Katara had no idea of how many days had passed since she was taken from her home. She dozed in and out of consciousness for the first few days, oblivious to any routine that could aid in her understanding of the passage of time. Visits from Doctor Pang led her to think that they must be closing in on the Fire Nation. But she tried to avoid thinking about that. What would be the use? Her head thumped less and the dizziness had receded since the first days. Her stomach no longer revolted from the food that she intermittently received. Lieutenant Yao was often the one to bring her meal and small quantities of water. He often said a few words to her but he hadn't removed his face plate in front of her again. The other soldiers were not friendly. Often her food was tipped off the plate or the water was not given to her, taunting her with the empty cup to see the surprise in her eyes when she realised there is nothing in there. She stayed silent and tried not to provoke any reaction from the faceless soldiers.
She spent most of her time telling herself little stories in her mind, drawing from the ones that she used to hear at bedtime and the ones that she would tell the younger kids in the tribe along with her brother Sokka. The memory of her family still caused an influx of tears and misery but the stories helped pass the agonising wait.
Settling the plate down in front of her and passing the glass to her, Lieutenant Yao breezed through his standard questions as she drunk the few mouthfuls of water she had been given. How was she? Did her head still hurt? She answered then settled in to eat the bun. Surprisingly, he didn't leave as he usually would. After a moment, she looked up at him again confused.
"We are expected to reach the Fire Nation tomorrow." Noticing the widening of her eyes, he hastily continued. "When we arrive, you will be taken to a cell close to the Palace where you will await a summons from the Fire Lord. He will decide what is to be done with you. When you are taken to meet him, you must bow as low to the ground as you can. Kneel, bend forward and rest your forehead on the ground. Do not raise your head until you are prompted to. Do you understand? Failure to do this would be seen as the height of disrespect and would not bode well for his decision regarding your future. Can you remember that?"
She nodded and he continued. "Katara, do not waterbend unless he specifically asks you to. Try to answer his questions as briefly as possible. Do not give him a reason to be angry with you."
Her bun was left abandoned as she tried to quench the panic rising in her throat. Yao appeared to notice her reaction to his instructions and he removed his faceplate, crouching down beside her until he was only slightly above her eye level.
"Just stay calm. Be polite. Remember to bow. You will be able to do this."
She found it hard to align her views of Fire Nation soldiers with the man in front of her. Even the other Fire Nation soldiers had not given her pause to reconsider any illusions she had about the men behind the face masks. But both Yao and Doctor Pang had been kind to her. She gave a shy smile and reassured him that she had heard.
"I can do that. Thank you."
"I will check on your progress in the Fire Nation. I hope that there will be some news." He put a hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze before getting back up. "I will be back in the morning with some food and the doctor. We should be expecting to arrive at the Caldera by early afternoon."
He replaced his face plate and exited the cell, leaving her to abandoned food, turbulent thoughts and rising bile in her throat.
Reassurance from Pang and Yao the following morning had done little to alleviate the tension that clung to her. They repeated the advice Yao had given her the previous day, reiterating the need for the bow to be as deep as possible. She nodded at each of their instructions and gave them a small smile, thanking them again for their concern and that it had helped. They all knew she was lying. The panic was still apparent in her large, clear blue eyes and her hands had begun to shake the closer they got to their destination. They stayed with her a bit longer than usual, mainly in silence, but she had appreciated the company. Eventually the calm was interrupted by another soldier arriving in the doorway.
"Yon Rha has requested everyone to the deck for last minute preparations. We are approaching. Leave the girl."
After the soldier left, both Pang and Yao gave her last minute words of encouragement and left. This time, the solitude was welcomed. She did not want them to be there as her calm façade broke down. Her shoulders shook and the tears coursed down her face, dripping from her chin and pooling on her arms as they clutched her knees to her chest.
The trumpets were sharp and blaring, drawing her from the surrender to her misery. Drawing a deep breath in, she wiped her face on her sleeve, ignoring the filthiness of the material. Before long, she could hear a number of footsteps towards her cell and this time, she found herself looking at four soldiers towering over her.
"Get up brat. Before I make you."
She didn't hesitate at the tone of his voice, pushing herself up and swaying before leaning back again the wall. She warily glanced at each of the soldiers looking at her, unsure of what was expected of her. She didn't need to wait for long before two of them surged forward, grabbing her arms too tightly before walking her into the corridor. She blinked rapidly as her eyes tried desperately to adjust to the intensity of the flames lighting the corridor. She didn't trust her legs. They felt flimsy after the weeks of disuse and she was confusingly grateful that the soldiers were basically dragging her along the corridor and up the stairs at the end. The other two soldiers flanked her; one walking in front of them and one following, extinguishing the flames as they left her residence for the last period. The labyrinth of corridors in the ship extended out in front of her, overwhelming and complicated. Her body was slumping by the time they reached a large door and emerged onto the deck.
The air was sticky. There was no wind. The sun was ruthless. She felt herself overheat and shifted uncomfortably. The grip on her left arm bit into the muscle and she had to bite down a cry. Looking around, the view of the vast expanse of the ocean calmed her. She allowed the feeling from the ocean override the discomfort from the heat and breathed deeply, feeling the power drawn from being so close to her element course through her aching limbs. Pins and needles pricked through her senses, her lower legs still recovering from the foreign return to movement.
A bark of orders broke through the daze Katara found herself in. The sound of that voice sent chills running through her body and pain to seize through her chest. No. No. Not him. Her chest felt too tight. The discomfort from her exhausted muscles was easily pushed from her mind. Anger and pain was all that remained. Fear bubbled up. No. She refused to fear him. Fighting down the panicky breaths and refusing the tears to fall, she slowly raised her eyes to focus her glare on the owner of that harsh voice. The source of her agonising memories, the reason for her waking nightmare. She barely felt the hands dragging her across the deck towards him.
"Commander, we have the waterbender."
Katara felt her breath hitch as he turned around and stared down at her. Even in the light, the helmet encasing his head projected a terrifying silhouette, black flames cutting in a perverted frame to his face and maroon flames arching above his head. But that was not what caused the fear to return, catching in Katara's throat. It was those cold black eyes, devoid of any light or meaning that bore through her. As he observed her, his mouth creaked outwards into a smirk, thin eyebrows arched up until they disappeared behind the curves of the helmet.
"Are you afraid, little peasant?" his voice rasped as he harshly mocked her. "Good. You should be. You aren't going to last one day in there, you filthy little urchin."
Fear and anger warred within Katara and she finally focussed her glare back on his face. Her strength faded as he derisively laughed at her efforts.
"Take her away."
Katara felt the shackles cutting into her wrists, rubbing them raw, as she followed the soldier dragging her through the Royal Caldera City. It was overwhelming. She had heard that the Fire Nation Capital was built in the crater of a volcano but to see the slopes of the volcano in real life, arcing up in the distance towards the horizons and above the grandiose walls surrounding her, took her breath away. It was beyond any possible image she could have created in her head, nor drawn from the stories she had been told as a child. The city itself was a collection of sprawling houses with crimson, gabled roofs and magnificent, sweeping walls.
The heat had not abated and she could feel the sweat dripping down her back as she was forced to maintain a stumbling pace after the men. She could see people peering out at the procession of soldiers, shying back into the shelter provided by the surrounding buildings. Prying eyes watching her, judging her. A moment of lost concentration and she faltered over an uneven tile and lurched forwards. The masked soldier in front tugged unforgivingly on the chain, yanking her back into a more upright position. She winced as blood pooled in the curve of her wrists. Deep breath. Ignore them. Ignore them all. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Her muscles aching, she raised her head again to regain her bearings. The sight of an extravagant tower looming above the heads of the soldiers sent relief to her limbs and alarm throughout her. They were close. Every step brought the eaves of the roofs of the palace buildings further into view. Eventually they stood below the towering stone walls surrounding the Fire Nation Royal Palace and the procession halted briefly as the resplendent and decorative gates were slowly opened.
Despite the dread building in her, Katara couldn't help but feel in awe of the extravagance surrounding her. In her wildest dreams, she had never thought she would see anything like this.
The last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe had made it to the heart of the Fire Nation.
Well, this was familiar.
Katara slumped against the wall of her prison cell, glaring through the bars on the opposite wall. The soldiers had taken her to the dungeons and thrown her back in a dank room. She pressed her tender back against cool brick walls that ease the tension from her muscles and the heat from her skin. Her new cage brought in more light than the one on the ship but she no longer can feel the calming lull of the ocean. The blood on her wrists had dried but any movement of her wrists seemed to reopen the wounds. So she sat as still as possible, trying to not think. Her stomach rumbled but she willed it to stop. The soldiers gave no indication on how long she was stuck here. Or if they had any intention on feeding her. All she had to wait for was the Fire Lord to decide to send for her. If he ever did.
So she waited.
And glared.
Definitely familiar.
Hours passed before she heard the echo of a door opening in the distance and heavy boots striding down the corridor. A guard emerged into her vision, his skull masked face directed towards her. He dropped a bowl of gruel through the bars. The contents spilled, splattering the grimy concrete. She cast her eyes to the floor, refusing to look him in the eye.
"I don't know why that Commander kept you alive. You nasty savages should have been wiped off the face of this world years ago. You don't deserve to be locked up in here, eating our food. No matter. I'm sure the Fire Lord will find some entertaining way of ending you."
Katara heard a strange, wet noise and felt something cold splash across her face. Grimacing, she realised the guard had spat a globule of saliva at her. Revulsion washed through her, bringing nausea back to her stomach but she didn't move. She knew his eyes were still trained on her and she won't give him the satisfaction of her reaction to his revolting action.
"Welcome to the Fire Nation, waterbender."