Hello, dear readers! Here's the next chapter! Thank you so much to those who have reviewed so far. Your thoughts encourage me to continue writing!

Many thanks to PurseMonger for editing this chapter for me.

AtLA is not mine.

Chapter Two

In Which the Maiden Awakens

Golden eyes slowly opened and a yawn escaped from a fanged mouth. Zuko blinked as he waited for sleep to leave him as images of a woman crossed his mind. Had he been dreaming? Shaking his head, Zuko rose and stretched his long body only to freeze at the sight of the woman still lying unconscious near the dying fire.

So he had really rescued a woman and brought her to his home? Cautious about waking her up, the dragon slowly moved forward, his red scales gleaming slightly as the light hit upon them, and he gazed down upon the peacefully sleeping woman. He frowned when he realized that he was concerned that she had not woken up yet.

Why should he care? She would run away from him once she saw him anyway.

Shaking his head, he peered at her closely and was relieved to see that she did not appear sick and was breathing normally. But why was she still unconscious? As he continued to gaze at her, he could not stop himself from admiring her beauty. Her chocolate-colored hair spread under her head in wavy curls, her brown skin looked soft to the touch, her lips—which seem to have regain a little of their color—were nicely plump and tempting, and her body seemed lush and curved in all the right places, even beneath the heavy parka she was wearing. Any man would be lucky to have such a woman as his. He frowned at himself before he dismissed the thought from his mind. He lifted his eyes and noticed once again that the fire was low.

He should get more wood so she would wake up warm and comfortable. It would not do to have her freeze to death after he had rescued her. If she ever woke up. He frowned. What would he do if she never regained consciousness?

He turned away and he again dismissed the thought. He would deal with that issue when it presented itself, for now he needed to get more wood. He walked toward the entrance of the cave and crouched low, but before he entered the small tunnel, he took one last glance at the small feminine form. He could not stop himself. It was as if something drew him to her. Growling at himself for such foolish thoughts, he forced himself to look away before he crawled through the tunnel.

A low groan fell from feminine lips and echoed through the dark cave. Blue eyes fluttered opened and darted dazedly around the unfamiliar sight. The young woman slowly sat up and pressed a hand to her head. She had a terrible headache and she felt disoriented. She glanced around herself and frowned in confusion at the darkness that surrounded her. She was sitting beside a low fire, and by the minimal light it provided, she could tell she was in some sort of cave.

Where was she? How did she get there?

"Great, Katara," she muttered at herself, "Why do you always get into these situations?"

She frowned as she tried to recall what happened to her. She remembered she had been separated from her brother and her friends when a huge snowstorm suddenly caught them off guard. She had been wandering around for two days, taking shelter beneath huge trees or beneath bushes as she searched for her companions. She had eaten the last of the beef jerky she had on her and had been unable to find any food, which caused her energy level to drop drastically. Disoriented, cold, and tired she had stumbled into the low valley dominated by a large mountain. She had forced her legs to continue walking as the snow and wind buffeted her, hoping she could take shelter in some cave in the mountain, but her body had been unable to continue further. As she approached the base of the mountain, she had begun to feel dizzy and that was all she could recall. She must have fainted.

She once again looked around herself and frowned. Someone must have rescued her and brought her into this cave. But who? And where were they?

Besides the dying fire, there was only a patch of what seemed like grass in a corner, so she could not determine what kind of person had saved her. At least, she hoped they had saved her and not brought her there to harm her. She swallowed at the thought and her hand shifted to her hip only to meet nothing. She glanced down and frowned when she remembered that she had forgotten to retie her waterskin when the snowstorm hit. Her hand then reached down her leg and she let out a relieved breath when she realized her small dagger was still strapped inside her boot. She used the dagger to help cook her meals more than anything else, but if she had to, she would use it to ward off an attacker.

She made to stand up, but she fell back down when her weakened body refused to hold her up. Shaking her head, she growled at herself, hating the weakness that seemed to have overtaken her body. She knew she needed food and rest in order to regain her strength, but how was she going to get food in this place? Her brother was the hunter, not her. She groaned and laid back down when her stomach gave a sharp, loud growl and the world spun around her. She shivered as the cold of the cave permeated her bones and she crawled closer to the meager warmth of the fire.

Rest. She would just rest for a moment and then she would head out. Or she could wait for whoever had brought her here to see if they could help her out some more. They had rescued her from the storm, so they couldn't be that bad, could they?

She did not get the chance to answer her own question because sleep had already taken hold of her.

Wings flapping softly, Zuko perched onto the rocky wall with one talon, his other arm full of dry wood. Folding his wings close to his body, he crawled into the small tunnel until he stepped into the chilly cavern. His eyes immediately darted to where he had seen the woman last and his tensed body relaxed when he noticed she was still there. He had expected to see her gone when he returned. He narrowed his eyes when he realized what he was feeling was something like relief.

Really, why should he care?

He slowly, carefully, walked closer to the prone form and frowned when he saw that she had not woken up. Was something wrong with her? Did she perhaps hit her head? He carefully added the wood to the dying fire and used his breath to flare the flames back to life. Once it was blazing strongly, he glanced at her one more time before he made his way to his bedding. He was about to lay down when the sound of her stirring and a low moan of pain reached his sharp ears. Without thinking about it, Zuko immediately moved to her side, peering expectedly down at her.

He watched as her long black eyelashes fluttered before he was met with the bluest eyes he had ever seen. He jerked back slightly when something inside him was struck at the sight, causing his heart to suddenly start pounding wildly in his chest. He did not seem capable of moving away. It seemed as if her gaze had rooted him to the spot.

What did it mean?

Katara blinked when she realized she was no longer alone. Her gaze seemed riveted on a pair of the most brilliant, golden eyes she had ever seen. They stared at each other for a moment, neither of them saying a word, before she realized that the eyes were too high and too large, but with the darkness she could not really see why that was.

Suddenly, the person moved closer to the fire and a gasp escape her when she realized it wasn't a person at all, but a dragon! A huge, fearsome looking dragon! Fear immediately beset her body and she froze in terror, her eyes widening impossibly large, her heart hammering rapidly in her chest. She had no water to defend herself with and dragons were known for their speed and strength.

Zuko immediately smelled her fear, saw it reflected in her azure eyes, and disappointment settled heavily in his heart. He knew it. He knew she would react like everybody else did when they saw him. He was not be surprised by it, and yet, it still upset him. He waited for her to start screaming and crying, but she remained still and silent, just staring terrifyingly up at him. He had a feeling she was doing it so as not to provoke the beast from attacking her. Narrowing his eyes, he thought perhaps it was best if he left, so he would not upset her more. So he would not have to see her running away from him in fear.

He moved back and snorted when she flinched. Turning away from her, he moved toward the entrance of the cave. He crawled quickly through the tunnel and once he was outside, he spread his wings and launched himself into the air. As he flew away from the cave, away from the terrified woman, he told himself not to care.

He did not care.

He should not care.

Katara remained lying in shock and fear as memories of all the terrible stories about vicious dragons flew through her mind. Dragons burning villages to the ground, eating anything to fill their bellies, ripping people to shreds. Her fear began to subside when she realized she had not been eaten yet. She waited a few more minutes, but when she heard nothing, she slowly sat up. Confused, she saw that the dragon was no longer there. Where did it go? She glanced around cautiously before she realized that the fire was burning more strongly. Her eyes widened when she realized that the dragon must have done it. Who else could have? But why?

She shivered when the warmth caressed her cold body as she contemplated what to do. She should leave, her logical side screamed at her, telling her it was the safest choice. Yet another part of her, maybe an insane part, told her to stay. She had seen sadness in the dragon's eyes when he saw her stiffen in fear. At least, that's what she thought she saw. She bit her lip in indecision as her eyes once again darted around the dark cave.

Maybe she should stay and see what would happen. He had saved her from the storm, built a fire to warm her, and he had not attacked her when he should have. Maybe he was a nice dragon? She snorted at her thoughts. Was she being too optimistic? But what other choice did she have? She did not know how to survive on her own. She had no food or supplies to help weather the dangerous mountain range. She could die by the dragon's hands or she could perish in the wilderness. Her lips curled wryly.

Now she was being too pessimistic. But really, who could blame her? Her once peaceful life had suddenly turned for the worst. She had no choice but to cross through the Earth Kingdom in order to find refuge. She was lost, hungry, cold, and tired. Any help was nice, even if it was a dragon who was giving it her.

Making up her mind, she decided to stay and see what would happen. If the dragon suddenly turned on her, she would find a way to escape him. She hoped.

Noticing her pack lying at her feet, she reached for it and dragged it closer to her. She rummaged around, hoping she had somehow missed a strip of beef jerky, but was disappointed when she found nothing. She grimaced and clutched her stomach when it growled. The pack was her brother's. She had accidentally grabbed it, thinking it was hers when they had gathered their belongings and raced away to escape the storm. It only contained a spare pair of his clothes and boots, his old comb, a bar of soap, a blanket, and a few other trinkets that were of no help to her. Luckily, his bedroll was attached to it, so she had something to keep her slightly warm.

Sighing, she placed the pack aside and brought her knees close to her chest as she waited for the dragon to make an appearance. She ignored the voice that kept telling her she was making a mistake.

Zuko slowly crawled into the small passage, a small piece of caribou-elk carefully held between his fangs. He knew the woman must be hungry, so he had decided to bring her some food. Even though he thought that she must be long gone by now. He stepped into the larger cave, his eyes once again darting to where he had built the fire, and he froze in shock when he saw that the woman was still there. He saw her stand up slowly, nervously, as she turned to face him.

What? Why was she still there? Why had she not run away?

He did not move as he continued to stare incredulously at her. He did not know what to do and he did not want to scare her more than she was if he were to move forward.

Katara swallowed nervously when the dragon just stared at her without doing anything. Her eyes darted down to his mouth and she froze in fear when she saw the piece of bloody meat between his sharp-looking teeth. Oh La, she was an idiot. She should have run away when she had the chance. But when the dragon continued to remain unmoving, she decided to step forward. She paused when she saw him tense, and she shifted uncertainly, before she gathered her courage and walked slowly toward him.

Zuko did not move a muscle as he watched the woman slowly approach him, the scent of her fear and uncertainty tickling his nose. That was another side effect of being a dragon. Somehow he could differentiate emotions through scent. He stared down at her when she stopped a few feet away from him. He suddenly realized that she was younger than he had previously thought. Perhaps no older than twenty.

Katara swallowed when she had to crane her head back in order to be able to see the dragon's golden eyes. She noticed that his left eye seemed more narrowed that the right one and she realized it was because it was scarred. Did another dragon attack him? She cleared her throat nervously and she watched as the dragon tilted his head to the side. For some reason, his action made her feel slightly reassured.

"Uh...um...did you...save me from the snowstorm?" she asked hesitantly.

She mentally rolled her eyes at herself. He probably didn't understand her. She watched as he dropped the piece of meat to the floor and slowly scooted it toward her feet with his snout before he stared at her expectantly. She looked down at the carcass in wonder before it dawned on her that the dragon was giving it to her to eat. She looked back up at him and gave him an unsure smile.

"Uh...thank you…" she mumbled as she slowly bent down to reach for the meat, hoping he didn't attack her like a wolf-dog would when it's food was taken away.

Zuko was surprised at her gratefulness. He could still smell her fear, but she was not crying hysterically because of it and instead had approached him. He could only admire her courage, although it would have been foolish of her if it had been a real dragon that stood before her. Still, he could not help but respect her for it. He turned away from her and moved toward his bedding where he dropped himself with a sigh. He glanced back at her and watched as she turned toward the fire. He stared at her as she took out a small dagger from her boot and began cutting the piece of meat into small strips, then skewering the meat on the tip of her dagger, she held the strips close to the fire. The delicious scent of cooking meat permeated the air and Zuko couldn't stop himself from taking deep whiffs of the smell, wishing he could have some.

As she finished cooking the last piece of meat, Katara wished she had some salt and herbs but she was not going to complain. She had food and her mouth watered at the thought of filling her empty belly. For the moment, she was too focused on her meal to remember there was a fearsome dragon lying behind her. As she took the first bite of the cooked meat, a small moan of pleasure escaped her throat before she tore another piece of meat and chewed happily. As she ate she once again wondered where her friends were. Sokka must be worried sick and Aang and Toph must be as well. She hoped they were safe somewhere. A small frown appeared on her brow. How was she going to find them?

Zuko lifted his head when the woman's scent of contentment suddenly changed into the bitter smell of sadness. He watched as she sighed and slumped as she absentmindedly continued eating. He wondered what she was thinking about that had caused her to be sad before he shook himself. He should not care, he reminded himself. She would be leaving soon anyway.

"You know," the sound of her soft voice brought him out of his thoughts, "I would've had some spices if I had grabbed my pack instead of Sokka's."

If he could, Zuko would have raised an eyebrow at her words, wondering why she was telling him this. As she continued to talk about random things, he realized she wasn't really talking to him, but seemed to be doing so just to fill in the void.

Katara knew she was rambling, but she could not help herself. She was scared and bored and the silence seemed oppressive. Besides, she knew the dragon didn't understand what she was saying, so she talked about silly things just to hear her own voice chase away the silence.

At first, Zuko became annoyed at her constant rambling, but then he found her voice soothing and pleasant, and he listened to her without really hearing what she was saying. He had not had a conversation with someone for a long time (even if it was one-sided), so he allowed her lovely voice to soothe his ears as he lay his head back down. When she suddenly stopped talking a few minutes later, Zuko raised his head to see that she was cocooned in a sleeping bag and had fallen asleep. Shaking his head, Zuko found himself feeling a little amused before he lied back down and closed his eyes so he could find his own rest.

He wondered what the next day would bring.

Katara's eyes flew opened and she bolted upright as her head swiveled around her, her breathing coming out in quick pants. When she realized she wasn't being mauled by a ferocious dragon like in her nightmare, her tensed muscles relaxed. She brought a shaky hand to her forehead and sighed before she pushed her mussed hair from her face. She glanced around the silent cave and frowned when she realized the dragon wasn't there.

She looked around the gloomy place and wondered where the exit to the cave was, since she couldn't see it. She wiggled out of the bedroll—which was slightly big since it was made to accommodate her brother's larger frame—and stood up. She decided to look for the exit, but before she took even a few steps forward, she heard a sound, as if something was being dragged, before the large form of the dragon appeared. She froze when his eyes slanted her way and she suppressed the urge to run. She noticed another small piece of meat between his fangs and her stomach growled. She blushed in embarrassment before she chided herself for her reaction. Seeing that patches of snow were melting off the dragon's back and head, the brunette knew the snowstorm was still raging outside. It made her wonder why the dragon was going out into such terrible weather just to bring her food. She watched as he dropped the piece of meat and scooted it toward her like he had before.

"T-Thank you," she stammered before she cleared her throat self-consciously.

Zuko was once again surprised the young woman was still there and for some reason it made him happy. Dismissing the feeling, he moved away and lied down on his grassy bedding. He watched silently as she began to prepare her meal. He listened when she started talking once again and he relaxed. She was definitely different from the people he had come across in the first few years after he was cursed. She had not fainted at the very sight of him or ran away, screaming at the top of her lungs about the fearsome monster. Nor did she try to kill him in order to eliminate a threat, or worse yet, to collect parts of his body said to be magical for a large bag of gold. He narrowed his eyes at the painful memories before he firmly shoved them from his mind.

She might still be wary and afraid of him, but she had not allowed that to rule her, and instead she seemed almost kind and respectful of him. He did not know how to proceed. He had never found himself in such a situation before. He wondered what her name was, what kind of woman she was, before he shook the thought from his mind. It did not matter. She might not have run away at first, but that did not mean she would want to stay with him. She must have a family waiting for her, so of course she would leave.

He kept reminding himself of that fact, yet he could not seem to stop himself from wishing otherwise. He growled at himself. It must be because he was starved of human contact, he decided. Why else would he be feeling like this? Why would the thought of her leaving upset him? He had just met her for Agni's sake.

The sound of her singing brought him out of his thoughts and he turned to once again gaze at the blue-eyed brunette. He listened attentively for a moment as she sang. She had a lovely voice and it only relaxed him even more. He had not heard any kind of music in years and he found that he had missed it, as he missed many other things.

Katara did not realize she began to sing as she finished preparing her meager meal. She sang when she was feeling lonely or when she was sad, so she sang a lullaby her mother used to sing to her when she had been a child. The thought of her mother brought a pang to heart, but she continued singing anyway since it brought a sort of melancholic comfort to her heart. She missed her mother. She missed her childhood when everything had been simple and happy, when her father had been more carefree and relaxed, when her brother had been less disillusioned of the world, when the only thing Katara had to worry about was not getting scolded for playing with her dolls instead of sleeping.

A sound coming from where the dragon was lying down had her jolting from her memories. Stiffening, she glanced his way. He was staring at her again and she turned back around at the unnerving sight. Why was it always staring at her, almost as it was afraid she would run away? As she placed another piece of meat over the fire, a disturbing thought crossed her mind that caused her to falter in her song. What if the dragon was feeding her in order to fatten her up? Why else would he do it? It wasn't as if he cared for her well-being, right?

Zuko became alarmed as the sudden scent of her fear reached his nose and lifted his head to stare at her, wondering what could be the cause since she had been calm a moment before.

Katara glanced over her shoulder and saw that the dragon was still staring at her before she quickly turned her head back. She took a few shaky breaths and told herself to calm down so she wouldn't alarm him. Her mind raced as she thought of a plan to help her escape. Maybe it was best if she took her chances out in the wilderness instead of waiting for the dragon to suddenly turn on her when she least expected it. Yes, she would find a way to leave this place.

When the scent of her fear subsided, Zuko relaxed and laid his head back down, though he was disappointed when she did not continue singing. As he continued to gaze at her form, as he had been doing ever since he brought her to his home, he wondered if perhaps she was the one who could break his curse. His heart pounded frantically at the thought before he growled lowly at himself. No, he should not get his hopes up. It was impossible.

Besides, even if by some miracle she were to fall in love with him, the cursed would not be lifted unless he returned her feelings. It just made him less optimistic that he would return to his normal body. He had never been in love with someone before. He wasn't even sure he was capable of loving someone in such a pure, passionate way as he had heard his uncle describe when he talked about his late wife.

But it was less likely the brunette would come to love him. How could a woman as beautiful as she be able to fall in love with him? He was cursed with the body of a hideous monster. How would she even want to kiss him? He couldn't even communicate with her. So Zuko really had no hope of breaking the curse. He glanced away from her. It was best that he forget such foolishness.

Katara once again glanced over her shoulder and saw that the dragon was now staring into the fire. He seemed kind of...sad. She wondered what he was thinking before she shook the thought away, dismissing it as unimportant. All she wanted was to get out of the cave and reunite with her friends so they could reach their destination. She frowned when the thought reminded her of why they were making their way across the Earth Kingdom before she angrily shook the memory away.

After she finished eating, she crawled back into her sleeping bag since there was nothing to do and it was cold. Without thinking about it, she began to sing her mother's lullaby once again and she immediately felt better. She took a peek at the dragon a moment later and she was startled when she realized he had fallen asleep. She scowled at him. Was her voice that boring it made him fall asleep?

What a jerk, she huffed mentally before she frowned. Wait a minute.

If her voice lulled it to sleep, maybe she could make her escape while he slept. Once he realized she was gone and came after her, she would hopefully be far enough away that he wouldn't be able to find her. She would test her theory tomorrow and see if it worked. It was best that she leave before she found herself in the dragon's stomach. She shuddered as she imagined being ripped to pieces. With a firm nod of her head, Katara relaxed and waited for sleep to take her, hoping everything came out well in the end.

Early the next morning found Zuko searching for another caribou-elk to bring down to eat as well as to feed to the young woman. The weather was still bad, so he had to search longer for food. As he flew against the biting wind, he wondered what to do with the woman. He knew she must have somewhere to go and that she could not stay with him—even if a part of him wanted her to. He supposed he could keep providing for her until the storm abated and she could move on. Until then, he would enjoy her company as long as he could before he was once again left alone as he had been for years.

Back in the cave, Katara woke herself up with a start as another horrible nightmare left her. Shaking her head and forcing herself to calm down, the blue-eyed woman glanced around the cave to see that the dragon was once again missing. Was he perhaps getting more meat to feed her with? She had saved some of the meat from the previous night and wrapped it in a clean cloth she had found in the pack. She would have to be careful with the only food she had until she could find some more or until she found her friends.

She decided she was going to leave that day before she became the dragon's next meal. For some reason, a part of her felt bad for leaving the dragon, but she firmly told herself it was for the best. Besides, it was a dragon, it didn't have any feelings. She sat up and quickly rolled up her sleeping bag and made sure everything was ready for her departure. When there was nothing else to do, she took out her brother's comb and began to untangle her hair until it fell in smooth waves down her back. She waited anxiously for the dragon to come back so she could set out in her plan.

A few minutes later, she heard a scratching sound before she saw the dragon emerge into the cave. It was once again carrying meat, which he again offered to her, before he moved away to his bedding. Katara felt a bit of guilt stab her chest before she squashed it down as she reminded herself the dragon had no feelings. She grabbed the meat and began preparing it as she pretended everything was normal. She began singing once again and she watched from the corner of her eyes as the dragon relaxed, though it was staring at her again.

As Zuko listened to the woman sing, he let out a soft, content sigh and a thin plume of smoke escaped his mouth. He was again pleased to see that she was still there. He wished he could speak to her, to get to know her better, but he knew that was impossible. The thought only made him frown darkly. How was a woman—how was she—supposed to fall in love with him when he couldn't even speak to her? Why was the cure from his curse so impossible? Perhaps that was the point. He growled at the thought before he decided to ignore it as he once again focused on the woman's voice. She was singing that lullaby again. It was soft and calming, and perhaps a little sad, but it soothed his troubled mind.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

Katara glanced once again at the dragon and saw that his eyes were closed and he was breathing evenly. A soft sound, almost like a snore, came from him and she was sure he had fallen asleep. She continued singing as she carefully stood up and silently picked up her pack. She took a few steps and froze when she saw the dragon shift. She made her voice sound softer and more soothing, even humming a little, and she relaxed when the dragon stilled. She walked across the room, careful of not making a sound, and was glad when the dragon did not stir again. She made her way to the place where the dragon always appeared from, making sure he was still sleeping, and saw a tunnel. Now she understood why she could not see light from outside since the entrance was small. She glanced once more at the sleeping dragon before she turned back around determinedly.

She continued singing as she stooped down and walked slowly through the low tunnel, using her hand to trail along the wall since she couldn't see. When she finally spotted light from outside, she quickened her pace, forgetting to keep singing in her eagerness. She stepped on the mouth of the tunnel and clutched tightly onto the edge with a gasp when her foot almost slipped under her as a powerful gust of snowy wind hit her.

Her eyes widened when she realized the cave was actually a few feet above the ground and she placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart. Her eyes darted along the mountainside, calculatingly the best way to make her descent. Taking a deep breath, she grasped along the rocky walls as she slowly made her way down. The cold, heavy snow made it difficult to see, but she strove on. She ignored the small voice that told her to go back to the safety of the dry cave.

She needed to leave. She had to find her friends.

Zuko woke up with a start when he realized he had fallen asleep. When he noticed that the young woman was no longer singing, he raised his head to look at her only to freeze when he realized she was not sitting near the fire. He glanced around, but she was not anywhere. Even her pack was missing. She could not have left, could she?

He quickly got up and walked to the other chamber, thinking that maybe she had decided to explore the place and found the small waterfall. His heart was pounding in his chest as he entered the room and looked around. He frowned when he saw that she was not there, just as he had expected. He walked back into the larger chamber and stared down at the flames.

She must have left when she saw that he had fallen asleep. It seemed she had not trusted him and made her escape as soon as she could. What else did he expect? For her to want to remain with a dragon who could not communicate with her? For her to fall in love with him somehow?

He growled loudly at his stupidity. He knew he should not have raised his hopes up and yet, like the idiot he was, he did. He sniffed and walked back to drop himself onto his bedding, deciding it was best to put the incident behind him. He barely knew her anyway, so what did it matter to him if she was gone? It wasn't as if he cared for her.

But he missed her presence, her voice. He angrily shook his head before another thought crossed his mind. It was foolish of her for leaving in such weather. He was sure she would not survive. He snorted. That was her problem, not his.

Closing his eyes and wrapping his long tail around his head, Zuko forced his mind to stop thinking.

Yet, for some reason, his heart felt empty, restless, with her gone.

A/N: Noooo, Katara, come back!

Thank you for reading!

~alwaysZutarian