Butterflies and Hurricanes

Chapter Eleven

When Katara returned to the kitchens after her confrontation with Prince Zuko, she was immediately pounced upon by Luli and Rou.

"Katara! You look a little shaken, are you alright?" Luli placed her hand on the younger girl's forehead.

Katara nodded absently. "I'm fine, really."

Luli and Rou exchanged a look before pulling Katara over to a nearby table to sit down.

"Sure, and I'm the Fire Lord," Luli scoffed. "What happened?"

Katara looked at her two friends distant eyes. "I just shouted at Prince Zuko and basically called him a petulant child."

Luli gaped at her while Rou looked as though she might faint. "What happened then?"

Katara closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "I've been invited to play pai-sho with General Iroh."

"Uncle, why did you ask that girl to come and play foolish games with you?"

Iroh entered the large sitting room of his chambers with a pai-sho game tucked underneath him arm. Moving to the low table in the centre of the room he placed the board down and answered Zuko's question.

"Because you don't like playing pai-sho, Nephew, and it gets dreadfully boring being an old man without anyone to keep me company." Zuko rolled his eyes at that. "Besides, I feel that we need to make amends for how dreadfully you treated Katara yesterday."

Zuko closed his eyes in annoyance. "I still don't see why I have to be here."

Iroh chuckled inwardly at his nephew's brooding tone and began removing game tiles from the velvet bag in his hand. "Well, seeing as how it was your temper that I am apologising for, I deemed it suitable for you to be present. Besides you haven't left your room in a ridiculous amount of time, it was about time you got some fresh air."

"Oh yes, because sitting in my Uncle's sitting room is synonymous to taking a walk through the gardens." Zuko made no effort to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

Iroh merely chuckled to himself again and finished placing the tiles on their corresponding game squares. "It's nice to see you've taken to talking again, if I'd have known that a good tongue lashing was all it took to break you out of one of your moods, I would have asked Katara to yell at you weeks ago."

Zuko made no reply to that and sat in silence as his uncle bustled in and out of the room. Iroh brought over three tea cups and a large teapot and placed them off to the side of the table. Moving over to the largely cluttered bookshelf on the opposite side of the room, Iroh picked up a rather handsome gilded box, inlaid with iridescent mother of pearl.

Flipping the silver latch on the box open, Iroh began to muse outwardly. "What tea to have… I would brew some ginseng but I'm running low. What do you think of orange and lotus flower, Zuko?"

Zuko rolled his eyes and sighed. "I think your tea obsession requires professional help Uncle."

"Orange and lotus flower it is then!" Iroh said brightly, apparently ignoring Zuko's less than cheerful response. Removing the packet of leaves from the box, Iroh placed the gilded container back on the shelf and moved back over to the table. Taking the lid off of his favourite dragon-spouted teapot, Iroh deposited the fragrant leaves in the water and lit a small flame beneath the pot to brew the concoction.

"Now," Iroh began. "Why don't you come and sit over here and be sociable?"

Zuko shook his head lightly and fought against the urge to sigh again. "I'm perfectly comfortable sitting here, Uncle."

"Well, if you'd rather sit in the corner on your own…"

"I would actually." Zuko sniffed.

A soft knock sounded on the outer doors and Iroh smiled widely as he moved to answer it. "Ah! Miss Katara, I'm so pleased you could make it."

The young girl at the door smiled weakly in response and tentatively stepped into the room upon Iroh's instruction.

I breathed deeply as I heard the heavy door close behind me. Although I found Iroh to be a very kind and benevolent person, I couldn't help but feel as though I was overstepping the line between servant and master.

A gentle hand on my shoulder steered me toward the table in the centre of the room. Before I sat down however, I noticed Prince Zuko's seated form in the corner of the room. I was rather surprised that he had ventured from the solitude of his room and I supposed that Iroh had something to do with it.

Taking a seat on one of the plush cushions, Prince Zuko to my back, I thanked Iroh as he poured me a cup of fragrant smelling tea. The scent of oranges calmed my nerves slightly and I sipped slowly at the drink.

Silence circulated through the room for a while before Iroh smiled at me once more.

"Miss Katara -"

"Please," I interrupted quietly. "Just Katara is fine, sir."

Iroh beamed even brighter. "Very well, but in that case just call me Iroh, none of this 'Sir' or 'Your Highness' business."

I nodded in agreement and allowed Iroh to continue.

"Well Katara, I was just wondering how such a lovely girl as yourself came to be in such a position as you are now."

I froze suddenly and almost tipped my tea out of shock. Iroh noticed my response and hurried to rectify his words.

"Oh! I apologise if I was out of line, Katara. Forgive me."

I shook my head rapidly. "It's not that… it's just that no one has asked me that before, except for my friends."

Iroh smiled knowingly. "I fear that many people forget that every person has a past and as a result they do not look past status and stations. I would like to know about you as a person, Katara."

"Why?" I breathed, absolutely astounded that royalty such as Iroh should care to get to know me.

"Because you seem brilliantly interesting. I've briefly witnessed the strong spirit you possess when you stand up for what you believe in. In my books, that makes your worth absolutely priceless."

As he finished his speech I noticed his eyes flick over my shoulder to Prince Zuko. I was rather touched by his words and I knew that he wasn't being nosy, rather he was taking a genuine interest in my life and circumstances; and for that reason I decided to tell him.

"I don't know where to start." I told him honestly.

Iroh laughed good-naturedly and patted my hand across the table. "Start from the beginning my dear."

Zuko watched from his corner as his uncle spoke to the girl. He had not missed the pointed look that Iroh had sent him during his little speech on self-worth.

When Katara had actually agreed to share her past with Iroh, Zuko had found himself listening that little bit harder. Even he couldn't deny that the girl was an enigma and he was curious about her.

"The beginning?" Katara sighed heavily. "I'm afraid that I can't start from the beginning Iroh."

There was silence for a moment as Iroh (and Zuko) waited for Katara to continue at her own pace.

"You see, I don't remember much of anything until I was five years old. That was when they found me washed up in an Earth Kingdom port and took me to the slave house where Governor Ontai purchased me from."

Iroh frowned slightly. "'Washed-up'?"

Katara nodded. "Yes. Some merchants on the dock found me in the shallows after a storm and took me to the mistress of the slave house. I spent the next seven years there and then I was brought here."

"Why were you in the water?"

Zuko watched as Katara fell silent and stared intently at her hands. "I'm not sure. I have a… I think it's a memory but I've only ever relived it in my dreams… I can't even be sure if it's real or not." She looked up at Iroh. "But it's all I have. It's how I know my age and name and so many other things."

Iroh nodded solemnly. "Will you share it?"

Katara nodded slowly and took in a deep breath. "It always starts on a boat… no a ship, it's beautiful and made of wood, it's not like Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation ships. There's someone there telling my brother to look after me… his name is Sokka."

"Your brother?" Iroh interjected.

"Yes. The dream changes after that, there's a storm. I wake up and I'm alone. I'm scared so I run up to the deck to find my dad. It's chaotic up there and my brother grabs me but I can barely stand up against the storm. Someone else comes and tells us to get below deck… I think his name is Bato. Another wave hits the boat and I slip out of my brother's grip. Everything goes quickly after that but suddenly I'm in the water."

Zuko was, surprisingly, hanging onto Katara's every word. Although she wasn't embellishing the events of her story, indeed she was only imparting the bare minimum, Zuko was struck by the emotion coming through her voice; she sounded like the lost five year old of her memories.

"You fell overboard?"

Katara nodded to Iroh's question. "Yes. Everything is pretty much blank after that but I do remember a face… the only one I can remember. I think it was my father's face."

There was another bout of silence in which Katara kept her eyes fixed to the table before her.

"I suppose it comforts you to know that you have a family out there that cares for you?" Iroh tried to comfort the suddenly disheartened girl.

"Yes, but I also wonder if they ever looked for me… it also makes me wonder all the more about my mother… if she was alive when I was lost or-"

She cut off suddenly and Zuko chanced a look at the two seated in the middle of the room. Iroh was casting a gentle look at Katara who had her head bent low, shadowing her face.

"I… I appreciate your interest Iroh, but may I be excused now?"

"Yes, of course and thank you for sharing that with me Katara."

The words had barely left his mouth before Katara had stood up and exited the room as quickly as she could without running.

When the door had shut softy behind her Iroh had caught Zuko's gaze from across the room.

"It is amazing, Nephew, at how much someone has to say if others will only listen."

Really, Katara could not figure out why there were trails of tears running down her face. As soon as she had exited Iroh's chambers, a veritable waterfall of tears had poured from her eyes. Truthfully, she had never imparted that much of her past to one person, at least not all at once. But she couldn't deny that there was something liberating in having someone actually sit back and listen.

It was almost like having a healing wound uncovered; yes there was a primary sting but actually acknowledging it rather than ignoring it alleviated the pain and lessened the heavy burden of hiding it.

However, Iroh's questions had reminded her of one of the most painful things in her life; she did not know her mother. She did not know her name, or her face or even if she was alive. From her dreams and memories Katara could assume that her father and brother loved and cared for her, and she knew they were once a part of her life, but to have no recollection whatsoever about her mother cut deeply.

With her eyes blurred with tears, Katara did not even see the body before her until she had bumped into it.

"Watch where you are going!"

Katara cringed inwardly as she recognised the haughty voice of Princess Azula. Blinking her eyes rapidly to clear them, Katara hesitantly met the wicked yellow gaze of the thirteen year old.

"Well if it isn't Mai's little cast-off. It's been a while since I've seen you about." She paused and took in the sight of Katara's puffy eyes. "It doesn't seem like you're enjoying life as a regular servant… perhaps you'd prefer to be my personal servant instead?"

"That won't be necessary." A new voice joined the conversation and Katara couldn't have thanked Renshu more for his timely intervention.

Azula glared at the intrusion. "I was merely suggesting it, after all she can't be happy if she's in tears all the time."

Renshu also took in Katara's tearful face before frowning slightly. "That? Oh that's just because we were chopping onions earlier."

"Chopping onions?" Azula sneered. "On the upper levels of the main palace?"

Renshu rolled his eyes and grinned winningly. "Of course not. We were down in the kitchens but Katara here had to come and get some fresh air to clear her head. Poor dear still gets a little lost, so I came to look for her, you know how it is."

Azula raised an eyebrow. "Quite." She swept her gaze over the two servants before her before leaving in the direction she was headed before Katara had interrupted her.

Renshu watched the princess' retreating back until it disappeared around a corner and then turned his attention to the sniffling girl before him.

"Right you, what's got you all teary?"

Katara shook her head and sighed. "Nostalgia I suppose." Seeing Renshu's confused look she smiled as best she could. "It's nothing, just me being an emotional sap."

Renshu squinted one of his chartreuse eyes. "So you're sure it wasn't General Iroh or Prince Zuko that made you cry? Luli told me that you'd been invited to Iroh's chambers and I saw Prince Zuko with him this morning so I assumed -"

"Renshu stop," Katara cut in. "It wasn't anyone else, I just faced some ghosts… that's all."

He looked suspicious for a moment more before grinning suddenly. "Well in that case come on, Jiaying's asked me to pick something up from the city for her. You may as well come along, it'll do you some good to get out of the palace walls for a while."

He linked his arm through Katara's as though they were eight year old girls and began tugging her back towards the servants' passages.

Katara found herself laughing silently at Renshu's efforts to cheer her up, but could not deny that they were working.

"Anyway," Her escort began. "What did you think about my brilliant on-the-spot excuse conjuring? Do you think I had Azula fooled with the whole onion thing?"

"Renshu… it sucked." Katara laughed outright at his affronted expression.

So summer came and went and I never updated… I'm sorry! Honestly I find it ironic that I find time to update as soon as college has started and not before.

I wasn't completely idle though, I planned a good majority of the story out and I now have a rough estimate of how long the story is going to be… and I predict it will be quite long. I have no idea if that is good news to you or not but I see the story as being two arcs, being separated by a brief intermission; and the first arc is probably going to be around twenty chapters alone… but don't quote me on that!

It's really anyone's guess at the final number of chapters but I hope you're in it for the long haul!

As for this chapter, I didn't enjoy it because I know that the next few chapters are much more eventful but it had to be done. I was going to include Katara and Renshu's trip into the city but I changed my mind and thusly the chapter is embarrassingly short… ah well.

Thanks to all those who leave me lovely reviews!