The smell of sulfur awoke the sleeping river she opened her eyes and for a moment couldn't remember where she was. "Sokka, Aang, Toph?" It was the movement of her hand as she wiped at her eyes that brought her back to reality. "That's right, I am still here." There was another smell to the room as well, it smelled like cinnamon and some sort of fruit she looked around and saw food with a pitcher of water on the night stand beside her.

"Don't do anything stupid with that water." Katara saw Zuko sitting in a table by the window. "I am not afraid to evaporate that water and ask the servants to treat you like all the others."

"What you have them do to me?"

"Water benders are given liquids through a funnel and only with their hands bound." He smirked. "It's quite a sight, also they give you the only amount you need so if you get thirsty later on in the day you would be out of luck."

"It's not like I would be able to do anything, my hands are useless I can lift the water and aim it but the hands make the command, see." Katara pulled the water from the pitcher and swooped it through the air before sloshing it to the floor. "I couldn't kill a fly-beetle even if I wanted to." She pouted as she picked up her chopsticks. "Urgh, stupid things," she managed to pick up some oranges but they slipped through the grip. "I guess I am not eating today."

"Here let me help." Zuko picked up the utensils scooping up some food and lifting it to her lips. "Unfortunately for you and your unique skill my sister got scared. You should be proud, not many people can say that. If she was as calm as she looked you would have only been bounded. When Azula is threatened she becomes more violent and unpredictable or in other words more terrifying."

"I am not a child!" Katara yelled doing her best to slap his hand away. She moved away from him her whole body shook despite the hot temperature in the room.

"Only trying to help, Katara here take this." Zuko sighed.

"Oh yeah you have really helped me Zuko thanks." She got up ignoring Zuko's attempt to hand feed her. "If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here right now. We would still be on our mission to save the world and now it's over! You and your stupid family have won!" She seemed to boil over and before Zuko realized it she pulled the water from the pitcher and attempted to attack him. Zuko didn't move he knew that her anger was just and knew he would only get soaked. The girl fell to her knees sobbing in her hands; the hopelessness from her sobs filled the air bringing the fire down to the floor with hopes of comforting her.

"I will never be able to explain myself for what I did to you and your friends. I don't know if you would ever understand either but after seeing you that way the look in your eyes haunt me nightly and Katara, I don't ever want to see you that way again. I have made it my goal to see you smile and to enjoy your life here since I plan on never treating you in the way my father does with his women." The flame moved closer to her. "I missed my home" He paused. "More like I missed my mother and despite the fact that she left this horrid place, I hoped that one day she will return or I may find out where she is. You can relate to that." Katara avoided his hand as he reached out to touch her. "Believe me Katara," He lifted her chin up taking a napkin and wiped away her tears he smiled at the thought that came to him. "I want you to know something. My uncle told me before I was exiled that a concubine shouldn't be looked at like a whore or a pet." He looked into her blue eyes. "He told me that they should be treated like a practice wife, to practice more than intercourse. He said that if I wanted to practice intercourse my hand would be easier to deal with than an angry prisoner also that I would reap the benefits of treating my mistress well. My father never looked at it that way and had as many helpless women to his disposal as he needed. To him they were just objects and Katara I can't do that, I won't." Zuko got up. "If I were to have sex with you I would only want to if you were to have me." He walked to the door turning to his mistress. "Let's take a walk; this is your home now companion and you will know how to navigate it."

Zuko showed Katara all the places she was allowed to go to in the palace. They walked through an exotic garden where they saw a beautiful tiger-fox. "This is Ozai number two." The creature purred while sitting on Katara's lap. "My mother didn't want to name any of the children after my father so when we got this tiger-fox my sister being the suck up that she is named him Ozai."

"He is sweet for who he is named after. I love his wonderful red coat and long ears." Katara played with the cat's ears rubbing and twisting the long hairs at the ends. "I am sorry for dumping water on you. I lost my temper and I should have killed you instead of causing you a mild inconvenience," Zuko started to laugh at her comment. "I wasn't trying to be funny."

"I know you weren't but it made me think of what an anticlimactic moment I expected you to slice me in half with ice and all I got was a splash in the face." His tone became more sullen. "I deserve to be killed by you, since you were the one I got to trust me."

"Never expect to see that trust again." She shooed Ozai away. "Where else are we going today?"

"Let us head over to the library my lady." Zuko bowed with his arms pointed to the doorway. "Please, follow me."

"This is the library; it has almost every book you can imagine." He smiled motioning Katara to come closer it was at this point that he smelled jasmine. "Uh we might have to come back another time."

"But we just got here and I would love to find some reading material."Zuko ignored Katara started to motion her out of the room when he heard the bland voice.

"Welcome back." May came around one of the book cases. "I knew I heard your voice." She came closer to them eying her competition up in down, her eyes began to burn when she figured out who the rival was to her betrothed. "It's so hideous to see brown skin and blue eyes with red don't you think? No need to tell me your name whore, I have no use for it. This hot piece is to be my husband and when we are wed you will be nothing more than a stream that went dry. I will see to it myself that you are put where you belong." She smiled at Zuko. "When the war is over we will be married so don't get too attached Zuko, she will be with the rest of her kind soon." The bitter viper began to slither away letting her poison sink into her victims. "Unfortunately I can't stay long but until next time my dear."

"Never knew she had emotions. Apparently it's jealousy." Zuko looked at his unshaken waterfall. "All wives have resentment towards their husband's mistresses." He sat down in a comfy maroon chair. "My uncle loved his mistress more than his wife and my father broke off his brothel to marry my mother. So May has reason to be threatened by you, especially since our marriage is political I have no desire for her. She smells like jasmine and I think the smell is disgusting."

"She seems to have feelings for you or else she wouldn't be jealous. I don't see what is so wrong she isn't that homely." Katara looked around and quickly smelled her long hair.

"Thankfully, you are neither homely or have a horrible smell." He came up behind her. "You smell like a field of flowers after rain," The water in the river became turbulent when she felt him so close and to prevent herself from getting lost in the waves she quickly put some distance between them.

"We should probably keep moving I would like to see everything before it gets too late."

They came back to the room as the sun began to set. "Thank you for walking with me today Katara," Zuko reached his hand out and pushed the door open. "I haven't been home for quite some time and it was nice to see everything again." Katara walked passed him she still felt uneasy since the last time he got so close to her. "I hope it wasn't too boring and I hope that May didn't frighten you. I have no idea why she is here; my sister must have told her I was home. The little spark she always seems to be lighting fires."

"It was very nice." The water bender lay on the bed she didn't want to thank him for she still wasn't thrilled to be in the place where she was. "I would much rather be with my friends." A sound of the door closing caught her attention and a little relief came to Katara to be alone for a moment. She gloated over the thought of making Zuko mad. She thought of Aang. "Where have they hidden you?" There was a glimmer of hope that she could still save the avatar and everyone else as long as she could get the palace memorized and find every which way to get to them and over the walls. "Hopefully that jerk will lead me right to them." she turned over to shut her eyes. "Don't worry I will find you all."

The fire came back in the room about twenty minutes later; in his hands was another tray of food. "I hope you like soup I thought it would be a better choice since my sister disabled you." He smiled as he sat down at the table by the window. He was a little surprised to see his water lily sleeping. He walked over pulling the covers up and gingerly tucking her in like a babe. "Wow she is beautiful I haven't been this close to her before." The thought blew up in his mind like a bomb and he poked at the embers as he left her. "She will never see me as anything more than a monster." He touched the scar on his face. "I shouldn't let these thoughts catch. I betrayed her. I harmed her. I should never love her. She would much rather be with the hero not the villain." He sat down outside watching the sun as it became a warm blaze over the many volcanoes even its light made their ever dark presence turn a sultry red.