Part: One- The Lutdeo
Chapter: Seventeen- Knifed to a Tree
Author: Fritters-4-Psi
Disclaimer: I do not own the show Avatar: The Last Air Bender or the related characters. Nor do I profit from this fanfiction. The only things of my creation in this fanfiction are the Koertan, Kashi, Risha, the concept of the grith coin, Vioniza, Raven's Watch, and Kali. Other possible thing to come in later chapters.
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It was quiet, but no longer dark, as the dawn had just arrived a few moments before. Katara lay in one of the rooms that was in the second floor of Risha's house. She had slept relatively well the previous night. Other than waking up once, she had stayed asleep through the night.
When she had gone to bed the night before, she lay down and went right to sleep. It was so nice to finally have a comfortable place to rest. Normally, she, her brother, and Aang would have had to leave right off, when they found a nice place to stay. By a small chance of luck, though, Risha was the cousin of Prince Zuko, who had been tracking them ever since they had left the South Pole. They really wouldn't have to worry about the Fire Nation Prince catching up to them.
The Fire Nation Prince . . . Katara had never had time, whenever she saw him, to think that he might be struggling as well. Or even that the two of them had so much in common. Both of their mothers had died as a result of the war. Both of them had been eight when their mothers had died. Their fathers had been greatly involved in the war. Although, the elements they controlled were greatly contrasted, they were both Benders.
After washing the dishes with him the night before, he didn't seem like that bad a person. He had a nice, if not bizarre, sense of humor. She never would have expected that of someone who had grown up around death, war, and destruction. There was also something added to his handsome features by that scar of his. She had to admit, he was quite good looking.
Dawn had come. Not used to sleeping long after that, Katara got out of bed. She wore a set of sleep clothes that she had borrowed from Risha's drawer. The subtle greens and browns showed the Fauna Bender's Earth Nation heritage. She walked over to the window, pulling back the blinds that dimmed the newly risen sun.
Outside, the wind blew a slight breeze through the budding leaves of a nearby tree. The tree was a pink-blossom cherry tree. In a few weeks, the branches would be full of pink flowers. Katara stared at the tree, imagining what it would look like. That is when she noticed a piece of paper attached to a branch by a knife. The tree was near enough to the house that the branch with the paper seemed to lead right up to the window.
Katara pulled open the window. She was going to get the paper and see what it said, if it said anything at all. Leaning out the window, she grabbed the branch. Carefully, still holding onto the branch, she launched herself out the window, landing on top of the branch. The paper wasn't far, probably only four or five feet away. Slowly, she inched herself forward. Katara knew better than to look down. She had to have been almost twenty feet from the ground. If she looked down, it was very certain that fear would grip her, causing her to fall.
A few long moments passed before she reached the paper. The knife that held it to the branch was clearly of Fire Nation make. The Water Bender grabbed the knife, pulling hard. Accidently, she had over compensated, pulling on the knife too hard. When it became unstuck in the wood, Katara almost lost her balance. Quickly, she latched onto the branch. It was a matter of seconds before her heart returned to its normal pace. She grabbed the paper and scurried back inside through the window.
Once inside, Katara rested for a few minutes. Then, she looked at the paper. Indeed, it did have writing on it. Of course, some of the letters were obscured by where the knife had been holding it to the branch. She read the note.
Katara,
I hope you find this note before too long. At the current, it is roughly an hour and a half before dawn. Meet me three-fourths of an hour after dawn. I shall be waiting for you behind the barn. A lovely day to you.
Zuko
Katara had to reread the note several times before she realized what this meant. Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation wanted to see her. Always a little on the paranoid side, she wondered if Zuko would ever dare to betray his cousin's trust. Would he ignore Risha's wishes and attack? She brushed off the thought, though. He had been very friendly the previous night. Why would his mind set change so quickly?
The sundial that was mounted on one of the tree's other branches told her that it had been one-quarter of an hour since dawn. There was still thirty minutes before Zuko expected her to meet him behind the barn. All at once, several thoughts entered her mind. If the Prince's actions were genuine, and he really did care for her, how would that effect others? Katara knew that Aang had held a torch for her for a while. He would, undoubtably, be crushed if she began a relationship with one of the people who was trying to kill him. In the short time that they had known each other, she and Risha had become quite good friends, despite the age difference. Katara knew that she would think it odd if Risha hooked up with Sokka. Her brother. She knew that Sokka absolutely hated Zuko.
She, herself, was also included of the list of effected people. Katara wasn't even sure if she felt anything, but a friendship for the Fire Bender. He had, after all, attacked her at the North Pole. That was the past, though. She weighed it out in her mind and she still wasn't sure what she thought. However, she did decided that in half an hour, she would meet the Prince behind the barn.
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A/N: Oh the irony! "Katara knew that she would think it odd if Risha hooked up with Sokka." ---- That, my friends, is what is called dramatic irony. What a character thinks or says and what we, the readers, know to be true. Oh, crod, this makes me laugh.