"Zuko?"
"Yeah Katara?" Zuko answered her.
They were both sitting on the stone bench in their palace. Zuko sat on the bench while Katara rested her head on his thigh.
"Do you think that somewhere deep inside, Marina regrets everything she's done?"
Zuko looked into Katara's eyes and smiled. He loved her more than anything and nobody could take her away from him. There were many things that he loved about her, but he truly admired Katara'a ability to have pity for anyone, even for a witch like Marina.
"Honestly, I thought she did. When Marina took the form of the old lady and Toph was talking to her I could see love in her face when Toph mentioned Kalik. But after she killed her aunt I'm not so sure. Her hunt for power clouded and corrupted her so much that I don't even think she knows what right and wrong is anymore." said Zuko.
"But you were our enemy and you turned good." said Katara.
"Yeah but I had something Marina doesn't have…" said Zuko with a smile on his face.
"What?" Katara asked.
Zuko leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You."
Katara looked into the eyes of the love of her life and smiled.
At the same time, both leaned in to kiss each other in the moonlight. Katara knew that as long as they had each other they would be fine. Marina could kill them both and torture them, but she could never take away the love that they had for each other. It was their love, Katara's and Zuko's, and no one could touch it.
"Why did you stop the boat?" Azula asked, "Don't we have to go through the pass?"
"No, if we go through the pass we will immediately be spotted and captured." Marina said calmly.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Azula asked.
Marina smiled and dove into the water. The water twisted around her and her legs morphed together and they formed a long black fin.
"That's great you can swim but I can't hold my breath all the way to the wall, it's impossible."
Marina rolled her eyes and brought her arm out of the water. The water formed a wave that knocked Azula headfirst into the water. Marina twisted her hand and the water formed around Azula's head, creating an air bubble.
"Happy?" asked Marina, highly irritated already.
"Shut up." said Azula, "Now what?"
"Follow me."
Marina twisted around and submerged. Azula followed her and watched as Marina made a sweeping motion with her arms. At her command, the water cleared and formed a pathway. Marina swam effortlessly thorough the water while Azula struggled behind her. They swam for a half an hour before Marina went into deeper water to avoid being seen by the benders at the gates. Marina reached the gate and turned around to see that Azula was not there.
Highly irritated, Marina closed her eyes and mentalbended. After a few seconds, her mind's eye saw Azula still swimming through the pass. Marina ceased her mentalbending and created a strong water current that came towards her. She waited for a few minutes and she saw Azula rocketing through the water, pushed by the current. Marina lifted her arms and the current disappeared, but Azula was still rocketing through the water. Marina quickly dodged the princess and watched highly amused as the princess slammed into the ice wall.
"Do try to keep up." Marina said, trying to hold in her laughter.
Hearing the voice in her head, Azula scoffed at Marina and turned around to examine the wall.
Azula turned to Marina and spoke, "Well, what do we do now, the wall is frozen solid and is very thick."
Marina placed her hand on the wall and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and brought two fingers up to the surface of the wall. The tips of her fingers glowed blue and she made a circular hole in the wall that was big enough for them to pass through. They passed through the opening and Marina turned around and raised her arm. She made a fist and the ice in the wall expanded, reforming the wall.
They swam through the water for an hour before coming to the opening of the bay and the entrance of the Surface City. Marina raised her arms and the water in the bay turned cloudy and deterred Azula's vision. Groping blindly through the water, Azula made out two specks of glowing blue light. She swam for the light and when she got there, she was shocked to see that they were Marina's eyes.
"Waterbenders guard the bay, stay close to me." said Marina.
Azula nodded her head and the two benders swam through the bay. Once they reached the edge of the beach, Marina lifted her arms and Azula was shocked to see that she could no longer see Marina. All of a sudden, Azula felt something strange in her body. She looked down and screamed, she couldn't see her own body. Marina twisted around and waved her arms. Azula heard shouts from above and saw a waterbender fall into bay on the other side of the water.
"Resurface."
Azula heard Marina's voice and she left the water. Still invisible, Marina ran for the gates and flipped over the waterbending guard. Marina landed behind him and punched his back. Azula gasped as the waterbenders stomach burst and his chest exploded.
"Make your way to the bridge and once there, dive into the water."
Azula ran through the city and she stood in the middle of a great stone bridge. She dived over the ledge and once in the water, she saw that Marina was no longer invisible. Marina turned around and swam forward. Azula followed her and they made their way to the great wall that separated the two underwater cities from the Surface City.
"This river empties into the ocean." Marina told her before turning around. "I want you to melt those bars right there."
Azula swam forward and placed her hands on the bars, within minutes the two benders swam through them and into the ocean. They swam through the water, passing by a giant mountain that Azula knew Atlantis was located in. They swam for another hour before the water around them began to shimmer and glow. Marina led them over a giant canyon and Azula looked into it. She gasped at what greeted her eyes.
Antlantica was beautiful, it sparkled and glowed and it lay nestled at the bottom of the canyon. Its towers loomed upwards and the palace emitted a strange unearthly light. All around, merfolk swam around their city with grace and fluidity that Azula had never seen before.
"You lived here?" asked Azula.
"Once..." Marina said, closing her eyes to avoid the rush of memories that threatened to overcome her mind.
They continued to swim for three hours until the floor under them began to become jagged. Marina led her forward and about two hundred yards away, a giant underwater mountain loomed in the distance. Azula did not like the looks of the mountain. It looked evil…like it was watching them.
"Turn back, don't go in."
Azula turned around as she heard the voice in her head.
"You know what is right from wrong, good from evil, leave now!"
Azula ignored the voice and she followed Marina into a cave on the side of the mountain. Azula's heart skipped when she thought she saw a dark shape of a man in the corner. She turned to face the shadow but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. She turned around and thought she heard another voice, this one dark and evil.
"You're mine."
Azula and Marina swam into the heart of the mountain before coming to a door made of ice. Marina placed her hands on the door and it melted away. They swam through it and they resurfaced in a small lake in the mountain.
They walked forward and down many passageways before they reached an opening in front of them. They continued onward until they were in a large crystal cavern. Azula looked around, there were crystal pillars everywhere and they were emitting a strange greenish light. Azula turned again and a few yards away, she saw an altar, and placed on the altar, was a black staff.
Cliffhanger!! I hope yuo enjoyed it next chapter will be up on Thursday!! REVEW!!
