AN: Thanks again for the reviews, follows, and favorites.
People have asked about Katara being referred to as Kanna throughout the narrative. At this point, she doesn't feel like she's herself anymore, and prefers to think of herself as a different person. It's like she told Zuko last chapter, "She died in the raid," metaphorically, that is. I drew the parallel because Gran-Gran had left the Northern Water Tribe, and was taken into the Southern, not exactly an outsider, but something of an "other" type. She will reveal her true name in upcoming chapters.
One problem Iza had was explaining all the details. Where Kanna would be living, that the royal family actually came into the sewing room for fittings, and astonishingly, that they would be attending the prince's homecoming ceremony.
She'd learned from her first meeting with Prince Zuko that she should act like she believed herself a peasant in his family's presence. The princess said little but seemed tense and fidgeted, said she was busy and this better not take long. When the Fire Lord came in, she said nothing and was careful to never touch him, shrunk into herself. No one would know unless she did or said something.
As long as she kept up the pretense, she could find a way out and only Iza would notice her missing. Kanna wondered if Iza would miss her; they'd only known each other a few days. But she remembered the woman's story and sighed. Her husband was killed in the war, and her children were off in the colonies. She didn't really have anyone either. Would she be okay if she just disappeared?
She kept thinking about the Fire Lady, who had hired Iza. Where was she? She didn't ask, but when the clothes were finished and there were only three fittings, she got the gist. The Fire Lady couldn't put her children in a well deserved time out because she wasn't here, possibly wasn't alive. Remarrying probably wasn't something the Fire Lord cared about, and she doubted anyone would be happy to take on that duty.
It was the day of the ceremony when Iza finally told her they would be attending. Kanna was sitting at a table in the sewing room, looking out at the sun, her face resting in her hand. A few firebenders were training, but she did her best to ignore them.
She heard Iza sigh. "Well, the ceremony officially begins at noon."
Just over an hour away, she thought. "It's nice to be done with all the sewing for now."
"Yes, but now we have to get ready to go."
Kanna turned to her. "Go where?"
Iza grinned. excited. "To the ceremony, of course."
"What? I thought all I had to do was help you sew." She would not be able to remain calm around that vile man. If she went, she'd end up in the dungeon again and have no way out.
"Remember what I said about assimilating? That's part of this. Everyone that works in the palace is invited, unless they work in the kitchens or are guards. And then there's all the delegates and politicians and nobility. We're treated as part of the family."
I'd rather die than be part of that family, she thought. "So I have to go."
"I've never looked at it that way, but I suppose so."
This might actually be her chance to get out of here. It would be crowded, everyone would be distracted. All she had to do was slip away unseen. She'd done that before, she could do it now. "Let's get ready, then."
Iza focused on Kanna first. She brushed her hair down around her shoulders and made a small topknot with the upper section of her hair. It was the same hairstyle the royals wore. She wasn't sure if it was okay, but Kanna didn't say anything. Here, it was better to remain ignorant than to question, and Iza would think she was assimilating.
She handed Kanna a pile of clothes, which she looked through in confusion. What order they went on it, she wasn't exactly sure. Iza had her undress and helped her with the new clothes, showing her how they went on: tunic first, then the dress, then the overlay, and tie it off with the belt. Kanna slipped on the same shoes she'd been wearing. Luckily they weren't dirty.
Thinking they were done, Kanna went to sit down and wait, but Iza grabbed her hand. "Makeup is important on these occasions," she said. She held in a groan as she sat on a stool in front of Iza. Powder, eye shadow, eyeliner, and lipstick were applied.
When she went to the mirror in the back, she wanted to cry. She was dressed in the enemy's colors, painted in their makeup, wearing their shoes, living in their home, stranded their country, surrounded by them. Rage built quietly inside her, rooting in her chest. She would get out, and it would be today.
They went downstairs after Iza had finished herself, stood outside what Kanna imagined was that grand ballroom. The older woman gossiped with another that stood nearby. It looked like everyone in the palace was jammed into this relatively small area. She tried to breathe slowly and not think about chickening out when the time came.
"Oh, Prince Zuko has grown into such a handsome young man," Iza said.
Kanna did her best to keep her face still and voice silent. If he hadn't had that scar he might be handsome, but there would still be the unfortunate addition of his personality and temperament.
Another woman beamed. "I think so, too. He should be getting married soon, you know. Needs to have a child." She looked to Kanna and elbowed her lightly in the ribs. "What do you think? Is the prince handsome enough for you?"
She closed her eyes for a fraction of a second, wishing to be gone already. "He is handsome, yes." Lying for the sake of saving face wasn't something she was used to. With so few people in her homeland and such little variation in status, there had been no reason to lie.
"Would your beau be jealous?" she asked, continuing to tease her.
Spirits, let this end, she thought.
The woman realized she was distressing the girl. "I'm sorry, I'm a big gossip. Iza can tell you all about that. I'm Chima."
"Kanna," she replied.
The spirits did let it end, and soon. A pair of guards opened the large double-doors, and the guests went streaming in. Kanna and the others stood back, waiting until most had gone in so they had some room to breathe.
Everyone was laughing, joking, smiling. They stood in small groups as they ate, walked around a bit, finding people they knew, being introduced by acquaintances. Even the men looked happy. Half a day off of work, free food, a party; what was to be upset about?
Kanna followed Iza and Chima throughout the room, looking for exits. There was one at each corner of the hall, guarded by two soldiers each. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think up an escape plan. Some of the bathrooms in the palace had windows. Maybe she could sneak out of one, but it was too early for that; they'd only just got here. She decided to wait fifteen minutes before heading to the bathroom.
Iza introduced her to at least ten other workers in that time span. They were some young women who weaved the cloth and young men that caught fish. The women talked about the prince, saying they hadn't seen him since they were small children, just a year or two older than he. Most of them had married, but some wondered what it would be like to marry him. Kanna supposed they had not been in his presence since he was a child. Wealth and power were the only things they would get from a marriage to him. The men talked about the food and the drinks, glancing not so subtly at Kanna every once in awhile. She did her best not to gag. A Fire Nation man would never tempt her.
It was time to excuse herself, she decided. She headed to the closest bathroom and went in, only to find longest line she'd ever seen. It would be suicide to try to escape with all these witnesses. She tried the other bathrooms, and at the final one, found it empty. Closing the door behind her, she looked at the walls, found no window. Perfect. She took to searching the floor for indentations. Maybe there would be a trapdoor or something.
The door opened. "Are you alright?" a voice asked.
She looked up suddenly. "Oh, I thought I lost an earring, but I found it," she said, holding her empty hand closed, hiding the non-existent earring. She headed out, hearing the woman behind her say, "Your ears are pierced?"
They weren't, but she would never know.
Her slapdash plan was ruined. She would have to wait longer to get out of here. It might take months before she could come up with a real plan to get out, but she wasn't going to give up. What was left of her family and tribe needed her, and she needed them. All she had known was ripped from her before she understood what was happening, and now she had to take it back. She wasn't going to let the Fire Nation keep her here, a prisoner without the proper title.
She rejoined Iza and drank a from a cup she handed her. She smelled it before she tasted it: alcohol. It probably wasn't the best idea, but she drank it down anyway. They were celebrating, and she was self-pitying; it was a good cover.
No one could expect that she actually cared about this event. Some angry, childish man from the country she was against had come home and was having a big party. It was all a joke to her. While her family was broken and lost, his was coming together. There was more food than she'd seen in one place at one time, more drinks, more people, more everything. This country was the picture of excess. She wondered what they would do if they visited her home, saw all the stark differences. A smirk touched her lips as she drank from the glass.
"You're from the Water Tribe, right?" One of the fishermen came closer to her, drink in hand.
Oh, not again. "Yes," she said, doing her best to casually look anywhere else.
"That's really cool, I've never met a girl from there. Are they all as beautiful as you?" He stepped closer and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
She snatched his hand and held it tight, her own hand a vice. "Don't you ever touch me again. Do you understand?"
"Ah, geez!" He pulled his hand from hers and shook it out. A disgusted look crossed his face. "You really are some sort of savage." He walked off without a look back.
Everything was going wrong. She hadn't found a way out, a slimy fisherman made a pass at her, and she was still in this forsaken place. It couldn't have been worse.
And then the family came in. Iza found her and grabbed her arm tightly, cutting off her circulation. She wiggled her arm loose enough for her pulse to continue and watched as they entered. The princess came first, Azula. Her dress had been refashioned into a tunic and pants at her request, and looked as if it had been designed that way in the first place. Her better-than-thou sneer seemed to stay on her face permanently.
One girl in all pink jumped up and called out to the princess, smiling and waving. Azula appeared to like this, because her sneer grew wider and she waved back at her, and the girl beside her, tall and thin like a reed with two buns on top of her head. The reedy girl turned to the girl in pink and raised an eyebrow, said something under her breath.
Prince High-and-Mighty came next, looking like a cross between "woe is me" and a punk, so everything was normal. At least his clothes fit properly, she thought. She tightened her grip on the glass in her hand when he caught her eye, and she turned away to get more to drink.
Iza made a grab for her hand, but she snuck through. No one moved for her, so she pushed her way through, until a guard caught her wrist and held her still. He informed her that when the royal family was entering for a ceremony, it was custom to wait and welcome them, then take care of personal matters afterwards. She did her best not to roll her eyes at the comment, but she stayed where she was, trying to remove the man from her.
"I will escort you back to your caretaker when the Fire Lord has given his speech," he said, still holding on to her.
Caretaker. So that's how this all worked. Prisoners were released, given work, and put into the hands of someone else to watch over them. Kanna figured Iza knew but didn't like to think about it, or really had no idea. She was empty headed in the first place, and she'd only known her for a week. Someone could put on an act for a week, pretend to be someone else. She was doing it herself.
She watched as the man-child stood beside his sister, and the Fire Lord entered the room. Suddenly everyone was kneeling, except for the guards. Iza really didn't tell her anything. During the fitting, she gave him the same deep bow as she had for the prince and princess. Now she had to prostrate herself on the ground for the leader of a country of real savages. Her body wouldn't let her.
The guard shook her arm. "Kneel, civilian."
She ignored him, looked up into the Fire Lord's face, memorizing it, burning it into her mind. He stared at her with a slight smirk, amused. "Do you have a problem, child?" His words were gentle, but his voice held no sincerity.
A scowl stretched over her face. People were looking at her furtively. "Yes," she said.
The smirk grew. "And what would that be? Do you miss your cozy cell?"
"I miss my home. I miss my family. My mother is dead. The entire tribe could be burnt to the ground for all I know. I've lost everything, all because of you, you heartless, heartless man!"
Her guard pushed her to the ground, forcing her to kneel, and held her by the wrists behind her back. She suddenly realized the severity of what she had just done. So much for pretending to assimilate.
"Oh, Father, can I do it?" asked Azula.
He shook his head, still looking at Kanna. "It is your brother's party. He will fight her."
Her head moved back to take in more of the scene. Azula pouted and crossed her arms. She looked to the prince. His expression had changed, between hesitation and some emotion she couldn't place. It'd been a week since the Northerner sang the mourning song to her, but now she was really facing death. She began to hum quietly, her eyes never wavering from the prince's.
"She's not a firebender," he said at length. "An Agni Kai would make no sense, Father."
"Would you prefer to execute her?"
Her heart stopped, and she stared pleadingly at the prince. I just want to go home, she thought. He had to understand that, if he'd been away from his own home for years. She hoped he had some sort of decency, even though she'd been harsh with him.
Instead of answering the Fire Lord, he turned to Kanna. "Can you fight?"
"Yes," she said, keeping her voice strong.
"What weapon?"
She hesitated. The voice in her head grew louder, but she hushed it. "I can waterbend."
He nodded. "Then we will spar, but the rules and outcome will be like that of an Agni Kai. Is that acceptable?" he asked his father.
The Fire Lord stroked his chin. "I don't see why not, though it'd be simpler to execute her. Alright then, we might as well do this now." He turned and his children followed him off the stage, and surrounded by guards, exited through the main door.
Her guard hauled her off the ground and forced her to walk, trailing after the nobles. She saw the pink and reedy girls just ahead of her. The tall one never looked back, but the other one, bubbly and animated, would turn around to look at her once in awhile and give her a smile.
They entered into a long room with a wide strip down the center. She breathed deeply through her nose, wondering how she had gotten to this point. And an Agni Kai, something she hadn't heard of ever before.
The prince and all the other nobility stood on the opposite side. An old, grey-bearded man similar in stature to Iza stood beside Prince Zuko, speaking quietly to him. He didn't seem to be listening, only disrobed and watched Kanna. He stood, his arms crossed against his broad chest, strikingly pale in contrast with his black pants. There were some sort of bracelets or bands on his upper arms, just below his armpits.
After half a second, she realized she should get ready and took off her shoes, humming the mourning song just in case. She moved lightly, noticing that the dress, long with excess fabric, would be bad to fight in. After a moment of preparing herself, she untied the belt, removed the overlay, the dress, took off the tunic underneath. She stood in her white wrappings, looking back at the prince. He didn't stop looking her in the face, his own blank of all emotion.
"Do you know the rules?" he asked.
"No, Prince Zuko."
He seemed surprised at the sincerity with which she answered. "It's a fight about honor. Because you disrespected my father during an event held for me, you have challenged my honor. An Agni Kai is between two firebenders, and the first to be burned loses."
She swallowed thickly.
"The winner gains more honor, while the loser relinquishes theirs. Because you don't firebend, this is less formal, but just as serious. For me to win, I have to burn you. Former General Iroh has determined that in order for you to win, you have to do something drastic."
Former general. Was it the uncle Iza had been talking about? "Like what?"
"We don't know a lot about waterbending, young lady, so that would be up to you to decide. Do you have any ideas?" The man, the former general, that had spoken to the prince gave her a thin smile.
She hesitated. "What if I froze him to the ceiling?"
The older man laughed and held his belly. "I would enjoy seeing that. Yes, that seems fair, I think. What do you say, Prince Zuko?"
He only nodded.
They waited for a minute or so, while a servant brought in four large tubs of water and set two on either side of the Agni Kai strip. She washed the makeup from her face, saw the former general give her another smile, as did the girl in pink. The girl with buns held one of the prince's arms, and the princess leaned against a wall, looking peeved.
The prince held her gaze. She tried to hide her feelings: confusion, relief, anger, and a multitude of others she didn't have the chance to think about. He might set her on fire with just his eyes. Is it because I stood up to him at the fitting? she wondered.
"Take your places," said the Fire Lord, who stood apart from the rest.
The prince went to one end of the stip, turned away from her and sat on his haunches. Kanna took the same position, her heart hammering in her chest. He's going to burn me like they burned Mom.
"Rise and face your opponent."
Her legs shook beneath her as she stood, turned to look at the prince. The scar on his face struck her anew. It was old, very old, deep and dark. He'd been in an Agni Kai and lost. It must have been years ago, when he was a child...when he left his home. She looked to the Fire Lord, who raised an eyebrow at her.
"Begin."
The prince wasted no time. He lunged towards her and shot fireballs from his fists. She bent water from the tub and froze it into a shield, too worried about being burnt to be excited that she hadn't lost her bending. She held it in front of her while he continued to charge, but it quickly began to melt, and she refroze them into sharp, thin icicles. He kicked her feet out from under her and sent her to the ground.
As he sent a blow to her chest, she rolled over and shot the icicles at his throat, hurried to get back to her feet. He melted them before they had a chance to touch him and moved forward to attack again. She pulled water from another tub, backing away from him and forming a whip.
He went after her with more force, his breath quick and even. As he spun, getting his momentum up to kick a flame at her, she managed to grab his ankle with the whip. Someone let out a laugh, the princess she assumed, but he severed the whip instantly. He sent a wave of fire, and she shot water at it, forming steam. She was preparing to take the offensive, but he sent two more waves and she struggled to dissipate them.
He's always on the offensive, she realized. If there was some way for her to force him into defense, she might be able to win. She heaved every drop of water out of the tubs and began to form a large ball of water between them. Her arms moved in figure eight patterns to shape it correctly. It was almost right, she just needed a second more.
The water spilled everywhere as the prince erupted through it, and shot a blast of fire at her. Unable to react, she fell to the ground, felt her right shoulder burning and stared at the ceiling. She heard most of the onlookers cheer, calling out the prince's name.
"Whoop-de-doo," the princess said in a bored voice.
Slowly, Kanna sat up and bent some water around her left hand, looked at her shoulder. The burn wasn't bad, wasn't meant to do more harm than necessary; it was just enough to get the job done. If she'd had more-no, proper-training, she might have been able to stand a chance. That water whip was probably just luck. This man had likely been training since he could walk. No one can be the Fire Lord if they aren't a firbender, she'd learned. So he had to be a strong one, and he was.
She placed her hand over her shoulder. The cheering hushed as they saw what she was doing, saw the water on her hand glow. Then they began to whisper to each other. What is she doing, what is she doing? She pulled her hand away to inspect the burn. It was still red, some blood dripping onto her wraps and staining them. Only first degree, she noted. It would still scar. Her healing abilities weren't very strong, but at least it wouldn't hurt as badly. The audience started chattering, Kanna only able to pick out the words and phrases "special ability," "healing," "waterbender," "women," and "Northern Tribe." She wasn't sure how the last two worked into the group, and was disappointed citizens of the Fire Nation knew more about waterbending history than herself.
When her breathing slowed to normal, she stood cautiously, and walked to the prince, who stood on the other side of the strip, the tall girl on him again. He looked at her quizzically, uncomprehending. Her parents hadn't raised her to be a sore loser. She bowed deeply to him, then straightened up. "Welcome home, Prince Zuko." They weren't the most sincere words she'd ever said, but she meant it enough.
Then she made her way to the Fire Lord, and bowed in the same manner. "You have a strong son, Your Highness. You must be proud of him." It was the only true thing she could say to him.
He scoffed. "To have defeated an untrained waterbender from a tribe that broke from the rule of their royalty? It was hardly a challenge, scum. I could still have you executed."
She stood silent, feeling everyone's eyes on her. You already had a quasi-Agni Kai with the prince, she thought, the next time you mess up, he probably will kill you. Instead of following instinct, she gave him a simpering, overly-sweet smile. "Of course, Your Highness. I suppose someone of my station can have nothing to say that would interest you. Please excuse me." She bowed again, turned and headed back to her clothes.
A sigh escaped her, heavy but quiet. She slipped the tunic on, but it scratched against her wound. Frustrated, she took it back off and tried to heal herself a bit more. There wasn't any loose fabric that she could use for a bandage. It looked about the same, and she accepted that it was the best she could do for the moment.
"That was quite a fight, young lady. What was your name again?"
She turned to see the former general standing there, holding out a piece of cloth. "Oh, thank you," she said as she took it and held it in her hand. Could it be poisoned? He might just be putting on the sweet old man act. "It's Kanna."
"But you're from the Southern Water Tribe?" His eyebrow furrowed over dark brown eyes.
She looked at him, uncertain. "Yes."
He laughed at little. "It's just that, in my journeys, Kanna was a popular name in the Northern Tribe, so I wasn't sure if I heard your name correctly."
She looked at the bandage, avoiding his gaze. "Well, we're all originally from the north, so it was probably just passed down even after we settled in the south."
"Would you like help with that? Prince Zuko!" he called, looking over his shoulder to the young man.
He was putting his tunic back on, talking to the girl with buns. A small smile flashed across her face, then disappeared as quickly as it had emerged. He smiled back at her, took her hand in his. The princess rolled her eyes, but the girl in pink grinned, shook the princess by the arm.
When the prince didn't respond, he called again. "Nephew, come here."
Kanna watched as he reluctantly let go of the girl's hand and came forward. "Yes, Uncle?"
"Help this young lady with her bandage, would you?"
"Oh, sir, please, I am not a lady. Where I'm from, we don't-"
He cut her off. "The term is not one of nobility here, Kanna. It simply means that you are a woman, and should be treated as one. Isn't that right, Nephew?" he asked, grinning at the prince.
The prince sighed in exasperation. "Yes, Uncle."
The name struck her. Uncle to the prince and princess; brother of the Fire Lord or the Fire Lady. Deserving of more respect, for the strange reason of family ties. She gave the man a deep bow as she had to the prince and the Fire Lord. "Please forgive me, I don't know how to call you, sir."
The former general broke out into a laugh. "Iroh. Everyone calls me Iroh. And you don't have to bow like that to me. I'm just an old man, dear."
Was he kidding? The Fire Lord and his children seemed to love their titles and watching the citizens humble themselves. Maybe he was the Fire Lady's brother. "Very well, Iroh. Thank you for the bandage and your concern." She bowed lightly and turned away, starting to bandage herself. It might be poisoned, but it didn't look like it, and if she didn't put it on, they might suspect her all the more.
"It isn't going to be tight enough." Another pair of hands took over for her, wrapping the bandage around her shoulder.
She let her own hands drop to her sides, feeling awkward and unsure of what to do. "I thought you gained honor and I lost it," she said quietly. Not that this strange sense of honor meant anything to her, but he was apparently stooping from his station to help her.
The prince exhaled deeply through his nose. "Yes, well, my uncle has worked hard to make sure I'm not a sore winner."
She stayed silent as he finished his work. For fighting so powerfully, his hands were actually quite gentle. Her skin felt like it was burning again, not from the wound, but where his skin touched hers. It seemed firebenders couldn't keep their temper or temperature under control.
"Son," called the Fire Lord.
The prince looked up, tied the bandage quickly, and was gone. He took the tall girl's arm again and walked out with her, followed by the princess and girl in pink. The few other nobles that had come to watch the prince fight the riffraff went off without another look at her.
Another AN: I took some liberty with whom Katara/"Kanna" would fight in the Agni Kai by changing the reasoning a bit. Zuko's Agni Kai was against his father because it was in his father's war room, and yes, the ballroom would be his as well, but the Fire Lord would've just killed her, and then there'd be no more story.
This chapter was kind of hard, because I wasn't sure if I was throwing her into too much conflict too quickly, but I feel like Katara likes confrontation so there it is.
My classes start Tuesday (1/19/16) so I'm sorry in advance that I won't be able to update every week!
Leave a review and let me know what you think!