Disclaimer: heflo doesn't own ATLa.

Katara hugged herself as she watched her family sleep. This would be the last time she might get to see them as a whole. She'd already made sure that she'd gotten every possible thing covered. The 'Gaang' was safely aboard one of her father's ships, tucked away and slumbering, dead to the conscious world of reality. But she wasn't anywhere in that sector. Her provisions were packed, ready when she was. Her father and brother had breathlessly planned the invasion, finally deciding on a simple and strategic method that was sure of success. Her tribesmen were healed from previous battles, ready and eager for the next chance of fighting. Toph had informed her of her new found abilities, shocking Katara—but also letting Katara know that she was leaving them behind in good hands.

Katara had healed Aang the best to her abilities, working on him until nothing more would heal. There would be a scar, angry and red, but he at least had survived. She'd spent hours and hours just sitting there, each second draining. She'd watched as his tissue and skin had microscopically rewoven together. The Spirit Oasis water had barely brought him back; his breath had been shallow and pained as he went in and out of consciousness.

If she suspected right, with another few weeks of rest, he'd be up on his feet and back to normal. Well, at least as normal got at the moment. By then, she hoped to have found a fire bending teacher and on her way back to the randevu point with said teacher in tow.

Her so called 'dream' hadn't been a dream. It was something Katara would never understand, but she knew it had been happened, and was as real as her standing before her slumbering family. The best word she could describ it was as a vision.

Her bending had become different. Less effort, easier control… when she'd healed Aang, even the color of the water had changed. Instead of just turning an iridescent blue, it had been lightly golden, glowing as brightly as a flame. Her amazement furthered as she discovered how much more she could do. When she concentrated, she could feel every molecule of water around her—invisible to the eye, but there none the less. With a flick of her wrist, she accidently knocked the ship into another, more than a hundred feet away, confusing people on all sides. When she'd eaten lunch, she'd sneezed and all the drinking water in the room had frozen, some in the cups and most of it dispersed randomly around the room. Her brother and dad had raised an eyebrow her way, annoyed that their food was now a frozen chunk of inedible meat.

More than anything, she was astounded that she'd never noticed the possibilities before. She would never have to worry about refilling her water skin at the nearest water source again. Her opponents would be laughing at her open stance and no weapon is sight, then only to find their worst nightmare. A strong feeling made her suspect that she hadn't even scratched the surface of her bending.

Shaking her head, she sadly placed the letter at her dad's feet. It had been carefully worded, saying that she'd meet them at the randevu point and not to follow her or postpone the invasion plans. If she wasn't back by then… she'd be a bit longer. Her scribbled haste had told him not to worry, and to make sure Sokka held his promise. It might take her brother a moment to remember it, but he'd know which one she was talking about. A few months back, they had sworn to each other that no matter what happened, Aang's training was more important than trying to find the other if they got separated.

Her dad had been so shocked to see her when she'd landed Appa late last night. He'd had a funny expression as he looked at her. The kind like when he'd eaten Sokka's first attempt at seal-jerky. Like a mixture of alarm and genuine disbelief. A few hours ago, they had talked about their time away from home, sharing and catching up the way only a father and daughter could.

His peaceful expression made the guilt all the worse. His face was lit by the reflecting glow of her candle, deep shadows surrounding him on all sides. Careful not to awaken him, she leaned down and gingerly placed a kiss on his rough cheek. A single tear escaped as she turned her back and walked down the hall.

She'd left a piece of her with each one of them. It was her way of telling them to keep it safe for her until she returned. She left her water tribe clothing with her dad, her water skin with Toph and her mother's necklace had been placed atop her brother's things. To Aang, she left her beads that held her hair loopies.

Gone was the fifteen year old water bender, in her place was the newly re-modified version. Her hair was pulled back, secured in a low pony tail. A single braid was woven in until it had disappeared into the mass of the dark tresses. The beads that held the 'loopies', as Sokka so casually referred to them, were no more. Her clothes were traded for pale green, travel worn clothes. She had no idea where they were acquired from, but they fit reasonablely and smelled just fine. A bit ragged, but doable. With those two simple adjustments, she looked completely different. When she'd glanced at her reflection, her smile had widened at her handiwork. It had then faltered when another thought popped back up in her mind.

How was she going to do this?

Now here she was, facing towards the eastern side, contemplating her indecision. First things first—get back into Ba Sing Se. No sane person would agree with her logic, but then again, she wasn't entirely sure about this either. Second, find a way to infiltrate the very people that had infiltrated the earth kingdom. Would they expect her? One never knew what to suspect. But then again, sometimes the very things one suspected where often what they brushed aside, when in fact, they were right about the whole thing all along. Either that, or paranoia settled its roots a tad bit too strong, and it wouldn't matter either way.

Shaking her head, she could feel the slightest headache starting to form. Where had she learned to become so suspicious and untrusting? With her things on her back, she raised her hands in front of her. Spreading her fingers, she felt the water, begging and silently calling her. She breathed deeply and exhaled.

The more she waited, the more reasons she should stay gnawed at her. Pushing away the guilt, she jumped over the side of her father's ship, and never looked back.

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A good while later.....

She waited until the guard's footsteps were distant before breathing easy. That had been stupid of her—she had come close to giving away her position. Picking herself up, she ran a hand down her hair, making sure it hadn't gotten tangled.

She was in. But of course, there was always a situation… This one being a simple, yet overly complicated problem.

A relapse of the last week would be the best. She'd gotten to Full-Moon Bay, discovered fire nation troops had already gotten there. Tried to discreetly sneak away, but was dragged back by a creepy smiling clone of Joo De. She hadn't tried to bend after that, because the guards would have thrown her into another ship. She and about sixty other girls had been rounded up, one by one being released over the next two days until there were only twenty of them. Those two days she slept in filth and held frighten young girls as they cried themselves to sleep. She'd eaten almost nothing either, and had shared disgusting water among herself and others to quench their thirst.

She'd been trying to calm down one of the younger girls when she had overheard the guards talking.

"We've got all the qualified ones; do you think we'll be heading back any time soon?"

"You wish." Guard number two had laughed, his voice muffled by the face plate of his uniform. "Come morning, we'll have these pretty little ladies escorted to one of the royal vessels—you know, the one that the prince and princes are heading back home in? The princess had decided to take some souvenirs back for her father. She's decided that since the nation has been captured, she didn't see why she couldn't. Some of them are going to be given to the nobles, but the rest will stay at the palace."

"What about General Iroh? The princess uncle... he's firebending legend, ain't he. Isn't he going on the same ship?"

"Yeah. He'll be transported to the royal prison, where he'll rot the rest of his days alone in a filthy cell."

Once over hearing that, she had tried her hardest not to roll on the metal floors laughing. Despite er first startled reaction, she'd let the words sink in. This would be easier then she thought.

Now all she had to do was get Iroh out of there. He was the only possible candidate for Aang's fire bending teacher—he was the only hope he had of mastering that element. He had been the man Zuko had learned under—she'd known that, but didn't really remember from where she'd picked that information from. She could be patient, but she didn't know what kind of power she was going up against. Until them, she had portrayed a poor earth kingdom refugee. After all, that's what they thought she was, so why not play along?

The other girls were mostly in her age group. The youngest being nine, and the oldest being nineteen. None were benders. None had immediate family outside the ship. They had been abducted, against their will. Now, common ground and circumstances were bonding the girls together. Katara hadn't tried resisting; the urge of another's pain had tugged at her until she succumbed. It had been two weeks since the night she'd been rudely shoved in an already crowded room. And she had somehow become their leader. Of the earth kingdom girls, saying it plainly. Or the 'older' sister they looked up to. Out of all twenty, Katara knew of several that were older than her - but they hadn't stood up to hold them all together like she had.

Wittingly, she'd just become in charge of their well beings.

Since then, the other girls had formed a routine of messages that she would deliver. They had been divided into four groups. Each group shared on room. None of the groups were aloud to interact with one another. At least not that the guards could know of.

It hadn't really bothered her until she had found out that most of these girls had a sister or a cousin or two also aboard the ship. It seemed the fire nation had targeted the certain group of refugees : family. It was brilliant too. With someone each girl loved was in the firenation's hand, they wouldn't dare risk that person's life. The girls would do anything to insure the safetly of each other.

Separation, Katara understood.

Trying to atone, she had made sure all of them were safely settled into the new accommodations, though dank they were— but at the risk of being caught. There had been plenty of close calls, but so far, no one knew other than the other earth kingdom girls knew what was happening.

Katara silently made her way back to her room. The guards checked every hour, giving her little time to get from one end of the ship to another and back. Slipping the key in the lock, she opened the door. Sighing, she shook her head, wondering why it was so easy.

"Is Jia alright?" A whisper came from her right, anxious and laced with worry.

"She's fine, Li Lan. She wants you to know she lost a tooth, but other than that, nothing's changed." Katara answered the girl.

Another girl held out a plate for Katara, two rice balls and a small but healthy apple were offered to her. Thanking her, Katara picked up the apple, taking a bite. Juice, tart and sweet ran down the corner of her mouth. She soon polished of one of the rice balls, and waved the other off. It was left untouched on the single table as she turned to face the other four.

"How long will it be until we reach the Fire nation?" Ning mumbled, her short auburn hair hanging freely, brushing the nape of her neck. She reminded Katara of a slightly modified version of Suki. Her stature and her hair being the only connections.

An older girl replied. "Here we are, forced to become slaves, and we're never going to escape— Who knows? We've been locked behind doors since we got here last week, there's no telling where we are."

Katara interjected. She'd heard enough complaints. "The ship should be heading west as we speak, and the engines are running smoothly. Give it another week or so, and we should be sleeping in the palace."

"How do we know we're not going to be dropped off at some brothel, Kaya?"

Katara had given the guards the first name that had popped up in her mind. The only one she could think of the moment had been her mother's, but she'd stuck with it. And they all believed her. La, there were Dai Li agents aboard. She even recognized a handful and she couldn't look any of them in the eyes—they knew what blues eyes looked like and to whom they belonged. She'd lowered her voice, dropping it a pitch arund them.

And the other girl furtunatly didn't call her up on it.

There were three levels between her and the royal siblings and both knew her real name. The only way she was going to survive in this God forsaken place was if she used a disguise, no matter how simple it was. And hers, simple as it was, was genius. No one was suspecting a thing. In any other situation, she might have been smug—here she was terrified.

Then the hair cuts came. All of them had been required to do this actually. One day, the guards had come in, handing them the things they would need, telling them to be done in two hours or one of them would do it. They were to have their hair tidied up, presentable for the fire nation. When no one took the scissors, she picked them up and looked blankly at her roommates.

Qui had done their hair, taking precocious care of how she cut and trimmed. And in the end, they liked what she had done. When it came to Qui's turn, Katara had picked up the golden scissors and sighed. With a half smiled, the water bender had told them how she had done it occasionally for her friend that she'd been traveling with.

It had been one of the last things she'd done personally for Toph. The girl wouldn't let anyone else around her hair with scissors or anything that resembled them. When Toph had awkwardly asked Katara for her help, it had been a surprise for the fourteen year old when the blind girl gently shoved a pair od scissors into her hands. So half an hour later, Toph had officially named Katara her permanent hair stylist. That had been a laugh. She'd only trimmed the spilt ends.

The other girls had theirs at mid back or shorter. She begged Qui to only take off how the amount she showed her with her fingers. Best measurement being six inches. It was short enough now . Unless she was called up on it, she was keeping it as it was—and only then would the water bender do so.

The girls Katara shared the room with girls that loathed this place as much as she did. There were five of them including herself, each different from the other. Li Lan was the youngest, at age eleven. She was pale enough of pass as a fire nation citizen—her eyes and hair were a dull brown. Nuo, age thirteen, had dark brown hair and greenish blue eyes—she was short and plump. Ning had emerald eyes; she was tall and skinny, her features pretty and her completion flawless—graced with the mouth of a sailor. Qui was the oldest of them—she was sixteen, her tanned skin as dark as Katara's—her eyes were startling silver, her hair a curtain of black silk. Then there was Katara, the odd duckling. At least, that's what she thought herself as. The youngest female waterbender alive, and former teacher to the unfledged Avatar.

Yep. That was perfectly normal.

Not.

Sitting on the bed, she rubbed her temple. There were five of them sharing a giant mattress, but none of them complained. Katara had learned that another girl had tried to ask for a cot, and had gotten sold at the nearest port at a brothel. There was probably another reason, but Katara didn't try anything. To be dropped off at a brothel… none of the other girls had peeped up on that subject matter since.

Katara leaned against the wall, listening to the other girls. Since they weren't allowed any material to start a spark with, only when a fire bending guard came and gave them a lit candle did they have light. That was every two days.

So at best, it was hazy, only the light that came in from under the door lit their room at night. During the day, light drifted in from the small barred window near the top of the room. None of them could reach it, even when standing one another. Besides, it was too small for even Momo to fit through.

She tuned them out as they chatted about silly things. It was when the subject of their new station came up did she really concentrate.

"I wonder what it'll be like over there in the Fire Nation, I mean."

"One thing's for sure. We'll be forced to share another room. Maybe we'll be allowed more than one bathroom break a day!" Nuo hissed sarcastically. "At least we'll be able to see day light over there."

"Be positive, Nuo, someone might hear you! You wouldn't want them to take your scorn seriously, would you? If you make my life any worse, you're not going to sleep on the bed for a week." Qui stated. "Do you think the rumors are true?"

"What rumors?" Li Lan turned over, the mattress dipped with her weight. Katara moved ever so slightly as the other tried to get comfortable.

"You know… the ones about the Avatar."

Katara held her breath. She prayed that Aang was doing alright. She hoped Sokka had actually kept his promise this one time, and she could only wonder what Toph would do. If things had gone as planned, they should be near the Fire nation shores, Aang completely healed and back on his feet.

"Don't believe them, Li Lan, they're not true." Ning yawned. Katara heard someone heave a sigh, grumbling, before rolling over.

"What do you think about all this, Kaya?"

Staring at the door, she could have sworn she saw a shadow move. Katara frowned before answering. "I honestly don't know. Fate has a funny way of doing things, Qui. One day you're fighting with your brother, the next you're locked in a room being forced to leave behind the people you grew up with."

Silence passed over them, minutes sluggishly moved before any one spoke.

"I didn't know you had a brother." Nuo began. "This is the first time you've said anything."

Katara inhaled, trying to keep a neutral expression. "I have two actually. My immediate family is, well, a mix matched set." She countered honestly. They deserved to know something. She knew all about their families and what had become of them, she knew they were curious about hers.

"Tell us." Li Lan urged her on, weariness slurring her words.

"My older brother is a pain. He's goofy, obvious to most things, and one of my closest friends. In my entire life, this is actually the third time we've been separated—this one being the longest. My younger brother is ambitious, playful and hyper. He's a vegetarian. He couldn't stand harming a creature for food. We even had two animals that somehow only understand him and him alone. This last year alone, he's grown up more than he should have ever had to. I have a sister too, if that's what I can call her." Katara dejectedly sighed. No one had interrupted her as she stopped for a few minutes, giving her the signal that they were drifting off to sleep. Even if she was slightly bending he truth, she couldn't have anyone suspect who she was.

Not when she'd come this far.

"She loud and obnoxious, but that's what she is. And I wouldn't want her any other way. Life would be boring without her. She's one of the best earth benders alive. If she were here, this ship would be sunk, and we would be laughing at her antics." Katara paused, remembering Toph when she had played games with Sokka and Aang, Momo chittering excitedly at them with curiosity. "My dad," she swallowed, "is a great man. I hope one day he'll forgive me."

"Why, Kaya?" Ning asked, stifling a yawn.

"I did something that none of you have ever done. La, if you did, someone should have knocked some sensible wisdom into your head."

Katara heard blissful silence; no one spoke to break the peace that came with dreams. With a yawn, she closed her eyes, drifting closer to sleep. Before slumber completely over came her, she answered that one last thing. "I left my family," she mumbled, her words almost impossible to hear, "so I could be here."

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On the other side of the wall, a troubled Fire Nation prince stood—he had listened to the girls talking. It had been entirely coincidental. He'd been on his way to check up on his uncle two hall ways over. On the way, he had thought he saw a door close as he rounded the corner. Not meaning to eaves drop, he slowed down.

Now, guilt made him shake his head. These girls had no right to be servants. They had family and a life that had been taken away from them when his sister's men had locked them on this ship. If it were up to him, none of this would have ever happened. If his sister wanted someone to follow her every order, she had plenty of subjects back home. She didn't need people to other nationality to clean up after herself. He knew she smiled at the fact she had war prizes from her success in Ba Sing Se that were now hers.

He quietly made his way down the hall. All the while, wondering why he felt so much guilt when the one girl had spoken. Her voice had been soft, filled with regret. What surprised him more was the last thing she said. Straining to catch it, he had barely heard the first few words, every sentence getting lower and slurred, and the rest of it to soft to hear. He tried to imagine her face, but nothing came to him, though the voice was hauntingly familiar. But it didn't matter. She was just another faceless peasant, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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Katara abruptly sat up as loud banging resonated in the room. Moaning, she rubbed her eyes. She got up, stretched and waited as the other girls stared blearily eyed back at her. With a yawn, she picked up the brush, yanking it through her hair before tossing it off to a out stretched hand.

"Five minutes!" A guard yelled on the other side. Rolling her eyes, she stuck her tongue out at him. Moving slowly, she moved up beside the others. Ning smirked at Katara, knowing full well what she meant.

Only five minutes before they were hounded off to another part of the ship and forced to learn the ways to the obedient slave. Every day, they'd be forced to sit through two or three hours of 'educational learning'.

All too quickly, they door opened, and three armored guards lead them away. Taking the stairs, they were lead to a metal door. Katara took note that this time; the guards had taken a different route, as if trying to confuse them. How stupid did they think they were?

The lock clicked behind them, trapping them in the room with two other women. Katara concealed a shudder when the two smiling faces chorused, "Welcome, honored guests, thank you for being here with us today."

As if they had a choice. Both Joo De's motioned them to take a seat, moving on with the lectures as the day passed. Blah, Blah, Blah… Katara nodded when she was supposed to listen and recited the things they expected her to repeat. With a creepily practiced farewell, the Joo Dees waved their goodbyes as she and the others were lead to the cafeteria.

Lunch was rice. Again.

Katara ate it, dreadfully forcing the fluffy plain morsels down her throat. Two meals a day, every day a week was torture to just be fed rice. It came in several forms: rice balls, porridge, plain, and burnt.

She knew if her brother had been forced to endure this, he'd have started withdrawals after the first two days or so of a meatless diet.

After that, they were lead away from the windowless metal cage of a room. But this time, when the door was opened, Katara had to shield her eyes as the sunlight glittered above. Her blue eyes watered as her vison focused on the joyful rays of the sun. Katara and the other girls smiled, gleeful to feel the sun on their skin for the first time in a week. Glancing around, Katara noticed that the other groups had been gathered there too. Happily, sisters and cousins embraced, tears running down in relief and uncertainty.

Katara watched as every girl ran towards another person. Sadly, Katara gazed as laughter filled the air. She was truly alone. With a sigh, she moved towards the rails, but a guard stopped her, blocking her from going any further.

"Come on, I just want to see the water." She grumbled, folding her arms over her chest. She stared at the masked face. She stared at the holes she knew his eyes to be, hoping hers spoke loud and clear.

He looked down at her, judging if she was being honest or not. A moment passed before he took a step sideways, giving her access. With a 'thank you', she placed her hands on the rail, breathing in the salty air. Startled at her soft tone, he gave her a frown behind his face plate, asking her if she was alright.

"I'm fine, sir. How are you?" she asked quietly.

Taken back, he stiffened.

"Good." His voice was muffled, but rough. She placed his age to be around hers. He didn't' seem much older, but his stature said he was ready at a moment's notice. A firebender— because he wore the typical uniform of one: amour, helmet, face plate. That seemed to be the only way to identify the benders form the nonbender of the fire nation crews. A good portion of the gaurds wore the smame uniform as this one, while others wore a plainer version. Then their were the Dai Li.

Katara watched the waves, longing to play with her element. A strange yearning almost pulled her under its grasp. Mouth parted, she licked her lips, wetting them in discomfort. The first chance she got, she would jump into the water and play. She'd make snow and squeal like a little girl. Now if only she had a penguin…

"How come you're not with the others?" the guard asked suddenly. Voices chattered as the earth kingdom females laughed and talked. She could pick up her room mates voices, exchanging with their families and friends. Not taking her gaze from the sea, she bluntly answered him. "So they can talk with their family and friends without useless distractions like me to interrupt."

Clearly not prepared for her answer, he grimaced. His presence disappeared as another armored person took his place. Blinking, Katara closed her eyes, feeling them burn with unshed tears. Looking down, Katara felt hair tickle her face. She missed her 'loopies' because they were familiar to her. Her mother had worn them too, as had her grandmother. And one day, if she had a daughter, hopefully she could pass on the tradition. Being thrown on a foreign ship, forced to submit, and denounce her nation would ruin any person's day.

An hour passed before they girls were rounded up and separated. They waved their goodbyes as the guards led them away. Her shoulders slumped when the door shut behind them, blocking her view. The original guard that she'd talked to stayed a few feet behind here with his hands folded behind him his posture rigid. Katara glanced back, wondering why she felt like she was being watched. She and the new guard were in the rear, following the others. This was the second man—the one that had taken the first one's place.

"Thank you," she spoke up.

"What for?" he asked, voice softly harsh.

"For letting us out," she turned to face him, a smile she gave him, small but grateful.

With that, she walked into her room. The door shut, her smile lost.

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Every day, the girls would be allowed an hour out on the deck to roam around inside their set perimeter. So every day since the first time, she would look out to sea as a guard stayed close by, making sure the other armored guards didn't tell her otherwise. It was a silent concurrence. His: Don't do anything stupid and you can do whatever. Hers: I won't bother you since you don't want to talk to the captured, lowly pessent girl.

Other girls would come up every so often, asking her for something or another. She would nod, get whatever they wanted—it was really just a gossiping game for the majority—and go back to her place. Once in awhile, she'd show a younger girl something an older girl had specifically asked Katara to do. Braid hair, teach a hand game to a little green eyed girl, or sometimes just to watch as two or three competed in an innocent game and be the judge.

Right now, her normal gaurd - the one that didn't like speaking - was a foot away currently as she leaned casually against the railing. This was the one she felt most comfortable with. He was the one that only spoke in one word sentences—the one she'd thanked as the door closed to the outside world.

She learned his name was Lee. As long as she got to gaze at the sea and the sky, it didn't matter who watched her. Really, he just stayed close so she wouldn't try to do anything stupid—say jump of the side of the ship into the middle of the ocean trying to escape her new life. Even being a waterbender, she knew she'd die like a fool doing that. She had no idea where the ship's position was located, and she had no food or clean water to fuel her.

She would greet him every time they met; he either gave her a sharp nod of the head or a soft almost indistinct greeting in return. Both signs to her to either converse or just let the waves crash peacefully undisturbed by anything other than the ship in silence as the hour ticked away. It was almost always an hour before nightfall—right after the princess and her posse trained.

And if she did it just right, she could bend the water without anyone knowing. She would flick her fingers and the waves would hit the sides just a fraction more, droplets would spray on the passengers that got too close to the railing on a choppy wave. And she liked the cool drops that hit her skin. She only did it a few times, the awareness of her actions making her more and more paranoid that she was being watched.

On the last day of their voyage, she anxiously waited for the guard's arrival. Within minutes, all of them were rounded up and told to get in positions. Standing behind the line of guards, the girls were forced to bow in an orderly fashion as the royal siblings walked out and off of the ship. Katara gritted her teeth, her jaw locked as she spotted them. Behind them were the princess's two friends, Lady Mai and Lady Ty Lee—as she found out their nobility. Her blue eyes dilated when the girl next to her discreetly jabbed her rib. Glancing sideways, she stared at Nuo, Her narrowed eyes pleaded for Katara to not do anything stupid. Blinking, Katara looked away from the younger girl.

Her eyes were icy as they found the prince. She hated him. She'd trusted him, and he'd betrayed that trust. He couldn't be forgivin. As she willed him to look at her, the princess announced the news for everyone to hear. Her golden eyes gleamed coldly as she looked over her winnings. Them—the group of captured slaves that were to be worked to the bone with chores and orders.

"As you may all now know, Ba Sing Se is defeated—conquered by me and my brother. You have been carefully selected according to your dispositions. You are the girls that no one will miss. Each one of you will be escorted by guards to your new location." Azula moved forward, walking between the lines. The moment her foot touched the deck, Katara clenched in her spot, willing herself to be still. This person had almost killed Aang, had chased them time and time again, and had seriously hurt her little brother.

Little brother? What had happened? Aang was just a friend... No. She couldn't call the Avatar that anymore. They'd been through too much. He was just as family to her as Sokka now. He was her new younger brother.

Hopefully, she would one day be able to say that to his face.

Breathing deeply, Katara forced her face to relax. Thinking of Iroh, she calmed a bit. He was the last thing on her list now. She was in Fire Nation territory, under their noses.

"It's sad, but we all know it must happen. So be happy. You're going to be the servants of the world's superior people."

Two hours later, Katara walked the halls of the servant's wing. The earth kingdom girl had been right about the room accommodations—the girls Katara had spent the last three weeks with would be kept together, in a larger room that had had separate cots instead of one musty smelling mattress. The servants' bathrooms were located on the other hall. One was marked for 'ladies' while the other was left without a titled insignia. She could only assume it was for the men, because she did not want to walk in and see someone's taking care of business because she'd gotten the signs mixed up.

She and the others had been put to work the moment after they had been shown their room. An older gray hair lady had given then directions, all the while mumbling under her breath about 'foreign peasants'. Katara's teeth had gritted as she struggled not to remark on that comment. She might be foreign, but no one called her a low life in that tone.

Her hands were filthy, covered in soot. Qui and she had been paired off, two scrubbing brushes had been slapped in her hands and they'd be barked at to clean one of the kitchen's hearths. Other girls gave them fleeting looks, grim covering their clothing. They had split the chore, Katara going to find for soap while Qui looked for another brush. The one she'd been using had snapped when she'd pressed down to hard.

Katara wet her lips, as she wiped the sweat from her brow. A smear of black smudged her cheek, left behind from her attempt to keep her hair from falling her her line of vision. Frowning, she stopped when she came to yet another confusion of intersecting hallways. She didn't remember which way she came. This palace was huge, even bigger and more elaborate than the one in Ba Sing Se. Red and black were everywhere, portraits hung on the wall. Columns spiraled upward, reaching the high ceilings. Torched lit the way down the dark halls, windows arced, giving a view of the palace grounds.

Growling, Katara turned left. Minutes passed before she realized she had already been this way. Turned around and frustrated, she stood still. Maybe Li when found find her, he'd tell her where she was, she sarcastically thought. Yeah, right. And maybe the Fire Lord would propose for her hand in marriage.

"Are you lost?"



She jumped. Not turning around, she silently cursed her luck. Of all people… Forcing a courteous nod, she turned her gaze downcast. Don't remember. Don't ask me to look up. Don't let him find out. Dear La, please don't let him recognize me!

As if hearing her thoughts, his lips twitched. He'd been watching her the last few weeks. At first, he'd shaken off the feelings of déjà vu, trying to disagree with his gut feeling. But gut feeling or not, he knew her as another name then she had given his people. Her blue eyes had been her give away. There was no way she was going to risk her life without him finding out the reason—so he played along.

"Where are you looking for?" he offered with formal concern one in his position spoke to those of a lower status.

"The kitchens… Prince Zuko."