Two Worlds Collide

by mangx3

As the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, Katara must and will do whatever it takes to keep her people and her nation safe, even leaving it in order to become a servant in the home of the Fire Nation's Royal Family for infiltration. Instead of the war and destruction she expected, she finds beauty, life, and love, shown to her by the Fire Nation Prince himself. AU

4. The Way In

Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs purely to Mike and Bryan. This is just my vain attempt to live past the series finale.

Chapter 3: The Way In

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Summary:

As the daughter of the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, Katara must and will do whatever it takes to keep her people and her nation safe, even leaving it in order to become a servant in the home of the Fire Nation's Royal Family for infiltration. Instead of the war and destruction she expected, she finds beauty and life, shown to her by the Fire Nation Prince himself.

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Last Time…

The sunlight peeked over the horizon, and nearly simultaneously, all of the Fire benders all over the world woke up, feeling the sun's movements and its warmth, taking them out of slumber. Zuko groaned and his eyes fluttered open, glaring at the golden light pouring into his room from the window. He furrowed his eyebrows together when he realized that the usually golden light was tinted by a red screen. As his vision focused, Zuko realized that the thin transparent fabric that he hadn't pulled down last night surrounded his four poster bed in a scarlet haze and he cursed.

"Damn it," he murmured, "The maid must have already come in." As he spoke, he saw that his desk was neat and orderly instead of littered with papers. And where the papers were previously situated, a tray with breakfast was placed. It held enough food for two.

Smacking his right palm into his forehead, Zuko pulled the net away from his side of the bed, noticing that Katara was still asleep.

"Must either be tired or a naturally late sleeper." Deciding that the previous day's events must have been tolling on her physical and emotional state, he gave her the benefit of the doubt.

A knock on the door brought him out of his train of thought and he heard a soft moan as Katara woke up from the noise. She looked up at him with hazy eyes and while they focused, her cheeks turned pink, noticing his shirtless state. Not noticing her blush, Zuko groggily opened his door and nearly shut it again when a teenage boy about his age stood in front of them, something in his hands addressed to the prince, glaring at him and staring at the scantily clad girl in the prince's bed.

Katara's eyes widened in panic and she tried smiling sheepishly at him, only garnering her an even deadlier glare. 'Oh Sokka… you big idiot!'

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"What do you want?" Zuko asked roughly. His golden eyes narrowed at the flabbergasted boy and stepped closer to him, blocking Sokka from Katara's view and vice versa. Impatiently, he snatched the letter from his hands and yelled down his hall, "Guards! Get this peasant out of my sight!"

Katara raised her eyebrows and her mouth fell open wide as she watched two mean faced guards completely dressed in shiny armor lift her brother up and take him away. Her eyes didn't move from the spot, even when Zuko stepped back into the room and shut his bedroom door roughly. The slam of the ornate golden door caused Katara to jump and she instinctively pulled the covers closer to her body.

Turning her head towards the window, Katara saw the sunlight begin to climb and strengthen and tried to ignore Zuko in all of his half naked glory while he stretched and threw the letter onto his desk. His back was still to her and Katara watched, with fascination, how his movements caused the muscles along his back to ripple smoothly. She blushed and turned her head down, her eyes focused on her hands that were now placed on her lap while she sat against the pillows.

Clearing her throat, Katara saw from the corner of her eyes that she had caught his attention and that now Zuko was staring at her. He straightened up and nodded at her stiffly. His golden eyes took notice of her discomfort and he looked down, as if seeing that he was shirtless for the first time. As the realization dawned on him, he pulled a shirt out from his armoire and hastily threw it on.

Katara was so immersed in avoiding looking at the Fire Nation prince that she hadn't registered the shift of the bed as weight sank down on the other side. Zuko sat down on the edge of the bed and when he saw that she didn't notice, her reached out a hand and hesitatingly left it in the air. He pulled it back and cleared his own throat, causing Katara to snap her head up, her sapphire eyes meeting his. She blushed and noted how he tensed as well.

Zuko tore his eyes away from hers and pointed at the platter of breakfast that the maids had left on his desk. Brusquely, he clarified, "You should eat breakfast. Afterwards, you're free to your own devices, so to speak."

Ignoring the food, despite the protests of her rumbling stomach, Katara asked, "That boy… what are they going to do to him?"

Raising an eyebrow at her, Zuko replied nonchalantly, "Most likely throw him out of the palace."

"What did he do to deserve that kind of treatment?"

"He annoyed me," Zuko answered simply. Katara frowned and exasperatedly, Zuko asked, "What?"

Remembering their conversation from last night, Katara replied softly, "You're a lot closer to being someone your father would be proud of than you think, Prince Zuko."

Katara flinched under his golden eyes as they glowered at her but she kept her eye contact, refusing to take back words that she meant. Scoffing in disgust, Zuko rushed out of the bed and stormed out of his room, once again slamming the door. From the shadows underneath the door, Katara could see and feel the hot flames that she knew he produced out in the hallway before hearing him stomp away. When she heard his footsteps recede completely, she took three deep breaths before deciding to move. She hopped out of the large bed that could have practically fit her entire family and her hands hurried to pull the sheets taut and reposition the pillows neatly before she pulled the comforter over the bed, smoothing the silky red fabric. She sighed and stared at the food and took a bowl of jook from the tray and ate slowly, still concerned about her older brother and his stupidity that almost always got him into trouble.

At the same time, Katara was relieved to know that she wouldn't have to deal with her big brother. He might have known the plan, but then again, it was quite different to see your baby sister dressed in practically nothing and waking up in another man's bed. 'It's better that he be gotten rid of and that he make a scene elsewhere, where people just think he's a dirt poor lunatic… Not far from the truth.'

The door opened slowly and Katara jumped, nearly dropping the bowl. A girl presumably around her age with straight dark hair and simple clothes saw her and bowed, excusing herself extensively. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Please excuse me, miss. I didn't mean to intrude on you. I'll come back another time." She hurriedly tried to back out of the door, but Katara stopped her.

"No, no, it's okay. You're welcome to do whatever you need to. If you'd like, you can have some of this food. I don't have that much of an appetite right now." Katara smiled warmly at the servant girl and waved her hands out. "Please, I'm sorry. I'm sure you're not used to having someone still in their bedroom after sunrise. I'll just get out of your way, unless you need any help."

The girl lifted her head and stared at Katara with wide eyes. "Uh… no, thank you. It's my job." Her eyes went to the neatly made bed and she blinked at it. "Prince Zuko doesn't require much clean up, it's usually just his bed…" she murmured. She stared at Katara again with a strange expression. "If that's all, then, I'll leave you and continue my work." The servant then promptly the room with another quick bow.

Katara raised her eyebrows and sighed, staring out at the window. "Way to blend in, Katara." Pursing her lips, she looked at her reflection in the mirror and frowned. "I should have asked her where to get some new clothes. Maybe I could go find the other women and they'll be able to dress me." Looking done once more at her exposed body, she looked back at the bed where she had neatly folded Zuko's thick cloak, which was placed over her when she woke up.

"Maybe I did judge him a little harshly…"

Shaking her head, Katara took the cloak and wrapped it around herself and left the room, staring at the tall, heavily decorated walls and stared around her at the imposing portraits of former Fire Lords and other members of the Fire Nation's Royal Family, all staring down at her with disdain. She shuddered and held the cloak around her more tightly, surprising herself at the comfort the faint scent of bergamot, sandalwood, and ginger provided. Blinking her blue eyes at herself, Katara scoffed and dropped the fabric from her nose and sighed with relief when she managed to find an entrance into the courtyard she remembered the older woman leaving.

Stepping into the courtyard, Katara was surprised by the sudden heat that came with stepping out of the palace walls and its cool shadows.

'No wonder all of the nobility are all so pale… they don't go out.'

Quickly, Katara hurried across the exposed area and began to feel the heat and weight of the cloak wrapped around her. Once more, she escaped into the cool heat of the palace walls and into the hall, she recollected, was meant specifically for Fire Lord Ozai's concubines. She saw several women walking the halls and nodded to them when they greeted her, acknowledging her to be one of them. As they walked past, Katara turned around and held a hand out to get their attention when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Whirling around, Katara saw the chief concubine from the previous night.

"You want to get out of that gaudy outfit, don't you?" she guessed.

With a small smile, Katara nodded. "Please."

The older woman beckoned her to follow her down the hall and Katara did so, walking next to her awkwardly while the older woman strode down the hall, at ease. "I am Asha, by the way. I was actually on my way to find you." She looked down at Katara with her amber eyes creased in speculation. "You didn't, did you?"

"No. Prince Zuko was…" Katara struggled to find the right words to describe her encounter with the Fire Nation Prince. "He was gracious to me, to say the least."

"A trait he inherited from his mother," Asha whispered softly. Katara saw that she led her to what seemed to be Asha's room. Opening the door, Asha let Katara in and Katara's eyes widened at the ostentatious room, full of gold plating and with bedding made of the finest and softest silk. Asha went to a drawer and pulled out several outfits and Katara saw that they were simple red dresses and robes. Some were pants and tops, as well.

"This isn't much…"

Taking the clothes from her, Katara looked up and replied, "It's enough for me."

Asha looked at Katara with sadness in her eyes again. She gently took Katara's chin in her fingers again. "So young…"

A knock in the door interrupted the two women and Asha called out harshly, "Who is it?"

"Katara's presence is required by Princess Azula and her friends, Asha."

Katara recognized the duplicate voices to be the weathered sounds of Lo and Li. Asha huffed and opened her bedroom door. Katara could now clearly see the twin women with twin expressions on their face. Scowls were set in place when Asha opened the door and glared at the two advisors.

"Right now, Katara needs to be with the other women who are in her same position and to learn her place." Asha raised a dark eyebrow at them and began to close the door.

"I wouldn't do that, Asha," a cold voice said. Azula appeared behind Lo and Li, with a cold-hearted smirk. "You might be my father's chief whore, but you need to understand your place more. Lo and Li said that I requested Katara. Or perhaps, you didn't hear them correctly?"

Gritting her teeth, Asha replied, "I must not have, Princess. Forgive me." She stiffly bowed her head and the smirk grew more pronounced on Azula's face. "However, you must understand that your father left me orders to ensure Katara is in full understanding of her duties."

"'Duties'? She just has to lie there, doesn't she? I mean, it isn't as if rutting is that hard of a concept to understand." Katara glared at Azula from behind Asha, her fists clenching and her nails digging into the skin of her palm. Her eyes met with Azula's and the golden irises narrowed in disgust. Her upper lip curling in revulsion, Azula forfeited. She looked away from Katara to walk away, followed by Lo and Li. "Fine. You might as well just take her back to the brothel she came from to pick up tips. She'll be sure to fully understand her 'duties'."

Asha growled and slammed the door. Katara began to pity the doors of the palace as they seemed to be slammed quite often. She exhaled noisily and opened another door in her bedroom. "You can wash up in there and change in here. I can have a girl bring the rest of the clothes to your room, which I found out is right next to Prince Zuko's."

"Thank you, Asha."

"I'll be going now for breakfast. You can do whatever you want, Katara. Just watch your step, especially around the crazy harpies." Raising her perfectly plucked eyebrows at her, Asha left the room and Katara entered the bathroom, turning on the faucet to fill the marble tub with warm water.

Sinking in the soothing water, Katara stared enviously at all of the vials and bottles of soaps and shampoos littered around the tub. She settled for one and began swirling the soapy liquid around her, happy to have finally been able to Waterbend after nearly two weeks of trying to avoid it for fear of being caught. Katara sank down in the water, her nose barely above water level and closed her eyes to relax in peace until the water started cooling. Sighing, Katara rinsed herself off and stepped out of the tub, drying herself off by bending the water off of her moist skin.

She slipped on the red harem pants and the midriff showing top that Asha lent her. She fastened some of her hair into a top know and let the rest cascade down her back in brunette waves. She put on the red slippers and cautiously left the bathroom, seeing that, as Asha said, the bedroom would be empty and the pile of clothes was gone, even Zuko's cloak. Katara walked back out into the courtyard and began wandering the palace grounds until she found herself into a tranquil garden with a pond full of a family of turtle ducks. Katara chuckled at the tiny ducklings as they swam happily, following their mother.

The grass rustled and she turned around to see Zuko staring at the pond as well. She bowed and Zuko nodded in return. "This is my mother's garden, you know. No one really ever comes in here except for me."

Not sure of how to respond, Katara offered, "I can go, if you want."

"No, it's fine. I'm just not used to other people in here. Did you eat?" When Katara nodded meekly, Zuko scoffed. "Liar."

"Huh?"

"I went back and saw the full platter of food. I suppose you wouldn't have much of an appetite, though." He stared at her and shrugged. "Whatever." He turned away and started leaving. For the first time, Katara noticed that he was dressed in armor and his shaggy hair from last night was pulled up into a top knot.

"Where are you going?"

"Don't tell me you're the clingy type."

"I'm not being clingy!" Katara countered. "I'm just curious. You're dressed in armor, after all." She crossed her arms in front of her chest and pursed her lips.

"A war meeting with my father and his advisors…" he began warily. "Not that it's any of your concern."

"Why? Because I'm a woman?"

Zuko chuckled. "A 'woman'?" He rolled his eyes. "Well partly because of that and mostly because you're a servant."

"So I wouldn't be able to come with you?"

"No." Zuko's golden eyes narrowed suspiciously at her and Katara gulped nervously. "Why would you? Most girls find them boring and would rather spend their time gossiping. Don't you?"

"I… I just thought that maybe I could better serve you if I were to follow you." Katara ignored the heated sensation in her cheeks as she blushed. However, she could see that Zuko was having difficulty accepting that as her reason for wanting to follow him into the meeting.

"No," was all he said before marching away.

"But—"

Zuko spun around and roared, "No! Goddamn it! Why is it so hard for you to understand that I said 'no'?" After his emotional outburst, he turned away from Katara and she saw his tense shoulders rise nearly up to his ears. Quietly, enough that Katara wasn't sure enough that she was supposed to hear, he said in a low voice, "How horrible of a leader will I end up if I can't even control one girl?"

Katara's face fell and her shoulders slumped over in pity over the young prince and how she made him feel. She shook her head and walked off in the other direction. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Holding a hand to her forehead, she muttered, "Like that wasn't suspicious enough. Ugh… maybe Sokka's getting to me."

'No. No matter how mad he might get or how much trouble I get in, I have to get into that war meeting!'

Her resolve strengthening, she hurried out of the garden and back into the palace, navigating herself through the labyrinth of palace halls before she turned a corner and immediately ducked back, this time peeking her head around the corner. She saw guards standing lackadaisically in front of two tall double doors. After watching a mustachioed man walk in, dressed in armor like Zuko, Katara was certain that this was where the meeting was being held.

Grateful that she could still see the garden in her line of sight, Katara looked around her and raised her arms and threw them backwards, towards her. A stream of water lifted from the pond in the garden and raced to join her side. She let the water envelop her arms so that she now had two watery sleeves and peeked around the corner again. Narrowing her eyes in concentration, Katara threw her arms out, using the double water whips to knock out the guards before sending the water away to leave no evidence. Then, she rushed down to the doors and slipped in quietly before diving behind a pillar.

Turning around, she saw that everyone was staring towards Fire Lord Ozai, who sat on his throne, the wall of fire pulsating in front of him and blocking him from clear view. At his feet, there was a low, long, rectangular table with armored Fire Nation generals and dignitaries seated along its sides.

"There seems to be no sign of the Avatar in the mountains near the Eastern Air Temple, as we suspected. The temple was a location meant for female Airbenders. The young Avatar is supposed to be a male."

"Are you questioning my judgment, Lieutenant?" Fire Lord Ozai's cold voice sent shivers down Katara's spine.

"No, of course not, my lord. I was just…"

A jolly, elderly voice broke through the tension. With a hearty chuckle, Iroh's voice boomed, "Lieutenant Jee, you are very logical, but you understand, the Avatar must have learned in the past century to not hide in such obvious places. Of course we should look everywhere for him, as my brother sought to do, I'm sure."

Katara smiled softly at the mediator and his happy demeanor, even in such a tense atmosphere, remembering him as the old man from the previous night. She peered out behind the pillar, trying to get a glimpse of him.

"Oh, yes. I understand completely now, General Iroh."

"Now, the Western Air Temple is completely empty, and we're now sure of the Eastern Temple, as well. Only that damned mechanic and others live there. We all know that there are certainly no Airbenders in the Southern Air Temple, so we have to assume that in my grandfather's destruction of the Air Nomads, the Avatar had no time to flee far and he must have traveled somewhere close," Iroh reasoned. "Therefore, the closest location that would aid him would be the Southern Water Tribe at the South Pole."

Katara let out a small gasp as she inhaled sharply. Her cerulean orbs scanned the table of powerful men quickly and her insides froze when she saw Prince Zuko's golden eyes stare at her, incensed. She was left frozen and could barely move her eyes away from his, let alone register what the Fire Lord said in reply.

Ozai scoffed. "That frozen wasteland? The people there are disgusting, filthy, and have no resources to hide the Avatar. After our last raids, the insipid village is broken, as are its people."

Katara's eyebrows knit together in worry and she felt her heart race as she panicked, sweat starting to coat her palms. She could make out the fact that Zuko's mouth was moving in minute shapes, mouthing the words, 'Get. Out. Now.'

She nodded quickly and moved in the shadows, desperate to get out of the room.

'Damn stupid Hahn for getting me into this mess. Damn Zuko and his hearing and eyesight. Damn this whole war. Damn the entire Fire Nation!'

Katara was able to find the service entrance into the throne room and quickly ran through, entering a kitchen. The cooks and maids gave her strange looks and she smiled awkwardly in return, quickly rushing out before she found herself into the dining room.

"And damn this palace!"

"What the hell did you think you were doing?"

Katara shrieked and whirled around, letting out another squeal of shock when she was chest to chest with an irate Firebender. Zuko towered over her threateningly. He scoffed at her and threw his hands up.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? For a servant to be present at a war meeting?"

Katara cringed at his tone but for once, she had nothing to say in return. She had gotten caught and she prayed to Tui and La and all of the spirits that she would be shown mercy. She felt herself bend backwards as Zuko leaned down over her. He grabbed her upper arms roughly and she screwed her eyes shut while slightly turning her face away. She was stunned when she felt his grip loosen and his hot breath came away from her face.

"I'm not going to hit a woman," he said in frustration. "That's disgusting." His amber eyes scorched through her to her soul. Shaking his head, he stormed off again, calling, "Just get out of my sight for now."

Gulping apprehensively, Katara ran out of the dining room and into a different hallway than the one Zuko walked into. She hurried down the corridor before she managed to find her way to the entrance of the palace, staring down at the rest of the capital city from the steps of the palace. Katara rushed down the steps and through the palace gates.

Katara had managed to find her way back to the streets she had been living on for the last two weeks. Never did she think that she would be relieved to be back in that environment. She wandered through the streets when she saw a familiar ponytail that was buying fire flakes from a street vendor.

"Sokka!" Katara ran towards her older brother and hugged him fiercely. "Oh, you're okay. I thought for sure that you had gotten yourself into big trouble earlier this morning."

Sokka returned the hug but pulled away quickly, narrowing his eyes at her. "And I never would have thought that I'd ever see my little sister wake up in another man's bed without any real clothes on," he countered.

"You know I have no control over that."

"I swear, that jerk…"

"We didn't. He didn't." Katara shocked herself at her quick defense of Zuko. Shaking her head, she continued, "In any case, what are you doing now? What were you doing at the palace this morning?"

"Well this morning, I was at the palace because I've been working as a messenger and I actually had a message for Prince Zuko, so I figured that it could be my way in. That didn't work out too well, as you saw. As for now, follow me."

Sokka led Katara down the street and into a dark alley where they climbed a tall wall, dropping down into another alleyway where Sokka furtively knocked on an inconspicuous side door. The door opened a crack and Katara could see a pair of eyes look Sokka and her over. The door widened and Sokka pulled Katara into the darkness, shutting the door behind them. Katara followed Sokka deep into the dark hallway and through a ragged curtain. He pulled back the curtain and Katara raised her eyebrows at the pairs of eyes staring back at her.

She was drawn to the tall, lanky boy standing in the back of the room with shaggy brown hair and narrow brown eyes. He smirked at her with ease even though he held a strand of wheat between his teeth. He was leaning against the back wall coolly, as if he were monitoring what the others were doing, which was what Katara suspected. The boy lifted an eyebrow at her curiously and with interest.

Sokka sighed and looked from him to Katara, introducing them. "Katara, this is Jet and these are his Freedom Fighters. They—"

Jet leaned off of the wall and crossed the small room making his way towards the Water Tribe siblings. Katara was now able to fully grasp his height and could sense the confidence he was exuding. He held a hand out, which Katara took and they shook hands while his eyes didn't leave her, causing Katara to bite her lip to suppress a smile.

"My name is Jet, and these are my Freedom Fighters."

"Which is what I just said," Sokka deadpanned.

Katara smiled at Jet. "Sounded more impressive when he said it," she joked. She grinned at her scowling brother while sneaking a look at the smirking seventeen year old out of the corner of her eye. "So… 'Freedom Fighters'? Am I supposed to know what means?"

"We're a group of kids who have decided that we're not going to stand for the Fire Nation's bullshit anymore and that we're going to fight back and take revenge for all of the pain that those bastards have put us through." Jet's eyes flashed with anger momentarily before they lost their hard edge and the expression in them soon lightened when he continued quietly, "Most of us are orphans now and all we have is each other."

Katara's eyes softened. She began to open her mouth to speak when Sokka lifted a hand. "If you don't mind, Jet, I'd like to have a word with my sister. Privately." Grabbing Katara's wrist, Sokka pulled her out of the room, through the curtain and down the dark, empty hallway. "Katara, will you stop making goo goo eyes at him and start thinking with your head?"

Scoffing, Katara brushed him off. "Sokka, I don't know what you're talking about!" Nevertheless, she averted her cerulean eyes away from her brother's and felt her cheeks warm up with the fresh pooling of blood. "I don't even know him. Besides, I'm not here looking for a boyfriend. I'm here to help our people."

Snorting in disbelief, Sokka folded his arms over his chest. "I just hope you remember that the next time the guy smiles at you. Seriously, Katara! I met them while I was in the Earth Kingdom last week. They're probably good to have as allies or for back up, but I don't trust them. Especially Jet."

"Well then, why did you bring me here to meet with them?"

"They want to run something by you. I told them how you were able to score a place in the Fire Nation Palace." Sokka shuddered. "I don't want to know the details, but tell me, do they suspect anything?"

Biting down on her lip, Katara frowned and sighed. "Honestly, I might have messed up a little today." She pursed her lips and Sokka urged her to continue with the waving of his hands.

"Well? What the hell happened?"

"I might have gotten caught by Prince Zuko today when I snuck into a war meeting with Fire Lord Ozai and his council of advisors and generals. But from what I heard, it sounds like the Fire Lord's going crazy." Katara's eyes squinted as she remembered the meeting. "He was talking about trying to find the Avatar. That's ridiculous, right? The Avatar disappeared a century ago. But the thing is, they're looking for him and they think that he might be hiding in the South Pole."

"Dad…"

"Exactly."

Sighing heavily, Sokka replied, "Well there's nothing we can do about it now except send a messenger hawk back to them. All we can try to do now is keep moving on and this time, we can get help from the Freedom Fighters. But I want to warn you to be careful around them. There's something off."

"Hey, are you two done, yet? The rest of us want to run something by Katara." Jet appeared from the darkness and stepped into the dim light offered by the lit sconces nailed onto the wall, among its peeling paint. "Now if you don't mind, Sokka, I'd like to speak to your sister privately."

"Hey, listen, Jet—"

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Katara shook her head at Sokka. Evenly, she assured him, "It's fine Sokka. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself." She watched Sokka stalk away, looking over his shoulder to glare at the back of Jet's head suspiciously before disappearing into the darkness of the hallway. Katara could hear him pull the heavy curtain and the sudden boisterous sounds of the Freedom Fighters traveled before the curtain fell back and the sound was once again muffled. She rubbed her bare upper arm and looked up at Jet, who smiled down at her.

'Now that I think about it, something doesn't sit right with me about him. But maybe Sokka's just overreacting and I'm letting him get to me.'

Before Jet had a chance to speak, Katara lifted her hand and reminded him, "I'm not sure what you're up to, but I'm not doing this for anyone except my family and my people. Whatever you have planned, it's my life on the line and the lives of everyone counting on me, because if I get caught, it's not going to end well. The Fire Lord and the rest of the Royal Family aren't exactly the forgiving type."

"I understand. But before we talk about that, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to walk around town with me. Just for an hour or so."

Lifting an eyebrow at him and placing her hands on her hips, Katara stared at Jet skeptically. "Are you really asking me on a date? Because maybe Sokka didn't exactly inform you, but I'm the property of Prince Zuko!" she exclaimed in fake joy. She rolled her eyes. "Either way, I'm stuck."

"What? You're afraid of having gossip and rumors travel back to the Fire Nation Brat? Don't worry. I'm pretty good at being sneaky." He held a hand out and offered it to her, an open invitation that was very appealing to Katara.

"That's what I'm worried about," she replied.

Jet's hand lowered. "You think you know all about me, don't you?"

Snorting, Katara rolled her eyes. "I know I do."

"Let me have a guess. You're a good girl, aren't you? Sure you're feisty, but you wouldn't dare defy anyone, especially your people." Katara glared at him for mocking her. Ignoring the heated stare, he continued smoothly, "Come on. Is a walk around town with me really going to hurt?"

"Yeah, this whole 'I'm so cool and mysterious' bravado thing you're doing or for show or for whatever? I know all about your type. I'd be stupid to trust you, Jet." She saw the challenge in his expression and her azure eyes flashed in defiance. "But then again, just one walk couldn't be so bad. But I'm not losing anything." She made a point of giving him a look that he merely chuckled at.

"Fine."

Katara's scowl faded and she smiled at him and her cheeks turned cherry pink when he nodded at another door and she followed him back onto the streets. Once they got onto the crowded streets of the Merchant District, Jet wrapped an arm around Katara's waist and Katara's blush deepened.

"Hold on," he instructed before tightening his grip and grunting as he leaped into the air, his other arm extended and holding a tiger hook sword. The sword caught onto an awning of the building and he swung them both to the top of the awning and he leaped higher onto the next awning before leaning over, reaching his hand out. Katara took it and, with his help, lifted herself onto the awning with him. They both sat near the top of the building and she smiled at the scenery beyond the city.

"Well this wasn't much of a walk, but the ocean's beautiful."

"I guess…"

Chuckling softly, she asked, "You don't think so?"

"Not compared to my view."

Katara turned and saw him staring at her with a half-smile on his face. He leaned closer towards her and Katara surprised herself by not backing away. Instead, she waited for him to come closer until his hand brushed past her body, wrapping around her until he placed it on the bare skin of the small of her back, causing heat to spread throughout her whole body— a heat that had nothing to do with the hot August sun. He pressed his lips onto hers and pulled her closer while she placed her hands on his shoulders, her eyes closing slowly.

When Jet ran his tongue over her lip, Katara's eyes snapped back open and she pulled away quickly, her cheeks flushed, her heart beating quickly, and her breathing erratic. She gawked at Jet, wide eyed, and then gasped when she heard a familiar voice on the streets below. Her hair whipped as her head turned to look down and cursed.

"Damn it! What's he doing here?"

Jet turned his eyes towards the direction Katara was looking and pulled her down so they lay flat on the awning, their heads hanging over the edge while they peered down at the Fire Nation Prince walking through the squalid area of the Capital City, his shoulders indicating the tension he held. He ignored the citizens who bowed down or kneeled before him, his eyes searching. They could hear him give indiscernible orders to the armored Fire Nation soldiers surrounding him and they spread out, entering several stores and restaurants.

"Look, we've run out of time sooner than I thought we would. I need to tell you the plan now. The Freedom Fighters have been planning an infiltration of the Fire Nation Palace and you're perfect for it. You know the guards' patterns and how to get in and out, don't you?"

"Barely! I just arrived less than two days ago. Jet, what do you mean 'infiltration'? That was never part of my assignment. I'm just supposed to spy on them and send word back to my father, not attack! That's. Stupid. It's still stupid regardless of whether I'm by myself or the Freedom Fighters join in— there's too many Firebenders. We would be outnumbered." She frowned. "I'm not going to fight."

"You don't have to. Leave that to me and the others."

"Jet—"

"Come on, I've got to get you back to the prince before the Freedom Fighters are found. We're not going to try anything, but try and meet us by the palace walls tonight. Maybe you could at least sneak us in." He raised his eyebrows at her and pouted, pleading, "Come on, Katara. You don't have to do it for me, or even for yourself. Do it for all of the families and lives destroyed by the Fire Nation and how this could be our chance… For a lot of things," he suggested.

Katara gaped at him while he snuck another kiss on her lips and then disappeared, climbing up onto the low roof of the building and jumping on another roof before he disappeared from her sight. She groaned in annoyance and hung over the edge of the awning, landing softly on the one below her again and repeated the process, this time landing stiffly on the hard stone of the alleyway. Katara froze when she heard deep chuckles behind her and she instinctively twitched her arms to bend the water out of her skins but froze when she realized that she couldn't Waterbend or else be found out and that she didn't have her water skins on her.

"This isn't the place for a pretty girl like you, sweetie."

Narrowing her eyes at the three thugs slowly creeping towards her, Katara backed up slowly, deeper into the alley, she realized with a grimace, and her lip curled into a sneer. "Then maybe you should let me out of here, sweetie," she spat.

The other man let out a low whistle. "Actually, by the looks of her, she belongs in that place two doors down. They do have some of the more… exotic types. At least, from what I've seen."

Her sneer fell when they began to converge on her. At the same time, a golden eyed prince saw the three go into the alley and heard a female voice, instantly grabbing his attention. What got his attention even more was that he recognized the voice to be Katara's. Zuko rushed to the alley, his fists beginning to flame at the thought of three filthy men daring to touch a defenseless girl, even if she did have a sharp tongue. A bruised ego wasn't enough to stop these types of guys. He ran into the mouth of the alleyway, ready to release the heat from his palms when he saw a boy lunge at the three men with a sword.

The thugs jumped out of the way from the strange, dark blade and tried to maneuver out of his way. One managed to slip past him and grab Katara but instead of fear showing on her face, an angry scowl appeared and thrashing in his arms, Katara snapped her head back to collide with his and he dropped her, grasping his nose while she flipped away and rotated while lifting her leg, kicking at his stomach, sending him back.

The other two thugs ran out of the alley after being knocked down roughly by Sokka, scrambling to their feet, but not until they met with Zuko who glared dangerously at them. Immediately, soldiers appeared at Zuko's side. "Grab the three of them. They can rot in the prison until I'm satisfied," he ordered coldly. While they were dragged away, he stepped into the alley and looked over Katara once, his eyebrows twitching upwards in the quickest of seconds before he appraised Sokka.

"That wasn't bad. Considering that fact that it was two against one and that you're probably less than half the size of one of those guys, I'm somewhat impressed." He gave Sokka a condescending look and asked, "Would you like a job in the palace?" He took in Sokka's disheveled appearance and ratty clothes. "It's free room and board for your work," he added, as if he expected adoration from Sokka.

Nodding stoically, Sokka bowed and answered, "I'm grateful for the opportunity." He looked out of the corner of his eye where he saw Katara bow in front of Zuko, who had turned to her, his expression contorting into one that indicated he was rather beside himself.

"When I told you to get out of my sight, I didn't mean to leave the palace walls," he scolded.

'I got into a huge fight with Mai over this. Over her! There's no reason for that to have happened. This girl… a peasant… how is she able to affect me?'

There was the quiet creak of the door and Zuko lifted his head from his desk and saw his bedroom door open with his girlfriend standing in the threshold of the door. Lifting an eyebrow at her, he smirked as she smiled coyly at him and threw the door closed, sauntering towards him. She stood behind him, gently putting her hands on his shoulders. Zuko could feel the ends of her long strands of shiny, black hair tickle the back of his neck.

Mai's palms moved from his shoulders slowly, sliding down before they spanned his muscular chest. She leaned down, putting her chin on his left shoulder. Whispering into his ear, she suggested, "You seem stressed… maybe you should take a break."

"From being Prince?" he scoffed.

Her narrow, golden eyes closed and she dragged her lips across the edge of his jaw until her thin lips brushed against his ear. "Just for a little bit."

Groaning, Zuko shivered as her breath caressed the sensitive appendage and he stood up roughly, causing Mai to back away. He took her face in his hands and abruptly pressed their lips together, trying to relieve the fire that had pooled in his lower abdomen, the action both satisfying and fueling it. He relished in the sensation of her long, manicured nails raking down his chest while they kissed passionately. Her hands finished their journey down his chest and grabbed the bottom hem of his shirt before pulling it up. Zuko timed it so that his lips separated from hers right when the shirt had to be pulled over his head so that they wasted no time in tossing the shirt on the floor and returned their lips together.

Zuko knew Mai well and instead of running his lip over hers or biting down on it softly, he pressed her closer to him so that she would let out a small moan, parting her lips and giving him entrance into her mouth. He picked up the thin girl easily and lowered themselves onto his bed, his arms on either side of her shoulders while he held himself up.

The vague smell of gardenias, cherry blossoms, and fresh rain lingered on his sheets and pillows and he froze. Zuko pulled away from Mai and lied down next to her, groaning in frustration as he realized he just seemed to immerse himself in the scent even more— Katara's scent.

"What's wrong?" Mai turned over to her side and put her hand on Zuko's bare chest again. She sat up and waited with a bored expression on her face. "Do you just not want to do it?"

"It's nothing," he quipped.

"Is this because of that whore your father got you? Because you told me that nothing was going to happen. You said that she was just going to be another maid to you," she reminded him, her tone accusing.

"No, it's not because of Katara!" he retorted.

Mai recoiled and raised her perfectly trimmed eyebrows at him. "'Katara'? You've learned her name and remembered it? This is ridiculous, Zuko. I'm your girlfriend."

"Oh, really?" he asked, his voice dripping with sardonic acidity. "Damn it, Mai, it's not as if I forgot that." Zuko growled in frustration and ran his hands through his hair, slightly pulling at the shaggy locks of jet black hair. "I'm just… I have my mind on other things."

"Like Katara," she sneered.

"If you want to torture yourself with this, fine. I admit it— I'm a little annoyed with the fact that both you and she have pissed me off today." He turned away and muttered, "Maybe you should go now, Mai. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Mai had the slightest of frowns on her face. The corners of her lips were downturned at a minimum degree. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, I'm sorry, Zuko. I… It's just hard for me to be your girlfriend when I know girls are constantly being thrown at you. And you're ignoring me."

"I'm not ignoring you, Mai," Zuko muttered.

She lowered herself down and held his face in her hands, pulling his face towards her but he gently took her hand off of his face and turned in the other direction.

Huffing in disbelief, Mai stared at Zuko, grunting in a mixture of disgust and disbelief before she stormed out of the room. Zuko rolled over and stared at the canopy of his bed, glaring at it. He turned to stare out of the window that offered him a view of his mother's garden, his eyebrows scrunched together in a scowl. He leapt out of the bed and threw on his shirt.

He called out into the hallway, "Where's Katara?"

A middle aged woman entered the room, her post being in the same hallway for that shift. She bowed quickly and explained, "I'm sorry, sir. No one's seen her for the past few hours. Asha was the last person to see her before she disappeared."

Zuko widened his eyes at her. "What in the world could you possibly have been doing here for the entire day? And in this part of the city?"

"You told me to get out!" Katara defended.

"Like I said, I didn't mean out of the damn palace!" he roared in return. He let out a sound that Katara likened to a mix between a groan and a snarl. "Look, let's just get back." His tawny eyes glared at her before he took her by the arm and looked ahead at the setting sun before stomping back towards the soldiers, lifting her up into the palanquin while he walked with the rest of the men.

As soon as they were within the perimeter of the palace walls, Katara threw herself out of the curtained carriage, landing neatly on the paved front courtyard, harrumphing defiantly while she walked the rest of the way, up the stairs and into the palace itself. She widened her sapphire eyes at the ivory hand that gripped her wrist firmly when she tried to continue walking away. Zuko either did not feel or ignored her struggling and protests while he called over another servant and nodded towards Sokka.

"He will be a new servant. Show him his room and give him his set of chores."

When the man nodded, Zuko turned and made his way down the hallway, dragging Katara along behind him, staring at Sokka with pleading eyes. Sokka shrugged and widened his own eyes at her while he was quickly being ushered in the opposite direction by the person in command Zuko had instructed.

"Seriously, what do you want from me? I probably would have been better off selling my soul in that brothel!" Katara yelled. She widened her eyes in shock before narrowing them in indignation at the fair skinned hand placed over her lips. The slits of bright blue sent daggers of hatred towards Zuko. She slapped his hand away and whipped her head in the other direction but he just put it back.

His face was twisted into a hard scowl. "You. Are. Not. Yelling. At. Me. In. Public." he bit out. Zuko pulled Katara down several hallways and Katara recognized it to be his wing of the palace. He roughly let go of her arm when they stopped in front of a bedroom. He threw it open and waved his arm towards the inside of the room. "This is your room. Those are the clothes Asha lent you, but I've already bought you some clothes of your own. You could've had your measurements done today, but since you ran off, you'll have to be measured tomorrow."

Katara looked from him and to the cozy room he showed her. The bed was large with silky looking sheets and blankets and had four posts that were wrought in gold and had a sheer golden fabric for a canopy. There was another door that she guessed was her own bathroom. She could smell the floral scents of the freshly washed linen and the appetizing scent of the tray of food on the small table. The moonlight poured in from the window that had a view of the garden, like Zuko's. "This is my room?"

"Well if you'd prefer to stay at the brothel you were talking about…" he intoned, reminding Katara of her previous words.

She looked at him and then down at her hands. Katara glanced up to apologize to him when she heard the door of his bedroom next door close quietly. Frowning, she walked into her own candlelit bedroom, softly closing the door. She could have sworn that she heard his bedroom door open again and footsteps towards her room, but she chalked it up to her imagination. She ran her mocha-skinned fingers lightly across the soft fabric of the bed and gently grasped the thin golden canopy surrounding her bed, admiring the delicate material. She sat down and sulked, her lips pushed out in a pout while she rested a cheek on her hand.

"Pst!"

Katara jumped off the bed and reached for the fork on the bedside table, near her tray of dinner, and threw it towards her open window. She heard the sound of a distinct thump from the metal utensil hitting a head. A shadow appeared over the edge of the windowsill and Katara warned, "I swear to Tui and La, the next thing going out of the window is the knife!"

"You know, you should probably stop mentioning 'Tui and La' if you want to be convincing." Sokka appeared outside of her window, rubbing the side of his head with one hand and holding the fork in the other, his arctic eyes glaring at the innocent utensil. "And you should really stop hitting me. I've been telling you that since you were three years old."

Sighing, Katara rushed to her window and helped pull him up over the ledge. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed. "You just got into the palace. It's your first night and you decide to sneak around suspiciously in the middle of the night?"

"Come on, I know you, Katara. The full moon is making you totally restless, isn't it? Why don't you just lock your door and we can scope out a good spot to let in Jet and the other Freedom Fighters?"

"Okay, let's say we do manage to miraculously sneak them in? What are we supposed to do until then?" She snorted. "We're not really going to join them in attacking. It's a suicide mission."

"Yeah and God forbid we let your boyfriend get caught," Sokka rolled his eyes when Katara blushed. "Look, I told you that I don't trust the guy. I still don't, even if you're in love with him. But the thing is... they're obviously not going to succeed."

"They're a diversion," Katara caught on. "What exactly are we supposed to do while they're busy grabbing the guards' attention?"

"While I was in the Merchant District, I met up with some people who used to work in the palace and was able to get some basic blueprints." He walked over to Katara's bare desk and pulled out a roll of parchment, rolling it out to reveal a crude drawing of the layout of the Fire Nation Royal Palace. "This is Fire Lord Ozai's bedroom," he pointed to a large square that was located near the hall that Katara recognized as the hall where Asha and the other concubines stayed. "Over here is the throne room where he holds his meetings. Now this is where we need to be from the time we let the Freedom Fighters get caught."

His index finger pointed to a small square on the map that Katara noticed was on the opposite side of the palace from where her room was and she raised her eyebrows. "How are we going to get our way through this place? It's huge."

Rolling up the blueprint, Sokka explained, "I've been studying the blueprint for a while and I think it's pretty accurate. What do you think?"

"You're asking me? Sokka, you probably know the layout of this place better than I do…" she murmured in reply. Katara glanced quickly at her bedroom door. "Fine. This might actually work. Now come on, let's get out of here and over to the palace walls. I noticed a blind spot that the guards usually ignore. How do we tell them where to meet us?"

"Leave that to me. Let's just hurry."

The two Water Tribe siblings hurried and climbed out of Katara's bedroom, landing on the soft, green grass of Ursa's garden. The full moon provided a silvery glow over the palace grounds and there was minimal wind. They were able to hurry out of the garden and into the courtyard where the opposite hall held Asha and the others' rooms. They crouched in the shadow of the tall palace walls, Katara watching warily for any royal guards.

Sokka cupped his hands around his mouth and he let out a cooing sound that resembled a birdcall. Faintly, Katara could pick up a returning birdcall. She raised her eyebrows at him and he shrugged, "So I picked up a couple new tricks." He pulled out a small knife that he kept hidden in his boot and did something that Katara recognized. He stabbed it into the soft ground and listened carefully to the vibrations of the knife. "I think it's only two or three of them."

"They planned to overthrow Fire Lord Ozai with only three kids, one of whom isn't even a teenager?" Katara replied skeptically. "Check your knife again."

"It really is just three of them… but you have a point. Well Jet's a cocky son of a bitch. He really may think that three of them is enough to take out the guards and storm the palace." He raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously. "You still like him?"

Deflecting his question, Katara said, "Wait! Be quiet."

"Why? Did you hear another birdcall? What did it sound like?"

"No. I just wanted you to shut up."

Before Sokka could reply, there was an actual birdcall that was much closer than the previous one, just over on the other side of the wall. Suddenly, they saw a dark coil come over the edge and they made out the shape to be rope that dangled down the wall. Jet's tall frame soon appeared over the top of the wall and he climbed down the rope, followed by a thin boy of average height who held a bow and arrow, along with a small androgynous looking kid with a bowl-shaped haircut.

"This is Smellerbee and Longshot," Jet introduced. The two in question nodded stoically at Sokka and Katara. He walked into the middle of the courtyard, flanked by them. He gave them a curt nod before the three of them disappeared into the darkness.

Sokka and Katara shared a look before Sokka nodded at her. "Go wake someone up and I'll get a head start on making my way to Fire Lord Ozai's office." He pointed to the hallways they had come from, near Zuko's room. Just go back to your room and from there, make your way to the ballroom and then through the dining hall. If you go past there and into the kitchen, the office is two right turns away from there."

"Yeah…"

"I'll trust you to remember that and not get lost." He raised his eyebrows at her and then jogged backwards before turning around, disappearing back into the palace.

Shaking her head, Katara made her way slowly to Asha's room. Once she saw that Sokka disappeared back into the palace, she knocked urgently on Asha's door. A disheveled, groggy Asha opened the door slowly, her face looking as if she were ready to scream at whoever woke her up. When she saw that it was Katara, however, she quickly became alert, her eyes losing their heaviness and widening with attentiveness.

"Katara? What in Agni are you doing here so late?"

Widening her cerulean eyes in feigned innocence and fear, Katara shook her head vigorously. "You need to call the guards! I woke up because I heard noises and I saw three dark figures go past my window and towards this direction!"

"You what?" Asha shrieked. She pulled Katara into her room and whispered urgently, "Stay put in here. The guards will take care of them." Katara thought that the older woman was talking more to herself than to her. Asha pulled a rope that hung near her bedroom door and Katara could hear the shifting and clicking of gears before she heard a loud buzzing sound that vibrated through the room, and most likely, the entire palace.

Katara panicked while she tried to think of a way to let Asha let her out so that she could get to Sokka.

'This can't be good. Sokka's done for.'

---

Edited April 2019