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A few weeks later, Katara sat by Zuko on one side of the desk in Ozai's office. He sat on the other leaning back in his chair and chuckling. "Katara, I have a mission for you and take someone with you. I want to make sure you stay honest. You will welcome our new guests," his lip curled on that final word. He unmistakably didn't consider the newcomers to be welcome.

Katara dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands. She had a feeling it was going to be bad. When Zuko met her outside of the office door, he looked stricken. His attempt to whisper to her was thwarted when Ozai flung open the door.

It was worse than she thought. "Chief Hakoda is here with demands. He thinks he has something of value to me. What that is, remains to be seen." He drummed his fingers on the desk and said, "show him that a water peasant is spreading her legs for my son. I'm hoping it puts him in his place." All she could think of was it would work so much better than he knew. "My guards will escort you. Find someone to go in and help you."

She ignored her bleeding palms and stood and bowed to Ozai; she didn't say anything. She didn't think she could, with any composure. Katara knew he didn't require a response, so it wouldn't look odd.

"Zuko," Ozai added, "do you trust her not to run away now that she has her own people here?"

She was halfway to the door, and it instantly made sense why he had called Zuko too. He wanted to taunt him. Katara looked back and said, "I find I have a taste for Fire Nation sausage." She smirked and added, "and, if the Madam was right on her instruction about size, I won't find anyone else as big as him." She then walked out and closed the door.

When she exited, she saw Aya eyeing her nervously and heading over to her. "May I be of service?"

Perfect, Katara thought; out loud, she said, "I need to welcome Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe, and Ozai requested I take someone with me. Will you come along?"

"I would be happy to," Aya replied. They then made their way toward the suite of rooms at the far side of the palace with the guards escorting them.

Katara managed to whisper, "I'm hoping I can really trust you." Aya nodded slightly. "You need to hide your shock."

The guard closer to them barked out, "what are you whispering about?"

Without missing a beat, Katara replied, "I was telling her I informed Ozai what a giant dick Zuko has. I didn't think you needed to be let in on that fact about your prince. Or do you find that interesting?" Aya couldn't help herself; she started giggling.

When they arrived at the room, Katara spun and looked at the guards. "Thank you for escorting us through the hall. I do manage to get attacked in them quite often."

They looked at her stupidly and turned and walked away. Aya smirked and whispered, "I can't believe that worked."

Katara scoffed, "Ozai doesn't like guards that can think for themselves. He believes it makes them untrustworthy."

"It also makes them easily manipulated."

"True."

Aya asked, "now, what is going to shock me?"

"Chief Hakoda is my father." That got a gasp out of her. "I didn't want them nearby to overhear the yelling."

She then turned and opened the door, and Aya quickly followed.

Zuko was pacing his room. He knew Katara wouldn't run off on him; that threat from his father didn't phase him. What did worry him was Chief Hakoda and his reaction.

There was a knock on his door, and that surprised him; he was getting used to people just walking in. "Enter!"

It was Haru who opened the door and quickly closed it after himself. "Everyone looked so stone-faced. I assume there is a problem. Aya made sure to be close by once we heard you were both called to Ozai's office. She's with Katara now."

Zuko sat heavily on the couch. "Well, there's one problem diverted."

"I understand that you don't know you can trust me, but-"

"If I can't trust you and Aya on this, it's too late now. She's about to witness… Crap, I'm worried about how this is going to go." Zuko shook his head and said, "my father wants to rub it in the face of Chief Hakoda that my mistress is from the Southern Water Tribe. It's about to work better than he knows. Katara is Hakoda's daughter."

Haru sat in a chair facing Zuko. "You're kidding me! She's… Wow, she's not a peasant, after all." He shook his head in amazement. "He's gonna be pissed." he then blushed, "sorry, not helpful."

"My mind keeps running through worst-case scenarios. Her fear is that my father will find out and rape her as revenge against Chief Hakoda. I fear that too, and Hakoda trying to kidnap her and take her away from me."

"If that becomes a real threat, tell your father they want to embarrass him by stealing your mistress. He doesn't have one, so going after yours would be the biggest blow."

Zuko nodded, "you're right. I can do that."

"And," Haru added, "he might be pissed, but he'd hardly tell Ozai. He's not going to get his daughter attacked."

"I hope you're right. He might be out of his mind with anger, though. It was a member of the Fire Nation military that killed his wife, her mother."

Haru grimaced. "Okay, that's… Sorry I have nothing for that. Well, other than to trust Katara. Aya will keep her secret, and Katara can fight for herself. She stabbed Mai –with her own knife! And convinced your father that she was in the right."

Zuko did smile at that, "true. I simply know that whatever happens will be hard for her at best."

"I can tell she loves you, and if Aya is to be believed, love makes even the hard things better. Fighting for the one you love –that matters."

Zuko looked steadily at Haru, "shit. If you betray me, it's going to hurt. I find I like you."

"I love Aya, and I keep trying to put off my mother every time she tries to arrange a marriage. Can you trust self-interest? I think you're motivated to find a way to marry from the harem. I have the same goal and no chance at the power to change that. I see you have that chance. I would do anything to help you."

Katara stepped into the suite of rooms and found herself in a plush sitting room, followed by Aya. One of the water tribe warriors shouted out, "Chief, get out here. They sent two sexy women to welcome us." He then turned to Katara and Aya, "how just how welcome are you sexy women going to make us feel?" Then he licked his lips in a way he thought was seductive. "I would be happy to take either of you."

Katara sneered at him. "Taqtu, you're an idiot. You held me the day I was born."

"Katara?" a stunned Hakoda said, stepping out of his room. "Why the hell are you wearing Fire Nation clothes?"

"Long story short, you abandoned us, and shit happens." Katara hissed.

"I didn't abandon you! I think about you every day, and I ache so badly at night from missing you and your brother! I love you both so much it's almost crippling sometimes. Not a day goes by that I don't miss you."

"Eleven years went by, Father. Eleven long years where mom was dead, and you were gone. Did it even occur to you that I was only eight? My mommy was slaughtered, and my father went away. I was so angry with her for dying in my place! If I had died like I was supposed to, Sokka would have grown up with his father, and the Tribe would have had their Chief. You would have stayed for mom!" Katara was shocked about all the anger that had come spilling out of her. It didn't stop her, though. "And you left me unprotected from the Fire Nation and almost got me raped and beaten by Ozai himself!"

"Wha… What happened, Katara? I'll rescue you from here. You have my word!" Deep suffering was evident on his face, yet it didn't move her. She hadn't seen him in eleven years. "I'll protect you."

She scoffed. "No, you'll shut up and tell no one here that I'm your daughter; that's what you can do for me. I don't need you anymore, Father. I haven't in a long time. You didn't even know that your own daughter was captured by the Fire Nation."

"Then why don't you want me to help you escape!?"

"So you can drop me off at the South Pole and abandon me again? Ooh! Or you could drop me off and take Sokka; he's twenty now. I can be left with all the women waiting for a daddy that never returns!" She rolled her eyes. "I made my own plans, and all you have to do is leave me to take care of myself. You're good at that."

Aya let out a low whistle, "wow, no wonder you fell in love with him. He's nothing like your father, and he killed to protect you. I got to see the severed head afterward. I had the oddest reaction and laughed."

Katara truly appreciated Aya and her comments. She had been around the palace for a while and understood politics, it had helped Haru, and it was helping Katara now. Hakoda's interest was piqued, and it was set up that Katara was loved and protected.

She turned to Aya and said, "it really was funny. He had that frozen look of surprise on his face. No one has touched me since."

"There was Mai," Aya pointed out and heard everyone suck in a breath in shock. They knew very well how deadly Mai was.

Katara just shrugged, "She doesn't count; she didn't touch me. My brother Sokka taught me how to disarm an opponent. So I did, and then I kindly returned her knife to her," Katara couldn't help a wry smile.

Aya burst out laughing. "You returned it into her thigh! She had to have stitches." She calmed down and said, "nonetheless, my favorite part is how you got Ozai to order Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula out of the palace. They hate you!"

"To be fair, they already hated me. It's why Mai pulled a knife on me in the first place."

"Ozai?" Hakoda asked, confused. "He knows who you are?"

"He knows my name, he doesn't know I'm your daughter, and he doesn't know mom died hiding the truth for me. I was captured in a raid and deemed pretty, and when I got here, I was found to be a virgin. I was placed in the harem-"

"Oh, hell no!" Hakoda yelled. "I'm getting you out of here!"

"Shut up, Father." She then cocked her head, "know what the worst part was while they were training me to please someone from the Fire Nation sexually? No? Sokka is one man and can't steer a boat himself. And I knew you had no clue I was captured, which meant I had no hope of being rescued. I knew the only one that could save me was me –so I made allies. Ones like Aya –Fire Nation allies." She knew she had to believe Aya was truly on her side, it was that, or she gave her a big way to betray her to Ozai. She had been careful not to say what her mother died protecting her from, though.

Aya walked over and stood by Katara's side. "One's who actually support and protect her."

"And who are you?" Bato asked.

"Aya, Mistress to Councilman Haru."

Hakoda asked condescendingly, "you're allied with a Mistress, Katara!?"

She scoffed, "I am a Mistress, Father."

"Tell me you're kidding," Katara. "I didn't raise you to be a whore!"

She rolled her eyes and said, "you didn't raise me, so, technically, that's true. But yes, I'm having sex with a member of the Fire Nation, and I'm relishing every second of it."

Aya snorted, "no kidding! You aren't quiet about how much you enjoy yourself."

Hakoda yelled, "I'm taking you from here if you want to go or not! Kya's daughter will not whore herself out to the Fire Nation."

"Oh, no, Father. It's not the whole nation –just one man. And you can't steal me away; Ozai wouldn't allow it."

"You're fucking Ozai!?"

She smiled sweetly, "no, his son. Wouldn't it be lovely if Kya's grandchild could sit on the Fire Nation throne someday?"

"Your bastard could never be the heir. I don't know what kind of lies that monster is feeding you!" Hakoda screamed.

She looked at her father with one of boredom. "If Ozai finds out I'm your daughter, he'll rape me and beat me to death. Do remember not to slip and let him know." Katara then looked at all of the shocked men in the room, bowed her head a bit, and said, "we would love to welcome you to the Fire Nation Palace. Do be careful; I assume he plans to murder you in your sleep."

She then turned abruptly and walked out of the room, with Aya quickly following. When they got halfway down the hall, Katara gave Aya a wry smile, "I think that went well. Don't you?"

Aya giggled, "well, it wasn't boring."