Time passed agonizingly slowly and without incident after Katara's initial brush with Ozai. If it had not been for the small crack in the wall she would have had no way of distinguishing day from night. She was thankful for that much. She knew that they had been traveling for the better part of two days, and the sun would soon be rising on the third, but it felt like she had been trapped in that room for a week at least. She wondered how much longer it would be until they stopped to replenish their food supplies. They must be starting to run low with three mouths to feed on the ship. Or two and a half if you count the way they feed me, she thought.
Katara was left alone for the most part. The only time she saw another face was the few occasions when Jiao came to drop off bread and water. Ozai did not come to her again, and although she was relieved a small part of her could not help feeling somewhat insulted. Her encounters with Jiao were uneventful. He rarely said a word to her, although he often snubbed his nose at her and occasionally she could hear him mutter something under his breath along the lines of, "Stupid girl," and, "Not a damned servant," as he placed the food in front of her and walked out.
During the course of her meals, she had mastered the art of eating and drinking without the use of her hands. She would lower her head to the floor and take bites out of the bread, forcing herself not to think about the grime that was encrusted between the grubby wooden boards underneath. Similarly she would lower her head to the iron goblet and grab it in her mouth, and carefully raise herself back up to a seated position. Tilting her head back slowly, she was able to gulp down most of the water without losing too much of it. It had been difficult and not without failure at first, dribbling water down the front of her dress more than once. But before too long, she had the process down to a tee and was able to temporarily sate her grumbling stomach with relative ease.
What was left of the ravaging storm had finally dissipated and had left a cool refreshing crispness to the air in its wake. The sun was beginning to rise, unadulterated by its previous cloud cover, spilling its welcome golden-white glow in through the half moon-shaped crack in the wall. An occasional wisp of cool breeze wafted through the crack and kissed Katara's face as she inhaled and savored whatever bits of fresh air she could.
It was not long into the morning before Katara felt a gentle pulling sensation, signaling to her that the ship was slowing down and preparing to come to a stop. Just as she had thought. Suddenly a new hope arose within her as she realized she might have an opportunity to escape. She squirmed and struggled against the rope around her wrists to see if she could wriggle out of them but it refused to budge. There was no way she could get out of the room without the use of her hands to pick the lock or knock a hole in the side of the ship. She could scream for help and perhaps someone would hear her. But she would need to be sure that Ozai was far enough away from the ship to do anything about the attention she would attract or she could be plotting her own demise. If only the crack in the wall were low enough for her to see through.
The ship finally came to a standstill and she could hear two sets of footsteps above her advance to the edge and fade away as Ozai and Jiao disembarked. From her location, she could hear the muted sounds of a bustling port market just outside. People. Lots of people. She was potentially within mere feet of help but entirely invisible to anyone who might assist her. Even if she did yell out, it would be unlikely that anyone would hear her over the drone of murmurs and shouts around them.
Finally, after what felt like hours, with no other option and desperation setting in, she was about to try her luck anyway when the clonking of footsteps reappeared on deck above her. It was clearly a single set this time. Ozai or Jiao must have been thinking along the same lines as she and come back early while the other picked up the supplies. The sound was somewhat different than before though; the footsteps seemed less deliberate and almost tentative as they made their way to the center of the ship where she heard the distinct creaking of the hatch being opened. Perhaps Ozai had decided to pay her another visit after all.
The footsteps plodded down the ladder and into the main hull, making their way toward her room, scuffling in erratic circles as though hastily searching the space. There was something off about them; something was not right. And it definitely did not sound like Ozai.
A nervous pang began to grow in the pit of her stomach as the scuffling drew nearer and came to a stop directly in front of her door. Katara froze, unaware that she was holding her breath, listening with all her might for any clue as to the person's intentions or identity. But nothing came. There was only a maddening stillness and silence. Had she imagined it? Perhaps exhaustion and nerves were making her delirious.
Her concentration was quickly broken by the resounding of a dual set of footsteps coming aboard above her. This time she recognized the plodding instantly. With the same gentle pull, the ship set off on course once again. The lively humming of the port grew fainter as they left it behind. Moments ago, she had been so close to rescue and yet completely unable to attain it. And now her chance was gone. A pent up sigh of frustration released itself slowly, only to be recaptured in a gasp as the knob on her door started jiggling. She knew she had not imaged it! There was someone else on the ship. Someone who was not supposed to be, from the sound of it. Someone who did not want to be found.
Katara's heart began to pound in her chest as she waited for the door to burst open. But instead the jiggling stopped, replaced shortly by a gentle metallic scratching. They're picking the lock, she realized in horror. With a dreaded click, the lock released and Katara watched helplessly as the door creaked open, just enough to allow the figure of a ragged man to pass through.
In the flickering glow of the lantern and the fragment of daylight that seeped in through the crack, she could see that the man looked haggard and filthy. Dirt and grime encrusted much of his clothing and his skin did not fare much better. His lank black hair was long and greasy and his wiry beard appeared gritty and matted. There was an intensity, a fierceness about his expression that rendered to Katara one word: danger.
The man's face donned a devilish, half-toothed grin as he spotted Katara, and held one grubby finger up to his chafing lips to motion her to stay quiet. He closed the door silently behind him and took a step forward.
"Well, hello," he uttered in a salacious tone as he began a slow swagger toward her. "It must be my lucky day. First, I come across an unguarded ship to hop a free ride on, and now I find a little present down here all gift-wrapped and waiting just for me."
"Stay away from me," Katara warned, shimmying away from him.
"Oh come now, deary, I won't bite. Much." His malicious grin grew larger as he suddenly reached for her, seizing her by her dress collar and forcing her to her feet. He lunged forward, open-mouthed, tongue jutting out, in a sloppy attempt to kiss her. Katara screamed, thrashing and flailing against his advances as he pushed her against the wall. At least once she felt the warm, wet sensation of his tongue as it made contact with her cheek. His breath reeked of liquor and tooth decay, making her gag and choke on her screams with every inhale. Amidst her desperate writhing, she felt the sleeve of her dress rip beneath his grip on her, exposing her sinewy shoulder.
"Get off me!" she shrieked. Just as she felt the intruder yank on her sleeve to broaden the tear, the door burst open and in it stood a mildly shocked and outraged Ozai. The trespasser flinched and reflexively loosened his grasp on Katara, appearing just as stunned by the sudden interruption.
"Who the devil are you and what are you doing aboard this ship?" Ozai demanded.
"I– I'm no one. Just a simple beggar in need of passage away from that village." It amazed Katara how quickly the brazen scoundrel was reduced to a sniveling fool in Ozai's daunting presence.
He took a menacing step toward the vagabond. "You mean you're a thief and you needed to stow away to escape the death warrant on your head." He continued forward slowly as he spoke. "You dare to step foot on my ship uninvited and without permission and then proceed to assault my hostage?"
"Please, sir, I mean no harm."
Ozai came to stand within a mere few inches of the cringing man, towering a good head above him, scowling down a warning.
"I suppose rape is something you consider to be of no harm then."
"I– Uh– Please, it's not what it looks like–"
"Step away from her," Ozai demanded, cutting him off. The man did not move, appearing to be frozen by fear. "Now."
The intruder finally released his hold on Katara and took a step back, leaving her trembling from the mild shock of the incident. Ozai cast a sideways glance at her, scanning her quickly to rule out the need for medical attention; for a fleeting moment, his eyes seemed to soften vaguely at her trembling form, almost as though he had been temporarily afflicted with sympathy. But when she blinked, whatever it was had vanished, replaced by his usual austerity. She had probably only imagined it.
In one swift motion, Ozai reached out and seized the beggar's arm, twisting it back at an awkward angle until the man until gave in, and then wrapped his free arm around the man's neck, squeezing until he heard him begin to wheeze.
"Please! Don't hurt me!" he begged through constricted rasps. "Let me go free and you'll never see the likes of me again."
Ozai stood silent for a moment while the man squirmed and gasped like a rat in the coils of a boa constrictor. "You want me to let you go free?"
"Yes, that's all I ask."
He seemed to consider the request briefly, letting him struggle within his grasp just a little longer before responding. "Very well." Ozai began dragging him toward the door, strengthening his hold on him as he hauled the man's flailing body into the hull.
"Wait. Wait!" the beggar pleaded. "What are you – Where are you taking me?" His frantic pleas became fainter and more muffled as they disappeared from her view and Ozai dragged him onto the deck above. "No! Please, don't!" she heard him cry just before he released a throaty yelp and a loud splash sounded from beside the ship. He couldn't have, she thought.
Silence. The man's cries had suddenly stopped. Katara tried not to think about what Ozai might have done to him, but she could not help feeling grateful. To him. Ozai. If it had not been for him, she would have undoubtedly been raped today, and possibly murdered. That despicable man she loathed so much had just saved her life.
That doesn't change anything, a voice in her head spoke out. It doesn't mean there's anything good in him.
It was true, it did not necessarily change anything. She knew he needed her alive and unharmed, simple as that. The idealist in her wanted to make more of it, but she knew she had to accept it for what it was. Not every cloud has a silver lining.
A/N: In response to ArrayePL's review, "Interesting idea. I wonder why did Ozai kidnapped Katara if he is sure, that Aang won't help her?" – Ozai is just playing with her. He is sure that Aang will eventually come for her, but he wants to destroy Katara's hope and break her spirit so that she loses trust in the Avatar to prevent her from ruining his plans. He's so manipulate and calculating.
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Until next time… flameo, Sifu Hotman!