Chapter Two
Master
[Author's Note: There are dark themes in this chapter. Nothing explicit though. Just be warned.]
When we left the crowd of slavers behind, my new owner spoke to me for the first time. He had a rich voice, a voice that would fit well with laughter, but there was not a trace of laughter in it. Indeed, there was something odd about it. Something odd about him. His movements were short and jerky, and he refused to meet my eyes.
"Your name?" he asked.
I swallowed my tears, took a deep breath, and said, "Katara." My voice sounded strong again.
"Katara. You will call me 'Master.'" He hesitated, then added, "But my name is Gorou."
"Yes, Master," I said. There was something both disgusting and satisfying about speaking kindly to this man. Disgusting in that it meant I was bowing down to him. But satisfying because it was all a trick, a lie, and only I knew my real feelings.
"You will be doing simple jobs for me, such as cleaning and shopping and any other task I might require of you."
"Yes, Master." I didn't like the vagueness of that last bit. It left too many implications.
"Shun and I—" He stopped, then began again. "My wife and I have a few servants already, but they are all male, so we have prepared another room for you."
"Thank you, Master." He had a wife? I felt reassured, but then chided myself. Men like him, men with too much stubble who reeked of alcohol, could get bored with one woman. I was still not safe.
We walked in silence for a while. As we went, I fingered the pendant my mother had given me when I was young. It was all I had left of my family now. The soldiers had let me keep it only because, they said, it made me look exotic and would fetch them a higher price. Still, I was glad. Touching it gave me courage.
Gorou's home was far from the market. In fact, I wasn't sure if we were even in the same city. We passed through one pair of gates, then followed a long, zigzagging path uphill to what I could only see as a great crater. The gates we passed through then, going inside of the crater, were much more adorned than those of the other city, made mostly of gold with red metal flames crowning them. I guessed this man was of a higher class than I had thought.
The inside of the crater almost made me stop in my tracks. The houses seemed to shine in the setting sun. It smelled nice, sweet, like nothing I'd ever smelled before. There were trees all around me, beautiful trees with pink blossoms and silvery bark.
I must have been staring at them, because Gorou said, "Cherry blossoms. They look like this every spring."
"Yes, Master," I said, biting my lip.
At last, we arrived at his house. It was a bit smaller than the others and close to the wall. A middle-aged woman in a lovely red dress was sitting on one of the house's balconies. When she saw us, however, she stood and went inside. I looked at Gorou. He was staring at the place where she had been with a certain sheen in his eyes. Then he shook his head and led me inside.
A servant, a Fire Nation boy, was there to greet us at the door.
"I'll trust you to show her around," Gorou said to the man.
"Of course, Master," he replied.
When Gorou disappeared around a corner, the boy turned to smile at me. He looked to be around eighteen, a few years older than me.
"So you're the new slave girl?"
I said nothing, unsure whether I was allowed to be rude to him or not.
He laughed. "You can hit me if you want. No one cares what servants do to each other as long as it doesn't bother their masters."
I looked down. Servants. Slaves. That's right. That's what we were.
"Oh," he said, his smile fading. "Sorry, I forgot. You must be new to all of this. Don't worry! You'll get used to it."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I asked.
"It was, but now that I think about it, it probably wasn't the best reassurance, was it?" He said all this very fast, with an awkward smile on his lips. "Let's start over. I'm Lee."
"Katara," I said. "And I don't really want to hit you. I'm just…."
"I understand," Lee said. "I mean, not completely, because I was never a slave, but I know what it's like to have to serve someone, even though I do it willingly and get paid for it, but anyway—"
"Shut up, Lee," said a voice from behind us. "You're upsetting the new girl."
I turned. A huge bald man stood there with his arms crossed.
"Sorry, Enkou!" Lee said. He brought his mouth to my ear and whispered, "That's Enkou, the cook. Don't eat his cakes! They'll set your tongue on fire!"
"Don't listen to anything he tells you," Enkou said. "He's an idiot."
"How many of you are there?" I asked.
"Just us and—"
"Reshi!" Lee cried. I looked up. Standing at the top of the stairs was a tall, handsome man with dark hair and green eyes. "Here's the new slave girl!"
The man began to walk towards us. His gait was slow and plodding, and I realized that he had a limp. He was supporting himself against the bannister.
"Her name's Katana—wait, no, Ka-Katina? Kat…Kat-something. Sorry, what was it again?"
"Katara."
"Her name's Katara!"
Reshi watched me as he walked down the stairs. "I'm sorry this happened to you."
"Thank you," I said.
"We'll try to help you as much as we can."
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
Enkou put a huge hand on my shoulder. "Let's show you around."
The house was not as large as some I had seen on the way here, but compared to the tiny tents of my home, it was enormous. They showed me the laundry room, the kitchen, the dining room, the bathrooms, the living room, and their quarters. When we reached Gorou's room, Lee whispered, "That's where the Master sleeps. Mistress Shun used to sleep there, too, until she got sick of him."
"Shun?" I asked. "His wife?"
"Mm-hmm. She hates his drinking, so she's refusing to share his bed until he stops. He's losing everything because of it, the drinking. He's a noble, but he's barely holding onto his position at court. He's running out of money, too."
"Enough gossip, Lee. It's not polite," Enkou said, and we continued.
After they showed me where Gorou's wife Shun slept now, we came to the last room in the house, an upstairs one with a lovely view of the backyard. My new quarters.
"Your room's a lot nicer than ours," Lee said.
"I'm sure it'll suit your needs fine, Katara," Enkou said.
I smiled at them. "Thank you. For everything."
"You're welcome," Lee said. Enkou smiled back at me.
They both left, but Reshi stayed behind.
"Are you going to be all right?" he asked.
"I'm fine," I said.
"Are you from the Water Nation?"
I nodded.
"Northern?"
"Southern."
"I'm sorry. I don't know the details, but I heard what they did to your home."
I nodded. "Thank you. You've all been very kind."
There was something sad in the way he looked at me.
"You seem intelligent, Katara," he said at last. "You know what's going on here, why Gorou bought you?"
I looked down. "What do you mean?"
"Gorou bought you for two reasons. The first one is relatively benign. He wants you as a status symbol. You're a slave from the Water Tribes, a rarity. And you're beautiful, which leads me into my next point: he will try to hurt you. He wants to make his wife jealous. And so he bought a young girl. He will use you."
"I know," I said.
"I am truly sorry," Reshi said. "There is nothing any of us can do to save you, nothing you can do. I wish I could help. So if you need anything, you can ask me."
"Thank you."
He touched my shoulder, then turned and walked through the door.
I stared after him for a little while. When I could no longer hear the sound of his uneven footsteps, I took a deep breath and began to look at the room. It was simple, austere, with just a futon to sleep on; a wardrobe with a few more dresses, all plain; and the window.
The window really did have a beautiful view. It looked over the backyard. Green grass and more cherry trees, with a large mat covering the center. Some of the blossoms from the trees had fallen to the ground, coating the spots beneath in whites and gentle pinks. It reminded me of snow. Of home.
But I was not home. I was in the Fire Nation. In the midst of enemies.
I would not become complacent.
I began my work the next day. Lee came to wake me about an hour after dawn and told me what my duties were to be. They were simple, for the most part. Cleaning, fetching things from the market, helping Enkou in the kitchen. I would do anything that was needed of me.
When Lee left, I got dressed in one of the modest servants' uniforms they had provided. My first task was to let Reshi show me where the market was. I met him at the front door and followed him as he led me through the winding city streets.
We walked in silence, for the most part, but it was not awkward, as it had been with Gorou. Reshi spoke only when something needed to be said. But he was not taciturn or sullen. He was so different from anyone I'd met before. Especially Sokka. My brother was always babbling and joking. Reshi, on the other hand, was at peace.
And I found myself wanting to break the silence, not out of a need to say something, but because I wanted to know more about him.
"Are you from the Fire Nation?" I asked. I hadn't been able to tell at once when I saw him. His skin was not as light as the others', and he had green eyes.
"I was born here, yes," he said. "My mother was a citizen, but my father was from the Earth Kingdom."
"Then why were you born here?"
"My mother was a soldier in the war. She was stationed in a small Earth Kingdom city. That's where she met my father. But she was reassigned and brought back here before I was born."
"You never knew your father?"
"No. My mother raised me. And she was good enough for both of them." There was something strange in the way he said, with a hint of anger.
"She sounds like a strong woman."
"She was." He smiled at me. "What about your family?"
Something made me want to open up to Reshi. "My mother was killed in a Fire Nation raid when I was nine, and my father left to fight in the war a few years after. But I still had my brother, Sokka, and Gran Gr—my grandmother. Well, I did, until recently. When the Fire Nation came again."
"I'm sorry," Reshi said. I knew from the way he looked down that he truly meant it. "You've had a hard life."
"Oh, it wasn't so bad," I said. And it hadn't been. If I hadn't focused on what I'd lost and instead focused on what I had, I'd been able to make do. Now…now I had nothing. "Can I ask something?"
"Of course."
"How did—I mean, your leg's hurt, right?"
He nodded. "Battle wound."
I stared. "You were a soldier?"
"I don't look like one, do I? But yes. I was."
"Which—" I stopped myself.
"Which side was I on?" he said, finishing my sentence for me. "I don't think you'll like the answer to that. But I was raised by my mother, not my father."
"Are you a firebender?" I asked.
"Yes," he said. "Like my mother."
Something about this didn't add up.
"If you were a soldier, why are you a servant now?"
"I'm not exactly a servant."
"I thought you were the head or something like that."
"I do sleep in the servants' quarters and help around the house, but that's voluntary. I'm more of a tutor."
I furrowed my brow. Why did Gorou need a tutor? The Fire Nation had schools, didn't it? Then I realized.
"You teach Gorou firebending?"
"Yes," he said.
"Are you a master?"
"Yes, though I'm not as good as my mother was. She taught me."
"Is she…?" I trailed off. Why was I asking so many questions? I was acting like a child.
"Dead? Yes."
"I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for."
I looked at him. "Neither do you."
He smiled at me again, but it did not reach his eyes.
"I wish that were true."
And then we were at the market.
By the end of the week, I was working independently, without needing to ask any questions of the other servants. But there was always that worm of fear eating away at my mind. Because I knew that one day, Gorou would require more from me than clean clothes and fresh food.
The only thing that seemed to calm my thoughts was what I saw outside my window in the evening, when my duties were done. That was when Reshi would train Gorou in firebending. At first, seeing it just made me feel sad. This was the weapon that had killed my mother, Gran Gran, and most likely my father, too. And Reshi was using it, with such precise skill.
And beauty.
After a while, all I could focus on was the way that he moved. It was like a dance: graceful, fast, striking. I couldn't look away. This was bending. This was true bending.
And then it occurred to me. This was bending. And I was a bender, too. Yes, the element was different. Water was the complete opposite of fire. But the avatar could bend all four elements at once. They must be connected somehow, even in the tiniest way.
I watched Reshi more closely then. Not for the beauty of the movements, but for the movements themselves. Gorou was useless, drunk, often stumbling over his feet. But from Reshi, I was able to learn.
I brought a bucket of water to my room and practiced the moves he showed Gorou. But I also changed them up a bit to fit my knowledge and understanding of water. Water was an adaptive element, flowing from one place to the next. When Reshi kicked, I twirled, bending the water about me. When he punched, I slashed, making the water slice the air. It was hard even to lift the water at first, but, as the months passed, I could have done it with my eyes closed.
But I was always limited. By the small amount of water I had, by the noise my efforts made. I had to do it in secret. Always.
One day, while I was walking to the market alone and going over last night's moves in my head, I took a wrong turn. I realized my mistake too late to correct it. I was lost.
And then I came upon a cave. I wasn't sure what it was, but I turned a corner and there was an opening in the ground. It was hidden, away from the houses. And it was like another world. Gone were the people and the bustle of the city. In their place was a great pool of water in the center of a field of grass. Light shone down from a hole in the ceiling, the top of a waterfall that fell to land in the pool.
The tears started before I knew what was happening. It was so beautiful. And somehow, though there was no ice, no snow, it reminded me of home. Almost without thinking, I began to bend the water, and there were no limitations now, no restrictions or warnings to hold me back. I danced, my movements wild and free and joyful. I danced until I was soaked in sweat and could barely lift my arms. Only then did I remember that I had a job. I rushed from the cave. The market was not far, and I found it with relative ease. When I returned to Gorou's house and they asked me why I was late, I told the truth: I had gotten lost.
That night, I went to bed with a smile. I knew that now I was a true waterbending master. And I had invented my own style. It was a good start, a good first step towards my goal—to kill you must be able to fight. Now all I had to do was get into the palace. Somehow. It would be hard; I knew that. Hard for more than one reason. Not just anyone was allowed into the palace of course, and I had to get away from Gorou first. But there was more. Despite everything, despite myself, I knew I would miss it here. Miss the beauty. Miss the bending. Miss Lee, miss Enkou. Miss Reshi.
And then came the night I had been dreading, the night I had almost forgotten about. Lee came to my room when I was in bed. Thankfully, I had already finished bending practice.
It was rare to see him without his grin, but he was not grinning now. His face was somber, sad even.
"The Master wants you," he said.
"Where?" I sat up.
Lee looked away. "In his room."
"Why?" I knew why. I didn't know why I asked. Maybe from the small hope that my certainty was wrong.
"Just…," Lee trailed off. "Don't fight. It'll only make it worse. They kill slaves for the smallest things here, even stealing. We don't want you to die."
I nodded and stood. "Thank you, Lee." I wasn't sure what I was thanking him for.
"I'll tell Reshi," Lee said. "Maybe he can…do something. I don't know."
"He can't," I said. "He already told me he couldn't."
"I'm sorry," he said. He didn't seem to be able to look me in the eye.
"Thank you," I said again. Then I walked past him and to the hall.
It was not far to Gorou's room. And it felt even closer than usual tonight. Too soon, I was at his door.
I had not spoken much to Gorou since he bought me. Lee usually brought my orders to me, and when I passed him in the house, all I had to do was bow and say, "Master." He always greeted me back in a quiet, almost shy voice that nonetheless reeked of alcohol.
I knocked on his bedroom door.
"Come in," said a voice from beyond.
I took a deep breath and opened the door.
Gorou sat on the bed, dressed in a loose silk robe. I was in the night clothes that had come with my room, a plain black dress of linen, my hair tied up in a traditional Fire Nation knot with a small cord.
I stepped into the room and bowed. They'd taught me how to bow to my superiors before they sold me. Straighten your hand and place your fist beneath it vertically, then bend your back while keeping it rigid. I was grateful for that training now, as it allowed me to look away from him for at least a few more seconds.
"Close the door behind you," he said.
I stood upright and did so.
He did not sound drunk. He never sounded drunk, even though he always was. He wouldn't lash out in anger or laugh at nothing. The only way to know if he was clear-headed or not was to smell his breath and watch his movements. I'd become good at sensing his state. So I could tell now, despite the lack of the normal signs, that he was not sober. Very not sober.
"Come here." He gestured at me. I walked forward, towards him.
It was hard to look at him. Whether out of embarrassment, fear, or hatred, I couldn't tell.
"Sit," he said. I sat on the foot of the bed. My body was tense.
He shifted, and the motion rippled through the mattress. I clenched my fists on my lap. Something brushed my shoulder, and I stiffened even more. It was Gorou's hand. He was touching me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
His hand moved down, to the hem of my dress, and pulled, lifting it up, drawing it across my legs. I let him take it off completely, but I did nothing to help him. When he was done, he removed my undergarments as well, until I was naked before him. I refused to turn and look at him. It took all my strength not to cover myself with my arms.
I heard a rustling from behind me. He had stood up. Footsteps then, circling the bed. He stopped in front of me. My fingernails dug into my palms. He knelt down before me and touched my chin, lifting my face up. My eyes met his.
I held back my tears. I would not cry. I would not cry. I would not cry. I would not—
A tear fell down his cheek.
I blinked.
He was crying. Gorou was crying.
"I can't," he said, his voice breaking. "I can't."
And then my tears began to fall as well.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry."
"Thank you," I said.
I shouldn't be feeling like this. I felt, not relieved exactly, but grateful. I felt grateful to him. I felt as though he had saved me. Saved me by choosing not to rape me.
"Don't thank me," he said. "I'm—how could I have—I bought you for…," he trailed off. "I bought you because I wanted to make Shun jealous. I'm so lonely. I need her. I need her back."
"Do you want me to go?" I asked. I had control of myself again, and I took a moment to brush away the water from my eyes.
"No!" he said, too loudly. "Please. I want her to think—think that—Just stay with me."
"Yes, Master," I said.
I reached for my clothes, then hesitated, glancing back at him. But he nodded and turned away.
When I was dressed, I said, "Would you like me to sleep on the floor, Master?"
"You can sleep there." He pointed to the end of the bed. I felt tired, too tired to be insulted at the idea of sleeping at his feet like a polar dog. I lay down and curled up on the blankets. The bed shook as he got in at the top.
I was asleep before he even blew out the candle.
I woke up before Gorou, a bit after dawn, at my usual waking hour. It was time to start working. I stood, being careful not to wake Gorou, and walked to the door.
When I opened it and looked at the opposite wall, I had to clap a hand to my mouth to keep myself from gasping. Reshi was sleeping propped up on the wall across from Gorou's room. The way his head was hanging forward made it look like he had fallen asleep on guard duty. I closed the door behind me and knelt next to him.
"Reshi," I whispered, shaking his arm. "Reshi."
His neck jerked up, and he looked around. When he saw me, his tense body relaxed a little. Then he seemed to remember something, as he lifted a hand to my cheek and brushed it with the tips of his fingers.
"Katara, I'm sorry," he said. "Are you all right?"
"Were you out here all night?" I asked.
"In case you needed me," he said. "Are you all right?"
I nodded. "He didn't do anything. He said he couldn't. He just really misses his wife. He wants to make her jealous."
A mix of emotions flitted through his eyes. "That idiot," he said. Then he threw his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. "But I'm so glad."
I let out a tiny laugh, more because I was relieved than because anything was funny.
"Come on," he said, letting me go and getting to his feet. "I'll take you to your room."
He helped me stand and then led me down the hall.
When the door was closed, he let out a deep breath.
"Why did you stay out there all night?" I asked. "You knew you couldn't do anything."
"I know," Reshi said. "I just…I couldn't stand to do nothing."
"Why?" I asked. "You really seem to hate the idea of all this."
"Should I not?"
"No, it's a good thing. I just want to know why."
He sighed. "I told you about my mother, right? That she was a soldier, and my father was from the Earth Kingdom?"
I nodded.
"And that she got transferred back to the Fire Nation before I was born?"
"Yes."
He sighed again.
"My father—I can't even call him that—raped my mother. He was a rebel. He didn't even know her; she didn't know him. He just grabbed her during an attack. That's what I am: a product of violence."
"But your mother loved you!" I stared at him. "She would never want you to think that way. It wasn't your fault, what that man did!"
"I know," Reshi said. He smiled. It was not a happy smile. Then he put a hand to the side of my head. "I've grown out of believing that I was somehow guilty. But thank you. I'm just glad you're all right."
"Me too," I said. And then I was crying again, and I didn't know why. "Me too."
