A/N: Awesomeness! Already got the next chapter for you! I just love winter break!

CHAPTER 2

Katara woke up soon after she had fainted. She put her hand to her head and shook it slightly. Had she dreamed it all? The two doors to her room remained wide open; no it wasn't a dream. The first thought that came to her was how uncanny it all was. Her father had obviously not cared about her safety at all. She figured he only cared because it was a trespasser; it didn't matter that it was a trespasser into his daughter's room. If it had been Yue though, he himself would have ran to her to see if she was okay.

Oh wait, the trespasser. Katara shivered and went to her closet to get herself a robe. She took the first one she saw. It happened to be silvery blue. She tied the knot, and walked out of her room, not bothering to do anything with her hair. Who had he been? And why hadn't he killed her the first moment he saw her? Instead they just stood there looking at each other. A blush found its way onto Katara's cheeks, and she got angry with herself for it. She held onto her robe even more tightly than before as she scanned the deserted halls of the palace for any sign of life. Where was everyone?

No doubt with their newly found prisoner.

With this new thought in her mind, Katara set out for the Great Room. It was used for big gatherings, and not just any gatherings. Gatherings where they discussed the fate of the tribe, or what would be done with their prisoners. Suddenly she got a thought into her mind, and her stomach twisted into knots. What would they do to him? Most of the council members would surely question him; they weren't stupid to just kill him right then and there, right? For some reason, she didn't want him to die, and so the thought of it pushed her to get there even faster.

She snuck in without any trouble. The room was lit with blue candlelight; don't even ask. Her father had somehow managed to turn the light that burned from the candle a light blue color. With its tall ice columns and waterfall in the back, along with the moon shining down on them all, it looked like some kind of ceremony. Katara hid behind one of the ice columns and occasionally took the risk of poking her head out to look for him. His golden eyes were no doubt embedded into her mind, and his white outfit was easy to find among the mass of blue. His hands were tied behind his back and he looked a bit less afraid than before, although anyone would have been worried in that position. There were dozens of water benders and warriors in the room. She would have surely been scared beyond belief. Katara couldn't really see his face properly, so she risked getting caught, and hid behind one that was closer to the front of the room.

"Fellow members of our great tribe! You have been called here at this late hour of the night, to discuss an important matter! We have found a trespasser!"

Nasu finished his statement, while everyone else began to chatter and stare at Zuko. He knew that he should just play it cool. That of course meant he had to lie. Nasu held up a hand and the whispers died down.

"Does anyone wish to ask this man a question?"

An elder stood up and cleared his throat.

"Yes, I have a question. First thing I would like to know, is who are you?"

Zuko closed his eyes and prepared himself. Katara saw his expression, and at once knew that he was going to try his best to fake everything.

"My name is Zuko. I'm from the Earth Kingdom."

Katara was taken aback. Was he really from the Earth Kingdom? She could have sworn he was from the Fire Nation. And Zuko? His name sent chills up her spine.

"So, the Earth Kingdom? What are you doing here, without any word of your coming?"

Zuko steadied his breath as he began to unweave his false tale.

"My parents have been sent away; they're probably dead. Since then, I've wandered around a bit, and I thought it would be interesting to come visit the great northern water tribe."

Nasu cocked his right eyebrow, and glanced toward the nine other men on the tribe's council. Suddenly from the crowd, a woman stood up.

"How do we know he's not lying? He could be a spy!"

Murmurs surrounded the room, and the council joined in the speculation. Katara watched his eyes. She sensed a tension behind them. There was no way out for him; he was a liar and she wouldn't let him get away with it.

"Everyone, calm down. I'm sure the prisoner, I mean, Zuko, has proof that he poses no threat to us?"

All eyes were on Zuko, and he could feel the silence bite at him. He couldn't lie his way out of this one. He hung his head low, and didn't respond. Nasu's lips curled into a smirk. He was about to speak when Katara came out from behind the column and made herself present. She knew she would be yelled at for this; she wasn't allowed in the Great Room without permission. But she had to do it; she couldn't let Zuko get away with this.

"Katara? What are you doing here?" Nasu asked sternly, but quietly.

Zuko looked up to see her striding from her hiding place. While she walked slowly towards her father, she met his gaze and again she heard that silent message radiate from his golden eyes. Help me.

She shook her head away from him, and finally reached her father's seat at the council table. Formally she bowed, and then stood up. Katara took a deep breath, and sighed.

"He's lying father. He's a trespasser; I was in my room and…"

"Yes?"

She wondered whether or not to continue. It was all too much for her; somehow she felt Zuko's eyes on her back.

"I was in my room, it was locked, and somehow he managed to get in… while I was getting ready for bed."

The last part shocked nearly everyone in the room. Zuko's flame of hope died when she said that. Nasu's eyes grew wide for a second, and then he slammed his fist into the table. Katara suddenly became scared of this new behavior in her father. He seemed angry, and no one would stop him. Tears began to form in her eyes, maybe her mother had been right; her father actually loved her.

"Not only is he a trespasser, but he is a danger to our tribe! I say we kill him!"

Katara stepped backwards and gasped. No, she hadn't wanted her father to kill him! Maybe just put him in prison, but not to commit murder! To her horror, the council members were nodding their heads in agreement. She lunged forward and grabbed her father's hand desperately. He picked her hand off of his, but she stood there, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Father no! You can't kill him! You just can't!"

"OH? And why not?"

Katara turned her head slightly towards where Zuko was still kneeling on the ground. Water benders had closed in on him, and were ready to do what their leader asked of them. Zuko's eyes burned into hers, and she knew in her heart what she had to do. Turning back towards her father, she wiped away her tears, and stood confidently before him.

"You can't kill someone for doing nothing worth killing him of. Yes, he trespassed into our city, and into my room… but he didn't do anything. I suggest throwing him into the prisons. Otherwise, you would be noted as a cruel leader."

Katara couldn't believe she had just said that. She had stood up against her father, in front of all of the most important people in the tribe. For a second her breath escaped her, as Nasu lunged towards her. Her eyes widened, but then she reminded herself to stay strong.

"Katara… I have never expected this kind of behavior out of you!"

His voice trembled with rage, but when he looked into his daughter's blue eyes, he knew she was right. He sighed, and Katara's pulse eased.

"But nevertheless, I believe you have a point. Council, do you agree with her proposition?"

Nasu looked at the members, and when he received a nod from each of them, he turned back to his daughter. Her eyes shined with hope, and heartbeat accelerated as she held onto each moment of silence.

"The council has come to a decision; the trespasser, Zuko, will now be our prisoner until further information is retained. Guards."

Katara spun around with a tremendous smile on her face, but it quickly vanished when she saw his face. His eyes looked wounded like a wolves. Her heart ached as she saw the water benders forcefully grab him. It was obvious they had been looking forward to killing him. Now all they had to do was take him to a prison cell. She stood there rooted to the ground and watched in agony as he was taken away. When the doors closed, everyone in the Great Room got up and began talking with each other about the event that had just taken place. The council members too had gone and were now mingled in with the masses of blue. She jerked when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Nasu held onto his daughter's shoulder with a firm grip so that she would recognize his importance.

"Katara, I need to speak with you."

She nodded and followed him out a door towards the side of the room, so that no one noticed their disappearance. Katara had never been in this room before, most likely because she wasn't usually allowed to be anywhere near the Great Room anyways. It looked more like a study however, and there were portraits on the walls of leaders before. There were two chairs, and Nasu motioned her to sit in one of them.

"Katara, I'm concerned about you."

Her head shot up. There was no way he really meant that?

"You have constantly been disappointing me, and your family."

No, of course he didn't.

"Do you not realize that you are a part of royalty? Royalty has duties, we must act a certain way, and quite frankly, you have gone against each of these things."

She held back her urge to just shout at him right then and there, since of course, she had to respect her elders.

"First of all, you missed dinner."

"I'm sorry father."

It was as if he hadn't even heard her.

"Secondly, you burst into the Great Room, when no one told you to even come near it!"

"If that wasn't good enough for you, you had to lose any sense of respect and honor to your elders, and so you barged in with your opinion as if you were the utmost royalty. Do you know how that made me look?"

Katara felt tears stinging her eyes again. Why was her father doing this to her? Did he have to be so mean? Nasu saw this, and decided that maybe he was being too stern after all. He took his voice down a notch.

"Katara… why do you have to be so much like your mother?"

She looked up and saw that there was a spark in his eyes. He stood up and wiped her tears away. She stood up as well; why was he trying to be nice all of a sudden?

"I'm sorry father… I'm a failure..."

"Don't talk about yourself like that. Yes, you have much to learn, but we all have to make mistakes before we can do that. Just do this one thing for me Katara. Please do your best to be your best. You are a princess, you are not a peasant who doesn't have manners."

He looked at her with a hope shining in his eyes. Katara nodded her head, and he smiled.

"Good. Now run along to bed. A princess needs her rest."

She left the study without another word, and when she entered the Great Room, she saw that everyone had left. Her father's words had not helped her in the least bit. Even when he had tried to be kind to her, he had an underlying evil truth. 'You are not a peasant who doesn't have any manners.' Did he really think that of her? He must have, because he kept on emphasizing the fact that she was a princess; but of course, she didn't act like one.

Her gaze swept around the room. She saw the waterfall slowly falling into the pool of water. The lush sound of it awakened her senses. For some reason, her eyes darted to the door where she had last seen Zuko. What had she done? She had saved his life, but in return she had turned into Yue. 'I suggest throwing him into the prisons.' That is what she had said, and she had said it without any concern for him at all. He couldn't have been much older than Sokka. He wasn't even really a man yet.

Her feet ran across the room, and she pushed open the doors. The view in front of her was unbelievable. She had never gone down to the prisons; she never had a reason to. Down the dark hall she went though, down the dirty stairs, clouded with dirt and old age. Finally after what seemed like forever, she saw two guards standing in front of an aged door.

"Princess, you must be going off to bed. It is late."

"I know, but I have to tell the prisoner something. A message from my father."

The guards nodded to each other. They had seen her speak out at the meeting, and so they believed her white lie. Katara winced as the door creaked open. Before she went in, they gave her a torch; lit by a blue flame once again. When the door closed behind her, she felt a sudden shiver crawl up her spine. She looked at herself, and realized the knot on her robe had loosened, and her nightgown was visible again. Quickly, she let the blush fade away, as she tied the knot securely into place. Each cell she passed was empty, until finally she reached the end of the hall. It was dark, and she couldn't quite make him out, but it was definitely him.

Her deep blue eyes were all he saw. The flames from the torch shone on them brightly, and his heart ached to see her, his savior yet not. Because of her, he was stuck in this cell, with all but no light to accompany him.

"Zuko?"

It was all she could manage to get out of her throat. She felt the tears well up inside of it. When she had said his name, he turned around on his other side, so that his back was facing her. This made her feel even worse. She let the tears fall freely and it felt like they burned on her cheeks. After a minute or so with no response, she wiped her cheeks. All she could get out was a soft whisper.

"I'm sorry."

Zuko sprung up from his bed to the cell's door, which only had a small window in it. Nothing, she was gone.

Katara sped down the hall, and opened the door forcefully. She didn't even notice the creaking this time. The guards took her torch, and she left them without another word. All the way to her room, her thoughts buzzed in her head without rest. Could he have been telling the truth? Why did his eyes always pop into her head when she didn't want them too? Why was she thinking about him at all?

Her life that morning had been so carefree. All she thought about was getting away from palace life, and living freely with the water as her guide. Now, all she thought about was the person who really couldn't get away from the palace. He was stuck in the very heart of it, with no way out. And it was all her fault.

When she got to her room, she had realized that her doors had been fixed. At least that was off of her mind. She slipped off her robe, and lazily threw it onto a chair. Katara slipped into her warm bed, and let herself be free of all worries and thoughts.

Except those fierce, yet soft golden eyes which haunted her dreams.

A/N: Yeah, sad chapter I know… no worries though! The next one won't be burdened with so much sadness lol Thanks for reading!

NEXT: Katara's spirit's are lifted with a pep talk from her mom, and she goes to see Zuko again! But someone just HAS to get in her way. One word people: Y-U-E.