Chapter 13: Take Me Away
Katara didn't sleep much that night. She stayed awake, wide eyes staring unblinkingly at the dark red canopy above her. She replayed the images of the earlier event from today in her mind over and over again, trying to make sense out of it.
Katara finally realized she was in denial.
And she hated herself for it. How could she have been so stupid? How could she have been so… deluded? So caught up in her own fairy-tale daydream that she had been unaware of what had been happening right under her own nose? Because of her idiotic crush on that fucking Zuko, Aang and Sokka were imprisoned in some dank, dark cell underneath the Fire Palace right this minute. And she, on the other hand, was lying on soft bed sheets and an even softer mattress in a beautiful room fit for a king. Which was basically what it was.
She felt like slapping herself. And Zuko. How could that bastard do this to her? It was betrayal at it's worse. He'd been lying all this time. How long had he'd kept Aang and Sokka on his ship, and not told her about it? How long had he kept it from her? What more did he keep from her? It was all his fault. All that asshole's fault.
Katara tried to hold the tears back. Because it did hurt. It tore at her and she felt something twisting inside her chest. She was angry and raging and hurt. Anger and rage she could deal with. But pain had always been harder. The pain of I thought there was something! I really thought we had something but Zuko went and blew it oh he blew it.But she knew he hadn't really. It wasn't all Zuko's fault. It was her fault too. For not seeing through him, and for betraying her brother and friend. And, of all the worst things, for giving into temptation. There was no way around it. Katara had given her whole being to him, and he had repaid her by slapping it all back in her face with the revelation that he had possessed Aang and Sokka the entire time.
She struggled with herself, trying to hold back the tears unsuccessfully. What had he been thinking when he'd taken her virginity? You dumb girl, you think everything's perfect at this moment when in reality, I have your friend and brother locked in a cell right below this very bed. That's what he'd probably thought of at the time. And she'd played the innocent, the naïve, the stupid, believing in his every action, all the way down to the fake lies he'd whispered to her.
She was no better than Zuko.
This was it. She wasn't going to do nothing about it this time. She had to get her priorities in order again. Katara cursed herself for being the weak, spineless fool she'd been. So stupid as to not realize that yes, Zuko was still her enemy. And nothing, nothing would ever change that.
Zuko spent his first night as Fire Lord dealing with all the little details that came with being Lord Zuko. Preparations had to be made for his coming rule, taxes and trade agreements from previous years had to be read over and understood. Millions of other matters crowded his mind and effectively kept him from thinking of other, more important things.
Not the least of which was the fact that in the confusion of the conflict in the throne room earlier that night, Zhao had unexpectedly disappeared. He was nowhere to be found in the castle or the city. His things were gone, and nobody had seen the slippery man leave.
It worried Zuko. Zhao wasn't the type of man to accept defeat quietly and graciously. No doubt the former Commander would be back, claiming injustice and blistering for a fight.
Meanwhile, Zuko had him stripped of all his titles. Zhao's money and property were also seized.
Plus the little matter of the decree that went out, proclaiming Zhao a traitor and enemy to the Fire Nation. A handsome reward would be given to whoever brought him in, alive or dead. Preferably alive, but Zuko wasn't too picky about the details. It didn't really matter anyway- Zhao would be back soon enough, whether of his own free will or not.
Zuko didn't return to his room all night. He told himself that he was far too busy to be allowed the luxury of sleep. So he busied himself with kingly matters, until his eyes drooped closed and he felt that he had to rest his head on the desk, but only for a little while…
Next thing he knew, bright daylight was pouring through the window and Iroh stood on the other side of his desk, staring pensively down at his nephew.
"Good morning, Your Majesty." Iroh said quietly, waiting for Zuko's reaction.
The aforementioned Majesty looked at his uncle irritably before rubbing his eyes with one hand. "What?" He snapped.
"You're now the most powerful man in the world, Zuko." Iroh cracked a small grin. "Surely you can begrudge a poor subject like me a few more words than 'what'".
Zuko leaned back in his chair, catching his uncle's first few words. Most powerful man…
"I notice you didn't go back to your room last night."
Zuko quickly pushed his chair back and stood up, tension in every line of his body. "Shut up." He said, trying to sound easy and relaxed about it. But Iroh could detect a hint of taut emotion beneath his voice.
"Whatever you say, Your Majesty." Iroh smiled back.
"Exactly." Zuko joked. Just kept it light and easy. Light and easy, and he would be fine.
Iroh smiled again. Hopefully Zuko would be in a good mood for his first day as sovereign of the nation.
"If you'll excuse me, dear uncle, I have more business I need attend to." Zuko said, moving towards the door. Iroh bowed with mock respect, flourishing his arm out in a flurry for Zuko. Zuko rolled his eyes. If his uncle kept on doing that whole "Your Majesty!" thing, it would get old. But he supposed he had to get used to it. People would act just like Iroh was acting right now, except with real sincerity. It was a bit strange to him. But that bastard Zhao had probably enjoyed the attention, Zuko thought darkly.
Zuko walked through the hallways of his castle towards his room, located on the third floor of the east wing. It was his castle now. Not his father's, not Zhao's, but his. He reached the wide double doors that led into his bedroom suite. The doors were flanked by two stone dragons on either side.
Most powerful man in the world, he mused distantly. It doesn't sound too bad.
He turned the knob on one door, opening it.
One second later, a valuable vase whistled through the air straight at his face.
He ducked in reflex to avoid it, and it crashed into the wall behind him, splintering into a million pieces and leaving a slight dent in the wall where there had been none before. That could have been my head!
Zuko turned back, mouth gaping, to see the angry-looking girl who was heaving another expensive heirloom into her arms. This time, it was a heavy gold candleholder. A violent glare on her face, she flung it straight at his head.
He caught it one-handed, and set it down gently on the dresser next to him.
Katara clenched her teeth together to keep from screaming. Why did that man have to be so damn good? Why couldn't he just let her hit him for once?
Zuko had to admit, he was very surprised. He'd never known Katara to get so violent before. What could possibly have happened to bring about her change of… oh. He would have been unbelievably stupid to expect that Katara would take this lying down.
He moved quickly towards her, eager to prevent the further destruction of his possessions. Since when had he had so much junk in his room in the first place? He was definitely going to fire all the interior decorators later. Zuko raised one hand out in a placating fashion. "Katara-"
She'd hefted a heavy, metal, ceremonial sword into her hands. The blade drooped on the ground. It was obviously too heavy for her. "Don't come near me!" She snarled.
The threat would have been so much more threatening if she wasn't struggling to merely lift the sword off the ground. Zuko reached out to touch her shoulder, to calm her down, but she flinched out of the way, finally abandoning the weapon. She backed away, frantically searching for anything else that would serve as a suitable throwing item. Eyeing the jade-green teapot on one table, she picked it up and got ready to throw it.
She was clearly beyond all reasoning, Zuko thought, two seconds before the teapot flew past his ear. Nothing to do now except forcibly hold her down.
Katara read his intentions on his face and scrambled to get away, but not before he shot forward and grabbed her upper arms, pulling her closer to him. She struggled, pushing at his chest. "Don't touch me!" She hissed.
Zuko fought to control the crazy wildcat in his grip. "You seemed to like it enough before!" He snarled back, refusing to release his bruising grip on her arms.
"That was before I knew you were a lying bastard!"
He finally let her go, and they stood glaring at each other, rubbing bruises and scratches. He gave her a small, tight smile. "You always knew I was a lying bastard, Katara. You just chose not to believe it."
Damn, Katara thought angrily. He's right. I deluded myself into thinking he wasn't an asshole with no morals. She couldn't say anything to that, just continued glaring silently.
"Furthermore, not telling you something does not technically count as lying." He gazed clear-eyed at her. Zuko would keep his head in this conversation. He had done nothing wrong. Nothing at all.
"But it's just as bad!" She shouted. "Not telling me something is just as bad as lying about it! Silence can be lies!"
"That's your opinion." He said tightly. "I was just trying to keep you safe."
"Keep me safe?" She sounded incredulous. "Safe from what!"
"From getting hurt."
Her eyes flashed. "And what do you think I am now, idiot? You didn't do a very good job of keeping me from getting hurt." She said with a sneer of derision.
"You must understand, Katara." He said calmly, pinning her under his gaze. "The war's situation is about to change very fast. You don't want to be on the losing side when it all explodes."
"The losing side!"
"Yes. By keeping you with me, under my protection, you won't be harmed or killed when the Fire Nation finishes it's takeover of the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes. You'll be safe." Zuko said it all in a matter-of-fact voice.
Katara stared. He was insane. He was mad if he thought she was just going to accept this and agree with every little word out of his royal mouth. "What if I don't want to be on your side? What if I don't believe your side is winning?"
"How could you not? We have the Avatar, our enemy's only hope. We're well on the road to victory. Besides, you have no choice."
"I have no choice?" Katara's eyes widened, then narrowed again. "Watch me!"
She hurled herself at the open doors, trying to escape out into the hallway and away from this dreadful place, even though she knew it was hopeless.
Zuko's strong hand got her wrist and jerked her backwards so fast she got whiplash. He spun her around, holding her wrist high above her head so the hand was rendered immobile. She reached up with her other hand to slap him hard across the face, but he caught that wrist too. "Where do you think you're going?" He said, in a friendly conversational tone that scared Katara more than if he had used an angry voice.
Katara tried to kick him, without success. "To find my brother! To find Aang! To join my side, where people actually deserve my trust and loyalty!" She wrenched around, trying to free herself, but Zuko just held on tighter. "To get away from you!"
He pulled her closer, close enough so that their faces were almost touching. She stilled, staring up into his face.
"That," He said gently. "Will be impossible."
She blinked at him for a moment, confused.
Then he flung her back onto the couch where she landed, bouncing a bit on the pillows. She continued to gawk at him. He was definitely insane. Most definitely.
"You're going to have to stay here for the time being." He said, turning back around to leave the room.
Gathering her wits again, Katara launched herself from the sofa at the doors, which Zuko was quickly closing behind him. "No!" She shrieked. "I won't stay here! I won't! You can't keep me inside! You have no right!"
Katara pounded against the door futilely. She heard a low laugh from the other side and stopped.
"No right?" He laughed again. "Do you know who I am, Katara?"
She was momentarily confused. What did he mean by that question? He was Zuko, of course…
"I'm Fire Lord now. King, Emperor, Sovereign, Ruler, Monarch, Dictator, God. What's the difference in a few titles?" He paused for a second, clearly enjoying himself. "What it means is that I have the right to do anything I want. Including keeping you in this room." And with that, he turned the lock and walked away from the desperate girl on the other side of the door.
Katara heard his footsteps growing fainter and fainter. She back away from the door, looking at it as if the carved wood was the man who had shocked and surprised her.
It had all gone to his head. All the power he now had. Zuko would become a tyrant just like his father, if nobody stopped him in time.
So what? Katara thought defiantly. It's not my job to keep him in line. I'm not his freaking nursemaid. It's somebody else's problem if Zuko becomes a ruthless Fire Lord. I don't have to do anything about it.
Then who would?
She realized it. It was, technically, Aang's job. He was the Avatar, the one destined to bring balance to the world. And if bringing balance meant destroying a tyrannical, power-hungry Fire Lord, then Aang would have to do it.
But the Avatar was currently locked up in a dungeon under the Fire Palace, unable to do anything.
And whose job would it be to free him? Whose responsibility was it to free the Avatar, and indirectly save the world?
Katara groaned.
Escape had to be first. The doors were out- they were firmly locked. The windows, maybe? She hurried over to the floor-to-ceiling, smudge-free windows that lined one wall of the gigantic room. Testing the lock on one of them, her spirits fell as she realized these were locked shut too. She moved down the row, testing every single one of them. All of them might as well have been welded shut.
But glass was always breakable. Picking up one of the remaining heavy gold candleholders (one of which she'd previously flung at Zuko), she weighed it in her hand, considering the odds. No doubt if she broke the glass and escaped from the windows, there would be a large commotion. Someone would definitely spot a girl climbing out of a broken, third-story window that also happened to be the Fire Lord's room. She'd have to do it in the dark of night, when there would be less people around to see her. But she'd also have to do it before Zuko came back, if he was coming back at all.
Returning to the windows, she peered over the edge as best as she could. It was a long, long drop to the ground. She could spot the edges of several ledges sticking out of the red-brown stone below her window. Those would be useful. But still… a rope of some sort would be an added security. Saving the world was a great idea, but if she could manage it without breaking any limbs, it'd be even better.
Making her final decision, she walked purposefully over to the bed, stripping off the first few red sheets on the top. Bending down to the sword she'd dropped previously on the floor, she proceeded to rip several strips from the cloth along the sharp edge of the weapon. She had all day to make herself a serviceable rope.
Katara busied her hands and mind with the task, and tried not to think about anything else. Especially not the cold emotion Zuko had when he'd dealt with her, and especially not the looks of betrayal on Sokka and Aang's faces from yesterday. She just focused on getting herself out of here. Then she could work on fixing everything else.
Aang surveyed his new cell. Definitely better than the old one on the ship, but not exactly five-star accommodations either. "How does your room look, Sokka?" He called to the boy in the next cell over.
No answer.
"Sokka? Are you okay?"
Silence. Then a bit of shuffling. "Did you see her, Aang?"
"See who?" Stupid question. Aang was stalling, trying to keep the situation from careening out of control.
"Katara, of course!" Sokka hissed, emotion creeping into his voice. "You know, Aang, I really thought I knew my sister well. I thought we were close, closer than most siblings are."
It was Aang's turn to be silent. What could he say?
"But I guess not." The older boy continued his rant. "Because the Katara I know, the Katara who is my sister, would never have betrayed us. She would have died before she did that."
"Sokka-"
"Don't make excuses for her, Aang!" Sokka's voice rose.
I wasn't going to, Aang thought silently. But I guess you're so caught up in your assumptions that you don't want anyone standing up for your sister now.
"I wonder where she got that dress." Sokka's voice was bitter. "We never had the money to buy that kind of fanciness back in our Water Tribe." A clang against the metal bars of Sokka's cell. "And all that gold jewelry. I wonder where she got that?" He seemed to be waiting for an answer.
"I don't kno-" Aang started.
"Zuko!" Sokka snarled, cutting Aang off. "Zuko, that's who! Zuko, that rich pompous ass gave her all that finery! I wonder what she did, to get so many rewards from him. I wonder what she did in order to get her hands on all those riches!"
Aang really didn't like where this was going. No doubt the guards outside could hear every word. "Umm-"
"She betrayed us, that's what!" Sokka seemed in a right fit of rage by now. "She sold us for a dress and some bangles! She's living in luxury, eating delicacies, sleeping on fine silk sheets while we're rotting away in a freaking jail cell!"
"SOKKA!" Aang yelled, finally shutting up his friend. "Sokka, listen to me!" He waited to make sure Sokka was silent before continuing. "Do you remember the look on her face when she saw us? She looked pretty confused to me. She looked like she didn't expect us to be there at all." He said it all in a rush. Was he naïve to think that Katara was still innocent? Sokka seemed ready to believe in the worst.
"Well, what did she expect? A happy little family reunion? If so, why didn't she just- why didn't-" Sokka sounded like he was choking. Was he crying? "Why didn't she just tell me?"
"I think… I think she was trying to, Sokka." Aang said gently. "But she was just as shocked to see us as we were to see her. And… and you wouldn't stop yelling at her."
But Sokka seemed beyond words now. Through the darkness, Aang could see the Water Tribe boy's shaking shoulders. Muffled sounds floated into Aang's cell.
The Avatar leaned back against he cold stone wall, his chains clinking. He felt so unbelievably guilty now. What had his best friends done to deserve this? They'd had a perfectly fine life before he'd come along and ruined everything. Now they were all trapped in a situation that they couldn't get out of. Aang felt that old, heavy burden fall on his small shoulders again. The guilt of ruining the lives of everybody he came in contact with.
Zuko met up with Iroh to eat lunch.
"Did you see Katara this morning?" Iroh asked casually, flipping his napkin over his lap.
"Yes." Zuko answered. If his uncle wanted to know more, he'd have to ask for it.
"Was that broken vase in the hallway outside your room originally meant for your head?"
He groaned inwardly. Why did his uncle have to be so damn perceptive? "Yes. She has fairly good aim as well. If my reflexes had been any slower, I wouldn't be here right now, and she would be all the happier for having nailed me."
"That bad, huh?"
"Unfortunately."
Iroh grinned. Zuko seemed to be handling it all well, with a certain degree of humor to boot. "It's probably that time of the month. Mood swings, you know?"
And Zuko froze. A cold feeling of foreboding washed through him.
Iroh kept on jabbering on in the background. But Zuko's mind was tuned out, racing through hundreds of possibilities. He was no expert on a woman's menstrual cycle, but he wasn't an ignorant man either. Katara had been with him for over a month and a half by now. When was the first time they'd actually… slept together? He counted through the time, all the while convincing himself there was nothing to be worried about. Three weeks. Three weeks while they had traveled to the Fire Nation from Menthat.
Fear gripped him. And the entire time, Katara hadn't had her period. He would've known. The sheets would have been stained red, or she would have asked him, a little shyly, where she could get extra linens or something to catch the blood. He would have known. She couldn't have kept it a secret from him. She didn't need to. She couldn't have asked a woman servant for help- Katara had been the only woman on board the flagship at the time. He would have been her only confidante. What was the average time between a woman's bleeding?
He slowly relaxed his hands, which had been clenched before. Maybe Katara's cycles came farther apart. Maybe she'd figured out some way to hide it. Maybe it came today, or maybe tomorrow.
Iroh's voice finally broke through his thoughts. "-and she seemed like she just hated my guts the entire week, you know? Hey? Zuko?"
Zuko focused his gaze on Iroh's face. "Oh, sorry, Iroh. What was it again?"
"I said, Katara's just probably in her time right now. That's why she's acting strange."
Zuko gave his uncle an easy smile. Hell, if Katara wasn't worried about it, he wasn't going to waste time over it. He was being paranoid over nothing. "You're right, uncle. It probably is just her time of the month."
When lunch was brought by a timid knock on the door, Katara scurried to hide all of her hard work underneath the bed. Composing herself and giving one more quick glance around to make sure nothing incriminating was still out in the open, she crossed to the door and spoke clearly, "I can't let you in. It's locked."
The door opened for whoever had the key on the other side. Katara gaped a bit in surprise. It was Kaz again, that same servant who had been with her since she'd first been kidnapped. He was carrying a tray with food on it, some sort of brunch, since she hadn't had breakfast either. About time he'd arrived.
She took the tray silently from him and placed it on the table. "Thank you, Kaz."
He gave her a shy smile. "You remember me?"
Katara analyzed him quickly. The serving boy couldn't have been more than twelve years old. Around Aang's age, she realized. What was he doing working in a palace at such a young age? "Of course I do."
He nodded again, cheeks flushing red. Then Kaz's gaze locked on something behind her, on the floor. He froze.
Katara whirled around quickly, and realized with dismay that she hadn't hid her cloth rope well enough. An end of it peaked out from under the bed. Kaz's eyes roamed over the rumpled, remaining half-sheet on the bed. Katara wanted to slap herself. How could she have been so stupid?
She took a step toward him, arms held out pleadingly. "Kaz-"
He shook his head frantically, as if trying to erase the image from his eyes. He wasn't a stupid boy, and had come to the obvious conclusion after seeing the rope.
Katara tried again. "Please don't-"
Kaz backed away from her slowly, towards the door.
"Kaz!" She tried one more time, desperately. "Please! Please listen to me!"
He finally stopped, watching her with a wary look.
"Don't tell anyone. Please." She gave him the most helpless look she could muster. "You have to understand. I can't stay here anymore."
"Then you should just tell Lord Zuko that." He averted his eyes. "I have nothing to do with this."
"Lord Zuko is the reason I'm here in the first place." Katara hissed, then softened again when she saw she was frightening him. "Look, Kaz. Look, you can help me. I know you have the key to get into this room. You can help me escape, and no one would be the wiser." If he would only listen to her. Oh, then everything would be so much easier.
Kaz straightened up suddenly. He gave her a look that said I'm not stupid, lady. "Pardon me, miss, but that's not true. The cook and three guards know I'm up here to give you lunch. They'd put two and two together when they find out you're gone right after you had lunch served to you." Kaz looked her in the eye, a sincere apology in his face. "I'm sorry, miss, but I can't lose my job. My family needs me."
She was shocked for a minute. So that's why a 12 year old boy was working as a servant in the royal household. And she couldn't blame him for not letting her go. She couldn't blame him for not helping her. He had his own interests to look after, his own family to look after.
Katara slumped into her seat again. "Alright." Damn her conscience. She could try forcing her way past him, but he'd still get in trouble for letting Lord Zuko's prisoner get away. He'd lose his job definitely, if not worse. And then she'd feel guilty the rest of her life for it.
"But," He continued. Katara looked up. "I won't tell anyone about your… plan. I won't help you, but I won't reveal you either."
She nodded mutely. This was as good as it was going to get.
"Besides, not telling about your plan isn't technically the same as lying." He grinned at her.
And she would have grinned back, had she not heard those exact same words from Zuko not three hours ago. He'd used it as an excuse for his betrayal, and now Kaz was using it as an excuse to help her. How odd, that she could hate the words so much coming from one person, while she was eternally grateful hearing it from another. This world is seriously fucked up, she thought distantly. Or is it just me?
Kaz didn't understand why the lady looked so sad when he said that. Shouldn't she be happy that he wasn't going to tell on her?
Katara finally smiled at him. "Thank you, Kaz."
"It's nothing compared to what you did for me." He said, serious again. "That money you gave me on the ship, miss, I gave to my family. We'll be able to eat for weeks and weeks, and maybe buy a crib for the new baby." He beamed at her. "Thank you so much!"
Katara would never have realized how much she'd helped this boy by giving him money on a small whim. She'd done it mostly to piss Zuko off, but it had done more good than she ever thought it would. There was, perhaps, a silver lining to every storm cloud.
Before Kaz left, he gave one more glance around the room. In itself, the lady's room was bigger than his family's meager living quarters. Why would Lord Zuko keep her locked up? Why would she want to leave this beautiful place? She had everything a person would ever need. But Kaz didn't write her off as a greedy, spoiled brat. She seemed genuinely sorrowed about something. Maybe she missed her family. Why was she here in the first place?
He had one more question for her. "Excuse me, miss, but are you and the Lord Zuko going to get married?" She just stared at him. He himself couldn't imagine the power and luxury of being royalty. This woman really had everything going for her.
She didn't answer the question. All she did was laugh a broken, choking laugh that let Kaz know he'd said the wrong thing.
Zuko and Iroh spent majority of the day shuffling through the records of the palace archives, reading over everything that had happened during the years they'd been absent. The tax records, the amount of agriculture produced, how much money had gone into building weaponry, the cost of renovations to public buildings, and other things involving the nation. They also read over recent documents written in Zhao's short, one-month rule. Spending for the army had increased dramatically during that time. Obviously Zhao had thought the Fire Nation army needed more funding for ships, supplies, and other warfare items.
It was night when they finally finished making a mess of the archives room, much to the dismay of the head scribe. They sat down in a small dining room for some of Iroh's herbal tea.
"Ahhh…" Iroh said, breathing in the smell of the tea. "I've missed this."
Zuko said nothing, just wrapped his hands around the warm mug and contemplated the green liquid inside. What did those fortune tellers say about reading tea leaves? Oh well. Like his fortune could be read from a couple limp vegetables in the bottom of his cup.
He was remembering his and Zhao's conversation from yesterday when something caught at his mind. "Zhao said my father died from burn injuries."
Iroh nodded slowly. Inside, he wondered how his nephew was taking the news of his father's death. Pretty well, it seemed. After all, there had been no love lost between the father and son. "That's what I gather too, from speaking to the nobles and advisors present at the time."
The irony of burn injuries escaped neither man. Being killed by your own fire wasn't exactly the best way to go out. It usually meant the dead person had lost control of his emotions and ended up burning and killing himself.
Zuko's hands clenched the cup tightly all of a sudden. "I wasn't expecting his death." He said, voice tight with some emotion. Iroh kept silent. His nephew obviously needed to talk about something. "In fact, I didn't even want it." Zuko stopped. "Wait. Maybe I did. Maybe I did need him to die."
As callous and horrible as it sounded, Iroh understood. Zuko would never have been able to live life the way he wanted if his father had been breathing down his neck every moment. Even an ocean away for three years, Zuko had still felt the ominous presence of his father during his exile. After all, his father was the whole reason he'd left Kotzut in the first place. And now his father was gone. Dead. Zuko would never have to deal with the man again.
The new Fire Lord started again. "But burn injuries… that's just- that's just pathetic."
Iroh nodded slowly. It was. Ozai had been a powerful Fire Bender, and every Fire Bender in the world would have been shamed to die from fire. Being killed by your own element wasn't an honorable or brave way to leave the world.
That's why the burn on Zuko's face was such a shame to him. Even though it hadn't been self-inflicted, other Fire Benders looked at his face and thought that guy lost control. He hated it when people stared. He hated it because they never understood, couldn't understand, that the scarred burn was the memory of something extremely painful, more painful than fire.
Any further revelations on Ozai's death was interrupted when a messenger, really only a young soldier, came rushing into the room so fast he stopped only when he ran into the table, overturning the cups of tea. Hot liquid spilled everywhere, and Iroh stood up, swearing and batting at his clothes.
Zuko turned to the messenger, prepared to yell at him for disturbing them, but the soldier quickly panted out his message through his heavy breathing. "Your Majesty… there was- was a loud crash in your room- something broke the windows… not ten minutes ago… I couldn't find you anywhere- that's why… late."
Before he'd even finished, Zuko had shot up from his seat, locking eyes with Iroh. They both knew what had probably happened.
"Damn her." Zuko swore. He'd known she'd been pissed this morning, but not mad enough to go and pull something like this!
He raced from the room, closely followed by Iroh and soldier. Even though he knew he'd be wasting his time, he hurried up two flights of stairs and across one wing of the palace to his room. She was probably already gone from the palace grounds if it'd taken ten minutes for the message to reach him. He panted slightly finally arrived outside his door. Why was the castle so goddamn big? Whose idea had it been anyway to build it so huge? He fumbled with the lock and shoved the door open so hard it rebounded slightly off the inside wall, shattering another vase.
He saw what he had been expecting to see. One glass window had a large jagged hole smashed through it's bottom pane. Zuko spied one end of the rope tied to the wooden bedpost. It led through the window, and he jogged over, avoiding the glass pieces on the floor. The make-shift rope led all the way down to the ground, still waving slightly in the air from its previous use. He fingered it, recognizing it to be material from the bed sheets. True enough, bare mattress peeked out from under the blanket when he turned back to check.
He looked out at the view the windows granted him. Green, landscaped lawn laid out around the large castle reached to the edge of the dark trees at the borders of the grounds. Forest surrounded the remaining land. Land had been cleared for the city and the building of the palace, but the remaining trees still stood in a large mass surrounding civilization. Most likely she'd disappeared into the trees. If she was still running across the lawn, he couldn't see her. The waning crescent of the moon only afforded so much light in the dark.
Zuko clenched his teeth together to keep from screaming in frustration and anger. He whirled back around and left through the door, Iroh and the soldier jogging closely behind him again. Ignoring his followers, Zuko jogged all the way down to the stables located at the back of the castle, and was greeted by two stable hands.
"Get me my horse!" He snapped, then turned around to see that four more confused soldiers had followed him outside. "You four! Come with me." They ran to get their own horses. Zuko turned to Iroh and the remaining messenger, both panting heavily. "Uncle, take this soldier with you to make sure the Avatar's still securely locked up. Increase the guard in that section of the cells." Zuko wasn't taking any chances with any of his prisoners tonight.
When his horse was ready, he swung up into the saddle and looked around, making sure his escort was here and ready to go as well. They rode at a full-out gallop towards the forest, speeding over the grass. The horses would make a bit of noise crashing through the trees, but speed was of the essence now.
He wouldn't let her get away. Not now. Not when everything had been going so well for him.
Katara stumbled a bit over a tree root, but caught her balance again and sped at a full-out run through the forest, away from the palace behind her. She was breathing heavily now, having run for fifteen straight minutes at top speed. Somebody would have heard the noise by now, and alerted Zuko. They were probably coming after her right this minute. She wasn't safe yet.
Getting out of the window and down the side of the wall had been easy enough for her. After touching the ground, she'd immediately lit off for the forest, not pausing to check if anyone had noticed her or was chasing her. She reached trees and dove into the darkness, feeling infinitely more secure here. It would be much harder for Zuko to find her here. Not like on the flat green lawn, where she had been nothing to hide under, no shadows to disappear into.
The moon didn't afford much light tonight, and Katara tripped several times, but always got back up again and kept running. She didn't know whether to be grateful or not for the darkness. It meant she had a harder time finding her path, but it would also mean her pursuers would have a harder time catching her. It was almost the dark of the new moon, the next night, the moon would disappear entirely. And according to the moon's cycles, her period should have come-
She stopped short of planting face-first into a spider web stretched out between two trees. But she didn't notice the frantic little silver arachnid crawling on the thin threads of the web.
Katara willed her legs to run again, away from those who wished to capture her. She didn't have the luxury of time right now. She couldn't stop to think. She'd have to do it while she ran. Katara tried reassuring herself. Really, her blood had come late before. She couldn't pinpoint the exact date when it would arrive. It'd probably come tomorrow, or the day after. It wasn't the new moon yet. She had time.
But, as of now, she'd run out. Aside from her own thrashings through the leaves, she could hear the pounding of hooves that had started faint but was getting louder and louder. The hunter had arrived.
And she had to keep ahead of him. Katara picked up her speed, her lungs feeling like they were bursting, trying not to slip on leaves beneath her feet. Tree trunks flashed by her, and she could feel the minutes ticking away. What was it now, twenty minutes since she'd left the castle? It really didn't matter anymore.
Run, run, run. She chanted over and over again in her mind. Run, run, run. But too soon, she threw a furtive glance behind her and saw the flash of a horse's brown flank through the leaves. No!
She veered away from the horse behind her, picking a completely random direction. Soon, she felt that she'd lost her pursuer. She kept running, hoping that the direction she'd picked wouldn't lead her around in a circle.
Katara was slowing, she knew it. It was getting harder and harder to breathe, even harder to keep up her previous pace.
Through the dark green leaves, she caught the silver flash of a horse's bridle on her left. No! It wasn't possible! He couldn't have caught up that fast! Were there more of them? Had Zuko sent an entire search party out for her?
Knowing she couldn't go on for much longer, Katara finally dropped back behind a tree, and the horse thundered past. Her best chances lay in hiding now, not running. Still shaking from exertion, she dropped under a leafy green bush and pressed her back against the tree trunk. She wormed herself between two great tree roots, not caring about dirt or bugs anymore. All that mattered was hiding until the danger was past. Katara crouched in the soil, trying to control the trembling of her muscles and the harshness of her breathing. All she had to do now was wait.
"She's in the area, my Lord." The soldier saluted to Zuko. "We've formed a large perimeter around her. She won't get out of the circle without us knowing."
Zuko kept his voice tight and under control. "Do you know her exact location?"
"No, sir. But she is in the area."
Zuko gave a slight nod. "In the area" could mean anything. He'd have to do the detail searching by himself. The rest of the soldiers were scattered about, making sure nothing got past their guard. "Keep your positions. Don't move until I come back." Without waiting for an answer, Zuko nudged his horse into a walk, leaving the soldier behind and continuing his search for Katara.
Damn her. Who did that bitch think she was? Thinking she could just leave like that and not expect him to know and come after her? It was a hopeless plan. She'd never make it anywhere, and she especially wouldn't be able to rescue her friends. All she'd done was get him even more pissed off at her. He wanted her back, and he wanted her back now.
Zuko scanned the area around him. A single flash of cloth, of bare skin, of dark hair and he would spot it, even in the shadows.
Katara held her breath as the horse and rider drew nearer and nearer to her hiding place. She dearly hoped it wasn't Zuko. If a soldier caught her, she might have a chance of getting away. But not if Zuko did. If Zuko got her, then he'd never let go.
She grew tenser and tenser as twigs cracked under the heavy hooves of the horse. Every primitive instinct screamed through her body. Fight or flight. She obviously couldn't fight. So that left running and escaping. She had to clamp down on the urge to spring out from the tree roots and dash off, away from danger. Being cornered wasn't good for the prey. It meant almost certain death for the prey once the hunter found you. And if Zuko found her here, Katara would most definitely be cornered.
She held back the urge to run, so hard until she was physically grabbing her legs and forcing them to stay still. Instinct was overpowering her. Run run run run run was the mindless chant in her head. Katara shifted to rest on her legs, in a firmly kneeling position.
Zuko's eyes caught the flash of dark shining hair through the leaves in a bush not far away. And he knew for sure that she was hiding there. He knew it with a scary certainty. But he didn't stop or change his direction. He had to pretend he didn't know she was there, so that Katara wouldn't panic and slip away before he had a chance to get closer. Zuko gently changed his horse's direction until he would pass by the bush with a bit of distance. Just keep it calm and steady. Calm and steady, and she won't suspect a thing.
Katara almost couldn't bear it when the horse started drawing closer and closer. Each step the large animal took meant her freedom was slipping away. She'd be cornered and unable to run anywhere.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. With a gasp of breath, she sprung from the bush and took off at a dead run away from her hiding place. The short rest had given her a new burst of energy.
Zuko's head turned at the exact moment Katara tore from the shadows, and he was after her in less than a second.
Katara heard the pounding of hooves behind her, and she cursed herself for having run. If you'd stayed in the bush, he wouldn't have noticed you! Stupid girl! There was almost no hope now. The horse was faster than her, and it was gaining quickly.
Zuko bent low over his horse's neck, intent on the speeding figure and whipping ponytail of Katara in front of him. Almost there, almost there.
Katara let out a cry of fear as the horse drew nearer. It was practically on top of her! It'd crush her first if the rider didn't pull back soon. Fear for her life gave her more speed, not just fear of capture again.
Zuko had the same idea as well. The horse would just get in the way of physically apprehending Katara. In one smooth move, he leapt from the back of the horse, landing on the ground at a run, without a single misstep. If he had been in any other situation, he might have congratulated himself on the nice maneuver. As it was, he just focused on chasing the girl in front of him. And it wasn't all that hard. Katara had been running for the better part of a half hour. Zuko had been sitting atop a horse, resting and letting the animal do all the work. He had all his strength, while Katara had used all hers, and must be fleeing on pure adrenaline by now.
Katara heard the hoof beats stop, and the pounding of human feet behind her. So the rider was pursuing her on foot now? She didn't know whether this was better or worse. Whatever it was, she didn't have the time to turn around and see who it was. She focused all her energy on putting one foot before the other, dodging branches, and weaving through tree trunks. If she could only lose the chaser, she would be home free.
Zuko cursed as branches slapped his face. He punched them out of his way, focused Katara. He could clearly see that she was beginning to slow. She had to be getting tired.
Then Katara committed the deadly mistake of the night. Her foot caught on a protruding piece of rock, tipping her forward. Not enough to bring her to the ground, but enough to wrench a sound of despair from her throat and knock her rhythm and run out of order. She knew it was the end, but she tried to regain her footing and continue.
Zuko caught the ungainly movement. It was his chance.
He closed the distance between them, and planting his feet mid-run, he leapt through the air and came down right on top of Katara, knocking them both violently to the ground.
Katara shrieked as his hands first pushed her into the ground, then all her breath whooshed out in one painful gasp when Zuko's heavy weight came down hard on her back, planting her front-first into the dirt. Her ribs ached throbbingly where she'd landed on roots and rocks, and she had no breath left in her lungs. She couldn't breathe, couldn't make a sound, but she immediately flipped under him onto her back to kick him, scratch him, do anything to get him off her.
Zuko hissed in pain as she turned and swiped at his face with her nails. They gouged deep scratches into the scarred side of his face; no doubt he was bleeding now. He caught the hand that had done the harm and pinned it to the ground with more force than necessary, snarling in rage. Both of them were beyond words by now.
Katara gasped heavily, trying to breathe again and refill her lungs with air. Her other hand was still free and she tried punching and slapping him, to no avail. Finally she raised her leg and kneed him hard in the stomach, which was a bit further north than she'd originally aimed, but beggars couldn't be choosers in a situation like this.
But it was almost as painful, and he lifted up off her for just a second to get away from her knee, but that was all she needed. Wrenching her wrist out of his grasp, she slipped out from underneath him, turning to run again. I'm free! Just keeping running now, and I'm free!
Zuko couldn't believe she'd gotten away so fast, but just as she was turning to leave, he ignored the pain in his face and stomach, and reached up to grab the end of her hair as it whipped past. Katara cried out, her head and neck snapping back when he snatched her hair. Damn him!
She turned around to fight him, punch him, and scratch him again, angry as hell, before he let go of her hair and backhanded her so violently across the face that she flew backwards, hitting the ground hard and skidding through the dirt until she came to a stop against a tree, utterly stunned. Lying there in the dirt, one side of her face numb, she wondered if she was still alive.
Zuko stood there a distance away, panting and shocked at his own violence. He could have stopped her without hitting her so, so uncontrollably. And, inevitable as always, images flashed through his mind, covering the stunned face of Katara gazing up at him from the ground.
Father was angry again, and Zuko wasn't sure what he'd done this time. But all he knew was that the room was so hot, so hot and father wouldn't stop screaming, not even when mother begged him to stop, that Zuko was only a child, only a child he couldn't be perfect, Ozai, our son can't be perfect.
But father was in one of his rages and nothing would stop him, not when Zuko cried and flinched for the blow he knew was coming, not even when his mother stepped in front of him and took the hit for him. His father slapped her across the face so hard that she hit the wall behind her and slid down, a bit of blood trickling from her cut lip.
"Don't get in the way next time!" Ozai stormed. "Don't get in the way next time and I won't have to hurt anybody!"He left and the room turned blessedly cool, cool enough so that Zuko got up the courage to crawl over to his mother, mother are you okay? Are you okay do you want water, mother? Maybe a doctor? But all she would murmur was you're fine Zuko, you're fine it's not your fault.
None of this is your fault.
But it was his fault this time, Zuko realized, looking down at Katara and noticing the small trickle of blood sliding down the corner of her mouth. It was all his fault.
Katara's whole body was in shock right now, but soon enough she'd start to feel the pain. Katara could feel all her senses returning. The pounding ache on her cheek, the bones she knew for certain were heavily bruised, and she could finally taste the salty tang of blood in her mouth, dripping from where she'd bit her own lip during the hit. Her entire body hurt, especially her back where it had smashed against the tree and if she got out of this one alive, she'd fall to her knees and thank all the powers above for taking care of her.
She finally focused on Zuko, still standing and breathing heavily above her. Aside from the pain she felt physically, she felt it on the inside too. The fear, the shock that he would actually do this, and the utter humiliation of lying in defeat at Zuko's feet. For sure she'd lost this one. Lost it as certainly as Zuko had lost his mind. That crazy bastard.
Katara tried really hard not to cry, she really did. But the tears slipped unbidden from her eyes, dripping onto the dark dirt beneath her. She didn't want to move from this position, never wanted to move for fear of waking up all the dormant pains in her body. And Zuko. He'd destroyed every last bit of forgiveness she could have given him. She might have let him have a chance at making up his betrayal to her, but not now. Not ever.
They must have stayed there for years it seemed. Him, standing, horrified at his own actions and the memories that swarmed his mind. Her, lying still on the ground, stunned at what had happened and despairing at ever getting out of this situation. They were both caught for life, and they knew it.
Zuko made the first move. He walked slowly over to the girl lying on the ground, trying not to spook her. He could feel her hateful glare pinned to his face when he turned her over.
A soft jingle of metal harness made him turn around. The horse he'd jumped off earlier had come back, following his master's scent. Zuko left Katara on the ground for a moment to retrieve a dark blue blanket in one of the saddlebags. Coming back, he gently lifted Katara's upper body from the ground and slipped the blanket underneath her, then under her legs, wrapping her up until only her face showed from the blanket. The entire time, he could feel her hatred (and a bit of fear?) emanating from the glare on her face. It was shadowed a bit by the edge of the blanket that made a dark hood over her head.
Zuko lifted her up ever so gently and placed her on the back of the horse before mounting up behind her as well. He held her delicately in front of him, mindful of her injuries, and urged the horse into a walk, back to the castle.
Katara felt the tears continue to slip down her cheeks. She wouldn't be fooled by his gentle act this time. It was Zuko's thing, to hurt her and then pretend that he was sorry for it by being nice. It had happened before, and she wasn't going to fall for it again.
One of these days, he was going to break her and then he would have no one to apologize to.
They were both utterly silent on the way back to the castle. Before they were halfway there, the soldiers materialized out from their places in the forest and surrounded their Lord, an escort to take them back. Katara glared disdainfully at all of them from the shadows of her hood. They would never understand the situation. They'd probably already made up their own incorrect assumptions. Well, why should she care?
The soldiers drew in formation behind their Fire Lord, careful not to speak anything of their questions and thoughts. His Majesty had obviously caught the woman again. But why was she bundled in a blanket, hid from others' eyes? Why was she so limp and unmoving. Was she… dead?
But it wasn't their place to question their superior. So they kept quiet.
As they arrived at back at the castle, Zuko drew up next to the cold stone wall. He motioned for his soldiers to go on ahead. They were dismissed for the night. He would dismount here, away from the prying eyes and gossiping mouths of all who worked in the horse stables. Katara didn't need anymore attention than she'd already brought upon herself.
He lifted one arm to set the reins aside, and before he knew it or could react, Katara slipped down to the ground, the blanket falling aside. Rising faster than her injuries should have permitted, she set off in a limping run towards… where? Zuko sat on the saddle, completely surprised. What was she doing in her condition? Where did she think she was going to run to?
She wouldn't get far, not with her injuries. Zuko stayed calm, knowing he had the situation under control. Before he went after her though, he picked up a corner of the blanket she'd left behind and taking a small vial from his saddlebag, dumped a bit of the clear liquid onto the cloth, taking care not to inhale any of the fumes. That done, he began to follow her, slowly and leisurely. There was no danger.
Katara limped along, wanting to scream every time she jarred a bone or touched a bruise. But she kept it all inside. Zuko was no doubt extremely confused. She knew it was futile, but if she could just find the dungeons before he took her back to the room, she could just explain everything to Sokka and Aang. How she was so incredibly sorry, how she'd tried her hardest to rescue them and escape, and how she'd failed so badly. All she needed was to talk to them, just for a little while. All she had to do was find out where they were. That was all.
But she had not gone very far before that dreaded grasp came upon her arm again, pulling her back to his chest. "Where are you going?" He asked quietly, gently. She wouldn't be fooled again. Katara shook her head blindly, struggling to get away. "You'll hurt yourself again if you go anywhere." Hurt myself again? Katara thought. I didn't want to hurt myself. You did that. But all she did was grasp with weakening hands at him, trying to get away. But it was all hopeless.
Zuko brought the wetted corner of the blanket up, covering her mouth and nose. She couldn't help but inhale, even though she knew there was something wrong with the noxious-smelling fabric. And there was, because she soon felt edges of black creep into her vision, paralyzing her limbs. She fell against Zuko, and he caught her.
He murmured something in her ear. "I'm so sorry mother. It was my fault this time."
What? Her confused and dimmed mind tried to claw back to the conscious surface. The darkness was quickly swallowing her up. What are you talking about?
A/N: We were studying the rise of Russian Communism in class this week, and a lot of stuff about Stalin. And my teacher said "Those who have power will most likely abuse it." Sort of applies to Zuko now, yes?
I have no idea what kind of religion, if any, exists in their world, so I'm basically making it up as I go along. Hopefully, no one gets offended. Would someone mind telling me what happened in the latest episode? I heard it had something to do with Zuko's history and banishment! This could really screw my fic over. I'd really appreciate it if someone could give me a quick summary. Thanks!
And
the long awaited…Q & A time! I find this easier to do than replying
to individual reviews. If you have any questions, or something I
skipped over, feel free to ask in your review! Thanks again.
The
time difference. How much time passed between Chapter 11 and Chapter
12?
I'm
sorry I couldn't clear this up before. I'm putting in two weeks
or three, while they sailed to the Fire Nation. Nothing was going to
happen in those two weeks and so I decided to skip over them. I'll
go back and try to make this clearer next time. To sum it up, enough
time passed so that Katara and Zuko began to trust each other. That's
why they were so happy and touchy at the beginning of Chapter 12.
How
did Zuko become Fire Lord so quick?
I'm
positive I mentioned this in the last chapter. Ozai is dead. Which
means, legitimately and by blood, Zuko is next in line for the Fire
Lord throne. To reiterate, Ozai is D-E-A-D, dead. Which makes Zuko
Fire Lord now. Kapeesh?
How
old is Zuko again? Is he legal age for drinking alcohol?
As I
mentioned in the third or fourth chapter, I've changed the ages of
Z and K from their original ages in the series (which are 16 and 14,
respectively). That's why you read the author's notes! These
things ARE important!. I want them older and more mature for this
fic. I'm putting Zuko at 18/19, and Katara at 16/17. Aang I'm
going to keep at 12. Sokka's a bit older than Katara, so he's
probably around Zuko's age. It's not important how old he is. As
for legal age, I'm not sure what kind of laws they have in that
world. Do they even have alcohol? That's a question for you
to ponder in your free time. Haha.
Can
I draw fan art for your story?
Of
course! Just give me credit, and I'm totally fine with it. I'd
love to see it as well, and I'll advertise for you if you want me
to!
How
many chapters left in this story before you abandon us!
This
is Chapter 13… I'm thinking it'll end somewhere around 16 or
more. And don't worry I won't abandon you, I've got other ideas
floating around in my mind, several of which I want to get down on my
computer really soon.
So,
am confuzzled. Did they have sex?
This
chapter probably already answered your question.
Will
you write a lemon for this story?
No.
Sorry, but if you want detailed sex scenes, there are several other
Z/K fics out there that do that. I've got nothing against lemons
(in fact, I'm in awe of authors who can write lemons because this
immature and shy authoress can't) but it's just really, really
hard for me to write one. You can keep asking, but it just won't
happen.
This
story is fucked up.
The
world is fucked up.
