A.N. Special thanks to everyone who reviewed. It's really appreciated.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Katara stumbled backwards. She realized who she had just walked into and fell to her knees. She didn't need to look twice to recognize the great General Iroh, the Dragon of the West, brother of the Fire Lord. She had seen many paintings of him and heard of him in legends. She felt nothing but awe in his presence. And maybe a little fear.
"General Iroh, please forgive me," was all she managed to get out before she heard a small chuckle escape Iroh's lips.
"You must be new. Are you lost?"
Katara didn't know how to react. She kept her head down and spoke. "Yes, General."
"What wing are you staying in?"
"Mistress Pri's wing, General."
"Ah, not too far from here. Come. I will show you to your room."
"Thank you, General. It is an honor." Katara stood, grabbed her trunk, and followed the General down the hallway.
She reached the familiar wing that she was staying in and bowed to Iroh. "Thank you, General," she said as she bowed. And she really was. Katara didn't know what she would have done if she hadn't bumped into him.
Iroh smiled as he turned to walk away. Katara headed to her room. So that's Iroh, she thought. She had been told about him. How he lay siege to the great city of Ba Sing Se for six hundred days. But, in all she had been told about him, he was never portrayed as a kind, easygoing man. This confused Katara, if only for a moment. Iroh is supposed to be evil, isn't he?
The sun had now completely set. Katara looked out the window and saw the moon. It was beautiful, as it was in the South Pole. It shone in through the glass, the only source of light in the otherwise dark room. Katara noticed the candles set on the walls and wondered how to light them. Looking around, she didn't notice any spark rocks. Katara stumbled into the hallway, remembering the torches that lit it, hoping to borrow one to light her candles.
Almost on cue, a girl, who seemed to be around Katara's age, walked down the hall. She was looking at a small piece of paper in her hand, reading something. She looked up and glanced at the doors in the hallway as she walked by. She stopped right in front of Katara.
"What room number is that?" she asked softly.
Katara spun around and looked at her door, which happened to have a number on it. She hadn't even noticed it before. "103," Katara answered.
The girl looked back down at her paper and smiled. "I just got a notice from Mistress Pri. She told me I'm moving into this room," she said, holding out the paper. Katara read through it.
"Mistress Pri likes new people to be in a room with someone else who can help them out. I'm Jina," she said, holding out her hand.
Katara took it and smiled. "Katara," she replied. She could tell that Jina had been here for awhile. Katara saw it a little with the servants in the South Pole. It was something about the way they held themselves, their timid behavior, especially when meeting new people. It came only from years of being ordered around, being treated like you're worthless.
"Where's your stuff?" Katara asked.
"In my old room. I'll go get it." Jina turned back down the hall.
"Wait," Katara said. "I'll help you." She closed the door and hurried after Jina.
"Do you know your way around?" Katara asked.
Jina nodded. "Very well. You?"
"Oh, no. I was lucky to bump into General Iroh or else I would have never found the room."
Jina laughed at that, but immediately regained her composure. "General Iroh is a good man. He is very nice to us."
There was a short silence. They reached a door and Jina opened it. The room was set up like Katara's, only it was a lot messier. Trunks were opened, clothes littered the floor. Dust was evident on what furniture was present and a tray of half-eaten food was on the desk. The beds were unmade, the covers randomly thrown on them. Katara looked around. She noticed there were several candles on the walls and a small, rather plain, chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Jina walked over to what was presumably her bed and grabbed the trunk that was there. She turned to Katara. "Sorry it's messy. We barely have time to eat, let alone clean our room." She motioned to the tray of food.
What have I gotten myself into? Katara questioned herself. Then again, she did not choose this for herself.
"I understand," Katara lied. She didn't want to even think about how hard these girls worked that they couldn't even eat. Jina was now trying to lift the trunk, and not having much success. "Here, let me help you with that."
Jina looked at her, almost confused, but again all emotion disappeared as she smiled her thanks.
Katara helped Jina carry the trunk back to their room. It wasn't really heavy, necessarily, but it was big. Actually, Katara thought, it fells like there's hardly anything in here at all.
They reached the room and set the trunk down right inside the door. Jina looked around. She noticed the candles on the walls, all of them unlit. "Can you bend?" Jina asked.
Katara shook her head. "I can only put out flames," she replied. "Are you?"
Jina nodded. She stepped into the center of the room, took a breath and sent her fingers flying in all different directions. In a matter of seconds, all of the candles were lit, and Katara could finally see.
"I wish I could do that," Katara commented.
Jina seemed to relax a bit more. "Thanks." She looked at the beds. "Which bed is yours?"
Katara walked over to the one right next to the window. "This one."
"Is there anybody else in this room?"
Katara shook her head.
Jina nodded her approval. She dragged her trunk over to the end of the bed right next to Katara's. She opened it and began to unpack. Katara decided to do the same.
Jina had very little. Only a few dresses, most of them very simple and, from the looks of it, most of them were too small on her. Katara wondered how long she had been there for, but was almost afraid to ask. Almost.
"Jina?" The girl looked at Katara. "How long have you been here for?"
Jina didn't seem to be bothered by this question at all, and, to be truthful, she wasn't. "Eight years. I'm sixteen." Jina was not embarrassed by it, although some in her situation might be. She knew what Katara's next question would be, and readied an answer. But Katara dared not ask her why. Katara did not want to know why an eight year old girl would become a servant.
"I'm fourteen," was the only thing Katara said.
Jina stood. "We can go to dinner now. I have been instructed by Mistress Pri that I am to show you around the palace after we eat."
Jina left the room and started down the hallway. Katara followed her, trying to mentally keep track of where they were going, but soon gave up.
"So when do we have our meals?"
Jina shrugged. "It depends"
"On what?" Katara urged.
"First we have to make sure the nobles have all eaten. And only if we are done with whatever tasks we have been doing." Jina became silent.
"Well," Katara began, not sure of what to say, "Where do we eat?"
"The servant's dining room or in our own rooms."
They reached, what Katara guessed was, the servant's dining room. It had several small, round tables. Servants gathered around them, some talking quietly amongst themselves. Katara looked around for girls from the Water Tribe, but saw none.
"Is this the only dining room?"
Jina nodded. "Yes, for servants, but we are never all in here at the same time."
Jina then walked back into the kitchen. Katara followed her. There were several trays of food laid out for the servants. Jina grabbed a plate and began to serve herself. Katara did the same. She took some of whatever Jina did, although she didn't know what anything was.
Katara followed Jina as she went over to sit with some other servant girls. Katara guessed they were her friends. They smiled at Katara as Jina introduced her. All of them were around Jina's age, except for one. She was much older, a frail looking lady with hair that reminded Katara of snow.
"This is Katara," Jina said, before naming everybody at the table. The old lady was Rei.
"Hi," Katara said to all of them as she sat next to the woman.
"Hello, Katara," Rei said to her. "It's so nice to meet you."
"You too," Katara replied.
"Now, what on earth would a young lady as beautiful as yourself be doing in the Fire Palace? As a servant, no less."
If Katara noticed some of the other girls shift their attention to her, she ignored them. Katara had no idea what to say. She had no back-story. Actually, she had no idea why someone would become a servant. She looked down, trying to act sad.
"All of my family is dead. I had nowhere else to go," she said, hoping it was convincing.
Rei nodded. "Sad things happen to such good people sometimes. But, at least it couldn't get any worse, right?" she said smiling. By now only Katara was listening to her. The other girls were sick of hearing her 'look on the bright side' speeches.
Katara shrugged. "I guess not."
"You have a place to sleep, somewhat good paying work, and food (I guess) to eat. And you're young. As soon as you can, leave this place. There is nothing keeping you here."
Katara sighed. If only it were that easy.
"Spirits know that once you're old like me, you're life's gone." Is she still talking? "These bones can't hold out much longer, especially waiting on that Prince Zuko all day." Immediately a shift of attention back to Rei. "Katara, I bet you he's looking for a replacement for me as we speak." Rei paused.
"What do you mean?" Katara asked, confused.
"Oh, right. I'm Prince Zuko's personal servant. All day, everyday, I wait on him. And, oh is it exhausting." Rei sighed. She then looked around and stood. "If you'll excuse me, I should go back now."
"Do you need any help?" one of the girls asked.
Rei shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine." She looked at Katara. "Nice meeting you."
"You too." Katara smiled at the woman. Rei was nice, even though she talked too much.
After Rei left Katara mostly listened to the others talk. Jina seemed a lot more comfortable around her friends. She joked and laughed with them. She seemed happy enough.
After both Katara and Jina were finished eating, they got up and brought their plates into the kitchen. There were servants there, cleaning up.
"That reminds me," Katara said. "Where will I be working tomorrow?"
Jina shrugged. "Tomorrow, you'll be with me for the whole day, just so you understand how things are run. Then, whatever Mistress Pri tells you."
"Oh. What do you normally do."
Jina shrugged. "It depends." Jina then walked out into the hallway. "Come on, I'll show you around."
By the time they got back to the room, Katara had a slightly better idea as to where everything was. She was tired. "I'm going to sleep," she said. Katara quickly got changed into her nightdress and crawled into her bed.
"Goodnight, Katara," Jina said"
"'Night, Jina," Katara replied. She was asleep in seconds.
The next morning, Katara was woken up by the sun streaming through the window. She rolled over in her bed, burying her head in the covers. For a moment, if only a moment, she was back in the South Pole. She was still a student at the University. The University! Katara shot up. She was late.
Or not. In an instant it all came rushing back to her. Why? She thought. She looked out the window. The sun was not, in fact, up yet. The candles, however, were lit. Stupid candles.
Jina had just rolled out of bed. She was holding back a laugh. "I've never seen someone wake up so fast, especially someone whose not a bender."
"Oh, well lucky me." Katara flopped back down onto her bed. "The sun's not even up. Why do we have to be?"
"Most of the nobles wake around sunrise. We need to have breakfast ready for them when they do. Hurry. We only have and hour."
Katara groaned and dragged herself out of bed. She had fallen out of the habit of waking up so early. "Where do we bathe?"
"The servant's bathhouse," Jina replied. "I showed it too you last night, remember?" Katara shook her head. Jina sighed. "It's right down the hall. Each wing has it's own." Jina turned toward the door.
"Hold on," Katara said. She threw on her bathrobe and grabbed the dress she would wear. "Okay, I'm ready." Jina smiled and led Katara down the hall.
The bathhouse was beautiful, or at least it was to Katara. Granted, she had never seen a bathhouse before, but she liked this one instantly. More importantly, though, was that it seemed familiar to Katara, more so than anything else in the Fire Nation had. It was filled with water, her element.
As she looked closer at everything, thought, it seemed as if everything reminded her if the Water Tribe. On the ceiling and walls there were moons, the whole bathhouse was decorated with blue tile, and then, on the floor, Katara saw the symbol of the Water Tribe. She looked up at Jina, confused.
Jina seemed to understand Katara's reason for confusion. "Before the war, this wing was used to house ambassadors from the Water Tribe. Then, it was converted into a servant's wing. I guess they never got around to changing the bathhouse… But I think it's fine."
Katara silently agreed. She took off her clothes and slipped into the one big bathtub in the center of the room. The water was warm. Katara never had a warm bath before. It had been too much of a hassle to heat the water up over a fire and haul it into her room back in the South Pole. She always decided to save her servants the trouble. But, she decided she liked warm baths better. I could get used to this.
Katara, at that moment, wanted nothing more than to bend the water. It took all of her self control not to. Katara loved to bend; it was one of her passions in life. It was a part of her.
A splash interrupted Katara's thoughts. She looked at Jina. "We have to go. Tomorrow, get up earlier and then you can spend some more time down here."
Katara got out of the tub and put her dress on. She then proceeded back to the room. Jina tried to stop her. "What on earth do you need in there?" she asked.
Katara didn't answer. She needed to put her makeup on. Otherwise it would be (more) obvious that her eyes were blue. Ignoring Jina, she went into the room and dug her makeup out of the trunk. Quickly, but carefully, she applied it, remembering what Mistress Yun had taught her.
Jina walked in after Katara and saw her putting makeup around her eyes. Wait, she thought, blue eyes? I didn't notice that yesterday.
Katara caught Jina looking at her. "I just need to put on some makeup," she explained.
Jina closed the door to the room. "I didn't know you had blue eyes," she whispered as if it were some huge secret, and Katara guessed it was. "Why?"
Katara didn't know what to say. 'I'm an assassin from the Water Tribe?' No. "There's bad blood in my family," Katara said, head lowered. She looked up, her voice more serious. "Don't tell anybody. Please," she pleaded.
Jina shook her head. "I won't."
Katara smiled. She could trust Jina.
"Are you done?" Jina asked. Katara nodded. "Good because we have to go. Come on."
The kitchen was insanely hectic. Servants and cooks scrambled around, preparing food for the nobles. Katara looked around confused.
"This is on a good day," Jina said, smiling. She saw Mistress Pri talking to someone on the other side of the room. She went over to her. Katara followed.
Jina bowed. "Mistress Pri, do you have work for us?"
Katara could see Jina take on her servant-girl attitude. Katara bowed as well. Mistress Pri looked around. "Has anybody brought General Iroh his morning tea?" she yelled out. Nobody answered. Mistress Pri looked at Katara and Jina. "Fix General Iroh's tea and bring it to his room."
Just then, a servant walked in and shouted. "The Fire Lord has risen." For a moment everybody went silent before erupting into a roar of commands. Mistress Pri went off yelling "Where are my potatoes? Who peeled them?" To think and old lady could be so loud...
Katara looked at Jina, who was getting a teapot down out of a cabinet. "Fill this up," she said as she shoved the teapot in Katara's face. After admiring it for a second (it was a rather pretty teapot), she grabbed it did as she was told. It's weird, Katara thought. When I was told I was going to be a servant I didn't think I would actually have to work. Then again, nothing is like I though it would be.
When Katara brought the teapot back to Jina, she had a tray ready with porcelain cups and some sort of pastry on it. Jina took the teapot, threw some leaves into it and heated it up with her hands. She placed it carefully down on the tray and picked it up.
Katara followed her out the door, happy to leave the kitchen. Jina started down the hall and Katara ran to keep up with her. "So where are we going," she asked.
"General Iroh likes his tea and cake right when he gets up in the morning. We're bringing it to him."
They turned a corner and Katara was not prepared for what she was about to see. Just down the hall stood her target. Zuko. Katara stopped walking. He was coming toward her. She watched him.He walked with a purpose, a slight arrogance. He looked straight ahead, staring at the hall in front of him. He didn't seem to notice Katara. That could get you killed, Katara taunted in her mind.
Jina noticed Katara stopped walking and stepped back next to her. Jina bowed as Zuko passed. Katara did the same, noticing just now she was barely able to breathe. She saw Rei following behind the Prince, smiling her warm smile at Katara as she winked. Katara shook her head.
When Jina resumed walking, Katara did as well. She felt her heart rate return to normal and she could breathe again. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought it just anxiety and maybe a little bit of pity. But, it wasn't just that. Katara had only seen one painting of Zuko, and although it did look like him, seeing him in person was a lot different. He was kind of cute, for a Fire Nation Prince, of course.
A.N. There. A nice long chapter (with Zuko in it…finally). I hope that makes up for the last one which was so short.
Do you like Jina? I rewrote her part like five different times because I wasn't quite happy with her. Then again, I'm still not... So tell me what you think.
Sorry about the delay. I was going to post this last night, but the site wouldn't let me upload it. I actually had to paste it on notepad. (I hate notepad.) I've actually been having a lot of problems with lately…
Is it just me or does the Cave of Two Lovers episode seem to be foreshadowing the Season Finale? I mean…stuck in a cave…green glowey rocks…the story of Oma and Shu (if that's how you spell it)…except for the dying part, oh and ZUTARA!!!!! (I'm excited, can you tell?)
Oh, and there's another trailer out for the season finale (besides the Zutara one)!!! There's a link on my profile if you want to check it out…but not before you review. Please.
I'll stop talking…um, typing now. REVIEW.