AN: Thank you for reading! And thanks extra for taking time to review! Extra super thanks to those who tackled my question last chapter! It's so good to know what folks are thinking.


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"That's pretty good, Aang," Katara said, admiring the sway of tentacles and trying not to think of how thirsty she was. Sokka and Toph saved their water all day and it was still hardly enough for some of the techniques Aang needed to learn, so drinking the bending water wasn't allowed until after the lesson. "Try to keep your arms in a little tighter, though. That way your movements will be more controlled."

"Like this?" Aang tucked his elbows in and his water quaked.

Katara modeled the posture for him again, then pulled the water away from him to show him the movements. "The octopus is about the motion of each arm, but it's also about the rhythm of those separate motions as they occur at the same time. Ready to try again?"

"If I had a decent amount of dirt," Toph said where she sprawled out on one of the pallets, "I'd show you how to make a rock-topus. It's about smashing eight times as much stuff."

"Ha ha! Good one!" The water, just returned to Aang's control, shuddered to a stop. "Wait, is that a real earthbending move?"

"Aang, be careful!" Katara guided the water out of the fall it had begun and streamed it around her body in a big tear shape. "I don't want to drink brig floor-flavored water tonight."

"Sorry, Katara. I don't either…" He shrugged helplessly. "It's just hard to stay focused on doing one thing for so long. Can we play stones or something for a while?"

Katara let out a slow breath and focused for a moment on the soothing motion, taking the water around her body, dividing it into two streams, and then bringing them back together. "If you need a break, I guess it's not such a bad idea to take one."

"Don't feel bad, Aang," Sokka said almost idly. "Katara had a real reputation back in the base for being kind of obsessive. Guys were always asking me, 'Sokka, why is your weird little cousin so disinterested in fun manly things like snapping wet towels or telling jokes about girls?'"

Aang plopped down beside him near the stones board, grinning. "What'd you tell them, Sokka?"

"Well, mostly I told them about how Katto was the only waterbender in the whole South Pole, so just having the opportunity to learn how to bend really meant a lot to him. Also, I pointed out how skinny and dopy he was and, you know, a guy's gotta have something going for him."

Katara cast him a cool look but didn't stop streaming the water. Aang laughed, but then smiled at her. "Don't worry Katara, you make a really pretty girl."

"Thank you, Aang," she said, prim and smiling. She didn't see the way Aang blushed when he gazed at her, but Sokka did.

"How about it, Toph?" he said, tossing one of the stones pieces at her. "Do you think you can take on the Avatar?"

She sat up in a rush, smirking. "Try 'take out'. I owe you a KO, Twinkle Toes."

Aang chuckled nervously and Sokka withdrew, coming to stand on the other side of the cell where Katara was freezing the water into beads in mid air and orbiting them around herself like a string of pearls.

"So," he said, fanning out his hands before him. "Can we talk for a second?"

"Zuko came to see me the day before yesterday."

Sokka groaned. "Alright, setting aside for a moment why you waited until now to tell me… What's the latest war crime?"

Katara heaved a breath and smashed all the beads together into icy dust. "I needed a little time to cool off. He was mad at me for beating up his soldiers, and he was mad at me for losing to Azula, and he was mad at both of us for still being here." Sokka made an incredulous noise, but she only went on quietly. The dust swirled around them like a snowstorm, then melted it into a dozen thin streams. "And then he said he would release me once things are settled back in the Fire Nation, if I can behave myself long enough."

Sokka scrubbed snow out of his face. "Errgh! He is so crazy. First he says he'll never let you go, then he says he can't possibly let you go, and now he says he'll let you go, just not yet… This has gotta be some kind of trick to lull you into accepting a life of servitude. You're not thinking you can actually trust him to set you free, are you?"

Katara swirled the streams through the air and then blasted them together at one point, creating a careening mass of water. "No, but it doesn't matter whether I trust him - either he lets me go or he doesn't. It'd be pretty risky for you guys to wait around on Zuko's whim when you don't need to. Which is why I don't want Aang to know my release is even a possibility." She slowed the stream, curling it through loose loops and finally dividing it into the two pitchers still waiting on the floor. "Sokka, I know you don't want to, but when the time comes, you're going to have to be ready to escape without me."

"Absolutely not. If you think for one second that I would leave you alone in the Fire Nation with that ice-hole and his diabolical sister, you're as crazy as they are."

Katara braced a hand on his shoulder. "Think about it. Spring is almost over and Aang has to be ready to fight the Fire Lord before the end of summer. I can teach him a lot about waterbending here, but there's no earth. What if we reach the Fire Nation only to be immediately split up and sent to different places? Even if Toph and Aang get sent to the same prison, just how much earthbending - you know, loud rumbly smashy earthbending? - do you think they're going to be able to do?"

Sokka was shaking his head, but he shot a glance over at the others where they played their game. Toph was crowing loudly about some move she had masterminded, but then Aang took his turn and made a modestly smug comeback. Katara watched her brother's face, and she could see the tightening in his jaw as she went on.

"Sokka, I can't leave Zuko until he releases me, if he ever does. But Aang is more important than I am, and I need you to help me convince him that it's okay to leave me behind."

Sokka turned back to her, his brow wrinkled up over wide, pleading eyes. "Katara. You can't ask me to do that."

"I'm not saying you have to go now," she said, frowning down at the pitchers. "Actually, the more time Aang has to learn waterbending, the better. But, at some point-"

"Look, can we just focus on the here and now and not get all fatalistic about what may or may not be possible down the road?"

Before she could answer, Sokka looped one arm around her back and steered her toward the others, effectively ending the conversation. Katara didn't resist. It would take time to find another opportunity to try and talk sense into him, but it hurt to see that brittle look on his face.

Brittleness vanished behind smirking satisfaction. "Toph's figured out where to hit the engine so the ship loses power gradually instead of all at once. That way, since it's nothing catastrophic, nobody will realize there's a problem for a while."

"Or suspect sabotage," Toph grinned as they approached. "Pretty sneaky, huh?"

Katara sat down next to her friend and smiled. "Toph, I think you might be the sneakiest earthbender I've ever met."

"Yeah," Aang said, a bemused slant to his mouth. "You sure do have a way of winning stones when it doesn't seem like you should be able to."

"Don't give me all the credit! You're a really skilled loser, Twinkle Toes."

.


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Zuko stood in the control room, studiously ignoring the tense shoulders and clipped voices of all the technicians and navigators around him, and watched the goings on of the ship. He would have stood out on the observation deck, but the wind was driving in a cold rain and he had come to detest the feel of rain on his skin more than ever. Instead, he observed while Navigator Chon adjusted their course to accommodate for the high wind and called the change to the helmsman.

Chon, middle aged and cut of a cloth as stiff as his uniform, dared to glance at the formerly banished Crown Prince and, finding himself watched, bowed. "So long as the wind remains steady, I am quite confident we will pass north of Whale Tail Island early tomorrow night, Your Highness."

"Good work, Navigator."

Zuko would have left it at that, but Chon hesitated to turn back to his work as if expecting something more. Having spent the past few days recuperating in his rooms and trying to pound rice farm taxation laws into his brain, Zuko pounced on the opportunity.

"These waters are heavily patrolled by the armada. How is it we haven't encountered any warships?"

Chon used one of his sharp tools to indicate marks penciled on the map. "We spotted ships here yesterday and here three days ago. News of our passage was likely relayed to command by hawk, Your Highness."

"So if Zhao means to intercept us, we can expect him near here." Zuko tapped a point on their route and immediately stiffened. Zhao might have called the banished prince to a halt at his leisure, but no officer, even an Admiral, would dare to waylay a royal cruiser.

Chon blinked at the spot where his finger had landed, and his thin mouth curved up on one side. "Aye, sir. That would be the case, but the princess has commanded his presence here," he indicated a crosshair on the route a short distance east from the spot Zuko had indicated. "We'll rendezvous with the Admiral's flagship at mid-afternoon, take on fuel, and then continue on our way, sir."

Zuko blinked down at the crosshair, then drew a deep breath. His ribs were slow to heal without Loska's treatments, but the ache had diminished a little. His suspicion of Azula's motives, on the other hand, had not. Whatever her reasons for commanding Zhao himself to attend to refueling her ship, Zuko was certain he would not like them.

"Not to worry, sir. Won't delay us by much more than an hour, I expect." The other side of Chon's mouth bent up to match.

Zuko nodded shortly and turned to go, not noticing the eyes that followed him out of the room.

.


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Katara had slept through the morning and came groggily awake for what she thought was the lunch hour only to find Lieutenant Roshu leading a maid into her cell. She sat up at once, rubbing the sleep from her face.

"Rouse yourself, waterbender," Roshu said, stationing himself by the door. "You're going upstairs. A maid's been sent to ready you."

The maid, the same thin-faced young woman Katara remembered from the day she broke the tea set, carried an armful of folded cloth stacked in a basin. Inadvisably, she held a silver pitcher in the two fingers she had managed to disengage from her other burdens. She shuffled past Roshu without a glance, and ducked her head to Katara.

"Princess," she said, and began unloading on the floor, pulling bottles from her apron pockets and arranging things around the basin for Katara's use.

Katara sat straight-backed and observed, her eyebrows creeping up. Finally, she looked past the maid to Roshu, who still waited by the door. He was watching the pitcher as if it contained a snake. Sourly, Katara folded her arms over her chest.

With her task finished, the maid sat back, noticed Katara's focus, and followed her stare to the man lingering by the door. "Lieutenant," she chided softly, "I think the princess would like a little privacy, now."

Roshu hesitated, and Katara let out a sigh. "Lieutenant Roshu doesn't believe wolves like me keep their promises."

The maid blinked at the floor, her brow creasing. "I don't know anything about any wolves, but Prince Zuko told me Princess Katara wouldn't hurt anyone polite."

Roshu, torn between glaring at Katara and shooting the maid a look that was part disbelieving and part sheepish, grumbled something under his breath and left the room. "If you call, Sian, I'll be here," he said before shutting the door.

Sian went back to preparing, pouring half of the steaming water out into the basin. Katara watched the careful balance of her motions.

"Thank you," she said, venturing a smile. "He really doesn't like me very much."

Sian kept her head bowed but Katara saw her eyes flick toward the door. "Lieutenant Roshu is a very cautious man, that's all, Princess. There is hardly anyone aboard who is not afraid of what you'll do when you leave this room. We all felt the ship rock the night of the full moon."

Katara knew that caution wasn't Roshu's only reason for disliking her, but she didn't argue. "You don't seem afraid, Sian."

Her cheeks pinked and she dipped her chin a little lower. "Shall I help you undress, Princess? One mustn't keep Princess Azula waiting. Or Prince Zuko."

"Oh," Katara said, and felt her own face heating. "I can undress myself, thank you."

"As you wish, Princess." Sian bowed and turned away to sit patiently waiting nearby.

Very conscious of her company, Katara shrugged out of her ruined silk clothing and went about washing. The water had cooled but was still pleasantly warm, and the soaps had a light citrus scent. It was almost enough to make her forget about the other woman in the room - who did not watch, but was watchful all the same - and whatever new torment she was headed for.

Zuko and Azula at the same time. That was new. She wondered if they had come to some accord, now that Azula had procured Katara for him. Zuko hadn't seemed happy about that a few days ago, but perhaps he had changed his mind again.

Katara let out an annoyed breath and made a conscious effort to let the thoughts flow away. She would find out soon enough.

"Would you like help dressing your hair, Princess Katara?" Sian asked without seeming to look up.

Katara, clad in fresh undergarments, hesitated. "I was thinking of washing it, actually."

"There may not be time for it to dry, Princess."

"Oh, don't worry about that."

"Would you like me to pour for you, Princess?"

Katara almost refused politely, but then shrugged. "Alright."

She leaned over the basin while Sian poured water from the pitcher through her hair. Before Katara could reach for the soaps, the maid had snatched up a different bottle and began massaging something into her wet hair, pressing gentle circles into her scalp. Katara stiffened only for an instant before the sensation lulled her into a slump. Only when Sian had rinsed away all the soap did she return to herself.

"That was wonderful, Sian," she said as her hair dripped. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"It is only palace training, Princess. Any personal attendant would know how. I am not half as skilled as Princess Azula's maids." She began dabbing at a few puddles on the floor where falling water had missed the basin. "You see, Princess? I- I cannot help but spill."

"Here," Katara said, concerned by the note of desperation in Sian's voice. "Let me help."

With a few quick passes of her hands, she gathered the water up off the floor and dropped it back in the basin with hardly a ripple. Then, with the same pull and sweep, she dragged the water from her short hair.

Sian watched with wide brown eyes, her hands still raised and hovering before her. Belatedly, Katara realized she might have frightened her. Before she could speak, a sudden smile darted across the maid's face and disappeared.

"Princess, we must hurry. The Prince and Princess do not like to wait."

Katara sat still and allowed Sian to attend her, arranging her hair and dabbing her skin with certain oils and lotions in certain places before helping her don the fresh rose silks she had brought. She did not see it, but Sian smiled faintly as she worked, her eyes bright and sharp.

The Head of Servants, fully aware of the young maid's tendency to spill and break things, had only allowed her to come on this voyage as a scullion with the understanding that she would step in and act as a maid only if something happened to one of Azula's entourage - which was not unheard of. It was only luck that so much of the staff had become afraid to serve their long-banished prince, who sometimes shouted for no reason or threw teacups across the room. And of course, there was the waterbender princess, rumored to have fought every restraint since the day she woke up with a temper to match the Prince's.

The other maids whispered none too quietly that Sian must be simple-minded to not be afraid, but she only shrugged that off as she had always shrugged off unkindness. To her, Katara's presence aboard was a sort of fantasy come to life. She had always wanted to attend to a princess, but her skills had never met Azula's exacting standards. And Katara, she was coming to realize, was actually kind when she wasn't battling for her freedom.

Of course, none of this was proper for a lowly maid to say to a princess, so Sian did not say it. But she did tie Katara's sash at such an angle that the lines of her garments flowed in a soft diagonal toward her face, and she did arrange the three remaining blue beads in her hair before tying it back in the almost-topknot she preferred. And when Roshu came to escort the princess away and Sian was watching her go, Katara's glance back and smile of gratitude made her heart thump in her chest.

.


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If the servant hadn't been there to snap the door wide before Zuko reached it, he would have banged it open hard enough to dent the wall. Instead, he could only stalk into Azula's formal receiving room and glare the force of his temper.

"This is a waste of time."

Azula did not look up from overseeing as the maid plumped her sitting cushions on the raised dais. "Actually, I think you'll find it a suitably expedient way to refuel, since you're so concerned about finding time in your busy schedule." The cushion thickened to her satisfaction, she lowered herself and sat languidly. "How did you find the control crew, by the way? Stimulating as ever?"

Zuko huffed out a breath and waved the maid away from his sitting cushion, separated from Azula's by a small square table bearing a teapot and two cups. The maid scurried out of his way at once, but he did not sit, choosing instead to stand before the dais and Azula's bored stare. "We should be on deck to face Zhao when he boards, not hiding and drinking tea."

"It's raining, Zuzu. Princesses do not wait in the rain for their lessors." She propped a wrist up on her bent knee and admired her fingernails. "And neither do princes who mean to be taken seriously. Zhao has overstepped. It is time he is faced with the consequences of his ambition."

Certainly, Zuko had not forgotten all that Zhao had said and done when he believed the prince would never regain his status. Frowning, he stepped up on the dais and lowered himself to sit beside Azula, stiff and cross-legged and facing the door. "Until the Avatar reaches the capital, I don't technically have the power to dole out any censures."

"But you will in a matter of weeks." Her eyes flashed slyly as she turned them on him. "And the dread of a just punishment is half the point."

Zuko assessed her for a moment. "Why do you care, Azula? Zhao didn't act against you."

"No. He sought to gain my favor by discrediting a member of the royal family. A grave miscalculation, as it turns out. One I would see made an example of."

Zuko went on watching her, trying to see just what it was she was after, but she gave no sign. A servant arrived to announce the Admiral's imminent arrival and he was forced to set the thought aside for later.

Zhao appeared in the corridor and the servant divested him of his drenched cloak before he turned to enter the room. His expression was confident but well-guarded, and he bowed low. "Princess Azula, Prince Zuko. It was an honor to receive your invitation."

"Yes," Azula said, "it was."

Zhao stiffened as he rose from his bow, then sank to a seat on the lone cushion before the dais. His eyes met Zuko's and held, and the scar on Zuko's back shot through with crackling remembered pain. He remembered, too, Zhao's claim that his father would never suffer him to return home. Zuko braced his hands formally against his thighs to keep them from curling into fists.

At the same time, he sat elevated. Looking down on this hated man, he couldn't help but hear an annoying voice at the back of his mind, rasping something about power and justice. Zuko scowled and did not speak. At length, Azula went on.

"My brother and I would enjoy a status report on your progress against the rebel training base and that city you laid siege to some weeks ago. Have you broken through their defenses, yet?"

"Not yet, Princess, but it's only a matter of time. Gao Ling's walls are massive and well-patrolled but behind them-"

"As I recall, you described it in a letter as 'an unwalled town at best'."

"Yes, Princess," Zhao said, a muscle twitching in his jaw. "All my spies and maps indicated that that was the case, at the time."

Azula watched him for a long moment. "I did wonder, when you were so easily able to subdue the Northern Water Tribe, whether your skills might not have been exaggerated. After all, commanding an army at siege is quite different from killing a fish."

Zhao lowered his chin a degree and forced his next words through tight lips. "Princess Azula, Gao Ling is home to the region's strongest earthbenders and, with their ranks swollen with refugees and rebel support, they have been able to put up an unanticipated level of resistance."

"Unanticipated," Azula said. "Prince Zuko, would you say that is accurate, considering all that you witnessed while you lived in disguise in Gao Ling?"

Zhao watched him warily now. Zuko frowned impassively back at him. "Gao Ling is known throughout the Earth Kingdom for its earthbender fighting rings. The pit fighters may not have been a force in the war before their city was directly assaulted, and might even have been disregarded as performers without martial prowess, but it would be the height of arrogance to think such a city could be taken easily. With the additional support of a neighboring mountain fortress and underground supply lines, Gao Ling could be considered the last holdout of the Earth Kingdom, second only to Ba Sing Se."

That muscle in Zhao's jaw twitched again, but he fixed his eyes on the floor before him.

Azula glanced at her sharp nails again. "It is a pity you didn't think to ask for any such insight when you encountered Prince Zuko during the attack on your supply station."

Zhao's eyes widened and flicked between them. One of the dots of rain on his brow rolled down and vanished into his sideburn. "Princess Azula, I only thought to defend the honor of the Fire Nation against the prince, who at that time appeared very convincingly to have gone renegade. Even his Water Tribe allies knew his identity and seemed to trust him as one of their own."

"And I told you then," Zuko bit out, "they were a part of my plan to capture the Avatar."

There was a faint snort from one side of the doorway where, to Zuko's surprise, Katara stood with her arms folded over her chest. At her side, Lieutenant Roshu was watching her with wide, infuriated eyes, but Zuko did not really notice him. He could only stare at Katara, aglow in fresh silk with a sour frown drawing her face downward. His chest ached furiously at the sight of her. It was all he could do to remain still, his fingers digging into his thighs.

Zhao, who had turned to look as well, made a faint, bemused sound. When he turned back to Zuko, his hard mouth had tilted slightly upward. "My deepest apologies, Prince Zuko. Clearly, I misunderstood the situation. However did you win Katto of the Water Tribe to the Fire Nation's cause?"

His tone suggested he had some idea, but Zuko did not sully himself with hazarding guesses. "I didn't. Princess Katara of the South was a prisoner until she pledged herself to my service to save the life of her brother."

"I see," Zhao said, casting her another look. "Far be it from me to question your judgement, Your Highness, but I would not trust Water Tribe honor enough to let a powerful bender wander my ship unchained."

Katara's frown tightened into something more focused. "That's a pretty bold sentiment coming from a man who burned his prince while his back was turned."

"Perhaps a muzzle would be prudent as well."

"Enough." They both turned to look at Zuko, who glared back at each in turn, finally settling on Zhao. "In twelve days, I will return to the capital to deliver the Avatar to my father. When it pleases me, I will send for you, and you will answer for your disrespect."

Zhao bowed, hand over fist. It was difficult to tell with his face turned to the floor, but when his eyes flashed up briefly, Zuko was almost certain he was smirking. "As you command, Prince Zuko."

"You are dismissed." Zuko waited until Zhao had backed toward the door, then stopped him before he could turn away. "Zhao. A wise man would use the next twelve days to prepare his campaign for his successor."

Zhao froze in place. His eyes widened and his jaw clenched. At length, he bowed again. "Of course, Prince Zuko."

As he strode for the exit, Katara's eyes were hard on him and she did not step aside to let him pass. It made Zuko's pulse speed to see the older man hesitate before her, stopped by the mutinous set of her face. Defiance suited her so much better than the cold disdain she had leveled on him when last he'd seen her.

Zhao said something through his teeth to her and Roshu clamped a hand onto her shoulder, but Katara only hardened, her mouth pinching down to a short line. It was a look Zuko remembered from the training camp, a look that meant trouble.

"Summon her," Azula said faintly, "before this becomes counterproductive."

Zuko cleared his throat, remembering their present situation acutely. He straightened his back; in his focus, he had begun leaning forward. "Katara."

She didn't look away from the opponent before her, and her tone was sweet enough to turn Zuko's stomach. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"Come here."

She stepped around Zhao slowly, watching him from the corner of her eye until he left the room. Then she came to stand before the dais, glaring up at Zuko with her hands still fisted at her sides.

"Bow to your master," Azula said idly.

Zuko clenched his jaw to keep from protesting and saw how the silk of Katara's outer robe crinkled where she pressed her knuckles into her hips. Then her eyes slid back to him and held, flatly, as she cupped one hand around the opposite fist and bowed in the Water Tribe way. Zuko fought for a blank expression, but all he could think was that he had never seen Katara bow before.

Azula smiled. "Well Zuko, your waterbender may be ill-mannered for a palace slave, but her loyalty has a certain charm."

"That's not what that was," Katara seethed. Her cheeks reddened. "Zhao is vile."

"I doubt there is time left in this voyage to truly train her to service, but perhaps Li and Lo could cure her of this distasteful habit of inserting herself into the conversations of her superiors. And, of course, we must have her fitted for a collar…"

"No." It was out of Zuko's mouth before he could really think about it, but he kept his stare locked on Azula anyway as she arched an eyebrow at him. "Katara is mine to command. From now on, whatever decisions need to be made regarding her, I'll be the one to make them, Azula - not you. And that includes when she's to be summoned from the brig."

"She isn't one of your toys, Zuko," Azula sighed, casting her eyes toward the ceiling. "I'm not going to steal her or break her in a fit of boredom. Think of the embarrassment she would be at court with this sort of behavior."

Zuko curled his lip and opened his mouth to tell her he didn't care, but Katara spoke first.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to embarrass Prince Zuko."

Sarcasm dripped off the words, and her large-eyed smile made the back of Zuko's neck prickle in warning. He watched her press her fingertips to her chest and bow her head slightly to one side, a coy gesture he had never seen before.

"Since I live to serve him, of course I want to know how best to perform my duties. And I simply must have a collar of my own. That way, no one will ever, ever forget-" She smiled harder, her teeth flashing. "-that I am his to command."

Zuko thought of Loska, meek and collared and so afraid of him. The thought of Katara following suit was appalling, impossible. It didn't bear thinking about. And that had to be why she was doing this. She wanted him to see that collar on her every time he looked at her. She wanted to remind him every second that she was a slave until he found a way to set her free.

Zuko dug his fingers into his thighs and glowered at her. "You want to wear a collar so badly? Fine. I suppose you must find the idea comforting, since it's the custom of your people for a woman to wear the token of the man who possesses her."

That wiped the smile off her face. Katara's eyes widened and her nostrils flared, but she kept her mouth clamped shut. He could see how her hand twitched at her side, barely resisting the impulse to reach for the necklace she wore, before closing again into a fist. "Your Highness is so considerate."

Zuko didn't leave off glaring back at her. "Lieutenant, return Princess Katara to her cell until Li and Lo are ready to see her."

Roshu guided Katara out the door with a grip on her shoulder. She didn't take her furious eyes from Zuko until the wall was between them. Even then, Zuko still felt her stare, twin icy knives twisting in his chest.

Abruptly, he surged to his feet and snapped at Azula. "Why did you have her brought here?"

She remained as she had been throughout the exchange, leaning back on one arm and smiling. "What better way to convince Zhao of his error than to put proof and a witness before his eyes? Now, not only does he realize the catastrophic blow his actions will have on his career, he knows his very life hangs on your whim." Her brow puckered in something close to concern. "My staff tell me it's quite an impressive scar."

Zuko turned away with a sharp breath through his teeth and stalked to the edge of the dais. He had known the valets and attendants would report to her, but that didn't make it feel like less of an invasion.

"There was the matter of your pet, as well."

"Don't call her that. She's not some animal on a leash to be trotted out for guests."

"No," Azula said as if explaining a simple concept to an obtuse child. "The leash is very much metaphorical now. Perhaps she truly can be held in check by an oath, but like every other captive waterbender of note, it was the threat to her family that stopped her. That is the only force you can count on to hold her - for now."

Zuko shut his eyes. Sokka. One of the unit captains had given him the story, how it had been practically an accident, the way Azula stepped out of danger and pulled the tribesman into it. How Katara had run her own brother through. The truth was, there were no accidents when it came to Azula, and no miracles either. The only reason Sokka was still alive was that she wanted him to be.

"Oh, brighten up, Zuko. You can be so tedious sometimes. There is good news, too, you know."

Zuko looked back at her, not trusting her definition of 'good.'

For the first time since he had entered the receiving room, Azula took a sip of tea, smiling over her cup. "Your waterbender may not like you, but this meeting has made it clear that there are people she dislikes more."

Zuko folded his arms over his chest. "Considering that Zhao subjugated her sister tribe and temporarily killed the moon spirit, it isn't a huge comfort that she hates him just a little more than she hates me."

"You fail to see the bigger picture. As long as she's aboard this ship, you are her primary enemy. But when we reach the capital, she will have a wide selection of nobles and officials to hate. Imagine the respect you would garner if your enemies were to become hers, as well."

It played through his mind and lingered like a fine perfume - because it was so very close to the fantasy he had always had. Katara challenging Zhao on Zuko's behalf. Katara at his shoulder, glaring down on the scheming peers of the Fire Court. Katara at his side as he knelt before the curtain of flames…

Zuko shook his head, but the notion clung. For all that it pleased him, he found himself clutching his folded arms tighter to his stomach until his ribs shot through with fresh aches. Katara didn't want to be there. She didn't want to be with him, didn't want to support him in his destiny, and didn't want to face the cruel reality he had to face. She hated him, and the sooner he could get her away from him, the sooner he could begin forgetting the idiotic fantasies that he'd allowed to lure him into such foolishness in the first place.

Watching him, Azula sighed. "Go back to your important hovering, if you must. Don't bother thanking me for helping you prepare a strategy against the Fire Court."

Still standing at the edge of the dais, Zuko peered back at his sister. For a moment he was silent, uncertain. "You could have warned me," he finally said. "About the meeting with Zhao, about Katara. You could have let me prepare for that."

"If I had warned you" Azula said with a calculating glance and a subtle smile, "it wouldn't have been a surprise."