Katara anxiously eyed the door. If the soldiers caught them fraternizing, they might alert Mai, and then they'd both be in danger.
Zuko, however, was unconcerned. His hand moved gently to cover hers, and he kissed the fingers that she'd protectively placed against his lips.
Startled, Katara's tear-streaked face whirled around. "What are you doing?" she whispered.
He didn't answer aloud. Instead, Zuko interlaced their fingers and guided their locked hands downward. Then he leaned closer. The waterbender shuddered as Zuko grazed her lips with a timid kiss. Her eyes widened in shock at first, then fluttered shut as his mouth sealed firmly over hers.
By unspoken consensus, their hands unclasped so they could embrace one another fully. Zuko ardently gripped Katara's waist and pressed her against him. All the love he had withheld during those years of hell when he had closed his heart just to survive, he poured into this kiss, drowning them both in its depths. Fearlessly they let themselves go, riding the tides of emotion until they had ebbed enough for the two to stop and catch their breath.
Zuko gulped for air and stroked Katara's hair as her head sank into his shoulder. Some tiny part of him knew that this was madness, that it couldn't last; but he ignored it, telling himself he would make it last as long as he could before reality brought them back to their senses.
Nuzzled against his warmth, Katara listened to his rushing heartbeat. No doubts remained about his feelings or her own. "I can't believe you did that," she breathed, snuggling closer.
"I can't believe you let me." His eyes slipped closed with contentment. "I wasn't sure how you felt about me."
"Neither was I," she confessed quietly, "but now, I…"
"I know," he murmured. "But as happy as I am right now, I almost wish you weren't here. You don't know how much danger you're in."
"Why?" she asked, turning serious. She sat up so she could meet his eye.
"Azula doesn't completely trust me yet. That's why she sent Mai with me. She has her monitoring my every move." He braced himself. "She sent me to capture the Avatar."
"What?!" she cried incredulously, jerking out of his embrace. "Zuko, how can you do that to him? How can you do that to me?"
"I have to prove that I'm loyal to the Fire Nation," Zuko elaborated. "Unless I capture the Avatar and take him back, my father doesn't have to restore my right to the throne. And if you think the world is in trouble now, try to imagine it with Azula as Fire Lord. I have to go back there, so I can put an end to this."
Katara stood, clenching her fists and giving a frustrated groan. "I don't understand you. You said the Fire Nation took your mother away from you. How can you even want to go back?"
"They're my people, Katara. Wouldn't you do anything to save the Water Tribe from being destroyed?"
"That's different."
"No, it isn't. Not all of my people believe in this war. If I became Fire Lord, I could end the war and make peace with the other nations. Isn't that worth trying for?"
"You…you want to make peace?" Katara softened.
Zuko looked into her eyes with the utmost sincerity. "I hate this war as much as you do. I know it sounds crazy, but I had to betray my uncle - and you - because this way, I have a chance to end it for good."
Grudgingly, Katara saw his point. "There has to be another way," she insisted.
"And if there isn't? Think about it. The Avatar failed against Azula. The only reason he got out of there was because of you and my uncle. If he fails against my father, I'm the only hope you have. You know I'm right about this."
She didn't have an answer for that. A hollow dread filled her heart. What if the war could only be ended at the cost of Aang's life? Katara couldn't bring herself to consider it.
"I have to leave soon," Zuko murmured, sensing her conflicted feelings. "The guards won't understand why I've been in here so long."
"I know." She paced around for a moment, then glanced back at him. "What's going to happen to me and the Kyoshi warriors?"
"I don't know. I can't let you go. Not with Mai watching me like a hawk and reporting everything she sees to Azula. I'll try to think of something." Another precious moment slipped by. "I know you still believe that the Avatar can make everything right. Maybe he can. But if he can't, I hope you can forgive me for doing what has to be done."
"I do believe in the Avatar," Katara acknowledged sadly. "But Zuko… I believe in you, too."
Zuko sucked in a ragged breath. In two long strides he was there beside her, pulling her against him for one last kiss. "As soon as it's safe, I'll come and find you. I promise." The banished prince untied his pearl dagger and pressed it into Katara's hands. "This means more to me than anything else I own. Take it."
Katara unsheathed it, staring at the white blade and reading its inscription. "Zuko… are you sure you want to give me this?"
"I'm sure." The prince took in the sight of her one last time. "Don't worry, Katara. I'll find a way to set you free." He turned to leave, knocking at the door to get the guard to unlock it.
"Who's going to set you free?" she whispered.
Zuko's chin turned back over his shoulder for a moment. He had heard her question.
The guard opened the door, his Fire Nation mask glinting in the daylight. Zuko walked out, without another word, and the iron door slammed behind him, leaving Katara in the dark once more.
ooo LL ooo
Sokka leaned on the railing, staring distractedly out over the choppy sea. "So how's Aang?"
Toph shook her head. "Not good. It's too bad Katara isn't here to work her magic with the water."
Oops. That was a mistake, Toph realized instantly. She knew by the extended pause that followed that mentioning Katara had made him think of Suki. "Should we go check on her?"
"She's probably fine," Sokka sighed, "and besides, Appa needs a break. He can't fly forever, and he can't swim forever either. We'll have to find an island soon where he can get some sleep."
"Right." Toph hadn't thought of that. "D'you want me to go with you?"
Sokka closed his eyes as if to shut out pain. "You don't have to."
Toph would never have admitted it, but that hurt. It was almost like he didn't want her to go. "I want to. It'll be nice to feel some real earth under my feet for a change, even if it's just for a few hours."
"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." Sokka nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, sure. There should be several little islands along the way to the South Pole. Maybe we can stop at Whale Tail Island; let Appa eat."
And you can ignore me and keep brooding over Suki, Toph thought bleakly, just like you have been since Kyoshi. Yippee. Sounds like a lotta fun.
ooo LL ooo
Long Feng trod down the long passageway that led to the throne room, barely able to keep his composure. He was hot all over; he could feel his body perspiring and trembling. Never in his life had he been afraid of anything or anyone, until now.
He cursed the day he ever tried to persuade the Fire Nation Princess to join him, but it was all too late for regrets. He had lost everything but his life thanks to her. Now, he felt certain, he would lose that too. Even the torchlight flickering its shadows on the wall made him ill at ease, as though he were walking in the dungeons on the way to his own execution.
How would he do it? How could he face that evil girl and look her in the face as he said the awful words: The prisoner has escaped? He could have sent one of the Dai Li to deliver the message, but Long Feng at least had enough honor left not to play the coward once more and let one of his men take the fall.
Perhaps I am better off dead, he resigned, feeling calm for the first time since he'd heard the news. Yes, perhaps it is better to be dead than to live in a Ba Sing Se ruled by the Fire Nation.
At the end, which came only half an hour later with a streak of lightning through his heart, Long Feng felt certain he was right.
ooo LL ooo
Princess Azula bent over the dead body of Long Feng, still smoking and burned in the chest. She had been about to order the corpse of the Grand Secretariat taken out of her sight when she had seen something clutched in his hand. She reached for it now, discovering that it was a letter, sealed with white wax and embossed with the shape of a flower of some kind. Strangely, it bore her name on the outside.
Azula tore a razor-sharp fingernail down the edge, quickly scanning its contents.
Tyranny will always fail, Azula. Remember, I did warn you.
Signed, The Dragon of the West
Azula's eyes narrowed dangerously as she set the note on fire, a blazing blue ball in her palm.
"Ty Lee."
Still shaken from witnessing Long Feng's untimely end, the acrobat shivered. Her trademark silly grin was gone, replaced by a look of horror. "Y-yes, Azula?"
"Summon the Dai Li. We're going hunting for a traitor."
ooo LL ooo
Zuko stood on the prow, leaning against the railing and watching as the swan-dolphins leapt along the frothy waters stirred by the ship. Uncle, where are you? I need your help…
"So, what did you find out?" Mai's monotonous voice cut in.
Zuko glanced back over his shoulder. "The Avatar wasn't on Kyoshi. It was his friends. They freed the Kyoshi warriors."
Mai raised an eyebrow. "So where's the Avatar?"
"The Kyoshi warriors didn't know."
"What about the waterbender?" the pale girl inquired. "I'll bet she knows where he is."
Zuko's stomach turned a somersault. "What?"
"The Water Tribe girl," Mai said plainly, "the Avatar's friend. The guard said you spent a long time in there. What did you find out?"
"She said he was dead," Zuko replied dully, hoping that he lied more convincingly than usual. "The wound Azula gave him was fatal. She got him out of the palace and took him somewhere safe to try and heal him, but it didn't work. He died in her arms."
"Aw," Mai intoned sarcastically. "Did she cry?"
"Yes," Zuko said through gritted teeth, hating the senbon-wielding girl with an intensity usually reserved for his sister, "she did."
"Then I guess she was telling the truth." Mai shrugged. "So what do we do now?"
"Make certain that he really is dead. She said he died in Ba Sing Se and that they had to leave him behind. We'll go back to the city and search for the body. I don't want any mistakes made this time. Dead or alive, I'm going to take the Avatar to my father and get my honor back."
His angry front was enough to fool Mai. "I'll tell the helmsman we're going back." She sighed and started to walk away. "Oh, by the way. What do you plan on doing with our prisoners?"
"I haven't decided yet," Zuko replied honestly. "First I need to know if they were telling the truth. If we can't find the Avatar's body, we'll still need them for more intense interrogation."
"That makes sense," she nodded. "Okay. Back to Ba Sing Se, then."
Inwardly, Zuko panicked. What am I going to do? I have to get Katara off this boat. But how?
ooo LL ooo
When the sweeper in the barn at Ba Sing Se had told them about a "rich royal type on Whale Tail Island," Sokka had pictured a place bustling with activity and civilization, or at least a few towns and perhaps one or two grand estates.
The real Whale Tail Island was nothing of the sort. Clearly uninhabited, it was pretty in a rugged sort of way, loosely vegetated and dotted with evergreens. The island also possessed several hot springs, whose steam hanging in the air gave it a mystical feel, as though it were someplace out of a dream.
Sokka and Toph rode Appa to a clearing in the low hills, where they descended into the warm mist. Appa instantly fell asleep on the grass, weary from nearly two days of nonstop traveling.
Toph slid down his furry belly and happily wriggled her toes in the ground, glad to be able to "see" again. "I like this place," she commented, "it's been getting colder the further south we travel, but the geysers keep it warm and comfortable."
"Better get used to the cold," Sokka replied, climbing down after her, "we might be at the South Pole for awhile."
"And then I'll be practically useless," Toph groaned. "Unless somebody didn't tell me and icebergs are really made out of earth."
Sokka didn't answer that; he seemed distracted. "Listen, I'm going to check out a little more of the island. I know we didn't see any Fire Nation camps from above, but that doesn't mean there aren't any dangers out there."
"Why don't I come with you?" the blind earthbender suggested. "If you get into trouble I can help."
"I don't need your help. I'm a warrior, remember?" Sokka shot back testily. "And if, by some unlucky chance, I get into a scrape and I die because I can't Bend, at least I won't have to hear you nag about it anymore."
"Nag?" Toph cried shrilly, stomping a foot into the earth and causing a pocket of steam to shoot out of the ground. "Listen up, oh mighty warrior! I've saved your sorry life more than once and never heard a thank-you or diddly-doo-dah from you; but have I said anything until now? No! You want to go off on your own? Fine. Go prove your manhood to yourself. If you get in trouble, get yourself out; you're a big tough guy. I won't get in the way anymore."
By the time she was finished with her harangue, Sokka's face was nearly purple. "I - you - ooohhh - leaving - don't - aaagghhh!" He whirled on his heel and stomped away into the wilderness, muttering and thrashing at the trees with his machete as he went.
"Yeah, good riddance," Toph called after him, only hearing the songs of birds and crickets in reply. "Well, Appa, looks like it's just me and you, buddy."
Appa responded with a loud snore, his mouth hanging open and dripping with drool.
"Yeah," the earthbender chuckled, "I know exactly how you feel. Definitely naptime." Leaning against the bison's furry side, she promptly drifted off to sleep.