Chapter 18: Starting To Fall
Prince Zuko was quick to catch Katara before her head could hit the hard packed dirt of the street and gently cradled her in his arms...
" Prince Zuko!" Iroh called as he ran to the young couple, " What happened?!"
" Katara saved everyone..." Zuko said, still in quite a bit of a shock himself...
" I've never seen such power before..." Ozi said in awe as he stood to his full hight, " Is she the Avatar?!"
" No... The Avatar is a twelve year old Airbender... She's a waterbender from the southern water tribe..." Zuko said quietly...
" She's certainly more then just your average waterbender..." Ozi said in awe...
" Forgive me if I sound rude..." Prince Zuko said suspiciously, " But who exactly are you?"
" No one important my dear boy..." Ozi said casually, " Perhaps you should take her back to the lady Ashira's house to regain her strength... You'll be seeing me again later..."
" Excuse me?" Prince Zuko asked.
" I suggest you pack for a very long journey... I'm sure you'll be making it in maybe a month or so... I just need to take care of some things first, then I will send for you..." Ozi said, making sure his hood effectively covered his face.
Iroh turned to the hooded figure, realizing at once that this was no stranger they were talking to, but as he was about to say something to reveal him, a hand on his shoulder stopped him...
" General iroh... The dragon of the west... You must be so proud of our nation's great prince..." Ozi said, unable to hide the slight bit of emotion in his voice, " Prince Zuko had enough honor to save this young woman, and she ended up saving all of us... Both of you must keep this young woman safe... The fire Lord will know first hand of her kindness and heroism... And of your honorable act as well... Dear prince..."
Before either iroh or prince zuko could say or do anything to stop him, the hooded figure disappeared in the shadows of a nearby ally... Once he was away from his son and his older brother, Ozi went over to Ashira's restaurant. Her little girl, Airra was very happy to see him, for recognized him the first time she'd seen him earlier that week...
" Hi Mr. Fire Lord!" Airra greated happily.
" Shhh!" Ozi said chuckling, " Remember, no one can know who I really am, I am Guzon..."
" Ok... But, when will you let people know who you are?!" Airra asked innocently.
" Once the war has ended, I will reveal who I am..." Ozi said smiling, he'd smiled so much more in that one week then he had in a very long time, " Some people don't like me because of what I'd done in the past."
" But your going to announce that the war is over?!" Airra asked excitedly.
" Yes... But first, there is someone I need to find..." Ozi said sadly, " I need to apologise to her and welcome her back home... It wasn't my doing that banished her... The council demanded me to..."
" It's ok..." Airra said happily, " She'll forgive you, once she sees how much you've changed for the better! And how nice you are!"
Ashira came in shortly after that and silently made her way to the kitchen so she could begin preparing the dough for her famous meat buns and sweet dumplings... Ozi had grown quite fond of the old woman and her little girl since he first found the quaint little restaurant earlier that week...
Meanwhile, prince Zuko had taken Katara back to his ship to allow her to rest more comfortable in his room... He had not looked in the mirror and didn't think much of it when he began feeling a tingling sensation in his face where he'd been burned so long ago... What really made him stop in his tracks though, was when the haze in his eye lifted and his ear that was burned suddenly opened, letting him hear sound for the first time since his banishment three years ago... Self conscious of his scar, prince Zuko walked over to his dresser where Katara had laid the mirror he'd given her and slowly picked it up, unsure why he had a sudden urge to see his reflection after so long... Expecting to see the same angry blood red scar as he had before, prince Zuko was shocked speechless when he looked in the mirror and saw not a blood red burned side of his face, but a nearly flawless face with just barely a tint of red! It looked no more than a simple birthmark! Prince Zuko turned and looked at the incredible young woman that lay on his bed, his heart swelling with admiration and... And love... Prince Zuko walked over to the bed and knelt beside it, taking Katara's hand in his...
" You have no idea how greatful I am to you..." Prince Zuko said, gently placing a kiss on her forehead, " I know now... There's no way I can ever let you go... I don't think I could survive without you..."
Katara blushed in her sleep, but did not awaken because she thought the sweet words her prince had said to her were mearly just a sweet dream...
Prince Zuko gently leaned in and gave her sweet slow lingering kiss on her beautiful pearly pink lips... She was truly an enchantress, for not only had she healed a great deal of his nation, but she'd healed his heart of all the hatred he'd felt over the years... She was a true healer indeed...
AUTHORS NOTES: I hope you all love this chapter as much as I do, I've got lots of plans for further chapters so happy reading everyone!😊