Chapter Eleven

"This is a good place to rest for the night," Zuko said, setting down the rucksack he'd made using the tarp.

Katara looked around, skeptical. Their "camp" rested on a slight incline, and the trees were too tightly packed, meaning that if any of them wandered too far, they'd have a hard time finding their way back. There was also no river or pond that could serve as a water source, though she suspected that was more because they didn't want her to have access to an entire river at night, when she'd be more powerful. Whether or not they believed she intended to stay until Aang came to find her, it made sense for them to keep her away from large bodies of water.

She didn't plan to escape, but if things got bad, she could. She didn't need an entire river to fight them. The water in the canteens would be enough.

"I'm going to climb this tree and look for signs of nearby villages," Zuko said, quickly scaling one of the budding deciduous trees.

"And I am going to start making dinner," Iroh said, giving her a genial smile. "I think a little pine-needle tea might be just the thing for tonight."

"Pine-needle tea?"

Iroh nodded. "Normally, I only use pine needles as a last resort, but I have found that the pine trees I find in the northern part of the Earth Kingdom make fine tea. If you don't have anything better, that is." Seeming unconcerned, he turned his back and wandered over to a towering pine tree a dozen paces from where Zuko had tossed down the tarp.

Feeling odd just standing there, Katara unfolded the tarp and laid it flat on the ground, where it could be used as a mattress, albeit a poor one. Hopefully there was enough in Zuko's budget to buy sleeping gear at the next village. Finished with that, she started gathering up firewood, wondering if she even needed to bother, considering that she was traveling with a pair of firebenders. Thirty paces away, Iroh sang a tune about the four seasons, his voice rumbling pleasantly through the woods.

It was all so . . . normal.

Zuko descended the tree, glancing at his uncle, then at her. His expression indicated that he was displeased that she'd been left mostly unattended, but he didn't say anything. "There's a river about a quarter mile north of here," he said, studying her. She kept her expression smooth. "Your second condition was that you wanted to bathe."

"That's right."

"We'll finish setting up camp and go to the river as a group."

She snorted. "Afraid I'll run away?"

"I know you plan to escape at your first reasonable opportunity. I'm not stupid."

"Zuko, my 'first reasonable opportunity' to escape was when we reached the shore. I could have used my waterbending to freeze you in a block of ice and cut the ropes using the first sharp thing I found." She looked at him evenly. "I'm not going to try to escape. And I'd really prefer you don't watch me while I bathe."

"You're still our prisoner," he said softly, eyes narrowed to slits. "Don't forget that."

I don't intend to. "Fine," she snapped. "Follow me if you have to. Enjoy the show." She stalked off toward the river, seething. It wasn't like she hadn't expected this, but it still embarrassed her to even think about the fact that he'd be seeing her mostly naked. She also desperately had to go to the bathroom, which would be equally uncomfortable. Maybe more so.

They reached the river a few minutes later, which made her think that Zuko's estimate that it had been a quarter mile away was inaccurate—it would be closer to an eighth of a mile, given the time it had taken to reach it. As she reached the water's edge, she wordlessly slid out of her coat and hung it on one of the nearby branches. When Zuko started removing the under-armor he'd been wearing, she froze. "What are you doing?"

"I haven't exactly had a chance to bathe recently either," he said.

"So your solution is to bathe with me?"

He exhaled sharply. "All I want is to capture the Avatar. Believe me, I couldn't be less interested in watching you bathe."

"Sure you aren't."

"Did you learn to be this condescending in your little village, or do you just use your body to play with people naturally?"

She gasped, stunned. And furious, she realized as the insult sank in. She growled, raising both arms and bringing up a wave of water. It smashed into Zuko as he was about to untie his topknot, pulling him into the river. Not giving him a chance to recover, she froze the water around him, pinning his arms in their outstretched position so that he could only wiggle his hands uselessly, shooting little bursts of fire from his fingertips as his icy prison floated down the river. "Come back here! Unfreeze me!"

Katara huffed, stripping down and sliding into the chilly water so she could use the sand at the bottom of the river to scrub the dirt and grime away. Zuko floated downstream, still shooting up little tufts of fire. Some of the ice had already started to melt, but he'd have to work for a few more minutes to get free, she thought.

Content, she washed her hair and skin, then briefly left the water to relieve herself before Zuko could come charging back here. When he didn't return after a quarter hour, she began to wonder if he'd drowned. Wouldn't that be convenient? she thought acidly, still bitter about his remark. Using her body to play with people . . . Who did he think he was? Who did he think she was?

Since he hadn't come back, she took the time to wash her clothes, which smelled foul after a week of continuous use. Even her coat was grungy. She'd just finished bending the water out of her underclothes and putting them on when she caught sight of Zuko stalking along the bank, his face contorted with rage. "You threw me into the river."

"And?"

He blinked, thrown off by her reply. Had he really expected her to be afraid of him because he was shouting? Did he think she was still the little girl he'd chased around the world?

"You threw me into the river," he repeated.

"Yes, we've established that." With her bending, she pulled the water from her day clothes and finished dressing. "I'm done with my bath, so I'm going to head back to camp. I'm sure your uncle will have some tea ready for us." She grabbed her coat and siphoned the water trapped in its fibers back into the river, leaving Zuko behind. He started cursing behind her, throwing up fireballs that would undoubtedly attract the notice of any nearby Earth Kingdom citizens. While she'd decided to stay with him until Aang could find her, she certainly wouldn't be upset if Zuko ran into a little trouble with the Earth Kingdom.

"Welcome back," Iroh said as she reached the camp. "I've just finished making that tea."

"That's great." She sat down next to the campfire, using her coat as a cushion, and allowed Iroh to pour her a cup from the tin teapot he'd acquired somewhere. "Where did you get the cups?" she asked.

"I may have borrowed them from the rescue ship. Along with the teapot. Do not worry—I left plenty to go around."

She waited for Iroh to take a sip of his own tea, then tried hers. It had a fresh taste to it—pine needles tasted like they smelled, apparently—and she quickly drained her cup. "This is good."

"The key to brewing good tea is patience," Iroh said. "You must allow it to steep long enough for the flavor to spread through the water."

Patience, she thought, closing her eyes. All I need to do is be patient, and eventually, Aang will find me.

Zuko returned to camp half an hour later, showing no signs of the temper tantrum he'd thrown when she'd left the river. Wordlessly, he sat next to the fire, allowing his uncle to pour him a cup of tea, which he drank without the slightest twitch of his face. It was only about half an hour later that he spoke. "Uncle, would you mind getting us more firewood?"

His uncle looked a bit puzzled by the request, but got up and headed out into the woods without question. The exchange made Katara wonder who was really in charge. Zuko seemed too hotheaded, but Iroh's passiveness and wisdom made him seem more like an advisor than a leader, though she suspected he could lead, if he had to.

"I'm sorry about what I said back at the river," Zuko said stiffly, staring into the fire. "It was uncalled for."

The apology was so unexpected that she could only stare. He's . . . apologizing? To me? Why? What does he hope to gain from that? "Well . . . I guess it was a little petty of me to freeze you in a block of ice and send you downriver. Not to say you didn't deserve it," she added quickly. "Just so we're clear."

He nodded, pouring more tea for himself and drinking it despite the fact that steam was still rising from the top of the cup. Firebenders. Honestly.

"You didn't try to escape," he said after a long moment. "Why?"

"Like I said, sticking with you is my best chance of finding Aang. As much as I'd love to see you drown, you are pretty good at tracking us down."

"Yeah, I guess. Doesn't seem to matter, though. Every time I come close to capturing him, he evades me. Every time I use one of you against him, he finds another solution."

"He's an airbender. That's how he thinks." She fell silent, resting her chin on her arms as she stared at the fire. "You'll never be able to keep him restrained."

"I only need him restrained long enough to get him into the Fire Nation."

"And then what?" she demanded. "Are you going to let him go?"

"No," he said irritably. "I'll get my honor back. My father will restore my title as crown prince. Then the Avatar will be someone else's problem."

"Right." She infused the word with as much mocking disbelief as she could fit into a single syllable. "That doesn't sound likely to backfire at all."

"You don't know anything," Zuko said, standing up and walking over to the tarp. "If you're not going to try to escape, I'm not going to bother keeping an eye on you. Goodnight."

That must be the most insincere "goodnight" I've ever heard, she thought, scowling. "Goodnight."

When Iroh returned fifteen minutes later with a bundle of kindling, Katara laid her coat out on the ground and went to sleep.