Dangerous Ground

Beloved readers: I am so sorry the updates haven't been coming as regularly as usual. The Christmas rush has had me running an unable to spend any time on writing. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back up to the usual output of chapters once things settle down. Thank you for your patience and encouragement!

Chapter 17

"Commander! Quickly!" The scout's face and clothing were drenched in sweat, his eyes wild and wide, like a hunted animal. He was panting, and his limbs visibly trembled as he stumbled into the training room. Immediately, all fighting stopped and a dead hush spread through the room like a plague borne on the wind.

"What is it, Sergei? I thought you were supposed to be patrolling the Eastern Border." Teikei stood.

"I was sir. They came... they came at night..." The scout paused, collecting his thoughts and catching his breath. "We didn't expect them. They came from the North. We... we smelled the burning...it was terrible. Whole... whole villages...sir. I... I..."

"Collect yourself." Teikei ordered sternly. "I want a concise report and I want it now." The brusk tone had its desired effect. The scout straightened and began again, this time more clearly.

"I was patrolling the Eastern Border with five other men as instructed, sir. After two days' traveling north, Moti informed us that he smelled smoke in the air. We followed the scent, and began to see ashes coming down like snow. It was another day's journey before we came upon the village. It had been completely razed. We started to search the village, but the Fire Nation had left some soldiers behind to ensure that no one knew of their activities. We were attacked. The other four men fought bravely, sir, but they all died. I ... I... fled." The scout looked down as tears of shame filled his eyes.

Teikei laid a comforting hand on the man's shoulder and spoke softly. "You did the right thing, son." Silence pervaded as the men waited for their leader to speak.

"Sergei, were there any survivors at this village?" Teikei put the question delicately, but the memories the words triggered turned the scout's face pale and made his body sway, as if he were ready to collapse.

"No, sir. Only bodies. So many bodies. Most were burned beyond recognition. Women, the elderly, children. Babies, sir. Babies."

"No! The Fire Nation would not slaughter innocents like that! There is no honor in it!" Zuko's hands were blazing as he challenged the scout. It was not the scout, however, but Teikei who spoke.

"Zuko, we've gone over this."

"Your scout is lying. He wishes to slander the honor of the Fire Nation!" Zuko took a step forward, ready to fight the scout for the honor of his nation. Teikei's face hardened in impatience.

"The Fire Lord knows that victory is within his grasp. He has become heady with his own victories. At this point, I do not doubt that he'd slay his own mother just to see the earth kingdom fall."

"AGH!" Zuko pulled back his fist and tensed in preparation to attack Teikei, but I'd anticipated the fight and was already on my feet and at Zuko's side. I stood in front of him and reached for his arm.

"No." I said. I ran my hand up his wrist, getting as close to his hand as I dared without getting burned. "Calm down. Let him speak." I whispered. My fingertips cooled his burning skin and he slowly put his fist down. I hid my surprise. It was the first time I'd seen Zuko let go of a fight.

"Earthbending scum! Who was I to think you'd understand the honor of the Fire Nation? You dwell in your filthy caves, feeding each other lies and inciting rebellion. What would you know of honor?" Zuko's voice was a deadly whisper.

"Lies? You think they are lies? Well, I will show you the truth, my Prince." Teikei turned on his heel and walked out the door.

"Bind him and bring him with us. The Fire Nation will probably continue heading south from the Eastern Border. Gather the men and have them prepare for battle." Teikei called from the doorway. I saw his eyes linger for a while on Zuko, who was still fuming, barely held back by my hand on his wrist. He nodded, as if a final decision had been made, and left.

The ground was cold and wet beneath my feet, seeping into my boots and chilling my toes. For a quick minute, I wished I was a firebender. The thought was quickly banished, however. I looked over at Zuko. He hadn't said anything since his fight with Teikei in the training room, and that had been several hours ago.

Come to think of it, it had been almost half a day ago. It had only taken about an hour to ready and organize the men. As soon as they'd lined up, we'd begun marching. At first, I'd been excited. Teikei had promised me that I could march unbound and help in the fighting, though I'd have to stay back from the front lines.

But now the excitement was wearing thin. I was cold and soaked with the damp chill of winter. I'd waterbended the moisture out of my clothes and shoes every few minutes at first, but then I'd finally given up when they only filled with water again and again. I felt heavy with the damp. It seemed to press me into the ground and make the pack I'd been carrying feel as if it contained stones instead of food and blankets.

Besides the bodily discomfort, I was bored. It felt good to be out of the stuffy fortress, but now my legs were tiring and every tree seemed to look like the one I'd just passed. I tried to amuse myself by humming songs or playing waterbending tricks with the misty air, but even that lost its charm after the first few hours.

I tired making conversation with Zuko, but he only answered in monosyllables, if he answered at all. I began to worry. It wasn't like Zuko to remain so silent. He should be shouting insults and making threats. After all, that's what Zuko did when he was angry, wasn't it?

Maybe he's not angry.

Of course he's angry! What else would he be?

I turned to study Zuko's face. Yes, I saw anger there. But it was mingled with something else. There was a battle raging within him. I could see it in the desperate shifting of eyes, the tight creases between his brows, the way his eyes bored into the ground ahead of his feet, as if the earth could yield up answers.

What is he struggling against?

Before I could make any comments, though, the troop came to a sudden halt. I peered around the broad shoulders of the Earthbender in front of me and saw Teikei making gestures in the distance.

"What's going on?" I whispered to Mr. Burly Shoulders.

"We're stopping to make camp." He explained, slinging his pack to the ground with a thud that caused vibrations to travel all the way up into my boots. I followed suit, placing my pack on the ground by my feet. I stretched aching shoulders and pulled the cold, soaking water from my clothing. A sudden cheer rose from the soldiers.

"What?" I tapped Burly Shoulders again, who was talking excitedly among the other soldiers in front of me.

"Teikei says that we're far enough from the site of the Fire Nation's attack to risk building fires tonight." His eyes smiled at me, as if he'd just been given a tree that grew pies instead of fruit.

The thought of fire being to risky had never occurred to me. I had taken it for granted that we'd be warmed by the glow of a fire each night. What would happen when we got closer? I shivered, not wanting to think about it.

I looked around me. Soldiers had begun to set up camp, pulling out sleeping mats and stacking firewood. I began to set up mine, but a voice stopped me.

"One moment there, Katara. You and Zuko will be sleeping at the center of the encampment. Makes it harder to escape." Teikei winked at me and led me to an unoccupied bit of ground in the middle of the camp. I nodded to him and he left, leaving me with a patch of wet ground, soaked kindling, and a sulking Prince. Life was just getting better and better for me.

I started by waterbending as much water as I could from the earth beneath our mats. That accomplished, I began collecting firewood for the fire. Like everything else, it was permeated with icy winter water. Now what? I looked around at the other soldiers. They'd all brought some kind of powder that sparked and flamed when they struck flint over it. I had no such magic powder.

I looked at Zuko. He was bound, wrist to wrist, making it impossible for him to firebend. I sighed. Maybe I wasn't going to get a warm fire tonight. But then Zuko got to his knees and bent over the kindling. He closed his eyes and concentrated for a minute. I watched in awe and fascination as he parted his lips and blew a steady stream of fire into the kindling, causing it to spark and sputter to life. He sat back and looked objectively at his work.

"Thank you." I said softly. He shrugged.

I pulled out the night's ration of bread and dried meat and handed Zuko his half. He took it wordlessly. I began to feel concern for him again. His face was calm and emotionless, but his eyes betrayed a storm brewing inside.

I took a deep breath. "What's troubling you?" I asked.

"It's none of your concern." I flinched at Zuko's harsh tone. He'd not spoken to me that way since the day the Fire Nation soldier had ridiculed him. He'd opened up to me that night, and a silent bond had been forged, a truce. I frowned. I wasn't about to lose that ground again.

"Yes, it is my concern."

"I don't owe you any explanation." His tone was still harsh, but I was relieved that he didn't throw a 'water peasant' insult into the sentence somewhere.

"No. You don't. But you're troubled about something and I want to help."

"I don't need any of your help!" Zuko snapped. Okay, I had to admit, I had used the wrong choice of words. "Help" and "you" should never be used in the same sentence when addressing the Fire Prince. I sighed and tried again.

"Is it that you're tired?" I knew it wasn't the problem, but Zuko would never admit weakness, and in defense of his strength he might confess what was bothering him.

"I am not tired! I am the Prince of the Fire Nation! I do not tire."

"See, that's your problem. You're too hard on yourself. You're too hard on everyone. Can't you just lighten up? Does everything have to be a battle and a test of strength with you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

He shook his head, lips pressed firmly together. Great. He was closing up on me again. I groaned inwardly. I was on dangerous ground with him, again. With the right words I could collapse every shaky bridge of trust I'd built with him, or I could open new roads into his thoughts.

"Zuko, do you believe in this war?" The question had surprised him, and he jerked as if he'd been slapped.

"What?"

"I was just wondering if you really felt like this war was a good idea or if you just like going around bullying people." I clenched my fists beneath the fold of my dress, trying to suppress the trembling in my fingertips. It was too late to go back now. I had to see this through to its finish.

"How dare you insult-"

"I'm not insulting anyone. I just wish to know one fact: do you think for yourself, or do you simply follow your father blindly?"

"You foolish, simple-"

"Answer my question, Zuko."

"I don't have to answer to a-"

"Are you afraid?"

"Ha!"

"Then answer me!"

"Of course I think for myself!" His voice was raised now, and in my peripheral vision I could see the faces of several soldiers turn to look in our direction.

"Then you agree with what your father is doing? You agree that it is right to annihilate and enslave the other nations? To create imbalance among the elements?" I lowered my voice.

"Whether I agree with his actions or not is irrelevant." Zuko turned his face from me, but I could see doubt flicker in his eyes for a moment before his face was enveloped in the growing darkness outside the circle of the fire.

"So you will follow him whether you agree with him or not? Do you really believe his is so perfect-"

"It is not for me to question." He looked into the fire again, his gaze intensifying, his eyes narrowing. I saw a shiver run up his body, as if he were wracked with a sudden pain.

My eye was drawn to the scar on his face and I realized the meaning behind his words. He had been scarred for questioning. He'd been mangled and exiled by his own father, by the very nation he'd loyally served.

Yes, he served his nation. That was what he was doing when he spoke against the slaughter of the 41st division. He was serving his nation. It is his father who is the traitor... but Zuko is too wounded to acknowledge what he knows to be true. He is too scared.

Just as I am...

I did the unthinkable. Before I could stop myself, before I could snatch my fingers back, bury my instincts beneath a pile of reason and argument, I touched him. I brought my fingertips ina gentle, feather-light sweep over his scarred cheek.

The electricity hit me, but I didn't pull away from it this time. I allowed it, let the fire run up my veins, let the sparks warm my hand and dance invisibly over my skin. Zuko's eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but he seemed too stunned to speak.

"You are strong, Zuko. Your father cannot, or chooses not, to see it, but I can." I left my hand where it was, tracing the crimson border of the scar.

Zuko was getting over the shock, and his eyes betrayed a turmoil of emotions conflicting inside of him. He started to pull away from me, his stubborn pride and Zuko-ness taking over his expression. He was fighting himself. Always fighting.

But I wouldn't let it happen. I scooted closer to him. Inches apart, I brought my other hand up to his face. My hands were trembling slightly, but I didn't let it break my concentration. "Zuko." I whispered, locking his golden eyes in my gaze. I felt him shiver slightly.

"You don't have to fight." I held his gaze. It was difficult. His stare was so piercing it almost hurt. I almost felt as if he were firebending with his eyes, burning my own, setting me on fire inside. I felt his hand reach up to grab my wrist. He pulled at it half-heartedly. His hands were hot, more so than usual. They seemed to warm my arms from the inside out.

I realized that it wasn't just his hands that were warm. The fire seemed to have grown hotter. But was it the fire? The very air seemed to crackle with the intensity of flame. I was burning, surrounded by heat, but it felt good.

I felt his breath on my face.

You shouldn't be this close to him.

His eyes were so beautiful. They glimmered like gold melted in a furnace.

You hate him.

We moved almost imperceptibly closer to each other. The air warmed further.

He is your enemy!

He is a person.

He is a firebender!

He is no different from me.

He is stubborn, egoistical, dangerous-

Strong, compassionate,truehearted, passionate...

I closed my eyes. I was so close I could feel the heat from his skin.

"Ahem."

I jumped. A blush as hot as Gran-Gran's oven spread over my cheeks as I looked up at Teikei, who was trying to conceal a smile and failing miserably.

"I didn't mean to interrupt your... um... conversation, but I wanted to remind you we'll be leaving early tomorrow, so try to get some sleep. In other words: don't try escaping. Even if you make it past the sleeping soldiers, we have sentries posted around the encampment." He pointed to the formidable looking guards who stood around the camp, watching for Fire Nation soldiers.

"Katara, I'm giving you charge over the prisoner. He's yours to do with as you please." The mischievous twinkle in his eye betrayed the double meaning of his words. I blushed further and for the first time felt like slugging the leader of the Earthbender army.

He walked away and I stood. I preoccupied myself with brushing the dirt and wrinkles out of my dress. The silence that ensued was more than awkward. What had just happened?

Nothing. Nothing happened. We were just talking. That's all. I nodded to myself, satisfied with the answer. I began to stretch the kinks and aches out of my muscles. I reached down and touched my toes, letting the fire warm my face and arms. I placed my hands on my hips and rotated my shoulders, working away the indents in my shoulders left by the pack.

I looked over at Zuko. Maybe he was already asleep. I'd taken a while to stretch and twist by the fire, surely that had been enough time for him to drop into sleep. To my surprise, he was watching me. His amber eyes were flickering in the light from the fire, tracing me against the night sky.

"Time to go to bed, I guess." I said sheepishly as I crawled next to him.

"Maybe we shouldn't." I was surprised by the tone of his voice. It was husky and thick. I looked at him quizzically.

He leaned back on his elbows and crossed his legs. It seemed to be a posture of aloof relaxation, but there was something stiff in his movements that struck me as unusual. Was he coming down with something? Did firebenders even get sick?

"What do you mean?" I questioned him.

"We don't want them getting the wrong ideas." He nodded to the sleeping soldiers. It was a good reason. So why did I get the feeling he was lying?

What could he be hiding from me?

I shrugged. Maybe I was just being silly. Zuko was right. We didn't want to give the soldiers any ideas. I rolled over and pulled the blanket up to my chin, letting sleep come and take my concerns away. Before reaching that place of blissful unconsciousness, however, I realized that Zuko was still up, staring into the fire.

Would he always remain such a mystery to me?