"Katara," a voice called. It sounded far off. "Katara, wake up."

Katara forced her eyes open and looked up. It hadn't been a dream. As she focused her eyes, she saw darkness until torches around the room were lit suddenly, blinding her temporarily. She blinked and looked around again. Her wrists were chained to pillars on either side of her and her hands were bound of movement. She slowly steadied herself on her feet, which wasn't easy. Koun must have drugged her while she was out. Across from her was a cell. Inside was her team. It looked like Zuko had been trying to get her to wake up.

A door creaked open and her least favorite person came in. "I'm glad to see you're up and comfortable," Koun said.

"I'm awake," she said, "But I'm far from comfortable. What do you want from me?"

Koun didn't answer her question. He stopped in front of her. He tilted her face up and smiled. "You're quite beautiful, even with the bruises Gerard gave you," he said. "I think I'll keep you as my slave after everything is done here." He tried to lean in for a kiss, but Katara brought her leg up and kicked him in the groin. She heard some cheering from the cell as he doubled over, but her victory was short lived.

Koun straightened and punched her in the stomach, making her gasp. The next thing she knew, she was unshackled and she fell to her knees. She reached for her knives, but they were all gone. Even the ones in her underthings. She should have rolled away for a hard boot connected with her side, sending her sprawling against a wall. She barely had time to curl into a ball before the kicks became harder.

She heard yelling and metal bars being shook from her team. Katara heard fire blasts and bet that Zuko was trying to melt the cell. But Koun was no idiot. He must have made it out a heat resistant metal or alloy.

Katara bit her lip so she wouldn't cry out, tasting blood on her tongue, but a whimper escaped as a kick landed on her ribs. She was too groggy from the drug to react to anything. But not enough that she didn't feel the pain. And, even if there was water around, she doubted she could bend any. At least, with that, she could hold onto her cover a bit more.

General Koun grabbed her hair and hauled her to her feet. He liked to be in control and used too much force when trying to gain control. Katara had a split lip and still weak, but she gathered enough energy to spit in his face. He back handed her, sending her to the ground again.

"Leave her alone!" Zuko yelled, rattling the cell's door. Katara wanted to smile at him, but she was having a hard enough time collecting her breath.

The general laughed mirthlessly. "How ironic," he said. "You love her and she was to betray you." He turned to Katara, who had made it to her hands and knees. "I must say, when they said you had a spy deep undercover, I never knew you'd hold on to the farce for so long." He crouched in front of her. "I wonder if you will tell everything if I wound you farther."

He made a fireball appear in his hand and grabbed her arm with his free hand. Koun drew the flame closer to her arm and the smell of burning flesh began to fill the air. Katara screamed and struggled, trying to get away from the flame. But Koun had too much of a grip on her.

"Stop it, you bastard!" Zuko cried, joined in by the rest of the squad's yells.

"Be a man! Fight us, not her!"

"Pick on someone your own size!"

Zuko heated his hands on the metal, trying to melt them with no avail. "Hurt me, not her!" he cried.

Koun paused in his torture and stood, letting Katara go. She slumped forward until her forehead touched the cold stone. She cradled her burnt arm to her middle and felt tears falling down her face.

"Yes," the general said. "Maybe that will get you to talk." He turned on his heel and he made his way to the cell. His fireball grew bigger and started to become a whip.

Katara looked up and saw Koun's next target. Zuko. She forced her back straight and yelled, "No!" Koun stopped and looked at her, eyebrow raised. Katara swallowed. To save the ones she loved, she'd have to betray them. "I'll talk. Just don't hurt them."

The general smiled his sickening smile and said. "Alright. I'll ask you some questions and I want you to answer truthfully." Katara nodded, catching the gaze of Zuko. She wanted to explain herself to him and willed him to read it in her eyes. She saw confusion in his eyes and it stabbed her like a knife.

"Who are you?" Koun said so everyone could hear.

Katara gritted her teeth. "My name is Katara."

"Where are you from?"

She swallowed. "From the South Pole Water Tribe." She saw hurt, anger, and betrayal join the confusion in Zuko's eyes.

"Why were you sent to the Fire Nation?" Koun asked, walking behind her. He was taking too much pleasure in her pain. This had been his original plan, all along. He had wanted her to tell her loved ones just how and why she had betrayed them. He wanted to see them all suffer, the sicko that he was. And it was working. She saw the pain on everyone's faces.

Katara focused on her lover's eyes. "I was to join the Fire Lord's elite guard and kill him to cross over into womanhood for my tribe."

Koun leaned forward and said, practically in her ear, "Were you to seduce him if it were necessary?"

Katara felt more tears fall down her face, but kept it out of her voice. "Yes." Zuko slammed his fist into the cell bars. His eyes were flashing anger and he was starting to smoke. "But I didn't make love to you because of the assignment, Zuko!" she said quickly, hoping he'd understand. "I did it because I lo-" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence because she was shoved forward.

She landed on her burnt arm and let out a scream of pain. And not just from her arm. It felt like she had a few cracked ribs, as well.

"I don't need to hear any hopeless romantic crap," Koun said, disgust in his voice. He lifted her up by her shoulders and forced her back into the shackles. She didn't fight him. She'd given up her fighting will when she'd seen the hollow look in Zuko's eyes when he looked at her. As if looking through her. She'd lost him and it was all her fault and doing.

"I'll jut leave you all to have a nice chat," Koun practically sang as he walked out of the room. The torches were still burning, showing her team's faces. Only Jack and Gawain tried to give her encouraging smiles, but those were still weak. Katara felt blackness close over her and she let it. Anything to let her escape the disappointed look in the rest of their eyes.

The door opened once more. Katara looked up, expecting that snake Koun. But it was Gideon, the captain who had apologized to her for his recruit's idiocy. He walked past the cell and stopped in front of her. He looked her up and down, hate and curiosity written on his features.

She spoke before he said anything. "I know you want to destroy me, Gideon," she said low enough for just him to hear. "But, instead, I want to call in that favor you promised me."

Gideon looked like he would rather go swimming in razors than fulfill a promise made to her. But it was his word of honor and he couldn't back down. He crossed his arms and sighed. "What do you want of me? He asked disdainfully.

Katara looked up and put a soft smile on her lips. Tears started threatened to come, but she'd cried enough today. The shackles had cut into her burnt arm and she thought her ankle had been twisted during the torture. But she would be strong. She only had her pride left. And even that had its limitations, now that she was loosing hope.

"I know you hate me," she began. "And I know Zuko and the others hate me. But promise me that you will help them get to safety."

That surprised Gideon. His eyebrows shot up. "Why should you care?" he asked. And he sounded genuinely curious.

Katara laughed weakly. "You won't believe me, but I love them. I don't want them to suffer or get hurt when I'm dead."

Gideon's angry mask broke for a second. "You're not scared?" he asked.

"Oh, I am. But I also accept that I'm going to die. Either by Koun's hand or by Zuko's once he gets out of here and all of this becomes known. I shall die. I just want everyone else safe."

Gideon stared. "You sound certain of that. What if they don't kill you?"

Katara smiled. "Then I will be blessed, indeed. I'll know that Ethna was watching over me and heard my prayer." She met his gaze. "But you and I both know that it is unlikely. Promise me you'll help them escape? On your honor."

He blinked slowly. Then, he pulled out his dagger and said, "I, Captain Gideon of His Fire Lord's military, promise to help the Nonpareils and the Fire Lord escape and come to no harm. On my honor."

Knowing that Gideon was going to take care of them, Katara relaxed, straining her arms against the shackles. She hissed in pain and braced her feet. She looked up at Gideon, sweat forming on her face, and nodded. "Thank you, Gideon. I will always remember this."

The captain nodded, turned, and left. Jack and Gawain pressed against the bars on the cell, staring at her. The rest of the group was leaning against the wall. They couldn't get far enough away from her, it seemed.

Jack was the first to speak. "What do you mean 'I shall die'?" he asked, drawing everyone's attention up.

Katara forced a smile. "You didn't think I'd live forever, did you? I mean, everyone's got to die."

"Yeah, but you're not suppose to die here," Gawain said. "In this creepy dungeon. We're suppose to bust out, kill the bad guy, and go home to drink down fire whisky and see everyone acting drunk and stupid."

Katara laughed, wincing as it jostled her injured rib. "You guys can do that and make fools out of yourself. I won't be there," she said. She saw the rest of her group moving forward. They were probably not believing their ears.

The sound of footsteps in a corridor drew her attention to the door. The door swung open and Koda walked in. He was carrying a sword in his hand and his eyes were cold as they settled on her. He advanced, bringing the sword up. Her squad yelled something, but she didn't hear any of it. All she could see was their faces, fearing for her.

She couldn't believe she was so calm. She should be terrified, but she wasn't. Katara just watched as the sword began to descend. She looked over at her team, meeting Zuko's eyes. "I love you," she said clearly, before she felt the metal slice through her chest.

The yelling faded in her ears and all she saw then, was Zuko's tear streaked face before black nothingness covered her sight.