I know I said I wouldn't post again until I got back from vacation, but I just couldn't wait. Give me some wifi and I lose all sense of self control. Hehe Enjoy!
Chapter 14
Zuko and Katara sat together for a while in reflective silence, each one keenly aware of the other.
It was Katara who spoke first, breaking the quiet calm.
"So," she said, "if that was the first test..."
It took a moment for Zuko to grasp what she was saying. Sudden panic gripped him as he realized the impact of her words.
Katara watched as confusing emotions flickered across his face. His eyes widened as if in surprise and he jumped to his feet, releasing her hand.
"No! You can't do this!"
The anger in his voice frightened her. Katara stood up and reached out to him.
He pulled away from her and screamed to the heavens.
"This isn't fair! She's already been hurt!"
"Zuko, stop. You're scaring me."
Hearing her voice, he turned sharply and gripped her shoulders.
"Katara, listen to me! You don't have to do this! You can't!"
Suddenly, the scene changed as a hard wind blew over them. When it settled Zuko's fears were confirmed.
They were standing in a large hall. A rectangular raised platform dominated the room. Red and gold hangings lined the walls and large torches cast their flickering light.
They were in the center of the Agni Kai chamber.
Zuko looked down at Katara, whose eyes had widened as she recognized the insignia that adorned the largest banner and though she turned her head shooting glances in all directions, he remained fixed. This room had been forever burned into his mind.
"Come with me, Katara. We've got to get you out of here." Zuko said forcefully as he grabbed Katara by the arm and pulled her toward the massive doors that led out of the chamber.
It was then that the spirit Surat stepped out from behind a pillar.
"Well done." he said as he applauded them sardonically. "It seems you passed that test. Funny how our worst memories are never as bad as they could be. Thanks to you, Zuko, our beautiful little waterbender," he said pausing to stress each word almost indecently, "now knows exactly what happened that fateful day."
Hearing Surat refer to her so seductively, Katara stepped up closer to Zuko and put a hand on his back as if to draw courage from his presence. Zuko responded by stretching his arm back protectively to block her from the menacing spirit.
"And this little development," he continued motioning to the two as a malicious grin spread across his features, "will make this next test even more entertaining.'
"How dare you!" Zuko growled as he charged toward the spirit, his eyes blazing with the fury that refused to reach his limbs.
Surat merely flung his hand in Zuko's direction and the prince vanished from sight. Katara gasped at the empty space that Zuko had occupied.
"Now then, Katara." Surat said calmly as though nothing strange had occured.
Feeling suddenly exposed without Zuko's form to block her, Katara crossed her arms over her chest. and though she began to feel the icy grip of fear, her face hardened.
"Have any thoughts as to where we are?"
She did not respond. She refused to.
"Come now. No need to be shy," he chided her as if speaking to a child.
"I'm not." she said through gritted teeth." We are in one of his memories," she stated in a forced voice.
"Very astute" he said as he strode over to Katara. "but which one. Prince Zuko has so many lovely memories for me to chose from."
Katara's hands were now clenched in fists so tight that her nails dug into her palms.
"Koh was right, such a beautiful face." he said as he ran a finger across her cheek.
She jerked her face away from him and took a step back, her cheeks burning from the insult of his touch.
Surat dropped his gaze and allowed it to drift lazily over her form.
Katara glared back, refusing to be intimidated. She bent her knees slightly prepared to either run or fight. Right now, she preferred the latter. It gratified Katara to imagine that the icy daggers in her eyes were hurtling into the malevolent spirit.
Ignoring her look, Surat continued, "It really is too bad to waste such beauty."
With that he turned and was gone leaving Katara seemingly alone.
Zuko was hurled roughly across the Agni Kai chamber and into the seating area that ran the length of the arena.
Standing up, he found himself incased in a curtain of orange flames, but he could still discern Katara and Surat's shapes through the flickering fire.
Taking a deep controlled breath, he prepared to split the blaze. With his palms together and his arms outstretched he moved forward through the flames.
Sudden pain flared through his hands and the undersides of his forearms before he hit a barrier hidden within the fire. Jerking his arms back and stumbling away from the rippling wall, Zuko cursed himself for neglecting to remember that he was without his bending abilities.
Zuko took off his shirt, ripped it in two, and began to wrap the material around his now stinging fists and arms.
He was about to release his fury on the barrier when he heard Surat's voice through the crackle of the flames that surrounded him. Zuko remained still as he listened to the conversation. His eyes narrowed and flashed dangerously as he watched Surat move closer to Katara, but when Surat touched her...
In an explosion of rage, Zuko unleashed his assault upon the fiery wall. He punched through the flames only to feel his fists slam into the invisible obstruction. He beat at the wall until his knuckles bled and the material surrounding them was blackened and smoldering.
He relented in his attack on the barrier just long enough to peel the charred cloth from his skin.
Breathing hard from his exertion, Zuko noticed that Katara was now alone. That meant the test would begin soon.
Time was running out.
Ignoring the flames, he launched another assault upon the fire wall, but as his naked fists made contact, Zuko felt a strange pulling sensation and his vision darkened. Shaking his head he tried to dispel the annoyance. As he looked around the room it seemed that his vision came in and out of focus. Glancing down at his injured hands, he realized that it wasn't his vision that was losing focus. It was the room.
No. this can't be happening.
"NO!"
Katara looked around the now empty chamber.
She remembered when Surat had thrown her across the ice and trapped her in an icy enclosure.
Could Zuko still be here?
Hope flared within her and she instantly began to search for signs of, well, she didn't know what to look for exactly, but that didn't stop her.
After a few moments, Katara discerned an orange glow cast upon the floor off to the side of the chamber. Stepping off the platform she rushed over to where she had seen the apparition. She hesitantly reached out and felt something solid blocking her hand from passing through the seemingly empty air. Now with both hands she felt along the invisible barrier.
This was it.
She stepped back from the wall and with fierce determination, she took her stance. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In a flash of motion, she spun around with her fists clasped together in front of her. Her hair whipped around her and as her back faced the wall, she slammed her elbow into the barrier with all of her strength. The momentum of her spin intensified the force of the blow. The wall shattered like glass around her.
The orange flames licked her back and cast an eerie light across the room before dissipating. Her hope extinguished as quickly as the flames when she realized Zuko was not inside.
"Zuko?" she said, her voice no more than an anguished whisper. The comfort she had felt at knowing he was just beyond that wall left her as she rubbed her elbow gingerly.
In her haste to find and free Zuko, she hadn't noticed the appearance of another person in the room until a gentle hand made contact with her shoulder.
She turned quickly and was surprised to be looking into a face she recognized. It was Zuko's uncle. Though his face wore a brave smile, the apprehension in his eyes was apparent.
"Come. It is time to get ready."
Not knowing what else to do, she followed his lead into a small side room.
"Is there anything you need before I go?"
Katara was about to ask him what was happening, but he continued.
"Don't forget to kneel. Don't rise before you hear the gong. Don't forget to breathe." Iroh stated in quick succession.
The old man's nervousness was begin to set Katara on edge.
"Remove your robe and rub this onto any exposed flesh. It will protect your skin from the small burns of deflected fire."
Deflected fire?
Okay, she was definitely getting nervous now.
"I have to go now. Be careful, Prince Zuko. Remember your basics."
Prince Zuko? Oh right, this is his memory.
With that the man clapped her on the back and left the room.
Katara looked around the empty room feeling unnerved and anxious. Deciding it was probably best to follow the man's advice, she untied her robe and discarded it to a nearby chair. Then, taking some of the strong smelling balm, she began to apply it to her skin.
Her mind raced as she tried to prepare herself for what might happen.
Surely it couldn't be worse than what she'd just been through; first the spider snake attack and then witnessing her mother's murder. the memory shot another pang of grief through her. But she'd survived both of those.
Only because of Zuko, she realized with a start.As a wave of panic threatened to crash over her, she struggled to force herself to remain calm.
The door opened and orange light flooded in. She squinted at the figure now silhouetted in the doorway.
"It is time."
The man turned and Katara caught sight of the chamber beyond. It was now filled with spectators. She followed him out of the room and up the stairs of the platform. He turned her around and instructed her to kneel. Then the man draped a red sash over her shoulders.
As Katara knelt down, she looked out into the crowd and was surprised to see several faces that she recognized. She saw Zuko's uncle first. His expression was unreadable, but his hands were clasped tightly in front of him. Next to him, Admiral Zhao was looking upon her with loathing. Her muscles tensed before she realized the glare was not for her, but for Zuko.
Katara also noticed a fierce looking girl in the crowd who looked strangely familiar. With a start, Katara realized this was one of the girls she and her friends had faced in Omashu, though the girl here looked several years younger. As Katara regarded her, the girl's eyes focused upon her. The girl's gaze held nothing but contempt and disgust.
While Katara was still wondering over the hostility of the crowd, she was startled by an alarming sound - the sound of a gong.
Author's Notes
Thank you so much to my loyal readers. I'm so glad I get to share this story with you.
If you have been following this story, please, please leave a review. I reply to all of them. I just want to know who's out there.
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Also thank you to pinklen98. Your reviews may be short, but they are plenteous. : )
Wren Sharpbeak, AlinaAlone, Jordana Kari, and Lucrezia6565, thank you so much for reading my story and for your support.
my chemical zutara, mleaned, come-by-chance, inufan155687, zutara lover, zulika, Bonnie, OveractiveImagination39, too lazy to log in, mleaned, and GirlCat817, you guys are wonderful. I'm so glad you found my story.
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Special thanks go to TiffanyV, my sister and beta. You make this story better for all of us.