I present to you, the very long-awaited, UPDATED Chapter 2! I apologize for it being so long. I recently got out of a very abusive relationship about 8 months ago and have finally started to feel like myself again, after almost 2 years. I have been taking the months to really heal and deal with some ptsd. I hope this is worth your wait and ,again, I encourage you to re-read through the chapters once all updated since there are somethings changing. xoxo

CHAPTER 2

After I got everything put on me correctly, Yue and I were sitting in the other room behind the curtain from everyone else.

"So how did you end up here?" Yue looked at me, discomfort written in her eyes. I saw through the pain, and saw the girl who was heartbroken and faced so much tragedy.

"It definitely isn't a small story where a girl's father sells her to the harem to earn money. Growing up, I always had a sense of how vile the Fire Nation was, even though my family was rather high up in society. They believed this Nation to be great and powerful, but I'd always seen through that smoke screen. Even knowing how evil they truly were, I never expected them to be so heartless." She paused for a second, and looked like she was living through the memory all over again. "My family and I were having dinner when five Fire Nation men barged into our home. They arrived telling us that the Fire Lord needed more young girls in the harem since he was running low. They demanded that I should go with them willingly, or else they would make me. My mother attempted to refuse, while my father cowered behind the chair from another guard. He was weak, and he stood there, and he did nothing. My brother and sister were huddled around my mom, absolutely scared to death. A guard had struck my mom and gripped my arm to pull me away. As they pulled me away, my mother grew a different look in her eye. The only thing she cared about was that they took the oldest, and she had two other children. I could see that she was happy they were safe.

I was able to break free of the man's grasp after being taken by surprise, and I dove away dodging another guard. I ran towards a wooden chair in the back of the room and held it above my head, ready to hit whoever tried to come near because I wasn't going to leave without a fight. But as I looked around the room, I noticed one of the guards had grabbed my brother, and was holding a knife to his neck. He told me to drop the chair and go with them peacefully. I took a second for thought, considering he could be bluffing. Until he wasn't.

That one second too long of thinking costed my brother his life. The guard slit his throat easily, like butter, and he fell to the ground. The chair fell from my hands, and my stomach dropped. All of the dinner I had eaten previously came right back up, and I threw up on the ground. His blood soaked the wooden floors as it grew into a puddle. It just kept getting bigger and bigger. He left out a few muffled sounds as he choked on his blood, until his body finally gave up. My mom's screams ripped open the silence which laid on all of us. She ran over to his body and pulled him into her arms.

She called me a monster, and told me to never come home. I had betrayed her, and therefore been disowned. All in the matter of that one second, because I made a decision too late. My sister and father stood there, stunned at the sight before them, and I was taken from my home. I went with no fight, but I felt like I couldn't walk or breathe. They dragged me away and as they pulled me along, one of the guards shot a few fireballs at the house, and it instantly caught flame. I tried to scream at them to get out, just as my little sister's face appeared in the window. I looked back again, and could see my bloody feet were being dragged across the rocky ground. My sister was no longer in the window, and I never saw my family again. They put me on a ship and I was brought here; never been out since. My decision costed my family their lives, and I feel like I do deserve to be here, and that I don't deserve happiness. But other times I just would rather be anywhere but here, seeing how they didn't so much as care when I left."

Yue stopped and looked up at the ceiling. Tears were starting to form, but she held them back. She was a strong girl, and I knew her family dying wasn't her fault in anyway. The Fire Nation are awful people, and I felt like they probably would've done it anyways with how quick they were to take such actions in the first place. I wanted to console her, and help her feel better. But it was hard to comfort others when you yourself are in a similar predicament.

"I'm so sorry Yue." My apology was sincere, and I laid my hand on her shoulder. "The Fire Nation took my mother from me when I was young, after a raid in my tribe. They thought she was the last waterbender, so they took her and she ended up getting murdered. In reality, she never really was, because I had also been a waterbender. She saved my life. But I ended up here after I was kidnapped, as was one of my friends, Aang." I looked away to the ground, my mind felt lost.

Yue let out a surprised gasp, "Isn't Aang the Avatar?" I nodded. "So I don't really have any chance of getting out of here then." She sat back feeling defeated. I felt as if I might've taken away whatever little hope she had remaining.

"I will get us out of here Yue, I promise." My attempt to reassure her seemed to bring back a little hope, but I still felt bad. Honestly, I didn't know if even I would be getting out of here, but I had to have hope. It was the only thing I had left.

We were interrupted by Pama yelling at everyone to 'get their asses out there'. I didn't understand what was happening, but I knew I would find out real quick. Yue told me that we had to go out there and stand in a line, waiting to get chosen, if we even got picked. She directed me where to stand in the line, and I found several guards standing in here already. They were eager to take one of us with them, and looked at every one of us with a hunger.

One of the men made eye contact with a girl who fluttered her lashes and stood in a provocative way, she was one of the girls whom made fun of me earlier.

The man grinned, "I choose her." Then the girl stepped out of the line and walked to another room, which I assumed was to get ready.

"She is Lynn." Pama spoke up, replying to the guard. Before he left, he went up to Pama and told her to have Lynn put on something that showed off more of her body. Pama shouted for Lynn to come back and relayed the message, Lynn seemed to be excited and she could barely contain herself. She ran back into the other room and started to change, earning watchful eyes from the men who could see around the corner.

Just about as soon as this all had started, there were three of us left. Yue and I stood by each other and held hands hidden from the final man in front of us. I prayed to whatever spirits were out there, that they would protect Yue. Another girl stood next to us, and she seemed almost worried about whether or not she would get chosen. The man continued to look between the three of us, and I felt sickened. He seemed unable to decide which girl he really wanted; conflicted. The suspense of the situation was agitating, yet he seemed to be eyeing the other girl more than Yue and I. I knew that I couldn't be 'picked' with being the Fire Lord's girl. So I was out here more for support of Yue than anything. Yet I still worried for the both of us.

"I choose her." His arm lengthened as he pointed and grinned. The girl next to us made a 'hmph' noise and glared at the two of us. She really wanted to be picked to do this. But my heart hurt as I realized who he had picked.

"That is," Pama paused to think what exactly the name was, "Yue." With that, the man nodded seemingly content with his pick. He winked at Yue as he turned on his heel to leave. I wished that I had something in my power that I could do to prevent Yue from having to go with this repulsive man.

We walked away, back behind the curtain, and I knew I couldn't just do nothing. So I embraced her. I pulled Yue to me and held onto her tightly. At first, she didn't seem to know how to respond, and then started to return the hug once she realized what was happening. Yue let out a small weeping sound as she accepted the touch. I knew that she probably hadn't been given any type of physical touch, that wasn't from another man using her, since she had been brought here. A smile crept onto my lips, forming from the corner of my mouth. My face was tucked into her short black hair, and I almost felt suffocated. But she needed this, and so did I. I felt I had a friend here, someone who saw things like I did.

"Thank you for listening, and the hug." Yue said. I nodded into her shoulder and released her.

"Of course." She had a small smile on her face, and she seemed happy. If one looked close enough, you would see how much Yue I was really trying to hold herself together.

"You're the first person I've told my story to since arriving here. Thank you for making me feel like a real person, it felt nice being able to talk about it, finally. So seriously, thank you." Her eyes glistened. "I have to leave now, but before I go, what is your name, Water Tribe?"

"Katara." I answered back.

"Pretty, just like you." She smiled and then turned to leave. She seemed younger than me, maybe like a couple years. But I knew she was wise beyond her years. I fell back into the soft cushions underneath me, and snuggled into them. For a brief moment, I felt happiness, before drifting off the sleep. This was the first night of sleep I wouldn't have to fall asleep feeling alone or scared someone might take me.

"Wake up!" My mind slipped out of a dream as I was startled by a voice.

"Sokka, stop." I moaned out, grumpy I had been woken up. I tried to shove him away and rolled back over.

"I don't know who Sokka is but you need to get your ass up. Besides, if you're not chosen you should be cleaning like Ayako over here." I opened my eyes and felt disoriented. Where was Sokka? Then I remembered where I was. At least I wasn't waking up on that dreaded ship. Above me stood a hunched over and angry Pama. I got up quickly while rubbing the sleep from my eyes. She was really not happy.

"I understand that you're the Fire Lord's girl, but this man refuses to listen to me. He will have both our heads if you don't go with him. If the Fire Lord ever hears about this, I will make sure he gets to you before me." I didn't feel very threatened by this woman, and I knew I could take her on even with how weak I already was. But the man however, that was another story. I could try, but he was stronger than me. Unfortunately I couldn't bend either since being on the ship they had given me these herbs which block my bending. I assumed they would still be in my system for the next 48 hours minimum.

Pama yanked on my arm, beckoning for to me follow behind her. The man stood there looking impatient, waiting by the door. His eyes lit up when he saw me enter the room.

"This is her?" Pama asked. He nodded, then smiled as he bit his lip looking me up and down in approval. Poor Ayako would be alone with this ridiculous old woman.

"We have another girl here if you wanted. This one doesn't know how to please a man, she's as stupid as a rock. Ayako over here could give you what you wanted." Stupid, I scoffed in my mind. I definitely was far from it. This lady knew nothing about me, so I didn't take it to heart. Ayako, I assumed, moved closer in the room, in attempts to get picked instead. Even though Pama tried to change his mind, he seemed set in what he wanted. In fact, he seemed more angry at her statement. She grew frightened as the man leaned forward and backhanded her, leaving a red mark behind.

"Do not question me again, old woman. You're say means nothing to me." Pama cowered away from him, trying to protect her head in case he hit her again. This sparked a rage in me. Even if Pama was a rude old woman, she didn't do anything to deserve being hit, not that anyone deserves to be hit.

"Don't hit her." I glared at him and stood my ground. He didn't scare me, even though I knew he could take me on. He laughed at me, seemingly amused by me trying to stand up to him.

"I see you are correct when you say she doesn't know how to treat a man and is very stupid. But that will change tonight, she will know after I am done with her." He gave me one last good look up and down. He also seemed to be rubbing himself, which was sick and immature. "And what is her name?" He looked back at Pama. She looked to me, gesturing with her eyes to speak up. I sighed and refused to look him in the eye.

"Katara." His hand came up and grabbed my face, pulling it up to look at him. Although I still looked any other direction but him. He huffed and then let me go, leaving my jaw feeling a little sore from his tight grip.

"You know where my room is, I want her there in no more than 15 minutes." He was aggressive, sick, and demanding. A perfect man to serve the Fire Lord from what I could see. When he finally left, I turned around to see Pama fixing herself up and standing up as straight as her hunchback would let her.

"Don't forget what I will do to you if word gets around about this." She spoke with a menacing tone, but I was unfazed.

"Stop threatening me. Where is his room at?" I didn't mean to be so harsh with my words, but Pama grew fearful of me as I stood over her. A little part of me felt sorry for her, and I wondered how she possibly could have ended up here.

She gave me the directions to his room and I left. Even if I died trying, I was not going to let this man just take me. I was surprised they would let me out by myself since I could easily try and escape. But I guess I wouldn't have much luck with how many people probably stood around in watch who worked for Ozai.

When I arrived at his room, I followed the 'knock code' Pama told me to use. He opened the door quickly and pulled me in. Before I could even get a word out, he hit me in special points of my body, just what Ty Lee would do to block bending and paralyze us. I fell straight to the floor, unable to feel or control the muscles in my body. I didn't even have a chance at trying to fight this man off. He picked me up and tossed me onto the bed, landing me on my back.

"Today you are going to learn how to please a man. Then maybe you'll be ready for Fire Lord Ozai." He started to rip off my few articles of clothing, and then got up from the bed. I wanted to scream and cry for help. But it would be no use anyways, it's not like anyone here would save me. He stripped off the clothing they wore underneath their armor, and threw it to the floor. The man really didn't want to wait, and before I could blink, he was on top of me. His weight was heavy, and I almost felt like I couldn't breathe as I sunk further into the bed. He started to suck and bite on my skin, leaving bruises and teeth marks behind, scattered across me. In my head, I was crying and I started to feel that same feeling you get when you are claustrophobic. That helpless and panic-y feeling. Tears fell from my eyes, and I didn't bother to hold them back. I held my lips shut to hold in my cries.

He slapped me a few times, attempts to hurt me I presumed. Every hit he made felt worse than the last. When he finally brought his hands to grab my face, I realized why. He had some kind of sharp metal in his hand, and I saw bits of blood along my body where he'd hit me. As he grabbed my face, he growled and held my shoulders down so I couldn't move away from him when I started to gain feeling. His thrusts held such a force and every movement he made stung. He tried to kiss me several times and would lick my face like a dog. But as I refused to open my lips, he bit down on them hard, which drew blood immediately.

An overwhelming feeling of being light-headed began to take over, and I knew I was going to pass out. I didn't know if it was from loss of blood, or just because of how much pain I felt. As I started drifting in and out of consciousness, my eyelids grew sore and heavy, and felt like they could've have been swelling up shut. Just before I passed out, the door on the other side of the bed burst off its hinges. There was a giant blaze of fire which lit up the room immensely. I barely had enough feeling in my neck to let my head roll over to the side to see who the incomer was, expecting Fire Lord Ozai to be there. The man who raped me threw his hands up in the air as the Fire Nation Prince burned him.

"How dare you treat a woman this way!" I could hear fire and yells emitting from the man who now laid on the ground. I looked up to see Zuko kicking him into the man wept at the Prince's feet.

"Please, Prince Zuko! I didn't hurt her, those marks are from other men. I swear!" His breaths were shaky and he sounded like a coward unable to face up to his actions. Zuko looked over to me and saw what had already been done. He didn't look at my body itself, but more of glanced at the marks and looked into my eyes at me.

"I didn't come soon enough." He spoke with sadness. Whatever mark left on my body seemed to fuel his oncoming rage, and Zuko threw his arms up as he blasted fire at the man. His screams turned to moans, which dulled into a silent nothingness as his ash scattered the ground. Zuko didn't wait a second longer before racing over to me. He noticed my clothes were torn up as he picked my top up from the ground, and then decided to wrap me up with the blanket underneath me instead. He picked me up from the bed, one hand holding my shoulders, while the other gripped underneath the pits of my knees. Zuko held me against his warm chest.

"I am so sorry, Katara." He didn't seem to have much words to say as he looked into my swollen eyes. Adrenaline and shock were coursing through my body, which prevented me from feeling much of the pain, thankfully. Zuko started walking out of the room, just as a servant approached us.

"Don't go in there. Ask someone who can handle a bloody mess to clean up whatever is left in there."

The woman gulped and nodded as she recited, "Yes, Prince Zuko." Just as every other slave did in this goddamn place. He didn't waste time as he burst into a run to wherever he was going to take me. The sharpness of the cold air hit every cut on my face, and I tried to curl my head more into his chest.

Zuko made one stop before we got to where he was taking me. After only a couple minutes, we arrived in a room, which I assumed belonged to Zuko. He didn't bother to shut the door as he ran me over to the bed and laid me down carefully. The Fire Prince tucked me into the blanket some more to keep me warm before he ran off. I could hear things dropping, clanking of metal, and then the sound of running water. I tried to look around, although I still wasn't able to move too much. My mind felt heavily disoriented, but I was still able to make clear of my surroundings. The room was mostly dark, with two flames lit up beside his bed, and one across the room by the door we had come through. It was a large, very nice, and well-kept room. So I knew that we had to be in Zuko's quarters.

My thoughts became distracted with the items which filled the room, I hardly noticed when Zuko was once against sitting beside me and setting down a tray with some tools on it. He set a large candle next to the bed where my head rested. I grew tense as I thought he might be about to do worse things to me.

"Don't worry," he brought his hand up to reassure me. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. You have several wounds on your body that I need to get closed up or they could get infected, or you could bleed out." He spoke calmly, yet with a small amount of urgency in his voice. I looked into his golden eyes, which were lit up perfectly by the flames in the room. A water bender's eyes looked the color of a calm turquoise water, I had never really seen a fire bender's before, though. With the flames rays dancing around the room, his eyes were blazed like two small suns waiting to erupt with it's light. They seemed to burst with more than just darkness and destruction, as everyone knew fire bender's to be. His held anger, but deep inside was a light just waiting to be cast out; Zuko's true self. It was mesmerizing as I laid on the bed feeling groggy.

"Here, drink this." He brought a metal cup up to my lips, which had some sort of liquid in it. The smell of it was awful, and I turned my head away from him. "It's okay, this will help." He pushed the cup forward in the hopes I would drink it willingly. I never broke eye contact with him as I did so. The taste was horrid. It had this raw and heavy taste to it. It felt warm going down my throat. After downing about half of it, I started to feel a bit, drowsy. I wasn't completely sure as I had never known this feeling. My body felt lighter, and it did make me feel good. He pulled the cup away from my lips and set it beside the bed.

"What is this?" I wiped the few drops left on my lips away. I definitely didn't want anymore. My stomach felt it might regurgitate it all back out.

Zuko smirked and chuckled a bit before answering, "It was liquor." I knew what that was. The men in my tribe would sometimes drink this and sing songs by a fire. They would dance around, and I remembered how they acted much differently than their normal warrior-selves.

"It will help with the pain. I'm going to give you some herbs to chew and suck on as well, which should help just as much as the liquor. But don't swallow them." I accepted the herbs in my mouth, and these didn't taste bad like the liquor did. They overpowered the previous taste and reminded me of the herbs I had tasted in tea one time. As I did this, I watched Zuko take a needle and dip it into the same drink a few times, and then heated it up with his hand. He did the same with the string he held in the other, I assumed it was to clean them so I wouldn't get an infection. Then he took a small washcloth and dipped it into some boiled water, and proceeded to wipe the blood away from around my cuts. From what I felt, I had one on my left cheek, and in the left side of my waist. He then held the cloth against the wound on my side as he brought his hand to my mouth.

"Spit it out." I spit the herbs into his hands and he tossed them onto the tray. "Okay, I'm going to start sealing up your wounds now, and I'll start with the one down here." He lifted the cloth from the gash, and brought the needle up with string attached to the other end of it. He was right, the liquor and herbs did help a lot. As he sewed me up, I only felt the smallest tickle that I just wanted to itch at.

There was a couple minutes of silence before I started to speak up. "Are you going to use me like everyone else?" He looked up at me and bit his bottom lip as he shook his head.

"Never. Things like that are just barbaric to me. A true man should never take another woman's body as his own unless given permission to do so." My heart leaped a little as he gave me this answer. I was safe from Zuko, but I didn't know if that protected me from the Fire Lord. "Believe it or not, I've only been with someone once. Mai, a long time ago, before things got… complicated." He spoke with unsureness in his voice, like he didn't really know what happened.

"So why did you ask Ozai if you could have me?" I wanted to know the truth and why Zuko suddenly had a change of heart towards me.

"Because no matter the things I have gone through with chasing the Avatar and fighting with you, you are still a human being that doesn't deserve to have their choice taken from them. I also know what my father does to young girls like you, and I can't bare to see it happen to anyone I know. Even if we are enemies." Zuko was nothing like his father. Hearing him now made me wonder how they were even related. Azula and Ozai were the same, but Zuko was different. From what I had learned about his mom in Ba Sing Se, he seemed like he had the same kind heart that she did.

"Thank you." I spoke. It felt a little uncomfortable sitting here with someone who was an enemy outside of this place, but was here treating me like a friend. Yet it also didn't feel awkward like anyone else might've thought towards the situation. He nodded and smiled before looking back down at what he was doing.

The stitches didn't take long, and he finished both cuts quickly. I was surprised, somewhat, at how Zuko knew exactly what he was doing. But then again, Iroh was a great teacher and I wouldn't be surprised if he had taught Zuko in case he was in an emergency situation, like this one. He set everything back on the tray,and then handed me some water to drink. I could now move my arms and legs, and was able to drink by myself. So he got up with the tray, and I assumed he was putting everything back where it belonged. He grabbed something that was on the other side of the bed, then retreated to the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. When he returned, he was wearing red silk pajama pants and no shirt. I never had paid attention to his chest before when I'd seen him shirtless. He had a very warm and pale tone to his soft-looking skin. On any other occasion, I would think it was attractive especially with how well-defined his muscles were. However, with our background, I tried not to notice much past that.

Zuko walked over to the door and opened it, which let in some light from outside the room. I could hear him talking to someone on the other side before briefly shutting it again. He returned by my side and sat on the other side of the bed so he was facing me.

"I trust you not to bend while you are here, but my father doesn't. So you will have to take these herbs so you can't bend as long as you are here." He handed the herbs over to me, and I recognized them instantly; they had been the same ones I'd been given on the ship. I didn't particularly enjoy having to take these again, but I understood.

A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. Zuko walked over to answer it, said 'thank you' to whoever it was, then came back in with what I thought could've been clothing. I sat up as he walked to my side of the bed and handed them over to me.

"I asked for some pajamas that might fit you so you could be more comfortable. If you're too weak to walk, I can just go into the bathroom for a bit so you can change in here. I shook my head and got up from the bed. At first my legs wobbled a bit, and I had to lean back onto the bed to regain my balance. Zuko also was ready to catch me if need be, but my legs figured out how to work again, and I walked to the bathroom with no problem.

The room was lit up by a couple flames. I noticed a large tub in the corner, right next to a big open window. I walked up to it and could see the sea beyond the palace. It felt comforting. I cracked the window a bit and felt a cold breeze float in through the window. I shivered as the cold air hit my naked skin, but I stood there in delight, welcoming the light of the moon on my darkened skin. As I basked in the light, a comforting feeling of peace settled over me.

When I exited the bathroom, I saw Zuko sitting on the bed reading some sort of scroll. He seemed startled as I walked over to the bed.

"Thank you for the clothes, Zuko." I spoke up, greeting the silence.

"Of course, Katara. You are welcome to sleep wherever you like. I can sleep on the sofa over there if you wanted to take the bed tonight?"" I looked over to see a long, yet small chair hiding in the corner of the room.

"I can sleep over there." I replied. I didn't want to steal his bed from him, and being away from everything in the corner felt comforting. I heard him sigh as I walked over to it and moved the pillows around to get comfortable. Zuko brought a blanket over to me and I accepted it as I pulled it over myself. I turned over, away from the light, to get comfortable and fall asleep.

I heard Zuko put out the few flames that were lit, and then get into his bed. As soon as it got silent, I started to cry. I felt somewhat guilty that I was crying, believing that I should act stronger, that I needed to to be strong. But they still came. All the events that took place today were hitting me hard here and now. Even though I had gone through similar events today, I had made a friend, and now my enemy was taking care of me and saving my life. It all hit me deeply, and I felt awful for not being able to save Yue, or give Zuko something in return for his kindness. I was still powerless and couldn't see myself getting out of here anytime soon, unless my friend's somehow over took the Fire Lord. I highly doubted it unless Aang was able to get out. The tears continued to fall out, and I tried to be as silent as possible. They stained my cheeks and fell in between my lips and left a salty taste on my tongue.

I remembered how the hug with Yue felt today, and how much it helped, not only that how much I needed it. Right now, I needed someone's touch. I didn't know if I could handle being so alone anymore.

"Katara? Are you okay?" Zuko spoke up, and I knew that he had to have heard me crying. I felt somewhat embarrassed, but I still turned over to look at him. He was sitting up in his bed, and in the moment I felt like I would go insane if I continued to sit here alone. On any other day I would've never dreamed of asking anyone, especially the Fire Nation Prince, if they could hold me, but I did anyways.

"I know this is crazy, and you don't have to. But," I paused, regretting that I started speaking in the first place. Zuko is my enemy, why would he want to help? But I continued on, "Can you hold me?" I held in my cries, even though they longed to be let out freely. Thankfully, he nodded and moved the blankets so I could join him. I was surprised he didn't mind, but also relieved I hadn't just made a complete fool of myself. I dropped the blanket from my body and ran over to his bed. He pulled me into his arms before I could even get comfortable, and held me tightly to him. His head rested against the wall, while he held me against his chest. I couldn't hold the pain back anymore, and the flood gates opened up all over him.

"I'm so sorry for all of this. I wish there was more I could do." His other hand brushed the hair out of my eyes and continued to play with strands of my hair. It relaxed me a bit, and I felt more calm. All of this crying was beginning to wipe me out and I quickly fell asleep in the arms of my presumed enemy.

Zuko POV

After offering Katara my bed, I was a little displeased when she chose to sleep on the sofa. I didn't understand why she wouldn't want to sleep in a bed, after all she'd been through, when I could sleep on the sofa. Whatever made her comfortable in a situation like this made sense, however, whether I understood her choices or not. I climbed into my bed and pulled the covers over my body as I reached over and dimmed out the candle light.

My eyes were closed, and my mind was just about to drift off to sleep when I heard soft cries coming from Katara. They were small, and I had the urge to help her, yet I didn't want to disturb and possibly embarrass her. I had never really been stuck in a situation like this before, and it had me feeling empathetic. I couldn't just sit here and do nothing though, no matter how awkward I felt.

"Katara? Are you okay?" She turned to look at me, seemingly shocked that I had noticed her. As she stared over at me, she seemed as if she was contemplating something, though I wasn't sure what exactly.

"I know this is a crazy, and you don't have to. But," She paused. I waited patiently for her to get the words out. After all, my Uncle had told me before to always listen when someone needs to talk. "Can you hold me?" She finally decided what she was going to say and looked fearful for how I would respond. I definitely had not been expecting that question, but I didn't mind. Katara had been through a pretty rough time, and I knew I would maybe want the same thing from someone if I was in the same situation.

I nodded and lifted my blankets for her to join me. She got up quickly and ran over to the bed. With how she responded, she seemed urgent on getting physical touch, so I pulled her into my arms quickly to embrace her. Her head laid on my chest and I squeezed her to my body. The instant moment that her muscles began to relax, she started to cry harder than earlier. Her tears soaked my skin, but I knew she needed to let everything out.

"I'm so sorry for all of this. I wish there was more I could do." As I laid with Katara, I still felt the need to provide her with more comfort. So I lifted my hand and started to play with her hair, letting the strands flow through my fingers and fall back down. After doing this for a few minutes, her breathing shallowed, and her body relaxed more into me. Her cries turned into small moans, until eventually dissolving into snores, and I knew she had fallen asleep. My heart broke for her. I felt a pain in my chest, and all I wanted to do was make sure she was okay. This feeling was abnormal, and I didn't know what to do with it or how to handle it. It was especially weird since Katara was my estranged enemy, and the urge to hug her tighter and soothe her had me feeling so indifferent.

Deciding to slide her body off of my lap, knowing she was well asleep, I placed her tanned body next to me. My arm remained around her waist as I tried to keep some distance between our bodies. The odd feeling of wanting to be closer to her crept under my skin, but I pushed the thought away as I didn't want Katara to feel uncomfortable with my close presence. Even though she asked to be held by me, when she woke I knew her feelings might've been different towards the situation.

Katara POV

As I woke the next morning, my head was pounding as I felt dazed. My body ached from my head to my toes, and I didn't want to move from where I was. I opened my eyes to find I was in a bed, and I looked around at my surroundings, curious as to where I was exactly. It didn't look like the harem, and they definitely didn't have a bed in there. The room was much nicer as well, enough to fit a royal. I sat up, so confused. The memories hit me at once, the man who raped me, Zuko saving me, taking care of me, then falling asleep in his arms.

"Oh my god." I had been dumb enough to sleep next to Zuko, the one who followed my friends and I around the world, making attempts to kidnap my best friend. He could've hurt me just as much as the other man did last night. I opened myself to him, and he could've easily taken advantage of the situation. But with how careful and protective he was of me last night, I felt like I hadn't made too much of a mistake.

I looked around me and found that Zuko was nowhere to be found. His side of the bed was cold, which told me he hadn't been next to me in some time. The blankets slid off of me easily like silk as I got up from the bed. To my right on the nightstand was a piece of paper with my name written in large at the top to grab my attention.

Katara,

I had to be in a meeting early this morning. You seemed exhausted so I thought I should let you sleep. You can use my bathroom and everything is available for you to use. There is also a girl right outside the door. Her name is Kim, she can get you anything you need.

-Zuko

Just as I finished reading the note and set it back down, I felt a pain in my side. I lifted up the shirt I was wearing and saw the stitches on my abdomen. Nothing was wrong, so I figured I must've snagged them on my shirt.

I heard the movement of water summoning me through an open window and started following the sound. In the corner of the room was a large window on both walls. It was cracked slightly, allowing me to listen to the crashing of waves against the land. I sat down and stared out the window, admiring how the water ran so smoothly along the shore. It was low tide currently, and my tie to the moon didn't feel as strong. The sun was at midpoint, so Zuko would probably be returning soon since his meeting was in the early morning. I wished so bad that I could move the water. If only I had been a bit closer, and I wasn't on these stupid herbs.

"You're up. I thought you might still be sleeping." Zuko's voice startled me from my thoughts as I whipped around quickly. He stood in front of his now closed door. His hair was up, unlike yesterday, tied neatly as he wore his small crown, and was wearing traditional Fire Nation royal robes which reached down to his feet. This look made him seem a lot older and mature than he really was, and definitely made him look a lot more like a prince.

"Yeah, I just woke up. My head hurts like crazy." I stayed where I was, just in case. Zuko started walking over to a bunch of shelves placed on the walls. His eyes were scanning for something specific, and then he found it. He pulled a jar from the wall and pulled out some type of green plant.

"Here, you should chew on this. It helps with headaches." He set the jar back onto the shelf, then walked over with his hand open to me. I picked the plant from his hand and set it in my mouth. By the taste, I knew it was passionflower.

"How was your meeting?" I leaned up against the wall as I chewed on the plant. Zuko shrugged his shoulders and started taking off layers.

"It was," he paused for a moment to think on it. "Interesting." He laid his coat on a hook, then proceeded to grab clothes and escape to the bathroom to change.