After Zuko left the tent the Fire bender and Tatiana were left alone. It was an almost awkward silence as they stared each other down, although the fire bender's helmet covered his face Tatiana could still make out his black eyes. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and made a face. She had no reason to let this lone fire bender take her to a place that she didn't even want to go.
The fire bender seemed to have gotten over the awkwardness of the moment and taken his orders to heart. Maybe it was also the look in Tatiana's face that clearly stated, 'make me because otherwise I'm not going.'
"Alright Miss, I have a certain sense of honor about hitting ladies. So don't make me do anything that I'll later regret," he said. Tatiana raised an eyebrow in mock surprise.
"I wasn't aware that fire benders had any sense of honor," she said smirking.
"We're not all bad, as you may or may not find out," he said as he took a step towards her. Tatiana took a step back, she couldn't do any earth bending in a tent without harming herself. She looked up at the fire bender who had stopped, she could wait him out, as long as he didn't tie her hands behind her back.
Tatiana sighed and hung her head, looking for all of the world like the resigned prisoner who knew there was no escape. The fire bender made a faint gesture of relief. She smiled inwardly as he bade her to come after him. Her inward smile faded as she made to walk past him and her hands were ceased and tied behind her. She was just as helpless as before. She made a brief pouting noise.
"You didn't honestly think that we would let you run about with your hands free did you?" he asked.
She shook her head smiling, "I just thought you would be nice enough to let me go home. I don't know anything more about the Avatar than what you do," she said keeping her eyes peeled for another opportunity to escape. Surely the Avatar would not leave his friends behind? She thought. Unless of course Sokka and Katara had already found their friend Aang. Tatiana sighed again.
"Then how do you know that the Avatar is alive?" he asked as he pushed her ahead of him.
"I didn't until you came in and shouted that the Avatar was flying north, or south. I can't remember that well," she stated as they rounded a bend of the river and a large black navy ship met them.
"Sensible of you to believe the shouts of a strange enemy," he said.
"Well otherwise that is a lot of fuss to be made for nothing," she said back, her hopes for escaping sifting away like sand in the river beside them. A narrow escape was no longer an option, and her secret weapon was no longer a weapon, she thought as they boarded the ship, her head hung downward and pieces of stray hair concealed her face. A sick feeling was beginning to develop in the pit of her stomach.
"Come on Katara we have to escape! Help me out here!" he said as he tried desperately to see out of a window that was at least four feet above his head by standing on an empty crate.
"Aang will save us," she said with conviction. Sokka turned to face her as he jumped off of his crate. She was sitting cross-legged in a meditating pose. Katara was such a sadist whenever they got into trouble, and now was no different.
"Yeah, but who is going to save Aang?" he asked as he sat down on the wooden floor. The ship creaked as he sat and he looked angrily at the tall black iron walls surrounding him.
The door above opened and another person was thrown into the brig with them. Sokka now more than ever wished that he could air bend his way up too the door. Ever since the fire benders had caught him and him he had been urging to get back at them.
"Tatiana!" Katara exclaimed as the person lifted herself up off of her knees. Sokka jerked his head toward the other person.
"Katara? Sokka? What are you doing here?" she said as she lifted herself into a crouching position off of the floor.
"The fire benders caught us… well we were still at the barn fixing to leave wondering where you were at when they came and… caught us," said Sokka.
"Where did you go anyway?" asked Katara. "We were up till now thinking that you had um… ratted us out," she said. Tatiana was slightly crushed at them thinking that of her. Well they knew you a grand total of five hours. Not five years, she thought angrily at herself.
"There was another land slide and I went to help. I decided not to wake you because it was so early," she said ignoring Sokka's glance.
"You should have woke us, we could have helped," said Sokka. Tatiana felt her insides quiver as she thought of it.
"Well it's water under the bridge now," said Katara seeing Tatiana's look. "It can't be helped. Besides you were thinking of us," she added glaring at Sokka. The ship started moving fast. Tatiana grabbed on to the floor to keep from sliding into Katara. Sokka grabbed at the crate and flipped miserably over while Katara grabbed a set of shackles that were attached too the wall.
After the initial process of getting the boat moving and nearly smashing them all into the wall was over Katara got up and rushed too Sokka's aid although a slight smiled played on her lips as she made to help him up. Tatiana stayed on the floor in fright. What if there was a storm and she was still on this boat? Her stomach almost rejected the soup that she had eaten the night before at the thought.
Sokka sat up rubbing his head and waved Katara away. He had forgotten how much he hated Fire Nation ships… although now he had a new reason to dislike them. Katara put her hands on her hips and walked back too Tatiana and sat down.
Tatiana grimaced as she imagined the ship being tossed about on the waves, lightning striking in the background. Her lip quivered and she fought the urge to bury her face in her hands and cry at the thought of a storm at sea. Stop being a baby, Katara and Sokka will think that you are crazy or something. She thought too herself and looked over at Sokka. He was sitting up in front of the crate rubbing his head.
"So what about the escape plan?" she asked after Sokka got his bearings back.
"Well…" he said noticing that she was a little green and shaking.
"Sokka means to say that he hasn't even figured out where to use the bathroom much less how to escape," said Katara grinning at Sokka. Sokka glared back at her. "Don't worry, Aang will get us out of here," she said.
Tatiana nodded, even though she wasn't so sure how anyone besides a fire bender could get them out of here.
(Yes, I know short chapter, but the next will be longer! So next chapter: Escape or Not too Escape? That is the predicament. Yes I know I am evil for not allowing them a place to use the bathroom. -crouching bunny.)
