I didn't run away because I killed someone. I just didn't want them to have to tell me.
"Katara!" I heard Zuko yell after me, but I didn't look back.
"Just let her go, Zuko." Mai said. "She already knows, I can tell."
I bumped into someone while turning the corner.
"Careful there, Katara." He said, it was Uncle Iroh.
"Oh, sorry about that." I apologized.
"Why were you in such a hurry?" He asked. He looked like he already knew the answer.
"I... um…. I don't know." I stuttered.
"What were all those sounds I hear coming from Zuko's rooms?"
"Some people were trying to break in." I replied.
"Why don't you come into my study and have a cup of tea?" It was more of an order instead of a suggestion. But he never sounded like that, like he was telling you to do something.
"Alright." I agreed. "And talk about what?"
"Just things." He said in a way that made me suspicious that he was up to something.
We walked in silence down to his study and he opened the door and held it for me while I walked in.
"Zuko has been a little upset lately hasn't he?" I asked.
"Yes," Uncle Iroh replied. I can tell you are too. Would you mind telling me what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. I'm just a little concerned about Sokka, Suki and Toph. I haven't heard from them in awhile."
"Ah. Well,-
There was a loud bang on his door.
"Come in!" Uncle Iroh called just barely loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear. "The door's open."
The person who came in looked a mess. It was Zuko.
"The Fire Nation council just called an emergency meeting!" He informed us. "The messenger said that it was urgent and that Katara should come along too. It's about something really mportant."
That's why it would be called an emergency, Zuko. I thought sarcastically.
"Why would they want me to be there?" I asked.
"Probably because you're the only ambassador from the Water Tribe. Even if you are an unofficial one." He explained.
"But I'm a girl, I thought they weren't supposed to be in the council room." I challenged
"It's unusual, but it's not prohibited. Besides, that's the War Meeting room." He said. "But I am going to change that."
"What?" I asked "Why?"
"You two can debate politics later." Interrupted Uncle Iroh. "We'd all better get going to the emergency meeting before they think something happened to us."
"Fine!" We both said refusing to look at eachother.
We always got into these stupid disputes about how he was trying to change his country for the better. I'd always told him that he was making a bad decision with doing that. Even though. Secretly inside I was glad that he was doing this. It would make women in the Fire Nation more powerful. I just hoped none of those women would be like Azula. I shuddered.
"What?" Asked Zuko looking strangely at me.
"Just cold." I lied.
Cold? I was in the Fire Nation. And even if it was winter, it was warmer here than the hottest day of summer would be at the South Pole. Obviously Zuko thought that too.
"You're cold?" He asked unbelievably.
"Shut up." I snapped.
"Okay, okay. Whatever."
I walked just a tiny bit slower so that they went in front of me. I didn't want them to see that I was rubbing my arm in the place that it really hurt. I looked at it. It was bending, at a pretty funny angle. I blinked and looked at it again. It had to be broken, or at the least sprained. Crap, I didn't have time to heal it. And I didn't even know how to heal a broken bone anyways. It was too hard, not hard as in ability wise, but it was too stiff to move with water. Well, I actually could. But I had absolutely no ideaon how to do that without it causing me extreme pain.
"You coming. Katara?" Zuko asked stopping about twenty feet in front of me to turn around to see if I was moving forward.
"Yeah yeah, I'm coming." I said. I noticed that he was looking at my injured arm. So I pulled my rolled up sleeve over it and gave him a warning look that said don't you dare say anything to anyone.
He nodded but whispered in my ear. "We're taking care of that after this stupid meeting."
I sighed but nodded regretfully. There was no way I could deny him. Last month when I broke up with Aang (I'll tell you the long story later) I had refused to eat. Zuko had stormed into my room with some food. He pinned me down first so I couldn't waterbend. Then he tied me to a chair and forced the food into my mouth, talk about a control freak. I really didn't want to go through that again. Maybe I could get out and hide before he could get to me. That was a brilliant plan.
Some guards opened the door and a whole bunch of old men were sitting at a large round table.
"Fire Lord Zuko." They all chimed at once, standing up at the same time. Were they clones or something?
"Please sit down." He reguarded them. "You all know our beloved General Iroh."
They all nodded in agreement.
"I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our council, Katara, ambassador to the Water Tribe." He said grabbing my arm and pulling me forward. His hand slipped down to my hand and he squeezed it in encouragement. Then he let go.
If I had been anywhere else, I would be fighting a tomato face right now. But now I was in front of the most important people in the Fire Nation. Zuko wasn't the reason my face was hot, I was just so freaking nervous.
"Hi." I said lamely.
They all smiled uncertainly at me and sat back down. I sat down at Zuko's left and Uncle Iroh and his right.
"Would you gentlemen like to tell me what the emergency is?" He asked calmly, but with a sharp edge in it.
"It's about the laws of being a firelord." One said.
"May I ask what exactly this law is you're referring to?" Jeez Zuko. You're never this formal when you're talking to anyone else. But then again, with these guys, I don't blame you.
"You're required to get married within the next five months. And it would be best if you told us by the end of this month, or the beginning of next." The same one said. "We all agree that it would be best if you married Mai."
I had no idea why, but I felt like my heart had just been ripped out. Why did I care who he married? I just thought that he should have the right to choose. But, he was already in love with Mai, so what why weren't they married by now. Though, they were a bit young.
For the second time that day, I wanted to make a break for it, bolt out of the room. But, since Zuko's reputation as Fire Lord was at stake here, I decided to do it in a little bit more sophisticated way.
