Chapter 4- Drama
Katara slumped onto her animal pelts in the royal's palace. Her vision blurred, she couldn't believe this was happening.
She loved him with all of her heart; she just couldn't take it anymore. She felt as if she was being toyed with.
Damn it! She was a Master Waterbending Princess! How dare he treat her like this!
She fisted her hands in her furs, curling up in a ball, she sobbed into her pillow.
Unknown to her that whole floor of the palace froze harder and started to crack from the tension she was causing with her unconscious bending.
XXX
'I guess I am….' Her words echoed in his head, as if taunting him. He had screwed it up, everything they had worked for in the past, all the arguments with the council they had won so they could court. The time it took for him to carve the necklace, which happened to be his undoing.
All for nothing.
"Zuko," Someone called out to him. Turning around he saw Sokka walking up to him, "I need to talk to you." He sounded weird, a tone of voice that wasn't natural for Sokka, something was bothering him.
"What?" Zuko asked, halting in his steps.
"What happened between you and my sister?" He asked, fingering the stone in his parka pocket.
Zuko sighed, he knew this was coming.
XXX
Kana paced back and forth, something wasn't right. She felt funny, slower than usual.
Sleepy, that's it, that's what she was feeling. She was older now, it's natural.
At least that's what she told herself before she collapsed on the ice floor, gasping for breath, something really wasn't right.
A figure smirked in the distance, their plan almost complete.
XXX
"And well, I love her and—"
"Prince Sokka, come quickly!"
Both men looked up at the blue clad warrior running their way, "There was an attempt on Queen Kana's life!" He filled in, receiving a gasp from both of them.
Sokka stood up turning towards Zuko, "We'll finish talking later." With those parting words he took off after the warrior, leaving Zuko sitting in the snow thinking to himself,
'What the hell?'
XXX
"What happened?" Sokka breathed as they entered the palace infirmary.
The healer straightened, worry etched in her aged face, "She has been poisoned." She pulled some more water up, "But it hasn't gone far into her system, I've been able to get it out, at least the majority of it."
"Have you found the culprit?" Sokka inquired.
"No." The warrior said earnestly, he shuffled uncomfortably, "I still have to inform the Princess and King." He jogged to the door.
"No," Sokka turned towards the warrior, "Don't tell Katara yet. She has enough to worry about, I'll tell her personally, later." The warrior bowed.
"As you wish." He jogged off, telling the King of his mother in law's illness on his mind.
XXX
Zuko paused at Katara's door, he couldn't stay away. He had to see her, talk to her.
He took a deep breath, before sitting down, crossing his legs in front of her door. The ice was cold on his rear.
He studied the palace; things have changed a lot since his first time here, when he first met Katara. All that was their back then was a couple igloos, and mostly only children and women.
He ran a finger over a crack in the structure, alarms going off in his head. Something was wrong. He was up here yesterday and it was flawless. He noticed more and more cracks along the walls.
Katara may be in trouble, what if the person who poisoned Kana attacked Katara too.
What if Katara was… dead.
Standing up he parted the cloth door and entered, seeing Katara lying on the bed, motionless.
Instinct took over as he saw her limp form, he ran over to her, tears already forming in his eyes.
It couldn't be.
He shook her shoulder, leaning down to her level.
"Wake up, you have to wake up." He rasped, leaning closer to her face, relieved to feel the slight breeze of her breath.
Her eyes fluttered open in surprise, but, when she noticed who it was her eyes narrowed.
XXX
She had finally dozed off, her tired, bloodshot eyes closing on their own accord.
Not five minutes after someone was shaking her and breathing in her face—how rude!
Opening her eyes she took in the golden eyes and the red scar of the one and only character in her nightmares.
"What do you want?" She snarled, sitting up, her glare not softening.
"Are you ok, you're eyes are bloodshot, you should see—"
"Who gave you permission to enter my room?" Katara exhaled, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Well, no one, I was making sure you we're ok—"
"Get out!" She threw her pillow at him, "I don't want to see you now." Fresh tears welt up in her eyes, damn it, she refused to cry in front of him.
Zuko's eyes went wide, and he took a few steps back, "Katara, something happened—"
"I don't wanna hear it Zuko," Katara seethed, "You're voice makes me sick."
Zuko hung his head, "I didn't mean to hurt you Katara, I was making something for you." He confessed, his dark bangs covering his eyes.
Katara was silent, her gaze calculating, making Zuko's skin tingle, "Get out…" She said dangerously.
Zuko hesitated, keeping his head bowed, irritating Katara more.
"GET OUT!" She screamed, the tears running down her cheeks, "I can't take it!" She collapsed onto the bed, her whole body shacking.
Zuko's eyes lingered on her body, it seemed so fragile and broken. He couldn't believe that he did this to her, he would never forgive himself.
He turned around, his gaze still hung low as he walked through the door.
XXX
Taking a deep breath, she knew what she had to do. She had come to the decision before she fell asleep.
She had to leave, everyone, everything.
She was hurting everyone she loved, Zuko, Sokka, all of them. She will go to the earth kingdom; there are plenty of places to go into hiding there. That way she wouldn't upset Zuko anymore.
He would forget about her. Katara would much rather suffer alone that bring the people she loved down with her.
She knew this would hurt everyone at first, but they would understand. They had to understand.
Straightening up she wiped her eyes, her vision becoming clear again. She dragged out a long breath before standing up and started to pack some clothes.
She will leave as soon as possible—tonight.
XXX
Sokka paced in front of his grandmother, what should he do?
Abruptly everything's just falling apart.
There's a murder loose in the Southern Watertribe. One of his best friends heart is broken, his little sister is probably crying her eyes out right now.
He hasn't even told her about the Grangran.
His face wrinkled in distress, he should go talk to his dad, and he'll know what to do.
XXX
Zuko walked along the little river that was channeled from the ocean. His parka was unbutton half way, but he couldn't find a way to make himself care.
There had to be a way to convince Katara that he really did love her and he wasn't deceiving her.
He sat down on a rock at the end of the stream, where the ice wall separated the village from the sea, fiddling with the engagement necklace Sokka had returned.
His works played again in his head, "So you're giving up? What happened to the persistent, pain in the ass, guy I used to know?"
To be honest nothing happened to the persistent guy, he just had an identity crisis.
Clutching the necklace to his chest, he narrowed his eyes.
'But he's back now….' Zuko wasn't going to give up without a fight.
XXX
Sokka walked down the royal wing, he was told that his father was in his private chambers.
He gloved hand rain across the sculpted ice of the palace wall. Suddenly his fingers dipped into a crack.
Halting in his stride, he back up a couple paces, inspecting the once perfect and smooth surface of the wall.
Looks like his sister had a little temper tantrum. Not surprising.
Sokka kept walking down the hall, looking at the glossy floor beneath his feet.
"Prince Sokka?" Turning around, she saw the healer from the medical wing standing in front of him, "The queen is stable, she is in the recovering wing under heavy guard." She informed, bowing.
Sokka smiled, "Thank you, Percia. I think I'll go tell my sister about what happened now."
"You mean she doesn't know yet?" Percia's eyes widen.
"No, she has a lot on her mind; I didn't want to burden her." Sokka turned to leave.
"She's going to be mad…" Percia warned.
Sokka smiled to himself, continuing to walk down the hall, now towards his sister's room, "I know." He called back.
Percia turned and walked down the steps she had just climbed moments before. She took two steps before a piercing pain ripped through her back.
She slumped to the floor, sliding down the remainder of the steps. Looking back up the stairs she let her tears go, along the stair case was her blood.
Foot steps echoed as someone walked down the stairs. A pair of black boots came into her clouded view.
"You wrecked my plan…." A girl's voice drawled, "So now I take your life."
She felt a searing pain in her back as something was pulled out.
The girl knelt beside Percia, showing her the knife covered in her blood. Perica looked away, focusing on the black hair that fell out of the also black mask she wore.
"Y-you…!" Percia said weakly, "P-poison" She rasped.
The girl cleaned the knife off on Percia's parka, "So? There has to be some casualties to get what I want." The girl leaned forward, "Can you kept a secret?" There was a pause before the girl let out a low, hollow laugh, "Of course you can, you're about to die."
Percia gasped, sending jolts of pain to every limb on her body.
Leaning even closer the girl in black whispered, "I'm here for the Princess of the Southern Watertribe's head." With that the knife ran through Percia again.
Everything went black for Percia, permanently.
XXX
Sokka stopped in front of Katara's room before parting the drapes. Walking in he looked around, there was no trace of her.
Sokka started to panic before he noticed a piece of paper folded on Katara's pillow.
He jogged over to it and picked it up.
Dear Friends and Family—Sokka noticed it looked hastily written.
Whomever is reading this must have found out that I am not in my room. To be more exact, I am not longer in the Southern Watertribe. I simply had to leave for personal reasons. I will probably not return anytime soon, if ever. I'm sorry everyone.
Love,
Katara
Sokka dropped the letter, and touched her furs, they we're still warm. She couldn't have gotten far. He could still catch her if he hurried.
He took off running, the port his destination.
XXX
Katara jogged down the hall way, she had to hide behind a pillar when Sokka walked by, going towards her and their father's room.
She had over heard everything, something had happened to Grangran, and Sokka didn't tell her.
The grip on her bag tightened. She would have handled the news fine, he didn't have to worry about her still, and she wasn't a child anymore.
She really felt as if she should go check on Grangran, but then she probably couldn't escape as easily. But she needed to see if she was ok.
She charged down a couple of stairs before stopping, her face going unnaturally pale. She dropped her stuff and uncapped her waterskin. Stepping over the pooled blood, that lead to the girl laying unconscious on the floor, Katara hurried to the injured girl's side.
Upon reaching her, Katara flipped her over and put her hand to her neck, searching for a pulse, but finding none.
Panicking, Katara tore off her top, looking at the gash in her back, no doubt made by a knife. Blood still oozed out of the wound slowly.
Tearing off her parka she wrapped her body in it, before picking her up and rushing off towards the infirmary.
The dark clad women stepped out, a throwing knife in hand, "And where are you hurrying off to?"
Katara turned around, "To the—" Her eyes narrowed, "Did you do this?" She motioned with her head towards the servant in her arms.
"It doesn't matter," She grinned under the mask, "What does matter is what's going to happen next." The girl pulled her arm back, throwing the knife with neck-breaking accuracy.
Katara dropped the girl in her arms and pulled out water, freezing it, and throwing it at the knife, which cluttered to the ground.
The black dressed girl pulled a couple more knives from her long sleeves, throwing them at the same time.
Caught off guard by the sudden amount of knives being thrown at her, she was nailed to the wall behind her after staggering a few steps.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Katara growled.
"Who I am is irrelevant, what I want is your decease." The girl said in an almost emotionless voice.
"What will that gain?" Katara's finger's twitched, attempting to draw water from the pouch at her side.
"My rightful place."
And the plot thickens…..
