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When Katara awoke she found herself in the back of sled with a cloth bag over her head and her hands bound together with frayed rope. The air was chilly and smelt of rotten fish and sea salt; they were on some back alley way behind the old fishing warehouses. They drove past abandoned docks and abandoned watch towers until they hit the empty tundra; they didn’t go very far into the desolate landscape to reach their destination. One burly man in snow gear pushed Katara from the sled and into a pile of snow, the others just chuckled. Another man ordered her to get up and start walking, she reluctantly followed orders seeing as her ability to bend was out of the question.
The snow was coming down hard as they made their way towards an abandoned ice fishing lodge that glowed dimly in the night. Once inside Katara was hit by many different smells: rotting fish, iron, alcohol and honey-smoked wood. She was led down a flight of stairs and pushed into a small holding cell where the rope was replaced with rusty cuffs- they were careful not to allow her even a second to waterbend; they removed the burlap sack and pushed her towards a frozen stone bench. She barely caught herself as they slammed the iron door behind her; they laughed and spat at her before stomping out of the room.
Great fix you got yourself into now Katara. How in the hell am I gonna get out?
She slowly pulled herself into a sitting position on the bench and took in her surroundings. The walls were made of solid black brick, the floor was frozen earth and the only light source was a small brazier hanging by the iron door that the men had left through. Iron bars squared her off from the door on all sides, she lie beneath a small skylight that showed her a stormy night and no moon- in other words she was most definitely screwed.
She sat their waiting for someone, anyone to walk through the door, but no one did so for hours; when she finally gave up on waiting she slumped against the wall resolved to get some sleep before meeting her captors. She had a feeling that she would be need it and wouldn’t have a better chance to do so. A couple of hours later she awoke to a set of voices outside the door; the door swung open and two men filed in; she quickly got up and stood unmoving her knees touching the bench. The first was the burly man that had pushed her into the bank; he had a short cropped beard, buzz cut hair and a scar that run from his left eyebrow to his bottom right lip which was curled in an unattractive sneer; he wore a big parka and baggy pants with torn up boots- dirt covered him head to toe. The other man was more polished up he wore elaborate armor that had a faded symbol etched in the armor and his hair was pulled up into a top know and his beard was trimmed to the sides- fire nation. When she looked into his dark almost black eyes she did not find hope, she find her doom.
Ever the since the lights had been turned on, more and more details had become clearer, the symbol on the man’s armor, the hidden dagger in the burly guys boot and the 2nd man’s face- it was commander Zhao. She gulped down her fear and stared him dead in the face not wanting to show any weakness- Zhao respected bravery.
“My my, if it isn’t prince Zuko’s little whore, though I suppose he is firelord now and that must make you the new firelady.” He sneered stalking towards the rusty bars that separated them.
Katara frowned, but kept her mouth shut; she needed to know where this was going before making any brash decisions.
“Not the talking type, are we? Well that’s too bad seeing as I came all this way to hear you tell me everything about the new firelord.” He smiled revealing perfect teeth, but it only reminded her of a beast about to swallow its prey, and the way he said firelord and firelady with a hint of sarcasm like it was some joke.
Zhao looked her over like she was a piece of meat, but she met his eyes every single time every fiber of her being screaming to tear out his throat. He chuckled as if he found her funny, but it sounded hollow and cruel like he was thinking of the oh so many ways to get her to squeal.
The other man cleared his throat and tapped Zhao on the shoulder momentarily taking his attention from her. “I brought her here, safe and sound. I believe you owe me payment.”
Zhao frowned which somehow made his face even more hideous and hostile; he guided the man with one hand towards the door where the two began arguing over price and payment for her kidnapping and other errands the man had run for Zhao. Katara tried to squeeze her hands out of the bonds, but she only ended up creating big gash marks along her wrists; she searched her tiny cell for anything she could use but there was nothing, the slab of stone was circular and devoid of any imperfections as was the earth rug beneath her feet- she wasn’t getting out anytime soon. Her attention was brought back to her captors as their argument began very vocal, with a frustrated sigh Zhao grabbed a sword from his side scabbard and thrust it up into the other man’s chest. Katara stood there unmoving not knowing what to do, she’d seen plenty of people die as well as dead bodies but watching this murder unfold was just plain gruesome.
Zhao removed the sword from the man and summoned the guards; they carried away the dead body as well as his sword to be cleaned of its new stain. After summoning a chair and sheathing his newly polished sword once more, the two were left alone, and though Katara knew what would happen next she stuck out her chin and met his gaze head on.
He let loose another dark chuckle, “Why aren’t you defiant? It’s just so adorable.” He sneered as he relaxed back into his chair. “I do love it when they’re feisty and defiant; it makes things far more fun.”
Katara was unafraid, “You will never get me to talk; I am loyal to Zuko, the fire nation and the world. I would rather die that taint my dignity by spilling anything to you.”
“We’ll see about that my dear-” He said with a chuckle, “-we’ll see.”
He summoned the guards and took her from her cell and led her down some stairs, past a series of corridors and into an open room. The room housed two giant posts and a long table filled with all sorts of cruel looking weapons. Katara tried to kicked and claw at the guards as the attached her chains to rings on the posts, but it was no use she was trapped. Zhao dismissed the guards and made his way towards the long table of weapons, a content smile on his face.
“Let’s begin shall we?” He smiled cruelly and chose a long twisted looking knife that was rusted over with blood.
Her screams could be heard all the way from the top of the house.
Meanwhile Zuko speed towards Katara aboard a sled with a troop of the finest warriors led by none other than Sokka. Zuko frowned wondering what they would find when they finally reached their destination; he just hope Katara was well, because if anyone had laid a finger on her they’d be losing some fingers.
Within minutes they came upon the abandoned fishing lodge; two guards stood watch outside and a group of four was visible through the main window, all armed to the teeth. Painful shrieks of immense pain emanated from within, Zuko balled up his fists trying to keep himself from bulling his way into the house right then and there.
“So what’s our plan?” Zuko asked Sokka who was already ordering his soldiers into position.
“I’m sending four men to go in from the back; three men to create a diversion of to the left and the rest of us will be doing a full frontal assault.” Sokka stated sounding confident, calm and professional. Zuko only felt weak, stupid and afraid. “We’ll get her out alive, okay?”
I really hope so. “I’ll make them pay for ever laying a finger on her.” He vowed more than ready to get in there and knock some heads. Please spirits grant me the strength to win this fight and bring Katara home safe and sound. With that prayer the plan was set in motion and Zuko ran towards the house where Katara was hopefully still alive.
Katara’s vision was beginning to blacken and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. All along her arms blood dripped from grotesque wounds, her hair was stuck to her face and neck with sweat and her clothes were tattered and burned in places; she tried to summon power from the moon but she could neither see it nor feel it. Her only hope was that someone would rescue her from this hell and soon; she didn’t know how much more she could take.
Zhao laughed as he selected another twisted weapon and made his way towards her.
“My dear, the pain ends when you talk. All you have to do is tell me where the secret passages are beneath the palace are being built.” He stated as if it was the easiest choice in the world.
Katara could barely think let alone speak, but she managed one word, “Never.”
Zhao shook his head clucking his tongue as if he was disappointed in her, “You will tell me, eventually you will.”
He turned the poker over and over in his hands examining it as if it’d tell him the secrets he wanted to know, finding none he plunged it into her left knee cap. She let out a blood curtailing scream as tears ran new tracks down her face and blood gushed from the wound. The chains held her arms at a painful angle which only spurred on my tears.
“You’ll never- get me—to talk. Never.” Katara breathed trying desperately to stay awake, but she had already lost so much blood anymore and she’d die.
“Is that so? That’s a shame seeing as how we haven’t reached the fire torture yet, I was really looking forward to it.” Zhao laughed as he held the poker over his fire filled hand.
Just then a commotion was heard just beyond the sealed doors, Zhao turned in surprise a little too late; the doors blasted inwards smoke billowing everywhere. Zhao coughed and covered his eyes trying to find the nearest weapon, but it was useless. Through the smoke three men rushed in, one of them was Zuko. Katara tried to get to her feet but only stumbled and landed on her bad knee letting out a screech of pain.
“Katara!” Zuko yelled running to her side as the other two man rushed Zhao who had hit his head on a rock and was just regaining consciousness. “Oh thank Agni you’re alive. Oh Katara I’m so sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”
Katara swallowed down the bile rising in her throat because of the smoke and nodded weakly. “It’s fine- I fo-” She gurgled out before her head slumped forward.
“Katara! Stay with me okay, you’re gonna be fine.” Zuko said through the block in his throat and within the seconds he’d melted the chains from her wrists.
He was just lifting her into his arms when Sokka rushed in his face covered in grime and sweat; his face turned pale when he took in Katara’s bloody form. “Who did this to her?”
He huffed turning towards the two men who now had Zhao in chains.
Sokka stormed over to them and grabbed his face roughly so they were staring eye to eye. “You bastard, you deserve to die for what you did. I ought to kill you.”
“As if you could boy” Zhao snarled.
Sokka raise his sword ready to strike.
“Sokka we don’t have time, Katara needs a healer now or she’ll die.” Zuko practically screamed standing up with a limp Katara in his arms- her pulse faint and fleeting.
Sokka stared at Zhao for another second before hitting him on the head with the hilt of his blade. “Let’s go, we’ll bring him back to the city. The council can have at him.” He ordered running from the room Zuko right behind him and the two men dragging Zhao behind.
They made it out of the lodge just as it imploded sending sparks and debris everywhere; they hopped aboard the sleds and sped off towards the city.
Zuko held Katara against his chest trying to keep her warm and alive; her breathing was shallow and strained it made his heart ache. The last words they had shared had been ones of hate and anger; he didn’t want this to be her end. She needed to know she was loved and he need to know she’d forgiven him for his stupidity.
“Please Agni, Tui, la, ANYONE please let her live.” He desperately pleaded, “She just has to. “I love her.”
I need her