Chapter 2: Only Uncle Knows
Prince Zuko pushed through the last couple of Firebenders blocking his path. He stopped next to the guard that found her. He froze and just stood there, mouth dropped in awe. Staring. He was amazed. His uncle walked up beside him. He looked at Kitaah and then back to Prince Zuko. He brought him hand up to Zuko's chin and shut his mouth. "Mind your manners, Prince Zuko." He said. He left Prince Zuko staring at her. Zuko's uncle turned his attention back to Kitaah and held out his hand. "Come child. You can call me Uncle Iroh. You must be cold." He said, smiling. There was a hint of recognition in his eyes. He was trying to remember something. He had seen her before but where and when? Kitaah stares at him and takes his hand. "You there!" He commands, "Show her to my room. I'll bunk with Prince Zuko for awhile. And get her a blanket and something to eat and drink!" The guards led her off.
As Kitaah was being led away, she heard Uncle Iroh speak to Prince Zuko. "Well Prince Zuko... Prince Zuko? Prince Zuko!" She heard Uncle Iroh thump Prince Zuko on the head. "Owwww!" What did I say about minding your manners! Do not stare and CLOSE YOUR MOUTH!" Kitaah smiled. In her mind, she was giggling.
Kitaah and the three Firebender guards walked down the hall. Two broke away and went the opposite direction at the first turn. A little farther down the hall, the guard leading Kitaah stopped and turned around to face Kitaah. "This is where you will be staying." He said pointing his finger into Uncle Iroh's room. He pointed farther down the hall to another door. "That is where Prince Zuko and Iroh will be, incase you need any help." The guard left after that. Kitaah stepped inside her new room. While she was exploring, the two guards who had gone the opposite direction, knocked on her door. It was still open, they were just being polite. "Here is your extra blanket." One said. "And here is some food and tea." Said the other. The guard with the blanket walked over to her bed in the corner and set it on the edge. The guard with the food and tea walked over and set the tray on a desk that was next to the bed. It was starting to get dark. The guard that brought in the food lit a candle with his firebending skills. They then left.
Kitaah went over and used the candle to light the lanterns on the wall. She went over to the desk. She was thinking, I am a little hungry... Her stomach growled. She sighed. When was the last time I ate? She looked at the plate. Oh! Roasted turkey! She tasted the tea and made a face. Eww, she thought. Ginseng. Oh well, it'll have to do.
She ate the roasted turkey and was about to drink the tea. She made another face and held the cup of tea to her lips when there was a knock on her door. She still hadn't closed it. She stood up and turned around. It was Prince Zuko! "You don't have to drink that, you know." He said. He was half smiling. His eyebrows were raised. "I brought something else for you to drink in case you didn't like the tea." She could tell he was nervous. He was starting to blush. In his hands, he was holding a pitcher of water and two glasses. "I don't like the tea either. It's Uncle's favorite, though." He explained. She smiled.
They both sat at the desk. Zuko talked and Kitaah would listen and smile. She giggled when he told something funny like the time Uncle's stinky feet knocked everybody out. Zuko looked at Kitaah. She was fifteen. She had long, light brown hair and beautiful blue eyes. Her skin had a light tan and she had the most perfect face. She was wearing the strangest clothes though. It was cut strangely. Going around the bottom of her neck, there was a rim of yellow. Then, there was the orange shirt she wears. It fit snugly on her. It went down to about an inch above her waist and in the middle, there was a slit (it looked like someone cut a triangle out of the shirt while making it, it looked like an upside down V). Under the slit, you could see yellow. Then around her waist, there was an orange band. She was wearing a yellow skirt after that that went down to her ankles. The long skirt wasn't tight around her. At the back, there was a cut that reached up to the back of her knees. Under the long skirt, she was wearing snug brown pants. There was a brown band just above each ankle holding the pants to her ankles. Her shoes were brown, too.
Her clothes around her arms were odd, too. The shirt sleeves were orange and went down to just below her elbows where there was an orange band. After the band, it was yellow that went to just above her wrist where there was another orange band. There were arrows on her hands but he didn't know because the shirt went past her wrists and covered the arrows up. Her sleeves had a diamond cut that went from her shoulder to halfway to her elbow. It showed the four Nation symbols. The Water and Fire Nation symbols on one side and the Earth and Air Nation symbols on the other. He could see those and wondered why she had them. She also had an arrow on her forehead but a locket (or strand) of hair covered that so all you could see was a thin slice of blue. He didn't notice. Nobody knew but it was an Airbender outfit.
She looked at him too. She liked his eyes. They were a golden brown and were full of curiosity, caution, and wonder. The fact is that she liked him and he liked her! Their eyes locked. They both blushed and looked away. Prince Zuko talked and told some more stories but no matter what he did, she wouldn't respond. She just smiled, giggled, or nodded. After awhile, he left and a guard came in to give Kitaah a robe for a nightgown. She changed and went to bed.
The next morning, Kitaah got dressed and went outside. Prince Zuko was practicing firebending with Uncle Iroh. Uncle Iroh looked over at her. He had remembered what he wanted to last night in a dream. But only he knew what. He continued to teach Prince Zuko. Kitaah watched them. They were heading to a Fire Nation camp where they could repair their ship. They were a mere three days away.