Chapter 11- Silent Pain

"I miss the fluttery feeling that I had no words for. Now its only the gnawing tension of worry. I hate it, I hate him."

.

She had not heard from Iroh since Lu Ten pulled him from their conversation yesterday. Katara was still up with the sun, just in case she was needed. After ten years of waking at dawn to assist whoever she served, the habit was difficult to break.

She watched out the window at the people rushing around. The day did not feel any different to Katara, but the servants outside seemed panicked. She stood when she heard footsteps rushing down the hallway outside her door. It swung open, the door slamming against the wall. The room shook and Katara jumped when Lu Ten hurried inside. The military uniform threw her off for a second until he called her by name.

"Katara," he said, slightly winded. She assumed he had been running; though, in the armor he wore she did not know why, even as light as it looked.

"Grab your stuff. We have to go now." Katara grabbed her pile of still unworn clothing and moved to pick up the tea box.

"You won't need the tea set." He looked to the clothing in her hands. "Is that all you have?" Katara nodded, paused, and reached to grab the book Iroh had given her to pass the time.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he led her out of the room and into the hallway.

"My father and I are going to finish the war in the Earth Kingdom," Lu Ten explained. "He can't take you with him, so he's leaving you with Zuko."

They walked as quickly as they could without flat out running. It was a long jog from Iroh and Lu Ten's rooms towards the identical wing to the other side.

"Wait," Katara said, slowing down her pace. "You're leaving me here with Zu- Prince Zuko?! Why can't I go back to Shiyu?" Lu Ten grimaced and looped his arm around her waist to keep her moving forward. He was on a time crunch. No one made the Fire Lord wait; time revolved around the Fire Lord.

"Shiyu took an apprentice, and he can't have the both of you," he answered. "My father seems sure that Zuko will be a good replacement while the two of us are away. So just be good and listen to him."

Katara stuttered. "But-" They paused several servants going about their routines. This side of the palace seemed busier in general then Iroh's rooms. They passed another man in servant's clothing hurrying on his own way. Everyone, as busy as they were, paused to give Lu Ten a bow.

Katara was guided along the hallway, through a courtyard, and over to more rooms. She said nothing as Lu Ten stopped in front of a set of wooden double doors and knocked. The voice behind it mumbled something incoherent that Lu Ten took as 'come in'. He pressed open the door and walked in, pushing Katara along with him.

"Zuko!" Lu Ten called in surprise. Katara immediately felt her face flush. The youngest prince stood half naked, his hair tousled, a fresh tunic in his hands.

"Did you just get up?" Lu Ten asked. He was smiling as he said it, but there was an undercurrent of jealousy in his question. Zuko pulled the tunic on and frowned at his cousin.

"No," came the obvious lie. He turned to stare at Katara. "What's she here for?" Katara frowned but recognized that she would be surprised as well in the same situation. Sighing, Lu Ten gave his cousin a sheepish smile.

"She can't come with us with us to the front, so my father is leaving her with you."

"What am I supposed to do with her-?"

"Dad thinks you'll think of something," Lu Ten shrugged. "Oh, and I need you to cover for me again." Lu Ten gave Zuko a stare to which the younger boy nodded. "You will be watching us depart, I assume?"

"Of course," the youngest prince frowned. Lu Ten laughed and retreated out the door.

"Wait!" Zuko called, but Lu Ten was already gone. Zuko and Katara stared at each other for a moment. She clutched her clothing and the single book tighter to her chest, using it as a mini barrier between them. Zuko sighed, straightened his outfit, and looked outside the massive window that lined half of his room. Only a small portion of it was open since the curtains were still closed from the night.

"I'll be back after they depart," Zuko stated. He was still shocked by the fact that he had simply been left with her. She felt the same way.

"Stay in this room until I get back." He grabbed something off the desk by the door and left the room. When his footsteps receded down the hall, Katara released a pent-up breath and closed her blue eyes.

After a calming moment, she set her clothing down on the padded stool and examined the room. It was huge; Shiyu's whole apartment could easily fit inside this single room, even in its messy state.

The bed sat in the center, raised up on a single step-like platform. It was nothing like the simple cots she had spent her life in; this bed was plush and enormous. Katara walked around the room, passing over the red runner rugs that outlined the edge of the raised dais and over to the window. Flowering pots had been placed by the windows, most likely to keep the room from being submerged in the darkness of rich brown wood, heavy red curtains, and silky black accents. The bright yellow flowers certainty helped to bring some sun in.

Katara walked over to them, examining the unlit candles and small figurines made of different metals on her way. She had never held or used coins of any kind, but the basics of the colors and their worth had not been lost on her. Gold, she knew, was worth much more then silver and copper, so she admired the multiple golden statues of scorpion-lions, dragons, and flames before moving to the window opening.

She pushed the decorative wooden screen aside in order to lean outside and let a smile spread across her face. The window looked out onto the city. Since the palace was raised slightly from the other buildings, she was just able to see all the way down to the ocean over the broken mountain peaked that surrounded the upper ring of the capital.

According to her book, the capital was built inside an extinct volcano where a mighty horde of dragons once lived.

Leaning further out the window, she spotted the fleet of ironclad ships that she assumed was taking Iroh and Lu Ten to the Earth Kingdom. She watched for a long time, until the sun was high in the sky, studying the city and ships from above.

Finally, smoke billowed from the lead ship and the fleet slowly moved out into the open ocean. She thought she heard a crowd of people calling out and cheering, but they were far off at the docks, too far for her to truly hear. Katara stared out the window until the fleet faded into the distance.

She thought to Shiyu and how she wished she could be back at the Arena assisting him. The watertribe girl realized that there was no way both she and his new assistant could live in that tiny apartment.

She enjoyed her time learning under him; her skills improved more than he could ever know. Now she had to face the fact that she needed to move on and stop wishing she was back there.

The door opened and scared Katara out of her inner thoughts. She turned around and stood, stepping away from the window. Zuko had already moved to his bed, pausing when he remembered that he was not alone. The two of them stared at each other for some time, not quite sure how to react to each other. She felt the fluttering feeling once more.

Katara watched as he stared at her, making eye contact. His golden eyes narrowed, moving away from her face to survey the rest of her. Katara felt her checks flush; she was glad she had thought to change out of her night clothes this morning even without Iroh having told her what his plans were. Her servant robes were modest, almost something cut for an older woman. At least they had fit her without modification, unlike her clothing back in the Arena.

It wasn't a new feeling, being visually inspected; everyone who she assisted did it. It was typically quick, followed by a look of confusion or suspicion in the Arena medical office. It was not until Katara had met the Admiral that she realized that maybe not everyone was assessing her skills when they looked her over. She still did not understand why such looks brought heat to her face, but they did all the same.

She wondered what the young prince was searching for. His frown tightened when he came back up to her eyes; the grip he had on the bedpost tightened.

"Why don't you look away?" he asked curtly.

"Why should-"

"That wasn't a question," Zuko snapped. "You should have just done it." The warm fluttery feeling was replaced with nervousness at his tone.

"Why?" Katara asked, her frown mirroring his. She missed Lu Ten and Iroh and their way of explaining verses yelling, but she held her ground. Even Shiyu, who had raised his voice with her when he was stressed, explained what he wanted and why. Zuko seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Did my uncle put you up to this?" Zuko asked, striding towards her. "Did he say not to listen to anything I said?"

"No." Katara stuttered, leaning back to brace herself against the window as he came closer and closer. She wondered what had happened between when she saw him this morning and now to get him so worked up and irrational. "Lu- Prince Lu Ten told me to listen to your orders. I wouldn't-"

Zuko fumed. "Then why aren't you doing that?"

"You haven't given me any instructions yet!" Katara snapped, fearful of what she did not know. She recalled Prince Ozai shouting after lunch the day before at who she assumed could have only been a servant dropping a plate or a glass in his presence. It was not something she wished would be directed at her, but at the same time, something told her not to back herself into a corner completely now, even in avoidance. She did not usually get frustrated so quickly; she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

"You should just know," Zuko frowned. "You were my uncle's servant and the arena medics' before that."

"I was Shiyu's assistant, not his servant," Katara corrected him, her tone still curt. "And I only served Prince Iroh his tea, nothing more. I don't know what you expect me to do until you tell me. I can't read your mind." Zuko looked to the ceiling and let a deep breath, complete with steam, fill the air.

"So you just followed my Uncle around and poured him tea?"

"Yes."

He relaxed as he calmed down, walking towards the door, pacing the room with even strides. "Why did he leave you with me?"

"I didn't ask."

"And you only know how to serve tea," Zuko repeated.

"If you'd only tell me what you need, I'm sure I could do that," Katara stated with pursed lips. Zuko shook his head and frowned.

He waved his hands, wishing it would rid him of this issue. "Just clean the room up. That should take you long enough until I figure but what to do with you."

"Where should I put my clothing?" Katara asked as the prince opened the door to leave.

"There should be room in the bottom drawer of the dresser. Don't break anything." The door closed; she heard the lock turn, shutting her inside.

She had only given the mess a cursory glance before when she walked in. It reminded her of the nursery. Instead of toys, there were piles of crumpled clothing on the floor, heaps of books and paper, and an unmade bed. She wondered if any of the servants she had seen in the halls were supposed to clean this room, but she did as she was bid.

The clothing surely needed to be washed; she piled it near the door. When the prince returned, she would ask him what he wanted done with it. As the sun rose and then began to fall, Katara finished organizing the mess on the tables, shelves, and single writing desk. She ended up finding and throwing a handful of empty ink bottles and unusable brushes into the waste bin beside the desk.

Soon, the room looked much better and Katara was out of things to do. She stored her clothing in the bottom drawer like Zuko had said. In the remaining light, Katara settled herself on the lounge in the corner with the book of myths. That was how Zuko found her when he returned hours later.

The prince strode into his room, looking around. She wondered if he expected to see her still working on cleaning up his mess. It was a slight feeling of smugness in completing her task in less time then he assumed that kept her from rising to greet him as she had always done with Iroh and Lu Ten. She watched from the corner of her eye as he noticed the pile of clothing near the door, then looked over at her.

"What's this?" he asked, motioning with an open palm at the clothing.

"Your dirty clothing," Katara answered, looking up from her book. "You said not to leave the room. I assume you have other servants to do your laundry?" Zuko walked over to her as she closed the book; she looked up, he was right in front of her.

"What's that?" He reached for it like a spoiled toddler.

"A book," Katara replied, somewhat sarcastically, clutching it to her chest. She was almost finished. There were only three stories left for her to read. "Your uncle gave it to me to pass the time when he didn't need me."

"You can read?" Zuko asked, his face showed his disbelief.

"Of course I can read!" Katara snapped. She stood, still holding the book to her chest. Somehow, she knew she was playing with fire by talking back to him the way she was. She would normally be content to do as she was asked as long as she was treated with respect. "Is it unusual for your servants to be able to read?"

She wandered how she had ever felt anything pleasant towards this disrespectful prince. All she wanted to do was be free of him and back with his uncle and cousin.

"No, all the palace servants can read." The questioned had thrown him off balance. "Did the arena medic teach you? He had to have…"

"Shiyu didn't teach me, my mother did, back at the Southern Water Tribe. And if all your servants can read, why would it shock you that I could as well?"

"All the servants in the place are Fire Nation citizens," Zuko growled. Katara hesitated, frowned, and then looked back up at him with ice edging her blue eyes.

"So because I'm not Fire Nation, you expect me to be less." It wasn't a question. Her lips pressed into a tight frown.

"Yes," came the blunt reply. "You are." Katara stood up tall, though her eyes still only came to his chin and clenched her jaw. Shiyu had never treated her this way; he never treated any of the injured warriors as less than the nobles who came in, as least not outwardly. This boy pushed her buttons, and because of it she was careless.

"You're wrong Zuko," Katara stated. She did not catch her slip until the prince lunged forward, captured her wrists, and spun her so her back was pressed to the wall near the window.

"I will not tolerate such disrespect from a servant," the prince growled. Fear like she had only felt when the two guards captured her in the alley flooded through her when his hands grew hot. Katara cried out and squirmed to get away.

"You will address me as Prince Zuko," he stated. His golden eyes narrowed as his hands tightened around her wrists. She could feel her skin starting to burn. "You are a lowly servant from the Water Tribe no less, I expect complete obedience. Do you understand?" Zuko shook her, pressing her harder against the wall.

"Yes!" Katara cried out. She felt a dull throbbing in her head where it came in contact with the wall. The faint smell of burned flesh wafted through the air as Zuko's hands grew hotter still.

"Please," Katara begged. Her knees buckled, but she was held mostly in place by Zuko.

"Please what?" The prince asked. The thought of standing herself up and defying him had all but vanished.

"Please let me go Prince Zuko," Katara plead. The young man dropped her wrists and she tumbled to the ground. Tears ran down her face as she sat cradling her injury. A string of blistering spots circling each wrist gave the illusion that she was wearing bracelets of grey pearls. They were tender to the touch and Katara simply stared at them for a moment until she realized the prince had changed clothes, thrown his old ones on the floor, and crawled into bed. Her voice was weak when she finally dared to speak, still refusing to look up.

"Prince Zuko? Do you have a room for me to sleep like Prince Iroh did?" Silence hung in the room for so long that Katara worried she had asked the wrong question.

"You can sleep on the lounge," he finally sighed. She heard the sheet ruffle as the light from the candle across the room was extinguished. Only the moonlight flooded into the room now. Katara walked back to the lounge and settled in the night.

The punishment had driven the lesson home; Katara would not be trying her luck anytime soon. She could not remember the last time she cried for herself. Her tears stained her cheeks in the dark. From her position on the couch, the waterbender spotted the moon through the sheer curtains. Glancing over to the where the prince slept on his bed to make sure his eyes were closed, she sat up and lifted her clasped hands in prayer.

Head bowed, she asked the moon and ocean spirits for strength. A smile came to her face when memories of her mother washed over her. It had been years since the image had blurred in her memory; she did not focus on that. Instead, she remembered the feelings of love and safety that she felt with her. Katara brushed the trails away her tears had left. Smiling up at her nighttime guardian in the sky, she wished safety onto her father and brother before dropping her hands to her lap. She lay back down, still dressed in her daytime clothing and fell asleep.

...

The next morning, Katara rose seconds after the prince. The sun was just peeking up from the horizon, but she was well rested. As he disappeared into the bathing room connected to his bedroom, Katara jumped up to change clothes. She ran her fingers through her hair to pull out the tangles and then stretched out her stiff limbs. She missed sleeping on a real bed already.

Zuko walked out of the bathroom, his hair still dripping wet from washing his face. Katara stayed clear as he moved to the dresser where she had just been standing and pulled on a shirt before he turned to face her.

The moment their eyes met, she glanced at her feet. She remembered his reaction when he lost his temper and she hoped to never repeat the situation from the last night. The bracelet of burns on each wrist would be her reminder not to cross him. The prince seemed to have a temper like a new fire in a fire pit; sometimes happily burning away, and then without warning sending sparks flying with loud popping sounds. He seemed calm now at least.

"Lu Ten never told me your name," Zuko stated almost hesitantly. "Considering you're my only servant, I might as well know yours."

"My name is Katara."

"Ka-tara," Zuko repeated, getting a feel for the foreign sounding word. She remained silent, still looking at her feet. She had yet to put shoes on, so she scrunched her toes to try and release her nerves.

Katara had no reason to fear any of her masters before. The world, she knew, was full of hazards, but she expected to be safe when serving as long as she didn't reveal she was a bender. Master Zu, Shiyu, and Iroh had never hurt her; they all led her to believe that she would be safe from physical and verbal harm in their company. Zuko, with his quick temper and youthful strength, blew away all the years of security she had stored.

"Yes?" She finally answered, not sure if him saying her name was him waiting to give her an order or not.

"You really don't know anything do you?" Zuko let out a pent-up breath. She noticed that he seemed to be trying to hold his frustration in check. It would take a lot more than one conversation for her to feel safe though.

"I guess not. Tell me what I should be doing. I'll be glad to do it right." She looked up, pleading with him. The prince ran a hand through his hair.

"When someone addresses you, you answer with a prompt 'yes my lord' or a 'yes' and their name and title." Zuko explained. Katara nodded. She didn't have to agree with it; she only needed to know how to act to keep him from behaving rashly.

"Your tasks will be the upkeep of my room, laundry, and running errands or messages for me- I guess. You are free to leave the room as long as you have a task to do. Otherwise you are to stay here." Zuko stated, he turned away for a moment before thinking of something else. "When outside this room you are to bow for any nobles or members of the royal family until dismissed or out of sight." Katara recalled seeing all the servants stopped in their tracks when Lu Ten led her through the palace.

"You do know how to bow correctly, don't you?" Katara demonstrated and heard him voice his approval; she was glad she could make him happy on that regard.

"I'll be around, so I expect you to do your tasks without prompting," he stated. Katara nodded. He moved to leave the room and got as far as the door before Katara called out to him with a question.

"Prince Zuko? Where do I take the laundry?"

"I'll have another servant show you," was his reply as he shut the door. Katara stood alone in the room, gathering her breath for a moment before adding the new clothing to the pile. She made his bed, which was a massive job. Not only was the bed big enough for three people, but it seemed the prince was a fitful sleeper. The silk sheets were strewn every which way, tangled and untucked. The comforter was no better, kicked all the way to the foot of the bed and slipping off on some sections. By the time she set the pillows in place, the door opened and a tall, thin woman appeared.

"You're the new servant?" Katara nodded and saw the look she gave the pile of clothes at the door.

"Prince Zuko has instructed me to make sure you know your way to the laundry. Follow me." Her tone was curt and condescending, but Katara scooped up the clothes and hurried after her. There wasn't much time for Katara to get a good look at her instructor over the towering pile in her hands before they arrived. The way was easy enough to remember, two lefts and right outside.

The large courtyard was full of flapping sheets hung out to dry in the sun. Katara got the hint. As the older women explained exactly how the great Fire Nation did their laundry, Katara looked longingly into the large basin of water. She was tempted to heal the blisters on her wrists, but she would not try anything with someone standing over her. Finally, the woman seemed to run out of instructions and simply hovered before speaking up again.

"Did they run out of servants that the prince was stuck with you?" She questioned. Katara noticed another set of female servants enter the courtyard, joking amongst themselves as they fetched clothing from a nearby line.

The woman scowled. "Because even though you may think you are, you're no servant. You're a prisoner of war, a slave, inferior to all Fire Nation. You should be out working in the fields or fighting in the Arena with the rest of your kind. Who did you sleep with to get here?"

"I don't-" Katara looked up from the clothing in the soapy water, confused. "I'm not-"

"You should count yourself lucky to be here in the palace. It's every Fire Nation citizen's dream to serve their Fire Lord." With that said, the woman turned on her heel and vanished. Katara turned her last comment over in her head, but it meant nothing to her, just as the previous comment confused her.

She'd never heard the phrase 'sleep with', so it meant not what it did to her as it did to everyone else. Likewise, the words whore and slut held no context, but slave and inferior did. She stood still for a moment, starting to think she had been very sheltered growing up away from all this inequality and hatred of anyone outside the Fire Nation. She had much to think about as she finished Zuko's clothing.

She ended up healing some of the blisters on her wrists, but was unable to complete the task before more servants walked in. She had already learned to ignore their stares. What made her so different anyway? Was it purely that she didn't look like them? If that was all it took, they would want her head if they ever learned she was a bender.

...

Since her tasks were relatively simple, Katara was back in Zuko's room long before him. She had more than enough time to finish the book Iroh had loaned her and to take some of the stories to heart. They were very different from her tribe's myths; these were mostly about honor and forbidden love, while the Water Tribe stories told of family and teamwork. She enjoyed the differences but soon realized that she would need to ask Zuko for more books if he had nothing for her to fill her days with. She could only watch the capital city out the window for so long before even that became boring.

He came back just as the sun set. Katara waited until he noticed her to ask.

"Prince Zuko. I finished the book your uncle gave me." She paused. "Is there any chance that you could get me another one?" Zuko looked at her and then the room. The clothing was put away and everything else was spotless. He had had not thought that she would complete his tasks so quickly. It took him forever to clean the room on his own. Either he needed to find more for her to do, or he could keep her occupied with books. The book idea seemed like less work at this point, since she liked them so much anyway.

He asked with some hesitation. "What type of books do-?"

"Your uncle gave me this one about Fire Nation myths that I enjoyed," Katara answered slowly, "but I'll read anything that you can get. I don't mind." She was thankful he was agreeing to her request and would not push it by requesting something even slightly specific. Zuko nodded. That next morning, she found a pile of three books on the table besides the furnishing where she slept.

The next few days passed the same as the previous ones. The prince seemed to have no use for her aside from keeping his room clean. After the first washing, keeping up with the routine was simple. She flew through the books that Zuko presented her with. The prince was never in his room during the day and only came back at night to sleep. It presented Katara with an opportunity, given she was growing more bored as each day passed.

The bathroom connected to Zuko's bedroom always had water; somehow, the Fire Nation engineers had invented a system to bring water up into a vat hidden in the ceiling. Once the lever was turned for the spout in the bath or the sink, gravity would bring the water down with no effort. It was always chilled, but Katara assumed that a land full of firebenders would not find that a big deal. The abundance of water in her new prison though, was almost a clear sign that she should practice.

Katara ran through her old forms and attempted to copy what she had seen recently in the Arena. The movements of her fellow tribesman had been frantic and wild, but with her free time, she learned if she slowed down her arms and simply flexed her wrists more, her bending was more fluid and had better accuracy. Katara learned to enjoy 'cleaning the bathroom', since she could practice and make a mess without it being obvious.

After a week passed, Katara asked the prince for another set of books while she got ready to do the load of laundry. He had not had another outburst at her, and slowly she no longer felt a rush of nervous tension whenever he was in the same room as her. She was met with confusion.

"More? Already?"

"You haven't given me much to do," she said under her breath. Zuko looked around the room; she knew he would not tell her that she had done a good job, so she kept his silence as praise. He had not told her anything she had done was wrong after the first set of instructions.

"Follow me," Zuko finally sighed. "Take that with you, it's on the way." Katara grabbed up the pile of clothing and followed the youngest prince out the door. She wondered where he could be showing her to. They moved down the corridor, took some turns, and stopped suddenly at another pair of double sliding doors. Zuko slid one door back, letting her look inside the room.

"This is my mother's library. If you need more books, you can come here and pick them out yourself." Katara nodded as he shut the door, trying to keep her grin under control.

"Thank you," Katara bowed. She was sure she looked humorous with her arms full of laundry as she bowed. Zuko nodded and walked off, leaving her to do her work.

"Remember to put them back where you find them." He called down the hallway. She nodded, even though she knew he would not see.

The thought of being able to pick out her own books kept her going through the day. Unfortunately, she ran into trouble doing laundry, having to deal with other maids and servants hogging the basin and the clotheslines.

She still did not understand why they treated her differently for simply being Water Tribe like they did. She was forced to wait for them to finish. She sat off to the side, listening to their conversations.

Their situations were anywhere near her own. They were Fire Nation citizens, free people as she had once been in her own tribe, long before she could even remember. Once they completed their tasks they were done unless they were called on again. She was trapped here. She counted herself lucky to not know the horrors the others of her tribe had most likely been subject to. Her life in the palace though, proved to the young woman that she was not as free as she thought.

Finally, the other servants finished and let Katara on her way to complete her task. It was late when the clothing finally finished drying on the lines. She folded it and returned each piece to its proper drawer in Zuko's room before she even let herself think about the library.

Before she came to the palace, she had only read Shiyu's books every now and then. She did not have the time to sit and enjoy story after story or legend after myth like she did now. If anything, the prince had shown her that she could escape her life through the stories she read, even if he had not meant it. The idea of being able to read each one of the books was slightly dizzying, and since the youngest prince did not seem to have much for her to do anyway, she would not need to be bored now.

Walking to the door, she noticed the book Iroh had given her sitting on the desk. She frowned and moved to retrieve it; Zuko had said to return all the books she took. Why would this one be any different? She scooped it up and left the room. Halfway to the library, Katara hesitated. The prince did say that this library belonged to his mother. She wondered if there was more than one room stocked with books and if this particular book belonged somewhere else instead. Katara was tempted to see if she could find its home but realized she didn't know the palace well enough to even begin. She held onto the book as she reached the room and selected a handful of new ones. She made her way back to Zuko's bedroom soon after.

Before she turned the last corner she heard the door squeak. She paused and peered around the corner. The sun had already begun to set, so the shadows inside the palace threw many of the details into darkness. Katara still spotted the figure closing the door to Zuko's room and moving away. She shuddered before she saw the man turn into the light, as if checking the other hallway for witnesses, and her heart leaped. She would have recognized that demon mask anywhere.

(Original Author's Note) Dum dum DUM! Have my lovely readers figured out the mystery of the Blue Spirit yet? The reveal will happen shortly.

Sooo, while I know this is typical of any pairing story for any fanfic category (that the girl ends up living in the guy's room) I'm hoping things wont follow the pattern too closely that you'll all be bored... And I hope angry Prince Zuko wasn't too far out of character for all of you, since we've really never seen him interacting with Katara on his own before, and we didn't see what happened at the docks. Things will get better.

*The chapter title comes from "Monster" by Meg and Dia*