ARC 2: A War Divides Their People
DAY 14: Dynamic
Zuko is up and into his trousers before he's truly awake. Katara's scream rings in his ears, panic shoots through his chest at the realization that the tent is empty.
He pulls on his boots, leaps out the door and runs straight into a scruffy Earth Kingdom looking man. There is blood on his sword and cold anger in his eyes. There is no hesitation when the stranger attacks, either. Zuko dodges to the right, roasts the man with a blast of Firebending. He spares the body a moment, but turns his attention elsewhere very quickly.
His soldiers are stumbling out of their tents, armed to the teeth and moving as they have been trained. They engage their surprise attackers and Zuko is confident in their abilities. He wades through the fighting and screaming and death and finds Katara right in the center of it. Zuko stops short. He's never seen Katara bend offensively.
She's a terror.
Water dances around her, tinged with blood and slurry, like a deadly octopus and she is its master. Men attack and she whirls, ice and water leap to block and parry and kill. Zuko is so entranced he almost gets impaled.
"Stay still, will ya?!" his would be killer shouts.
It's an Earth Kingdom man, chewing at a stalk of grass and wielding twin hook swords. Zuko's own swords rest safely on top of his chests in the tent, precious Dao swords that he should have taken the time to retrieve. He firebends, forcing his opponent back and giving himself a few precious moments. The Earth Kingdom man disperses the fire with his blades and nearly slices off a limb.
Then, as if Agni has answered his prayers, one of his lieutenants shout.
"Here, sir!" she says, "Catch!"
Dual swords come flying through the air. Zuko catches them easily and sends a maelstrom at his opponent. The man curses, dodges, and emerges relatively unharmed. The two tangle swords, slashing and parrying and whirling.
The Earth Kingdom man is steadily cursing through their battle and Zuko has a hard time paying attention (there's something in him that needs to be beside Katara now).
In the end, it's Katara that finds him.
She surges between them, flinging men and weapons out of her bath. Zuko's opponent takes a step toward her, reaches out with his hook sword and then he's gone, flung away with a tsunami of water. There is a surprised shout and then the man crashes into a particularly rough patch of fighting.
"Are you alright?" she asks.
It's as if another woman is wearing her face, a warrior with fierce eyes and a grim mouth. It's stupidly arousing that this storm fueled woman has stopped to ask him if he's alright.
Zuko manages to blather something, but catching sight of the gash of her cheek forces his mind elsewhere.
"Are you hurt?" he says.
She shrugs, drawing more water from the slush around them. The liquid shivers, ready and willing to leap to the bidding of it's mistress.
"Zuko," she says and the Katara he knows surfaces for a brief moment, "I have to leave. You know that."
He swallows. Zuko should fight her, he should force her into chains. Azula would do it easily. Father would be proud, ecstatic even, if he presented Hakoda's daughter as his prisoner and personal concubine. He might even get to go home.
He staggers a single step forward, arm out-stretched to bend and then he stops. Panic blooms in his chest.
"I can't let you escape." his voice says from faraway.
She smiles sadly. "I know."
Katara attacks first.
A water whip moves through the air. His limbs, numb and clumsy, reach up to block. Steam. He fires back at her and she disperses it easily. They fight as in slow motion, as if he cannot believe that his happening. Something clicks and the world suddenly speeds up. He strikes and she blocks; she leaps and he follows.
They move in synch, trading brutal, balanced, equal blows. It's breathlessly exhilarating, like making love to her, only more aggressive and dynamic and perfect. They fight like demons and Zuko has never felt more alive. Katara smiles and he knows that she feels the same.
Except that he doesn't expect her to freeze his feet.
One moment, she stands before him and the next, Zuko sees stars. He wakes to a quiet night and knows that she is gone. She has abandoned him.
And yet he is surrounded by a stiff lattice of ice spears that extend in every direction for a least ten feet. Katara has hampered his pursuit, but all he can think of is one Water Tribe warrior constructing the only defense she knows around his prone body. She could have killed him, she could have left him to the mercy of their attackers and yet she didn't.
He'll never have a chance to thank her (or to kiss her goodbye). Zuko buries his face in his hands and swears that he will find her again.
Katara has run for hours.
Miles of rock and forest have crept by beneath her frantic boots, slapped at her aching feet. The sun is peeking over the mountains when she finally stops to rest.
She sits beside a racing river and heals her blistered feet. The journey she will make over the next few days will replace those blisters tenfold, but Katara does not think of this.
She fights back tears and nausea, exhaustion and freedom has come at such a great price she can hardly bear it.
She vomits beside the river, stomach heaving violently, painfully. At first, she thinks it must be her grief …or perhaps the toll of battle (this isn't the first time she's vomited after a fight). Maybe this is the last vestiges of her illness, much like the exhaustion and arching limbs that have returned to plague her.
But she can't fool herself; Katara knows better.
She touches her abdomen and tears finally break free.