Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

Okay, okay, I lied a little, no Zutara in this chapter...but this story is going to be stuffed with it, so don't give up hope. Now, I read my stats, and there's a lot more of you that should be reviewing. So, just click that little button and tell me what you think! If I've made a mistake, don't hesitate to tell me.

Katara blinked, her eyelids heavy. Groaning, she sat up, looking around her. Everywhere was ruin, houses torn or burned apart and children looking for family and friends. Smoke darkened the sky, and Fire Nation soldiers were everywhere. Rubbing her eyes, Katara stood.

"Aang? Sokka? Toph?" she called softly. She started walking. A stray Ostrich-horse was cowering in a corner, feathers quivering. Katara held out a hand soothingly, and it scuttled over, welcoming the only familiar gesture in its frightening new world. Letting it nuzzle her palm, she reached out with the other hand and grabbed the hanging reins.

"Hey! You there, what are you doing?" called a soldier, and Katara flinched.

"Um...this is my Ostrich...Yutz...and I need to find my mother," she lied, and the soldier looked warily at the giant bird.

"...alright...but don't try anything funny!" he barked, shooting her a stern glance before turning to leave. Katara patted the bird in relief.

"Okay, your name is now Yutz, and you can help me find my family," she said, patting the thick neck. He clucked warmly as she swung onto his broad back. She winced as the odd two-footed gait bounced her up and down, but it was much faster this way. She didn't know where her friends were, or what was going on, but she knew exactly who took them.

Zuko studied the map carefully, marking the conquered areas in red. Once Zut Mekka was in his control, the Earth Nation would shatter. The capture of Ba Sing Se had mortally wounded the Earth Kindgom, and one more blow would topple them. He would have to attack fast, before they recovered. The Fire Nation had forgotten about his banishment, and now cheered their powerful leader. Everything was as is should be...almost.

The doors swung open, and Zuko looked up, fixing his gold eyes on Azula, who strode in, chin held high. The soldiers were behind her, and Zuko could hear chains rattling and dragging. A ghost of a smile flirted across his face.

"Azula," he murmured, standing. She bowed respectfully.

"Zuko."

"You have returned faster than I thought you would," he said softly, "I was gone for two years." He waited for her to comment on his inferior fighting skills, his mediocre battle tactics. She only shook her head.

"You had no support from your Nation," she said simply, gesturing to the soldiers behind her. Zuko frowned.Her answer was polite and respectful, and yet he didn't like it. No support from his nation; did he have their support now?

"Fire Lord Zuko, I bring you the Avatar," she said, bowing again and moving to the side, allowing the soldiers to step forward, revealing three struggling prisoners. Zuko didn't even blink.

"I said bring me the Avatar...why are they here?" he demanded, pointing towards Sokka and Toph. Toph spat in his general direction, earning her a rough jerk and slap from the two guards holding her. Sokka just looked furious, but wary enough not to offend. The Avatar didn't even move, or look surprised; there was just a calm rage. Zuko almost shuddered.

"The others woke when the troops snuck in. I didn't know if you wanted them killed, sir," said Azula, her eyes on the floor. Zuko counted silently.

"What about the girl? The waterbender?" he asked, watching the lemur flap its wings fruitlessly in the hands of yet another soldier. "And the bison?"

"The bison was nowhere to be found; a pity, since it would have made a fine addition to the Fire Nation National Zoo," added Azula, and Aang gave an interestingly strange twitch. "But the girl didn't wake up, so we left her." Zuko nodded.

"Keep the Avatar in our highest security prison, in the palace. His friends shall all be seperated, since I doubt he'd leave without them. He isn't to be killed, as we all know he'll only be reborn again. I want a Fire Nation Avatar, but I won't risk killing him to have to find him again." he said, and the officials seemed to approve. They nodded and murmured together.

Zuko watched as they were dragged off in different directions. Then, he strode over to the left wing of the throne room. Throwing open the heavy red and gold curtains of the balconey, he stepped out into the bright sun. There, he saw the massive army training, with the foot soldiers in combat practice and the archers on the archery field. All fell silent, though, as their Lord stepped into view.

Zuko smiled at the utter silence and attention. They were all listening to him. If only his father could see him now; a military success, the savior and conquerer of the Fire Nation. He spread his arms.

"Lords and Ladies of Fire, the Avatar is ours!" he cried, and cheers rippled the crowds, the entire city could hear the roars. Everybody cheered for him, for success, for the joy of war. Here was the pleasure of the throne.

Katara woke under a fruit tree. It was a foreign fruit, something oval and violet. Yutz was grazing quietly. She had managed to escape the city limits, and was trying to remain as far from Ba Sing Se as possible. She had traveled for four days almost nonstop. Katara yawned and sat up, scratching her head calmly. Looking around, she saw a few fruits, slightly bruised from their long fall to earth. Picking one up, she sank her teeth into the soft flesh.

Chewing hungrily, Katara took a good look at her surroundings. Then, she reached up into Yutz's bag. She wasn't stupid; before leaving, she had grabbed a few key items, like food, money, a map, and any other supply she might need. She pulled out the map.

"Hm...if we make a shortcut through the Ying-pe pass, we could be at the palace by...tomorrow!" she exclaimed, and Yutz emitted a deep chuckle of contentment at his new master's joy. Her joy, though, quickly faded to disappointment.

"But I still don't have a plan," she added, furrowing her brow. How was she going to infiltrate Fire Nation walls, avoid the Fire Nation army, and locate all of her friends without getting caught? And, since Zuko wasn't exactly mentally challenged, he would keep them at seperate ends of the palace, obviously.

Katara slipped Yutz's saddle back on, and he stomped irritatedly. She patted his side.

"It's okay, just one more day and we can rest," she said, swinging up into the thick leather seat. He grunted and stomped a foot. With a sharp kick, the pair was off.

The road was beaten and worn, so it was a little less bumpy. Travel was quick, and there were few other people on the road. Occasionally, she would pass an old man on a rickety wooden cart, transporting vegetables to the city to sell on the streets. Being an obvious Water Tribe citizen, she often caught dirty looks. But these men were usually too simple or careless to know the current events of the time. Their main interests were to feed their children, and defend their Nation when called to war. Katara doubted that they even knew what the battles they fought in were called.

Not being with the Avatar made Katara feel dreadfully slow on the topic of current events. Aang always knew what was going on, because he had to. He needed to be on the lookout for any openings in which to strike. Well, not anymore, but he did. A few tears gathered in her eyes, but she brushed them away angrily. This was no time to grieve. She would need all her strength and cunning to rescue her friends, and emotions would only get in the way. She scrunched her face up and slapped Yutz's saddle furiously. Damn that Zuko! He would pay for this.

The time seemed to fly by. Yutz was unusually fast, and Katara saw the city lights by nightfall. She toyed with the idea of entering at night. If she waited until day, it would seem less suspicious. But if she went in the day, her clothing would be more visible, and she could be arrested. Dangerous people stalked the nights. She measured the dangers, and decided to go now. It would be best to try to get a disguise before morning.

Yutz ran with extra energy that he seemed to pull from nowhere. He knew that a city meant rest and food, so he kicked up his tired heels for one last race. Katara reached the city gates.

She paused at the entrance. A guard was standing, watching her suspiciously. Katara rode over, thinking fast. She dismounted early, to decrease her intimidation levels. She wanted to appear as meager as possible. The guard squinted at her suspiciously.

"What's your name?" he growled, and Katara grinned shyly.

"...June, June Lee," she said, fluttering her eyelashes. She decided not to use Pippinpaddlopsicopolis, since that would be way too easy to find. June and Lee were extremely common names, so there would probably be hundreds within the city. The guard glared at her. Katara blessed the moon endlessly for hiding behind clouds tonight. The color of her clothes was virtually invisible.

"Why were you wandering outside the city limits this late?" he said, glancing at Yutz. She smiled. Her answer had already been planned out.

"My grandfather was supposed to be coming with the vegetables to sell tomorrow. I meant to meet him out here, but he sent a messenger bird because he was sick." The lie slid out easily. The guard lowered his metal spear. He looked around.

"Well...strictly speaking, I'm not supposed to let you in...but if you're locked out...and it is rather cold..." he muttered, looking around again. There were no other guards in sight. He sighed.

"Alright...you can go, I doubt you're here to lead a rebellion or something..." he chuckled, dropping his spear and opening the heavy gates. She thanked him and led Yutz inside. That was easier than she thought.

Most shops were closed, but a few small stands were still open. Katara spotted a small clothing stand. She dashed over and ruffled through the cloth. The woman, middle-aged and rather heavy, eyed her greedily.

"Fine cloth, very fine cloth that you have here. You might like this shade of gold, it accents your skin tone very nicely," she said, offering Katara a rich, luxurious cloth. Katara shook her head.

"I'm actually looking for something a little simpler," she said. The last thing she needed was to stand out. Glancing around, she saw a thin, smooth scarlet shade, bordered in black.

"I think this one will do just fine," she said, pulling it out. It was a dress, not too long but not too short. It flowed, and stopped right above the knee. Slender and silky, Katara rather liked her pick. The saleswoman looked a little disappointed. She had been hoping for a more wealthy customer.

"Eleven bronze," she muttered dully, holding out her hand. Katara counted out her change and gave it to her. Looking around, she saw a fitting stall nearby.

"Can I use that stall?" she asked, and the saleswoman looked around. Sneering, she turned back to Katara.

"Fine, but that'll cost you an extra bronze," she snapped, and Katara scowled but tossed her the coin anyway. Entering the changing booth, she tugged her rough, dirty blue dress over her head. She hadn't realized how filthy her outfit had gotten after traveling around the world on a giant flying bison. Slipping on the cool, airy cloth, she felt better, cleaner. The black tights and shoes could stay. Katara left and slipped the blue dress into Yutz's saddle bag. She just couldn't give it up. Reaching up, she gasped as she realized that her necklace was in clear view, dangling above the low-cut cloth. Katara blushed and took it off, tucking it also in the bags, nestled in the folds of the dress. If she was seen with a Water Tribe necklace...

Katara led Yutz through the city streets, looking for a place to stay. A clean-looking building with a rather battered 'inn' sign slid into view, and she noticed the stables next to it. Smiling, she tied Yutz to the post and went inside.

An old but friendly-looking man stood at the front desk. It was dark, but the room was lighted with torches. Katara shivered; the front guard was right, it was awfully cold.

"Can I help you, miss?" asked the man, smiling toothily. He was missing a few teeth, but he made up for it with a wide grin. Katara couldn't help but grin back.

"How much for a room? And stable space?" she asked, and he counted in his head.

"That would be fifteen bronze for a night and an extra five for the stable," he said, and Katara nodded. Relieved that she had gathered a fair amount of money, she handed him a shiny silver coin. He grinned, flipped it, and handed her a key.

"Room 17, right up the stairs and two doors down," he said cheerfully, "and just give the animal to one of my boys in the stable."

Katara nodded and smiled, turning to leave. She untied Yutz and handed the reins to a boy of about twelve years. He was young and short, but obviously knew his way around a horse, and led Yutz inside. The Ostrich-horse looked extremely relieved.

Katara walked quietly up the stairs and entered her room. Once inside, she flopped down onto the bed and fell asleep immediately. It had been a long day.

Zuko watched the city through his bay window, and everything was quiet. The gate was opened once, but he trusted that his guards would make good decisions. Looking up, he smiled almost wickedly at the lemur, trapped in a gold cage. It didn't seem very happy. Zuko strolled over casually and reached through the bars to scratch its long ears. Ruffled as it was, it rubbed up against his fingers and purred loudly. Zuko's expression softened.

"Little fellow, the Avatar is at my mercy, and the Earth Kingdom will fall," he said gently, and the lemur didn't appear to understand. It just licked his gloved index finger and purred louder. Zuko chuckled coldly.

"And all four Nations will be in my control. I will be a greater ruler than Ozai, or any other. Fire Lord Zuko," he murmured, almost dreamily, watching the lemur purr and purr. Zuko withdrew his hand and turned to face his kingdom.

"Soon."

I hope you enjoyed it, it's just a little filler chapter until the real events start. So, keep reading and reviewing!