"No I don't think I will." Zuko said as he threw her at the other soldiers so they could tie her to the tree.
Katara while glaring at Zuko decided not to give up any information about Aang. No matter what.
"Where is he? Where's the Avatar?" Zuko yelled impatiently
"Go jump in the river!!!" Katara yelled
Zuko looked at the river trying not to laugh at the idea of jumping in.
"Try to understand I'm trying to replace something I lost, my honor. Perhaps in exchange I could replace something you lost." Zuko said trying to be reassuring as he circled around her then holding her mothers necklace up to her neck.
"Where did you get that?" said Katara surprised
"And I'll never tell you where Aang is!" She said with pure hate.
"I didn't steal it if that's what you're wondering, and, yes, you will tell me." Zuko said grinning while walking away swinging her necklace around
Katara while glaring at Zuko comes up with a plan
"Untie me and I'll tell you where he is." Katara said sneakily
"No I have a better idea" Zuko said then he whispered to one of his soldiers the soldier nodded and moved toward Katara.
"What are you doing?" Katara said tensing up
"Untying you" Zuko said with a smile
"Oh you mean locking me in a cell. Then what?" Katara said angrily
"Smart girl. Bring her! Zuko yelled and the soldiers advanced on Katara.
Two of the soldiers grabbed Katara and start dragging her up the gangplank to the ship when she resisted they knocked her out. The last thing Katara saw was Iroh walking up toward Zuko with a very angry expression on his face.
"Nephew! What are you doing?" Iroh said shocked and angered at Zuko behavior.
"Getting the avatar to come to me, instead of having to chase him. And I have the perfect bait." Zuko said while smiling at the unconscious Katara
"What did this girl ever do to you anyway!" argued Iroh
"She sided with the Avatar" Pointed out Zuko
"She's not even a master waterbender yet I am sure she was just teaching the avatar the basics nothing important." Said Iroh getting more mad
"Yes but that still just makes her more of a threat." Said Zuko Arguing his case
"Fine Zuko do what you want just don't harm her." said Iroh in a threatening voice.
"I wont this is just between me and the avatar." Said Zuko truthfully
Zuko and Iroh walked on to the ship and followed the soldiers caring Katara. As soon as the soldiers carried her down below to the holding cells Zuko walked back to his chambers to go to bed. Iroh decided he would go down to the holding cells and wait for the young waterbender to wake up. Because he had something very important he wanted to talk to her about.
-Sokka and Aang-
Sokka wakes up and notices Katara isn't there. He goes over to Aang and wakes him up.
"Where's Katara?" Sokka asked Aang worried
"I don't know." Aang said just waking up
Sokka gets up and looks in the travel bags.
"She took the scroll! I swear she's obsessed with that thing!" yelled Sokka very mad.
"So she probably just went to practice." Aang said to cool Sokka down
"You're right let's go find her" Sokka said getting up
-Zuko's Ship-
Zuko is talking with one of his soldiers on deck.
"Did you leave the note on the tree?" Zuko asked
"Yes I did." Replied the soldier
"Good then the Avatar will soon be here." Said Zuko with a smirk
-Down Below-
Katara regains consciousness and wonders where she is. Then the details of last night come back to her. Katara looked around for a way to escape.
Out of nowhere Iroh walks up.
"Good you're awake! Do you want some tea? It'll help your head" Iroh said politely
"Tea would be nice. Thank you." Said Katara shocked reaches for the tea and takes a sip.
"Your welcome, and please do not worry about Zuko, he is a troubled man, and has been through much, he's not as bad as he may seem." Iroh said sadly
"But he has no reason to capture the Avatar!" Katara said angry
"That is where you are terribly wrong." Iroh replied sadly
"Let me guess the Fire Nation sent him to capture the Avatar so they could win the war!" Said Katara still very angry
"No his father burned and banished him without honor and told him that his only hope for redemption was to capture the avatar" Iroh turned his head away sadly
"So all he wants is his fathers love?" Said Katara surprised
"That, and his honor, his throne, and the respect he deserves" answered Iroh
"I'm still not going to tell him any information about the Avatar."
"That's not his plan" replied Iroh
"Yes it is how else is he going to get to the Avatar" demanded Katara
"He wants the avatar to follow him, your only bait." Said Iroh sadly
"Aang may try to save me but for now it's important for him to learn the elements."
"I know, and I've tried to help, but my nephew is a determined man. You may need to help me convince him." Replied Iroh
"How can I possibly help? I'm nothing more than a peasant to him!" argued Katara on the verge of yelling
"There might be a way." Said Iroh with romance on his mind
-Sokka and Aang-
"Where is she? We've been looking for hours!!!!!!" said Aang tiredly
"What's this?" asked Sokka as he unpinned a scroll that was embedded into a tree by the water front.
Sokka quickly read it and slowly looked up at Aang anger clearly visible on his face.
"Zuko has Katara!!!"