Chapter 4
Zuko leaped to his feet as he recognized the voice. It was that girl! The one in the window! He whipped his head around scanning the landscape for her.
"Te marchaste sin palabras, cerrando la puerta,
justo cuando te pedía, un poco más.
El miedo te alejó del nido, sin una respuesta,
dejando un corazón herido, dejándome atrás.
Y ahora me muero de amor si no estás,
me muero y no puedo esperar,
a que vuelvas de nuevo aquí,
junto a mí, con tus besos.
Es que me muero de amor si no estás,
me muero y no puedo esperar,
necesito tenerte aquí, junto a mí,
sin tu amor no puedo seguir," the notes hung in the air, lingering on after the voice ceased.
"Excuse me," Zuko called. "Who's out there?"
He received no reply. Well unless one called more singing a reply.
"Entre tus papeles descubrí, una carta,
solo en líneas apretadas, frases sin razón.
Dices que el motivo fue la falta de aire,
si siempre te dejé ser libre, sin una condición.
Y ahora me muero de amor si no estás,
me muero y no puedo esperar,
a que vuelvas de nuevo aquí,
junto a mí, con tus besos.
Es que me muero de amor si no estás,
me muero y no puedo esperar,
necesito tenerte aquí, junto a mí,
sin tu amor no puedo seguir.
Dime que no es verdad, que voy a despertar,
cerca de tu piel, igual que hasta ayer.
Porque me muero de amor si no estás,
me muero y no puedo esperar,
a que vuelvas de nuevo aquí,
junto a mí, con tus besos.
Es que me muero de amor si no estás,
me muero y no puedo esperar,
necesito tenerte aquí, junto a mí,
sin tu amor no puedo seguir," the voice finished quietly.
"I just want to talk to you," Zuko began again as he headed towards the swamp. The girl seemed to be in there. He pushed aside the tall grass and began to slosh through the water.
"You won't find her," a voice said.
"Whoa!" Zuko stumbled back to see Katara at his feet. He realized what she had said. "What do you mean I won't find her?" Was it just him or did the toad look very sad suddenly.
"It's a ghost of memories," she replied. "The girl isn't here. She's gone. But the swamp remembers her. So the memories build until every once in a while, one can hear the girl's song."
"I know her voice though," Zuko protested.
"I never said she was dead," Katara replied. "She just isn't the same now. She still lives near the swamp. She doesn't look the same. She's changed."
"Please, take me to her!" Zuko pleaded.
Katara flinched. She hadn't expected this. Zuko's amber eyes seemed to glow with determination and fire. "No."
"What?" he gaped. "Why not?"
"She doesn't want anyone to know what she looks like now. If you knew her before, you're better off remembering her as she was. You're better off cherishing the memories you have of her while she was still innocent," Katara hopped away. "You better go back to sleep, my prince. You will need it for the ride back to the castle."
Zuko's shoulders slumped and he head back to his camp. He glanced over his shoulder once.
Katara watched him from her hiding place. She wouldn't deny she loved him. But she didn't want him to know she was the girl in the window. She was just an ugly toad now. He would never love someone as hideous as she was now. She had wanted to tell him. That's why she had sung the song. But when he came, she couldn't do it. Be it because of the spell or fear, she chickened out. So she had lied to him. Well, not exactly lied. They were really just veiled truths. Riddles, when one thought about it. Katara wished she could cry because she really needed to right now.
A/N: Now I'm gonna cry! (Screwy expression from holding in tears. Waaaaaaah!)
If anyone knows the translation to that song, you are welcome to tell me. I just put it in because it sounds pretty. My brother is evil and won't translate it for me. Despite the fact that it's Spanish and he took two years of the language.