Chapter Eighteen
Katara didn't know when he left, but she knew that by sunrise, he was long gone. She didn't know where he was going or when he would come back. All she had was a note he'd left on his desk for her to find and she stared at it, her eyes tracing the sloppy lines of his writing, falling on the ink blot in one corner. He'd written it in haste but that didn't matter because he'd written it.
Katara- I've always wanted to see the sunrise on that ice cube you call home. Show it to me when we see Maiko and Lu Zuo again. -Zuko
The simplicity of his request broke her heart. She tucked it into her wristguard, then clasped her hands together as she breathed in and out, fought through the pain and against the empty space inside her that began when a ship with blue sails disappeared over the horizon. She shut her eyes tightly, felt the weight of the crown in her hair and the armor on her body even more sharply now. Her breathing became shallow as anxiety made her chest tight.
In the face of Zuko's own worries and troubles, she was the voice of the reason, the cool collected one who always had the right answer. She'd given them both the false impression that she was good in tense situations, but it was only because he'd needed her to be. Without him...
She thought that Zuko needed her to keep him strong, but without him there, she realized she needed him for the same reasons.
"Katara."
She nearly jumped out of her skin and Iroh sheepishly came into the room. He shut the door behind him with one foot and in his hands he held a tray loaded with a teapot and two cups. From the aroma coming out of the pot, he'd brewed her some red dragon tea. It was strong and it would get her through the day.
"I thought you might need this," he said, setting it down on the desk.
"You know he's gone," she said.
"I knew he was going to go before he did," Iroh said calmly.
"What do I do now? Everyone's gone. Uncle, I'm alone," the words gushed out of her before she could stop them. "He's left me and gone away."
"He hasn't left anyone, especially you. Drink the tea, Katara, and breathe."
Katara picked up the cup, but didn't drink. "What do we tell everyone? What will they do if they realize I'm in charge?"
"The nice thing about being the leader is that you don't owe anyone any explanations," Iroh replied. "At least, that's how things work here. Say nothing because they won't ask straightaway where my nephew is. If someone demands to see Zuko, simply exert your authority."
"How?"
Iroh shrugged. "How do you exert it usually? And no Zuko impressions. You have to do this your own way or else it won't work. I've seen you stand strong in the face of my nephew's temper and then tell him what to do. Not many can do that and succeed. In fact, I don't think anyone's done it. Symbolically, you have yelled at the whole Fire Nation every time you argue with Zuko. Now, you get to do it literally."
His logic had holes she could ride an ostrich horse through but it did make her feel a little bit better. Just a little.
"Does Azula know he's gone?" she inquired.
"No."
"Great. She reports only to him so what'll happen when she comes in and he's not here."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Drink your tea."
Katara did as she was told, let the warmth spread inside her. Iroh took a seat across from her and she realized she'd thrown a barrage of questions at him before he'd even sit down. She wasn't doing so well as Fire Lady so far.
"You look good in that," he said, gesturing to her outfit.
"Red was never my color," she replied.
"You are more striking in the colors of your people, but the armor does not try to be beautiful. In the red, the color of blood and fire, you look dangerous, a warrior ready for battle. With the crown of the Fire Lady in your hair, you look as fierce and brave as the women before you...and more than the men."
Over her cup, Katara smiled at the older man. She reached across the desk and put a hand over his.
"How do you always know the right things to say?" she asked.
"By saying a lot of the wrong things," he answered easily.
They laughed and Katara felt her muscles relax. She leaned back in Zuko's seat and looked out the window, probably the same way he often did. She found comfort in that. The sun had almost completely risen over the horizon and cast shades of purples and reds. Thick storm clouds were rolling in and would be present for the next few weeks because the typhoon season was beginning, but they didn't scare Katara. With clouds came rain and with rain came her power.
She felt for her ever-present water skin. Power. Fire and water didn't mix, but she would show them that they could work together. Somehow.
"So, Uncle," she said. "From beginning to end, tell me what I need to know to get through today and the next, until Zuko comes back."
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Outside, rain pounded against the Fire Palace, the large drops slamming into the shuttered windows and hitting the tiled roof with enough force to make it sound as if rocks were being thrown. Inside, water ruled over fire and Katara ran the Fire Nation.
She and Iroh had ordered that no one enter the study because the Fire Lord was in the middle of creating a strategy, and the Fire Lady would be acting on his behalf. This didn't sit well with the generals or the councilors, but they didn't dare argue with her. Katara didn't sit on the dais, and she didn't have a wall of fire, but she did have her water.
Instead of reaching for the flags on the map with her fingers, Katara bended strands of water to pluck them off. She sat, her chin in her hand, as water danced around her with little more than a flick of her wrist or a twitch of her finger. The generals were surprised that she was capable of it, the councilors were easily silenced with a furious swirl of liquid that reflected the fires that burned around them and with that expression of herself, Katara showed them that she belonged. Fire and water didn't mix, but she made it look as if they did.
It was inevitable that she would run into trouble. She stood in Zuko's study, a newly drawn map of the city unrolled in front of her as she tracked the attacks that had been springing up closer and closer to the palace. That meant that Zuko was also close by and she silently prayed to whichever god was listening that he was being watched over. She had a finger on a construction site that hadn't been on the other maps before when Azula burst through the doors. She arched an eyebrow at Katara's armor but then scowled when she saw the crown.
"Comfortable in your new position already, I see," she said by way of greeting. "Where's Zuzu?"
"Busy," Katara retorted. "And don't you knock before you walk into rooms. Especially this one."
"You forget who you're talking to, Waterbender," Azula snarled, making the word sound like a curse. "I need to speak to him now."
"If you'll tell me the message..."
Lightning crackled in the air.
"NOW!"
Quicker than Azula could move, Katara encased the princess' hands in water, her fists closed up tight to stop Azula from breaking free.
"Not right now, Azula," she said evenly. "Tell me what you need him to know and I'll make sure he finds out."
Steam began to rise off Azula's captured hands. Katara gritted her teeth but couldn't keep her hold. The water evaporated, leaving Azula with nothing more than wet hands.
"Don't try that again," Azula drawled, stretching out her fingers. "Tell Zuzu I need to talk to him today. It's important and I don't want a messenger to deliver it for me."
Katara glared at her retreating back and locked the door when Azula left. She bended the spilled water back into her water skin but left the stopper off. It was the first time she'd seen Azula in a temper since her arrival and it was an ugly thing. She hadn't quite gotten over her suspicions of the princess and she knew Zuko hadn't either. Azula had been tireless in hunting the assassin down and had looked to be completely focused on the workâbut then, she looked like a lot of things. Katara wondered if the princess had found out anything new about their enemy and wished she could ask Iroh to extract the information for her. The general had gone off for his weekly briefing with his teams and would not be back until later that night. Until then, Katara was on her own.
She went to the dining room when her stomach protested her skipping breakfast and lunch. Somehow, they seemed to know when she was coming, at any time during the day, and her place was set for her when she got there. The vast room made her feel lonely so under her arm, she brought scrolls and maps that she had to review in order to understand everything the generals would be telling her later that afternoon. She was learning how things worked fast and her earlier anxiety was forgotten as she rose to the challenge. A part of her enjoyed being in control and being able to tell seasoned soldiers what to do, but the other part would be more than happy to hand the reins back to Zuko.
The corners of her mouth turned down. His absence made the days crawl by and although it had only been a few days, she felt like he'd been gone for longer. She worried that he was bleeding to death somewhere and no one knew or knocked out or worse...
Resolutely, Katara shook those thoughts from her head. He was fine. He was an able fighter and after seeing the way he moved in the palace in the dark, she knew he would be able to hold his own against another shadow. Not only did he have his skills, he also had determination and that was a thick wall to come up against. No, Zuko was fine and she had to trust in him. He'd asked her to.
Sliding her fingers into her wristguard, Katara pulled out his note. She let her mind drift to that sunrise, wanted to describe to him what it was like: the sun lighting up the snow until it glowed and the sky bright with pinks and purples as if it were celebrating the new day. Sunrise looked different there than it did here, with its strong oranges and reds. It was funny how the same thing could take on different colors.
Katara was interrupted from her thoughts by running footsteps. She was standing when the guard came barreling into the room. She thought her heart would leap out of her chest as she looked at the soldier. Only one thought crossed her mind, that something had happened to Zuko.
"Lady Katara," the man gasped. "General Iroh's back and he has news."
Note: This is Chapter 18, v2.0. Sorry for the rewrite. The first version had Aang coming back but when I started to write the rest of the story, he started to become a Deux ex Machina and it made me cringe. I didn't want to do the character a disservice and write him in just because he hasn't made an appearance yet and for no other reason--then consequently, have to scramble for a reason. So...let's put a hold on the return of the Avatar.
Back to the show.
-R