Zuko, the Complicated Prince

Katara was slowly waking up from her numb sleep. She tried to focus everything in, but the effects of sleep were still in her system. Everything appeared fuzzy, but it soon wore off as she started to move. She was surprised when she felt her fingers twitch. She had gotten all feeling back in her body. Too bad for her there was a new problem.

She looked around and took in her surroundings. The walls around her were steel and decorated with Fire Nation banners. Candles were scattered among the room. There was even a cabinet for clothes. She looked down and saw that she was sleeping on a bed. She had thought that her prison cell wouldn't be as decorated as this. She expected a steel bench and bars for a door. She finally looked up at the sound of a cough and saw the old man that was with Zuko. He gave her a polite smile and poured himself some tea.

"I see you are awake," Iroh said. "The poison should have worn off by now. I hope you slept well." Katara didn't answer him. Instead she gave him a stern look. Even though he looked harmless enough, he was still from the Fire Nation, and he was probably just as harsh. Then he reassured her. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. I don't attack innocent people."

"Then why did you attack Aang?" Katara asked coldly.

"I could explain to you if you join me for a cup of tea." Katara was leery to accept his request. "I can't be that bad. I could have thrown you in a dirty cell. I still can if you like." Katara sighed and joined him at the small table. Iroh quickly poured her a cup of Ginseng Tea and she sipped it. It was perfect. She smiled and gave him a nod of thanks. "By the way, my name is Iroh. I am Prince Zuko's uncle. You may call me Uncle Iroh if you will."

"My name is Katara. Why have you brought me her?" Iroh took a sip of tea and started to explain.

"My nephew wanted to make sure that he didn't lose everything this time. Every time he fights the Avatar, he loses, so he wanted insurance I suppose. Zuko hopes that if he loses against the Avatar again that he will be able to lure the airbender back here to be captured. My nephew is a very complicated young man."

"So you brought me here against my will? Don't you think your nephew will want to torture me?" Iroh lifted his eyebrow at the young girl before him.

"I do not believe my nephew would stoop that low. He might try to scare you, but I doubt he will harm you in anyway. All we can do is see if he comes back with the Avatar. If he does, you may go free." Katara thought about Iroh's words. She hoped against all hope that Zuko would lose to Aang, even if it meant her own wellbeing.

"Damn!" That was all the exiled prince of the Fire Nation could say as he made his way back to his ship. He couldn't believe that the Avatar had defeated him again. Every time Zuko thought he had the monk, the little airbender always seemed to find a way to slip out of his hands.

This time, that pesky Water Tribe peasant had tipped over the jar of perfume and managed to fool Jun's beast, causing him to hit them both with his poison. Luckily, the poison wasn't as strong because the beast had become weak from the smell of strong perfume. They were up just as the Avatar and his friend managed to escape.

Zuko had ordered his men to meet him on the nearest harbor to him. As he walked back, he repeated one question in his mind. How many times will he evade my traps?

Zuko boarded the ship with a bad temper. When he saw his men doing nothing, steam came out of his mouth. The captain of the ship reported to him with caution.

"Sir, I need to talk to you about something," the captain said.

"Not now," Zuko shouted. "I want all men at their positions. The ship must leave immediately."

"Yes, but we have a problem," the captain started.

"I don't want problems! I only want solutions! Unless you have anything to help capture the Avatar, then keep your fat mouth shut!" The captain saluted and walked away from the angry prince. Then something popped into Zuko's head. Of course, I forgot that I can use the girl to find the Avatar. He turned around and stopped the captain. "Captain, where is the girl that Iroh brought back?" The captain faced him with a fearful look on his face.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, sir. When General Iroh brought the girl back, I told him to put her in a prison cell, but he insisted that she wouldn't be any trouble. He took her to your room and put her to bed." The captain's face grew more terrified. He could literally see the flames in Zuko's eyes when he told him the news. The captain backed away and started giving orders for departure. Zuko had better things to do.

He stomped down the steel hallways to his room. He couldn't believe that his uncle would disobey his orders, let alone would he have the nerve to put a direct enemy in his room. He finally reached his door and kicked it open. The sight he saw only intensified his rage. Uncle Iroh was sitting at a table with the girl, drinking tea as if they were old pals. Zuko blew his top.

"Uncle! I told you to put her in a prison cell, not give her a warm welcome! Do you think this is some kind of tea house?"

"Nephew, there is no need to raise your voice," Iroh insisted. "Katara is our guest. She should be treated with hospitality." Zuko marched up to Iroh and got in his face. He had never gotten this mad before.

"SHE IS A PRISONER AND SHOULD BE TREATED AS SUCH! SHE HAS NO RIGHTS ON MY SHIP!" Zuko turned to Katara and grabbed her by the wrist. Katara felt his hand squeeze her, which caused her wince in pain. She could actually feel the heat coming from his grip. "You will come with me too your room."

He dragged her deeper into the ship's hull. As he walked by two guards, he told them to open the door. Zuko pushed Katara into the room so hard that she fell to the ground. The room was bare and dark. There were some cobwebs in the corners, which meant that it had been awhile since it had been used or cleaned. Connected to the wall were chains and shackles. Zuko picked Katara off the ground and stared into her eyes with an intense look.

"If you even try to resist, my guards will burn you to a crisp." Katara decided to listen to the prince. Zuko then pushed her against the wall. He held her arms up and chained them to the wall. He then put the shackles around her ankles and backed away. He turned to his guards and ordered them to wait outside. As they left, Zuko lit a ceiling torch and glared at his prisoner, which made Katara nervous. He would get everything he needed out of this girl. She looked like she would break easily. All he would have to do was make harsh threats. "Where is the Avatar?"

"How can you even ask that?" Katara asked sternly. "You kidnap me and go fight him. Then you let him get away and ask me where he is when I've been cooped up in this junk pile for a ship. You should know which way he went." The girl had a point. How could she know where he was when she hadn't seen him for hours?

"Then where is he heading? You have to know that!"

"He's obviously not coming here. He's probably going to the last place you would look for him. If you're going to ask me questions, at least ask me ones you know I know." Zuko was starting to turn red. She was making him look like an idiot. He wouldn't have any of that. He grabbed her throat and started to squeeze. She tried to breath, but his grip was too tight.

"Don't be a smart ass. If you knew what was good for you, you would learn to use manners around a prince." He finally let go just as she was getting dizzy. When she got her breath back, he asked another question. "Tell me how to beat him. I know he has a weakness. What do I need to do to destroy him?"

"Like I would tell you?" Zuko turned around and faced her. He was getting to his boiling point.

"You will tell me. I am royalty. I am a prince."

"You aren't my prince," Katara replied. "I don't have to do a thing you say." Zuko had had it with her. He couldn't take her smart remarks anymore. The only way he was going to get any information out of her was by force. He grabbed her hand and started to squeeze. She cringed in pain, but that wasn't the worst part. His hand was getting hotter and hotter as his grip tightened. "Let go! You're hurting me!" He didn't care. He wanted her to know who was boss.

"You are my prisoner," he said emotionlessly. "I can do with you as I please. I can torture you. I can starve you. I can throw you over board with a rock tied to your feet. You are my prisoner and you will respect me." Her hand was practically on fire (no pun intended). She could feel the flame tearing through her flesh. She had too let out a scream, causing Zuko to let go. He realized what he had done. He didn't mean to hurt her that badly. He sighed and released her from her restraints. She immediately fell to the ground, clutching her burnt hand. Zuko quickly glanced and gagged. Her hand was bleeding badly and was covered in water boils. He could also smell burnt flesh. He had to get out of there. He quickly ran out without a word and left her to herself.

Katara didn't quite get it. Why did he remove her restraints? It wasn't like she was going anywhere, especially with her hand all burnt up.She could barely bare the smell. It was the pain that finally made her lose consciousness.

Yeah, that was a long one. I'm not sure how long the chapters will be. I think I did pretty good.

Sheildmaidenoferolingas: That's a long name. Sorry if I misspelled it. You're pretty funny. I like Geico too.

Thanks for all the reviews. I'll try to update as soon as I can. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to yell. Cya.