Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.
This chapter has a little more Zutara...but I swear, there will be a ton in the next chapter. And, if we can reach 30-50 reviews, I may just stick a little dance scene in.
Katara stopped at the heavy gold doors. She trembled, knowing that this was her only chance. She felt incredibly tempted to run about, screaming for Aang, but knew that she would be captured or killed. She still wasn't sure exactly how ruthless Zuko was becoming. Biting her lower lip, she knocked gently.
The doors instantly exploded open, revealing a tall, voluptuous woman in her mid-thirties. Her hair was dark brown and in an unbelievably stylish sideswept bun, and her makeup was professionally if not excessively applied. She was beautiful, but Katara instantly recoiled.
"You must be Ara," said the woman impressively, raising her perfectly trimmed eyebrows. Katara just stared, then remembered her manners.
"Oh, um, yes, hel-" she was suddenly cut off with a sharp slap of her cane to her upper arm. Yelping, she clutched the red spot and squirmed away from the woman. Madam Ulia looked terrifying.
"You do not stutter! Stand straight and speak clearly!" she said sharply, giving Katara another smack. Katara clenched her teeth and stood straight. Her pride was withering, but she didn't want another smack.
"Madam Ulia, my name is Ara," she said carefully, and the woman smiled slightly. "and I'm here for the dancing job." She held her chin high with confidence. All she got was yet another smart rap on the knuckles. Yipping slightly, she grabbed her hand and rubbed her sore fist.
"No demands from you, I demand and you listen. You can show my your dance...but I will tell you if you are here to dance or fail."
Katara scowled, but was careful to do it inwardly. Madam Ulia turned to a small group of musicians, and they struck up a light, airy tune. Madam began to dance. Katara tried to copy her, but was unable to. Determined to succeed, she started her own dance. Soft and gentle, she rather liked the way she danced. Madam Ulia stared at her, then folded her arms disapprovingly. Katara reddened.
"Am I bad?" she asked, and Madam stared for another moment. When she spoke, she looked a little agitated.
"Dancing is like fire, free and wild. You need to be more aggressive. You are not there to dance for them; they are there to watch you dance. You dance like a waterbender," she said scornfully, and Katara tried to look ashamed. Surprisingly, she did not recieve another slap. Madam instead stood next to her and demonstrated.
"You see how it is like firebending? Sharp, sure movements; you need to be sure. Confidence, aggression, power; you need to dance like that," she said, her movements sharp, sure, and aggressive. Katara tried to mimic her clumsily. Firebending was not her strong point. After about half an hour, Madam sighed and threw up her hands.
"You dance your waterbending dance; maybe the officials will like it," she said, shooting Katara an aggrivated glare. Katara frowned, then her heart lifted as she dissected the words a little more thoroughly.
"Wait...you mean I can join?" she exclaimed, trying to quash her hope. Madam looked very stern for a moment, but quickly dropped the expression and released a small smile.
"Yes, you can. You dance like an airbender or something, but you have skill and flow. You can join," she said, obviously trying to hide her smile. Katara grinned. Leaping forward, she flung her arms around the woman and hugged her tight. Madam wasn't too pleased. Katara was rewarded with a sharp slap on her rear with the cane. Crying out, Katara rubbed it sorely. Madam had her irritated look on again.
"But don't get cocky, I can just as easily kick you out!" she snapped, holding the door open for her. Katara smiled and almost skipped out. She headed towards the general direction of the door, but quickly got lost.
She frowned, trying to figure out how exactly she got where she was. The hallways tangled and converged to form a maze of red and gold and black, and Katara wandered for about half an hour. She thought that if she could just find her way downstairs, she could eventually get out, but apparently she was wrong. Quite a few times, she stepped into a twisting staircase only to find herself two floors higher.
She was really getting desperate when she was on the seventh floor, since she had started out on the third. Panting, she was running around, trying to find a set of stairs or another person. She wasn't quite sure why, but no one seemed to be around, not even guards.
As she passed a room, she heard loud voices. Stopping in her tracks, she strolled inconspicuously towards the doors. Cracking one open, she peeked through and gasped.
It was an enormous room, almost completely filled. Well, it explained where everybody had gone. Katara heard voices.
"And if we attack from the east, it'll throw off their guard, and we can send division 54 down the southwest slope..."
Katara gaped for another ten seconds until she realized that they were exchanging battle tactics. Pulling the fan from her hair, she scribbled down a few notes. Leaning forward, she started to listen more carefully.
"...so the sun will be at the highest point in the sky, and the wind will blow west, taking the firepower straight at them..."
Katara suddenly realized who was talking. She recognized the arrogant drawl, could almost see his proud smirk. The voice, deeper than Aang's or Sokka's, was dead serious, and sounded like it had been deprived of laughter for many, many years. Inching her face forward slowly, she peeped through the crack again.
She saw him, dressed in black and red, seated on the throne. Fire blazed around him, and officials hung on his every word. Men and women were seated all around the room, listening attentively. His hair had grown, but he hadn't pulled it back again. Perhaps he kept it short as a reminder of his banishment, as an icon of guilt for his people, and their behavior towards him. Perhaps he just thought it looked good...because it did...Katara shook her head. Battle tactics! Battle tactics! She had missed at least four.
"...and while division 67 waits on the beach for any strays, division 55 will join 54."
Katara's mind began to wander. She took notes idly, when she felt like it, but didn't really care anymore. Her mind was focused on her friends. She missed Aang, Sokka, and Toph dearly, and wondered what was going on. She felt a little guilty about not finding them while she raced around the huge structure. Sniffing, she wondered where Appa was. Gazing distractedly into the assembly room again, she saw Momo, seated contentedly on Zuko's armored shoulder. Her eyes widened, and she beckoned to him. Momo looked up for a second, chirped happily, then plucked another nut from some random glass bowl on a nearby table. Katara almost laughed. Though the others must be less than comfortable, Momo was having the time of his life. He was treated like a royal pet.
Katara leaned against the wall again, half-closing her eyes. Opening them, she saw a large gold door looming ahead of her, looking just like all the others. Standing up, she inched over, careful to make sure Zuko was still talking. Edging to the door, she grasped the handle and pulled.
It slid open almost noiselessly, and revealed a room much darker and colder than the door implied. Shivering, Katara looked around. It was very hard to see. She heard a thin voice.
"Can I have some food?" called a waveringly pitiable tone, and Katara recognized it immediately.
"Toph?" she whispered, her voice ragged with emotion. She prayed that there were no guards. There was silence for a moment.
"Katara?" called the voice, and Katara didn't hesitate to leap down the cold, metallic stairs. Racing down the chilly hall, she found the small girl, shivering and looking around blankly. Katara reached through the bars, and Toph stumbled over. She stretched out her small hands, searching for Katara. With a jolt of pain, Katara realized that Toph couldn't see her. There was no earth.
Katara met Toph's hands, and held them tight. They were freezing, and Katara gasped on contact. She clung to her friend, trying to keep her as warm as possible. Toph reached her arms out, and Katara hugged her. Toph sniffed.
"Where are Sokka and Aang?" asked Katara, shivering. Toph shrugged.
"I don't know. This whole palace is made of metal, and it disconnects me from any dirt. I don't even know what direction they were dragged off into." Suddenly, the heavy doors opened. Katara gasped and leapt back, hidden behind the pillars. The man looked around suspiciously, and Katara could hear his metal boots clinking against the floor. Despite the icy chill, Katara was sweating. The man came so close, Katara could hear him breathing.
"Hey! Don't I get food?" called Toph loudly, rattling the bars. The guard turned and sneered, and Katara breathed a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, yeah, I got your food," snarled the guard, and it was quiet for a few seconds. Katara heard the doors shut. She stepped out from behind the pillars.
"Thanks," she said, watching as Toph took the tray to her cot. Sitting down, she broke off a piece of bread and dipped it into what looked like a thick stew. Taking a bite, she shrugged again.
"The food's actually not that bad...but they just need to feed us more," she said, and Katara flinched. She really needed to find Aang. "Get out of here, Katara. Come back for me later, after you find the others. If I suddenly go missing, they'll get suspicious."
Katara didn't say anything for a few seconds. She wanted nothing more than to get her friend out of this terrible place, but knew she couldn't do anything. Blinking back tears, she hugged Toph for one last time.
"I'll come back for you."
She raced up the stairs, her determination restored and her friend warmed with hope. Shutting the door behind her, she turned to dash away...and ran straight into a very solid somebody.
Yelping, Katara was thrown backwards, stumbling over her feet, until a someone out to grab her flailing hand. She was pulled right back onto her feet. Breathless and incredibly surprised, she glanced upward, brushing some hair out of her eyes.
"Tha-" she started, stopping instantly as her heart plummeted. Blue eyes met gold, and a very familiar, blazing scar. She immediately averted her gaze.
"What are you doing wandering the halls?" asked a cold, cold voice. Katara practically felt her shoulder ice over.
"I...I was with Madam Ulia, and I tried to leave, but I couldn't remember the way, and I really tried, I did, but..." she blurted hopelessly, flinging her hands up in dismay. Zuko's expression softened considerably.
"Come on, I'll show you the way out," he said, turning and walking off in some random direction. Katara stared after him for a second, then followed him. Jogging to catch up, she walked next to him.
It was absolutely silent. Katara felt incredibly nervous, but Zuko seemed nonchalant. She almost forgot what she was doing, but an image of Toph flashed into her mind, and she was filled with a burning anger. She glared at the man who was the cause of all this suffering. He didn't seem to notice.
He stopped when they reached the massive front doors. Katara ran over the directions again in her mind, then made a mental note to wtire them down when she got back to the inn. Zuko opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but shut it again and held out a hand awkwardly. Katara shook it, equally as awkward. She turned to leave.
"What was your name again?" called the voice from behind her. Katara stopped, surprised, but turned back to see him, standing proudly in his black and red armor. In a way, he was so like a child. Katara almost smiled.
"Ara."
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