Iroh looked on in bemused shock as Katara emptied her second bowl of rice. Previous instructions to slow down had only been followed for mere seconds before the child would pick up speed again, only pausing to chew a few times before swallowing down mouthfuls. For such a small girl, there appeared to be a cavernous hole in her stomach.
When they had reached his dining area and ordered food for her, Iroh had been unsure whether plain rice would be satisfying but was even more unconvinced that standard Fire Nation food wouldn't cause her stomach to protest. However, Katara had shown no sign of being upset about the bland food.
"Katara, you're going to make yourself sick, take a break please."
Sulking blue eyes met his as she reluctantly lowered her chopsticks. Iroh couldn't hold back a smile at the barely contained frustration being expressed in front of him. Apparently it didn't matter which culture they were from, children did not appreciate being told what to do.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better, thank you Sir."
"Iroh, please just call me Iroh. Or Uncle, that would work as well."
She nodded and looked back down at her almost empty bowl wistfully. Questioning eyes returned to Iroh's after a moment.
"How about you finish the bowl and we find someplace for you to sleep? It will take another day to arrange a room for you to stay in, would you mind sleeping in a makeshift bed in my room tonight?"
Nodding, Katara looked around. "Is your room near the kitchen?"
"Kitchen?"
"Am I not eating next to the kitchen?"
It takes a moment for Iroh to understand her confusion. "No child, this is my dining area in my wing of the Palace. My room is just through that door." He indicates behind him and watches the dawning realisation on her face.
"This is all yours? You get to live here?"
"I do. There are some spare rooms in this wing too, one of which will be yours."
Katara seemed to have recovered from the shock and a small grin spread across her face, humour dancing in her eyes.
"I get my own room?" she said, delighted. "Oh, Sokka would be so jealous, he doesn't even get his own room now."
"Sokka is your brother?"
"Yes, he's two years older than me and wants to be a warrior. He tells the funniest stories," Katara's expression grew a little sad at the memory of her brother. "I miss him a lot."
Iroh placed a hand on her shoulder and gave a reassuring smile at the young girl. "I'm sure you will see him again. If you are good, we may be able to get a letter to your family to let them know that you are okay."
Composed eyes looked up at him. "I can be good," Katara said.
If the sight of Iroh's dining area was daunting enough, the view of Iroh's bedroom bewildered Katara. How was it that only one person slept in here? Iroh's room was larger than her family's igloo, with lofty ceilings and a vast open floor plan drenched in the Fire Nation colours of gold and maroon, mirroring the rest of the Palace but somehow transcending even the luxury she had already witnessed. An enormous bed dominated one corner of the room, twirled pillars standing from each corner and supporting a lavish canopy that draped down creating waves. Luxurious couches were clustered in another corner, framing a small table and an ornate wooden desk filled a further corner. But that is not what caught Katara's eyes, causing her to suck in a breath in awe.
Near the couches were ceiling-high curtains framing expansive windows that opened onto a balcony. Katara felt the warm breeze hit her face as she moved towards the open air and gasped as the view of the Fire Nation's capital city came into view. Her march through the streets earlier that day had given very little perspective on the size of the Caldera but from here, as she stood on the balcony, she could see it all. And it was breath-taking. Houses splayed out in front of her like blooming flowers, their crimson peaks merging into a wave of colour. The edges of the city bled into the depths of the surrounding volcano and from here, Katara could see the sheer scale of the raised land encompassing the city. The city was bathed in an orange glow as the sun slowly descended towards the ocean beyond its limits. Behind her, she could hear Iroh speak quietly to someone but she couldn't drag her eyes from the view.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Iroh approached on her left and she faintly nodded in response.
They stood there in silence, watching the sunset for longer than Katara knew. She didn't notice as the light disappeared from the view and small fires dotted the landscape. The Fire Nation citizens were settling in for the night, lamps and fires being lit within their homes.
A yawn escaped Katara and eventually, she turned to Iroh.
"I imagine you would want to get some sleep after the day you've had?"
Her further yawn caused an amused grin to cross Iroh's face and he extended an arm towards the bedroom behind him. As she walked back into the room, Katara noticed a second bed had been moved into the corner next to the couches and a sudden wave of exhaustion flooded through her. Iroh directed her to yet another room extending from the bedroom where she washed up and pulled on some loose silk clothing that awaited her. Sinking into the softest bed she had ever experienced, and quietly exchanging polite goodnights with Iroh, Katara couldn't help but feel a little contented.
This feeling was unfortunately ripped from her after a few minutes when deafening sounds erupted from the bed next to her. She turned towards the interruption of her blissful state and watched for a few moments as Iroh, splayed out on his back, snored loudly. She pulled one of the pillows littering her bed over her head and breathed. It didn't take long for her exhaustion to engulf her and Katara fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Katara didn't wake till long into the following day, her sleep not being hindered due to the heavy curtains remaining mostly closed throughout the morning. When she eventually returned to consciousness, all she felt was the welcomed heaven of soft bedding encircling her aching body. She lay there for a while, just enjoying the peace the sleep had brought her. Eventually, she pulled herself upright and looked around the room. She could see Iroh through a gap in the curtains, sitting on the balcony reading though some papers. Stretching, she dragged herself from the bed and stumbled a little as she moved through onto the balcony to join him.
At the interruption, Iroh raised his head with a wide grin on his face and placed his papers down on a small rounded table next to his chair. She blinked at the intrusion of light and rubbed her eyes before smiling back at him.
"I was wondering when you would return to the world of the living. How did you sleep child? Are you hungry?"
"Very well, thank you. And yes please. My stomach appears to have forgotten the rice from yesterday."
"Sit down please," Iroh said, pulling a second chair closer to the table and gesturing towards it. Once Katara had sunk into the inviting seat, Iroh headed back into the room and she could hear him speak to someone by the door. Shortly, a plate of fruit and buns were brought in front of her along with a second tray with an elaborate teapot and a second cup. Swirling white and gold patterns covered the beautiful kitchenware and Katara couldn't help herself from running a finger over the elaborate design, regretting her decision almost immediately as the warmth from the teapot burned her skin.
"They are gorgeous, I have never seen anything decorated so intricately."
"Do you drink tea back at home, Katara?"
"Oh yes, my Gran Gran loves tea. I've never drunk tea from something so precious though," Katara answered, moving her finger to trace the pattern on the cooler teacup.
"To be honest with you, the best tea tastes delicious whether it comes in a porcelain pot or a tin cup," Iroh mused.
"I like that idea. I enjoy tea, it warms you up in winter and we always drink it with someone else." Katara moved her finger away from the cup as Iroh lifted the teapot and poured her a full cup of the fragrant liquid. "What type of tea is this?"
"Jasmine, one of my favourites," Iroh chuckled as he watched her sniff at the soft fumes gathering above the hot tea. "It is refreshing to find a child that enjoys tea as I do. You are a rarity, my dear girl."
They both sat in shared silence as they watched the people bustling through the streets of the capital. By the time the teapot had been drained, Katara had devoured three buns and half a plate of the fruit laid out in front of her, eliciting a few entertained comments from Iroh. Eventually, she leaned back, completely satiated and sighed.
"Are you ready to see your new room, Katara?' Iroh asked, watching her with a bemused expression. The beaming smile he received in response was answer enough.
The room was huge. Not in comparison to Iroh's but Katara was slightly overwhelmed being faced with a room larger than her family home. A room that was supposed to be hers. She gulped. The decorating colours were more toned down that those that covered Iroh's walls, less gold and a more muted shade of crimson for the majority of the furniture. She had her own balcony, the view comparable with the one she had just left, a desk and a smaller couch with its own table. A small pile of clothes was folded and placed on a cushioned box situated at the foot of the bed.
"How do you like it?" Iroh looked a little concerned at the expression on her face.
Unsure how to respond, Katara said the first thing that came to her head. "It's very large." When Iroh's concern deepened, she hastily followed up with "I do like it though! It's just…bigger than my whole home. Um, thank you for your generosity."
This seemed to placate him, especially when she smiled up at him. The rest of the day was a small tour of his wing of the Palace, which caused so many questions to build up within Katara's mind. Unsure how to approach asking Iroh, she waited till they had returned to his balcony and were drinking their third pot of tea for the day.
"Iroh, can I ask you a question?" she tentatively started.
Amused eyes met her, a twinkle dancing in them. "Go right ahead. What do you want to know?"
"Why do you have a whole wing of the Palace to yourself?" Katara blurted out. "Is it why the Fire Lord let you take me into your custody?
"Ah, I see…I can imagine that has been very confusing for you. You see…I get some special privileges. I am the Fire Lord's eldest son and therefore the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation." Iroh explained, watching as her eyes widened and she breathed in harshly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, Katara."
Silence descended on them for a few minutes, one unsure whether he needed to explain further and one stunned with confusion and a slight amount of horror. The comprehension of who her saviour had been was muddying Katara's feelings towards the man sitting next to her, patiently watching her.
"So you- you will be the next Fire Lord?" her voice was quiet and trembling as she broke the silence.
"Yes, I am expected to be."
She tried to swallow past a block in her throat. Iroh was one step from being the symbol of the war that had afflicted her tribe for a century, had stolen parents from the children of her tribe, and had stolen her from her family.
That image was at complete war with the one of the gentle and jovial figure that had shared tea with her, asked her questions about her family and saved her from certain death. It took a few minutes before Katara made a decision that, at least for the moment, Iroh could be trusted. So far, he had been a helpful ally in this strange place. She needed one of those.
"Okay," she said, voice still a little wavering but much more certain. "I can accept that."
"I am sorry for what this war has taken from you, Katara. War makes victims out of all of us, in one way or another. No one comes out quite the same as who they were before they were dragged into its clutches," Iroh sighs, his eyes containing a thoughtful note. "It pains me that someone as young as you has already learnt this lesson."
Banished thoughts returned to Katara's mind for a split second before she rejected them yet again and hung her head.
"I am sorry what he did to your mother, that was unnecessary and cruel," Iroh quietly added as she felt the tears well up and fall from her aching eyes. "I wish I could say that most of us are not at all like that but I fear your experiences so far in life may prove me wrong."
Silence returned to barricade the gap between them again, as each of them retreated to their individual thoughts and memories. Eventually, Katara raised her head, wiped her eyes and faced him.
"I don't necessarily believe that. But I am willing to believe that you are not like that," her eyes are a little pleading, hopeful that she was right.
She noticed a slightly uncomfortable expression across Iroh's face but it is fleeting and she couldn't be sure that she had recognised it correctly. They quietly sat and observed another sunset descending on the capital, the serenity being interrupted only for served dinner and even more tea.
After her third yawn, Katara was shepherded to her new room where she cleaned herself up, pulled the loose clothing from the previous night back on and sunk into bed.
And lay awake.
It was too quiet. Her thoughts were too chaotic and she couldn't banish them for long enough to allow the exhaustion to fill the void. After tossing and turning for more than an hour, tears started to escape her tired eyes. Katara was unable to hold them back after a series of increasingly exaggerated yawns.
Another few minutes of frustrated tapping of her feet and she reluctantly pushed herself out of bed and quietly padded down the hallway back to Iroh's room. Even before she edged the door open, the sound of Iroh's snoring reaching her ears made her giggle a little. She snuck into the room and was relieved to see her bed still made and inviting set up next to the couches. Quietly she eased herself back into the silky sheets covering the bed and allowed the companionable feeling that she got from the loud snores to finally release her from her exhaustion.
The next morning brought with it more warming sun, the hum of the city going about its business, tea, fruit and Iroh.
Iroh was already dressed when she emerged onto the balcony. Any surprise from Iroh waking to find Katara back in his room was not brought up. Their discussion from the previous night was not revisited either. After a shared breakfast, Iroh appeared to be getting ready to ask her something. Eventually, Katara's curiosity got the better of her and she stared at him till he spoke.
"I was wondering if I could leave you to yourself this morning. I have a meeting with one of the ministers I was supposed to see yesterday and if you were okay with it, I've gotten some books from the library for you to entertain yourself with," Iroh explained a little guiltily. He hurried on. "Would that be ok or would you prefer to have some more company around today? I can reschedule of course."
"Could I go exploring?"
"I'm not sure if that is the best idea," Iroh pondered for a moment. "Ah…Actually if you stayed in this wing I imagine that would be fine. Just be careful to not get in anyone's way. Not everyone knows that you are here yet and that could raise some issues."
"I understand," Katara responded.
"Ok then. Be back here for lunch, and have fun. Don't stray too far."
"I won't, Iroh."
Katara was lost.
There were too many hallways and they all looked exactly the same.
She wondered for a moment if there was a map of the Royal Palace that she could ask Iroh for. Not that it would help much at the moment, there were barely any landmarks that stood out enough to be recognisable on a map. Ugh. Was she even still in the same wing? Why did everything have to be covered in the same colours? This was not helping her confusion at all.
She pushed a heavy curtain aside and stepped through into another corridor. Once again, this didn't help. Her view still looked exactly the same. She walked someway down the corridor and leaned against the wall, sliding down till she was crouched down with her knees pulled into her chest. She pushed the heels of her hands into her eyes and tried to think. Iroh was going to be mad at her. She felt guilty at that thought.
A moment later and guilt was not the predominant emotion she felt as she heard footsteps coming.
Not good.
She quickly dragged herself back up and started to run in the other direction from the heavy thumping. Where was that damned curtain? The colours merged into one and when she couldn't find the fabric wall she was sure was here a second ago, she was forced to turn the corner and flee down a second corridor.
This one was longer than the last and she could see nothing breaking the flow of the walls suggesting that there would be a place to hide. As she neared the end and turned the corner, she glanced over her shoulder, trying to see if there was any one who had spotted her...
...and ran straight into something.
Something that cried out as it fell backwards, staring at her with shocked, and then outraged eyes.