Summary: Living under the Fire Empire in Ba Sing Se was never easy, and Katara is about to find out exactly just how hard it is when she gets taken in for questioning after she breaks one of the staple laws. Then, of course, there is the fact that her interrogator is none other than the Prince of the Fire Empire, and the Avatar has supposedly resurfaced… AU
There is always more misery among the lower classes than there is humanity in the higher.
- Victor Hugo, Les Miserables, 1862
Katara looked around nervously, searching for any sign of the Fire Empire soldiers or the Dai Li. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have come out after curfew, but Toph was sick and Toph might die. Clutching her precious cargo to her chest, she glanced around the corner nervously.
No one there. Sighing in relief, she turned the corner and -
"What do you think you're doing?"
'In the name of the spirits, why am I so unlucky?'
"I - I…" 'Think up a good excuse, Katara!'
"You what? No commoners allowed out after sunset. You know that. Everyone knows that."
Of course everyone knew. It was one of infinite rules that governed the lives of those in the Fire Empire. Which was almost the entire world, save for the few rebel hideouts, but those were few and far between.
Trying to avoid looking at the soldier she'd run into, Katara fixed her eyes on the ground. 'Think of an excuse think of an excuse think of an excuse…'
"Answer me, peasant."
'Peasant? Wow, this guy sure thinks highly of himself. He's just a soldier, does that make him better than me? At least I'm not a hulking mass who's self-importance is so overblown that any moment I might get crushed under it.'
"Repeat that."
'Repeat what?' Then she realised exactly what she'd just muttered under her breath. Flushing red, she turned away, shuffling her feet nervously.
"Repeat it. I don't think you're that stupid, commoner or not."
"…"
"Hulking mass, am I?"
She shook her head mutely, not because she was truly repentant, but more along the lines of 'if I do open my mouth I'll blather something I shouldn't'.
Raising an eyebrow the soldier looked at her strangely.
"I'm sorry, I promise I won't do it again but I need to get this medicine back now because if I don't…" Katara's voice trailed off. She didn't want to think about what would happen if she didn't.
Katara couldn't really quite believe she was trying to be polite to the soldier, but Toph needed the medicine. She didn't mention that the reason she needed to get the medicine back was because of Toph and that Toph was an Earthbender and that Toph was the runaway daughter of the Bei Fong family, because that would have completely undermined her case.
The eyebrow again. 'This guy has an issue with eyebrows.'
"Not for me to decide. You can file a plea case with the commanding officer here. Though I highly doubt it'd go through."
A plea case… she almost gave up then and there, because she needed to get money for one to work and she had no money and what did the soldier mean by 'I highly doubt it'd go through'? Plea cases almost always went through, because they usually involved large sums of money and a bribe that got hushed up and shoved underneath carpets.
Not like she had a choice though. She just hoped Toph's fever didn't get worse. "Fine. Take me to see the commanding officer."
"Like I said, it probably won't go through. No matter how much money."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see. You'll see."
She saw, all right, and the comments of the soldier became painstakingly clear. Her heart practically in her throat, she twisted the fabric of her dress in anxiety.
"Person here to see you about a plea case, sir," the soldier said, giving Katara a rough push and making her stumble into the room.
It was strange hearing the soldier call someone so much younger 'sir', but she supposed the reason was obvious. Mouth dry, she tried to recall everything she'd ever learnt about the Fire Empire's policies. 'The law of equivalent trade. I have to give something in return for him to give something to me.'
Curtseying awkwardly (Katara hated formal traditions but oh god, she needed to get back to Toph), Katara stood edgily in front of the man.
Or teenager, really, because the 'man' wasn't eighteen yet.
"Sit down."
She sat.
"Explain."
He really didn't like talking, she noted.
"I was out after curfew and then one of your soldiers caught me but I had to go out because of my cousin."
'Cousin? Where did that come from?' Toph wasn't her cousin, and Katara really hoped that the lie didn't register.
Taking a deep breath, Katara continued. "She's sick and her fever's getting really bad and she's delusional and she thinks she's five and I needed medicine for her so can I please go back so I can make sure nothing happens?"
Looking somewhat horrified that she'd blurted out so much, she clamped her mouth shut. Here she was, practically spilling her guts to a complete stranger, and not just any stranger. A Fire Empire stranger with an absurdly high rank.
She watched his expressions carefully, but they remained blank and offered nothing.
"Give me a reason."
'A reason?'
"I don't have money and I don't have power and honestly I don't have much so I don't have much of a reason because I have nothing to trade, but she's sick and she might die."
More spilling of her guts. She needed to control what she said more carefully.
"Well, if you don't have money or power or anything to offer me, why are you here?"
It was a reasonable question, but Katara never planned for the words that came tumbling out of her mouth next. "Because she's my family and I've lost everyone else except her and my brother and I'm not losing her too."
Toph was family, as far as Katara was concerned. Not a cousin though. A sister, a pesky annoying little sister who teased you about guys and bugged you constantly, but still a sister.
"What's her name?"
"To- Dong."
She couldn't have very well said Toph because then alarm bells would have started ringing in his head. Toph wasn't a common name, and Toph was well known as the blind daughter of the Bei Fongs who'd disappeared a year ago.
"Todong?"
"No, just Dong."
'Please don't let me have blown my chance please…'
A look.
"What about your brother?"
"Sokka."
"Your name."
"Katara."
"That's a Water Tribe name, isn't it?"
"It is?" The piece of information was completely and utterly unexpected and came as a genuine surprise.
He watched her carefully, attempting to discern whether or not her words were faked. They didn't appear to be, but he'd learnt about the extents to which 'peasants' could shield their true thoughts. They'd grown skilled at it, a result of years of suppression.
Katara noticed him staring at her, and it made her feel uneasy.
"I know I really shouldn't have broken curfew but she needed the medicine and…"
He raised a hand to cut her off. "I'm not asking about that. I'm asking about the fact that you have a Water Tribe name, as does your brother, but your cousin does not, and the fact you seem to be confused about your cousin's name."
"Ah…" Katara said.
She was acting so strange, babbling out random facts of her life to a Fire Empire official - she had no idea what had gotten into her, but those were thoughts for another day, another time. The medicine and Toph were most important now, and she needed a good story.
"On one condition," he'd said.
She'd agreed, albeit reluctantly. It was downright odd to have someone like that be welcomed into your home, especially considering she was more or less his prisoner.
Turning left around the corner, she tried to think of a way to get Sokka to not jump and attack the person behind her, as Sokka was wont to do. 'Perhaps I should warn him…'
She considered the idea briefly, then discarded it. How would she explain to the Prince of the Fire Empire that, oh, her brother hated anything and everything vaguely related to the Fire Empire and here she was showing the Prince of her brother's pet hate to her house of all things? The Spirits really didn't like her.
"I don't know how to put this, but I don't think you should come in. My brother… he…"
He what? He'd probably maim the Prince and get thrown into prison for his work.
The Prince raised an eyebrow at her (what was it with the Fire Empire people and eyebrows).
"He… he… he's very suspicious. Of people."
'Wow, way to go with the conviction, Katara.'
"Of people," the Prince repeated, sounding very close to something like laughter. Or a smirk. The latter was probably closer.
"Of strangers."
Definitely smirking now.
"I'm sure he'll have no objection to me."
'Oh yes he will, but I'm not telling you that.'
"You're a stranger."
"You seem to be acting quite differently now," the Prince said, steering the topic of conversation away from the topic of Sokka's phobias and towards Katara's sudden personality backflip.
"What?"
"Before you were a stammering confused little girl. Now…"
'Stammering confused little girl, my ass. For a prince you're kind of blind.'
"… I was terrified, can you blame me?"
Katara knocked on the door hesitantly, unsure exactly of how to explain to Sokka without the Prince hearing that Toph was now Dong.
"Katara! You're back! Did you get the -" Sokka broke off mid-sentence as he caught sight of the Prince. "What's he doing here?"
"That… I was walking back from getting Dong's medicine, and I got caught and he said I could come on the condition I had an escort," she said, emphasizing the Dong and hoping her idiot brother would realise.
"Dong's medicine?"
"She's sick, remember?"
"Yes, but… oh, right. The herbs."
'Finally!'
"Where is she?"
"In the bedroom," Sokka replied, scowling at the Prince and looking very much like he wanted to attack him (which Sokka probably did - want to attack the Prince, that was).
Hurrying towards the room at the back of the house, Katara placed the back of her hand against Toph's forehead. The fever had gotten worse in the few hours she'd been away, and Katara was very worried about her sister-but-not. Placing the herbs in a kettle to boil, she bit her lip, unaware of the fact that she was being watched. She poured out a little of the mixture for Toph, spooning it into the sleeping girl's mouth.
"Don't want any Aang… wanna sleep."
Katara froze, staring at the delirious girl. Who was Aang?
"Iroh's good, he really is… likes tea."
Iroh? Iroh was the General, the brother of Emperor Ozai and the Prince's uncle. Not to mention the Dragon of the West. In the doorway, the Prince froze as well.
"Not counting you, Sokka, you can't bend… Meathead."
Of course Sokka couldn't bend, but neither could Katara.
"Zuko, where's Katara?"
Prince Zuko turned to look at Katara, a mask of something unreadable on his face.
"Her name's not Dong, is it?"
A/N: … o.O This chapter turned out weird. Katara's all OOC, but she grew up in a different environment, therefore I shall make excuses for them being OOC. All of them. Except Toph, cause she doesn't do anything but babble delirium at the end (but even her delirium is OOC, therefore I suck).