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Cave of two lovers
Even when they thought they had lost him and when they thought they were safe enough, they weren't.
He found them again.
On a normal day Prince Zuko was hard to get rid of, today he just looked incensed. Even when it has been weeks since they had last seen the man, he seemed to be even angrier now that they were alone.
He also had a full head of hair, Katara noted. It really had been that long since they'd seen him.So why he seemed so angry was beyond her.
“This is all your fault, you filthy little peasant.”
Katara did her best not to bend her water into a whip and smack him. They were too enclosed, having been trapped in the cave of two lovers, and she knew how hot headed he was and how far his fire could reach. She didn't need to burn to death inside this horrible place.
Still, she hated being called a peasant. She had lived her 16 years of life just fine. She had food, water, shelter and family. She didn't need the grandeur of the north and even if the south was underdeveloped, she never felt like a peasant.
Katara took a breath in.
“I didn't force you to follow us unto this cave, “ she said to the banished prince. “You took that upon yourself. Not to mention, if you hadn't surprised us, you wouldn't have spooked Appa and he wouldn't have caved us in.”
The prince growled and punched the rock wall but she guessed he had overestimated his strength as he cried out in pain.
Katara winced, her lantern had still illuminated the enclosure and she could see the blood dripping from his hand and an agonizing expression on his face. She summoned her water from its skin and made her way to him. Not surprisingly ,he grabbed her wrist with his good hand and pushed her back, her back hitting the rock wall.
“Don't touch me,” he growled, his fist tightening.
“I was only going to heal you,” she growled. “But if you want to get an infection on top of staying in pain, be my guest.”
He scowled ,released her and took off. She didn't call back for him or bother to follow, she just took off in the same direction. She saw him turn to the left so she did too and....
“There wasn't a wall there,” she whispered, trying to convince herself. “We came from that way.”
Shaking her head, Katara turned back. Perhaps her eyes had played tricks on her and she should have turned right but when she did, there was another wall. She took a breath. She was overthinking things. She just must have missed a tunnel. It was still fairly dark and everything was a rock wall. She wasn't afraid but she was alone.
Alone alone.
She tried to recall a time when she had ever not had someone in plain sight of her and her mind drew a blank. Even in their tense battles she had Sokka or Aang or even Momo and Appa near.
Suddenly she was back in the north pole and she was running but no one seemed to be around for her to reach in time. Her legs were too small and it was too cold and she was too scared. She felt alone.
Katara blinked back tears and realized she wasn't at the north pole. No, she was in a cave but she was alone.
A warm hand grabbed her shoulder and she shrieked, lashing out only to be grabbed by her wrists once again.
“These tunnels are moving,” the fire Prince said to her.
Katara took a deep ,shuddering breath and looked around. It was a completely different set up than before.
She looked at Zuko who was staring at her and she tried to talk but her heart beat was still going so fast that she felt it would jump out of her throat if she tried to speak.
....
Zuko did not know what to say now.
He hadn't meant to scare the peasant girl and then he turns her around and she's weeping like a child who had lost their mother and was desperately trying to find her.
He did not know how to handle this.
“Did you hear me?” he asked her.
She still seemed lost so he just dragged her down the newly formed cave path.
“We need to get out of this hell hole,” he said. “And I am going to allow the thought of leaving you in this cave to rot to sour my conscience.”
He heard her snort in derision.
“Do not test me ,peasant,” he said. “That little lantern you have is about to give out and last I checked you weren't a firebender. So listen to me or perish.”
“Sorry if I'm surprised you would even care to see me escape,” she said. “Let alone help me.”
“Sorry I'm not the monster you think I am,” he replied with a scowl. “It's not too late though. So shut it and let's keep going.”
She pulled her arm away but continued following.
The two walked in relative silence for what seemed like hours. Just the sound of their footsteps and whatever was moving the caves.
“The offer to heal your hand is still available,” the waterbender said to him. “You wince and groan every few minutes and it bothers me.”
He rolled his eyes but then just thrust his hand towards her. She made a glove of water around her hands and they began to emit a soft ,soothing glow. When she touched his wounds he immediately felt the same soothing sensation. His pain lessened and was replaced by the soothing , cold water.
“I didn't know waterbenders could do that,” he said. “I thought you were just going to clean it off.”
He looked back at the watertribe girl who was focused on her bending.
“It comes in handy,” she said with a smile. “There, all done.”
“Thanks,” he said, feeling a bit confused.
He had only ever had bad interactions with her so for her to help him with a smile on her face...He could hear his uncle's voice telling him to take it as a blessing.
A pretty girl's smile is all a man needs sometimes, he would have said.
Zuko frowned.
“You don't seem thankful,” she said, bringing him back down to earth.
“I said thank you didn't I,” he retorted. “Let's just keep going. I refuse to die in this cave.”
He heard her scoff again but she still followed him. The silence returned.
He didn't like the silence.
.....
“Why were you crying earlier?” The prince asked. “You looked like a child who lost their mother at the market ”
Katara froze. The cave suddenly seemed so cold and unforgiving.She didn't know how to answer. She didn't really want to answer. She owed the man before her nothing. He had only ever caused her and her friends strife.
Still...he had never been as calm as he was now and she just...
“I did lose my mother,” she said, her hand going to her necklace. “But it wasn't at a market. It was a raid. A Fire Nation raid.”
Prince Zuko stopped walking and turned to look at her.
His usual angry frown and firey determined eyes had been replaced with sadness and a look of compassion she didn't think he was capable of.
“I'm sorry,” he said. “I guess losing our mothers because of the Fire Nation is something we have in common.”
Katara felt her heart skip a beat. She could see in his eyes the utter sadness that the thought of his mother brought up. She could so easily relate and she felt a sudden connection with the man.
No one, not even Sokka, had ever made her feel understood this way. It was sudden and all Prince Zuko did was look at her but she felt like he was looking inside her. Inside that space where she hid her greatest sadness and he was in there just taking a seat with her in solidarity.
“What happened to your mom?” she asked.
“She woke me up one night to assure me things were going to be okay, I was still half asleep so I didn't know what was happening,” he said. “And then when I woke up, Fire Lord Azulon was dead and my mother was gone. My father refused to tell me what happened to her.”
Katara felt her stomach drop.
“I'm so sorry,” she said, touching his wrist.
He pulled it away but not as roughly as she would have expected and continued walking.
“I'm sorry they took your mother too,” he said. “My grandfather was always afraid the avatar would pop up in the south. According to my sister Azula, they were due for an avatar in the south. He was afraid that they were hiding them in plain sight and so it would be in the Fire Nation's best interest to just....”
He paused and Katara could tell he was trying to find the safest way to put it.
“They must have heard there was another waterbender,” he continued . “It had been decades since there had been one. Was it your mother?”
Katara shook her head.
“No,” she said sadly, tears starting to form in her eyes again. “It was me. She lied to them to protect me.”
She closed her eyes hoping to stifle the tears but they fell freely, flowing down her cheeks one at a time.
She felt a warm heavy hand on her shoulder causing her to open her eyes. The Prince was looking at her with his own sadness, his flame illuminating his face ,emphasizing his scar.
....
His fire illuminated her face and he swore he had to inhale and calm his nerves.
He always thought she was pretty. She was a head turner on a bad day and on a good day... The way his fire made her ocean blue eyes shine, he swore he thought she was ethereal.
If only the tears would stop. He didn't like it that she was crying and so sadly too but he understood it. His mother was his world as a child. She was kind, beautiful and warm and everything she did she did for him with love in her heart. Losing her had irreparably damaged a part of him so he knew the pain that was going through the waterbenders heart.
“We should keep going,” he said. “At the very least we might figure out a way back to your friends.”
She nodded and the two began walking again. They had only taken a few steps when the earth beneath them rumbled and the caves had begun changing.
Without thinking he grabbed the girl and led her away, shielding her from any falling debris until they both stumbled into another cave.
Only it wasn't a cave.
“It's a tomb,” the waterbender explained.
Her eyes scanned the room but he couldn't keep his eyes off her hands which were clutching onto his chest. She looked at him and her face flushed in realization.
“Sorry,” she said looking down , a blush on her pretty cheeks.
“Don't worry about it,” he replied.
She nodded and then walked up to the shrines.
“It's a story,” she said, her voice soft. “There were lovers who would meet on top of a hill. Hiding away from the war between their families.”
Zuko felt entranced by the way she told the story.
“They were deeply in love and struggled often to get away from their duties. One day the woman found some tunnels dug by the badgermoles. She brought the man and showed him how the badgermoles moved the earth in order to get around and make their own shelters. So the two decided to learn from the badgermoles and together they became the first earth benders.”
The waterbenders' delicate hands traced along the hieroglyphics that painted the story. She had a hazy smile on her face.
“They used the tunnels to make it easier for each one to reach the mountain so they could continue their love but one day, the man didn't show up.”
She frowned.
“The war had become so devastating and he had lost his life in one of the battles. The woman was so heartbroken and distraught that she used her powers to put a stop to the war. But not by means of violence and death. Instead she used her bending to halt the battles and showed the two feuding sides the devastation and destruction they were causing. It took some time but eventually she was able to bring upon a peace between the two sides and together they built a city. The woman's name was Oma and the man's name was Shu. When the city had finally been erected, even if it had been years since Oma and Shu had both passed on, the citizens who had grown up in the town ,hearing about the first earthbenders had decided to honor them with a name. Thus the great city of Omashu was born. “
She was smiling, he noticed , her eyes cloudy with the calmness the romantic story brought her.
Zuko looked at the last glyph.
“Love is brightest in the dark,” he said.
....
Katara couldn't avoid the blush that had seeped down to her chest. She wondered if Zuko realized just how close he was to her now. His chest was at her back and she could feel his warmth emanate from his body.
Where are all the firebenders this warm?
Before she could say something to break the strange moment, there was a rumbling and both ran to the entrance only for it to be gone.
She felt a sense of dread at being trapped with even less of a way out . Prince Zuko huffed and fell to the floor sitting against the wall. His fire still strong but beginning to waver
“We are going to die here,” he Groaned.
Katara closed her eyes and then took a seat next to the man. She wasn't sure she could disagree. They continued to stay trapped and now they were in the burial spot of the first two earthbenders. Such a romantic story bringing her demise.
She looked at the man. She was facing his unscathed side. She had never noticed but he was pretty handsome. She laughed to herself at the irony.
Trapped in the cave of two lovers with the greatest enemy who happened to be handsome. It was like a cheesy romance novel.
“I liked the story,” she said out loud. “At least we'll die having heard a good story.”
“It would have made a good play,” he said. “My mother used to take me, my sister and her two friends to the theater. I loved it.”
Katara laughed.
“You being a theater kid makes sense,” she said to him. “With your dramatics you'd make a great actor.”
She heard him snort.
“I'd scare the children with this thing.”
She knew he was talking about his face and she frowned.
“Why would you think that?” she asked as she turned to look at him.
He side eyed her but his expression was passive.
“Look at me,” he said. “I'm not exactly stage material.”
With out thinking she turned his head to face her, her hand gently touching the scar.
“I think it just gives you more character.”
......
Maybe it was the cave or maybe it was the resolve of knowing he was going to die here but he let her do something he had never let anyone else do before.
She touched his scar.
Her fingers were soft and cool on his warmer skin and he felt a strange comfort in her words.
“Is this why you're always so angry?” She asked him, the ocean in her eyes trying to drown him.
He put his free hand on top of hers and looked into those eyes.
“Yes,” he admitted. “This scar is just a reminder that I'm a failure and not fit to be a man of the Royal Family. My father gave it to me to let me know that.”
She furrowed her brows and looked even deeper onto him that now he was sure he was drowning and being crushed by the pressure.
“Your own father did this to you?” she asked. “And you still want to go back?” Why? Why would you want to go back to people who are hurting the world, even their own children.”
He wanted to tell her she wouldn't understand that she had no idea what it meant but her anger for him made his chest feel heavy.
“I don't know,” he admitted. “And I guess now I'll never find out.”
She frowned and looked away.
“Well,” she said. “Technically your own father sent you on this path and now you're trapped in an inescapable cave with a southern watertribe peasant. Maybe if you'd taken the better path this wouldn't have happened.”
He wasn't sure how serious she was but he still couldn't help but chuckle. Now she was sounding like his uncle, just angrier.
And prettier. So pretty.
His eyes fell down to look at her lips. She had pursed them in her angry state but they still looked soft and inviting.
Well, if he was going to die here....
.....
She wasn't sure what had happened but as it happened she did not want to stop it.
Kissing her enemy in a dark and deadly tunnel of caves was not how she thought her last moments would go but she was glad it was happening.
She liked the feel of his lips on hers. He was both gentle and firm and she felt herself falling onto his lap, her arms around his neck and his around her waist.
She wondered now if that connection she felt was something even more.
He deepened the kiss and she felt herself melt into him, never having felt like this before.
It felt like a blissful eternity before she was forced to pull away for some air.
When she opened her eyes it was as if all their worries had been resolved.
“It's beautiful, “ she said, her eyes gazing at the beautiful crystals that now made a path for them.
“Yeah,” the prince said from behind her. “Very beautiful.”
.....
The waterbender took his hand and began guiding him out of the cave but he had to admit to himself he was reluctant to end the moment.
He had kissed and more before. He was a young man who traveled the world. But never had the kiss felt like something. They were empty kisses for the sake of pleasure.
Kissing the waterbender was something else and this had been the last thing he had ever thought would happen.
Soon enough the glowing crystals that lit their path led them to the outside where it had become dark, crystals replaced by stars.
“We survived,” she said wistfully.
The unspoken question of what is now hanging in the air. Before he could respond there was a shuffle in the trees and the little lemur of theirs was rushing forward. Her friends followed behind, he was sure of it.
.....
“Katara,” Sokka said, bringing her into the tightest hug ever. “I thought we would never find you. The badgermoles wouldn't guide us even when we sang them those songs and I just thought it meant it was too late that something ate you or prince jerkface did something.”
“Sokka, slow down,” she said, not understanding anything about songs and badgermoles. “Obviously we're both alive and we made it out safely.”
Sokka let her go and then Aang wrapped her in his own hug.
“Did Zuko do anything to hurt you, where is he now?” he said, tightly wrapping her in his arms.
Katara faltered and pushed Aang away, looking around for the fire Prince.
He was gone.
“Oh,” she said, feeling her heart become a bit heavy. “He took off before you guys got here.”
.....
Zuko watched from the trees. The group was bombarding the waterbender with questions and she was looking around, probably for him.
Zuko sighed. It would be for the best. She had her destiny and he had his.
He could see them begin to drag her away and so he made his way in the opposite direction. His uncle was probably not far. He would go find him.But even as he walked the lonely path all he could think of was one thing...one person.
Katara.
...