Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of the characters
A note from the author: Hey everyone! Ok this is a little bit of a longer chapter. It takes place back on Zuko's ship. Sorry about all the points of view being switched, but it's like trying to tell two stories at once. Again please read and review! Thanks!
Katara woke up to find she was not alone. Zuko was sitting on her bed staring at her, trying to get the cork off of a vial similar to the one Ty Lee had.
"Must you always be the damsel in distress? Can you do anything without hurting yourself?" smirked Zuko.
Katara tried to pull water from the washbasin but couldn't. Her chi was still blocked. She settled for trying to smack him instead. Her hand was an inch from Zuko's face when he caught it.
"Is that the thanks I get for bring aloe, and making sure you're alive?" sneered Zuko. "You should be thanking me. I could have told the guards to use deadly force if necessary, but I didn't. I told them to be as gentle as possible."
"It's not possible for the fire nation to be gentle," spat Katara.
"Oh, we will see about that. You are going to have dinner with me tonight. It's much better than the food you have had. But that dress will never do. I'll have Ty Lee fix that," whispered Zuko.
Katara swallowed the lump in her throat and let her hand fall to her lap. She looked away from Zuko and said, "I won't come."
"You don't have a choice," chuckled Zuko. He grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her over to him. Katara prepared herself for a blow but instead felt aloe being gently massaged into her burnt arm.
"See, firebenders can be gentle," whispered Zuko. He let go of her arm and walked out of the room, leaving Katara to stare at the door in shock.
Coming out of her stupor, Katara looked down at her arm to see it shining with the gel. He had been gentle with the burn, like he knew how bad it hurts. Katara wondered if he had someone put aloe on his burn or if he was alone and took care of himself.
"Why do I care?" she asked herself bitterly. "He is nothing to me!"
Katara jumped of the bed and ran to the door. If she waited on the side, she might be able to fight her way out when they push her food in. She didn't have to wait long the door opened a crack and Ty Lee wormed her way in. She was carrying a beautiful red silk dress. It was floor length with onyx trim around the plunging neckline, the billowing sleeves and the short train. Katara was so stunned that Zuko had meant what he had said, that she forgot about fighting.
"Do you like it?" asked Ty Lee. Katara stared at her questioningly. Ty Lee looked at the dress shyly. "I understand if you don't like it," whispered Ty Lee, "I made it myself. Its kinda hard to do on a moving ship…"
Katara stepped forward and ran her hand over the silk. "It's beautiful," Katara whispered. "But I can't wear this. I told Zuko I would not come."
"He said you don't have a choice. And besides, you get to take a bath and get all clean beforehand. That's got to be good after days of traveling and being locked in a cell…" smiled Ty Lee.
"A bath? I get to have a bath?" asked Katara unbelievingly.
"Uh-huh" giggled Ty Lee. "Follow me!"
Ty Lee grabbed Katara by the wrist and pulled her through the doorway. The walked down the hall and were surrounded by a guard escort. Katara didn't notice. She was going to get near water. Maybe her chi had returned… then she remembered how she had tried to bend when Zuko was in her room. She was useless. Ty Lee stopped in front of a red door after a few minutes of walking. She smirked at Katara and opened the door. Katara looked around the room with surprise. In the middle of the room was a giant tub built into the floor. It was almost overflowing with steaming water and there were wonderful smelling bubbles floating on the top. One wall of the room had a table built into it, and had a huge mirror above the table. On the table, there were face powders, lip and eye paint, and blushes.
Ty Lee grabbed Katara's hand and led her over to the bath. "You start getting into the bath while I hang this dress up. Ty Lee went to one of the walls and slid a panel aside to reveal a closet. As Katara removed her outer cloths she noticed all the walls were panels. She put one foot into the water and slowly eased herself into the tub. She sight with content until the water hit her burn. She gasped in pain and looked down at her arm. The scab over the burn seamed to dissolve and turn the water a light pink. To her surprise, the skin was healing well underneath it. Ty Lee returned to the tub with a purple bottle filled with soap.
"I haven't washed someone's hair since I was a little girl living with my sisters!" she laughed.
Katara smiled. She was slightly enjoying herself as Ty Lee rubbed the soap into her scalp. Katara closed her eyes and relaxed.
"All clean," whispered Ty Lee while shaking Katara's shoulder. Katara had drifted off into a peaceful sleep surrounded by her element. But the water had gotten cold. Katara looked at her burn and saw it was cleaned and bandaged. She got out of the water and Ty Lee handed her a towel and a robe. Katara dried off and wrapped the robe around her. Ty Lee then led her over to the makeup table.
"I love makeovers!" squealed Ty Lee. She picked up a hair brush and began to straighten Katara's hair. When her hair was dry, it seamed twice the length, smooth as silk and as straight as a curtain. She didn't recognize herself. Ty Lee quickly took Katara's necklace off before she could protest.
"Don't worry. You'll still be wearing it…just not as a necklace," said Ty Lee.
"But I need that necklace!" said Katara.
"And you will have it. Just wait a little bit…"
Katara glowered at Ty Lee but was curious about what she had in mind. Ty Lee put Katara's hair into shorter hair loopies, pulled the top of the hair into the traditional fire nation top knot but instead of fastening it with a fire insignia, she used the necklace so that the pendent faced forward. The rest of Katara's hair, Ty Lee left hanging in a sheet down Katara's back. Katara smiled. At least she had her mother's necklace with her.
Ty Lee picked up a small makeup brush and said, "Now it's the best part!"
"Oh joy…" said Katara sarcastically.
"Oh don't be so gloomy! I'm great at makeup!" giggled Ty Lee. And she was. She put on a foundation that perfectly matched Katara's skin tone. Next she painted her lips the color of a fire lily. Next the eyes were lined with a black so rich that it reviled the night sky. And shimmers of gold were added to Katara's eye lids and cheek bones. The person in the mirror was unrecognizable. The only hint to the identity was the necklace around the top knot and her beautiful blue eyes.
"Now, that wasn't so bad now, was it?" smirked Ty Lee as she surveyed Katara's wonder. "Time for the dress and accessories!"
She led Katara over to the panel that held the dress and said, "Take off the robe and I'll grab the dress."
Katara did. She was beyond words right now. The dress was being cinched closed around her. An onyx sash hugged her waist and the dress hung perfectly on her body.
"What accessories do you want to wear?" asked Ty Lee as she slid another panel open. Inside were more jewels than Katara could have imagined. But only one caught her eye. A strand of black pearls held up a sapphire stone that glowed blue. In the middle of this stone was a perfect circle of some rare orange stone.
Katara's fingers reached out and brushed against it as she whispered, "This one. Just this one."
"I knew you would like that one," giggled Ty Lee. Katara picked up the trinket and fastened it around her neck. "Well, perfect timing! Dinner will be done soon!"
For a moment Katara had forgotten the reason for her transformation. When the memories came back, she frowned.
"Don't worry. Zuko is a fire nation prince. He won't forget his manners. Oh, that reminds me. You don't know of the fire nation traditions. Well, I guess this will have to be your crash course," Ty Lee said with a smirk. "Ok, first off, the host off the meal is the first to eat, so wait for Zuko to take a bite before you start eating. While you are waiting for him, you sit on your knees on the cushion next to the table, letting the dress billow around you, and place you hands in your lap. Before you reach for a sip of your tea, you are supposed to slide your sleeve up to your elbow. That way it won't drag through your food by accident. The number one important thing to remember is, please, do not start a war within the room," she laughed. "Well, that should be it. Let's go!"
Ty lee grabbed Katara's hand and pulled her into the hall. The guards surrounded them again. To Katara's surprise, they actually looked at her. Like she were some form of royalty. And their eyes always wondered to the necklace. When they realized they had been caught staring, they looked away sheepishly, with a shake of their head, as if trying to clear away a fog. Katara looked down at the necklace and saw that it seamed to give off its own light. Shocked, Katara stopped walking and lifted the pendent away from her skin to get a better look. Ty lee stopped and turned around to see what Katara was doing. Ty Lee gasped, and reached out to the pendent. As soon as Ty Lee touched it, the pendent stopped glowing.
Ty Lee's smile widened and she whispered, "The one who is four… but how?" She looked into Katara's eyes as if trying to grasp some deep meaning. When she let the necklace fall back into place, it did not glow again. She tilted her head and said, "Never mind. We have to hurry. Zuko won't like it if we are late."
They started to walk and after a while they came to a door that looked like any other on the ship. Ty Lee knocked and when no one answered, she opened the door. "Now remember what I said and wait on the cushion next to the table," said Ty Lee as she pushed Katara through the door. It was then that Katara realized it was not a dinning room she had entered, but Zuko's quarters. The door shut behind her and Katara was left alone in the glow of the torches.