Bait
Weeks passed, each as uneventful as the last, until finally the gleaming Tribes of the North could be seen on the horizon. Zuko smirked; the Avatar was probably hiding with his friends and that flying beast. He wondered to himself how such a large animal could fly, carrying all its weight. With a shrug, the prince made his way to the very far tip of the deck, looking out at the bright white wonderland they had come to. The air had become chillier, so Zuko turned up the heat in his body, not wanting to miss his chance of getting the avatar over some stupid weather. "Don't hesitate! Break down the walls, do what you have to, but get us in that tribe!" he yelled at the captain, who nodded and carried out his orders. The prince had a warm feeling. He was this close to regaining his honor, just a few steps.
The ship's hull crashed through the thick ice walls, fire benders and soldiers storming out like a sea of metal death. Everywhere, people screamed, houses were destroyed, all the Fire Nation troops looking for one thing. Zuko stepped out of the ship after a moment, smiling maniacally at all of the chaos before him. "I want the Avatar, alive!" His voice boomed out across the shining pathways. This wouldn't be easy, and the innocent water tribe would have to rebuild, but Zuko wanted his honor back with any consequences.
Soon, his sharp golden eyes took notice of one of the pestering Avatar's friends. It was the water bender girl. She froze some of the soldiers and ran up to Zuko, with a wave of water before her. Zuko scoffed and shot fire at the water, steam forming at the collision. Through the thick fog, he snuck towards the confused water bender, and grabbed her by the arms. If the Avatar wanted to play hide and seek, maybe some bartering would convince to come out.
Katara yelled as pale hands gripped her arms, although they were surprising warm. She struggled but the hold only tightened its grip. Zuko began to walk her to the ship, throwing her over his shoulder when she wouldn't walk, causing her to yell in his ear to let her go. He yelled at the troops to come back, the tribe in mayhem as the many soldiers boarded the ship and began to leave. Zuko smirked when he saw the big animal gliding through the sky, the Avatar obviously on board. He wasn't going to waste his energy and try to ground the bison, so he would take the girl and wait. It was ironically similar to fishing. Let the bait dangle on the line, and when the prey is close enough, grab it out of the water.
The ship began to pull back as Zuko stood on the deck, still holding Katara hostage for the air bender to see. He had now put her down in front of him, her arms behind her back. Purposely, he raised his temperature so that his hands hurt her if she tried to escape, but he didn't want to harm the girl too badly. She was innocent after all.
Katara growled at him, not enjoying being held prisoner, and tried to be clever, kicking backwards but only making Zuko angrier. Becoming tired of her behavior, Zuko picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder as he had done before. She banged her small hands on his back, and he only smirked at how ineffective her attempts were. He walked inside the ship; the Avatar would be angry enough by now.
Once Zuko was in his room, he put down Katara in front of him, blocking the door so she wouldn't try to escape. He knew she was witty, but he would make sure to keep her as bait. She put her hands on her hips, glaring at the bratty fire prince before her. "What do you want with me?" she asked, voice tainted with annoyance and hatred. For whatever reason, Zuko felt hurt that anyone would use such a tone at him, but he kept his stoic expression and clasped his hands behind him. "If I want the Avatar, I'm sure he'll care enough about his girlfriend to come to me instead of me chasing him. What I mean is, you're here as bait. I won't lie to you, there isn't anything you can do about your situation." His voice portrayed no emotion, but his amber eyes gleamed.
Katara blushed at being called Aang's girlfriend, but simply shrugged it off. She wondered where she would be staying… what would happen to her while she was here. She couldn't help but shiver under the look Zuko gave her, almost like a spider to his dinner. Her gaze drifted to the scar on his face, but she quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring.
To her luck, Zuko had seen, and didn't take it so lightly. His hand found its way to the rugged skin of his face, a frown settling on his features. Even his prisoner could barely stand the sight of it. He was an atrocity to the eye, it was true. He looked down, feeling horrible, before finishing what he had to say.
"Because you aren't a criminal, and haven't done anything to be treated as a prisoner yet, I will let you live amongst the maids. Whether they accept you or not is not my problem. But… if I catch you trying to escape, or sabotaging any routine of the ship, I will be sure to put you in a prison cell, and the conditions there aren't exactly preferable." He said quietly, looking back up at the tanned water bender. She seemed a bit shocked, raising an eyebrow at the prince. Why didn't he just throw her in the brig and forget about her? With a shrug, Katara began to walk forward, wondering where the maid's quarters were.
Zuko smirked, grabbing her arm tightly, "Whoa there, little girl. Let's not be hasty." Her cheeks bloomed red like the sweet summer blossom when he grabbed her once more. She wondered why he did that so often… then again, she wasn't bound by chains yet.
Zuko let go of the flustered water bender and began out the door, pausing and motioning for her to follow. "Don't make me carry you again." His voice was teasing, which made her stumble forward.
The walk down the metal corridor was silent, Katara following Zuko hesitantly. She felt imprisoned already; the small hallways cramped and bland. She wished she was back at home again, or with Appa in the sky. This was definitely not a lifestyle she could get used to, but it seemed this was home to Zuko. She wanted to ask him about his past, seeing he held many secrets just by the expression he always wore. Katara mentally slapped herself after a moment. He was the enemy… She wasn't supposed to give a damn what happened to him.
Finally, Zuko opened a door and peeked in, finding the maids all eating lunch. He smiled carefully at them, before turning back to Katara and motioning inside. "This is the water tribe girl. You will treat her like your own. Once I have the Avatar… she can choose to go home if she wishes. Keep an eye on her, don't let her escape." He instructed, seeing the laundry woman from earlier. She gave Katara a strange look before going back to eating. Zuko left after a moment, feeling the need to fire bend.
As bright bursts of orange sparks flew through the air, Katara was found bending water out of wet laundry outside. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Zuko practice his fire bending, all the while doing her work. She was glad that she only had to do simple chores like so, instead of being a prisoner with nothing to do until Aang decided to stop by. She wasn't even sure he knew Zuko had her, even after the little display on the deck.
After a little bit, the laundry was finished, and Katara folded it all into the brown wicker basket. She leaned back and watched the prince channel his feelings and energy into his bending, wondering if she would be able to practice with such emotion when she water bended. Zuko tired out by then, having practiced for over an hour, and set off the last, large blast of fire into the ocean. He wiped some sweat off of his forehead, glancing Katara watching him from the corner of his eye. The fire bender turned to her, smirking now. "Don't you have work to be doing?" he asked mockingly. Her cheeks flared and she quickly grabbed the laundry, running into the ship. Zuko smirked; she was so easy to embarrass.
A/N: Thanks for all the positive feedback! :D I'm glad to know I'm doing this fanfic a bit better than the first one. Katara has arrived! She, although not exactly a love interest as of yet, plays a big part of the story later on. I have so much in mind that it will take chapters and chapters to fit it all… Oh well. That's a good thing for you readers I suppose. Well enough rambling on from me XD Let me hear your thoughts, suggestions, or feedback :P