That I Should Rise

Chapter Three

As soon as Zuko sprang out of his bed he grabbed his shirt from under the bed. "How did they find us," he growled as he wrestled the shirt on. His hair was sticking up all over and he pulled the hood that covered his hair and haphazardly put the mask over his face. "Did Sola tell them which way we went?"
Katara shook her head. "She never would." Zuko noticed that she was already wearing her skirt and her veiled hat, but instead of the red dress, she wore red pants. They really must be in trouble if she didn't wear her skirt to avoid the slight chance of tripping over it.
"Well then why are there soliders coming for us?" Zuko's head turned to the door as he heard banging on the door downstairs.. "We gotta get out of here." He walked over to where there was a window and he pushed the shutters aside. The roof of the porch was just under his window and with ease, both he and Katara escaped the room just as they heard the innkeeper talking and directing the soldiers to his room. He closed the shutters behind them and together they walked along the porch roof carefully in the morning sun.
Katara crouched down and then lowered herself on to the ground, slipping in to the shadows of the building. Zuko followed her and then led her down the alley way.
"If Sola didn't tell them where we went, who did?" Zuko asked. He knew Katara wouldn't be able to answer - Aside from last night with Sola, they always tried to maintain as little contact with strangers as possible.
"Maybe somebody followed us," Katara said as they ran through the town, keeping to the shadows. "It's entirely possible."
Zuko didn't reply.
They kept running. It seemed like almost every turn they took, there were Fire Nation soldiers standing in the street, obviously looking for them. It seemed as if the whole town was on the lookout for the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady.
"We need to hide," Katara said.
The moved quickly into the shadows once again as a group of soldiers walked past on the street.
Zuko racked his brain for a place to hide... It would need to be someplace seldom visited. A place they would never expect. Like an abandoned building or...
The barracks.
It would be deadly if they were caught, but who would expect them to hide there?

"This has got to be the stupidest idea that you've ever had," Katara grumbled as they slinked through the halls of the barracks.
"While you please be quiet? They'll hear you," Zuko shot back. "We just need to find a way into the attic."
"How are you even sure that they have an attic?"
"All Fire Nation barracks have a attic," Zuko said in a knowing tone.
"How do you know that?" Zuko shot her a look. Anxiety blocked out recall and he seriously hoped that this was the case. How could she forget that he served in the military once?
"Oh, right," Katara said sheepishly. She looked away from him, her veiling float in the air as she looked down the hall way.
"Let's go," Zuko took her hand. "I think it I know where it is." They quietly made their way through the hallway. They came upon an empty room furnished with only a wooden table and two chairs. But the most important thing in the room was a string hanging from the ceiling, attached to a trapdoor.
Zuko refused to let out a sigh of relief, but he couldn't but feeling so. He pulled on the string and the collapsible ladder slowly unfolded itself. "Let's go," Zuko said as he motioned for Katara to go first. She quickly made her way up the ladder and Zuko followed suit, lifting the ladder up behind him.
The attic was located in the eaves of the building, which gave Zuko and Katara a long, but very narrow and short space to hide. Katara set herself on a crate and pulled her hat off.
"This is insane."
Zuko said nothing as he placed a crate on top of the traop door and sat down on it. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. The adrenaline running through his body was wearing off and he could feel a headache rising. "We should wait 'till night fall for when we get out of here," he said.
Katara nodded. "Are you hurt at all?" she asked.
Zuko shook his head. "And if I was, where would there be any water? You forgot your waterskin."
Katara shrugged. Silence fell. After a long time, Zuko noticed that Katara had fallen asleep while sitting up straight. Smiling, he gathered her into his arms and carried her (while trying to avoid hitting his head on the slanted ceiling) and lowered her onto a pile of flour sacks. Sitting himself down on the floor next to her, he kept watch.

BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
Zuko woke with start. When the heck did he fall asleep? The bang noise continued and he looked over to see Katara's eyes wide open. He then turned his eyes towards the place where the noise was coming from.
The trapdoor.
"Blast," Zuko muttered as he stealthily made his way over to the trap door. The box that he had put there was doing a small job of holding the trapdoor. It wouldn't be long until whoever was trying to get in, most likely Fire Nation soldiers, achieved their goal.
"What's going on?" Katara asked as she put her hat and veil on.
"Someone's trying to get in," Zuko whispered. Already he could hear the wooden door creaking and cracking. "We don't have long."
Katara's hair and veil whipped around as she looked for an exit. She turned back to Zuko. "Can you make a hole in the roof?"
They didn't need answer - A hissing sound began and fumes began to seep into the attic. They were being gassed. The could have mere minutes before they passed out. Zuko could already seeing its effect on Katara. Her face had paled considerably.
"Come on!" Zuko covered his nose and hand with his mouth and pulled Katara towards the end wall. Momentarily letting go of her hand, he shot a fireball from his hand, decimating the end wall. They jumped through the roof with disregard for the possible drop from such a height.
Thankfully, the building was low enough that the fall wasn't something they were unaccustomed to. They softened the impact by rolling. Well, Zuko did. Katara tried to roll to absorb the impact, but she flopped. Zuko thought the gas must have really affected Katara since she normally was one to be able to handle such gymnastics with grace.
Hurrying over to Katara, Zuko helped her up. He could hear voices. They must have landed in a garden or something. He looked to the building, seeing that there was a door that led to where they were. No doubt soldiers will be rushing through there in a moment.
"C'mon," Zuko muttered. Katara righted herself and followed Zuko as he sprinted away from the building. They ran through more of the land behind the barracks. Most Fire Nation barracks possessed a garden, stables, and a training area. Maybe if they could get to the stables, they could steal some horses. He grabbed Katara's hand - Agni, it was cold - and changed course to where he suspected the stables were.
They ran behind a shed and paused. He could smell the horses already. Checking that the coast was clear, they ran out.
"Ooof!" Zuko felt Katara's hand slip out from his grasp, which he then heard a muffled yell. Turning quickly, he saw Katara standing up straight with a sword to her throat. She a brave face, but Zuko knew she was shaking. A solider had her in his grasp and looked at Zuko menacingly. How had he snuck up on them with their knowing?
"Don't move, or she dies," the soldier growled. Several other men arrived, swords drawn and arrows ready to fire. One particularly ugly fellow stood in front of them all, clearly the man in charge. Somebody grabbed Zuko from behind and pinned his arms behind his back. They were surrounded.
"You're under arrest for treason against the supreme Fire Lord Ozai," the man sneered. Turning away from Zuko, he pointed to a soldier standing next to him, young looking man with wide eyes. "Bring them to the capitol, the Fire Lord wants deal with them personally."
Zuko lost it. With a yell, he tried to get free and he blew a jet of fire from his mouth. He managed to shake off the man holding him, but he then felt a blunt object hit him from behind and his vision started going black. The last thing he saw was Katara falling to the ground as well.

His head throbbed. What had they hit him with, a boulder? He tried to bring his hands to his face, but he found that they were tied behind his back and that he was laying on his side. Why was the room rocking side to side as well? Where was he?
"Zuko?" a voice said and he slowly turned his pounding head to see Katara - At least he hoped it was Katara, the lighting wherever he was was horrible.
"'Tara?" he mumbled. Why was he speaking like that?
"Oh thank La," he heard he say, relief washing over he voice. "I assume your head hurts?"
Zuko mumbled an affirmative. Why was everything still fuzzy?
He heard Katara shift and he felt he beside him. "They gave us a drug to suppress our bending, although I suspect they gave you a higher dosage. If your brain is still foggy, that may be why."
"Where...where are we going?" Zuko asked slowly.
Katara sighed. "They're taking us to the capitol to... to see the Fire Lord."
Zuko's heart stopped.
They were going to die.

Eventually both Zuko and Katara drifted off to sleep. He earlier found out that they were in a prisoner transport or, to be more technical, a wagon with walls and a door with a lock. Zuko's sleep was plagued with visions from the most random events in his life, as if he was seeing his life flash before his eyes, but with a torturous concentration on the pain and suffering in his life.
He was removed from such visions when light flooded into the wagon, revealing two figures with ridiculous heads... Zuko quickly realized that they were indeed Fire Nation soldiers in full armor, ready to take him to his death.
Katara looked at the men with an icy cold look. Zuko was sure that she would kill them if given the chance.
One if them grabbed Zuko roughly by the upper arm, dragging him onto the the ground. The second did the same to Katara, and not without calling her 'Watertribe scum'. Zuko felt his anger swell up when he heard him. But his attention was quickly brought to the enormous building in front of him. A whole squad of guards circled the two benders as they were moved up the stairs and into the the Fire Palace, home to Fire Lord Ozai.

And soon to be home to Zuko's dead body.

A.N.~ Well? I desire reviews, good, bad, and ugly. ;) School has me by the throat, so leave me a bunch so I know how you guys like it - It seriously helps me write better!

LBU