A: TLA © Bryke
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, just the plot.
A/N: This chapter has been edited. Please review!
Three
Katara, again, found herself stuck in a boring War room meeting, discussing strategies over which city in the Earth Kingdom they should take over first. And she was so bored.
"Firelord, this is completely off topic but... What of the Waterbender?" That caught Katara's attention, which she fixated on Yon Rha, she had never been fond of the man, but now, she was ready to zap his head off.
"What of him, Advisor Yon?"
"Yes, what of him?" Katara snapped, glaring holes into the frightened man.
"Well, he-he is taking up the lock-down dungeon and I thought maybe you could-"
Hakoda interrupted, "Put him to death?" He offered, glancing at his daughter.
"Yes,"
"Absolutely not! He hasn't done anything but be a prisoner, he hasn't tried to escape, attack any guards or show disrespect!" She threw a look at her father saying: Agree with me or else. The Firelord transparently gulped the mantel on his shoulders hiding the gesture.
"I agree with Katara until he shows any rebellion, he is free to roam in his cell. Not that he can roam." That earned him a few chuckles and a silent snarl from her daughter.
"Now, shall it be Omashu or Ba Sing Se? Because once we have those, the rest of the kingdom will fall pathetically at my feet."
"Good luck with that. Now, I'm hungry. Goodnight gentlemen." With that, Katara stood up, her armour clanging and grinding slightly, she hurried down the small set of steps before walking regally out of the room, making sure to twist her foot on the map were the Firenation Capitol was.
As Katara jogged past all of the cells, she heard screaming, painful screaming. Her heart quickened and so did her pace because that screaming was coming from Zuko's cell; his door was slightly open as well. She sprinted to the door, pushing it all the way open until it slammed against the wall, echoing throughout the whole prison.
Without even hesitating, her fists became fire as she shot a white-hot fireball at each guard, both of them facing her took the impact to the chest, one landing on the left of Zuko, the other on the right, and what she saw, made her breath cut short.
His bare torso was burned, the pale skin that once was, was now just blistered red. His arms were chained above him together, his trousers were gone, leaving him in just under-wrappings, which were charcoaled and quite indecent, but Katara didn't focus on that, instead, she traced all of the scorch marks over his arms and his legs, his knees were scratched like hell, bleeding wounds ran down his arms from his elbows, the skin having a clean slice having been cut through. It made Katara sick. She scraped her boots across the metal floor towards the guard that had landed on the left of Zuko, dragging him up by his collar on his tunic.
"What. Do. You. Think. You're. Doing?" Each word was like ice and it scared the man, he was shaking in her hands.
"F-f-follow-ing or-orders your Ma-je-st-sty-sty." His stuttering was all over the place, his eyes flicking around the cell room nervously.
"Orders from whom?" She had her suspicions, but she wanted to be sure. His mouth sealed shut and she raised a flaming fist. "Tell me!" She screamed in his face, bringing the flame so close to his face, it singed his ear slightly. The guard yelped.
"Ad-Advisor... Y-Yon R-Rha, Ma-"
"Spare me." She growled, shoving him on the floor. "Get out of here, both of you, before you end up looking much worse than him!" She pointed back to Zuko, a feral snarl rippling through her clenched teeth. The guards didn't think twice, scurrying out of the cell like mice. "Pathetic." She growled, slamming the door. She rapidly sat down in front of Zuko, looking at his hung head, his hair shielding his face.
"Please, don't let them have hurt your face, Zuko." She whispered, tilting his chin up. She gasped at his wide oceanic eyes, open with shock. His face was fine, despite the scar he had already. She carefully placed his head on her shoulder, wrapping her arms under his armpits and around his back in a hug.
"Thank goodness you're Ok." She whispered into his ear, squeezing the hug slightly, stopping when he groaned. She pulled away, removing the key and standing above him, reaching for the shackles. She felt uncomfortable with her body being so close to Zuko's face despite the predicament. She had removed her armour as soon as she walked into her bedroom, replacing it for a pair of crimson khaki pants and a simple tunic.
She freed his wrists from the cuffs and gently carried them down to his body. "Zuko, I will be right back, I promise. Give me a minute." She pulled the tie out of her hair, quickly grabbing his hair out of his face, surprisingly finding it long enough to put it into a top knot, so she did just that. She sprinted towards the door and opened it, looking around for guards. She spotted one walking past. "Guard," He turned towards her, "Get me two Aloe plants. Now please. And hurry, thank you."
She bowed to him, handing him two gold coins and returned to the room, closing the door. "Zuko," She knelt in front of him, brushing away a strand of hair that was too short for the top knot. "Talk to me." She whispered, bringing his hands into her own and gently massaging them.
"Ka-Ka... Tara." She tipped his chin up, his eyes looking straight into her gold ones. "Hi," He threw her a weak goofy smile.
"Zuko." She sighed, rubbing his scarred cheek with her thumb.
She heard the knock on the door, "Your Majesty," she gently released his chin, letting go of his hand too, before walking to the door, opening it and retrieving the two Aloe plants. She thanked the guard and turned back to Zuko, setting them on one side of her as she knelt once again, in front of him. She snapped a leaf off, squeezing the liquid into her palm until it covered half of her hand. She scooped it up with two fingers and approached Zuko's chest with it, he hissed when it hit his chest, the coolness against his scorched skin also making it sting a little.
"As soon as you have enough energy, Zuko, you're going to heal yourself, understood?" Her voice carried across the room softly, an edge of firmness engraved in the words spoken, however. "What happened? How did rumours come to the Firenation, Zuko?" He remained silent as she continued to work at his chest, scooping up more of the Aloe or squeezing a plant leaf when she ran out. "Why did we have to meet like this?" She whispered, just audible to Zuko despite his proximity.
With a shaky exhale, he weakly lifted his head, staring at her with raging waves burning in his blue eyes, "Katara, what are you doing?" She looked at him, smiling slightly.
"I'm tending to your wounds-"
"You know that's not what I meant. What are you doing down here? Why are you showing compassion towards me despite me being your enemy?" He continued on, "And don't say I'm not your enemy, because I am, the fight proved-"
"Nothing, it proved nothing. You could have killed me, you had the chance. You could have taken me hostage, you could've done anything, instead, you let me get back at you and corner you."
"A waterbender against a dock full of Firenation soldiers? I barely had a chance."
Determination flickered in her gold orbs, for what, she didn't know, "You managed to take down the Nation's most powerful firebender." She walked away from Zuko to the bag she always had with her for jail visits, returning with three beakers of water. "Heal your bad wounds, Zuko." She opened the beaker and Zuko's wrist moved automatically, the water in the beaker moving into a thin strip, leaving three-quarters of it in the cup.
Katara watched with fascination as Zuko shakily brought his wrist up higher, the water following his movements. He brought it to the slice on his opposite elbow, wincing when the cool water made contact with his burning skin.
"They're monsters." He looked at Katara, surprised that she had spoken. He watched as tears began to well in her eyes, her hands clenching on her legs, looking down at the destructive appendages. "We're monsters." Zuko raised an eyebrow, watching her copper hands turn into firsts, making her knuckles turn pale.
"Katara, you're not a monster-"
"Yes, I am." She shook her head, looking back at him, smiling when the cut on his elbow disappeared. He threw away the bloody water, quickly attaining another small strip. This time, it was slightly thicker and managed to heal the scrapes on his knees, the other slice in his elbow and a pectoral of scorched skin, Katara couldn't have been happier. "Fire is a destructive element." Her mood suddenly did a whole 180 turn. Zuko paused from his healing, concentrating on the girl in front of him.
"All elements cause destruction, Katara." He continued to heal his chest, using the rest if the first cup, both of them remaining silent.
"The Firenation are cold-blooded killers..." Zuko sighed, dropping the water into the gathering puddle. Without even asking, Katara unlatched another beaker and he resumed his task.
"Katara, it's not the Nation that makes the people, it's the people who make the Nation. The Fire Nation isn't the cause of all the slaughtering of the innocent; it's its people's sick minds." Katara slumped over herself, wrapping her arms around her knees as she brought them in, her chin leaning on her arms. She stared unseeingly at Zuko as he repeated the same process, heal, drops the water, gets new water, and heals.
Zuko sighed, dropping the clean water out of his grasp, his eyes switching to the depressed girl in front of him, you could practically see her inner turmoil and it made him uneasy. "You know, my dad is as bad as yours."
She looked up at him with glossy eyes, wiping her nose as it began to run. "He cheated on my mom, two years after I was born, she conceived his child." Katara could see the sadness in his eyes, his slumped shoulders made her empathize him. Away from his home and family, possibly to never see them again, he was probably here to be killed, Katara inwardly cringed. "I had a sister, father named her Azula. We always played together when we were young because my mother said that she didn't like me being so lonely, so locked up. So she let me have my fun."
He turned his face away, staring at the metal walls surrounding him. "It was my twelfth birthday, Azula was 10. Father had taken her out into the frosty weather, said it was father-daughter bonding time. I knew better." He stared into Katara's eyes, melting her with his frosty gaze, "I can't explain it but I always knew something was off...about him. So I followed them. I watched in silence, shocked out of my parka, staring at my father as he drowned my sister, hitting her if she started to struggle, that's when I found out he was a firebender." A gasp escaped Katara's throat at the admission, disgust crossing her features at the man's cold-blooded murder. "He said Azula's mother was a whore on the side that she had threatened to expose his heritage."
Katara frowned, her posture shifting as she crawled towards him, his head was bowed in shame. She watched as he brought a hand to his face, covering the scar, his form visibly shook. "My father isn't my real father, my mother gave birth to me a week after she met Ozai, of course, and I never knew that I was a baby. But the night he drowned Azula, was the night he told me." He looked up at her; his oceanic eyes were drowning in their own pain, losing breath as he thrashed into himself, like waves. One moment, calm and peaceful, the next, angry and deathly. "He gave me this scar." Katara was stunned into silence, her hand covering her open mouth as she stared: abhorred.
He couldn't look at her, not only did he feel ashamed, but he had just told her his secret, one he had sworn to never escape his lips. So he silently began to continue healing the minor wounds covering his body.
Only when he was finished, did Katara finally pack up the beakers and chain him, immediately leaving, all in silence. She wanted to stop his suffering; she wanted to introduce justice to the monster that was Ozai, to finally let his actions be announced publicly. And she knew just how to do it. She felt disgusted that a killer was living among the tribe; the numbers were scarce as it was. And to actually kill his own child?
"Sokka," Said boy looked up from sharpening his blade, setting steely gold eyes on her, just like her father's. "I have a proposition for you." He eyed her warily, gently setting down his black-bladed sword. He turned to face her, his armour grinding against the stone as he glared at her, his gaze full of hatred. He suddenly found himself staring at a bowing Katara, her nose touching the floor at his feet. "I will gladly hand over the thrown to you." His eyes widened, his feet retreating slightly at the force of the surprise. "In return for you to let me borrow Appa." His brows furrowed, confusion beginning to litter her face.
"Why would you give up something as big as the thrown, just for a giant ball of fur?"
"Because I also ask for your secrecy." She sat up. Her flat palms resting on her knees. "I'm going to the Southern Watertribe."
The confusion was suddenly replaced by shock, "Why?" he gave his thoughts a moment to collect themselves, trying to weave them into the same pattern as the facts, only to come up with a disfigured puzzle that made no sense.
"That is not of your concern. But I will be borrowing Appa,"
"How do I know you will keep your word to hand me the thrown?"
"I swear it on my honour. I am a woman, as you said; it is preposterous to let a woman run the Firenation." She smiled at him. "I will be leaving tomorrow night. I will know if you do not keep your word, Sokka. Watch your back." She slapped his back with a 'friendly' gesture, walking straight passed and into the double golden doors filled with intricate golden detail.
Katara pulled the hood over her face with more force as she continued to follow the figure in front. Said figure was completely clueless to it's stalked that was scoring through the trees. Her foot leaned delicately on a thin branch, the wood creaking under the stressful weight. It snapped as she forcefully pushed off it, leaping into the next tree in front, a set of trees continued, to her advantage, lining the pathway through the forest.
She watched as the lone shadow turned around, his fists lit with flames, his evil hazel eyes scanning the trees and forest with an evil snarl.
He opened his clenched teeth, letting loose a feral snarl, "Who's there!?" She watched as he growled slightly, cursing to himself for his paranoia, letting the noise go off as a 'wild animal'. She knew he knew it wasn't just an animal though, that he was planning to attack as soon as she moved, and she waited for the right moment to strike. So she moved.
Her body automatically lunged out of the tree; fists alight with burning white fire, the flames reflecting her anger to the man who had hurt her 'friend'. She punched fireballs in his direction, the man barely dodging as she scaled through the air, her feet delicately landing on the dirt path with an anticipating thud, the man swerving round to face her with fright in his cold eyes. She hissed at him, her teeth nicking her lips as she threatened him with actions. And the battle immediately began.
Yon Rha threw an orange fireball at her, her form gracefully dodging it, setting the tree beside her alight with the destructive element. She didn't care. Steam roused from his nostrils as his annoyance already began to set in, and he'd only thrown one fireball! He seethed visibly, his teeth baring with the promise of pain as he hurdled fireballs varying from golf-ball sizes to beach ball ones, all effortlessly being avoided by the princess.
His legs spread beneath him, his left palm faced her, rising in front of him as he punched his other fist with power, this time actually skimming her bare shoulder, momentarily stunning her. She glared at him, the wind beginning to pick up around her as her anger arose, and her fiery white fists seemed to flicker between a violent blue and black as if they were dyed.
Her feet separated into a low crouch, one knee close to hitting the floor as her other one stretched to the side, the anger in her eyes making her small figure appear deadly when in reality, she was.
"Just like a Firekiss Rose flower." Katara's brows furrowed as the man smirked at her, his eyes daring her to make another move. "With an exterior so beautiful, you make the sun seem ugly. But if touched or provoked, you turn into a deadly, morbid organism." His teeth snarled in a feral growl, fireballs and flames suddenly engulfing his body.
She watched with wide eyes as each arm extended into a fire whip, his eyes snapped open; a fire was physically dancing in his eyes. His mouth opened, the orifice stuffed full of the smoky element. He lashed out.
Katara didn't see it coming. One minute, she was crouching, the next, she was wrapped in flames that were not her own, burning her skin to the point of pain, bringing agonized screams from her lips as she desperately tried to regain dominance, but the flames ate away her commands, responding to the manipulator. She was thrust into the air in a column of fire, her body arching in pain as her body sky-rocketed way above the high canopy of the forest, the sight evident to those who would watch and notice the orange light. Her body felt numb and limp, yet she could feel every ounce of pain being dished out, smoke erupting from around her as if it was taunting her, making her admit to her defeat.
She felt defeated, she felt...dead. Is this the end? Will I now join my mother in the afterlife?
Suddenly, memories passed before her eyes, sights of warm golden eyes, a genuine smile adorning red-covered lips and black bangs and rivulets of hair hanging around the exceedingly tanned face, her happiness lighting up her face like a child at Christmas. The tall woman was dancing with a chubby child around Firekiss Rose flowers, the vibrant red of the flower contrasting beautifully against the lush green grass, the inner blue of the flower as bright as the red.
Glistening waters surrounded the chubby child as she happily splashed about, the element was soothing to her, and it made her feel whole. Next, her mother flashed before her eyes, the woman's eyes were wide with fright, her body was being manipulated, her skeleton was being bent at odd angles, hearing the grinding of bones made little Katara cringe, tears already streaming down her face. And then the final sickening scream of her mother indicated that she had taken her final breath.
Katara was suddenly looking into the murderous blue eyes of a tall man, his frame was buff but in proportion, his smirk was full of deadly promises, his hand was hovering above his head, several ice-daggers posed and waiting for his command, her mother's body lay lifeless beside the man, the corpse bleeding, laying in her own blood. Katara snapped.
Golden eyes popped open, her eyes meandering between the colours of bronze and gold, as if not sure what to be.
Yon Rha watched with mirth as the princess began to grow limp in the column, her body not being able to take it all as he repeatedly scorched her skin, over and over again.
He was shocked to see his fire flicker, the flames twisted, turned, shaped. Appearing in front of him was no longer his orange column of flame, but a red dragon, it's details etched perfectly from the fire, Katara surfing atop its head, her arms waving fluently with the fast actions of the dragon. Its body stealthily slithered past the trees; leaving burning wood in its wake, tumbling wood and singed bark lay clustered on the path.
Fire rained down on him, pushing his shaking body to the ground with the force of a hurricane, his nose planted firmly into the dirt. His clothes were torn and burning, his back aching and hurting from the fiery element ripping his skin atop it.
Katara bent the dragon into nothing, standing above the cowering man, her eyes steely as she held a fist of fire so close to his face, the flames licked at his cheeks, making his eyes widen in horror. She felt all the fire surrounding her, the fire burning away the scenery that hid her away from public sight, but it was spreading, so she had little time. Glaring didn't satisfy the princess as she increased the temperature of the flame, making it so it scorched his skin.
"Please! Princess, kill me! I beg for your mercy in the price of my death! I had no intention of rebelling against you. Bu-but may I ask, princess... How did I disrespect-you-you so?" His voice stuttered, his last lines falling to ringing ears.
Her voice was a growl, feral in sound, and just as frightening. "You know exactly what you did, Yon Rha," Her voice finished in a deadly whisper.
"Well, Princess," He sneered the word as if it was venom in his mouth. "I believe you request a reunion with your mother? I will be the one to give it to you!" Before he even had a chance to attack, his head instantaneously unlatched from his neck, the body part rolling away, trails of blood leaking out of it. And as if it all happened in a movie, the blood recklessly spurted from his neck, the crimson liquid attacking Katara's form and shocked face, her eyes wide and her mouth agape as she watched in horror, her knee's instantly buckling underneath her, hitting the ground with a thud. And all she heard was the heavy breathing of someone behind a blue mask.
Her pain abruptly returned to her, her body aching and screaming in agony as her exhaustion, the levels of her injuries finally catching up to her, making her black out.
29.05.19: Edited.