Chapter Four: Attack on Their Ship
During the next few days, Prince Zuko stayed out of Katara's way so she rarely ever caught even a glimpse of him. Now, servants were bringing her food, clothes, and other things instead of Zuko coming to do it himself. At dinner, she sat at the far side of the table with him sitting in his usual seat. One of his high-ranking firebenders sat where Katara had sat before. Katara felt miserable and yearned to speak to him, or at least be able to see him more. She had terrible dreams every night now about him killing her or something of the sort.
One warm afternoon, Katara was exploring the ship, searching for something to do. Now that Zuko wasn't seeing her anymore, her bedroom door was always unlocked unless she locked it herself. She was walking along an unfamiliar hall and came across numerous doors. All of them were either completely open, or only halfway closed. Quiet mumbling from a closed door caught her attention. She leaned the side of her head to it to listen but couldn't make out what the person was saying. Suddenly, the mumbling stopped and she strained to try and hear anything else.
All of a sudden, the door opened and she came crashing to the floor. Zuko was surprised, but nonetheless caught her before she hit the ground. Her eyes rose to his and they stayed in that position for quite some time. Katara's eyes held a hint of fear. Ever since he stormed away from her, she had missed him. But that didn't mean that she wasn't afraid of his temper. His eyes burned fiercely into hers and he let go of her. Then, he marched off without uttering a single word.
She sighed and brushed herself off carefully. Making her way onto the deck of the rig, her expression became solemn. Someone shoved her into a sack as she exited the building of the ship, taking her by surprise so she screamed loudly. She couldn't believe it. She was being taken away. AGAIN! She shouted and screamed and pounded on the bag but stayed trapped inside. Not too far away, Prince Zuko heard her scream and rushed to the deck. Commander Zhao was dragging her onto his ship with an evil smirk on his face. "Katara!" Zuko desperately yelled and tried to follow them but a row of Zhao's firebenders blocked his way.
Zuko's face burned and fire shot out if his hands. He easily knocked him out. It would have been harder if he wasn't so determined to get back Katara. He convinced himself that he wasn't doing this for her, he was doing it so he could have a chance to get the Avatar. "Katara!" He ran to the edge of the ship but Commander Zhao's was already moving away. Turning, he shouted orders to his men. "Follow them, you idiots!" He growled at the fire benders that were staring blankly at him or were just standing there.
Katara sobbed, curling herself into a ball as she was hauled away by the strangers. It was getting hard for her to breathe because the bag could barely let in any air. She had lost all hope in getting away and listened as the firebenders that had captured her spoke to one another. Soon, the bag was opened and she was tossed into a dark, damp prison cell. The floor was metal and bruises covered her body. Unable to move, she continued to weep her heart out. It was much better when she was on Zuko's ship. Even if he did act coldly toward her, having a nice room and being well-fed was pleasant.
She heard the iron door and slam shut, causing her to shed more and more tears. How did she get into this situation? She should have just escaped from Zuko the first chance she got. Her sobs gradually became sniffles and after a short time, she stopped crying. There was a single, small, barred window way above her head so she could get a little light and some air. Her heart ached for the companionship of Aang and Sokka. It'd even be okay if Zuko was with her. Then she would have someone to share the pain with. She wrapped her arms around herself and huddled in a corner. Her face was moist from crying so hard. She wondered if Aang and Sokka were coming to save her. Or if they even knew that she had gone. Or maybe Zuko would come and rescue her. Deep in her heart, she hoped that Zuko would come instead of her beloved friend and her dear older brother.
Her hand automatically reached up to her neck to feel the smooth fabric of her mother's necklace but she remembered that Zuko had kept it after their encounter with the pirates. She couldn't help but forgive him for this because she was so hopeful that he would be her hero. But her mother's necklace was her most valuable possession so she couldn't help but also be angry with him. She would've felt much calmer if she had the reminder of her mother with her. She stretched out on the solid floor and stared at the strong door locking her away from everything she loved. Her friends, her brother, everything.
Meanwhile, Prince Zuko was tense as she stared at the metal ship in front of him. "Can't any of you steer this ship faster?" He yelled, gripping the railing. The heat from his hands made the metal turn orange but he didn't appear to notice. He was concentrating on the ship. They were gaining on them, and gaining onto Katara. He hoped that they weren't hurting her and if he found her in pain, he vowed to destroy every one of Commander Zhao's men and Commander Zhao.
Uncle Iroh stepped up beside him, shaking his head slightly. "Nephew, you've grown too attached to her. Calm down. I told you not to get too friendly with that girl. She is going to get in the way of your dreams." His eyes stayed on the ship as he spoke. "Unless…That girl is your real dream." He turned his head to look at Zuko with a humorous expression on his face. Zuko's face turned red in embarrassment. "No. She isn't. I just need her to ever have even a slight chance to catch the Avatar. If I don't do this, Father will never allow me to return to our nation. I want desperately to return." He heaved a sigh and let his uncle leave him alone, trapped in his own thoughts. "Remember, Zuko. You must choose only one. She will not allow you to destroy her friend." Those were Iroh's final words before he left.
"I know." Zuko muttered to himself through gritted teeth. He was staring down at the green water below him and he was thinking about this. Should I choose to turn in the Avatar to the Fire Lord for my own reasons? Or should I win her care by leaving them alone and forever be banished from my own nation? It was a hard decision, but he had to choose. He pondered this for a long time, until they caught up to Commander Zhao's ship. He made his final decision. "I know where my loyalty lies." He stated to himself at last. "I know what I should do know. My duty is to one person. And one person only…"