Chapter 6: A New Life

Their entrance into the Elite Force was nothing special. They—all five of them—lined up on the field of the arena. Katara snuck a quick look at the spot where Juiko had burned to his death just that very morning. There was nothing to show for it; the dirt was as brown and uniform as the dirt under Katara's feet. She wondered what they had done with the remains. probably dumped them in a ditch somewhere, as befitted Water bender scum.

She turned her attention back to Lt. Ensei, who was strolling in front of them, occasionally pulling the cigarette out of his mouth to exhale softly. She noticed the small yellow ponytail tied low at the nape of his neck, which was a bit strange. Many of the men here kept their hair long, but for the older men, it was usually tied in a top knot. For the younger ones, such as Hiro and the Emperor Zuko, hair was tied high on the head. Maybe Lt. Ensei just didn't like the current styles, Katara thought.

He turned to face them, hands clasped behind his back, cigarette held loosely at the corner of his mouth. "I won't mince words with you guys," he started. Katara thought it amazing that his speech was perfectly clear even with that cigarette between his lips. Did he practice?

"This is a really bad time to join if you value your useless lives," Ensei continued to drawl. His expression looked like he didn't give a damn whether they cared or not. "Those rebels are gettin' notions."

The lieutenant began to pace again. "Notions like... spreading. Like moving onto our territory. Reports coming from the Northern Earth Province telling us the rebs gettin' fidgety and shit. Starting to attack our bases and setting up their own forts and raiding our civilians."

Hiro shifted uneasily next to her. Oran stood straight at attention.

"Add on the fact that we just had our own little Water bender drama this morning. If one of 'em got in here, it means there's even more 'em out there."

Ensei took a long draw on his cigarette again. Katara failed to see the advantages of sucking on a smoke-producing little twig all day long. But she was, at heart, a Water bender, so she didn't expect herself to understand.

The lieutenant pulled a crumbled piece of paper from one pants pocket. Katara caught a glimpse of an official-looking seal on it before Ensei cleared his throat and began:

"The postings are as follows. Borr and Utsek in Patrol 6 under Lt. Sakai. Oran you're with Corporal San of Patrol 4—don't look so worried, the Corporal's a good guy—"

Ensei's eyes skimmed over Katara and Hiro. "And you two are with me. Don't look so scared, girlie, I'm a good guy too."

Katara gritted her teeth but didn't say anything. Look scared? Her expression hadn't even twitched when Ensei looked at her. Was he purposefully getting under her skin?

"Now report to your new home sweet home. You two—" He pointed at Hiro and Katara. "—Come with me." They began to walk back to the Elite's barracks, Ensei strolling a little ahead of them.

"Now I'm supposed to give you some crap speech about being honored to serve the Empire or whatever, but I'm not usually up for that kind of strenuous exercise." He gave them a sidelong look. "To me, there's only one thing you really gotta know. You serve the Emperor first, me second, your fellow soldiers third, and yourself last. Got me?"

They both nodded. What else could they say?

Entering their new room, Katara noticed that both her bag and Hiro's were already there, thrown on the top mattresses of two sets of bunk bends. The bottom bunks had various personal items scattered over the top. Their new "fellow soldiers". She wondered where they were.

"This is home sweet home," Lt. Ensei stood in the doorway, tapping one foot casually against the wooden floor. "Me and the other leaders get our own private quarters. You'll meet the other two members of Patrol One soon enough - I think they're in the armory or at the sparring ring."

Ensei looked pensive for a moment before focusing on Hiro and Katara again. "Well I'll let you two kids get settled in. If I find them, I'll send Faozu and Qin over to meet ya."

And with that, he left, leaving Hiro and Katara in the dusty silence.

Katara turned and climbed onto her bunk to begin unpacking. There were four shelves built into the wall above the foot of the bed, and two longer ones running along the side wall. She found that that actual bed frame had two drawers that she could slide out. It was more than enough storage, since she didn't have all that much stuff in the first place.

After a few minutes of unpacking, the door was thrown open and two men swaggered in, dusty and sweaty. Their loud conversation broke off as soon as they caught sight of the two new Elites.

"Eh, you two the ones Lt. Ensei told us to haul our asses over here for?" A man with laughing, light-brown eyes smiled good-naturedly at them. "I'm Qin and this here's Faozu." He slapped his companion on the shoulder.

Faozu smiled genuinely, but without the same gusto Qin had. He was a large, almost burly man. Qin, on the other hand, was shorter and slimmer than his friend. They made a curious contrast.

Hiro jumped down from the bunk and clasped hands warmly with Qin. "I'm Hiro, and the other new one is Katara, over there." He pointed with one hand at Katara, who had also climbed down from her bed. She merely smiled. Hiro had already introduced her to everyone.

Qin, momentarily silenced at first, regained his composure and laughed, slapping Katara lightly on the back. She tried not to stumble forwards from the force. "You that girl everyone's talking about? No problem. If you can hold your own in a fight against the enemy, there's nothing I'm gonna complain about. Hell, if you can throw a knife as good as everyone says you can, you could be a little old granny and I wouldn't give a damn."

Katara smiled and relaxed. These two seemed like nice enough people. She'd been tense at first, wondering if a conflict would arise concerning her gender. She'd met plenty of sexist people already (unwanted images of Borr came forth), and meeting another one in her own Patrol would have been hard to take without arguments erupting.

Qin threw two packages at them, one each for Hiro and Katara. "Lieutenant told me to give you these."

Katara unfolded hers to reveal two sets of black clothes, complete with short-sleeved shirt, long-sleeved shirt, long pants, light jacket, and thick jacket. They were all made of good material and had numerous pockets for weapons and other items.

"Your new uniforms!" Qin grinned, plucking at is own black sleeve. "Not real flashy, I know. The Fire benders like to show off their pretty red colors but we Elites've got more taste than that, eh, Faozu?"

Faozu nodded before sitting on his bunk, the one underneath Hiro's. "We get the rest of the day off," he said.

Qin leaned against the doorway and sighed happily. "A rare vacation. How 'bout we go into the city? Treat the newcomers to a drink or two."

Hiro said, "Sounds good to me."

Faozu nodded his compliance. He didn't seem like the type to waste breath on unnecessary talk.

Katara shrugged. "Anything's okay with me."

Qin smiled and pushed himself from the doorframe. "Alright! You guys change and then we'll go. Me and Faozu'll wait outside. The bathroom is the door in the back—the Patrols each get a private shower and toilet."

Hiro whistled in appreciation as he opened the bathroom door and peered inside. "Not bad."

"Yeah," Qin grinned even wider. "The Emp knows how to treat his men well."

They left, and Katara closed the door of the bathroom behind her to change. The long-sleeved shirt and the pants went on. She would leave all the rest behind in her bed drawers, until she needed them again. The cuffs of the shirt she had to roll up, as well as the pants legs, or else they would drag on the ground. She'd have to ask the lieutenant later for a smaller size; loose, flapping clothes presented a danger in fighting. The cloth could get caught on the enemy's weapons, rendering her immobile and a much easier target.

Katara exited the bathroom after first knocking on the door and asking out loud of Hiro was ready yet.

"Don't we look professional?" Hiro grinned, then became sober. "I really didn't expect to get in. I never thought in a million years I would be an Elite."

"Me neither." Katara answered softly.

They went outside to find Qin and Faozu lounging around.

"You guys ready? Let's go then." Qin said, and they set off for the city.

"If Lt. Ensei's already there, I'll need to ask him for a smaller size." Katara picked at the sleeve of her shirt.

Qin cast her a look out of the corner of his eyes. "Your's is the smallest size. But you can probably get a needle and thread and fix it up according to your own needs. It's what most of us do."

As they passed through the city gate, waved through by a soldier who was obviously a friend of Qin's, for they exchanged friendly pleasantries, Katara remembered that this would be the first time she had been back in Kotzut since her gauntlet, so many long weeks ago. It felt like an eternity since she'd first set foot on Fire Empire land.

And now she was here to stay, for better or worse, until she achieved her goal.

Pushing through the crowds, Qin led the way to a medium-sized pub on the side of the road. The sign hanging above the door stated The Filthy Rose with a picture of a red, green-thorned blossom drenched in a brown liquid that Katara guessed was some sort of crude alcohol.

It was dark inside, the few shafts of light poking in from various entryways and skylights were riddled with dust, and the smell of beer and smoke hit Katara smack in the face. She took in a deep breath and told herself to get used to it. Looking around, she spotted several black-clad figures lounging at various tables throughout the room, tipping back cups or mugs of gold-colored liquid. The other guests in the pub seemed to give the Elites their own space, whether from fear or respect, Katara couldn't tell.

A tall, golden-haired figure strode out of the dusky shadows and gave them all an appraising look. "So you made it," Lt. Ensei said, exhaling smoke that spiraled up, mingling with the other smells inside the pub. "There's a table of us in the back already."

As they filtered through the crowd, following the tall, straight-backed frame of the lieutenant, Katara caught snatched of other conversations floating through the smoky air. They passed by a table surrounded by Elites who were listening to the enthusiastic talk of what seemed like their leader.

"—moving to slow! The rebels seized Fort Iset just last week! Damn bunch of overconfident bastards, thinking they can take our land and kill our men without any consequences. There should be consequences! The Emperor's holding us back! He's too young to understand this sort of thing, if you ask me—"

"Good thing no one's asking you, Sakai." Lt. Ensei drawled, coming to a stop next to the table. The man who had been speaking looked up in surprise then scowled. With a start, Katara recognized the thin scar underneath his eye. She'd given that to him, back during the gauntlet. This was the man she'd marked.

"I wasn't talking to you, Ensei." Sakai slouched in his seat, and his five comrades—including, Katara realized, Borr and Utsek—turned to glare at the lieutenant as well.

"But you were talking loud enough for half the pub to hear you, which includes me." Ensei exhaled a thin cloud of smoke that passed directly over Sakai's head. "And the sort of thing you were yelling about—words against the Emperor, disobeying orders—that could be taken only as something I like to call rebellious talk."

Sakai froze, cold eyes flickering over the blonde man's face. "What are you getting at, Ensei?" he hissed.

The lieutenant flicked a bit of ash from his cigarette. "A little thing called treason."

A slam on the table and Sakai was standing, face snarling, inches away from the calm expression plastered over Ensei's features. "At least I have my own opinions, Ensei! At least I am my own man!" Sakai smirked now. "How is the Emperor's bed these days, lieutenant? Warm?"

The lieutenant didn't even blink, but breathed out smoke straight into Sakai's face. "Jealousy is a normal reaction, Sakai. Your father probably doesn't put out half as good."

Sakai sputtered with indignation.

Lt. Ensei waved a careless hand. "Don't look so surprised. We all know that it's only because of Daddy Huang that you're leader of your own Patrol."

"I don't know what you're talking about—"

Ensei smiled. "Oh, but you do, Sakai."

And with that, the lieutenant turned and walked off, followed by a silent Patrol One. Katara turned her face to avoid looking at Sakai as she walked past.

But it was too late, for as she tried to scurry past, the already-enraged man grabbed her arm and yanked her to face him. "Hey! You're that girl who—"

In a flash, Ensei was by her side and removing Sakai's hand from her arm. "Save it for the sparring ring, Sakai." The lieutenant said, calm as ever. But Katara didn't miss the wince of pain that came from Sakai as the lieutenant peeled the other man's hand away off of Katara's wrist. "Elite business doesn't go public."

Slightly shaken, Katara followed the lieutenant to the back, where they sat down at an empty table next to another Patrol. Ensei, Qin, and Faozu exchanged greetings with the other Elites. They'd all obviously known each other longer. Introductions were made and Hiro and Katara said the customary greetings before drinks were ordered and backs relaxed onto chairs.

However, there was something still nagging at Katara's mind.

"What Sakai said back there—" she stumbled slightly over her words. "—did he say that you, sir, were—were sleeping with the, um, the—"

"The Emperor?" Qin finished for her, a look of amusement on his face.

Katara nodded, embarrassed.

Ensei didn't even seem to notice a single word she'd said. Instead, he had one foot propped up on an empty chair and one hand holding a bottle of something that he took a swig of once in awhile, his eyes vacant over the crowd as if somewhere else.

Corporal San from the table next to them laughed and said, "That's just another way of saying the lieutenant's loyal, Katara."

"Unlike that mutinous Sakai," Faozu said.

"Elite slang, Kat." Qin smiled before taking a drink from his own bottle. "You'll get used to it."

"But if Sakai's talking treason against the Emperor," Hiro started. "Doesn't that make him, well, you know, dangerous?"

Ensei turned and smiled amicably at Hiro. "If Sakai were truly dangerous, he'd be dead."

Somehow, Katara didn't doubt his words. Neither did Hiro, judging from the expression on his face.

Lt. Ensei set his bottle on the table and leaned forward. "We keep him around, San and me, because he's loud and obnoxious. He gives us an idea of what some of the more disgruntled members of the army are thinking, let's us know what the not-as-loyal soldiers think of the Emp and such. They're all as loud as a pack of barking dogs, but shut up if you kick 'em hard enough."

"Besides, someone's gotta die in battle." Corporal San smirked.

They all finished their drinks quick enough, and soon became engaged in what seemed like an age-old debate on the merits of a standard bow compared to one of those new-fangled crossbows. Katara sat quietly and sipped her cold and bitter… whatever-it-was. Most definitely some sort of alcohol, because Qin and San, who'd finished theirs already, were talking louder than normal and with more abandon than usual. As for herself, who knew what sort of things she might say if she became intoxicated? It was too much of a danger to even think about.

Then she noticed Hiro's eyes fixated on something behind and above her. Before she could turn around, a hand descended on her shoulder and a woman's voice spoke out, loud and cheerful.

"Katara! Dearest niece! I didn't expect to find you here, of all places. What's brought you to the capital? Is your father here with you?"
Katara was momentarily panicked before the familiar code words slipped into her comprehending mind and she realized who the stranger was. Standing up, Katara embraced the strange woman who had called her niece.

"Aunt Lori," Katara replied, separating herself while looking at the fellow Kyoshi rebel-in-disguise. She smiled, exuding a familial warmth that she did not feel inside of her. It was a show, a farce for the Elites who were now staring at the exchange between the older woman and the younger. "I'm here by myself. Didn't Father tell you I joined the army?"

"I haven't seen any of the family in Yeriv since last summer," Katara's so-called Aunt Lori laughed and threw her arm around Katara's shoulder in another close embrace. Mindful of the glances the Elite soldiers were giving her, Katara maintained a look of joy and pleasant surprise on her face at greeting a family member who she'd not seen in a long time.

In reality, Katara had never even met this woman before. But Mistress had told her before she left that somebody would contact her in Kotzut, a warrior who was on her way back to the Island from another mission. Information would have to be exchanged now, because after this, Katara wouldn't be seeing another member of her tribe for an indeterminable amount of time.

Katara turned to her fellow soldiers sitting at the table. "Guys, this is my father's sister, Lori. She lives in Omashu but comes to Kotzut a lot for business."

Various greetings came from the men before they soon lost disinterest, drunk as some of them were, and went back to their crossbow debate.

Katara leaned down and tapped Hiro lightly on the shoulder to get his attention before whispering, "I'm going to chat with my aunt for awhile okay? Go back to barracks without me; I'll return when I'm done saying good-bye."

Hiro merely nodded and Katara and Lori left, threading their way out of the dusky pub back into the bright sunlight outside. Still laughing and talking about nonsense topics—"How is your brother doing? Is the farm working out well?"—until they left the main market/business district of Kotzut and entered a grubbier, poorer section of town. This was where the lower-class Earth benders lived.

The minute they descended into the dark light of a side alley, every single ounce of Aunt-ish affection and comfort disappeared from the lines of Lori's face. Katara dropped her own smile and they stood facing each other in the narrow confines of the corridor. The fact that they were from the same tribe was to be observed, but the fact that they were total and utter strangers loomed even larger in their minds. Close touching and caring inquiries were all a farce.

When did I become such a good actress, Katara wondered.

Leaning one shoulder against a dirty brick wall, Lori blew a short strand of brown hair from her face. She was a middle-aged woman, with the tiniest feathery wrinkles and a hint of possible gray. But Katara's eyes could tell she was still lean and fit; a true fighter.
Her gray eyes staring directly into Katara's blue ones, she wasted no time. "The Master died two days ago," Lori said with a curt voice.

Katara did not react. It was a surprise. She expected to feel some sort of emotion for the man who'd been their leader for such a long time. But none. He wasn't a father figure to her. He had fed her and kept her alive and let her stay in his house. But there had not been any sort of emotional bonding involved. Of course as a child she had strained for his approval. She had worked for it, sweated for it, fought for a word of encouragement and a smile of kindness. She hadn't gotten it.

And now he was dead. Surprise, surprise.

"I'm not sure what of," Lori continued, unknowing of Katara's thoughts, "But he was getting old. Things happen. He was buried at Kyoshi, a good warrior's burial."

Katara nodded. He had deserved it, however little she'd cared for him in the end. She knew that the Mistress would keep governing for awhile, until deemed her daughter and son-in-law ready to rule, then she would resign. Or she might die first. Then Sokka and Suki would step up and take her place.

Lori's eyes were still fixated on Katara's face, as if waiting for a reaction. She got none. The older woman shrugged and kept talking.

"You'll be happy to know that Suki's pregnant. Your brother will be a father by autumn."

This made a difference to Katara. She wondered what the wedding had been like, if Suki had been nervous, if Sokka's palm had been sweaty, if they lived in their own house now. And the baby. She wouldn't be there to see her first niece or nephew born. She wouldn't be there to provide support for the couple, wouldn't be there to join in the joy and happiness that came with every birth on Kyoshi Island.

Instead, she'd be here, among the enemy.

Lori straightened up again, crossing her arms over her chest. "Your turn. The Mistress wants to know what you've learned so far."

Katara shook her head. This was what she'd been dreading, in a way. "I have nothing to report."

"Nothing?" Lori raised one eyebrow. "You've been here for a month and you know nothing yet?"

"I've been here training my butt off as a recruit in order to merit an initiation into the Elite force, which happened, might I add, just this morning?" Katara couldn't keep the sarcasm from her voice. It bothered her a bit that the Mistress expected so much of her in such a short time. It wasn't like she could just snap her fingers and immediately be included in on the war councils and classified information that the Emperor and his closest advisors discussed. Working her way into their confidence would be hard, and would take awhile. She had to get them to trust her. Something decidedly difficult to do when she didn't trust them back.

Lori seemed to appraise her again, as if forming an opinion on whether or not Mistress had made a mistake in choosing to send Katara as the assassin.

You have no right to judge me. But Katara held it in and stared back.

A strange sort of grin came over the older woman's face and she looked satisfied. Flicking a piece of lint casually from her civilian-type shirt, Lori began to speak again. "You've probably already heard about all our troop movements near Empire borders."

Katara nodded her head, remembering Ensei's talk this morning about "fidgety rebs".

"The Mistress is taking a big chance here, Katara." Now there was no attitude or sarcasm in Lori's voice. She was all truth, clear and painful. "A chance that not everyone in Kyoshi agrees with. She wants to attack Empire outposts and go on the offensive. You know what we've been doing for the past hundred years, Katara. We've been defending our land and our island and our people. But no matter how good our defense is, one day the Fire Empire will get tired of us and they will send an army to get rid of Kyoshi once and for all. It's not if they'll attack anymore, but when. The Mistress wants to take the initiative and strike before they can get us. All that stuff you're hearing about, all the gossip about rebels attacking Fire Empire strongholds is true. The Mistress is starting it now. Changes are happening."

"But—" Katara's mind raced. "but we don't have enough warriors to hold and invasion of that size for long. They'll defeat us in the end. We don't have enough manpower."

Lori shook her head. "That's where you come in. We're all waiting for you, Katara. The entire tribe is waiting for you to complete your mission. To kill the Emperor. His death will be the catalyst, the event that will set everything into motion. While the government is distracted with his death, the military will be disorganized, everybody's morale will be weak. Then we'll strike, and deal a blow they won't be able to recover from." Lori's eyes were bright, and Katara could clearly see the excitement in her quick hand motions, her emphatic movement. Lori was one who was in support of the Mistress's plan.

Katara was still reeling from this information. She knew her mission had been undoubtedly important. But she hadn't known it would be the burning match that would light the fires of a full-blown war. The Mistress didn't tell me of this.

"We're depending on you," Lori said. "We need definite information on Empire army movement, supply schedules, locations of important people, anything that'll help us defeat them. Then, the Mistress will send you a signal and you will do your duty."

"What signal?"

"She says you'll know it when the time comes." Lori shrugged.

Katara stood still. Everything was being thrown at an impossible speed into her face and she didn't know if she would be strong enough to hold it all up. Get into the Elite force of the Fire army? Check. Assassinate an Emperor? No problem. Start a war? Already done.

She distantly remembered that age-old question everyone asked you when you were a child. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Oh, nothing big. A spy, or an assassin, or a warmonger. Maybe even all three. A Buy One, Get Two Free kind of deal.

Katara couldn't even remember what she'd wanted to be originally. What had her dreams been? Her hopes? She'd probably answered excitedly, a warrior! Because that's what Sokka and Suki had wanted to be, and whatever they wanted, she definitely wanted as well. A home, a family, a place where she belonged.

"My ship to Menthat leaves in an hour," Lori said, bringing Katara back to earth.

That's right, Katara thought. Now you get to go home and relax in Kyoshi until your next mission. You get to go back and see your family and laugh with your friends and live your own life. Me? I'm stuck here, where I have to pretend to be the enemy twenty-four seven. Where I have to lie and lie and lie to carve a place for myself.

You'll get to be there when Suki gives birth to my nephew or niece. You'll get to hold my brother's child, and baby-sit them, and love them. If I ever go back, that child will look at me like I am a stranger. And I will be. I will be a stranger to all of you.

"You don't want to miss your ship," said Katara.

Lori looked at her with some kind of emotion. Maybe pity? Katara didn't want pity.

"Is there any sort of message you want me to deliver to your brother? Suki? The Mistress?"

"No message." What could she possibly say?

Lori's face sharpened for a moment, as if in disapproval. You're not going to congratulate your brother? You're not going to say good luck to Suki? You're not going to say you miss any of them? But the look disappeared, she nodded, and then she was gone.

Katara was left staring blankly through the darkness of the alleyway before she too trudged out and began to walk back towards the city gate, back to the army complex. Nobody bothered her on her way back; the uniform declared her station and her abilities.

There was much to think about.


"You okay?" Hiro looked concerned as Katara set her tray down next to his in the dining hall.

She was so tired. So tired of lying to the people who actually did care about her well-being. The words I'm fine were on the tip of her tongue before, in a fit of spite, she drew them back and instead said, "My aunt told me my grandfather died a week ago."

"That's too bad," said Qin, mouth full.

"Were you close to him?" Faozu asked before gulping down a cup of water.

"I'm sorry," said Ensei, and then "Pass the soup."

Curiously, Katara liked the way they didn't fawn over her and treat her like a delicate object just because a supposed family member had died. This was the way soldiers dealt with death. Cleanly, before moving onto the next pressing topic. She found that she preferred it over faked sympathy.

"No, I didn't know him that well," Katara said finally.

"I guess you'll be fine then," said Qin. "Here's the soup, lieutenant."

"And my brother's wife is pregnant," she mused out loud.

"Congratulations."

"That's nice."

"I hate kids."

"I think they're cute."

"That's because you're a softie at heart, Faozu."

Faozu sighed before looking down at his plate. "I must be."

"Do you want a family?" asked Katara.

Qin whistled and said, grinning, "What is this, Kat, a marriage proposal?"

Katara ignored him.

"Eh," Faozu shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly. "Don't know what'd I do to support one, other than stay a soldier. And a father away at war more than half the time isn't a great plan."

Hiro guffawed. "More like no woman would ever want you in the first place, Faozu."

Faozu grinned back, a sly look on his face. "From what I hear about your father, your mother would be happy to take me on."

Low whistles and "Are you just gonna take that, Hiro?" rose from the occupants of the table, but Hiro just laughed and said, "Good one, good one."

But as the laughter died down, and people started other conversations, Katara caught the look on Faozu's face. It was one of a well-concealed, sorrowful regret.

She chose to say nothing. Some matters weren't to be discussed in public, especially not around a group of coarse, unruly soldiers.

It was past midnight, and Katara was outside again, wandering the complex under the moonlight. Except tonight, there was no Juiko to visit in the jailhouse. The dark solitude of the night was calming and refreshing after a day of loud soldiers and louder conversations.

She suspected that Hiro knew she was out here, for he had stirred when she'd jumped lightly off her top bunk onto the floor. Qin and Faozu had been snoring away, dead to the world. That was another disadvantage about sleeping in a room with three men.

And now she was inside the armory, slipping one knife out of its case and a whetstone from communal box. A low lamp burned in the corner. She sat down on one of the wooden benches inside and began to sharpen it, running the smooth stone against the edges of the metal. It was soothing, the rasp rasp rasp of rock against knife, the rhythmic sound almost like a lullaby.

Until the footsteps outside alerted her to another's presence. She stopped sharpening the blade, ears straining for anymore telltale sounds.

The door to the armory opened and a figure stood in the shadows, lamplight flickering over the scarred face.

"Oh. You." Katara said dumbly. Then she regretted it. Would he take it as a form of insubordination? It wasn't exactly the best way to greet your monarch and commander.

But all he said was, "People might get suspicious if you're running around so late at night."

"People might get suspicious if the Emperor is running around so late at night." Was he going to execute her for talking back now? She was being unreasonable rude, but she couldn't seem to stop.

"I'm not—I'm not technically Emperor yet."

She knew the surprise showed on her face, but she said "You don't have to keep standing. You can sit down, you know." And pointed to the bench next to her with the hand gripping the whetstone.

For a horrible moment as he stood there, she thought he wasn't going to come closer. But then he did sit down, less than five feet away from her, with a sigh and a rustle of clothes and chink of armor.

The knife in her right hand seemed to grow warm in her palm.

Not yet.

Even though the setting was perfect and he had his guard down and they were alone and he was oh so unsuspecting.

She set the whetstone back on the edge of the blade and began to sharpen it again.

"What do you mean you're technically not Emperor yet?"

He was leaning forward, head slightly bowed, forearms resting on his thighs. It was so very different from his usual straight-backed, broad-shouldered, upright position when he saw him attending various businesses during the day. Katara realized belatedly that ruling a country was not an easy job.

"My Uncle is Regent because I do not ascend the throne until I am twenty years old." His voice was slightly muffled, almost hidden beneath the rough sounds of her whetstone.

"I didn't know there was a minimum age," she said, holding the blade up to the dim light. So the soon-to-be Emperor did have a relative. The Mistress had not told her of this. "Your uncle… he doesn't want to be Emperor? Can't he fight you for the position?"

He laughed softly, and she did not understand what was so funny. "He doesn't want it. But even if he did, there'd be trouble."

"Why?"

"Because Iroh is old and it would be—how do I say this tastefully—very hard for him to produce an heir to the throne."

"Oh."

And for awhile, the room was silent except for her continued scraping of earth on metal.

Katara supposed she should be shocked to be having a private conversation with the Emperor of the Fire Empire. She should be nervous, palms sweaty, eyes blinking rapidly. This certainly wasn't proper. He wasn't supposed to be telling her things, and she wasn't supposed to be listening like a friend.

That was when the insane fear gripped her. She stood up suddenly, whetstone dropping out of one hand onto the floor until it rolled beneath a rack of spears. She could feel his surprised amber eyes looking up at her. What do you see when you look at me?

He couldn't confide in her. She couldn't listen to him. They could not become friends. Because if they did, she would begin to care.

If you sympathize with the enemy, you've lost the battle before the fight has even begun.

He is not human. He does not have a family or a life. He does not feel. He does not think. He does not love.

He is merely the enemy.

She turned to leave without a backwards glance. Keep talking to him long enough, and she would never be able to complete her mission.

Two pressing questions from poogiepie that I forgot to answer last time:

1) so... no avatar, huh? Do you really want to know? If I were a reader, I wouldn't, because frankly, it would destroy the suspense. Do you prefer to know about what's going to happen before I've actually written it? Maybe that would ruin things for you. Just a thought.
2) is this gonna be kinda like disney's mulan (insert 'find out she's a kyoshi warrior' instead of 'find out she's a girl')? See above answer.

A/N: This was a filler chapter more than anything. Chapter 7, stuff starts happening. I really am looking forward to writing action/intrigue/suspense. I don't know why. This is probably one reason I prefer LTE over THATP by now. I don't like stories that are pure romance. Romance as a subplot is okay, as long as there is plenty of other meaningful stuff going on. More on this at the LJ (link is in my profile, "homepage")