It had been a week being imprisoned in the palace, and already Katara was going insane. Countless ladies tried to invite her to afternoon teas or to go for a stroll throughout the palace, but Katara dreaded them so she continued to decline every request. Usually she was always in the library with Aang, looking for anything close to what her problem was, but today Katara had a plan.
She lay in her bed as Zuko got up and dressed in his heavy imperial robes to go off to do his duties for the day. He kissed her quickly and was out in a flash. Usually Katara would roll over and go back to sleep and wait for Teng Su to come and wake her, but not today. She threw the blankets to the side and dressed in her blue tunic, navy leggins, whale hid boots, and hair braided down her back. She threw a red cloak over her blue attire and drew the drawstrings around her neck so she looked less noticable. She quickly fumbled with the leather straps of her water flask until it was tied securely around her waist. Katara then cracked the door open to see the hall empty and silent.
She slid out of her chambers and pulled the hooded cloak closer around her and put her head down. She walked briskly towards the palace doors. Right before she rounded the bend to the stairs that lead to the big oak doors, Katara collided right into a chest. She glanced up to see Sokka who was probably on his way to check up on her.
"Woah, didn't see you there. Sorry." He said peculiarly as he peered down on her with his unmistakable water tribe eyes. Katara felt her mouth go dry as she started to panick.
"My apologies, Great Warrior of the Southern Water Tribes." She replied in her painted lady voice that sounded more like a whisper. She knew Sokka would buy it so she hurried past him and down the marble steps to freedom, leaving her brother to whistle down the hallway proudly.
Once outside, Katara flung the heavy blood red material from her shoulders and sprinted down the dozen sets of steps to the gate and down to the Fire Nation's capital city below. What she didn't know was that a certain blind earthbender was present throughout the whole charade and smiled faintly at her rule breaking and sly tactics.
Katara couldn't help, but smile broadly as she walked through the bustling crowds of The Capital. Dozens of merchants and peddlers lined the streets and even more people walked through the cobblestone walkways, shouting and bartering with sellers. She loved the buzz of people talking loud and greetings of friends and family. She passed a bookstore and decided to go inside.
"Hello." Katara said as she waved courtiously to the girl her age behind the counter.
"Hi. Welcome to Teiji's Bookstore. Have a look around and see if anything interests you." The girl replied and sent Katara a kind smile. Katara walked down aisle after aisle of bookshelves and racks of paperback mysteries. She debated on picking an adventure story or a horror, when a clatter startled her from her thoughts. She looked around at the shelves and followed to where the sound came from. She walked to the store and saw nothing out of place. She began to turn away and head back to where she stood earlier, when a slight movement caught her eye. A blue leather book fell to the floor from one of the dustier shelves, leaving a cloud of dirt in its wake. Katara cautiously slid her eyes around to see if there was anybody near, but there was no one. She picked up the book and once again looked around. The cover felt smooth in her palms as Katara curiously opened it up. Inside were spells and enchanting drinks that caused love, death, and war. She leafed through them intriguingly and came across a spell that sounded like something Gran Gran would have used to make an herbal remedy. Katara looked around and then back at the spell book. She repeated the lines quietly aloud.
"Agitar En La Tierra" Katara said and looked around her to see if anything would happen. Katara sighed and went to put the book back on the shelf when the walls began to rattle around her. Books fell out of their places and bits of the ceiling crumbled onto Katara. She quickly dove into a corner and huddled into a small ball trying to protect herself from the flying debris. She sat there for about a minute until the shaking stopped. Katara lifted her head up slowly to see the damage to the little bookstore, when she heard herself gasp.
Every book was neatly in place on their shelves and the ceiling was perfectly intact. Katara looked over at the spell book she had thrown down in an attempt to dodge the crumbling store around her. It lay open to the exact spell page she had recited. She wasn't going crazy, was she? Katara stood up shakily and picked up the book with clamy fingers. She made her way up to the front of the store where the girl she had seen earlier was reading a book of her own.
"Ah, I see you've got one you like. Let me see... That will be five copper pieces please." The girl said with a smile and Katara robotically pulled out the right amount of money. She gave it to the girl with shaking fingers.
"You didn't feel that?" Katara asked as the girl placed the book carefully into a paper sack.
"Feel what?"
"The shaking." The girl sent her a peculiar look and handed over the bag.
"Are you feeling alright miss?" She asked concerningly. Katara shook her head and placed a small smile on her face.
"It must be the heat getting to me. Thank you." Katara said with gratitude and hurried out of the store.
