Before this chapter I'd like to just put a note here.

Apologies everyone – it was a complete slip up on my part to put in there the guard saying that Zuko was under Zhao's command.

I know he isn't under Zhao's command, but it was late at night, and I was writing and not thinking.

I always want to get these chapters in fast but I guess I'm going to take more time and make sure everything is correct before up and posting a new chapter quickly.

Story-wise, for now I'm just going with it was a slip up to say that Zuko was under his command, and that he is a mistaken guard who doesn't know what he's talking about. )

Oh and also it was a slip up to say he had a small fleet. Bah. Me and my stupid brain.

Forgive me, everyone, please?

And trust me… I don't think of Katara as passive. Hwah, she's going to not be so in the future, for certain.

I used to be called a Twist Queen back in my previous months of writing, so we'll see it that comes true in this story and if stuff changes without notice.

And to the long review also – when the guards talk back to Prince Zuko, it's because of the very fact that was mentioned… they believe he is an immature 16 year-old who shouldn't be given the power he has, as little or as much as it is. So it's because of them looking down on him, that they spoke the way they do to him.
Notice, how they still actually obey him though?

Oh and for the people who have been asking… the translation of "La Fille Légère et Le Garçon Sombre" is:

"The light girl, and the dark boy"

Everyone settled then? Alright, grab your popcorn, and next chapter…

-

-

The smell of fish lingered through the air at the stall Sokka had so fortunately discovered the previous day.

Aang had found him that afternoon, and been put to work immediately, so that by nighttime the boys had gotten an entire sack of fish to take with them once they departed to find Katara.

They had looked all over the town; for so long that Sokka's feet felt like they were going to fall off, and Momo actually had fallen off Aang's shoulders when he'd fallen asleep one time.

By nightfall both of them had become severely worried.

"She could still be looking for us," Sokka said as he paced back and forth. Aang sat in front of him Indian-style on the ground, playing with a rock in the dirt. "We have no way of contacting her! This is ridiculous."

"I could fly around the top of the town tomorrow morning to try and see her!"

"Don't you think that might be a little unsafe," Replied Sokka disdainfully, putting his hand on his chin and stroking his invisible beard. "You could be seen by the fire nation. And then that would be perfect, wouldn't it."

Aang sighed and looked back down. He resumed his playing in the dirt, as Sokka resumed his pacing.

"We'll just have to keep looking, Sokka, I don't know if there's anything else we can do."

-

-

These ropes…

Katara wriggled inside the knots she was bound by. She winced. Every time she tried to loosen them it cut into her skin, making it raw.

She didn't quite know why she had acted the way she did the day before… but a sickened, angry feeling had replaced the more subdued one, and she found herself being irritable all the time.

She had watched the soldiers play card games, talk in circles, drink from their canteens, and laze about the entire evening, to finally fall asleep at a not-so-late hour in the night.

Prince Zuko had made himself incredibly scarce the entire time. The only moment Katara saw him was when he opened the flap of the tent to tell the guards to be quieter than they were being beside the fire. Then he had gone back in and disappeared once more.

She was cold, and alone the entire night. Katara refused to fall asleep; her nerves were too wrought.

The whole night she thought of ways to escape, and by morning, she had decided.

Either that day, or that night, she was going to get out of that encampment, whether it would be mildly dangerous, or deadly.

The guards woke up at random intervals throughout the morning, yawning and stretching to bring in another day. She just continued to watch them - not very interesting.

Then Prince Zuko stepped out of his tent, and Katara looked away when she saw him. A ripple of anger rushed through her at that moment.

Just because he had prevented anything bad from happening the previous day didn't change one thing about him. That was certain in her mind.

"What's for breakfast, then," She heard one guard mumble to another.

"Dunno." He replied, shrugging and eyeing the fire which had turned into a smoking pile of ash. "Some of the meat we've brought, and bread…"

"Let our hostage cook breakfast." Prince Zuko said tonelessly, walking over to the stone pit.

"I – what?" Katara said, not entirely opposed to this but wondering where it had com from.

"I see nothing wrong with you cooking for us. The men are hungry; you have nothing better to do than cook something for us."

"It doesn't mean they can't cook for themselves." Katara shot back. Then she shut her mouth. It was the perfect opportunity to escape. What was she thinking?

The prince began to untie her bonds. "You can cook us breakfast."

"Alright then, what am I going to make?"

"We have preserved noodles, and some chicken."

"The noodles are dry then, are they?" She continued.

"Yes."

"Well then I'll need water."

Prince Zuko stared at her, and Katara had a feeling he saw what she was getting at.

"I don't think so." He said blandly.

"But how am I supposed to cook breakfast without water?" Katara urged, and in her hastiness, her voice lashed out.

Prince Zuko's eyes bore into hers once again. Katara stared straight back.

"Alright then, you can take two men to the river and fill up some of our canteens." He said, turning around almost instantly. "But watch her closely." He added to the guards.

Katara let out her breath. Perfect.

"Alright let's go then." Said one of the guards to accompany her, and he edged her to the small path.

When they reached the stream, Katara walked out in front of the two men behind her, heart beating. She was going to get away.

"Here." She whipped around just as one of the guards thrust three canteens at her.

"Thanks." She said sarcastically, turning to the stream again and walking to it.

Even though she could have bended the water from seven feet away, she wanted to be sure…

Just as soon as she got to the bank, closer to the water…

Katara stepped towards the stream, bent down, and filled up her canteen. She continued, and filled up the other three, then set them on the ground. She took a breath. Then -

Quickly dropping her canteen so it would be easier to bend, in one movement, she positioned her hands, drew out, in, and pulled the water from the stream directly to the men behind her and breathed out.

It was easy; as easy as reading a book with a glass of lemonade would be, or going for a nice relaxing swim would be.

Ice froze in rigid slices all around the first one, and he was immobilized instantly. The second one ducked behind him and shot a jet of fire at her.

Katara moved to the left, dodging it but feeling the heat brush her cheek. She took another breath and drew more water.

A whip formed itself and lashed out at the man, striking him in the chest.

It was so small, that he underestimated it, yet so strong that it knocked him backwards onto the ground. With a yelp, he clutched the spot that had been whipped, and reached up to send more fire at her.

With another breath Katara had successfully frozen him in the position of reaching out to grasp something in front of him… and before giving the two guards a chance to attempt to melt themselves free, or the other guards to come once they'd heard his call, she had grabbed her canteen, filled it with water, and taken off down the bank as fast as her legs could carry her. She did not forget to note how very much she loved the art of waterbending.

-

-

"Okay thank you. So keep your eye out. Yeah, okay, thanks," Sokka backed away from the fish woman (called Opal he discovered) gave her a half salut/hand wave gesture and walked back to Aang.

"Well she says she'll watch out for Katara, I think we should keep asking all the store owners to do it, too. That way we can find her easier."

It was morning, the two boys had slept in a slightly grassy trench between two houses as shelter, and both had sore backs as a result.

By late morning, nearly lunch time, they had gone through over five full streets and asked every shopkeeper to watch out for Katara.

They came back to the center, (the area full of stalls, including the fish one,) and plopped down on one of the fountains.

"I'm exhausted." Sokka said, who was in a grumpy worried mood. "And we still need to keep looking for Katara."

" - Why would you ever want to do that?" At that very moment, Katara herself came jogging up to them, panting and looking half relieved, half panicstricken.

"I am so glad I've found both of you."

"Katara!" Both of the boys cried, jumping up at once. (Sokka did this less enthusiastically than Aang, for he had gotten 'the rockier part of the trench')

"What happened to you? You look…" Aang struggled to find the word, and gave up by moving forward and hugging her.

"I know. There's a bit to tell you. But first we have to get out of this town." She replied, catching her breath finally and pulling away from Aang. "It's not safe at all."

"Katara look at all the fish that Aang and I –"

"Why isn't it safe?" Asked Aang, interrupting Sokka.

"The firebenders – I was caught and taken captive but I got free… there's actually no time to explain it now, we've got to go –"

"Okay, okay," Sokka said, slinging the sack of fish over his shoulder. "Appa's waiting down the road a little outside the city. But look at this fish I got!" He turned around to show her his back.

Katara's face tightened. "Which way down the road?"

"To the right…" Her brother began, disappointed she was taking no notice in the food he'd gotten.

Instead, she beckoned halfway through his sentence, turned to run, and they made their way back to the gates.

"It's alright then, where Prince Zuko took me was to the left, we're safe…"

However when they reached the gate all three of them discovered that they were not indeed, safe.

The two guards that had chased them the day previous were on watch yet again, and they had no way of getting out of the city unspotted.

"Sokka – where did you get those fish?" Katara asked suddenly, an idea sprinting into her head.

"Finally!" He said triumphantly, pulling it in front of him. "Well see I ran into this lady named Opal, of course I didn't discover that until after I met her, but she told me I could work for food if I helped her gut which – which, if you're asking, is disgusting if you're gutting her fish… I mean, every other fish I've gutted hasn't been nearly as smelly as hers were, I don't know where she gets them…"

Katara wasn't listening. She was looking down the street at the clothing shop she had run into Prince Zuko in. Earthbending clothes.

"Go back to her; and sell them." She told Sokka, turning her head back to face him.

Her brothers' shoulders dropped. "You've got to be kidding m-"

" - no I'm serious Sokka, we need the money to buy clothes at that store to disguise ourselves so we can get out of this town without being stopped!"

"But –"

"Now - we're running out of time!"

Grumbling under his breath, Sokka trudged back to the center of the town to sell his hard-earned fish.

Aang looked at her with his wide eyes. "So… what happened Katara? Can you tell me now?"

She looked at him. "I was caught by Prince Zuko in one of the shops, and he took me back to his encampment. He was planning on using me as bait to capture you."

She paused, and then said, "Which, by the way, if that happens, don't come for me, because he'll just take you and then everyone will be in trouble."

"But what will you do then?" Aang asked, with worry in his big round eyes.

"I'd get free somehow. I managed to do it just now, didn't I?" Katara's head tilted and she smiled a little.

Both of their heads snapped to the side when they heard the slow scratch of gravel nearing them.

Sokka had come trudging back with his head held down, holding a bunch of silver coins in his two hands.

"Here." He said shortly, dumping it into his sisters. "All that hard work for absolutely nothing, I hope you're happy."

"I am – come on!"

Inside the shop, Katara scanned the aisles and quickly chose out three costumes for the three of them. Ironically enough, Sokka became a fish merchant, she became a gardener, and Aang was a child with a wide flat straw hat.

"This hat itches like the hay I used to get into Omashu." Aang said, scratching his temple. "When I was Bonzu Pipinpadelopsocopolis III." He grinned.

"And this suit smells." Sokka said, sniffing it and jerking his head away.

"Oh stop complaining Sokka," Said Katara, who had smiled at Aang. "I actually like mine. It's very comfortable."

"Well good for you. Aren't we supposed to be trying to get out of the gates?" Sokka examined his robes, but when he looked up, Aang and Katara were already out of the door. "Well I'm glad not the only one who thought of it." He muttered, quickly running after them.

Their plan worked excellently. In fact, the two guards barely even looked at them as they walked out; they were too busy being distracted by an irritated looking man rolling a cabbage cart inside.

"Great idea, Katara!" Aang said loudly as they walked down the path. "I don't even think Prince Zuko and his crew would recognize us now!"

Thirty yards away the Prince himself and his entire group of guards skidded up to the gate. "We'll wait here." He said harshly. "Then they can't get past us."

Sokka dragged his feet as he walked. All that fish he had earned, and now he was still going to be hungry. And he even smelled like it too.

He looked over his shoulder mournfully at the town that held delicious morsels.

Wait. Was that who he thought it was?
"Uh… guys…" He hissed. "Don't freak out or anything, but Scarface is behind us at the gate.
Katara turned around and almost laughed. How ironic. "Alright, just keep walking." She said happily. They wouldn't recognize them. And besides, they were almost to the woods were Appa was waiting.

In Prince Zuko's mind, bittersweet kudos were given to the girl whom he clearly underestimated.

She had managed to freeze in place two grown men. Was it possible for a little waterbending peasant to do that? How old was she, twelve?

His entire plan had failed because once again he didn't plan it properly. Once again, he had managed to mess up. This would not happen.

He looked up. She wasn't in the town. They had to have left already. Gone, into the forest once more to disappear for who knew how long.

He turned his head slowly around to face the right. No, why would she go back to the camp she knew was there…

He looked to the left and his heartbeat sped up triumphantly.

Three people walking away from the town.

It didn't matter that they were dressed in earthbending clothes – he knew it was them.

"There they are! Catch them now!" He shouted, and when all the guards looked wildly around for what he was pointing at – he began to run forward himself.

"Never mind!" Katara said, sprinting forward. "Run!"

Nearly tripping over all their disguises which they didn't have time to take off, the three of them ran into the woods to find Appa.

Aang pulled from his clothing a small white whistle that he blew as hard as he could… and sure enough, after a few seconds, Appa came flying down towards them from the sky.

Prince Zuko would not let them run again. He was so close.

"ATTACK THEM!" He yelled at his men who were far behind them. "They'll be in the skies!"

He continued running right after them. He would still catch them.

Shooting fire from his fists that was so strong it spread out ten feet in front of him, he bolted at them as they were climbing up on Appa.

"Hurry! Get on!" Aang said to Katara, who was just climbing onto the giant bison. "He's right behind –" Fire licked at his face and he fell back onto the seat to avoid the warmth.

Katara turned around, saw the Prince running right at her, and quickly opened her canteen.

It happened in a series of extremely fast movements.

Right as Prince Zuko jumped up towards her to try and get on the bison, Katara bended ice onto his face, blinding him. She then tossed the canteen to the side and shoved him in the chest as hard as she could to keep him away from her.
At that moment Appa had lifted off the ground… and Prince Zuko fell ten feet, off the bison, and onto the ground. He hit it with a hard thud, body snapping back, and face still covered in ice.

Katara watched him as they flew up into the air… watching his unconscious figure grow smaller and smaller. She was completely satisfied with what had happened for twelve seconds.

Then as she turned around and sat down, she realized that that fall could really hurt someone.

Sure, the person who had fallen was Prince Zuko.

The prince who was trying to capture Aang.

The Prince whom she hated very much.

But even if he was her enemy, she had never intended to kill him.

Was he dead? Had the fall killed him? It had seemed like his back had broken in half. What if he couldn't breathe and he was suffocating to death?

Suddenly Katara had become very aware of her surroundings, and the fact that Aang and Sokka were staring at her randomly horrified face.

"I was just… thinking about how close that was." She said, shoving every thought and worry to the back of her mind. "… Do you think that fall hurt Prince Zuko?"

"Probably." Said Sokka carelessly. "But Prince Zuko is pretty tough, that guy wouldn't have let some little fall hurt him."

But Sokka truly didn't know what he was talking about, for back on the ground a hundred feet down, Prince Zuko had gotten hurt. The fall had knocked his head, and sprained his arm, nothing too serious like death, but he had lost consciousness all the same.

And, he had run far enough into the woods that while he laid there unconscious, his guards looked for him, and did not succeed.

They had spent a good hour looking for him, and when they could not find him, they went back to the main road and began traveling in hopes of finding him along the way.

After all, with the independent drive that Prince Zuko had, he would certainly have gone off chasing the avatar himself.

Luckily the heat of the day had melted the bit of ice on his face quickly, so he could breathe in his state of unconsciousness.

He awoke a little less than four hours later, by which time it was around two in the afternoon, and very hot out.

Groaning, he pulled himself to his feet and rode out the dizzy wave that greeted him with this movement. He ran his hand over his face, remembering what had happened to him

She had looked him straight in the face before prickly shards of ice impaired his vision. Then he had felt two hands upon his chest, shove him hard.

He had fallen for the longest time, and then – nothing.

The peasant had one upped him.

She had succeeded in making him fail.

The avatar had been right there… three feet behind the girl… directly in front of him.

And he had been defeated.

By a waterbender. By a waterbending peasant.

The anger and embarrassment surged through him as he stood there in the middle of the forest.

He whipped his head around.

Where was his team? His group of guards?

Nowhere to be seen. Obviously they hadn't successfully obeyed his orders. Idiots.

He breathed out and rubbed his face. Now he was by himself with no ship, no troop, nothing.

He had been taught, however, to deal with anything on his own. He had learned that in order to survive, one did not need other people. He did not need what other people had to offer…

Prince Zuko had been trained in survival skills. In all aspects.

Not only survival skills on staying alive, but survival skills on living every day.

This included ways of thinking. This demanded ways of living.

What he had been taught came into practice in everything he did. It was who he was.

He would track down the avatar himself. He would catch him. And then he would return to his father and be invited back into the firebending nation with honor. Honor for using the very thing his father had told him he would use.

Suffering will be your teacher…