Author's Note: Sorry for such a long delay. Both school and home has been keeping me away from finishing this chapter. I've had trouble completing the last section and might re-edit it later. I hope you enjoy it, please review and let me know what you think.
Thank you all for your patience.
Book 5 Water
Chapter 22 Gathering
The scene of the royal garden came into view as the sight of a tall figure was seen watching the young princess Kya with a warm smile. The former mother of the Fire Nation stepped forth dressed in a lavished gown of black silk with a long cloak of heavy material covering her slender frame.
Approaching the child slowly, Ursa tilted her head to the side and noticed the young girl gathering piles of snow into a rounded mass.
The small princess then placed two pebbles on the side along with two pointed leaves on the top of the curved crown of the ball of snow.
The leaves that Kya used for her tiny creation must have been the few withered plants left from the nearby willow tree which still held onto its brittle branches despite the bitter cold season that diminished the rest of the garden into a lifeless blank setting of pricking bushes and a partly frozen pond.
Turning back to the sight of the older woman; Ursa hovered over the princess and spoke in a soft tone. "What have you created, my dear?" the former mother asked as the young girl lifted her head up with a grin.
"A wabbit." The four year-old said as Ursa's small smile widen slightly.
It was refreshing to witness such naive innocence during her heavy burden of grief. For Ursa, her grand-daughter offered her a bittersweet reality of the world around her.
Yet, regardless of how she felt inside, Ursa loved her grandchildren with all her being and would never let them see through her sorrow.
"You did a wonderful job." Ursa said as she praised the girl.
Kya gave a small giggle of gratitude to her grandmother's words, filling her with a sense accomplishment.
Just then, a shallow breeze sweep across the garden with a low howl. The wind stirred with an awful chill making Ursa feel uneasy as she looked ahead of palace limestone walls.
Seeing the woman's serious expression, Kya stood up while strands of her hair flowed over her face by the wind's current.
"Let us come inside, little one." Ursa said in a soft yet stern tone as she lengthened out her hand to the girl.
Kya nodded her head without question as she reached for her grandmother's warm fingers and followed Ursa into the vestibule.
The scene then drifted to the ground of the snow rabbit with its leaf ears flapping in the wind.
Days passed…and still no message from the Eastern Fleet.
This greatly concerned Iroh as he walked down the vast hallway to the central quarters of the palace.
As he entered into the royal guard chambers, Iroh noticed a faint light flickering at the end of the corridor. It was the office room of Imperial Ryuan.
With a small tap on the hard oak door, Iroh let himself in. Ryuan turned and then formally bowed to the general.
"Sir Iroh, what brings you to my quarters at this hour?" Ryuan asked as the old man narrowed his eyes.
"There is still no news on the whereabouts of Commander Wei's fleet. I have decided to send a messenger to the Southern territories." Iroh said in a stern tone as Ryuan thinned his lips.
"But Sir. The blizzard has not creased; it is too dangerous for any to travel in such conditions." Ryuan said conceiting his own thoughts on the matter. The fact that it had to come to this, turned to be the worse cased scenario. A circumstance that Ryuan personally wanted to avoid.
"We don't have any other choice, Imperial. We must take action now before it's too late." Iroh said set in his ways.
Ryuan closed his eyes while placing his hands behind his back and inhaled slowly. It was a hard decision to make, but eventually, it was decided.
"I will dispatch a team of my strongest men out to send the message." Ryuan said as Iroh nodded his head with approval.
"Please…" a frail voice called out as the scene of a dark cell came into view.
A slender dark skinned hand was then seen as it pressed firmly on the metal door frame as the sound of low groan escaped the woman's dry mouth.
Katara leaned in against the door while licking her cracked lips. The fact of not having a full gulp of water in days was harder to bear than staying in a small cramped, cold cell in the dark. The small trays of stale bread and under cooked rice she was given throughout the past couple of days was causing her painful constipation and soreness.
There was no questioning her capturer's motives; the waterbender knew it was probably just a safety measure that they used against her.
Pounding weakly on the door, Katara cried out again in a hoarse voice. All she wanted was to replenish her dehydrated body.
"Please! I need water." Katara begged as she fell to her knees, slumped against the door in a wedged position; too weak to move her limbs, too tired to care.
Drifting into unconsciousness, the waterbender was unaware of the figure now in front of her; towering above her with the door wide open.
The man sneered with disgust as he gazed down at the female below him. With a slight moment in hesitation, the man then bent down and picked up the woman with a low grunt. He disapproved of his master's orders for taking this girl under his care.
He despised the water tribe natives, waterbenders especially.
That was one of the reasons why, he joined Lord Huo in his quest to kill off those dark-skinned blue-eyed barbarians.
They are the Fire Nation's greatest resistance in both element and armed forces. After all, the Northern Tribe managed to stay practically unscathed throughout two generations of warfare.
Until Admiral Zhao, the Fire Nation's top commander gloriously planned the invasion on the impregnable city of ice.
Zhao's brilliance and cleverness inspired him so greatly, that he left his station as a private in the Western command to render Lord Sozin's vision of supremacy.
Of course this time, the former private was certain Lord Huo will succeed where Zhao failed.
With that objective in mind, the man tolerated the trivial aspects of tending to the savage.
As he walked up to a doorway, he entered with a stoic expression. The scene turned to two female guards who were waiting near a wooden tub.
"Clean her up and dress her in the clothing provided by Lord Huo." The man ordered to the women as he placed the unconscious waterbender in the hands of one of the guards.
"Tie her hands." The man then said in a low tone as he pulled away from the scene and then left promptly.
One of the female guards then gazed at the Lady's appearance before slapping her cheek a couple of times and calling out in a harsh tone.
"Wake up!" the woman called out as Katara's eyes snapped open while gasping out in surprise.
Blinking a few times, Katara then realized she was no longer in the cell, but rather in an average room enclosed by red iron walls. Looking at the person in front of her, Katara saw the female guard.
The natural instinct of empathic concern tugged at her heart as she looked at the woman with pleading eyes.
The woman ignored the waterbender's susceptible expression as she then yanked on the girl's wrists.
Katara cried out as she tried to pull away. The other guard then held her tightly from behind as they tied her up with rough rope.
"What fine silk material you have, highness." One guard said in a mocking voice as she ran her fingers through Katara's dress before gripping tightly on the fabric.
Ripping apart her gown bit by bit, Katara whimpered and cry between every tear.
"It's far too pretty for you." The other woman said as they torn the dress to shreds.
Why were they doing this to her? Katara thought as she then yelped as the woman slapped her hard across her face.
"Quit your bawling!" the woman said in a callous tone while she pushed Katara into the tub.
A loud splash of water spewed up Katara's body as her bottom hit the substructure of the cylinder. Droplets scattered over her nude chest and arms as she struggled to fold her legs in the round tub.
"What a disgusting body, you have. Such small breasts and dirty skin." The woman said as she lifted Katara's right breast up lightly.
Katara then shut her eyes as her cheeks heated with embarrassment and humiliation.
The two females then began to wash Katara thoroughly in the few inches of water beneath her.
"I can't imagine how the Fire Lord could have been aroused by this." The woman said with a glare in her eyes.
"She must have bewitched him." The other guard said as the two laughed heartlessly.
Katara thinned her lips as she gripped her tied hands into fists. She wanted to lash out at these two, but swallowed her pride as she tried to endure the terrible session.
With coarse brushes and sponges, the women scrubbed her skin till it turned red and poured ice cold water over her head.
"I wonder if we rub hard enough, her skin will turn lighter." One female ridiculed as the other guard laughed coldly.
Katara screamed out from both the rough handling and freezing water, as she squirmed in the tub. She couldn't help but continue to cry out as the women held her down while drenching her again with water.
"Shut up you whiny little bitch!" one female yelled as she pulled on Katara's wet hair.
After the two women finished, Katara was then lifted out of the tub and poorly dried off.
"Remember to keep your mouth shut when in the presence of Lord Huo." The guard said as she started unfolded a sleeved tunic. Opening the two wide pieces of cloth that were sewn together almost to the top, leaving just enough room for armholes.
The woman then pulled the garment over Katara's head and used several pins to fasten it at intervals over her shoulders and arms. After aligning the gown, the female guard then fitted a long slash under the girl's breasts.
Her wrists still tied together, the women then escorted her out of the room and down the hall.
With her hair still wet, the waterbender lightly shivered from the cold. Looking ahead, she wondered where these guards where taking her.
The thought of returning back to her cell was a dreadful consideration as she creased her steps.
The two women then pushed Katara to move as one guard spoke. "Come on, don't keep Lord Huo waiting!" the female guard said with annoyance as Katara obeyed.
She'll be meeting this Lord Huo, the supposed leader of the ship. Maybe she can talk her way out of this place, of course she has no idea what might be in store for her. As the three women walked up to the main door, Katara held her breathe as she entered into the room.
I know it's kind of short, but I promise I'll make it longer next chapter. Please review and comment for faster update!!!!