Katata

Ever since the incident with my room Azula has bearly let me out of her sight. The guards she had search my room reported that whoever planted the bomb must have been an amateur seeing as the trigger was placed on the wrong door. Azula had of course wanted to bring Ozai before her and execute him. But one of her council members stated that although Ozai was a prime suspect the only evidence she had was that he happened to be walking down the hall at the time, he or someone else could have ordered a servant to do it so they could remain innocent. Either way I felt more like a prisoner now then I did before and that's saying something, but honestly for some reason a small part of me doesn't hate it as much as I should seeing as at least now Azula was paying attention to me and not just fetching me when she needed me. Even now as I went about trying to heal Ty lee she was staring at me as I worked which made me a little uncomfortable. In my spare time I'd read countless scrolls that Azula's maids had brought me and I was starting to make progress on whatever was inside Ty lee but whatever it was seemed to actively regrow every part that I cure which was really starting to make me mad.

"Any progress?" I hear as she looks from me to Ty lee

"I'm doing the best I can but whatever this is has really dug in deep"

She nods but I can hear the worry in her steps as she paces back and forth every so often looking at the two of us. Once again I tried to force the curse from her body but every time I got near with the water it receded but didn't leave.

Stupid thing, it's almost as if it's alive or something, but that's impossible... isn't it?

"Azula are there such things as living curses in the spirit world?"

She looks at me oddly before looking at Ty lee.

"It's possible but only the darkest and oldest spirits would know for sure and the oldest are by far the hardest to find. Why do you ask?"

"Because whatever kind of curse this is seems to act like a living being and move away from the water and then try to reclaim it's territory when I move away."

She gets a strange look in her eye and then moves over running a hand over one of the scrolls.

"I might know someone with the answers but in order to get them I must leave the palace for a few days." Which meant that while she was away I'd be left in the hands of whatever bodyguard that she had.

"Go I'll be fine"

"Okay but promise me that you'll be on guard. With me gone I have a strong feeling that there might be another assassination attempt."

"I promise to not leave the bodyguards sight now stop worrying."

After taking one last glance at the two of us she moves to the doors and to a passing servant who she tells to summon the bodyguard immediately. As soon as she leaves I help Ty lee out and into her dry clothes. Then a thought occurred to me, this was perhaps a golden opportunity to learn more about Azula from the one person she's known the longest.

"Hey Ty Lee is Azula always so..."

"Serious and protective? Yeah but only toward the things she cares about." That made a bit of sense but it was obvious she cared about Ty lee but the only reason she wanted to protect me was because I can cure her.

"And was she like this as a child?" Ty lee turned to me and actually smiled before she started laughing.

"That's a good one but no as a child she was rather normal that is for a while."

"What happened?"

"You see when she was younger she and her family lived on the border of the kingdom and the forest. In fact that area was often called the slums because the nobles referred to the forest dwelling sprits and all who associated them with garbage. Then one day there was a bit of an incident with one noble... it ended with Azula losing her parents and fleeing into the forest with me. Ever since then she's been determined to grow stronger, her first step was to challenge and overthrow the former ruler of dragons." I wasn't expecting to hear something like that. I'd imagined she'd grew up a noble and wanted power but now I wasn't sure how to see her. Before I had time to think about this I heard a voice I'd never thought I'd hear again.

"Katara..."

When I looked around I saw nobody in the room besides me and Ty lee so I wondered where it was coming from. And that voice I knew it but it was impossible for him to be here.

"Katara..." This time the voice was stronger and when I looked around this time I saw it. Hovering just a few feet in the air covered in a blue ghostly energy was Aang.

"Aang?" When I called his name he got excited and tried to hug me but fortunately he passed right through me. He tried again but when he figured out he couldn't he settled on floating in front of me.

"Katara thank the sprits your alive! I just knew I'd find you."

"Aang how is this possible? I thought the portals could only be opened once a year."

"Yeah well that's true but you can travel to this world in sprit form and as the avatar I can travel here if i focus hard enough but enough of that now tell me is your kidnapper still around? could you escape?" my kidnapper? Oh right he saw me being dragged off so of course he doesn't know about the deal.

"Aang about that it's not what you think well not exactly."

"Katara I understand but don't worry now that I know you're alive I'll find a way to rescue you." Before I have time to say anymore his form started to flicker before finally vanishing.

Great just when I start to forget about him he pops out of thin air literally. Well at least he'll tell everyone I'm alive but something tells me he hasn't quite given up on me. Well at least nothing else could go wrong.

"Katara who was that? and why did he mention a kidnapping?" To my horror the nearly forgotten Ty lee had been listening. I didn't want to lie to her but I didn't know if she could handle the truth.

"Well when I left I didn't exactly tell anyone and so when Azula flew me through the portal it might have been misunderstood as a kidnapping. I know I should have left a note but we were in a bit of a hurry." Not exactly a lie and hopefully she buy it.

"Okay but who was that?"

"uuhhh just one of the guys who had feelings for me back home but it was one sided."

"Well that's good because if someone tried to steal you from Azula she'd be devastated."

Devastated? Angry and vengeful maybe, but devastated I sincerely doubt it.

Ty Lee must have saw the look on my face and after guideing me to the bed she looked me in the eye while putting her hands on my shoulders.

"Trust me when I say this Katara, if Azula didn't care for you then she wouldn't have made you her bride. When a dragon marks someone it's a very personal thing." I looked at the blue dragon on my arm as she continued.

"Now I know Azula isn't the best at showing how she feels but trust me when I say when she's around you she's happy. Her aura is less dark and more bright." I didn't quite understand that last part but I got the just of what she was saying. And although I've never been attracted to another women I would admit that she was pretty beautiful... especially close up. I mean generally speaking she's not all that bad just a bit to determined but that's not a bit thing for a ruler to be. Especially when you have people that want to overthrow you. After putting Ty lee to bed I decided to return to my or really Azula's room but I wasn't expecting someone outside the door.

"Who are you?"

"Name's Mai and Azula sent me to be your bodyguard while she's away." She wore long black robes that hid her hands and she spoke like this was a pain and expression on her face stayed gloomy. But I trusted that Azula wouldn't have brought here if she wasn't skilled. As we walked down the halls I couldn't help but feel a bit akward seeing as she didn't say a single thing and just stared ahead with her dead like eyes.

Azula please get back soon I don't think I handle this girl for long.