Katara was dying.
Not physically, her body was in almost perfect condition apart from being slightly underfed and dehydrated. No, she was dying on the inside. Her soul seemed to have left her body, sitting there watching her suffer.
At first she had tried to fight the prince when he had come to take her, but she couldn't do much being chained up. This had cost her the chance at an ankle bracelet so she remained in chains.
She had given up fighting, she had given up scheming, she had given up getting dressed after Zuko was finished, she simply wrapped herself in a sheet. She slept during the day when he was less likely to bother her and during the night she lay awake, sometimes reading whatever she could find in the room or starring at the ceiling.
Aang, Toph, and Sokka were locked up, the five earth kingdom slaves had escaped, and no one knew where she was. She was going to die in here, alone and helpless. There was no way out.
Katara stood up and glanced sideways at the sleeping form of her "lover". How she wished she could kill him, but she was too weak to strangle him by hand, but she had no other weapons.
Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, she heard the voices calling her name and she lay back down. Further proof that she was losing her mind.
Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, she covered her ears, trying to block the voices out. They were the voices of the people she had failed, Aang's Sokka's Toph's, all the air benders, the water tribes, and the earth kingdom. It had all depended on her and she had let them all down.
Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara.
"SHUT UP," she screamed, then she burst into sobs. Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, the voices called again. She curled up in a ball in the corner of the room and began crying some more.
"What's that?" Zuko sat straight up in bed, his blazing eyes skimming the room. But when they fell on Katara, huddled and hopelessly crying on the floor, his eyes softened.
"What's wrong?" He asked calmly, his voice losing all harshness.
Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara,
"Please," Katara cried, "make them stop,"
Zuko's eyes widened in confusion and concern. "Make what stop?"
Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara. "The voices," Katara cried.
Zuko looked really concerned now. "Katara, there are no voices."
"Yes there are, I can hear them."
Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara
"Make them stop," Katara wailed, "please, I'll do anything. I'll even be a good slave."
Zuko looked around, "BE QUIET," he yelled, "leave her alone."
Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara, Kataaaaaaaaaaaaaaara
"It's getting quieter." Katara said. She slowly began to regain her mind, but she was still scared.
Zuko crossed over next to her. He put his arm around her and just held her. She snuggled into his touch.
"There are no voices," he whispered smoothly, "you're okay, you're safe, I won't let anything happen to you."
She looked up at him, her eyes big and blue, "you promise?"
"As long as I'm here," he said, "nothing will happen to you."
"Thank you," Katara said,
"Come," Zuko replied, "let's go back to bed."
Slowly, Katara was beginning to recall what had just happened. The voices were gone, Zuko had made them go away but in return she had promised…
She had told him she would be a good slave.
And now she was just supposed to comply when he wanted her to go 'back to bed?'
She wouldn't do, she had refused. But she was also a water tribe girl; she had to keep her promise. But what if it violated her honor?
No, a promise is a promise. She was his willing sex slave now. And if he wanted to have sex at, what was it? 3:00 in the morning? Well, she was going to have to comply.
Fuck, why did she have to make that promise? But he was already walking over to the bed and she followed. She lay down on her back, for she knew he like to be on top, a dominance thing with males. But to her surprise he lay down beside her and simply wrapped an arm around her waist.
Sensing her surprise, he said. "I'm not in the mood, you're not in the mood. Why make each other miserable?"
"I'm never in the mood," Katara grumbled, "but you've never asked before."
He laughed, "Because, my dear, exactly what you said. If perhaps you were a normal person and sometimes had sex cravings, I might try to compensate, but you're just as bad someone who's horny all the time. There's never a good time."
Katara didn't say anything. Perhaps, maybe he wasn't as heartless as she had thought.
"But, that's neither here nor there at the moment. Maybe we could just go to sleep?"
"I'd like that," Katara said. And not quiet knowing what she was doing, but at the same time… she did, the snuggled up against Zuko's chest and fell asleep.
The best night's sleep she'd had in a long time.
A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers, this story may sound like it's peaking, but it's far from it. Sorry if that confuses you
