"From the day you arrived I've remained on your side, in chains, entombed.
Placed inside, safe and sound." Entombed, Deftones.
Xx
The last week in Ba Sing Se was the most eventful week Katara had ever experienced. Meeting with the Earth King had definitely been a bust at first; they had managed to sneak into a party of his by disguising themselves as guests and servers, only to find out that Long Feng, the leader of the Dai Li, was the one truly in charge of the city, and that King Kuei was just a figurehead. Long Feng had threatened them to ensure their silence, and their plan to get the Earth King's forces behind them for the invasion was dead in the water. While trying to come up with a plan, they all took a much needed day off, and her and Toph had a spa day, which actually ended up being kind of fun. They had run into Jet, of all people, who had been brainwashed by the Dai Li, and once Katara had broken him out of his mind control, he had led them to the Dai Li's secret underground hideout beneath Lake Laogai where said brainwashing took place. He helped them finally find Appa, at the expense of his own life (Katara isn't stupid; she knows that his injuries were fatal), and in the process they had made themselves a primary enemy of the Dai Li and Long Feng.
Immediately following that, they had stormed the Earth King's palace, battling their way in to tell him the truth about the Dai Li, and about the war raging on outside the walls. Long Feng had protested the story they told about the Dai Li, and when they had gone to Lake Laogai to show Kuei the chambers underneath, the entrance was gone. Long Feng had tried to use that to prove that they were lying, but a large bite mark from Appa on his leg proved his guilt. They had to bring the Earth King to the outer wall to show him the enormous drill that Azula had breached it with for him to believe them fully about the Dai Li and the war, but eventually he realised the truth. The Earth King had ordered the arrest of Long Feng right there on the wall, and had assigned his Council of Five to discuss how best to help Aang and the others on the day of black sun.
Back at the palace, they learned that Long Feng had been collecting information on everyone in the city, and had also been intercepting mail addressed to the four of them. Katara and Sokka found out where their father was thanks to an intelligence report that placed him at the mouth of Chameleon Bay, and her heart had swelled in her chest at the news. Among the other hidden papers were a letter from Toph's parents requesting her visit to where they were staying in the city, and a letter to Aang from a guru at the Eastern Air Temple who could supposedly help him learn to control the Avatar state. And, before they had left their audience with the Earth King, a messenger had come with news that the Kyoshi Warriors were there to speak to Kuei as well. At this point things seemed to be going well, and the group was happy that something was finally going right in this damned city.
The next day, they decide that it's best if they split up for the time being. Aang will go to the Eastern Air Temple to meet the guru, Toph will go to see her parents, and Sokka will meet up with their father. Katara offered to stay behind to help King Kuei with the preparations for the invasion; she knows how much her brother misses their dad, and as much as she misses him too, she knows Sokka misses him even more. The two of them have always had a special bond, and Katara won't take the opportunity to see their dad away from Sokka. They have a group hug before they all part ways, and promise each other that they will meet back up soon. Aang and Sokka fly off on Appa, and Toph heads out into the city to find her parents. Katara decides it will be nice to pay a visit to Suki at the palace; it's been a while since she last saw the Kyoshi warrior, and they have a lot to catch up on. She walks into the palace, for the first time in a while feeling like her troubles are far away, and heads to the throne room where she assumes Suki will be. She enters the room and sees three Kyoshi warriors, and a wide smile breaks out on her face.
"Suki!" She starts running towards who she thinks is Suki, only to stop short when she notices that the girl's eyes are amber, not Suki's normal grey. Katara takes a step back, confusion a dark shroud over her face.
"Not quite, I'm afraid." The voice that comes out of the woman impersonating Suki sends a chill up Katara's spine. She knows that voice…
"Azula." She gets her water ready, but before she can attack, Ty Lee has jumped behind her and blocked her chi, rendering her arms useless.
"This should be fun." Azula stalks towards her, and a handful of Dai Li agents sweep silently into the room, apparently at her command now that Long Feng is in jail. "Throw her in the cave."
The Dai Li trap her hands and feet in rock, and take her down a few hallways before they open up a wall to reveal a secret passage. They throw Katara in, calling back their rock gloves as she slides down a chute, flinging off the end to land hard on the stone floor.
"Hey!" She runs back to the slide, but the passage she just came from is completely dark. "Let me out!"
Okay Katara, don't panic. She looks around the cavern she was thrown into; it's a large open space, lit only by the hundreds of glowing green crystals speckling the ceiling and the huge glowing stalagmites and stalactites that protrude from the ground and ceiling. She feels around the walls, trying to see if any of it feels softer or looser or something, there has to be a way out!
She's gone around the entire perimeter twice, and she can't find anything that resembles an exit, or any loose rock that could be blasted through with her water. Even if she had, she doesn't know if it would even lead her anywhere. Most likely, the cavern is encased by thick rock on all sides, leaving no way to escape. Her breaths come quicker, tears springing to her eyes as she sits down on the floor to try to catch her breath. Terror grips her, the walls feel like they are closing in around her as her tears fall down her face. She hugs her legs to her chest, lowering her face to brace her head on her knees, and closes her eyes. What am I going to do?
Xx
Zuko and his uncle walk proudly to the Earth King's palace. Soon after the incident with Jet, a man had come to Iroh offering him his own tea shop up in the middle ring. To Pao's dismay, his uncle had accepted, and The Jasmine Dragon had very quickly made a name for itself among the better-off citizens of the middle ring. Business had boomed, and Zuko had actually found himself enjoying the work and spending time with his uncle. The thought that maybe he could eventually build a life in this city had crossed his mind more than once, and since they were finally out of the poor lower ring, he had a greater chance of running into Katara if she was still in the city. He had gone looking for her a few different times with no luck, and he couldn't pretend that he wasn't disappointed. But yesterday afternoon, a messenger had come for Iroh holding a scroll from the Earth King himself inviting them to perform a tea ceremony for him. His uncle had been ecstatic, and Zuko had let his uncle's happiness wash over him like the warm rays of the sun at midday.
"I have imagined myself at these gates many times in my life..." He and his uncle stand at the large opulent gates to the palace. "But always as a conqueror, never as a guest. Destiny is a funny thing, my nephew."
"Yes." Zuko smiles at Iroh as the gates open. "It really is."
They walk up the grand staircase leading into the palace, a million thoughts running through Zuko's mind. I can't believe we're serving tea to the Earth King. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would be here, now, doing this, but like his uncle said; destiny is a funny thing. If a teenage Zuko had been told that this is where he would end up, whoever delivered the massage would have likely been thrown into the sea. They are led into the empty throne room and they prepare the tea, Zuko anxious, and Iroh calm as usual. The tea is set, and after a few minutes, the Earth King has yet to show up.
"Where is he?" Zuko whispers to Iroh, a funny feeling growing in his chest.
"Maybe the Earth King overslept?" It's a weak excuse, and as the feeling of unease in Zuko gets stronger, Dai Li agents appear from nowhere and start to form a circle around them.
"This isn't right. Something's going on here." Zuko's eyes narrow, as do Iroh's, as they try to assess the situation.
"Hello, Zuzu, uncle." Azula walks into the throne room, her stride confident and pompous, as if she herself should be sitting on the throne.
"Azula!" Zuko and his uncle jump up as men dressed like the two that had taken Jet away appear around them and press in closer.
"Have you met the Dai Li?" She wears a predatory smile, looking at them as if they're her prey and she's going in for the kill. "They're really very skilled earthbenders, although their killer instinct is so firebender."
"Have I ever told you about how I got the name "The Dragon of The West?" Zuko looks at his uncle out of the corner of his eye, noticing he is holding a cup of tea, his face passive and relaxed.
"Uhg, I really don't have time for one of your lengthy anecdotes, uncle." Azula looks bored, not realizing the mistake she's made by underestimating their uncle.
"It's more of a demonstration, really." Iroh shoots Zuko a look and takes a sip of tea, before spewing huge flames out of his mouth, turning in a circle to get the Dai Li out of the way. Zuko punches a massive ball of fire into the closest wall, creating a hole that him and his uncle jump through quickly. They run down the palace hallways, and Iroh stops to shoot some lightning at a wall marking the end of the corridor, blasting a hole in it that leads to the outside of the palace.
"Come on, Zuko!" his uncle yells as Zuko fights off the stone gloves the Dai Li are throwing at him to try to catch his ankles. Iroh jumps out of the hole and lands in some bushes, motioning at Zuko to jump as well. "You'll be fine!"
"No!" Zuko backs away from the opening, and turns around to face Azula. "I'm tired of running." He drops into a firebending stance, the warmth blooming in his chest a welcome heat after going so long without bending.
"You're so dramatic," his sister scoffs, not looking worried in the slightest. "What are you going to do? Challenge me to an Agni Kai?"
"Yes! I challenge you!" Determination flows through Zuko as he prepares to fight Azula.
"Hmm..." she puts her finger to her chin in mock indecision. "No thanks."
The Dai Li attack, throwing their rock gloves and large slabs of the floor at Zuko. He manages to hold them off until a pair of gloves knocks him off his feet, another one quickly trapping his hand as he braces it on the floor. The Dai Li manipulate his body with the help of their stupid rock gloves from hell and get his hands bound behind him and his feet trapped to the floor. They earthbend the floor beneath him to slide him along past a smirking Azula.
"Throw him in the cave."
She walks off as he is swiftly led down multiple different hallways by the Dai Li, struggling against his bonds even though he knows it's hopeless. I'm so stupid. Why didn't I just leave with uncle? Suddenly, the Dai Li open up a wall to reveal a dark hole, and Zuko has no time to act before they literally throw him into it, calling back the restraints and slamming the wall shut behind him as he slides down towards an ominous green glow.