Chapter 1: Cruel Fate
Aang watched in terror as Katara's limp body hit the water below... Sokka and Toph were both crying hard for thier dead friend...
" We have to go after her!" Toph exclaimed, " We can't let her die!"
" Toph... She's gone..." Sokka choked, " We have to get to safety..."
Toph nodded, tears streaming down her face as they left thier friend and sister to rest forever in the blue blue depths below... Katara looked up with tears in her eyes as she watched her friends and family disappear over the harizon.
" I'm sorry to deceive you..." Katara choked out in pain, " But you all must stay safe... It's better if you guys think I'm dead..."
" Indead it is, my beauty..." A deep sinister voice said from close to her.
Katara painfully turned her head and froze in fear at what she saw coming towards her... Commander Zhou, swimming silkily through the glassy water with the predatory grace of a eel shark... Panicked by his melevolent presence, Katara began to splash and flail her arms in an attempt to get away, but her legs refused to listen... Zhou smiled as he grabbed ahold of her and summoned his men to help haul them up to the deck.
" You and I are going to have a lot of fun my dear..." Commander Zhou said, laughing darkly.
Consumed with fear and pain, Katara's world went black...
Meanwhile, Prince Zuko was furiously pacing the deck of his ship... Commander Zhou had sent a messenger hawk to him, explaining in fine detail that he was no longer allowed to persue the Avatar, and his exhile from the fire nation was now permanent... Anger fueled his actions as he blasted several fireballs into the side of his room...
" Damn that stupid commander Zhou!" Zuko screamed as angry tears threatened to spill over.
Just them, Prince Zuko felt a warm presence come up behind him and a warm hand was laid on his shoulder reassuringly... Prince Zuko turned and saw the sympathetic look in his Uncle Iroh's eyes...
" Prince Zuko, you must not let Commander Zhou get to you. You can still capture the Avatar and be allowed to go home..." Iroh said gently, " All is not lost..."
" All is lost Uncle..." Zuko said sadly, " I have a death sentence on both our heads if we return to the fire nation... Weather we have the Avatar or not, we won't be able to make it there without being struck down..."
Iroh sighed sadly.
" Still, my nephew, you must be strong... A home isn't a home, unless you share it with the people who love you..." Iroh said smiling sadly.
" I know Uncle... I'd be happy to live anywhere as long as you are with me... I wish you were my father instead of fire Lord Ozi..." Prince Zuko said sadly.
" I know, my nephew... Look on the bright side! Perhaps we can find you a young lady friend! I'm not getting any younger,you know! I want grand kids someday!" Iroh laughed loudly as Prince Zuko turned red...
" Uncle!" Zuko said embarrassed, " No one would ever want me!" Prince Zuko said sadly.
Iroh sighed softly, but said nothing as he patted his back and walked away... Prince Zuko still had anger and bitterness towards the Avatar, but he couldn't help but grin as he thought of the boys antics. For a child, he was quite clever. And the young lady he was traveling with... She was quite a beautiful woman... At fourteen years of age, she was an amazing girl from the southern water tribe. He'd caught her alone on several occasions practicing her bending. Too captivated to capture her, he simply watched as she gracefully danced over the service of the water... The small lake had a lovely waterfall cascading into it, adding even more beauty to the alluring sight... He'd purposely put off capturing the Avatar, just so he could continue seeing the girl... Unbeknownst to him, iroh was watching him as well... Iroh had chuckled and watched as Zuko snuck off at the slightest splashing sound... A while later, iroh snuck over beside Prince Zuko yet again, intent on teasing the young boy about his growing infatuation with the waterbender...
" Thinking of that pretty little water Bender are you?!" Iroh asked with a twinkle in his eye...
Not hearing his uncle sneak up behind him, Prince Zuko jumped and blushed at having been caught...
" Of course not!" Zuko said angrily, " I was thinking about how great it would be to just kill the stupid kid, just to get under Zhou's skin!" Zuko said grinning darkly.
" I don't think you would ever hurt a fly... Let alone a child prince Zuko... I've seen how careful you are each time you battle with the Avatar and his friends..." Iroh said smiling warmly, " You take after your mother... You inherited her kindness of heart..."
Zuko blushed, but couldn't help but smile fondly as he remembered his mother... It warmed him to hear his uncle say these things, for in truth, he'd much rather take after his mother, not his father... Prince Zuko sighed heavily...
' Uncle has a point... No matter how irritating the Avatar and that water wimp was to me, I don't think I'd ever be able to hurt anyone... Especially the girl...' Prince Zuko thought to himself... ' I wonder how she's doing right now...'
Little did Prince Zuko know, what terrible danger the girl was in at this very moment...