Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything pertaining to it.

A/N: Thank you all for your patience... it's finals week for me, so I do apologize for the delay and length of time it has taken me to post this chapter. Your reviews are really inspiring, and I hope to not disappoint you. You guys are fabulous!

Ethereal

Chapter 3: The Volcano's Crater

"The Earth and the Sky created the Sun and the Moon, betrothing them to one another. When Man was born, the Sun gave Him the gift of Fire, so he may be better be Enlightened; the Moon gave Woman water, so She could extend Her Life. And as such, it was deemed necessary for the Two to work together, so They could ensure Life would continue." The Creation, Chapter 1, 32-34.

When Katara awoke the next day, it was eerily quiet on the boat. While she was rather isolated within the Volcanic Island carrier ship, she would still hear the crew barking orders or smell the burning coal from the helm inside the ship. She sat up slowly and swung her legs over the side of the bed; they were beginning to feel less heavy the more she adjusted to walking. Over the past couple days, she had become less clumsy but still found it difficult to walk on her own for extended periods of time.

The air was thick and humid, and it felt almost like breathing in water. The siren struggled to stand slowly, gripping the metal frame of the bed before rising to her delicate legs. She stumbled over to the porthole to see they were docked; the sun was high in the sky, and if she stood especially still, she could feel the gentle rocking of the ocean beneath her feet and hear the crash of waves on the rocky shore beneath them. In the horizon, Katara saw dark grey clouds promising a heavy rain.

As the heavy door swung open, Katara turned around to see the prince standing in what she assumed to be his full uniform. It was comprised of red plated armor with gold trim past his waist, and the clothes under his armor was black. He wore a cape that was fastened by a pin with a Dragon Court emblem and his hair was pulled up in a top knot. It was the first time she had also gotten a clear look at his scar; it marked the left side of his face, and the skin looked tired and worn almost like leather. She wanted to ask him about it, but discouraged herself from doing so.

He was holding a packaged wrapped up in paper and fastened with strings. "My uncle said you should wear this." He gingerly tossed it on the bed. "We're leaving in about twenty minutes. So, yeah." Zuko turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him and locking it tightly.

The siren stumbled over to the bed and pulled the strings apart to reveal something blue with a note on top, but sighed as she realized it was in the common written language system. She had no idea what it said. When she turned it over, there was a series of pictures showing how to wear the silk clothing. Her mouth formed a small "o." Help from Lord Iroh, she thought to herself as she pulled the itchy dress off her body and pulled the blue clothing up over her body. The sleeves were long, and the skirt dragged on the floor, but she did her best to pull her skirt up and tie the bow.

A few minutes later, a knock came on the door before it opened. "Lady Katara, does the dress fit?" She turned around to give him a good overview of it, his eyes scanning her a bit. "Well, the color most definitely suits you and I'm happy I wrote the tailor when we were in Maizuru, but it does seem a bit large. No worries, we will have the royal seamstress fix that later. The bow, however, is tied wrong." He said, motioning for her to turn with his fingers so he could redo it. "We will just be presenting you to the Dragon King today, then they will adjust your attire for this evening's banquet. To be honest, we were expecting you to arrive, well, in your more traditional form. However, this is a pleasant surprise."

Katara nodded, coughing a bit as he finished. "May I trouble you for some water?" She asked, her voice cracking a bit.

Iroh nodded and went to the hall to ask a guard for a cup. "I hope you're not getting ill," he said gravely. She shook her head bravely, though she was beginning to wonder herself, then took the cup from the guard's wary hands as he presented it to her.

Zuko stood in the doorway and looked between his uncle and the sea enchantress. "We need to go or we'll be late," he said.

"Of course, Prince Zuko. Tell me, don't you think the Lady Katara looks lovely today?"

The golden eyes scanned the girl from head to toe, then back up again before he shrugged. "I guess. Her kimono's too big though, and the bow is crooked," he said, looking in her eyes before turning around and walking out.

"Princes have insatiable tastes," Iroh joked. Katara just nodded silently and pulled her skirt up, wondering why he seemed to resent her so.

The Volcanic Island was comprised of a few large islands surrounded by many smaller islands, Iroh explained to Katara. The largest island hosted an enormous inactive volcano, and inside the crater was the capital city. In the dead center was the palace; it was magnificent, with walls built around it on all sides and the front entrance marked by two impressive dragons carved out of stone and adorned with jade and gold. He told her that the palace throne room was one of the most beautiful rooms he had ever seen in all his life and was only surpassed by the natural beauty of the Windmountain Temples.

The ride from the bay where the ship docked was several hours, as they had to travel from the beach to the crater of the volcano. While the sides of the volcano were not steep, it was more inland, and the path took them directly through the jungle. Iroh told the siren it had something to do with ensuring the safety of the capital from potential invaders, or something like that. Soon, Katara felt herself beginning to sweat and she wondered how Zuko could handle the heat under his armor.

She began feeling faint, and opened her mouth to ask for some water when everything suddenly became very hazy. Moments later, she opened her eyes to see Iroh using a fan to circulate air around her as she was propped up against a body - Zuko's torso. She moved to wipe her face with her right hand, suddenly realizing just how damp her skin was with perspiration. It was the first time she had seen the prince so close, and based the amount of sweat on his brow, she concluded he wasn't immune to the insufferable heat either.

"What happened?" she asked weakly, her lips feeling dry and her throat screaming for water.

The older man shook his head, "We don't know. You seemed fine one minute, then the next you nearly fell out of the caravan," he explained. "It must be all the heat; you're not used to it yet." He went to offer her some water to her lips, but more of the precious liquid rolled down her face and onto her kimono than went into her mouth.

"I'll do it," Zuko took the waterskin from his uncle and held it to the siren's lips, tilting it minimally. "Drink it slowly, or you'll get-"

Katara ignored him, and moved to let a cascade of water enter her mouth. It was cool and sweet, and she just wanted to drink all the water in the world - until a wave of nausea hit her. She jerked over to Zuko's side and leaned out of the caravan, coughing and relinquishing all the water from her system onto the jungle floor.

"You'll get sick." Zuko finished, pulling her hair back. "Is it just me Uncle, or does she look sick?" He held a small square of cloth out in front of her face and Katara took it, wiping her mouth and continuing to dry heave for a few more minutes. She finally moved to lean back against him again, closing her eyes a bit and still clutching the cloth in her hand.

"She does look a bit paler than normal," Iroh conceded. "Lady Katara, please look at me," he rubbed her free hand gently. The young girl weakly opened her eyes and sniffled a bit, looking at the gentle older man. "Her eyes seem a bit greyer than usual, but I imagine she's just exhausted and a bit dehydrated."

The prince nodded a bit, then held the waterskin to the lips of his father's gift again. "Drink slowly this time," he warned, and Katara obliged, letting him control the flow of the water. She learned her lesson the first time. "Proceed," Zuko instructed the driver as he watched over the young woman.

He was so close; he wasn't going to fail now.

When the caravan finally reached the entrance to the crater, Katara was thoroughly surprised. Part of her expected to see a dead, barren wasteland with petrified trees and magma everywhere. Part of her wasn't sure what to expect at all, but she had a feeling she wouldn't like it. She couldn't have been further from the truth.

The city, though built in the crater, was colorful and lively. Shops all around the city had colorful beads and jewelry hanging down from windows, while scarves, bolts of cloth, and beautiful clothing billowed with the occasional breeze. There were stalls all around selling food, and children playing a game with balls in alleyways while their mothers hung up clean laundry on lines outside. Some young girls were holding baskets of flowers with long flowing braids and had beads woven into their hair. Musicians and dancers were scattered all about, and the majority of people were carrying paper lanterns with dragons and characters painted on them.

She moved to sit up on her knees, her fingers holding onto the window for support as she gazed out and stared at the spectacles. Once, she had been to a Glacierland port to watch a trade between her father and another man. But the village was small. There couldn't have been more than thirty or so people. The capital had to have thousands upon thousands.

She felt Zuko tug her back down to her seated position and he looked sternly at her, shaking his head. "Don't."

The young siren frowned a bit, but continued watching as others passed her, noticing a few young girls with decorative make up and paints on their faces. "What do you call this style of cosmetic?" Katara asked, tugging on Zuko's sleeve a bit as she pointed.

He put her hand down firmly. "Don't point. And it's called facepaint. Children do it for celebrations."

"Oh, it is the time of celebrating for your people?" She asked, looking around some more and noticing some people eating meat off a long wooden stick.

"It's New Year for us," Iroh explained. "Before a universal calendar was established, we had our own that was based off the moon. We now observe the universally recognized New Year, but we still celebrate our own in remembrance of our history. We are very proud of our history."

"Hm, I see. One would have presumed you would model your calendar after the sun," Katara remarked.

The General shook his head. "Though we trace our roots to the dragon and sun, we too need the moon. Just as sirens need the sun," he smiled. "Look," he said as he pointed ahead.

She turned to see a large wall of red and gold with impressive characters carved into its frame. Two stone dragons, just as Iroh promised, wrapped around the frame of the entrance and appeared to be breathing fire. Each was decorated differently with jewelry made from gold and and a greenish stone Katara assumed to be jade. While he kept true to his word, she couldn't have possibly imagined such a magnificent sight.

"What does the written word read as?" she inquired out of curiosity as they passed through the gates. She noticed there were several pools of water and a complex moat that seemed to cut through the grounds of the palace.

"It says, 'Dragon amongst the men,'" Iroh translated. "This has been the home of the Royal Dragon family for over eight generations."

The siren was so swept up in the majesty of the city she had forgotten what potential hell she was headed into until the doors of the palace opened to allow them in.

"Bring her forth," the shadowed Dragon King demanded. To his right sat a young, elegant woman in Volcanic Island uniform as well. Katara hobbled across the marble floor towards the base of the stairs where the king sat in a golden chair. Zuko held her tightly by her arm as he presented her. The king leaned forward and a small beam of light struck his face, revealing his hardened face and cold, calculating eyes. "I don't understand, she doesn't look like a siren. If anything, she looks just like some Glacierland plebian. How dare you defy me and bring this thing into my home. If I had wanted a slave, I would have sent you to just buy one."

Zuko seemed to cower a bit under his father's scrutiny; the usually outspoken and abrupt prince seemed like nothing more than a small child when his father was present. "F-f-father," he stammered slightly. "I assure you she is a siren, just place her in the water."

"Are you going to do it, or are you going to waste my valuable time with throwing out excuses and reasonings?" he demanded. Iroh stood off to the side quietly and Katara didn't understand how such a kind man could possibly be related to such a frigid man who didn't even seem to want his son back in the palace.

The prince turned to Katara and looked at her for a moment, then said under his breath, "Sorry." Before she could ask why, he pulled her up into his arms and over his shoulder and moved towards a deep moat of water that surrounded the outer ring of the court. In matter of seconds, Katara processed what was going to happen and seconds later she felt her body colliding with the water before she was enveloped by her natural element. She fought to pull herself up, water rushing into her lungs, and felt the heavy burden of legs fading. She looked down and noticed her former set of bronzed legs had transformed into her familiar shimmering mosaic of blues and the fatigue she felt from before had begun dissipating.

Before she had a chance to appreciate her surroundings, a hand grabbed her by her arm and pulled her to the surface to showcase her to the king. "Do you think a simple Glacierland peasant is capable of this witchcraft?" Zuko asked his father, bowing his head a bit in shame. The king raised his eyebrows a bit, then sat back on his throne.

"You have succeeded, my son. Welcome home," he said, then stood and exited the throne room. The young woman gave Zuko a wicked smile, then padded out of the room behind the king.

Iroh quickly walked over to the edge of the water as Zuko released Katara's arm and bent over a bit. "My lady, are you alright?"

She nodded a bit, "Yes, I fare much better than previously," she admitted. "Though I do feel quite uneasy about ruining such fine clothing," she looked down at the drenched, silk kimono. It clung to her body and scales, and the neat braid her hair was in had fallen out in places.

The older man shook his head, "It isn't of any consequence. If you would like, I'm sure you can stay here in this water for a while. The moat has a small tunnel under the throne that leads to the courtyards and essentially wraps around the palace all the way to the Blue Lagoon and all of it is enclosed by the palace walls," he explained. "You can't get to the sea from here, so the king won't object, I'm sure."

Katara thought for a moment, then nodded some. "Yes, but can I first get out of this attire?" Iroh laughed a bit and nodded.

"Sure, help me, Prince Zuko," he told his nephew as Katara lifted her arms a bit. Zuko, slightly spaced out, snapped back to attention and nodded as he helped pull the outfit off the young woman's damp body. Already, she looked happier and relieved to be in the water, in her home. Just like he felt relieved to be home for the first time in a long time. But still, something felt like it was missing and he couldn't put his finger on what.

"Come Prince Zuko, let the young woman enjoy her first moments alone in water and we'll go enjoy some tea," the General suggested, guiding his nephew out by his arm.

Katara had nestled onto the floor of the large moat in the throne room after Iroh and Zuko had left. She curled up and closed her eyes, finally relaxing before drifting off into a deep slumber. It was the first time she felt like she had actually slept decently since her imprisonment, until she saw flashes of her brother panicking in her home, and her father sending search parties out. Then she heard her mother fussing - no screaming at her: "How could you lose my necklace, Katara! It was all you had left of me!"

She jerked herself awake and stretched a bit in the small tunnel to the best of her abilities. That was enough sleep for now.

When she moved in the opposite direction towards the courtyard, she noticed the sky had turned a pinkish orange hue and the sun was beginning to dip beneath the horizon. Katara concluded she had slept for much longer than she had originally realized.

Then she heard a small quack. Katara sat upright in the water and listened closely; another one. "Hmm," she thought out loud before trying to navigate the forking waters towards the source. She found herself turning around and frequently going back in the direction she came from, or moving further away from the sound several times before she saw a tall tree and a small pond underneath it. A hooded figure sat the edge of the pond and was tossing small pieces of bread at the creatures.

"Is one even supposed to feed wildlife?" Katara asked, coming up behind the figure. A pair of amber eyes whirled around to meet her sapphire ones before returning his attention to his work.

"Mind your own business," he said coldly.

The siren frowned, using her arms to pull her torso onto the ledge beside the bridge behind him. Her luminescent tail dangled in the water and she pulled her hair to one side, beginning to re-braid it. "I mean no harm, sire, I just wish to ensure you are not-"

"I know more about turtle ducks than some wet fish bride," Zuko insisted.

"Why are you cross?" Katara asked, frowning some.

"Why do you talk so strangely?" he fired back.

Her face reflected hurt as she looked down. "I speak your tongue, but I do not claim fluency. It is challenging, you know," she defended. "It is hard to believe one is the nephew of such a gentle man as Lord Iroh."

"Don't you have anyone else you can go annoy? I have a headache," he sighed a bit.

Katara dropped back down into the water and glared a bit at him, her eyes starting to turn dark with anger. "No, I have no one here. Or have you simply misremembered how your people aprehended me from my home and brought me to this place?"

She turned to swim away when he called out, "Wait." The siren turned to look at him from the water when he moved towards the edge and reached inside his pocket, pulling out a blue strap with a smooth pendant on it. "I think its yours."

"You stole this," she accused, taking it quickly and going to clasp it onto her neck. Her heart was racing in relief as she recognized the piece as her lost mother's necklace.

"No, I didn't. The healer took it off in Maizuru, and my uncle told me to hold onto it for safe keeping," he frowned a bit. "Members of the royal family don't steal, water peasant."

"Then I suppose I owe you my gratitude," Katara said, her eyes beginning to fade back to blue. Zuko shrugged at the proposed idea before starting to stand when she grabbed his arm. "Wait, it would be rude for one to refuse my thanks," she protested.

He kneeled back down, wondering what she could possibly have to offer on such short notice. Only one thing came to mind, and he was thankful for the darkness as his face began to grow hot thinking about what a siren could possibly offer a man in gratitude. Then again, he had heard before sirens had keen eyesight in the dark that made even tigerdillo's seem in dire need of glasses.

Moments later, he found himself tumbling into the water beside the siren after a rough tug. "That is for your earlier treatment in front of the king," she stated as he surfaced. She was now in the water and her arms were folded.

"I can't believe you just did that," Zuko growled, coughing and spitting up any water that had forced its way into his mouth and lungs. "Are you a child?" he sneered, going to climb out on the edge. He suddenly became conscious of the heaviness of his clothing, and took off the cloak he was wearing followed by his boots.

She watched as the looming grey clouds from the distance began to roll in. Katara moved towards the edge of the water, resting her arms on the stones and then placing her head on her stacked hands. "Does it rain here frequently?" she asked.

He shrugged a bit, looking up to notice the grey clouds as well. "Almost everyday. Why?"

The siren turned her head a bit as he shrugged. "What does the movement of one's shoulders upwards signify?"

Zuko made a face. "Shrugging? It just means," he paused. "Well, it means 'I don't know,' but sometimes it means, 'I guess.' It's confusing. But you didn't answer my question."

"I have never seen rain, merely read of it," she said absently, looking at the sky when a bright flash seemed to split open the sky. A loud boom followed it, and Katara covered her ears. "What was that cacophony?"

He reached down and grabbed her arm, starting to pull her out of the water. "It's a thunderstorm. You need to get out of the water."

"Ouch," she fussed, trying to help herself out of the water as well. "Why must I get out?"

"Water attracts lightning; you're not safe in any part of the water. You could get electrocuted," he said as if she were a small child.

The brunette shook her head still as she tried to back herself into the grass and remove her tail from the water. "What is the meaning of 'ee-leg-tor-cute-dead?'" she inquired, looking at him dumbly.

"Electrocuted," Zuko repeated, a slight tinge of annoyance lingering in his voice.

"'Ee-lecture-cut-dead,'" she said back.

He sighed. "Never mind."

"Sokka," an older man, his eyes tired from reading, said to his son. "Are the ships ready?"

The young man nodded and holding a spear nearly his height in his hand. "Yes. We set sail soon. Suki wrote to me to inform that she heard Maizuru had an unfortunate incident at its port. Something to do with a 'fish woman,' and Volcanic Islanders. One of them fit the description Bing Xue and Adine gave us."

"Then I suppose we'll head there," the chief told his son.

"Do you think she's okay?" Sokka asked, his voice trembling a bit with fear.

The man inhaled a bit then exhaled slowly. "I hope so; I think if they really wanted to kill her, they would have done so here. Why waste the effort taking her to Maizuru?"

The young warrior nodded a bit, "I sure hope so. I'm just worried about her, well, drying out. Like Mom." Sokka said delicately.

"I know, I know," Hakoda said. "I am, too."

Posted: 04/27/2012