-Chapter 12- No Turning Back From Here
"I learned years ago that I couldn't save everyone, but I hadn't been a healer then."
.
The Blue Spirit stealthily jogged down the hallway and turned a corner. Katara hesitated for only a moment before realizing this was the only chance she'd probably ever get. She wanted to make sure he got her thanks; that she was grateful of his compassion. It did not occur to her that as she hurried down the halls that she would have attracted attention. It seemed that all the other servants had left the hallways clear, it was just the Blue Spirit and her. She came to a long room of columns with portraits of past Fire Lords lining the wall and spotted the Blue Spirit halfway down. She ran towards him and called out.
"Wait!" she called. The figure froze then slowly turned to face her as she came to a halt. There was a good amount of space between them still, but Katara continued.
"I wanted to thank you. For saving my life." She bowed to him.
"What?" She heard him mumble. Katara blinked and looked up. She had never heard the Blue Spirit speak before; he seemed to rely strictly on body language and hand signs whenever she encountered him before. Not only that, but his voice seemed familiar to her, even though the pitch seemed off and the mask muffled some of it.
"You saved me, twice now," Katara clarified, not thinking she needed to. "I wanted to make sure you knew how grateful I was." She touched her chest over her heart as she spoke, stepping closer. Something seemed off about this encounter. The Blue Spirit glanced around the room and fidgeted in place.
"You're welcome." Footsteps caused Katara to jump and look behind her. Another servant hurried down the corridor on the crossing hallway but did not notice her. When she turned back, the man in the blue demon mask was gone.
She sighed and returned to Zuko's room, thinking of the encounter. The Blue Spirit was such a stoic figure in her mind; strong, fierce, and almost inhuman in his ability to appear where he did and when he was needed. This man, and he was a man simply judging by his voice, was not the same. She did not understand how that was possible and let her thoughts carry her into sleep.
When Katara awoke the next day, she found the prince's bed unused. While she sometimes went to bed before he returned at night; he was always there in the morning to give her new tasks. With nothing scheduled for the day, Katara made her way to the window before planning on reading one of her new books. She noticed the crowds outside the Arena, assuming it was the day of the fighting. She wondered if the Blue Spirit would be there today. She could not see inside the stadium from the window, so she made herself comfortable on the plush lounge with one of her books.
The day passed slowly.
Once late afternoon rolled around, Katara grew bored of her book on the origins of bending. She enjoyed it at first, learning where each element drew its strength from, where bending was first learned, and the spirituality of it all, but the second half of the book began to go into great depth about different stance and forms. After reading all the waterbendering information and some of the firebending stuff, she was distracted.
The roar of the crowd echoed up to her room then. She assumed the nobles were up now, fighting for fame or money or honor in the Arena. Katara tried to picture the fight that could get such a reaction from the crowd. It had to be one on more than two at least. She assumed that the main fighter had taken out one if not two of the opponents without bending and was now struggling to defeat the final opponent.
In her mind's eye, she pictured the Blue Spirit against the remaining bender, a waterbender. She pulled stances from the book into her daydream, playing out the drawn-out battle where the Blue Spirit emerged victorious with only the dual blades he carried on his back. The cheering crowds pulled Katara back to the present; she assumed the nobleman won his match, but she was curious if the fighters survived it. She had only injured the bender in her mind; she did not have the heart to kill even the imagined enemy off on purpose.
Katara stood and moved to the bathroom, ready to move from imagined bending to the real thing. She had not had the chance to 'clean' the room yesterday, and after reading all the new forms in the book, she was eager to experiment. She made sure to shut and lock the door in case the prince decided to return.
She began without water, stepping through the forms to something called the water whip and the water bomb. Both were similar, the only difference being the shape the water took once manipulated. She tested the 'bomb' first. The sphere of water hovered between her hands until she launched it into the tub where it exploded in a great splash. It brought back fuzzy memories of snowball fights in the South Pole with her brother and the other children.
She moved on then, struggling to master the whip. Katara did not remember how much time passed as she worked in the bathroom on her bending. The only thing she knew was that it was nearly dark by the time the door to Zuko's room was opened. She dropped her nearly perfect whip into the tub, collected all the water that dotted the walls, and opened the door. She stepped into the room and gasped. Zuko looked up at her from where he rested on the floor, leaning against his bed; his face could not hide the pained expression no matter how he tried.
"Are you ok?" She hurried to his side. She noticed the ordinary brown robe thrown over his unusual black clothing and moved to untie it. "What happened to you?" Zuko cringed when she lifted the cloak, wincing in pain. She saw his injuries and nearly passed out herself.
"You need a doctor, Prince Zuko," Katara said, voice shaking as she spoke. "Tell me where the palace medic lives, I'll go get him." She stood but did not get very far. Zuko's hand, the one not pressed to an open wound hastily bound on his thigh, gripped her own and kept her from leaving.
"No," he breathed. His voice was strained. Katara easily pulled her hand from his grip. She no longer feared his anger, not now; she was too busy thinking about how to save his life at this point. He was in bad shape.
"You're badly injured Prince Zuko, you need help." She would not panic, even if she had to search the palace with no help, she would make sure he was ok.
The prince tried to explain. "He can't know."
"Who?" Katara knelt beside him and began examining what needed to be done. The bloody wound on his thigh was worrisome. The white bandage was completely seeped through with his crimson blood.
"The doctor." He took a ragged breath. "No one can know." Katara wondered if he had suffered a head injury as well. She noticed the burn running down his neck and over his shoulder then. One of his ankles seemed larger than the other as well, but it didn't look broken. Whoever did this had gotten him good.
Katara wondered if she would be able to lift him and quickly decided against it. She knew his strength, and if he did not want to go, he would fight her every step of the way, even as injured as he was. Katara stood, pushed away the hand that tried to keep her from walking away again and moved to the bathroom. She returned with an armful of thick towels and a large cup of water.
"What happened, Prince Zuko?" She folded one towel and placed it under his bandaged thigh before she began unwrapping the bandage. The Prince remained silent as she worked. Katara let him ignore her question until she got to the actual injury. Fresh blood flowed once she pulled the bandage free, tearing the new scabbed edges. She grabbed for a towel and pressed it to the wound. She knew pressure alone would do nothing for an injury this deep. If she had been with Shiyu, he would have stitched it shut and let it heal that way.
"Prince Zuko," Katara repeated. She waited until his glazed eyes met her own. "You need to see a doctor, either the palace medic or Shiyu. These wounds are serious. You're going to bleed out. You've lost so much blood already, I'm sure." She wet a towel and placed it over his brow once she felt his forehead and noticed the fever. His body was struggling.
"No," Zuko sighed. "They'll know who I am. The injuries would be the same." Katara was beginning to lose her cool. She knew he would die without medical attention. His eyes rolled up for a second, but he seemed to catch himself before he passed out.
"No one can know it was me." He mumbled. "Lu Ten… so disappointed." He closed his eyes completely and Katara looked to the now red towel she still pressed to his thigh. His pants were stained red around where she had torn the black fabric further to get to the skin. She realized that even if she got a doctor to him at this point, he probably would not make it. There was only one thing she could see saving his life. Her heart raced just thinking about it.
She closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to Tui and La before reaching for the cup of water. She let it glow around her fingers since no one was watching and worked to knit the flesh closed and stop the bleeding. She needed to stop twice to refill the cup with water and change the towel she had used to try and bring down his fever. The room was dark, lit by only the glowing water.
She finally ran out of energy to keep going. The wound was nothing more than a shallow cut by then, sparsely bleeding. Katara steadied herself with several deep breaths before standing and lighting the candles in the room.
She eased Zuko down beside this bed on the floor, pulling the covers off and settling a pillow under his head. She tore a towel and used the strips to wrap the healing cut on his leg. She ripped another one up as well and wet it to lie across the burn on his neck and shoulder. She had to peel back what was left of the fabric of the black shirt he wore, since it hung in burned tatters, but she uncovered the entire burn quickly.
Finally, she propped up his swollen foot on the remaining pillows and wrapped a cool towel around it, shoe and all. Surveying her work, Katara felt her stomach grumble. The Prince seemed stable enough that she could leave him for a moment to fetch her evening meal; it would help to regain her strength. She left the room to head toward the servants' entrance to the kitchen.
It was not too unreasonably late, but no one ran into her on her way there, back, or as she grabbed a hunk of bread and some pieces of cooked meat. She entered the bedroom and found Zuko awake or at least conscious. She could not be sure how long she had sat over his injury to stop the bleeding; she guessed an hour or so, maybe more. Hi eyes were not completely focused, but they were open and followed her as she moved across the room.
"How are you feeling?" She nibbled at the cheese and put her hand out to check his fever. She only then noticed the blood on her clothing. At first, she was curious why her hands were clean but came to the realization that the healing water kept them blood free.
"Dizzy," he finally answered. Katara offered him a sip of water from the refilled cup, helping him sit up slightly.
"You lost a lot of blood Prince Zuko. You'll need to rest in order to recover. I did what I could but-" a flash of panic went through his eyes.
"You didn't tell the doctor, did you?" He grabbed Katara's shoulder, but his grip was too weak to do any harm. She sighed and pushed his hand free. He immediately went for the wound on his leg.
"No! It's still healing!" Katara panicked. She fumbled to stop him, but the prince managed to push the towels aside and saw what remained of the injury.
"How?" He stuttered, staring the wound. The deep gash looked nothing like it used to. Now, only a thin line of red remained. The skin around it was tender and new, but at least it was not gushing blood anymore. He moved to touch the burn on his shoulder, but Katara caught his hand.
"Don't touch it," she ordered. "I didn't have time to fix your burn. I had to stop the bleeding. Tell me why you won't go to the see the palace doctor." Katara asked as she released his hand, realizing she gripped it. She offered him another sip of water, which he gladly accepted before laying back down.
"How did you fix me without stitches?" Zuko stared at the ceiling.
"You answer my question first," Katara stated. She would not be left in the dark on this one. While he explained himself, she could think of a miracle excuse.
"I want to know how you got so injured and why you refused to see a real doctor," she repeated.
"You did a better job-"
"Stop avoiding the question," Katara snapped. She watched as he fought with himself over the answer; she peeled the wet towel off his burn, careful not to break the skin and replaced it with a new one soaked in cool water.
"Will you promise to tell me how you did it? Truthfully?" Zuko asked. Now it was her turn to pause and consider the consequences, would he pass judgment on her even after she had just saved his life? Was her question worth the risk?
"Yes," Katara nodded. She knelt beside him, rearranged the bandage on his leg, and turned to listen.
"I was in the Arena," Zuko started. "That was where I got these injuries." Katara nodded, that explained the nondescript black clothing that she had never seen him wear before.
"So why not see a doctor?"
"I was in a mask. No one can know it was me. If I went to any medic, they would know I was the one under the mask. And I'd have to take the mask off to get this burn treated." He pointed to the burn running up his neck and slightly along his jawline.
"Why is that so important? Why can't they know?"
Silence.
"I fought as the Blue Spirit," Zuko admitted finally. Katara jumped backwards at his admission, catching herself on one hand.
She nearly shouted. "You're the Blue Spirit?" She shook her head as her hand covered her mouth in shock. She could not believe it; it just was not possible. The Blue Spirit she remembered had been a man when she was just a child. She knew the prince was not much older than she was.
"You can't be," she mumbled. "The Blue Spirit has been fighting in The Arena for more than ten years"
"That was Lu Ten," Zuko explained. "We've been switching off for the last few years."
"And you were the Blue Spirit last night? You were the one I ran into here."
"Yes."
"I knew something was different. The Blue Sprit I knew never said a word, and he held himself a different way." She bit her lip. At least she knew who to thank now.
Zuko closed his eyes and focused on breathing deep even breaths. "How did Lu Ten save your life?" Katara was content to tell him, maybe he would forget about his own question.
"I was kidnapped in the middle of the night from Shiyu recently, and the Blue Spirit stole me back. That's why I ended up with Prince Iroh."
When Zuko said nothing, Katara continued. "And years before that, the Blue Spirit was the one who brought me to Shiyu when I was little. I don't remember much, but I know that if he had left me alone, I would have died. I was starving, alone, and sick when he found me. I owe him my life." Katara bowed her head slightly.
"Why were you taking his place today?" The prince turned to her, watching as she shifted to check on his wounds once more.
"He didn't want anyone catching on that the Blue Spirit was him. He simply wanted to practice swordplay without anyone knowing. One day, when he got sick and was supposed to fight, I offered to fill in for him. That way, the Blue Spirit can fight and one of us is always in the audience. It helps that we don't firebend as the Blue Spirit as well. But he wanted to be sure that the Blue Spirit fought while he was away." Zuko let out a deep breath, closing his eyes for moment.
"Now, I've answered your questions. It's your turn. How did you do this if you didn't get the palace doctor?" Katara bowed her head and twirled her fingers.
"The same way I healed you after the Agni Kai in the Arena," she replied. When he gave her a look to elaborate, she did. She braced herself. "With waterbending." Katara watched the prince's eyes narrow. He didn't try to jump up and call for the palace guards or anything that would have her arrested and brought down to the arena.
"I didn't know waterbenders could heal," he finally said. She could hear the disbelief in his voice. The tendons in his neck were strained; he was trying his best not to show his nervousness. She wondered if he thought she was going to attack him; did he not know that if she wanted to hurt him she would have done it while he was unconscious? She could have simply let him die and no one would be the wiser.
"Neither did I," Katara admitted. She hoped she could calm him back down. "It was an accident that I discovered I was able to heal. "
"You know that by admitting you're a bender, you should be sent down to The Arena, right?" the prince stated. Katara nodded in defeat.
Zuko's gaze fell on her face. "Then why did you do it?"
"I promised I would. You told me your secret; one you were willing to die for to keep safe. So I gave you mine, one that will lead to my death if it gets out." Zuko nodded, looked down at his leg and then back to the girl who sat sullen before him. She had no tears to shed, it had been her own choice to admit it; she knew what she was getting into, but it was still hard.
"I'll make you a deal, Katara," Zuko stated. He tried to sit up and winced as he flexed his burned skin. She moved closer and helped him lean back up against the bed so he could sit eye level with her.
"If you can heal me so that no one can tell I was injured, I won't tell anyone that you're a bender."
Katara paused, shocked. "What?"
"I need to be able to move and bend tomorrow for the summer solstice," Zuko explained. "If you can heal me so no one knows, then I'll keep your bending a secret as thanks." Katara looked over his wounds again and nodded.
"You have a deal Prince Zuko." Katara stood, refilled the cup with water, and rewet the towels. She began with his ankle. In the time it had taken to regain her strength, the swelling had gone down slightly on its own. Proper elevation and the cooling towels had done their work.
She eased his shoe open just enough to get to his ankle, dipped hand into the cup of water and applied the glowing water. Zuko watched the water stick to her hand and then his ankle unlike anything he had ever seen. It was like a paste that felt fresh and cool.
He remembered the tingling sensation from her healing him before. She did a good job of covering it up back then. The glowing was new though, he did not seem to recall that before. Did it mean she was stronger now? Katara poked the swollen ankle as she worked, judging the effectiveness of her healing. When the water soaked into his flesh completely Zuko attempted to move his foot, wringing his toes.
"How does it feel?"
"The throbbing is gone," he said in awe.
"Good," Katara nodded. She pulled the shoe off completely and wrapped his ankle in a cool towel.
"The swelling has to go down on its own now," she explained. Zuko seemed to understand, even as he rotated his ankle back and forth, testing its mobility. Katara removed his other shoe and made sure the pillows under the one foot were properly fluffed. Looking away from his feet, Katara turned to tackle the burn.
She would not lie to herself; it was pleasant sitting with him without worrying about doing something wrong. She was literarily in her element.
"I didn't know you could fight other firebenders in the Arena without it being an Agni Kai," she stated. Katara helped him out of the black shirt, which she know recognized as the clothing the Blue Spirit wore, cringing when she saw the full extent of the burn. It began just above his jawline on the right, the side without the scar, and fanned down his shoulder into his chest. The skin was puckered and angry. It had most likely been a close range hit.
"It's unusual for the challengers to want face each other instead of one of the fighters," Zuko explained. Katara called fresh water to her hands and laid them on his chest to begin her work as he explained further.
"There were three of us there today. The moment the younger man saw my mask, he offered to face me instead. I agreed, thinking it would be an easy win. He looked untrained with the weapon he had been holding. I didn't realize that he was a bender as well." Katara was curious how the prince could beat the Admiral in an Agni Kai but lose so badly to a civilian bender.
She focused on his neck and collarbone next, careful to keep the healing consistent. She felt her strength fading more quickly than before. It was obvious she was tired, but she did not mind.
"That explains the burn. What about the gash?"
Zuko sighed "It was a bad fight." He looked down to watch her heal his chest. She wondered absentmindedly if he could feel her fingertips through the tingling of the cool water. She could certainly fell his muscles tighten.
"Did you win?"
"Eventually," Zuko nodded. "I got a lucky shot in and knocked him hard on the head with my sword hilt. Not before he caught me off balance enough to twist my ankle and stab me with the curved spear he had though. I truthfully wasn't expecting firebending either. The Blue Spirit only has short range attacks to work with." She let him talk as she finished off the burn. Katara knew how to heal burns and it took much less time than the gash in his leg. As her strength and the water ran out, she let her hands fall against his warm skin, catching her breath. It was not until she felt the deep rumbling when Zuko spoke that she realized her hands were still touching him.
"Where did you get those?" He asked, reaching to capture her hand, examining her wrist. The burns were almost gone by now. Katara looked away; luckily Zuko seemed to put the pieces together on his own. He almost looked ashamed.
"Why didn't you heal yourself?" Katara did not expect him to apologize for his actions.
"The other servant who showed me where to do the laundry saw them before I had a chance," Katara answered truthfully, "but they were also a reminder to myself."
Zuko said nothing and dropped her hand; instead he touched where his burn had been. Finding naught but new soft skin, he looked to the gash. The pink line was all that remained. Katara watched him stand without assistance, looking up from her position kneeling on the ground.
"You should rest," she stated. "Your body still thinks its injured. You should let your fever fall on its own as well." She doubted the prince would keep his promise; he stood tall now, as if nothing happened. He was once again the man who could overpower her if need be, no longer the weak helpless prince who needed her to save his life. She watched as he touched each injury and found no pain.
"You did it. They'll never know it was me."
"Who?" She stood to remake the bed. "Why did you go to the Arena when you needed to be healthy tomorrow?" The girl was ready to pass out but pushed through it.
Zuko sighed. "The tournament today had a cash prize: one Lu Ten had his eye on. He goes through gold like you wouldn't believe." The prince shook his head, smiling at the thought of his older cousin. "I didn't think I'd get this injured that it would be a problem to take his place today."
"What made today special?" Katara had never heard of a cash prize for the nobles who fought at the Arena. Maybe Shiyu had mentioned it but she didn't understand.
"Tomorrow is the Sumer Solstice. The festival started today with the fights at the Arenal. The throne room and the main hall will be open to the public tomorrow. That's where the main performance will be held. My sister and I were called upon by the fire sages to do the bending tribute this year. It's a great honor, one I would have had to find a way out of it I had been injured." Katara understood now why he wanted everything to be a secret.
"Which means I'll keep my end of the deal, Katara," Zuko added. "No one will know about you being a bender except for me."
Katara bowed. "Thank you,". She watched the prince snuff out the candles she had lit, and she put the remaining water and towels back into the bathroom. When she returned, the prince was already getting into bed. She followed suit, snuggling into the couch and falling asleep as soon as her eyes closed.
(Original Author's Note) Shorter chapter, but lots of little Zutara-y moments. Its slow-burn for a reason right?
And thus, you all know the identity of the Blue Spirit. I'm so proud of how many of you guessed correctly that it was Lu Ten at the beginning. :) Yay!
Summer Solstice next chapter: Fire Nation festival time! Sounds fun right?
*The chapter title is from 'Stand My Ground' by Within Temptation*