Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA. Only OC's and the plot belong to me.
Chapter 4
Kasia
Expecting her room to be the traditional Earth Kingdom green, she was surprised to see the blue that dominated the room. A light blue blanket covered a large bed with a light blue canopy to match. There were light blue rugs on the wood floor. A dresser rested along one wall, a blue couch and a couple of chairs along another. A door was partway open, revealing a bathroom that was also dominated with blue.
Going over to the one window, Katara looked out over the ocean. She could see their small Water Tribe fleet in the harbor, works of art from her point of view. They reminded her of her father and how glad she was to be back with him.
Looking back at the bed, she decided to take a nap before it was time to see the King. Lying on top of the blankets, she quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.
-----
Zuko paced his room, trying to figure out how to keep the Avatar free from Azula. They should reach Osha tomorrow and Azula planned to go after the Avatar tomorrow night. He didn't have much time.
He groaned when he realized that he would have to leave Azula. She would surely notice his absence and figure out what he was doing. Though his sister may be insane, she wasn't stupid.
That meant that he would have to free Iroh as well. He wasn't going to leave his uncle a prisoner of his sister.
-----
A knocking on the door tore Katara away from her dreams.
"Katara, wake up!" Aang called.
"I'm coming!" she answered irritably as she got out of bed.
When she opened the door, she was greeted by Aang's cheerful face. "The King has invited us to join him for dinner."
"When?"
"In about an hour."
"Come get me then, okay?"
"Sure Katara," Aang said happily, going down the hallway on his air-scooter.
-----
She opened the door, going out into the hallway where Aang, Toph, Sokka, the Earth King, and her father awaited her. Like her, they were all wearing new clothes, which King Fallonor had had brought to them.
As they tried to retrace the path they took when they had arrived, Geshu came up the stairs.
"Good, you're ready," he said, seeing them heading in his direction. "Follow me," he continued before turning and heading back down the stairs.
He led their group back to the main entrance, this time leading them down the main hallway. He opened the third door they passed on the right, leading them into a large room dominated by a long table. Geshu led the group to the end of the table, seating Aang to the right of the throne at the end, and the Earth King to the left. Katara seated herself beside Aang, Sokka beside her. Hakoda sat beside the Earth King, with Toph on his other side.
Satisfied with the seating arrangement, he bowed to them respectively. "King Fallonor will be wit you shortly," he said, before turning and exiting the room.
After he left, servants entered, carrying covered trays. Bowing to their group, they set the trays down on the center of the table. Bowing again, they left the dining hall.
Sokka, eyeing the food, reached over to remove one of the coverings on the trays. Katara barely managed to pull his arm away.
"You can't eat yet!" she hissed at him.
Pouting, he crossed his arms. "Why not?"
"The King isn't here yet! Do you really want to be so rude?"
Glaring at her, he answered. "Yes."
Before she could reply, the doors opened, revealing a man who appeared to be in his late thirties. His emerald green shirt matched the color of his eyes. The Osha family seal on the left side of his chest stood out nicely in gold against the green of his shirt. His light brown hair was shoulder length, swept to the side to keep it out of his eyes. Walking to the head of the table, he seated himself as servants entered the room. They removed the covers from the trays before bowing and leaving the room.
"Welcome to Osha," King Fallonor started, speaking to the whole group.
"King Fallonor-" Aang began, but was cut off.
"Avatar Aang, there will be plenty of time to discuss why you are here. It can surely wait until after we have had our meal."
Aang merely nodded.
"Good. Then let's eat!" King Fallonor began to help himself to the feast laid out before them. Seeing the King began to eat, Sokka jumped for the food, piling his plate high with all the food he could reach.
"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed, appalled at his behavior.
"What?" he asked, his mouth stuffed full of food.
King Fallonor roared with laughter. "Don't worry about it. He reminds me of my son. Always hungry. Avatar Aang, would you like to introduce me to your friends?"
Face red with embarrassment, he began introducing everyone to King Fallonor. "King Fallonor, this is Hakoda, head of the Southern Water Tribe," he began, nodding in Hakoda's direction. "This is his daughter, Master Waterbender Katara, his son Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, and this is Master Earthbender Toph Bei Fong, of the Bei Fong family. And of course you already know the Earth King."
After greeting everyone, King Fallonor started conversing with the Earth King.
"Kadder, I didn't see Bosco anywhere. Did you leave him in Ba Sing Se?"
"Of course not, Fallonor. We just couldn't bring him with us through the city without attracting unwanted attention to my presence. So Bosco is now in the care of Appa, the Avatar's flying bison, until we can bring him into the palace."
"That was a very wise decision. I'm assuming they will be coming tonight?"
"You'd have to ask the Avatar."
"Correct," Aang answered.
"Good. I have the perfect place where they can stay."
They spent the rest of the meal talking about Aang's travels and what life had been like at the air temple where he had once lived.
-----
He searched through his trunk, putting all his clothes aside until he reached the bottom. There he found what he sought, lifting it out and walking over to his bed. He sat down, staring at the object as if it were alive.
He had once given up his alias, but now he needed it again. He was glad that he had taken the time and went out to find another to replace the one he had thrown into the lake.
He didn't want to use it, but what choice did he have? It would protect his true identity when he freed his uncle and help him keep the Avatar safe. Yes, the Avatar knew the face behind the mask, but the others didn't. He certainly wouldn't have time to battle that stupid Water Tribe warrior. Hopefully the Avatar would accept his assistance, even though he had 'sided' with his sister.
Yes, it was time for the Blue Spirit to return.
-----
As the servants cleared the table, King Fallonor stood, the others following his example.
"If you'd follow me, we shall discuss why you have come to Osha," he said, turning and leaving the dining hall, the others behind him.
He led them further down the hallway, opening a door on the left. Following him, they entered a large room. Couches and chairs were arranged in a matter so that one person could easily talk with anyone else in the room. The room was lit with small lamps, which resided at the end of each couch, giving off a comfortable globe of warmth.
King Fallonor sat down on one of the couches, motioning for everyone else to do the same. After everyone had sat down, Aang began to tell King Fallonor about the downfall of Ba Sing Se.
King Fallonor listened attentively to the whole story, even when someone would interrupt to add some minor detail. When Aang finished, the King sighed.
"Of course King Kadder can stay here at the palace. But I have my own problem with which I am hoping you can help me with," he told Aang.
"I'll try. After all, it's my job to help people."
Running a hand through his hair, he continued. "My children are in great peril here in the city. I'm-" He was interrupted by a knock on the door. The door opened before the King could answer and a young girl around Sokka's age entered.
Motioning her over, King Fallonor introduced her to the others. "This is my oldest daughter, Princess Kasia."
As she sat down beside her father, the others studied her appearance. She was not dressed as they would have expected a princess of Osha to dress. She wore a burgundy robe with sleeves that widened until they ended just before her elbows. The v-shaped neckline of her robe was trimmed in a band of white, as was the end of her sleeves and the end of the robe. The trim was decorated with red and black embroidery in an elegant design of dragons and flames. A red dragon with silver tipped wings decorated the left side of the robe. The robe ended just after her knees and had a long split up the right side, revealing light red pants. Her black slipper type shoes matched the black sash that wrapped around her middle, the ends hanging loosely down her left side. The Osha family seal covered the knot where the sash tied together.
Her brown hair, with red highlights, was pulled back at the base of her neck, braided for several inches with red ribbon intertwined before it was left to fall down her back gracefully in curls, ending at her lower back. Only two strands of shorter hair were left loose to frame her face.
One of the few things she wore to show her rank was the Osha family seal of two dragons, a flying bison, and a hippogriff on a gold chain around her neck.
One by one their eyes met hers, shocked by what they saw. Instead of the emerald green eyes of her father, Kasia's eyes were golden orbs.
Kasia was…a firebender.
AN: No, I am not self-centered. Kasia is a name I found out of The Masterharper of Pern by Anne McCaffrey, who is one of my favorite authors. I love the name and use it for anything I possibly can (emails, names, OC's in stories)
So anyway,
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