Katara stood quietly in the nearly dark room, only barely able to make out the silhouettes of other people against the dim light. She pressed her face against the bars of the cell she was being kept in and strained her eyes to try to see better, but it was no use. All she could see was the metal rods that guarded the cage across from hers.
A nervous sweat started, making her matted hair stick to her upper back and neck. It had been days since she had the opportunity to care for herself and she was starting to feel disgusting.
She could feel the panic rising in her. Not only had she been taken from where she had gotten used to living, her mother's necklace had been confiscated upon arrival to this place. She touched her neck in longing. It was the only piece of home she had. The native water tribe woman had long outgrown the outfit she had arrived in, and her mother's necklace was all she had left of her old home.
Low chattering from the guards could be heard a few feet away, but she couldn't make out what was being said or who was saying it. Standing around for a few minutes more, she gave up any hope of finding out anything and slumped down on the floor. She closed her eyes to think about the situation she was currently tangled in.
Ten years ago, Katara was abducted from her home as the last remaining waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe. It had happened while she was playing dress up with her older brother, Sokka. She was playing with her mom's betrothal necklace and other jewelry when the Fire Nations soldiers had invaded her village.
Though she felt bad for leaving home with the necklace, if the soldiers had come at any other time she might not have had this piece of home that she always carried with her. She knew her mother would want her to have it to help her get through everything.
Her mother had tried to lie and say that it was herself who was the bender but Yon Rha, the man who was assigned to find the last waterbender had good information. Whoever they were, they weren't middle aged like her mother. They were a young girl no older than 10.
Finally he threatened to destroy the whole village if the bender didn't show herself. She often wondered where he got such knowledge and pondered if someone in her village could have been a traitor, or perhaps there where spies around that no one saw.
Katara couldn't bear to know that the village's destruction would be on her hands so she had stepped forward against her mother and father's wishes. After a sad fight between Hakoda and Yon Rha her father was quickly defeated; thrown aside and her taken aboard the ship. It was a long ride to the Fire Nation Capital, but she was treated surprisingly well. She had always heard stories of the atrocities that the Fire Nation committed and at first started to believe they were untrue.
Finally, when they arrived she was sold to an estate to be a servant. Yon Rah seemed to be friendly with the man who bought her and she assumed they arranged this deal beforehand. She didn't know much of what was going on at the time. All she knew was that she wanted to go home, but no one would let her.
The few escape attempts she made, didn't get her very far. She stood out from everyone, being darker among other things. She couldn't use her water bending to help her, either. No one had trained her in the ability she possessed. The most she could do was form a ball of water. It wasn't hard to quickly recapture her and bring her back. Finally she gave up trying and just did what she was supposed to.
As she grew older she noticed that the master of the estate bought only Earth Kingdom women, herself being the only woman from the Water Tribe. She guessed he had a thing for exotic girls.
She had often heard stories of the master of the house she had worked in. The older women told of him using the girls he bought in a sexual way and she considered herself lucky he didn't get to her. Back when she lived in the Southern Water Tribe her gran-gran told her she should be married before she got close to a man in any way. Since she was young that was all she got to hear, but she knew it was in her culture to wait until she was married to lose her virginity.
Katara knew it was wrong, but she was glad her old master had passed away. It prevented him from doing anything she didn't like permanently. Being a slave, she had no say in anything that happened to her body. There was a high chance that her virginity would be taken by force. As she was escorted to her cell she heard talk of the next auction taking place sometime during the week. The thought of being auctioned almost made her sick.
The first time she was bought she was only eight and didn't have to worry about disgusting men that might buy her to use her for sexual purposes. It was known that children were only used for cooking and cleaning unless they were bought by someone twisted which thankfully, she wasn't. A couple weeks ago she had turned 18 and now could be used for any purpose by the person who bought her.
It was only until after someone walked by and sent a light breeze her way did she snap out of her thoughts and realize how cold she was. The stone floor was freezing under her barely clothed form and she wished she had been given something more to wear. When she worked at the estate, her every day attire was a simple red long sleeved tunic and brown pants. They had been taken from her when she arrived at the auction house. Now she only wore her white breast bindings and plain sarong bottom. It had taken a couple days to arrive where she was currently at so her outfit was covered in dirt.
Katara crawled to the makeshift bed in the corner of the room. The rough potato sack-like fabric of the bed wasn't comfortable and the thin pillow wasn't any better, but it she supposed was better than nothing. Today wasn't good, and tomorrow wasn't looking too great either. She just hoped whoever bought her would be kind, or lived somewhere that made escape easy. After tossing and turning, she finally drifted into a dreamless sleep.
"Wake up slaves!" A man's voice bellowed loudly to all within earshot. "It's auction day and I want you all looking your best!"
Katara opened one eye to all the yelling and moving that was happening around her. The room was significantly brighter than yesterday, with bright sunlight being let through the cracks in the ceiling.
"Let's go, princess." A guard opened the door to her cell. "We don't got all day."
The watertribe woman sat up and got to her feet quickly. "Where exactly are we going?" She questioned as she followed the strong looking man. In these situations she had learned it was better to do as you were told or you would suffer the consequences.
"We gotta prepare you for the auction. Yer gonna fetch a higher price if you look better." The guard responded.
She was led outside to a large walled in courtyard. Tall bushes lined the brick walls that blocked the courtyard from the rest of the world. The same bushes were spread out in random places along the otherwise barren courtyard. About a dozen other girls were already there, standing next to large wooden barrels of water. Metal grates were at there feet, and she figured they were there so the dirt ground wouldn't get too muddy. Another guard was instructing them.
"Wash all the dirt off your bodies! If anyone of you look less than presentable you'll be punished severely."
Katara was pushed passed them until she was in a secluded place behind a row of the bushes. She couldn't see any of the other girls any more, and wondered why she was singled out. What if something bad was going to be done to her? She gasped when strong and calloused hands grabbed her wrists suddenly and held them over her head.
"Alright sweetheart." The same person who had gotten her out of her cell began. "I'm holding your arms but if you try to bend any of this here water I can guarantee I'll hurt you. We're just going to wash you." Another guard came with a pail of water with a sponge floating on top of it.
"Hey Dai. Take off her wrappings." The guard holding her hands instructed to his friend. The man called Dai did as told and the cloth covering her breasts was undone and fell to the ground. Katara could feel her face heating up and she squirmed around. No one had ever seen her like this, especially a man.
"What are you doing?" She protested to the two men. "I can wash myself!"
"We can't risk you trying to escape or bend at us." Dai responded before his hand moved down to her sarong. In one swift motion he pulled the ties holding it up and the white cloth slipped down her long caramel legs. "Nice, huh Yeng?" He commented to the man holding her.
Yeng grunted in response and didn't do anything more.
Katara started kicking her feet in an attempt to escape Yeng's grip. These men were examining her like a piece of meat. "I promise I won't try to escape just don't look!" She said desperately.
Yeng cupped a hand over her mouth and hooked one leg in front of both of hers. "Quiet. We're just doing as we were told." She closed her eyes and pretended what was happening wasn't real. Her gran-gran and mother would be ashamed if she knew someone was looking at her that wasn't her husband.
Dai bent over and took the sponge from the bucket. He started to wash her with the soapy water, starting with her neck and moving down. When he got to her breasts he paid special attention to her nipples, rubbing them with the warm sponge over and over until they got hard. It wasn't often he got to touch the slaves that were being sold and he was going to take advantage of the situation. He breezed right past her private area and moved down to her feet.
"I saved the best for last." Grinning evilly, he dipped his hand in the water and started rubbing her most sensitive area, making sure his fingers got in the all the folds of it. His long and bony index finger lingered on her clitoris.
Kotare wigged and tried to escape the sudden assault, but she couldn't move. Even holding her with one hand, the guard was was strong and kept her in place.
"That's enough." Yeng interrupted. "You had your fun. Finish the job already."
Sighing, Dai fished around in the bucket until he found the razor. He shaved the tanned woman until the only hair that remained was the long chocolate tresses on her head. They were roughly combed until they were smooth and silky. She was dried and led back inside the building, still unclothed.
Dai was in front of her, and she shot daggers at the back of his head. Who did he think he was handling her like that? If there weren't so many guards around and such a high chance of her losing, she would have shot whatever attack she could at him.
The waterbender was ushered into a large and brightly lit room. Chairs were set up in rows in front of a raised platform. Every seat was filled, and not a single woman could be seen except for the ones being sold. Torches lined the stone walls and it didn't take Katara long to figure out this was the auction room. She hesitated and stopped following the guard in front of her.
Feeling a light shove on her back, she started moving forward again. A draft blew from somewhere unseen and she shivered from the sudden unexpected rush of cold air. Finally she stopped at the right side of the stage along with all the other girls.
"Gentlemen! We're so pleased to have you here." A man stood behind a podium on the platform and spoke to the crowd. "We have a fine selection of women tonight. Please feel free to look at the merchandise and decide who interests you. Any one of these girls will satisfy any desire you might have. Whether it be a maid or something else, I don't think you'll be disappointed."
"Our first piece of merchandise is an Earth Kingdom woman. She's of fine breeding and is also an Earth bender. A perfect addition a collection or maybe a fine starter piece for a man just getting into buying girls!"
Dai picked up a petite Earth Kingdom woman, who cursed until she was gagged. She was put on stage and her arms and legs were chained.
"Take a look at her breasts. Though they are small I'm sure they'll satisfy…" The announcer continued and Katara zoned out. That would be her in a few minutes, on display for dozens of men to examine and gawk at.
Suddenly numbers were being shouted by the crowd. "Do we have 50 gold pieces! 75 gold pieces! 90 gold pieces! Anyone higher than 90? 90 is the highest? Sold! To the gentleman in the front!" The woman on display was unchained and led down the stairs to whoever had bought her.
"Next we have a woman from the Southen Water Tribe. She's a waterbender, and the last one from her tribe. She's worth a lot and would be a unique girl to have, if I do say so myself. You won't find anyone quite like this!" Katara realized they were talking about her.
Yeng scooped her up in his arms and brought her on stage. She was chained spread eagle, and nothing was left to the imagination. She felt something being pressed against her mouth. It parted her lips and was secured around her head. It was a gag to keep her from screaming or speaking.
From the audience's perspective, Katara was stunning. Her breasts were firm and perky, and her waist was small and led to a voluptuous and round ass. Her skin was brown and not something seen every day in the Fire Nation. All the women were pale and looked like they had never seen the sun in their lifetimes.
"Her breasts are absolutely heavenly! Quite the handful!" Just have the annoncer's point proven, Yeng grabbed one of the mounds and gave it a hard squeeze. Katara winced in pain at the rough treatment.
"She's also a virgin! Untouched by any man. You could be the first to teach her anything!" She was pulled back in order to give the crowd a better view of her vagina, and the lips were parted. "A beautiful color! And I don't want to start on her curves! Do I hear 10 gold pieces? 20 gold pieces? Wow! 50 gold pieces! 70 gold pieces! Can I have a hundred?"
The crowd was noisy with chatter. A woman this beautiful was rarely seen and was hard to get. Katara looked at the audience of what she presumed to be noblemen, disgusted. How could they go home to their wives after participating in something like this?
"150 gold pieces? Do I have 150? S-" The auctioner was cut off by a commanding voice.
"500 gold pieces." Katara looked to where the voice had come from. The man who had bid was severe looking but regal, with long black hair and a beard to match.
"F-fire Lord Ozai. I didn't know you would be here." The auctioner looked shocked. "Do we have more than 500?" No one spoke a word. "Then for 500 gold pieces, the water tribe woman goes to Fire Lord Ozai."
Katara was unchained and was walked towards her new master. She felt nothing but dread throughout her entire body. Out of all the people that could have bought her, it had to be him. The most ruthless man in the Fire Nation, who was known for his cruelty. She might as well give up any hope of seeing anyone she loved again.
"Let's go." He spoke coolly. Katara followed the Fire Lord to the outside world, unaware of what her future held. Would she be tied up and forced to be Ozai's personal sex slave? Would she be a maidservant and tend to the palace? She hadn't the slightest clue. She sent a silent prayer to the Moon Spirit. Please let Ozai be merciful on her.