Borealis: A Zutara Story | By : jaded_priceless Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 33555 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 4 |
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Legend of Korra, any historical figures or events, or easily recognizable persons, places or things. I make no profit from this work of fanfiction |
Chapter 25
Zuko placed his palms on either side of Katara’s face and brought his forehead to hers. He wiped her tears with his thumbs then pulled out his handkerchief when that proved ineffective. He could hear what the women standing behind Katara had been saying and thanks to his despicable actions their theories weren’t far off base.
He hugged her with the arm not bound to her, then kissed her forehead before whispering in her ear, “Be strong just a little bit longer. It’s almost over, okay?”
Katara nodded and he kissed her again; this time gently on the lips. She smiled when she heard the scandalized gasps of her detractors and brought her hands up to rest on his chest as she turned her head to lay it on his shoulder. He patted her back encouragingly. The Water Tribe girl was a quick study.
The crowd slowly began to disperse and he took her to a darkened hallway. Zuko met all of Katara’s questions with a “shh” and finger placed across her lips. She was getting angry when a door seemed to open out of nowhere and three guards wheeled out her brother and Aang. She pushed past Zuko to run to them unaware she’d just thrown herself directly into the path of danger until a fireball was diverted to her side and a voice demanded “Let her pass.”
“But Prince Zuko, Lord Ozai said,” the guard began as Zuko stepped partially out of the shadows.
“I am well aware of my father’s orders that the Avatar have no unapproved visitors. Have you forgotten she is also a prisoner?” Zuko asked smugly pulling Katara closer to him. He groped her breast and kissed her neck, “My little prisoner has served me well this afternoon and this is how I choose to reward her.”
“Katara, what does he mean you served him? What did you do to Katara? Katara, did he touch you? Did he touch you? Did you touch my baby sister?” Sokka screamed forgetting about Aang and rattling the chains that bound him.
She could hear the anger and hurt in her brother’s voice and the confusion in Aang’s. Shame and revulsion rippled through her body, as Zuko’s fingers tweaked her nipple but she could not deny his words nor reply to their volley of questions. His hand slunk along the curve of her waist and he dismissed her with a single pat on her bottom, “Katara, go to the Avatar and your brother.”
She ran to Sokka’s cage first then to Aang’s. “I’ll get you out of here I promise. I’ll find a way,” she vowed to each of them.
“That’s enough, Katara,” Zuko said pulling her away from them. He hooked his arm around her waist as Sokka’s stomach rumbled loudly.
Shocked, Katara stopped struggling and remembered that Sokka and Aang weren’t served at the banquet. They had been surrounded by food and given nothing. She had been plied with countless delicacies and too upset to do to more than take a small bite of each of them.
“Zuko, they’re-” he covered her mouth with his hand and drug her down the hallway before she could finish the sentence.
“You were right, he did bring her,” one guard said to the others as they wheeled the cages back to the dungeon.
The tallest laughed, “Now that we don’t have to worry about further interruptions how about we have a little fun with the prisoners?”
Aang inhaled sharply and began looking around. Sokka started to shiver next to him.
“Scared or is that anticipation I’m seeing? I can’t wait to get me a little Airbender” the oldest one laughed. “My grandfather’s gone senile and that’s all he remembers; not his name or that of this family members, just how to wank and Tam that pretty little monk from the Southern Air Temple.”
“L-l-l-look,” the first one to speak stuttered beside him after noticing the apparition hovering above the cages. She Who Walks was among them.
The guards began shivering as Sokka and Aang stopped. The spirit was no longer above the cages. She was coming towards them. The men ran leaving abandoning their prisoners in front of the dungeons they were delivering them to.
The ghost of Fire Lady Nini had forsaken the Water Tribe girl but had chosen to guard these prisoners.
“This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong,” the prince thought to himself as he yanked her towards his sanctuary.
He removed his formal robes and threw them onto the damp grass before lowering himself heavily against the base of a katsura tree. He brought his knees to his chest and rested his forehead on it. A few moments later he noticed she was still standing and absently motioned for her to sit beside him.
Katara watched as Zuko huddled against the tree. He was upset although he had no reason to be. He’d captured the Avatar, regained his honor, and used his status a prince to make her his dolled up plaything. They were in front of a pond, but she was chained and unable to bend. When he patted the ground beside him she responded honestly, “My dress will get dirty.”
“I’m sure palace laundry can handle it,” Zuko replied smiling sadly remembering the kind laundry matron and how often she would save him from scoldings. Fret not, Princess Ursa. Prince Iroh and Prince Lu Ten made sure I was well versed in the removal of grass stains. Doing laundry has been boring with them in the Earth Kingdom. I need the challenge of a rambunctious young prince or else I might forget there are other things than wine stains.
Another part of him was not so kind. Especially after he noticed she had carefully gathered the ankle length dress so the hem skimmed her calves “Barely home and you’ve forgotten what it was like to do laundry and take care of your own things. It wasn’t so long ago the uncle you betrayed was playing the fool to put food in your belly. You remember what that was like, don’t you? Being alone, afraid and hungry? That desperate incompetent feeling when Uncle Iroh had been shot with Azula’s lightning and there was nothing you could do to help him?
Zuko stretched his legs and moved so he was no longer in the middle of the cloak. He gestured to his thighs, “Sit on them and turn sideways. You won’t get dirty.”
Katara took a tentative step forward. She placed on her left hand against the tree and awkwardly brought her right foot up to remove the dainty sandal before stepping on his robe’s inner lining. When she began struggling to remove the other one with her left hand he extended a hand to support her while the other took off her shoe. She parked herself as close to his knees as possible then glanced to the left of her shoulder. His eyes were closed and his head was tilted back against the tree perfectly exposing his throat.
Katara sighed to herself, if only she had a way to slit it and get to her captured companions.
Zuko’s conscience continued to harass him and he began searching for a way to assuage it. His voice was thick with emotion and he didn’t dare face her even though he’d posed a question. “Have you ever tried to do something good only to have it explode in your face in the worst possible way and the only way to salvage is by doing so hideous that you can’t even recognize what you’ve become?”
Katara’s mind screamed bloodbending. She turned to look at the pond. All she wanted to do was learn from real Southern style Waterbender instead she’d been forced to reach inside Aang’s and Sokka’s bodies forcing them to stop fighting until she could do the same to Hama. She still had nightmares about the rhythm of their hearts and the way their lifeblood felt as it jumped beneath her fingers, “Yeah.”
“So what did you do? Did you do the terrible thing to prevent something worse from happening knowing you’d hurt people and that you would never be the same again or did you keep your morals and just let it the bad thing happen?” Zuko asked quietly sitting straighter.
“What good are morals if they can’t protect your loved ones?” Katara asked turning to look at him.
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