Long Feng's personal effects contain files on nearly everyone of note in Ba Sing Se and a plethora of letters, two addressed to members of the Avatar's party. One is for Avatar Aang from a guru offering him help with the Avatar journey at the Eastern Air Temple. The other is for Toph, telling her her mother is in the city and wants to see her. There's also information about a fleet of Southern Water Tribe ships led by Hakoda not too far from the city. It's not an easy choice but they split up. Toph goes to her mother, Aang drops Sokka off at the fleet, and then he heads for the temple. Katara stays in the city to help with the war plans and to demand better conditions in the Lower Ring. Zuko is still with his people, his soldiers.
Katara looks around the empty suite they'd moved her into in the palace. This is the first time she's been alone since, well ever. She wanders around it, not quite sure of what to do, trying to keep her mind off of the Fire Nation Prince. He said he loved her. How could he say he loved her? Surely he didn't mean it. There's no way he could mean it.
She starts setting out what few belongings she has, mostly clothes and little knick-knacks and unfortunately stumbles across Zuko's robe wrinkled up at the bottom. It's been months since she's used it, months since he's joined the group. She holds it to her nose and inhales deeply, it still smells like him, just barely. It smells like spices and oranges and ginger. She smiles then frowns and wads it up, chucking it into a corner. He can't possibly love her. He's just confused. He's back with his people, with people loyal to him and once they defeat Ozai he'll become Fire Lord and have to marry a Fire Nation lady. That's how these things work. She was stupid for getting attached. She was stupid for hoping, stupid for wanting him with her. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
. . .
Zuko is an idiot. He's an idiot for thinking she wanted him. He's an idiot for opening his mouth and he keeps replaying his monumental fuck up in his head. He was stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He groans and kicks the wall before wincing. He can add that to the list of moronic things he's done lately.
He goes back to the desk an earth bender bringing food now from Ba Sing Se had been kind enough to build for him yesterday. The only papers on his desk are about food being brought in. There's nothing important for him to look over, there's no big plans to be made, and there's no Uncle here to advise him. Uncle is - Zuko wrenches his thoughts away from that. How is he supposed to plan what happens to his troops without knowing what the Earth Kingdom is going to do? Perhaps he can go to Ba Sing Se and find out what Katara- what options the Council of Five has for moving his men.
"Prince Zuko?"
"Yes, what is it, Captain Mako?" Zuko looks up at the a man with greying hair who he vaguely remembered Uncle mentioning on Zhao's ship and who had proved invaluable over the past week as they were busy keeping tempers in check and making sure everything ran smoothly.
"I wanted to let you know that the food supply has come in for today and you shouldn't be needed for anything in regards to that."
"That's good to hear." Zuko pauses, Mako seems trustworthy, at least enough to leave in charge for a day or two since there's not really another option. "I'm hoping to head to Ba Sing Se for a few days to meet with the Council. I-" There's a sudden commotion outside and shouting can easily be heard. Zuko rushes out to see two soldiers throwing fireballs and screaming obscenities at each other. So much for hoping things calmed down and he could head to the city.
. . .
Katara spends her mornings in the Lower Ring - with several non Dai Li guards - healing the people there. It's not as exhilarating as sneaking out with Zuko but it is safer. Her afternoons are with the Council of Five and her evenings are spent having dinner with King Kuei and his bear. She's slowly telling him about life outside the Upper Ring and every day she has another story about what happened in the Lower Ring. Perhaps, she thinks, if she tells him often enough then things will really change. He promises to start sending fresh fruit and to her surprise, it's actually there one afternoon as she heads towards a hospital. It's being handed out sparingly by guards to stall vendors and she smiles. Between that and her healing, it's a start.
Thankfully the Ba Sing Se University has a whole department devoted to astronomy and already knows of the upcoming comet. The effects of the upcoming eclipse on the Fire Nation Army is a shock however, and they quickly puzzle out the date so the Council of Five can plan accordingly. The astrology professors try to deliver the news themselves, try to claim all the glory but Katara has on more than one occasion had to throw around the weight of 'being the Avatar's teacher' around. Now she stands in front of the Council of Five and in their War Room, debating how to best overthrow Zuko's father.
"Well, we can attack on the eclipse and have them subdued by the time the comet comes," one general points out. "They're about two months apart, that's plenty of time."
"Yes, but the eclipse is so close! How will we get our whole army over there that quickly? Think of the supply lines and simply the travel time and -"
"And what choice do we have?" Katara butts in. "Either we win during the eclipse or everyone dies during the comet. What other option is there?"
"Little girl-"
"Don't you 'little girl' me! Out of everyone here I'm the one that's been outside of the Ba Sing Se's territory. I'm the one who has fought against the Fire Nation, and won mind you. If we want to survive, we have to finish this during the eclipse. There's no other way."
General How straightens. "She's right. We need get our forces moving and we have to do so immediately." He strokes his beard thoughtfully. "Say, didn't some Kyoshi Warriors arrive recently? Perhaps they should go back and start spreading the news, get all of our allies moving as quickly as possible. Even if the bulk of our army can't get there that quickly, we want some troops inside of the Fire Nation Capitol."
"Oh, Kyoshi Warriors? I know them, I'll go let them know!"
"Excellent." How quickly jots down his request and hands it to Katara who quickly heads out. To think, Suki may be here! It'll be so nice to see a familiar face. It takes some asking around to find the warriors but once she gets directions it's a quick jaunt over to the throne room. As soon as she enters, she can tell something's off. One warrior is bent over backwards, almost walking on her hands. Another is flicking a knife back and forth between her finger, Kyoshi warriors don't use knives though. The one in the middle though is lounging in front of the throne, looking as if she owns the palace already. Blue eyes meet gold and a shiver runs through Katara.
Run.
She bolts out of there like a jackalope, praying to get to the Council of Five in time, or anywhere away from Azula really. "Get to the War Room, that's where she'll try to go!" A man shouts behind her. Stone hands slam into the wall beside her, just barely missing her. That's odd. Azula isn't a - Katara pulls out a water whip and slices through another set of hands without thinking. She has to run faster.
She can hear the Dai Li getting closer.
She rounds a corner, willing her muscles to move her quicker and darts into a side corridor. They've split up but some are still behind her. Don't go the obvious way. She takes another side hallway. There are fewer feet behind her. Up some stairs. Into a servant's corridor. She keeps going around and around, taking more and more obscure routes until she's in an almost deserted portion of the palace. Her heart is pounding in her ears, she can't believe it. Azula is in Ba Sing Se! Azula is here! She has to get the Council of Five, she has to warn them. No, her blood freezes in her veins. Azula was somehow working with the Dai Li and they were headed to the War Room. Ba Sing Se isn't safe. She has to get to Zuko.
It's safe to say her room is now being watched so she can't return for her belongings. At least it's afternoon and the food carts that head to the Fire Nation not colony are about to set off. Now the question is if she can get there in time, undetected by the Dai Li. Oh no, what if that's what they're counting on? They know she'll go to Zuko. Katara groans in frustration and tears start to form which she quickly blinks back. This is no time for crying! She puts her head between her legs and just breathes for a moment, calming down. She can't risk going to the food carts so she'll sneak out.
It's not particularly hard to steal some clothes from the servants' wash. They get her around the Upper and even the Middle Rings. A Dai Li agent marches past her, not noticing her in the new clothes. She has to get out of here. This is Ba Sing Se, the city of walls and secrets, who knows if most people even noticed the Dai Li were missing or if the noblemen will notice that they're back, and if they're working with Azula…Katara shakes her head, focus. She has to get to Zuko. She takes a train over the Lower Ring, following a few noblemen headed out of Ba Sing Se to their family estates, blending into their group so as to not have to pay the ticket fee. All of her money was left inside of the palace. Everything she owns is there. A deep gnawing feeling opens up in her chest, threatening to burst out. Everything she owns is gone and Azula is in Ba Sing Se! The master water bending clenches her teeth together. Now is not the time.
There's no sign of the Dai Li on it but that doesn't mean much here in this city. She follows them to the Outer Wall, down an earth bender operated lift, through the wall and finally, finally she's out of the city! Now, how will she get to the encampment? Her money is gone, she doesn't have anything to bribe anyone with. All that's left is - her eyes light on an ostrich horse in someone's entourage, already saddled and ready to go. Everyone is so busy and she knows it's wrong but how else is she supposed to get there? It's not like she'd ever steal under normal circumstances. She snorts, remembering the Water Tribe scroll so many months ago. Okay, so maybe she would steal a little, from someone who wouldn't notice.
Five short minutes later she's on the road, headed towards the man who she really doesn't want to see, the man who says he loves her, to warn him that his sister is going to try to kill him. She prays she isn't too late.
. . .
Short chapter, I know. I thought I had updated a lot more recently than I had…..I'm so sorry!Thank you everyone for the kind reviews that I read every know and then to get my rear in gear to write. I'm so happy Avatar is up on Netflix, I'm rewatching and judging by the story traffic stats, all of you are too. I love you all so much!
Also, Atea1793, you're completely right about them knowing about the comet. I had forgotten, thank you for pointing it out and if I go back and do a mass edit again I'll fix that.