Knight in Shining Armor
Weeks passed, the young water bender serving the Fire Nation ship as crew, not having a death wish. If she disobeyhed, she would surely be beheaded... or worse. She saw in the time she was there that the Fire Nation Prince was popular amongst the maids, but she only scoffed at their petty talk. They portrayed him as a dashing rebel, but Katara linked him to the nation that took her mother from her. She could never be symphatetic to him, yet he seemed troubled beneath his nonchalant mask... She was a caring person at heart, she couldn't deny the fact that Zuko was alone. Katara was very confused as to how to treat him, how to approach the man who gave her mixed signals, who seemed so far off... so she remained indifferent, as if he were but a stranger.
The dark canvas of the sky was painted with dazzling stars as the full moon hid behind drifting clouds. The breeze was cool, strong. Deep blue waves crashed against gleaming metal with malicious power, a storm brewing further west off the horizon. It was an atrocious night for a fire-bender…
Not too soon was a lone figure seen in the sky, a bird perhaps… Nay, upon closer inspection, it was Aang. The young air bender dove down towards the ship, landing lightly on the deck, but hiding out of the guards' sight. He closed his glider so it seemed a large staff, and looked around him cautiously. If he was going to save Katara, he was going to have to make use of the black shadows of night. His small feet had him running inside the ship, the last place he would expect to find Katara, so the most strategic place for her to be imprisoned. His wise choice brought him to the kitchen, where Katara was just finishing the dishes. Most of the ship was asleep, lone Katara still working.
"Aang!" she whispered. Quietly, she trotted to the open doorway where the air bender stood, looking sober. He put a finger to his lips before turning, looking down the hallway in case a guard was inspecting the hall. Aang's eyes widened as footsteps came down the metal corridor, making clanging noises as if whoever was coming was wearing metal shoes. A guard was Aang's first thought, so he hid behind one of the metal counters of the kitchen, Katara hurriedly going back to work. The man who stepped in, however, was no guard.
Zuko stepped inside, an eyebrow raised at Katara. "Why aren't you asleep, water bender? You worked enough in the day." Katara put down the dish she was wiping with a cloth, and looked at him, a bit flustered and confused. "I should be asking why you are awake. I'm a water bender, so my energy comes from the moon. But fire benders are Sun children… Night is no friend to you." she raised an eyebrow at the fire bender, who lost his stoic expression for a moment before answering. "I came because, because I had a nightmare, and I needed a glass of water…" he answered just above a whisper, his raspy voice sounding vulnerable for the moment. The two stood silent, awkwardly, before Katara went back to working. Whereas Zuko simply stood in his place, unsure what to do.
Aang, hiding behind the counter, was a bit irritated that Katara was actually talking to the fire prince, as if she weren't a prisoner. Unable to bear sitting still for so long, and wanting to blow up the traitor prince who made his life so complicated, he stood up and blasted Zuko with a whirlwind of air, grabbing Katara's hand and running for the door. Zuko, stunned for but a moment, blocked off his path and shot flames at him, which Aang deflected with a twirl of his staff. Katara bended some water from the kitchen sink and froze Zuko, giving her and Aang a chance to run. Zuko growled angrily and heated himself up, the ice melting quickly. But the two had already reached the deck.
Aang opened his glider and quickly realized a flaw to his plan… He couldn't take Katara with him on the small wooden aircraft. It couldn't hold that much weight. As the two stood on the deck a bit confusedly, Zuko ran out of the main door and blasted a fireball at Aang. The air bender was quick to jump over it, blowing a fierce wind at the scarred menace. "I'm not giving up, Avatar. I will regain my honor!" Zuko yelled, standing up after the impact of the blast. Katara bended some water from the glistening seas beneath the ship, and encased Zuko in ice once more. This time, however, the salt in the water made it difficult to freeze completely, and it would shatter quickly.
Katara suddenly had an idea of how to escape. "Aang! Come with me!" she yelled, about to jump off of the ship. Aang, an air bender, was a bit skeptical but he jumped off with her into the ocean. Katara was quick in her bending and made an air bubble around them both, taking them underwater and zooming away from the fire nation carrier.
Zuko broke free of the ice trap, running over to the side of the ship where the avatar and his friend had jumped off. There was no trace of them seen, just foamy waves. He yelled in frustration and shot a blast of fire into the ocean, hoping to hit the duo. Luckily, they were already meters away.
Katara and Aang came to the shore after a moment, Aang giving her a big hug. "Thank goodness you're safe, Katara…" His cheeks tainted red after a moment of realization, Aang let go of the water tribe beauty and walked towards camp, hoping Sokka hadn't done anything stupid in his absence. Katara smiled at the young Avatar and followed, happy at the thought of being with her brother and Aang again. Although they were always moving around or running away from someone… it felt like home when she was with them.
When they arrived at the small camp, Sokka's eyes widened as he practically tackled the water bender. "Little sis!" he shrieked. Katara gigged and hugged her older brother back. "I missed you too, Sokka." The siblings gave each other a warm smile before letting go of each other, feeling like a family again. Sokka looked down after a moment, remembering their father. "I miss him…" Katara nodded, knowing his thoughts. The two had a moment of silence, before Katara broke it, "That would mean the world to me. If they were both here…" she held her necklace tightly, feeling a few tears sting at her eyes.
Aang, on the side of the group, looked down awkwardly, understanding they hadn't seen their parents in a long time. He remembered Monk Gyatso, how his bones lay amongst rubble of fire nation helms. The young boy shuddered at the memory, saddened that his people were savagely killed. He truly was the last air bender…
Zuko did not sleep the rest of that night, knowing that he had failed in his plan and would have to continue trying to capture the Avatar. He held his face in his hands as he sat on his small cot, unable to figure out what to do next. The gentle flames in the torches above him were dying out, the Fire Prince too ashamed in himself to give them more power. The room was dull, like the mood of the user.
Silently, he went over the flaws of his scheme in his head. He had captured the water bender, had the Avatar just in his grasp. If it were just Aang, without the sneaky girl... perhaps he would have better luck. She could freeze him, but it always took him a moment to heat up. He couldn't just break free immediately. The Fire Prince pondered over the skills of all of the Avatar's friends, realizing the young boy wouldn't be as easy to catch as it had seemed at first. The first time they had encountered, all Zuko had seen was a 12 year old boy. The true strength behind him, Zuko had never pondered.
Attempt after attempt had made Zuko weary... He didn't want to continue failing, he only wanted his honor back. He wanted more than anything to make his father proud, not to be seen as the worthless child he should have never had. If only there was an easier way to complete the task...
With these thoughts he sulked, until the Sun had risen, and the Fire Prince snapped out of his sorrowful state. Mourning over his loss wasn't going to get him anywhere, he knew it better than anyone. So he stood, and he took control. If there was a better way to do this, he was going to find it. He wouldn't be defeated by a child any longer.
A/N: I have edited the ending to clarify some things... My thoughts are very scattered right now . With a flu it's not easy to write, also why I didn't update for a week or more. D: Well, tell me what you thought about this chapter, any suggestions comments or feedback are appreciated! :)