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Chapter Text

Katara had sailed the whole week. The Southern Water Tribe had been conquered and rumors had it that Ba Sing Se was on the verge of being taken down. Now, all that stood before the Fire Nation and finally forming a long desired empire was the Northern Water Tribe. Katara had fought bravely, being a Master Waterbender, trained by the best in the north, but to no avail. In the end the South had fallen and her father and brother had hidden her in one of the Fire Nation ships, where she had fled to the Earth Kingdom. Now, almost one year later, she was being taken to a prison, for stealing and rioting. She had been a fool, breaking into a prison to try and rescue Earthbenders from the Fire Nation. The prisons nearest the Capital were, by far, the best the invaders had, and as she stared out the ship's small window she could see the land approaching.

The Fire Lord had recently become a widower and this had increased his Nation's violence. It was rumored throughout the land, that without a wife and an heir he was more vulnerable than ever. Of course, Katara had never been one to believe rumors. If only the Avatar was still among them, the Fire Nation would've never been able to take over the world. If everything was stable, she would had probably married ages ago, started a family perhaps. And she would still be with her family. She wondered if Gran-Gran had survived. The woman was old but very sturdy.

Her clothes were torn from fighting, her hair disheveled and her body bloodied and bruised.

The waterbender sighed. If anyone found out she was the last remaining waterbender in the South Pole she would certainly be killed.

The door to the brig opened and a large crew member entered and looked down at her. Even though the brig was filled with chains she was the only prisoner around.

The man eyed her, raising his upper lip in apparent disgust at her. He threw a bowl of very foul smelling grub at her knees and left the brig. Katara awaited until the man left and, out of desperation and hunger, lunged towards the bowl, using her very dirty hands to shove the meat into her mouth. In the back of her mind she thought she had somehow managed to catch her brother's table manners but she didn't mind much right now. Her stomach was very much sticking to her back from lack of food, and she was sure she would get scurvy from lack of variety in her sustenance. And probably before that she would die of dehydration. The guards and crew didn't know she was a waterbender. Still, she only got water once every three days and the amount given to her wasn't enough to quench her thirst.

Katara chocked in her hastiness to get food down to her stomach and in a fit of cough, she leaned towards the metal wall of the ship, tiredness taking over her.

She woke up to the sound of something clanking against the metal. Katara licked her lips to restore them their humidity and tried to straighten up. Her knees were aching, pulsating with acquired pain and the rest of her legs were numb. She was sure that when, and if, she was stood up, her knees would be very bruised and raw as well as her wrists. The door to the brig opened once more and two men stepped inside. One kneeled down to open her manacles and the other grabbed her by her upper arm. The waterbender almost felt flattered two men had to come and collect her, despite of her state. Almost.

She was dragged- yes because her legs just wouldn't move, her muscles hadn't been used for almost three weeks, or so she thought it was that long- up toward the deck, and she saw the imperial Gates of Azulon. It was evening and the girl was thankful for it. The garish light of day would only hurt her eyes. It took her a while to focus her blurry vision. She once again licked her lips as one of the crew men passed through the guards and gave her a bowl full of water. She gobbled it down eagerly, trying not to choke.

The ship docked and she could listen to various voices bustling about the port.

Katara could hear the crew shouting and busying themselves, but the guards beside her never moved. She was pushed down the plank and onto the soil for the first time since she had been captured.

A man was rooted in front of her, and as he rose his brow and quirked his lip in revulsion, he spoke.

"This is what Shiatsu has sent me? Who am I supposed to sell this little savage to?"

The two guards looked at one another and handed the man a letter.

"Lord Shiatsu has sent you this, Master Yun Ra." The one at her left spoke, his voice monotone.

"Hm." The man standing in front of them read through the letter. He was short, shorter than her. Katara was medium sized for Water Tribe women. She was as tall as every other female there. But Fire Nation and even Earth Kingdom women were a lot taller and slimmer. And that made their men also tall. He had a very weird mustache, the tips quirked upward, covering most of his already thin upper lip. His eyes were small, and his long hair was graying. He looked her over once more and nodded.

"I suppose that with a bath you can be worth some good coins. It is rare for us to have Water Tribe around these here parts."

He bobbed his head to a cart with an iron cell atop of it. The men opened the door and threw Katara into it.

She hit the wall with force and felt something sticky trickle down her face. Blood. She soon could taste it and as the cart started moving, she needed to lean against her container to be able to support herself.

A sigh escaped her lips. What would they do to her? She wished she hadn't left the South Pole. Maybe she would be dead by now, maybe not. But at least she would be with her family. She missed Sokka, his usually good mood and bad jokes. He was reliable and adoring and despite annoying her to no end, Katara would never love anyone as much as she did her brother. Her father, Hakoda, chief of her small village, a just and righteous man, brave and adoring, he was the best father someone could wish for. Gran-Gran, with her stern posture and rules, always ordering her to do her chores, keeping her in line.

Tears escaped, concealed in the shadows. What would become of Katara now?

0o0o0o0

She could smell food and feel the warmth of a fire as the man who had collected her at the docks walked her through large corridors. Of course they weren't alone together. Guards were holding her by her upper arms, pulling her more than guiding her.

"You will bathe, then eat and drink and then you will rest. Tomorrow we will present you to possible buyers." He seemed almost joyful at the thought.

"Possibly someone will want a Water savage as their chambermaid. Or to scrub floors." He nodded to himself and Katara cringed. When she was told she was to come here, from the prison in the Earth Kingdom, she thought she would be incarcerated. It seemed now she was a victim of slave trading.

The guards pushed her through a set of doors and stood on the other side as they closed.

Yun Ra watched her as women gathered around her and pushed her through red curtains and undressed her. Katara tried to protest but was too weak to do so. She was sat down on a low bench and scrubbed almost until her skin fell off. Her hair was wet, washed with some kind of fragrant product she had never seen, rinsed and washed again. The blood that had caked in her knuckles, knees, wrists, ankles and face was now washed, and she could see the purple bruises that surrounded her articulations. One of the women, a pretty green eyed girl, grabbed a brush and cleaned her nails. The waterbender could see the blood and dirt being removed before the same girl clipped her nails. They stood her up and, drying her body with a towel, walked her into another room. They sat Katara on a table and spread warm goo onto her legs. They then proceeded to place a paper of some sort atop of the goo. The girl raised her brow before stinging pain was processed by her tired mind. She screamed but her voice came out weak from weeks of disuse and lack of mucus.

They eyed her and frowned.

"How barbaric!" One said, tone very much displeased. "You ought of thought they would at least make themselves presentable, but no. They truly look like monkey-hawks."

Katara grimaced. What was this talk about not being presentable? If she wasn't tired she would let them know that the men up on the Northern Water Tribe desired her very much so.

The man, Yun Ra stepped into the room and in a fit of shame, the waterbender fought to cover herself. The women grabbed her and exposed her naked flesh to the man. Katara was horrified. Would she be raped? In front of all these women? Her eyes averted and she could feel the tears rising in her eyes. There was no bigger shame than this.

"Hm….keep the hair between her thighs. It will make her a bit more interesting for her new master. If it displeases him, or her, they can simply have it shaved themselves!"

Katara blushed deeply and closed her eyes hard. The women nodded and continued in their affairs to make her presentable.

After she was clean through she was given warm soup, some bread and water and a bed.

After she had eaten she laid down to rest, crying herself to sleep. Her life would be a nightmare.

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0

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She stood in front of a buyer, an old, round man with kind looking eyes. He had some facial hair and stroke it in thought. Katara tried not to fidget too much under his gaze. Thoughts raced through her mind. Having her doing house work was the least of her problems. But she knew all too well what men liked doing to their female slaves.

He nodded once and smiled warmly.

"Yes, I think she will do just fine."

"She is a rarity around these parts, General Iroh. I'm sure the Fire Lord will like the distraction, especially since he has been so down after our beloved Fire Lady, Mai, passed away."

The man, Iroh, Katara had caught sighed in mild displeasure.

"Yes, our most distinguished Fire Lord has been busying himself with the Royal Harem. I guess loneliness took its tool on him."

Yun Ra nodded as if in understanding.

"He is a very honorable man, General Iroh, refusing to use the royal concubines as long as our Lady was alive."

Iroh nodded thoughtfully and Yun Ra grabbed Katara by the arm."But the royal harem has been for generations, General Iroh and with good reason. It's a shame he didn't take any of the women there or else we wouldn't be having this predicament with heirs right now. The Empire is now almost consolidated and an heir would be essential in keeping the villages and cities still not under our rule quiet and orderly."

Iroh kept his face neutral. "Our Lady Mai was very brave trying to deliver a child into this world, Master Yun Ra. It was very unfortunate neither she nor the child survived. But I'm sure Fire Lord Zuko can keep the Empire good Lord Ozai"- his voice faltered at the name, shame evident in his tone.-"strove to consolidate"

"It feels almost like a dream doesn't it General Iroh? One Hundred years of war now almost at an end, the Fire Nation the absolute Empire!"

"Yes. Yes it does." the old man was quiet as he placed quite a heavy bag on Yun Ra's hand.

Katara closed her eyes. Empire. The word sounded bitter in her ears. She had, up until this point, believed that one day the Avatar would come and save them all. But now it seemed it was too late. The Fire Nation had already won, under the rule of Fire lord Zuko. She frowned and glared at the old man. And now she would become his whore.

The waterbender was lead to a palanquin and sat next to the old man.

Her face was stony, her body completely stiff and her head held up high. Iroh smiled.

"You shouldn't worry. The Fire Lord treats all of his concubines with great respect."

The girl was filling rather strong after she had eaten and rested properly.

"I do not wish such a man to treat me properly. I wish he leaves me alone."

Iroh laughed vigoursly.

"Yes. I'm sure you'd rather be at home. But believe me this is saving your life."

"I would rather die than be the Fire Lord's whore!" She spat venomously.

The old General sighed. He was offering her an opportunity to live. She would be taken care of if he hadn't bought her. Water Tribe was not viewed with kind eyes here at the capital, especially since the Northern Water Tribe was the only nation still out of Fire Nation rule.

Perhaps Zuko wouldn't even mind her much. She didn't look anything like Mai. And apparently she was also very different from the late Fire Lady when it came to her temper.

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0

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Zuko sat on his dais in the throne room, the wall of fire menacingly keeping him from unworthy eyes. He kept his back straight, as was fit for the Fire Lord, his hands clenched at his knees.

The doors opened noisily and he heard steps coming closer. The wall of fire flickered as his temper flared. He was tired of being interrupted. But now that they had conquered Ba Sing Se, it seemed that he could have no rest.

"My Lord!" He heard his uncle's voice and suddenly his weariness wavered.

"Speak General Iroh." His tone was cold, as it should be. The Fire Lord could show no emotion, no weakness, especially when his enemies lurked these very halls. He had proven himself worthy of this throne to Ozai, his father. Even his punishment and subsequently, his banishment hadn't kept him from the throne. The moment he had killed Zhao in that Agni Kai his father had deemed him once again worthy of being his heir. He smiled inwardly. That had shown Azula her true place.

"Perhaps you could give me a moment of you precious time. I know you are very busy my Lord, but I was hoping I could speak to you privately." His uncle's voice was cheerful as always.

Uncle. Only you to keep yourself familiar with me while at the same time showing your respect.

"Leave us." The firebender barked and his voice resonated throughout the throne room.

The guards scuttled out of the room hurriedly and as the wall of flames parted the Fire Lord walked down from his spot eyeing his uncle quizzically. He would almost miss the girl if it wasn't for the fact that she wasn't bowing to him, and instead shot him a death glare. He frowned.

"What is the meaning of this?" He pointed towards the girl, his voice indignant.

Iroh only smiled.

"This, my dear Lord, is the gift I bought for you!"

Zuko frowned at his uncle and then at the girl. She was different than all of his other concubines. Her tan skin, long chocolate hair and those bright blue eyes.

He had seen those traits once before, while looking for the Avatar.

"Well my Lord, what do you think?"

Zuko only glared at his uncle. What use could a Water Tribe peasant have?

Chapter Text

Katara traced her wrists with gentle fingers. There was nothing her waterbending could do for these wounds. And she would not give it away.

The women had spoken to her in an extremely honeyed tone. She was sure they didn't like new competition coming into play. Not that she was competition. She would keep herself away from the Fire Lord as much as she could. He had slapped her after she had refused to bow before him. She would never kneel in front of such a perfidious man.

Of course her cheek had been marked by his large hand. She could see it in his uncle's face and then in these women's faces as well. They were bustling about, rubbing some kind of ointment on their breasts, combing their hairs, applying makeup. Once she had step foot in the harem's wing, the gaggle of faces had appeared around her, checking her out, grimacing or delighted by her arrival. They all inspected her wavy hair, since most had straight jet black hair, touched her skin in every place that was uncovered and stepped right into her personal space to peer into her eyes. They were all quite a deal taller than her, and she was half expecting that to be so. There were older women, around their forties, and she wondered if the Fire Lord, whom she had noted wasn't that much older than she was, used them.

There were also girls younger than her, laughing and smiling. Iroh had said he was respectful of his women. Still, Katara found it hard to believe these women enjoyed being taken by a man every time he pleased without being married to them. It was a foreign concept for her. In the Water Tribes such things were forbidden. Of course the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom had a completely different set of rules.

She could hear some of them talking about her, about how ugly and fat she was, and her eyes narrowed. What did they know about women of her type? She could also hear them laughing about how pathetic she was and how the Fire Lord would never call upon her to visit. Fine by me! She thought bitterly.

Her roommates all seemed to enjoy their master's company. Katara couldn't understand why. He didn't seem like the sort to be very gallant.

"Hey! You girl!" Katara turned her face too pear at the voice's owner. She was a burly woman, middle aged, very angry looking, like she hadn't smiled in years. The waterbender wondered if she relaxed her face would the lines still be as visible?

"Yes you! Water Tribe!" the woman took a step further towards her. "I'm sure you barbarians aren't accustomed to order and civility." The waterbender glared "But there are a few rules you should abide by for as long as you are part of this harem!" The woman placed her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry but, who are you to tell me what to do?" Her tone was calm but bitter none the less. She was sure this would sting. Fire Nation didn't like being defied.

"What?" The woman took a step forward and grabbed her painfully by the upper arm. Katara could feel the sting of pain. Great! Just great! Another bruise for me to worry about, she thought resentfully.

"You will not speak like that to me. I'm the matriarch of this harem. I used to be Azulon's favourite woman."

"Favourite toy, you mean." Katara's left eyebrow rose as her lips quirked in sarcastic amusement. The woman just smiled.

"It is a great pride to be a Fire Lord's favourite. But you will never know the pleasure!" Thankfully, she heard the little voice in her mind.

"You will do as I say none the less, girl. Rules are strict here, and trespassers are severely punished. You may not see the Fire Lord unless summoned. Any attempt to see him is punishable by death. You are not allowed to speak unless spoken too, especially in his presence. You will do as you are ordered by everyone you serve. Any disrespect will cost you dearly"

Katara glared at the woman, chin up.

"I'm sure the Fire Lord won't be summoning you greatly. Still he might want to keep you to entertain guests!"

"Entertain guests?" Her face fell. What was she talking about?

"The Fire Lord may offer his women to anyone he wishes. He may command you to work and clean, cook, mend, sew even to be intimate" She smirked "with one of the girls here! He is your absolute master. And since you are lower than all of us here, Water Tribe scum, you just have to do as you are told!"

Katara frowned. She was not a plaything. Nor would she ever be. The woman looked her up and down.

"We need to find you befitting clothes. Not that any will be of your size but we will deal with that latter. Is there something you can do?"

Katara tilted her head. "I can hunt. And fish. I can sew and I can cook. I can make clothes out of skin and some other things."

The woman's jaw dropped. "Anything useful? Like dancing or singing or even playing an instrument?"

Anything useful? Was she kidding her? "I can read and write. But that's just about it."

"Hm!" The woman walked away from Katara and called a few other girls. "I guess there is nothing we can do. What's your name girl?"

"Katara of the Southern Water Tribe!" She stuck out her chin defiantly. She would make sure they knew her name and her village.

"Well Katara, let's find you some clothes"

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0

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She hated these clothes. Hated them with a vengeance. She truly looked like a prostitute now. Her shoulders were bare, her midriff was bare, and a good portion of her legs were bare. Her top was very much like her under bindings only in a smooth red fabric. Her skirt was what bothered her the most, however. It hung low near her navel and had this cut on her left side that came all the way up to her thigh. They had adorned her ankles with charms and a bracelet was very uncomfortably place on her upper arm. Her hair was loose. They said it made her look less short and she frowned.

Now she had to wait. Wait until she was summoned. Or not.

The old matron that took care of all the girls was running around. It seemed that they had been busier since the Fire Lady had died.

They were used as gifts for nobles or even foreign dignitaries the Fire Lord was trying to keep under his control. But now that he was lonely, the women almost killed each other for a chance to be with him. Yes, it was an honour to be intimate with their Lord, and it would be even better if they were impregnated. Bastard or not, the child would still have claim on the throne. It was said the Fire Lord's sister, Princess Azula, had killed all her father's illegitimate children in hopes of claiming the throne for herself, but Katara did not know how much of it was true.

The nobles and the man's council had been trying to guilty him into a new marriage, but no one believed he would ever do it. He loved his Fire Lady too much.

The waterbender snorted. Love. What does he know about love? She thought to herself as the women powdered their faces and smiled prettily at the guard that entered the room.

"Our most honourable Lord requests for Lihua's presence." He bowed deeply and the larger woman, Zhu, smiled brightly.

"Of course. Lihua, our most amicable Lord, summons you to his presence." A beautiful girl, in her early twenties smiled prettily and walked with the guard, her cheeks reddening as she did.

Katara snorted. Stupid women. If only they knew of the life beyond these walls, where freedom to marry whom they pleased was theirs, they would never feel this giddy about meeting with the tyrant. This man didn't deserve their adoration. She bit her lip. In the Earth Kingdom she had met a man, Jet. He was a freedom fighter and she had dutifully joined his band of merry men in the fight against the Firebenders. She had fallen for the man and he had fallen for her. Their romance was short though, for Jet had died in Ba Sing Se, trying to keep it from Fire Nation claws.

She had then fled to a village in the Earth Kingdom where she met another man, Haru. They didn't exactly start a relationship but there was definitely something between them. They had kissed once, before his earthbending was discovered and he was ushered to a prison in the middle of the ocean.

Katara had allowed herself get captured, pretending to be an earthbender herself, as she was very aware that her real abilities needed to be kept from fire scum' eyes.

The waterbender had started a riot in mid prison but soon they were overwhelmed, she was captured and brought here.

She sighed. Prison life had been better. At least she was left untouched. Her virtue remained intact, like Water Tribe tradition demanded. She had lived for over a year in the North, where arranged marriages were all the rage, and women dutifully obeyed their husbands. Luckily, her family down south was much loser when it came to marriage. Her father and brother had given her full liberty to marry a man of her choosing. Despite their evident looseness, Katara was still forced to keep her virginity until she got married. It would be difficult for her to keep it that way now that she was a working girl. Despite her nineteen years of age, she knew full well what would be done to her, especially since the Fire Lord could pass her around like one of her Tribe's peace pipes.

One foul move from her and he would punish with something far worse than death.

But she had to fight. She had to save herself and her family. Thoughts started rushing through her mind. Perhaps there was a way for her to end this war was from the inside, just like Princess Azula had conquered Ba Sing Se. Yes, she had heard about their unfortunate capture. All that stood between the Fire Nation and the world was the Northern Water Tribe. Chief Arnook, Master Pakku, Princess Yue. She wondered if her father and brother had made it up north to help them keep the city. She would see her family again. And that was a promise she made herself.

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0

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Iroh walked around the palace, mulling over the state of affairs. He had once been certain Prince Zuko would see the path he had to take and end the war. But the three years they had spent at sea didn't change the young man.

They only fuelled him deeper and when the chance presented itself, the young firebender took it without remorse. Zhao had led an attack over the Northern Water Tribe and failed. The Fire Lord at the time, and Zuko's father for that matter, had deemed the man unworthy and put a bounty on his head. The Prince jumped at the opportunity and brought the man in.

Fire Lord Ozai, in an act of cruelty, had declared Zhao a traitor and the only way to handle someone such as him was to sentence him to death. The man fought, so much so, that he changed the Fire Lord's mind. His life would be spared if he defeated an opponent in an Agni Kai. Of course, Ozai had jumped at the opportunity. Everything to humiliate and shame other people.

He had chosen his son, Prince Zuko as his champion. If he won, his banishment would be over, and he would regain his claim as Crown Prince and heir to the Throne.

 Zuko had won, and with that soul shattering deed, he had forever strayed from the path his uncle had set for him. Peace, it was no longer a dream. It had been crushed, as soon as Fire Lord Ozai died, and the Prince assumed power. He sent his sister, Princess Azula, and probably one of the most powerful masters, to siege Ba Sing Se once more. Where Iroh had failed, Azula had succeeded.

But the old general had to face his biggest failure, in showing his nephew the path of good. But he wanted to redeem himself. That's why he had bought that Water Tribe girl. He would save her from prison life and subsequent death. He would keep her safely in the palace where he would be able to watch over her and use whatever influence he had left with his nephew to sway her fate.

Perhaps one day, in a distant future, she would be allowed to go home. Not that he believed that would ever come to pass, but at least no one would dare hurt one of the Fire Lord's concubines under penalty of death

Not that his nephew had shown much interest in the girl, but perhaps, he hoped, she could show him how important other cultures were. Perhaps Zuko would learn that the only way to keep rightful balance was to keep the world as it had once been, Four Nations. Now three nations, since the Air Nomads had been exterminated, but that was beside the point, there was nothing anyone could do about that, he thought with a heavy heart. His family had irreparably changed the world.

Iroh had long ago learnt that any form of bending could only get stronger if it absorbed the ways of others. Just as the Avatar had used the four elements to keep balance and gain strength so could every other bender in the world. True, they wouldn't be able to bend anything else other than their own elements, but their strength would be heightened tenfold.

He stopped in front of the set of double doors that led to the girls' quarters.

He didn't even feel himself knocking, but Madame Zhu opened the door hastily, her infecting smile never leaving her face. She kept the females in order and was probably one of the best when it came to court affairs. She had been one of his father's mistresses and rumours claimed she had once bore him a son. Of course, there were no proof to the claim. If she had given birth to the Fire Lord's illegitimate offspring, then he was nowhere to be found.

Iroh smiled, politeness evident on his face.

"Good evening, Madame Zhu. I came here to collect a young girl!"

The woman's smile faded. It was most uncommon for the Fire Lord's uncle to present himself at the concubines' quarters. He had never seemed interested in claiming a woman before. After his wife, and later son Lu Ten had died, the man had dedicated his life to their majesty, Lord Zuko.

"But of course, General Iroh. You can choose whomever you wish!"

"Actually, I've already made my choice. There was a Water Tribe girl brought in here yesterday. I wish to speak to her."

Madame Zhu's jaw dropped. They had much better women here. The Water animal was nowhere near as beautiful as some of the other girls and she really needed to be domesticated first.

"My Lord Iroh, I genuinely advise you to not choose that girl. She still doesn't know how to behave and there is much we need to teach her. I strongly suggest…."

She was cut off when Iroh raised his hand.

"I'm sorry Madame Zhu, but it is the Water Tribe girl that I want. Now if you'd be kind enough to go claim her, I would be most appreciated." He smiled and placed his hands on his round belly.

It took all of five minutes for the woman to retrieve a seething water maiden from her room. The girl's eyes were glued to the floor, and she looked as she was irked by the sudden intrusion.

Iroh held out his arm for her to take, and the girl's eyes darted from his arm to his face and back to his arm again.

She shook her head once and he took the hint.

"At least walk with me, please!" He smiled openly at her, his tone quite friendly.

Katara raised a brow and nodded as she was led down the hallway, Madame Zhu baffled behind them.

"First of all, I would like to know your name, my dear girl." The old man said after a few silent moments.

"Katara, of the Southern Water Tribe." He smiled.

"Oh, the Southern Water Tribe. Yes, I've heard of it. Never really been there but I heard nice things."

"I'm sure." Iroh was certain her tone was laced with sarcasm but didn’t mind. After all she had gone through, he couldn’t blame her distrust.

"So how did you get to the Fire Nation?"

"I was captured." She eyed him suspiciously through the corner of her eye. The man nodded and led her into a room where he sat on a cushion by a table.

Katara stood, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Please take a seat." He smiled. She did as she was ordered. The girl found it best not to stir the waters just yet. She would lay low and calmly bait the enemy and then she would strike the final blow when they weren't expecting.

The man smiled as she settled herself in front of him.

"Would you care for some hot jasmine tea?"

She widened her eyes at the kind gesture and nodded once. "Yes, please!" Her voice was low and calm.

"You can tell me all about yourself while we drink."

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0

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The Fire Lord sat on his sofa, the flames popping in the fireplace. His eyes were glossed over, looking at his element but not really seeing it.

He missed his wife dearly. Now that he was on the verge of actually finishing what Sozin had begun, he felt lonelier than ever.

There was a knock on his door, and he frowned.

Sighing, his voice boomed through the royal quarters.

"What is it? I said I wished not to be disturbed!" He was very much annoyed now that his musings had been interrupted.

Iroh came barging in through the door, his face always cheerful, arms wide open and robes bustling from his sudden movements.

"My dear nephew!"

Zuko cast him a look.

"I'm sorry, my dear Fire Lord. I was wondering what you thought of my gift.” He asked almost casually. It would no good for Zuko to know about his real intentions.

The young man frowned deeply.

"I have no wish for Water Tribe peasants." His tone was cold, distant. And he was telling the truth. He had no use for the girl. He wouldn't lay with a barbarian peasant, especially one who didn't know her place.

"But my Lord, the girl has many good traits. She can cook, clean, mend. And she is rather beautiful if I may say so myself."

Zuko snorted. She wasn't bad looking per se. He just wasn't interested in her. Nor had he pay close enough attention to her as a whole. All he had seen were those infuriatingly blue eyes and then her posture of defiance. One he had, at the time, wish to beat out of her.

"Ah nephew, there is much to be learnt from difference. Sometimes things we would never have imagined enlighten us on our journey through life.”

Zuko groaned and looked at his uncle. Besides his mother, uncle Iroh was the only one who had ever truly loved him, who had been there for him. He would be very ungrateful if he shamed his uncle in such a way, not truly accepting his offering. A gift was a gift, and when presented to the Fire Lord, disregard for that said gift would shame the bearer greatly.

He didn't know why his uncle wanted him to pay any attention to the girl. Perhaps he was feeling sorry she was going to be abandoned in the royal harem. Zuko could find good use for her, perhaps when some of his loyal Generals or maybe Ambassadors came to visit.

But this was a gift from his uncle for him. He could at least give her the time of day and then dismiss her.

He mulled over his options in his head, and Iroh tapped his foot on the marble floor impatiently.

The Fire Lord sighed. Only his uncle to make him feel guilty about something so trivial.

"Tell me uncle, what do you suppose I can learn from this woman?”

"My dear nephew, the Water Tribe girl could be useful to us. She comes from the late Southern Water Tribe. She could be used to get the Northern Tribe under our control. I'm sure my Lord and Master is intelligent enough to come up with good use for the girl. She may have insight about how to break them. How to finally conquer them."

Zuko liked the sound of that. Perhaps if he pried long enough, she would let something of value slip.

Perhaps she would be useful after all.

Iroh watched his nephew review all his arguments inside of his mind, probably trying to come up with something that could be argued. He hated lying to his nephew like this, but he was certain that once he saw how hurt the world was because of this stupid war, maybe, just maybe he would summon peace.

He saw the range of emotions that passed through his Lord's face, never concealed from him. Zuko had adapted into this spot of power much better than anyone expected him to. Even Azula had been impressed by her brother's sudden lack of mercy.

He had become as cold as they were. That was except when he was around.

Suddenly Zuko nodded.

"I'll call for her when I have the time." His golden eyes settled on his uncle suddenly, an unspoken strength lingering inside them. "But I will not taint my body with hers. Got that uncle?"

The old man nodded. He wasn't expecting him to. And he was quite sure Katara would rather have it that way as well.

Chapter Text

Her knees were about to give out underneath her. She had been in the same position for the last four hours. Madame Zhu had taken a special interest in humiliating her.

 In the Water Tribes, people did dance and people did sing, but always when they had been in the mood, to celebrate and socialize. Here in the Fire Nation everything had a set of rules.

She was currently learning how to properly behave in tea ceremonies. Part of it was to sit completely still, back straight, a shy smile upon her features and from time to time serve tea to her masters, always careful not to get herself upon the table and always careful not to show too much of her wrists.

The past month had been like this. She would recite haikus and other poems, Madame Zhu and some of the other older women correcting her enunciation and the tone of her voice. She would dance, and although she was instructed, dancing of her own free will was absolutely prohibited in the Nation- figures- she would be allowed to do so at parties and ceremonies that required such a feat. Of course, the dancing was highly stylized and as she had fumbled through her steps, the women had called her a hopeless case.

But the singing, the singing was the worst part. She had sung a couple of times back in her village, but everything had been casual. Here, as a concubine she needed to know how to sing. She wasn't required to have the best voice. Not even a good voice, for that matter. But she wasn't allowed to sing out of tune or out of rhythm. She needed to be able to support her voice, the only positive thing being the fact that the songs were usually sang in whispery tones.

And then there were the other matters she had needed to learn. Makeup, hair, how to keep her breasts in loose fitting outfits, how to keep her skin smooth and shiny, choosing the proper outfits and match the right jewellery. She knew that were still things left unsaid, but she somehow knew they weren't her business.

A round, middle aged woman frowned at Katara and sighed.

"That's it for today girl. It seems I won't be able to drill anymore into you." She got up in a swift motion and the waterbender wondered how the woman could seat for such a long time without feeling stiff or store.

Madame Zhu walked to them.

"Chiyo, how is this water filth doing?" she eyed Katara with distaste. Chiyo only sighed once more.

"She isn't bad. But she isn't good either. We are lucky she hasn't been summoned yet."

"I even doubt anyone knows about her. Good thing we will have a party next week."

"Party?" Katara chimed in. In the four weeks she had been at the Fire Nation, she hadn't once step out the female quarters unless General Iroh had called upon her. Of course, that was only to keep him company during tea. He seemed nice enough, she supposed, always chuckling and sharing stories. She was grateful he had never tried to touch her. But she supposed he was too kind and chivalrous to do something as awful.

"You, girl. Go and bathe yourself." Madame Zhu ordered, and the waterbender was more than happy to take her leave.

The only thing she absolutely loved about the conquering nation was the fact that they had somehow managed to come up with an intricate system of sewers and running water. It came out warm from, what Katara had guessed was the furnace, and filled the bath housed with a pleasant steam that made the waterbender flush.

She undressed slowly, savouring the moment. Here she could bend a little without anyone noticing, the warm vapor posing as a safe keeper. She placed herself underneath one of the streams of running water and let her element consume her. It was an odd thing, the feel of the droplets falling down her long dark lashes, caressing her lips and cleansing her of the week’s grime and sweat. Her hair stuck to her back and she had to stifle giggles from erupting through her mouth.

She washed herself dutifully. Her bruises had faded into a brownish colour that blended quite well with her skin. She was sitting on a low wooden bench and, reaching for the soap, played with her element like a child. It made her feel closer to home.

The tendrils of water flew around her, as she stretched the water, iced it and condensed the liquid into pools flying in the sky.

Voices and murmurs came from the door and Katara instinctively let the water splash around her.

There were some giggles and then the rustling of clothes as five girls sat across the room from her.

"I'm really jealous of her to be honest." One of the girls said earnestly.

"Well, I, for one, can't see what so great about her." The second female pouted. "I would kill to be in her shoes though."

"Me too." A third voice joined. "I mean she has been summoned almost every single night, hasn't she?"

Katara cleared her throat. She had a few suspicions about who they were talking about, and even though she didn't understand this competition, she was also not interested in bad mouthing as well.

The five girls jumped and after a few seconds one snorted.

"Hmph. It's just the Water Tribe cockroach." The girls laugh maliciously but Katara paid no mind. In the month she had been here everyone had at least tried to take a jab at her for being from the Tribes. At first it made her angry. How dare they speak about her heritage, her family in such manners? But then she remembered. Fire Nation had to belittle everyone and everything that wasn't theirs.

"Never mind her. I heard Lihua got a ruby as a gift from the Fire Lord himself."

A chocolate brow was raised. A ruby? Interesting gift to give to a whore.

"Really?" Someone said dreamily, and the waterbender had the sinking suspicion it was Ying. She was quite beautiful, with long, flowing black hair and chestnut eyes. But every girl here seemed to be in one way or another more beautiful than common girls.

"I mean" Ying supplied “I know Lihua is pretty and all, but the Fire Lord has been paying her so much attention. She will, sooner or later, bare him a child. And that won't be good for us. We know she will become the matriarch here and we all know Lihua can be a bit overbearing."

Katara cringed. So, this was how things worked around here. When the Fire Lord had chosen a girl to visit him constantly, what they here called blessed, the girl became the matriarch. She wondered how Madame Zhu was still the matriarch. Hadn't Fire Lord Ozai taken any concubines? Or had he ignored them altogether?

"Well, we do have a chance at the party."

"What party?" She heard herself ask. There had been talks about it, here and there. Even Madame Zhu was excited about it, although Katara could see it wasn't about being chosen to go to their Lord's quarters. For the month she had been here, he had never summoned for women older than mid-thirties. It was always Lihua, Xia, Shuchun or Niu. Sometimes he summoned for random girls but these where his pets. Katara had noticed that every time someone was repeatedly summoned, they became withdraw. If it had something to do with the cruelty and jealousy the other females at the harem greeted them with or if it was because they had been abused by their Lord, she could not know. She had the uncanny suspicion it was the first, for the man had the fame of being very good towards his concubines.

Katara bit her lip. She had half a mind to waterbend herself dry, but with these girls here she couldn't afford to give herself away. Not even General Iroh knew about her talent, and he was as close to a friend she could come to.

So, she decided to take the hard road home. Grabbing a towel, she dried her hair and placed it around her, walking to the bedroom she shared with sixteen other girls.

A girl waved to her and smiled meekly. Katara nodded. Xue, a girl about her age, had taken an interest in her. The waterbender couldn't phantom why she had, but Xue always tried making small talk. Of course, she had soon learnt that in the royal harem there were no friends, just temporary allies to take the other girls down.

Xue was taller than her, as was every other female there. She had shoulder length brown hair and some freckles on her cheeks. Her kind grey eyes glinted with mischief and Katara briefly wondered how one such as her ended up here, out of all places.

"Hey….hm…I don't really remember your name…." Xue trailed off and half smiled as an apology.

"Katara." The waterbender responded coolly as she sat down on her bed. She reached for some clothes. Usually the women in the harem wore very revealing outfits, If my father saw me in these he would kill me, but she had somehow convinced Iroh to give her some clothes of her own. Yes, because even though their stupid pimp gives them jewellery, they have to borrow each other's clothes, which coincidentally don't fit me, she thought bitterly.

Iroh was very gentle and kind, but it was obvious he knew nothing about girls. Especially girls like her. She wanted some simple pants and perhaps a tunic, but he had actually gone and bought her some very expensive stuff along with casual wear. He had gifted her with some silk robes, skirts and even dresses. She had blushed tremendously when her matron had eyed her suspiciously, raising a brow at her. Katara knew what she had thought.

She eyed the red fabric of her most casual outfit and couldn't help but grimace.

"Is everything alright, Katara?"

"Everything is dreadfully red!" She blurted out before stopping herself. Tui dammit Katara. Great way to insult her nation. You'll probably get lashed now. Katara spun her head, mouth slightly agape when she heard the other girl giggle.

"Well, yeah. This is the Fire Nation. But don't worry when you get picked by someone" If I get picked the Water Tribe girl added in her mind, disgusted at the notion. "You will probably be offered something in their favourite colour, you know, to spike their interest and please them."

"Let's hope it isn't red." Katara added and the girl giggled softly.

Katara put on her pants and tunic and furrowed her brow. The tunic was very clearly small for her, for it clung to her chest very tightly. She sighed. Nothing she could do about it.

She stepped outside where Madame Zhu stood, jaw very clearly dropped and turned when she saw the tribes' girl stepping into the common area.

"You just got summoned."

Katara stood too shocked to say anything. And then she glared.

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0

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Katara walked through the corridors following the guard around. Madame Zhu had been completely flabbergasted at the news. She had been summoned. And it wasn't by Iroh. The Fire Lord himself had asked for her, personally.

And that left the waterbender very on edge. There was a fear nagging at the back of her mind, telling her to just make a run for it or else she would get raped. But another, stronger, part of her wanted her to do so. And then she would kill him, and the war would end. It wasn't exactly what she had started to plan but it would have to do.

The guard stopped before a large set of doors and two others, stationed at each side of the large metal frame, opened them with ease. Katara was ushered into a room. It was seemingly simple although it was ample. There was a sofa, a fireplace, a table and two chairs and several bookcases. The moonlight was kept from the room, large blood red curtains keeping it out.

The flames in the fireplace flickered with crackling sounds and surrounded the room in the only light. The space was rather warm from the large flames. The room was empty, and the guard left without any other words.

The girl held herself, the stifling warmth of the room not enough to keep her from trembling. Perhaps she was trying to hold herself in place or perhaps she was just trying shield herself from what was to come.

She stood there in silence for what seemed like an eternity. She sighed and frowned. I was summoned to stand here and wait? What a bastard! Looking around the room she first spotted a cabinet on the far end. Touching the dark wooden object, she could see the bottles and cups inside. She then walked to the bookshelves and perused them, before deciding she would entertain herself with a book. She sat at the table and read the contents of the book. It was a story about two men, rivals, for a woman’s affection, and it was cheesy and quite frankly, overdramatic. Still it was better than just standing there, waiting.

She had already read through the first three chapters when the Fire Lord decided to grace her with his presence. He looks tired, she mused, almost feeling a pang of guilt. Almost.

She shot up from her seat and dropped the book on the floor. Her heart was pounding. She didn't know this man. All she knew was that he was Fire Lord, he was a widower and he had slapped her on her first day.

He eyed her coldly, his features always stoic, as they should be, she thought.

The man stepped further into the room and sat on his sofa, looking intently at the flames. If he hadn't looked her way, she would've guessed he didn't even notice she was there.

The girl bent down to pick the book and was startled when she heard his voice. So much so she knocked down the chair behind her, which landed on the floor with a loud thud.

"What were you reading?" His tone was quiet, detached.

The girl fumbled the chair back to her original position and clearing her throat she spoke in a very tiny, unbefitting voice.

"Deadly Love, my Lord." Katara bit her lip. She sounded like a shy teenager instead of the fierce warrior she was. Get a hold of yourself woman! What would Sokka and dad think of me?

He made no more moves to speak, just sat there looking at the flames. After a very long while had gone by, she heard him sigh.

"You shall serve me dinner. And then you shall gather my dirty linens and carry them to the servant quarters. Is that understood?"

She nodded but quickly added a weak "Yes!" once she remembered his back was turned to her.

The waterbender wondered about how she was supposed to serve him dinner. Was the only thing she had to do serve the actual food and drink like she had learnt back at the women's quarters? Or was she supposed to actually feed him?

And why would he summon a concubine- the world was bitter even in her mind- to serve him dinner and clean his room.

She was about to open her mouth to inquire him, when the outer doors to the room opened, a male servant carrying a tray with his food. Immediately Katara watered up. She had been eating well here, better than she had since she left the Poles. But this was nothing like the food that was sent to the harem. There was fish and chicken, boiled vegetables, rice, potato and fruits on the platter. There was also a pitcher with some red liquid, which Katara decided was wine. The man cleared his throat and she hurriedly ushered to his side, kneeling in front of him, eyeing the platter of food. She wondered briefly if he shared his food with Lihua. Was that why they had said he was kind to them?

He grunted in annoyance and looking up she could see the scowl that had set upon his face. His horribly mangled face. It was something she had noticed when she arrived. She had expected the Fire Lord to be well kept, unblemished by the horrors of war and violence. But instead she had been greeted with a heavy scar that spread across his left eye and covered most of that side of his face. It hadn't made her fearful and it hadn't made her wince. She had been there in the front line of invading efforts, fighting alongside her father, brother and, later, Jet. She had seen too many scars like that one to actually be concerned about it. But it had surprised her to see one on his face.

His scowl deepened into a frown and she averted her gaze. The heat in the room increased tenfold and she was aware it was coming off him.

"I'm sorry my Lord….but….how am I supposed to…hm….how am I supposed to do this?" She asked unsure.

He blinked in surprise. Usually women from the royal harem were too busy trying to seduce him into sleeping with them. Not that it mattered much because that had been the sole propose of their visit. Others, they were too busy being awe struck they didn't speak or even spare him a side glance. This was unexpected and unusual.

"Just place the gravy on the food and serve my drink and that will be fine." His pitch had lost some of its coldness. She could feel his eyes straining on her like a predator focused on a prey. But she would not look at him. Not now, when she was still unaware of his intentions.

Katara looked at the tray, four saucepans placed upon it. She bit her lip and frowned. Tentatively, the waterbender reached for the one nearest to her and smelled it crudely.

The Fire Lord shifted in his seat and she glanced upwards to find him watching her intently.

"Is there a problem?" His voice was laced with both amusement and repulse.

"I don't really know which goes where." She stated truthfully. Katara had decided she would not be shamed by her differences. In the Water Tribe gravy wasn’t really a thing and this type of luxury, the spices and abundance were not something she was used to. Her food had been simple and hearty, meant to fill and nourish more than anything else.

"You don't have gravy with your food back at the barbarian villages?"

Katara seethed with anger. He had no right speaking about her home like that.

"No!" Her eyes darted upwards and locked with his. "We live in the arctic. Our food is consumed as it is. We don't spice it and we most definitely don't disguise its taste."

The man's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"It may be a costume in that lowland tribe of yours to disrespect your superiors, but I won't tolerate it here in my palace. I will let that one slide since it would be very ungrateful on my part, if I struck you or had you beaten since you are a gift from my uncle but I will not hesitate the next time it happens." His voice was low, dangerous. Katara knew it was not a threat but a promise. Still, she was not afraid. Her eyes kept locked on his for a long moment until she managed a very sarcastic "Yes, my Lord."

Zuko was not pleased with her tone, that much she could tell.

The waterbender poured the gravy over his food. If I get this wrong, then it's his own fault. He will eat it as it is and that's that, she reasoned. The girl didn't care if the food was to his liking or not.

He waited until she poured the wine into a glass to start eating. She sat there looking at the table, then her hands and then the table again until he was finished.

It surprised her when his voice boomed across the room. She had been consumed inside her mind and hadn't noticed when he got up and walked towards a set of smaller wooden doors on the far side of the room next to the bookshelves.

The girl looked at the ground and followed inside, and that's when anxiety kicked in.

She fumbled with her fingers, praying to Tui and La she wouldn't need to do something stupid tonight. She needed some time to think of a plan. A fool proof plan to end him and this war.

He stood in front of her, looking down on her, his body very still. She could tell he was cool and collected. Perhaps it was habit, perhaps it was the fact she didn't seem all that dangerous.

"What are you waiting for?" She looked up at him, but he betrayed nothing.

"The dirty linens are next to the screen. Collect them and hand them down to the servants' quarters."

Katara tilted her head and eyed him. She was quite relieved he was keeping to what he had told her when he had walked into the room.

"Is that all you need, my Lord?" He narrowed his eyes once more.

"No….come to think of it, no." She took a step back instinctively, anxiety once again setting in. If he had noticed, he betrayed nothing, for he only pointed at the carpeted floor and added. "Yesterday Lihua spilled some fire whiskey on the carpet. I wish you scrub it until it gets clean, or at least until I can't see the stain." Katara blinked a couple of time and nodded. She headed to the bigger double doors and asked the guards for a vase filled with water, soap and cloth. The girl figured that's what she had to do and if she was wrong, he hadn't corrected her. He was seating at a writing table reading over some documents when she returned.

Katara got down on her fours, dipped the soap into the water and rubbed it over the stain until bubbles hid it from view. She then proceeded to wet the cloth and scrubbed vigorously at the stain.

It seemed like it would never disappear and wiping her brow with her arm, she scrubbed it harder. Soap, rub, rinse. Soap, rub, rinse. She repeated these steps until there was only the faint outlining of a spot on the carpet. The Firebender figured having her do menial tasks would get his uncle off his back. And making her work would teach her the obedience she was sorely lacking. Truth be told, her defiant nature reminded him of the most important women in his life. He would never admit to that, though. The silence was baffling and after another long while, Katara had had enough.

"There is a old Omashu legend, older than earthbending itself, that speaks of two lovers…" Her voice filled the room and the Fire Lord's head straightened as his hand stopped with its movements. Katara was unaware of his actions as she continued rubbing the floor. To be perfectly honest, the waterbender had forgotten all about the nation's ruler. She spoke to herself, to keep some company for her own. She smiled at the soapy suds, almost as if speaking to them, the water and the stain.

"Two villages were at war with each other. Everyday people died because the villagers of both factions couldn't overcome their differences. And it raged on for generations. One day, a girl was at the river collecting water for her household. She knew it was dangerous. If she got captured, she would surely get raped and killed. But necessity was bigger, and the war had almost drained all of her village's supplies, so, the brave woman decided she would risk her life to save her family’s. There was a rustling in the bushes on the other side of the river, deep within the Kolau Mountains. A man, a few years older than her stepped into view, and she could tell from his clothing that he was from the enemy faction. The girl jumped but didn't run away. She was scared but she just couldn't leave her spot. Somehow, she and the boy started talking and after a while it was like the war between their villages didn't even exist. They fell in love with each other and because their love was forbidden, they started meeting in secret, deep within the mountains. Badgermoles lived within those mountains, and soon the two lovers had learned earthbending from the creatures, kind and loving in nature. They earthbended the caves every time they met each other to prevent their families from finding their secret out. One day the woman arrived at their meeting place. She waited and waited…"

She was cut off by the man's monotonous tone.

"I didn't ask you to speak. Nor did I ask you to tell me a romance bedtime story." Katara straighten, reminded of his presence.

"I'm sorry, my liege."

He grunted. "Take the linens and leave." And then she heard the familiar sound of brush against paper.

Katara got up and grabbed the linens and the material she had just been working with and left the room.

Zuko looked at the place where she had disappeared out of. Perhaps one day he would find out what happened to the two lovers.

Chapter Text

As she walked into the room, she could sense every set of eyes on her. For a while it was silent and then the waterbender heard the familiar buzz of whispering. No one ever thought she would be called, everyone just expected her to wither away in a corner, forgotten by the Fire Nation.

Madame Zhu rushed to her and grabbing her hand brought her into a room Katara had never been to.

"We need to get you cleaned up!"

"What?" Katara's eyebrow rose. What was she talking about? She had bathed hours ago.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"I don't understand." She blinked. The woman looked at her bewildered.

"Honey, we must avoid you getting heavy with child."

Katara blushed furiously. They thought the Fire Lord and her had…..that's ridiculous.

"There's no need. Our precious Lord didn't touch me."

Madame Zhu's left eyebrow rose into her hairline. "What do you mean didn't touch you?"

The waterbender tilted her head and crossed her arms. "I mean what you heard. I wasn't touched."

The older woman frowned. "Then why were you summoned?"

She shrugged. It was not her place to know why she had been summoned. And she would keep quiet about what she had subjected herself to back in his rooms.

"What do you mean being cleaned up?"

Azulon's favourite sighed. "You will know when your time comes. Apparently you never had to worry about unwanted pregnancies."

The waterbender scowled. "No. Actually, I haven't. It's against my tribe's tradition to give ourselves to someone other than our husbands." Her tone was sharp.

The woman snorted. "Well, you will have to give up your tradition here. There's no way you will marry before you are used."

She seethed. "What about Lihua? Does she go through the cleansing?" The woman blinked at her.

"Of course! Until the Fire Lord orders the harem to provide him with an heir, we will do our best to keep it that way. Lihua knows better than to go against our good Lord's wishes."

"I thought giving him a child was the sole propose of having a bunch of women to lay with."

Her arms crossed in front of her chest, a smug look upon her features. She was starting to find cracks in their façade.

The woman slapped her. Instinctively, Katara adopted a fighting stance. Madame Zhu glowered, her eyes piercing through her very soul. "You will not dishonour this harem. You will not make a mockery out of everything we do to keep our Lord and our great Nation content."

The girl touched her cheek. What is it with these people and striking others on the face? The force she had been struck with was no match for the ruler's but Katara worried she would once again be marked.

"I'm a very benevolent matron, but I will have you punished if you keep disrespecting this household." The woman stormed out of the room leaving Katara to muse over her words.

As she walked back to the room, Zhu's words replaying in her mind, she couldn't help but notice these women took their positions very seriously. They actually loved what they were doing and their tyrant. They felt as if their work was a crucial part of their society, which, since the Fire Lady had died, probably was, Katara mused.

As she lay down in her bed, she couldn't help but feel quite angered at her own thoughts. Feeling sympathy for these people would do her no good, especially when her sole objective was to find a way back home.

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0

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The day's behaviour class was going uneventfully. Katara had been reading scrolls all morning, learning the theory behind the behaviour she would have to display in front of the nobles.

There were a lot of forbidden things. Do not speak unless spoken to. Do not look anyone higher ranked than you in the eyes unless you are ordered to. Keep your responses short and concise when participating in a conversation. If a joke is told you must giggle quietly into your hand or sleeve depending on your attire. Do not under any circumstances question anyone higher ranked than you. Do not eat every piece of food laid before you. It is polite to leave some on your plate and thank the household patriarch for it. Keep yourself quiet and worthy. Only dance when asked to. The Fire Lord is the sole ruler of the land. You answer to him first and foremost.

Katara got it. It was basically do nothing until someone asks you to do it.

She had been interchanging between learning proper manners, etiquette and dancing. All the girls had been running around, looking for the best clothes, best jewellery and best shoes, which was new for Katara seeing as they were prohibited of wearing shoes.

They pushed each other out of the way, vandalized each other's clothes and belongings and played as dirty as they could to get Madame Zhu to notice them. Of course, the matron’s eyes were always on Lihua. She was the one bringing honour to the harem, she was the one worthy of the best fabrics, best jewellery and pampering. Of course, everyone wanted her spot. Everyone but Katara. She had been learning, she had been studying and putting on an effort but just because Iroh had asked of her. She dimly suspected the Fire Lord himself had commented about her behaviour and the General, wanting her to think about her self-preservation had advised her against any disrespect.

So, she had spent the last week doing what they wanted during the day and bending while everyone was busy cursing Lihua for being with the Fire Lord. Katara hadn't seen the man since he had summoned her, and she had the feeling he wouldn't ever call for her again.

But when her eyes re-focused on the brush strokes on the paper in her hands, Madame Zhu called out her name.

"Yes?" Katara responded, trying to sound as sweet as she could. Pretending didn't come easy as it was not part of her nature, although she had to admit it was becoming increasingly easier to do so in front of these people.

"Why are you not getting ready?" The waterbender's brow rose as she looked at the older woman.

"You know the party is today."

"Which party?" The matron frowned and grabbed Katara by her upper arm a bit too roughly for her liking.

"The big dinning party the Fire Lord is throwing to celebrate our conquering Ba Sing Se." She deadpanned, in a manner that made it very clear Katara should know this already.

The girl stared at the ground. Ba Sing Se. Jet.

The pain inside her chest threatened to consume her as she thought about the man. About what they had shared in Ba Sing Se. Suddenly this party seemed very wrong and she wished she could just skip it. Of course, no one would make it that easy.

Madame Zhu carried her across the room, with unusual force for a woman her age, and sat her in front of the vanity. The woman produced a brush and combed her hair delicately. Katara relaxed under the ministrations. It somehow soothed her, the gesture almost motherly. Suddenly her hand shot towards her neck the familiar stone gone. She had forgotten it was in the middle of her stuff to assure better safe keeping.

Madame Zhu braided her bangs and laced them around her head. At the back, an intricate braid was composed of the other two. Katara's hair was difficult, but somehow this woman had managed it beautifully. She sat in front of the waterbender and, grabbing her chin, tilted her head in every direction possible. The younger female felt herself blushing under the scrutiny.

"Hm….maybe, we can make something of you after all." Katara could see an array of tiny brushes and colourful pigments. They were made the same way the pigments back at her tribe were, but these were somehow powders instead of liquid. The woman did her makeup, and the girl could only pray to Tui and La that she wasn't over doing it. The other girls were sometimes made up in such a way.

"Don't worry." She must have made a face for Zhu was speaking. "Your complexion doesn't support a lot of colour anyway. I'm only going to apply some kohl to your eyes and something to redden your lips." Her tone was detached, and she shrugged.

Of course, her outfit wasn't as nice as her makeup. There had to be a catch, the waterbender thought rolling her eyes. Her top barely covered her chest, and her skirt was much too short for comfort. Her bracelet and her ankle charms added to the outfit.

She squirmed as she saw herself in the full body mirror. There was much skin exposed, and she didn't know how she was going to pretend to be alright with this.

Madame Zhu ushered every girl out of the quarters after offering Katara a pair of leather sandals.

Every servant was running up and down the corridors, very clearly busy with all the preparations. Some girls smiled their ways, blushed and commented about "how beautiful they look" and it made Katara internally cringe. Everyone here really thought this was a good thing. And seeing how every other resident of the harem was bustling with joy at the prospect of this party, it seemed they would get more notice, something she really was not looking forward to. What if some crazy old man thought she was attractive and asked the Fire Lord to meet her for intimacy? She wouldn't be able to do what she set out to do, if she was executed before she even had a chance at ending the war. Because there was no way she would ever sleep with someone other than her husband. Or would she? To which lengths would Katara go to save the world. To save her family. The Water Tribes were the next victims in the Fire Nation's deranged plan. Would she be willing to sacrifice her belief, her virginity to protect it? Katara bit her lip praying to every God that was listening it wouldn't come to that.

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0

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The girls were all lined up as Madame Zhu eyed them sternly, making sure everyone was up to the task at hand. It was very important to impress the Fire Lord’s court and council. They had the power to make or break their impeding victory over the rest of the world, and they were also the ones with the power to look for the Avatar. They all seemed content enough, though. Katara decided that to these girls it didn't matter if they were with their ruler himself. Anything they could do to ease his reign and influence the tidings to his favour, they would and she wondered if they would go to extreme lengths to do so, just like she was coming to question about herself. How far would someone go for something they wholeheartedly believed in?

Zhu nodded appreciatively. It seemed they all passed the inspection.

"Now girls, you all know what to do. Make me proud." Wasn't she going to the party? The old matron grabbed Katara and pulled her aside.

"This is your first public appearance. Just do what the other girls do and mingle. Always maintain your poise. Do not speak unless spoken to. Eat and drink with manners and you will do just fine. Perhaps you may even find someone who is interested in you. Someone other than General Iroh, I mean. More your age."Her tone was knowing but the waterbender ignored it and walked into the room.

The cacophony of voices startled her a bit. Everyone in the room was cheering and socializing in a way she had never experienced before. Sure, they had gatherings back at the Poles but, unless it was in chief Arnook's household then everything was very casual. Here people were laughing politely at bad jokes, nobles and their wives were making nice conversation with each other and the other women of the harem were just exchanging glances with some of the men. A polite servant man walked to her and flashed her a very white smile. He had obviously noticed she was a concubine but had nonetheless started a conversation with her. Katara had been there long enough to have been told the royal concubines would in no way, shape or form, mingle with the house servants. It was strictly forbidden for them to romance with domestics. And they would be dealt with accordingly if they slept with any servant. Katara had a sinking suspicion that meant they would be banished. Or worse yet, executed.

"So, you look very different from the other girls." He deadpanned and smiled at her. Katara blinked and he added, waving his now free hands "I didn't mean it like that. You are very beautiful. Really, really beautiful. But you do look different." The waterbender blushed furiously. This man was very attractive, high cheek bones, strong, masculine jaw, brown eyes and hair. He flashed another smile. She knew she wasn’t supposed to, but she had never been one to follow rules she didn’t believe in. That was the sole reason Master Pakku had relented in his ways of old and taught her.

"I'm actually from the Tribes." She offered shyly and his smiled widened.

"Really? From the Tribes? Wow. I had never seen a tribe woman before. Is it true what they say about you?"

She tilted her head to the side, not knowing what he was talking about.

"You know." He offered lamely. "That you are very…hm…fertile."

"Oh!" She wasn't aware that was what they thought of tribe women back at the Fire Nation, and she didn't really know what to answer. The waterbender was very sure her blush had spread from her cheeks to the entirety of her face. She had never really thought about what kind of things other nations would think of the more isolated Tribes, or how much truthfulness there were to these claims.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." She shook her head and the man smiled.

"Oh, I'm Ryu, by the way." He kissed her hand and her smile returned.

"Katara." Someone cleared their throat behind her, and as the waterbender's eyes left the young man in front of her she saw another broad smile directed at her.

"You look like you are having fun." General Iroh accused, good naturedly. The younger male, Ryu, gasped and almost flew away from the spot where he was standing. Katara stifled a giggle. She hoped she would see him again, he seemed nice enough and she could tell he had liked her. And disobeying orders would feel so good. She smirked internally at her thought.

"Would you join me at the table?" Iroh offered her his arm and she took it. She was surprised he was present but would not dare ask any questions. The room was heavy with people and speaking out of turn would land her in a very difficult position.

"General Iroh!" A woman approached him and eyed Katara, quirking her upper lip in undisguised disgust. "I did not know you took to summoning girls." The southerner had to suppress the will to give the woman a good tongue-lashing. Iroh was one of the most honourable people she knew and somehow, she had developed a sort of twisted care for the retired General.

The man only smiled and nodded. "Lady Quy-Yu. I am happy to see you. How is your dear husband?"

"Still in Ba Sing Se with princess Azula. He should be returning soon, I hope."

"I hope loneliness hasn't taken its toll on you." The woman frowned and Iroh stepped away. Katara had never seen the man play this game, the game of politics, she thought, but perhaps here in the viperazzard's nest, perhaps it was best to do so or the cost would be very close to his heart. Iroh spoke with her and she didn't even notice the time skip. Suddenly everyone went very quiet and the Fire Lord invaded the room with his presence. His shoulders were squared, back straight, chin held up high. Katara did her best not gasp. His very presence is intimidating. Perhaps that's why nobody in the Fire Nation ever tried to stop this war. Etched onto his arm was Lihua, a small smile gracing her lips, and the waterbender rose her brow. Is that even allowed? Iroh must have noticed.

"He has taken a liking to her. Perhaps we will have a new Fire Lady sooner than expected." She nodded as they took their place on the table. Suddenly every set of eyes were on her.

It took them a moment to say anything, bowing to their leader before sitting down. The entrees were brought out and cups were filled, and the eyes never left her after their initial acknowledgement of the Fire Lord. His good brow quirked up and his eyes followed theirs to the waterbender.

"How peculiar!" One of the older men in the room claimed, never averting his gaze. Katara's though, were on her bowl as she was trying to ignore the invasive stares. It was as if she was standing naked in front of her Tribe, every scrutinizing look severing her resolve to be strong.

"The Dragon of the West must show us his escort." Iroh shifted slightly in his seat, clearly becoming stiff, cleared his throat and, in the roughest tone she had ever heard come out of the man, he ordered.

"Katara, could you please stand so our most honourable guests can take a look at you."

She did as she was ordered. Standing up, fists clenched at her sides she could hear the murmurs arise around her as they took in her form. She knew she was different form Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom in more ways than just her short height. Her chest was clearly more supple, hips wider – her gran-gran had told her she had good childbearing hips, and one day she would give her plenty of great-grandchildren. She was also more muscled than the girls at the harem, at least, and she was sure it was due to the hard training she had been subjected to. She had to fight and work to survive, obviously.

"Lift your head up, we can't really see your face." A male voice reigned, and she had to bite her tongue not to tell the man-whoever he was- to shove it.

Her head tilted upward, and a collective gasp was heard. She could see the dirty looks her mates at the female quarters were sending her way and she suddenly wished she had a place to hide in. The Fire Lord himself openly watched her, his expression guarded, but Lihua pouted nonetheless, and pulled at his sleeve. He pointedly ignored her.

"Her eyes!" A woman claimed and her husband supplied.

"You know people in the tribes have sapphire eyes."

"Yes, but I had never seen any. They are quite….disturbing."

Katara shook. Disturbing? Disturbing! Why I never! My eyes have been described as many things -she blushed deeply thinking about Jet and the nobles around her talked amongst themselves about how pretty it looked on her deep skin. The Fire Lord narrowed his eyes- deep, and beautiful, and mesmerizing but never disturbing. I'll show her disturbing. I'll just waterbend her wine into her face and then she will see disturbing.

Out of her peripheral vision she could see some of the nobles smirk, and then the Fire Lord's stoic face. Lihua was frowning as much as the others.

His voice echoed through the cacophony of other voices, perhaps taking pity on the poor woman.

"You can sit down now." He signalled towards his retainers. "Please, feast for Ba Sing Se has fallen."

Katara did as he said, and all throughout the diner her eyes never left her plate.

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0

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Madame Zhu had been telling her how content she was with her behaviour. The party still wasn't over, but she had come to see how Katara was fairing. She was impressed to see so many people trying to talk to her, and by the look on her face she knew Zhu expected the Fire Lord to offer her to entertain some stupid noble.

She was interrupted by a guard.

"The Fire Lord requests the tribe's presence." Katara raised an eyebrow. Was that what the guards called her now?

Madame Zhu went very stiff and narrowed her eyes at Katara.

"Behave yourself, savage." The girl frowned but followed the guard. She wouldn't do a thing that might harm her still forming plan.

She expected to meet the Fire Lord in the dining hall she had just seen him in, a couple of minutes before Madame Zhu came to congratulate her on her very successful introduction to the Lord's court. He was seating with Lihua, their body language pointing towards a very intimate relationship. Perhaps more than just physical, she thought as she walked down the hall. When he had slipped from the party, she had no idea. She was being led throughout a set of corridors she did not know. Other than the concubine and Fire Lord's quarters she hadn't been able to see the rest of the royal palace. The guard stopped at a door after a good ten minutes of walking and knocked.

She could hear the sovereign's voice as he allowed her access into the room.

The guard nodded at her and opened the door as she stepped into the foreign place. There were a couple of bookshelves on the far wall, a fireplace and a desk topped with papers and writing utensils. There was a table with some funny looking toys- I have seen some of those before!- and on another large table a map of the world, small pieces atop the places they had conquered. The Lord himself sat at his table, reading over a document that covered his face from her. Katara fumbled her fingers in each other, looking at the flames.

Suddenly he spoke. "You caused quite a commotion out there."

She swallowed hard as dread took over her. Is he going to tell me I must spend the night with some rich, disgusting patron?

"I'm quite surprised you were able to hold yourself so well. I was expecting you to start telling them a story." His tone was neutral but Katara could feel the amused jab behind it.

"I've been learning a couple of things, my Lord. My time here showed me how grand the Fire Nation really is." The lie felt bitter as it slipped down her tongue.

The document he was holding crashed against the table, and even though the man was scowling she could see the surprised glint in his eyes.

"Really? Then you should've learnt how to speak only when spoken to. I do not recall telling you to do so."

Her eyes fell to the floor immediately, but she kept her posture. That lowly….

The man stood and walked towards her. Surprisingly, she could feel his warm fingers on her chin and he, very gently-too gently, she mused-raised her head to peer into her face. She tried to keep her eyes from his face, afraid of the repercussions. She had been told to never look at anyone unless they ordered her to. But after few long seconds she couldn't keep her defiance in check. Her eyes locked with his, expecting hatred, or annoyance or even anger. But what she found she couldn’t quite place. There was something akin to admiration, scrutiny and curiosity. They just stared at each other for a long while.

"They were quite wrong indeed." His voice was low, and she would've missed it had she not been so focused.

He let her chin go and returned to his desk picking up the parchment once more.

"They are more like the sea glistening in the sun." And with that he dismissed her.

Chapter Text

Every month, every girl from the harem was allowed to choose something from the royal house to keep. Usually, every single girl asked to be taken to the royal treasury so they could choose a piece of jewellery they felt would please their sovereign. But Katara had only wished to go to the royal library. She had chosen books on war, strategy, stealth even Fire Nation politics so she could know more about the people she was now forced to tolerate, know thy enemy she thought. Everyone thought she was crazy but said nothing more. This month, however, she had chosen a novel. And it had proven far more helpful than all the other books. She was halfway through the book, reading whenever she had free time. Between her lessons and the occasional visit to Iroh, she was very busy.

But the plot line had interested her and as she dwelled deeper into the story the more it seemed like it was a reprise of her own situation.

A spirit had been shamed by a mortal king. To punish him it took the form of a woman and made the man fall in love with her. Sickened by love, he bowed before her and the spirit revealed itself, showing the world how weak the king was. Forever ashamed, he wondered aimlessly throughout the lands until the end of time.

This had proven to be quite an interesting read. Perhaps if she played this game, she could get closer to her goal. The truth was Katara had come to a better understanding. Her conversations with Iroh had proven themselves to be quite interesting when it came to matters of national unrest. She had learnt that it was very important for the Fire Lord to produce an heir as quickly as possible. With the conquering of Ba Sing Se by his sister Azula, the Dragon of the West was sure his nephew would not have it easy. According to what Katara had been told, the Princess was ruthless. She was a prodigy firebender and a very cunning one at that. She had been chosen as the Fire Lord's champion and when she returned home, she would possibly try to take the throne away from the scarred man. Even if she did nothing, as long as the Fire Lord remained childless, she would be his heir.

I'm sure she can't be worse than him! Katara thought grimly as she closed the book she had been reading and sighed.

She hadn't seen the man since the celebrations a week and a half prior. Not that it mattered. She was dutifully concentrated in her lessons. She already knew some amazingly intricate ballroom dances and another elaborate dance with fans. She found her waterbending practice came in handy for the movement fluidity necessary, for the dances were very similar to the way she practiced her bending. Which had surprised Madame Zhu. She had expected Katara to fumble over her steps and have the grace of a gorilla-lion. But she had showed them. The smugness that came over her lasted for the week, but it was crushed when an instrument had been placed into her hands. The koto was especially difficult to master and she had indeed sounded like a tigerseal when she was playing it. It had been dreadful, but Zhu told her she needed to master the instrument.

And she had spent this week practicing it. She could play a couple of notes and chords and she had already learnt how to play a full song on it, but she was a beginner still. The other girls had laughed at her.

Lihua had become more and more absent during the past few days and she could only recall what Iroh had told her. If the Fire Lord re-married then all these women would be disappointed, envious that it was not them taking the mantle of Fire Lady. Serves them right!

Katara reached into her things and grabbed her mother's necklace, brushing her thumb through the smooth surface. She hadn’t truly looked upon the stone for a while now, as busy as she was. She would collapse on the bed and fall asleep immediately. Her dreams were, however, were filled with white glittering across planes, huts made of skins, tinted in blues and reds and yellows, children running in the sun, their laughs filling the air.  The girl sighed, a tightening grip upon her chest. She missed her family so. Were they ok? Did they think of her as much as she thought of them? What would they think of her the plan taking form in her mind? Her brother would probably yell at her, try to find a better way, he was the idea guy. And her father…he has given up so much for me and my brother. He left us alone for years to fight in this Tui damned war just so we could have a better home to live in. His sacrifices will not be in vain. If I have to do the same I will. I will make him proud.

"Hey Katara, you seem awfully quiet today." Xue sat next to her and smiled meekly. During these past two weeks the girl had spoken to her more and more. She had rejected every advance the other female made though. I don't need friends in a nation I'm about to destroy.

"I'm just reading." She said dismissively, her nose never leaving the book before her.

"What makes you think that will work?" The Fire Nation girl seemed genuinely interested. She had picked out a couple of golden earrings from the royal treasury, jewellery as everyone else.

"What will?" Katara kept her responses short and blunt. Perhaps she would take the hint and leave.

"Fire Nation politics, the art of war, census books, knowing Fire Nation culture. Shouldn't you be trying to get him to notice your physique before getting him interested in your mind?" The girl really seemed curious.

"What makes you think he is interested in jewels instead?" The waterbender looked the other girl in the eyes. "He has every piece of jewellery one can dream of what makes you think he wants to see some more on you?" Men at the Water Tribes chose their women according to their skills. In the Northern they were forced to marry, but in hers it was a double choice. It was out of love. But interest spiked in women who could cook, who could maintain a household, who could sew and prepare meat and fish for consumption. They wanted women who could withstand the harsh environment and not just some pretty girl with no set of real skills. But it seemed it was different here.

"We look prettier with jewels on. Do you not think?"

"I think our cultures value different assets. And thus, I will keep feeding the skills my Tribe deems worthy for a woman to have, for once I get back."

"You will never leave the harem, Katara. And why would you? We have everything we need here. Food, water, shelter, good clothes, jewels, comfort….what else could you possibly want?" Xue was confused, she could tell. She guessed it went sideways, this lack of comprehension for other cultures. Perhaps that was why there was a war raging outside. There was no understanding and acceptance.

"I want choice!" Katara said quietly as she got up. The Fire Nation girl looked after her, contemplating what choice would be better than the Lord?

Madame Zhu grabbed the waterbender's hand and brought her closer.

"Girl, I need to have a word with you."

Katara frowned. She had just been bothered by Xue and now Zhu? Was this some kind of cruel joke, the universe deemed to be too funny to just ignore? She bet it was Agni cursing her right now.

"What? Have I been summoned?"

"No, no!" The older woman waved her hand. "Who would want you, anyway?" The tribe's woman scowled. Madame Zhu had been behaving so well when she thought the Fire Lord was starting to spread some of his attention towards the waterbender. Now that she hadn't been summoned in over a week, the woman had receded back to her old self.

"Thanks a lot!" The waterbender offered angrily. She was sick and tired of being treated like a savage. She had what it took to be wanted by a Fire Nation man. And she would prove it.

The woman dismissed her outrage. “I want to know if General Iroh said anything about the Fire Lord."

Katara crossed her arms in front of her chest and tilted her hip to the side. "What type of anything?"

"You know. If he is planning on taking Lihua as a wife."

"The General never addressed it as intention from the Fire Lord himself. It is everyone's wish, although, that he does take her as a wife. But perhaps you should ask of her just how their relationship is faring." Madame Zhu frowned.

"You don't need to be petulant child! Or are you jealous of Lihua's status?" Katara snorted and Zhu's frown deepened.

"Before you tell me this was very barbarian of me, I'll let you know that from what I could gather at the party, our benevolent Lord" she spat the words "Is very interested in Lihua. To my understanding, and this is personal opinion alone, he definitely likes something about her." Madame Zhu smiled and, ignoring her, started making arrangements. "Oh, this is wonderful. Lihua as Fire Lady. I can't think of anyone more worthy."

The waterbender sighed. This woman was nuts. And had anyone stopped to ask Lihua herself what she thought of this?

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She had been using her waterbending in secret, when the night offered shelter to those who wanted to keep their secrets. She figured keeping herself healthy and strong could only do her good. She had heard about the Fire Lord's amazing skills as a firebender and it was said he was a master of the swords. He definitely looked harsh, and the waterbender had sinking suspicion his skills were far superior to the Firebenders she had fought with along the way.

Tonight however, she felt like doing some recon on the palace. She rummaged the halls, taking care not to be spotted. She had learnt some amount of stealth from Jet, and even though her approach to things was different, she was glad for that skill, now.

The night offered her a shield as she walked around, perhaps a little too freely. She thought the palace would have tighter security.

The waterbender was stopped by the beautiful gardens, tall trees and flowers scattered all over the green grass.

The fragrances mixed in the air around her and she found herself walking around, sniffing every flower that caught her attention. There was a monstrous array of colours, all illuminated by the silver tongue of the moon.

Katara twirled, enthralled by the place. The lower rings in Ba Sing Se didn't hold so much beauty. She wondered briefly, if every piece of land in the Fire Nation could grow so much delicate splendour. There was a small pond near a tall tree, covered in white and pinkish flowers. The waterbender sat by the water and dropped her hand into the liquid. A shiver travelled up her spine and the girl bit her lip in delight. The water was cold. She had missed it, the coolness of her element, how it felt against her skin without the firebenders meddling.

She started by bending little streams of water, moving them around her, covering her bare arms in coils of her beloved element. But then she stood up and summoned a bigger amount of water, the familiar water tentacles forming in front of her. She spun around, sending one of the crashing against an imaginary enemy. She kept spinning, twirling her arms to follow the rest of her body, her feet aligned with her knees and hips. The tentacles flew at light speed in every direction. The dance she was performing was one of the most elating she had ever experienced. The moon shone on her, almost giving Katara her blessing. Push and pull. Push and pull. It was like her heart move to the rhythm of the liquid she mastered.

The waterbender could feel the sweat pooling in her body, running down her face and arms. The air was stifling warm, and she once again covered herself in the cold water.

A throat cleared behind her and she jumped, once again adopting a fighting stance.

"Don't worry, I won't rat you out!" Ryu smirked. His arms crossed over his chest. "That's actually amazing. I didn't know you were a.." He got closer to whisper. "a waterbender." The man smiled and traced the pond water with a finger.

"Why?" The young man could tell she didn’t believe him

"Hm?" He looked at her. Perhaps being in a Nation where she her bending skills would probably not be fully accepted made her wary. Or maybe it was him specifically she did not trust.

"You are risking your life by keeping my secret. Why?"

"I like you." The man shrugged. Katara's jaw fell slightly. She had a forgiving and trusting nature, so it was proving hard for her not to trust the man when he looked so earnest. Tilting her head, she spoke once again.

"You don't even know me."

"I know you are part of the Fire Lord’s harem, and I know you are from the Tribes and that you waterbend.”  Ryu smiled. " What you were doing was amazing. It's not fair if you're judged by your abilities." Katara nodded and sat down.

"I shouldn't even be here." The man sat next to her and smiled her way. The waterbender blushed.

"No, you shouldn't. But I'm happy you are."

She smiled and he felt himself wondering how anyone could say that people from the Tribes’ were monstrous savages, who would kill their babes and eat them when winters got too harsh. It didn’t look like she would ever hurt anyone. But maybe they were good at pretending. Or she was an anomaly among her people.

The girl once again bent a sliver of water and moving her arms slowly, she made the liquid move around them.

"The moon sparkles through the water." He claimed. She looked smug.

"Yeah. It's beautiful." He could only nod. Perhaps bending the rules wasn't going to be such a bad thing.

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Azula's report on Ba Sing Se had kept him busy for the entirety of day. So, Fire Lord Zuko was surprised when Lord Sheng barged into his office liked he was in fact the Fire Lord and Zuko just an underlying.

"Lord Sheng I'm sure you've been told I'm busy." The firebender's single eyebrow rose. He had no time for nonsense. Zuko had hardly slept through the night, his nation's problems heavy on his mind.  To make matters worse, his uncle had joined him for lunch, and they had had a very frank conversation about Azula and Iroh's worries concerning usurpers.

Zuko had dismissed his uncle's fears, but it too lay heavily on his mind. The fact was, he was childless and now that they were just a tiny bit away from total world domination, he had to strengthen his rule. Of course, the constant pressure his council was putting on him to take a wife as soon as possible was just making it harder for him. He did have affections towards Lihua. She was nice and made him feel like he was wasn’t just another night of binging sake away from being lost forever. And he had to admit the sex wasn't bad either. She was the perfect candidate. But he was still in love with his deceased wife. Zuko knew life had to go on, that he had a country to rule and that took some responsibilities, and he did like the concubine very much. He was considering her. Yet he couldn't come to a consensus. Some other women in the harem also helped him cope, and his predilections for Lihua weren’t strong enough for marriage. He sighed as the man before him sat down on the other side of his desk.

"You should've asked for a private meeting with your Fire Lord, Lord Sheng. This is highly inappropriate." He was calm and stoic, only a hint of warning in his voice. He was not his father, but he was not without his limits. The other man just nodded and smiled.

"I'm really sorry, my Lord, but Lord Yun-Ya told me you weren't busy." The man didn't seem apologetic in the slightest, but the young sovereign offered him lenience although he could not mask his annoyance.

"My Lord, I have never really asked any favour from the royal house. I am your loyal servant and have been for as long as you stepped into your rightful place as our ruler. I have used every bit of power and influence to sway the other council members to side with you, on your many endeavours to finish what your great forefathers have tried to accomplish…."

"I am aware of all you have done for our great Nation, and myself personally. My gratitude. But as you are very well aware, I am a very busy man, so if you could kindly just say what you came here to say, as we have no need for this to take longer than it has to," Zuko was used to nobles sucking up to things they wanted, in exchange for some financing. He was in no state of mind for this particular type of interaction. Or any interaction at all.

"I've noticed you have a woman from the tribes in your harem. She has been the subject of every conversation, right now. Everyone is so astounded by her. It's quite a rarity to have in this side of the world. The tribes are the only ones still not under our power. She must be quite the treasured possession."

Zuko almost cringed at the word. Possession. He had been vehemently against slavery and had tried imposing laws that banned the possession and the sale of people. Still they had not been approved. It was a very profitable business his ministers were not wiling to let go of. But the firebender thought, that is what she truly was. His possession. Even if being part of his harem, afforded her with a different status, she had been captured, and sold to his uncle and offered to him as a present. He felt a pang of self-loathing.

"I know this is highly unorthodox, but I had to give it a shot. I'm willing to send all of my highly specialized soldiers to Ba Sing Se to aid Princess Azula in maintaining order in the city. As you know, most of my soldiers are the best firebenders in the Fire Nation, training in lava and lightning bending, and most of them served under Fire Lord Ozai. If you can recall, they helped you father conquer Omashu almost five years ago."

The Fire Lord's eyes narrowed. He supposed it was a good offer. Azula could use some highly trained soldiers to keep uprisings to a minimum. That pang grew into a feeling of complete revulsion at himself. He had done the same with other concubines before. What kind of man was he, using women as coin?

You have forgotten who you truly are.

"I will see what I can do for you Lord Sheng. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm actually very busy."

The man nodded and left the room. What will uncle think of this?

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She was summoned once more that night, once again being led to the Fire Lord's quarters. When she stepped into the first room he was already sitting on his sofa, watching the flames with too much intent. Katara bit her lip. Perhaps this was as good time as any to put her strategy into action. Would it even work? Would he completely ignore that fact that she was actually behaving accordingly? She stood in her place and contemplated talking. Of course, that wouldn't do much to show him she was getting used to life as a concubine. She eyed him, curious. His head was rested upon his palm, his eyes glossed over, even though he was looking at the fire. Katara had noticed the man liked to delve in his own thoughts. Perhaps it was a way to keep them secure. She rubbed her foot on the embroidered carpet and felt a shiver shoot up her spine. The fabric tickled the plant of her foot and she quite enjoyed the feeling. It was better to concentrate on herself than the quiet man standing in the room with her. Madame Zhu had once again treated her well, doing her hair and choosing her clothes, and she had to force herself not to cringe at the sudden glares she had gotten upon being summoned. Lihua had eyed her funny, but she guessed the other woman had nothing to worry about. It was clear to Katara, the Fire Lord's affections were completely hers. To be fair Lihua was a beautiful twenty something year old, and she had always been courteous to everyone in the women’s’ quarters. She was also one of the most beautiful Fire Nation women she had seen. Her characteristics were very common in the Fire Nation but it was the combination of those said features with the way she held herself, with poise and grace that made Lihua the best contender to occupy the place by the sovereign's side.

She had heard rumours that princess Azula, was one of the most beautiful women in four nations, her beauty outranking even the departed Fire Lady or Lihua. But since she had never seen the woman, she couldn’t be sure if it wasn't just the nobles sucking up to the royal family.

I wish I were with my Gran-gran penguin sliding. I always beat Sokka at it. I can hear him right now, blabbering about how I used my magic water to get ahead. I'm sure people are already asleep back at the village.

"I wonder if you are, so far, enjoying your stay at the female quarters." His voice cut through her reverie. He looked curious, maybe a bit taken aback she was just as lost in the flames as he had been. Katara bit her lip.

"I am so, My Lord." She forced her voice to sound sweet.

"I had a conversation about you with my uncle this afternoon." He got up and walked to her. "I got a very good offer for you company." That made the waterbender cringe and the Fire Lord must've noticed because something flashed behind his eyes and he walked back to the fire place. "I'm not quite sure Madame Zhu has informed you of your duties as part of my harem." His voice seemed….troubled. Can’t be! He would never feel torn about sending any of us to please someone else!

"I've been dutifully made aware of my obligations as part of your harem." Katara deadpanned. This conversation was angering her. Had Iroh sold her out to the highest bidder?

"I'm not convinced you are aware of your duties." He turned back to her. He had been thinking about this all day. Remember! Maybe this could be the excuse he was after.

Suddenly, Katara remembered her new propose. My mom gave her life so I could survive. My father gave everything he loved up so I could live in a world without war. I will not back down. I will finish what I started. I will avenge my mom, Jet, Haru. I will do what the Avatar failed to do. I will bring back peace.

"I'm fully capable of entertaining, my Lord. I've been taught how to dance skilfully and my singing is getting better." Zuko snorted and she frowned. This was making her even angrier. He seriously didn't believe in her. In a sort of twisted way, it hurt the Tribes’ Woman he held her in so low esteem.

"Perhaps I should give you a bit more time to get used to your duties. It's painfully obvious you still don't grasp the concept of not speaking unless told to." His eyes pierced through her, and, with the shadow cast upon his face, his scar looked uglier than she had ever seen it, rough and alive, emphasizing his hardened visage.

"You will spend this next couple of weeks with Lihua. And you will do as she does. You are no good to me if you don't know how to behave." He walked to her. He truly didn’t want her to learn anything. Or meant for her to intrude on his time with his lovely companion, but he was still Fire Lord and she was still a woman from the Tribes’, and Agni be damned if she would ever see him not play his part. "My uncle has pointed out you are of value. A woman of the Tribes in my harem will only raise its worth, my worth. But you need to make yourself useful."

"I will not come and watch you snuggle with Lihua. I'm not a chaperon."

She saw his eyes flicker towards her and in an instant, he was upon her, holding her wrists up painfully.

"I would watch my mouth if I was you, peasant!" His voice was very close to a growl, dangerous and low, an almost spoken threat against her. She could feel his breath on her face, the distinct smell of spiced honey mead penetrating her nostrils in an unpleasant way.

Her eyes darted to the floor, pretend shame upon her features.

"I'm sorry, my Lord. I did not wish to anger you. I just thought you held your time with Lihua precious."

He pushed her and, tripping over her feet, the waterbender fell to the floor with a loud thud. She rubbed her backside and glared at the man. He had been told women at the tribes were demure and subservient towards their men. He was expecting her to act accordingly but she had proven to be as fierce and stubborn as Azula. As Mai.

She quickly got back up on her feet and crossed her arms over her chest, if to defy him further or put something between them he did not know.

"You will do as you are told!" He barked.

"Yes, my Lord. Anything you say." He didn't have to do a thing because she dismissed herself, turning around and making towards the door. He should've stopped her, should've put her in her place immediately. But he would reserve her punishment for Madame Zhu. As much as he wanted to keep her from what she had to do, from truly feeling like he was keeping a slave, he was the Fire Lord first and foremost. And that meant pushing his mother’s inheritance deep down inside of him. Kindness was weakness, Ozai had taught him, and he had most definitely learnt his lesson.

Chapter Text

She was pinned down to a couch, two guards at her sides holding her upper arms. She could feel their digits digging into her skin, their weight pushing her against the plush fabric. Madame Zhu had one knee between her legs, and she was furiously trying to keep Katara's face still. She looked positively outraged.

"Hold still you little wench!" She growled most likely in an act of exasperation. The waterbender wiggled back and fro trying to escape the old woman's unwavering tirade. After much struggle she was starting to tire, and Zhu took the opportunity she had been waiting for. Using her thumb and her index finger she spread the tribes' woman jaw opened and pushed a bar of soap into her mouth. Katara coughed at the sudden intrusion and tried to spit the soap out.

"You will learn to respect your Fire Lord, you filthy savage, even if I have to push respect into you through your mouth." The woman started rubbing the bar on her tongue, the soap leaving an ill taste. Katara's eyes watered from the effort not to cough and she could hardly breathe with the bar almost shoved all the way down her trachea.

The woman kept her ministrations up until the waterbender started to have some gag reflexes. Madame Zhu straightened up and pulled her hair back- it had become dishevelled during the struggle and her face had become as red as the clothes she was wearing. Katara took a deep puff of air, coughing violently as soon as she was able too. The guards released her, the looks on their faces one of pity.

The older woman cleared her throat as she rearranged her dress and spoke loudly.

"I hope this mouth wash was enough to make you remember how to keep it shut next time. Our Lord was greatly displeased with your garish behaviour." She left after giving the younger female a hard look.

The waterbender took some time to get up. Feeling absolutely tired, she dragged herself to the conjoint room and slumped onto the bed. She felt completely sick, her stomach turning, the foul after taste of the soap lingering on her taste buds. She was sure some of it had gotten into her belly and made her feel indisposed. Thoughts of the icy tundra invaded her. She missed her home and this state of tiredness and weakness only made her crack, somewhat. The emptiness inside her was bigger than she had noticed, and now, in a place much unlike her home, among people who had nothing in common with her the years of solitude were getting to her. She once again wondered about the fate of her family. The uncertainty of their whereabouts weighing on her. Perhaps it wasn't worth it, going up against the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation. Perhaps she was just trying to find a way to dream within a nightmare. But it had never been her style to just give up. Her Gran-Gran had told her stories of the Avatar and she had never given up hope he would reappear. Even now she held onto that fool's hope. It was all she had. That, her spirit, her mother's necklace and her bending, and she wasn't about to give any of it away that easily. It would take a lot more than that to break her. She would withstand whatever the Fire Nation could throw her way and she would fight until the very end. The waterbender turned in her bed and hurled into a chamber pot that was underneath. Xue cringed at the sound as she walked into the room. She was aware of the punishment the Tribes’ woman had been submitted to. Everyone knew. And everyone was talking about it. It had been a long time since anyone had been chastised about something. She wasn't even sure she had ever seen something of the sort.

"Are you ok, Katara?" The tribes' woman did her best not to roll her eyes.

"I'm fine!" She managed through her indisposition, sounding as tired as she felt.

"Do you need me to call someone?" The girl sat on her bed and eyed Katara distressingly. That was the last thing the waterbender needed. She shook her head quietly and sighed.

"I'm just going to get some sleep." Xue nodded. Katara pushed the chamber pot under her bed in case she needed it again during the evening. She was sure some of the girls would storm into the room as soon as they were done with their affairs, but she was determined to sleep as much as she could. She was dreading the morning. Following Lihua around wasn't her idea of fun. In fact, it was as far from fun as it could get. She sighed and held her pillow tightly.

It will be worth it. It will all be worth it. If I can stop this war, then it will all be worth it

She fell into a troubled slumber; the chamber pot being overused during the evening.

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Iroh had been sitting on the tatami, the tea in front of him steaming, the water vapor undisturbed in its ascendency.

He had been wrapped in his thoughts. His nephew had come to speak to him earlier that day and the unexpected conversation left a bitter taste in his mouth. He had done whatever he could to protect the Water Tribe girl, even going as far as to pretend she was servicing him- the old general winced at the thought.

But he could not protect her from the novelty she represented herself as. The men had already noticed her, and even though his nephew only got a request for the girl, the Dragon of the West was sure more would rain. She was the only Water Tribe woman in the royal harem, and that proved to be especially dangerous for Katara. The colour of her eyes, her complexion, even her bone structure was intriguing to Fire Nation natives, and he had seen that same curiosity in the eyes of the nobles around that table. He had even seen it in the eyes of his nephew, hide it as he may. They wanted to know more about her, more about the behaviour of women of water.

What they would look like in a state of undress, what their skins would feel like, what scent they would leave behind after they departed.

And the rumours that surrounded those said women, did nothing to quell their interest in the girl either. The tribes were known for their fertility, for their unshakable faithfulness to their marital partners, and even though Iroh knew of the strict conduct of the North towards their females, women were still regarded as the pillars of the family.

 It had crossed his mind that the Fire nobles that had met her, also wanted the opportunity to break her, to show her how little she and hers were compared to the almighty Fire Nation. It would pleasure them more to see her abandon her values and beliefs and beg for them, Fire Nation men to end her misery, whatever it might be.

He had tried to dissuade his nephew from the mistake he was about to make. The old general knew little to nothing about the reclusive tribes, but he knew that they valued marriage more than anything. Family was their greatest richness and women were usually virtuous when they wedded.

 Of course, he was also vaguely aware that Water Tribe women wedded at the age of sixteen and Katara far surpassed that mark. Perhaps she had left a husband behind?

The old man took a sip of his cold brew and grimaced. If there was one thing Iroh detested was cold tea. He used his inner flame to warm the cup and the liquid within. In a matter of seconds steam was flying from the cup once more.

Once again, the man concentrated on his thoughts. Zuko had dismissed his uncle's pleadings. He had argued that if she were so valuable then he would put her to good use and try to get the support of a few nobles. He was going to need it if he was unable to produce an heir and if their suspicions towards Azula were correct.

He had even crossed the line and accused his uncle of keeping that valuable item- the man frowned at the wording his nephew had chosen to use- away from other people who would appreciate a glimpse at it, and kindly reminded the retired general she was his gift to do as he pleased.

Iroh sighed. Zuko had learnt the teachings of his father well. Although the Dragon of the West knew there was kindness in his nephew- he had been an adoring husband towards his wife, and the old man was proud to see the Fire Lord had treated her like the most precious thing to grace the Earth, that was the depth of his love for her, and he had bloomed with gentleness when he found she was with child- he had seem to put it aside in a dark place inside of him, to which access wasn't easy.

The man drank the rest of his tea slowly, his taste buds fully grasping the depth and richness of the brew. He did love his tea, and even though the warm, tasty liquid always seemed to make matters clearer, he didn't seem to find peace that lovely afternoon. He couldn't come up with an excuse to save Katara from the fate that seemed to lay out before her.

For the first time in years, Iroh found himself at a lost. He hadn't felt so defeated since his dear beloved son, Lu Ten, had died.

But perhaps, he mused with a forlorn face, if the girl had to fall, he could cushion and make it hurt as less as humanly possible.

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Lihua raised a neatly trimmed brow. She had first noticed the girl at the party three weeks ago. Back then, she had made quite the spectacle, her unusual appearance bringing all eyes on her. She had put on quite a show without even trying. And Lihua was very aware of the interest the famed Dragon of the West had on the girl. Now that she took a good look at her, she could see why everyone had been so fascinated by this Water Tribe girl. She truly was a rare find, albeit very raw.

The Fire Nation female circled the other like a vulture, looking her up and down. Katara shifted uncomfortably under the other's scrutiny.

Lihua nodded, frowned and sighed, a myriad of different expressions going through her perfect features. She truly needed her guidance. The Fire Lord had not specified why he wanted Lihua to be with the girl at all times. Perhaps he was grooming her for someone important, although his current lover wasn't sure who could be more important than his own uncle. Still she was willing to do as he said. And she didn't really have a choice.

Katara's clothes fell awkwardly on her. The Cheongsam hid her figure, instead of enhancing it, her hair was messy, and the frown made the younger girl seem too severe.

The Fire Nation woman sighed. "I can see why our Lord ordered me to advise you." She placed her hands on her hips and tilted it to the side. "It seems I have a lot of work to do."

Katara had never heard the girl speak before. Her voice was pleasant enough. Her tone was slightly monotonous, but she didn't seem too cold or mean.

The waterbender felt a bit awkward. Lihua grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her towards her room. She was probably the only harem girl with a room to herself. The room was small, with only a bed, a closet and a few trinkets. The Tribes’ woman knew there were other women on the receiving end of the Fire Lord's attention, but like Iroh had said, perhaps Lihua was the one.

The girl went through her things, looking at Katara now and then. The female frowned and turned towards the waterbender.

"As I expected, I have nothing that fits you." She sighed exasperatedly. Katara could feel the other woman was becoming frustrated. "Perhaps if you lost a bit of weight?"

The tribes' woman pursed her lips into a thin line. She was not losing weight. And she wasn't overweight by any means. And even if she had a little accumulated adipose tissue, it was needed to survive the harsh Water Tribe winters, for when hunting and fishing would become harder. And although she had lived in the Earth Kingdom, for a while, she always kept her rituals and traditions. She had much in common with her brother, Sokka, she mused. Eating, she conceded, was one of them.

The Fire Lord's favourite walked out the room, and the younger female was left alone, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, her arms tightly around her chest. She looked around the room other girl was given. She took a few steps forward and ghosted the bed sheets. They were soft and fresh, like the water Katara had been bending at the pond the other night. It they were, Katara guessed, silk. The clothes that were now scattered across the mattress looked a bit different from what the other concubines wore. To better look the part, I guess. None of them were as low cut or as revealing as what she was forced to wear. They were very reminiscent of the outfits she had seen some of the noble women wearing during that dreadful party. The fabrics all looked expensive and she could spot some gold filigree embroidered into the clothing.

Why Lihua would ever lend her something that expensive she would never know. Katara also spotted sandals in the far corner of the room. They were clearly leather and very different from the boots the Fire soldiers used, but perhaps that was the norm here at Caldera City.

She rounded the bed and traced the vanity with her fingertips. The wood was light, lighter than what she had seen up to this point. Perhaps the Fire Lord had her furniture especially carved. The bottles of fragrances were beautiful, little patterns carved on the glass. She held one up to her nose and took a sniff. The smell was acrid and the waterbender winced at its strength. She put the bottle back down and traced the woman's brush. It was made of silver, as was Lihua's hand mirror. On the side of the vanity she could see necklaces and bracelets, mostly gold, but others silver and other metals Katara didn't quite recognized. There were expensive stones set into the metals, very much like the ruby necklace the other woman always wore.

Katara now knew why every concubine thought Zuko was a kind lover. They were rewarded for their services like common street women. She had seen plenty of those back in the Earth Kingdom. They lined the streets at night, their overused clothes falling over their shoulders, smoking something, Katara wasn't sure what, and calling out to men. One had even offered to perform fellatio on Jet. The waterbender had almost laughed when he quirked the tip of his lip in utter disgust. These women were more evident in the towns and villages that had been violated by the Fire Nation army. She guessed they were only trying to survive.

A small-but very strong hand- gripped her wrist and ripped it away from the vanity. Lihua glared at the tribes' woman, anger very visible on her face. When she spoke, her voice was laced with restrained irritation.

"I've found something for you to wear. Put this on." She shoved a few pieces of cloth into the waterbender's hands and pointed towards a door near the cabinet. "That's the bathroom. You can change there." Katara blinked. She has her own bathroom? Lucky bitch.

The blue-eyed girl looked herself over in the mirror. Lihua had better taste than Madame Zhu that was for sure, and even though this outfit was still much too revealing for Katara's taste, it was a step up from what she had been previously forced to wear.

 It crossed the girl's mind that this blatant display of skin didn't bother her as much as it should anymore. This much time serving as a harem girl and being insisted upon wearing flimsy pieces of garment, had been eased into her. The harem pants flowed against her legs. They were baggy and red, and despite their see-through quality they still left all her legs up to the imagination. Her flat stomach was uncovered as always, but she wouldn't be bothered with it. Her top was what bothered her the most, though. It clung to her chest in a very flattering way. The red fabric was opaque, but it only served propose of covering her breasts. She had a half sleeve on her left arm that billowed down her member and closed at her wrist. Both her shoulders were bare, and Katara loosened her long brown curls to splash around them and hide them as much as possible from view. The tribes' woman left the bathroom and Lihua nodded appreciatively.

"I like that on you. Red is definitely your colour."

Red is everyone's colour here. Katara rolled her eyes at the statement.

"What jewellery do you have?" The older woman tapped her chin, the look on her face suggesting something was amiss.

"I have an upper arm bracelet and some anklets." Katara offered with a small smile.

"Don't you have something for your neck?" Lihua frowned. "What did you choose this month?"

The waterbender sighed. She got the feeling she would once again get chastised for not choosing some frivolous piece of ornament.

"A book from the royal library." Lihua met the expectations set for her.

"What for? Do you think that you'll be able to look prettier with a book?" The Fire Nation female tilted her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest. What set Katara aback was the fact that Lihua wasn't looking at her with disdain or as if she was stupid but with an amused glint to her pretty golden eyes.

"I was bored, and I needed something to do. Not every single one of us get to leave the quarters so many times." It was meant as a jab, but the older female took it as a fact, or perhaps, a compliment.

"I guess that is true. There are too many women for so little men. Not everyone is going to be about as much as others." Katara once again rolled her eyes. For these girls this was as simple as piercing one's ears.

Lihua walked to her vanity and rummaged through her goods. The waterbender once more shifted her weight form foot to foot, waiting for what the older female had in store for her.

"I think this will look nice." The Fire Nation woman held out her hand, a choker upon it. It was black set with red stones. Katara knew they weren't real rubies. She would never be offered something as nice, but she nodded in acknowledgment none the less.

"Hold up your hair." She did as she was told and Lihua fumbled with the clasp. "Come on let's get the rest of your jewellery."

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Lihua was permanently on call. She had waited for her Lord to summon her, but Katara couldn't be bothered with such affairs. She was reading her book, the characters on the pages stealing her concentration from the outside world.

The other woman sighed, her head upon her hand. She was clearly bored, and before Katara had settled to read the book, she detected a hint of panic behind the other woman's lashes. She was sure Lihua was worried the Fire Lord would summon someone else.

At the moment, her legend was the only entertainment she had, as the tribes' woman was not about to start a conversation with her partner.

The Fire Nation woman sighed once more and the waterbender frowned to the parchment in front of her. This would be a long night if Lihua kept this up. So, what if he didn't call her for one night. It was unlikely he had such a sex drive as to need her services every single day. Wasn’t it? She blushed at her own thoughts. Imagining the Fire Lord in such a way, brought both shame and curiosity into her bosom.

The other women walked around them, busy with their own affairs. She could hear some snickering to her left, the girls she had overheard in the baths the other day, mocking Lihua for her misfortune.

"Niu isn't anywhere to be seen." One of them offered.

"Yeah, perhaps he got fed up with Lihua." They all laughed. And even though the waterbender felt no sympathy for the Fire Nation concubine, she couldn't help but anger at their callousness. To Lihua this was clearly an important deal, and they were poisoning her thoughts with doubt. She was sure that if she was allowed to, she would waterbend the makeup from their faces.

Madame Zhu walked into the room after a couple of hours of waiting, a smile upon her lips.

"Lihua dear, the Fire Lord has summoned you to his chambers."

Katara saw the other girl's face light up, followed by a wide smile that spread across her features. She darted upright and walked towards the door pausing and turning towards her.

"Well, come along now. We can't keep our good Lord." She smiled brightly at the waterbender, who got up, setting her story aside.

"La forbid he has to wait a couple of minutes." She added sarcastically and rolled her eyes, earning herself a stern look from Zhu.

She shrugged and smiled sweetly at the old matron and walked behind Lihua to the Fire Lord's chambers. They were escorted by a couple of guards, but the other female seemed pretty much unaware of their presence. It only made Katara feel like she was more of a prisoner than they all told her she was.

One of the men escorting her parted the doors for them and announced their presence.

"My Lord, Miss Lihua is here, as you requested." Katara couldn't see into the room, but the Fire Lord must've signalled their entrance as the guard straightened from his bow and nodded towards the older girl. The waterbender followed suit, sighing inaudibly as she prepared herself for the awkwardness this night would present itself as.

Lihua walked to the Fire Lord, and standing on the tips of her toes, feather kissed him on the lips.

Katara grimaced in disgust but tried to disguise it by looking at the ground, a curtain of hair blocking her face from the others.

She heard the Fire Lord push Lihua gently aside, and a part of her felt he was staring at her.

"You ordered me to be with her at all times. I could send her back to the quarters if you wish, my Lord." She heard footsteps and the sound of glass touching glass.

"That won't be necessary." His voice was low and heavy with something. Katara chanced a look up at them, and she could distinctively see Lihua tracing her hand over the man's clothed arm. Why on Earth do I have to be here? Please Tui, save me!

"Come here girl." The Fire Lord commanded, and the tribes' woman heard the other girl huff.

She slowly closed the distance between the couple and herself, always looking at the ground. She felt rough fingers on her jaw and in a demanding motion the Fire Lord had tilted her head upwards to looks at her fully. Their eyes locked and Katara had to strain herself not to flinch away from his touch. She felt dirty just from the mere feeling of his digits upon her skin. She could feel Lihua's hard eyes on her and wished to every God there was that she wouldn't be murdered in her sleep.

The waterbender willed herself to look away, but her temperament was too stubborn to do so. Their eyes kept locked on each other's for a long while before he released her jaw gently, and took a sip from his Cask strength whisky, Lihua once again clinging to his arm.

He sat on his couch and the other woman sat beside him. She kissed his hands, his jaw and then his lips, which Katara could tell, he was uneasy to correspond. She was sure it was because he wasn't used to an audience.

The waterbender just wanted to jump out of the open window directly behind her, but instead she concentrated on the wind that was caressing her back. It felt cool and gentle against her skin and she was reminded of her days in Ba Sing Se, Jet's hands touching her back when she had been wounded. Katara would always heal herself as quickly as she could, but if the man had caught a glimpse of her wounds, he would ghost his digits upon the traces of hyperpigmentation that would take a few days to fade. She would always involuntarily shiver at his touch, his hands warm against the cool of her complexion.

It took her a while to realize she was being spoken too. The Fire Lord kept his face as stoic as ever, and Lihua was glaring at her like she had committed a vile sin.

"Did you not listen to me?" The Fire Nation woman asked and Katara shook her head as a response.

"Go get the Fire Lord some more whisky."

The waterbender walked to liquor cabinet grabbing the whisky container. She walked back to the couple and kneeled in front of them. Lihua seemed smug and smiled prettily at the man beside her, but he was intent on the waterbender's motion. She took the cap from the container and he stretched out his arm, cup in hand, laid in front of her face. She poured the liquid quietly, slowly, somehow managing to connect with her element within the alcohol. She bit her lip and placed the container down beside her.

The Fire Lord nodded at her and she smiled. It was getting easier to forget about her hatred for him. She wondered if it was just her acting skills that were improving. She hoped it wasn’t just habituation to her new life.

The couple continued with their conversation, sometimes exchanging affections, although the Fire Lord occasionally stole glances at her. It was crucial to her plan to look like she was willing to play the part of concubine, accepting her fate. Just think of home. Of Dad, and Sokka and Gran-Gran. She sighed, a loud puff of air stealing his eyes from Lihua.

After a prolonged period of time, in which the Waterbender told herself mental stories and legends, the couple got up and Lihua happily made her way to the set of doors beside the bookshelves. His room. She grimaced. They wouldn't, would they?

The ruler walked to his room and sternly looked her down.

And with that he stepped into the room, closing the doors behind him. Katara looked around, weighing her options. She could leave, walk back to her quarters, or she could stay and suffer through their love making in the room next door. Katara bit her lip and came to a decision. She was going to carry out her plan even if it took her this humiliation.

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She felt a hand on her shoulder and woke to a smiling face. It had taken her forever to fall asleep, trying to block out the sounds coming from the adjacent chamber. That woman truly was loud, and it had taken all Katara's will not to douse down the whisky that was still on the floor. Lihua seemed chirpy and content, which the waterbender disgustingly linked to their awfully busy night together.

"Wakey wakey." She tweeted, her voice syrupy and delighted.

Katara scrunched up her nose in utter disbelief. How could she be so cool about the whole situation? She had spent most of the night hearing their whole affair and this woman in front of her didn't seem to care.

Truth be told, Katara had never expected something like coupling to last that long, but she wasn't really aware of how that sort of thing worked. She rubbed her sore shoulders and got up. The waterbender was sure her hair was dishevelled and she looked very much like the savage they painted her to be. The tribes' woman grabbed the container from the floor, and stiffly walked to the cabinet where she set it in its rightful place. The Fire Lord left his room and stared her down, a bewildered glint to his eyes. Katara blushed. Without further acknowledgement he walked to Lihua and traced her cheek only to quickly disappear from the room.

Lihua turned to her, clasping her hands together in utter delight.

"I think that was a good night, don't you?" Katara groaned too loudly for anyone's liking. Her night had been an utter nightmare.

Chapter Text

As soon as they arrived the female quarters, Lihua was ushered, by Madame Zhu and some of the older women, into a room Katara had never stepped foot in.

She was too tired to press the subject and, exhaustedly, dragged her feet into her conjoint sleeping space. She threw herself onto the bed, her head burning with a migraine. She placed her arm upon her eyelids covering the increasingly garish light of the morning.

 Her body was drained as well as her mind. She was sure Lihua had meant no ill intent when it came to her disgruntling sounds, knowing the Fire Lord had thought of what she had heard the moment he laid his eyes on her. Although she almost hadn't heard him-almost being the key word- she could see he was uncomfortable, having her there. Perhaps he was unaccustomed to company. Perhaps he only disliked her that much.

Her room was now empty, devoid of all kinds of sounds, but still she couldn't sleep. Katara turned in her bed, searching for her mother's necklace, concealed expertly under the mattress. She rubbed the carved surface and smiled. It had always brought her comfort. Gripping it in her hand, she held it close to her heart. It should have never abandoned the closeness to her chest.

There were times when she wondered what her mother could have taught her. There was a small part of her that believed she would never be in this situation, had her mother outlived the Fire Nation raid. Another told her that it wouldn't matter. The Fire Nation would always find a way to make her life miserable. She fell asleep remembering the time where she believed everything and knew nothing at all.

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Xue pushed the waterbender's shoulder softly. Katara stirred, groaned and pushed the other girl's hand away. The other female sighed.

"Are all Water Tribe women this hard?" the girl in question smiled.

"No. Just me." Xue smiled back at the tribes' woman. The black-haired female rubbed her hands on her lap, looking at the far wall. She seemed distant somehow and the waterbender furrowed her brow at the sudden mood change. The air was now thick with unspoken disquiet. Both women knew as little about the other as it was humanly possible. They were both so unaware of each other's beliefs and culture, it was impossible for them to delve further into a sort of relationship. Xue stirred and Katara briefly wondered if in another life, where there was no segregation, they would be friends. The Fire Nation woman seemed nice enough and the waterbender knew she needed some allies here. As much as she wanted to further her plan, she would need some leverage. She would need to know the corners and crevices of the palace. The dos and don’ts of noble life and concubinage. She needed to know what actually made the Fire Lord welcome someone into his personal space. She needed to know his story and how to get to him, but for that she needed to transform into Lihua. Or make him think she had. Perhaps Xue could shed some light into the matter. Teach her things that would one day bring down their imperialistic ways. But for now, Katara had to play the game accordingly, and the girls around her disliked, or at least didn't pay close enough attention to her.

"Is everything alright?" She pressed and Xue blinked at her a couple of times before regaining focus. The waterbender was sure the other female found her interest alien. Heck, she herself found this very alien coming from her. But she needed to put her feelings aside and start working towards her goal.

Sokka's faced death many times. Did he ever turn away from battle? No. He stayed and fought even though he knew it could be his last fight. I will not back down. I will step into the battlefield, head held high if I must.

"Hm? Oh! Yeah! Everything is fine. I just came to call you for lunch." Katara nodded and didn’t press the issue. Once again, the awkward silence took the space between the two females. Katara rolled on her bed, her feet touching the floor. It was cold and it sent a shiver up her spine. The waterbender once again was lost in her thoughts, philosophising. She had been doing this a lot lately, dropping subjects. There had once been a time when she would press things in such a way no one would be able to keep a secret. She had this talent, to be able to rip everything out from people, but now she didn't really care. She would be safer not knowing anyone's secrets, especially people as perfidious as Fire Nation.

The tribes' woman got up and she was vaguely made aware of the scent lingering in the air around them. She scrunched up her nose at the foul aroma and Xue looked at her funny.

"Why didn't they drag you to the cleansing chamber?"

Katara turned, the puzzled look setting deeper in her features.

"Cleansing chamber?"

The Fire Nation woman blushed and stared at the hands on her lap.

"Yeah. You know! To clean you up after being with a man."

It was the waterbender's time to blush, mouth agape and thoughts wild. It crossed her that she should be furious at the statement, the mere insinuation of such a thing leaving a foul taste in her mouth. No Water Tribe woman would ever permit someone to say something like that about her. But somehow, she managed to contain her disgust and fury. Instead bewilderment and inquisition were all that was left for her to feel.

It was completely natural people thought she had slept with the Fire Lord. The waterbender had spent the entire night in his quarters and Lihua wasn't known to blabber about the Lord's intimacy. Many had questioned her about the man's preferences, the way he liked to be touched, if he liked to be spoken to dirty, if he enjoyed kissing. Even things Katara wasn't really sure were pertinent like if he could maintain an erection, how long he lasted and how big he was. The tribes' woman could feel her cheeks heating up at the thoughts. She wanted none of those questions answered, and even though she wasn't the one who had spoken them, she felt embarrassed for those who did.

 She recalled the feeling of his digits on her skin, like they had never departed, still lingering on her nerves like a ghost that never ceased to haunt. They had burned her with their welcoming heat. She was sure his increased bodily temperature was due to his firebending but still, it had felt almost welcoming, like a fire in the dead of a Southern winter night.

Katara berated herself for her thoughts. There was nothing welcoming or enjoyable about him. He was an imperialist, a dictator set on nothing else but total dominion of that which didn't belong to him, of her Tribe, her friends, her family. All I ever loved. Home.

His touch had irate her, and, at the time, she had wanted to slap his hand away from her face, but hadn't for the sake of propriety. I wasn't about to get greater punishment for such an action.

Xue looked at her with mixed curiosity and amusement. The tribes' woman seemed nervous, or maybe just uncomfortable with the issue at hand. She didn't seem to understand the complexity of palace life, especially for women like them, whose sole purpose was entertaining and making the nobles happy.

"Oh, Agni! Don't tell me..." Xue started at the realisation. The other female's eyes shot towards her figure, more confusion etching onto her rough features.

"What?" Katara's voice was short of a screech, her heart pounding heavily in her ears.

"Don't tell me our dear Lord has requested you stay unclean." The waterbender wasn't sure what she was talking about and turned from her, not wanting to delve any further into the subject. She walked towards the room's cabinet and searched for something to wear. Xue's eyes were wide and she smiled.

"I promise I won't tell anyone. Not even Madame Zhu. You can trust me with that secret if you wish to maintain it." Katara opened her mouth to speak, but judging by the retreating footsteps, Xue was already out the door.

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0

.

They had told her it would take years for her to master the koto and she believed them when they told her so. The instrument proved itself to be immensely difficult, the notions she had learned poorly consolidated. She had gotten blisters on her digits during the afternoon practice and her instructor told her she would develop a callus with time, and that her fingertips wouldn't hurt so much.

She was divided. In one hand she absolutely adored the amazingly intricate sound the instrument made. It was beautifully melodic, the sound very rich and velvety. She could see why the Fire Nation loved it so. Usually in the Water Tribes music was different. It was much more rhythmic than melodic. It was based heavily on drums like Taiko, made of the skin of caribou-hare. They had drums of every shape and size, different depths of sound being created by each one.

Usually chord instruments didn't sound good in the pole. Something to do with them going out of tune due to the cold. But as she heard her instructor play "The Flower in the moonlight" the tribes' woman felt like she was finally at peace. Closing her eyes, Katara absorbed the delicate sounds emitted by the koto, the delicate strings vibrating into the air. The song was peaceful and soothing, like a cool summer night. She remembered the Firelight Fountain back at Ba Sing Se. It was where Jet and she had shared their first kiss and after that it had become their safe point, the place they would meet in case they got separated. The girl sighed, her thoughts breaking her from the sounds around her.

"I'm going to give you another instrument to practice."

"What? I haven't even learnt the koto properly!" The man sighed and nodded.

"You will find that once you get the hand of things, they become pretty easy." The man showed her a big string instrument in the back of the music room.

"That is the Konghou. " The man moved over to the instrument and touched the strings. Katara shivered at the sound.

"You will practice each instrument five hours a day. You have a lot to catch up to." The girl's jaw dropped. Five hours each? That would be ten hours in total. He has to be kidding me.

"For today we will stick to the koto." The instructor, Yin Yue, the waterbender recalled, clapped his hands and she started her exercises all over again.

Her wrist was about to give in when the door to the music room opened. Lihua and three other girls, Lien, Bao and Hua walked into the room. The Fire Lord's favourite sat on the konghou, Lien- who was Lihua's best friend and confident- sat next to her, grabbing a pipa, Bao sat across from them holding an Erhu and finally Hua, who sat next to Bao with a dizi in her hands. The woman who was babysitting her smiled brightly.

"Hey Katara. Sorry to interrupt your music lesson.” Lihua said apologetically.  Yin Yue was frowning at the females but the waterbender shook her hand.

"It's ok. Why are you all here?"

The girls giggled into their billowing sleeves. The outfits they wore, were reminiscent of the style usually used by women in the upper ring of the impenetrable city. They were all clad in kimonos, some gold other's red. They all had flowers embroidered, lotuses and lilies adorning their outfits. It struck the tribes' woman that this was far from what the women in the female quarters usually wore and it infuriated her that Lihua and her friends got to be fully clad and she had to walk around with pieces of fabric that were only big enough to cover an infant.

"We have a presentation this evening." The girls giggled again and the woman who had been intimate with the Fire Lord for the past few months shushed them.

"We are going to perform for the Fire Lord himself and some of his courtiers." The girl smiled and Katara nodded.

"Yeah!" Lien added shaking her hand elegantly. "I think our wise Lord is trying to introduce Lihua to his court." They giggled once more and Katara felt herself growing annoyed. "What an honour." The girl in question blushed profusely, plucking some of the chords of her chosen instrument.

"C'mon girls. We need to rehearse." They nodded at her as each set to play the melody.

 Katara couldn't help but wonder if they all had to practice five hours each day as well. She wasn't sure she knew the song, but it was infuriatingly sweet. It was clear they were going for the femininity approach and sugar the courtiers into liking Lihua for being a demure and sweet woman who would bless the Fire Nation with her little pale and ebony haired children. The tribes' woman had always loved children but allowing the Fire Lord to breed was a crime against humanity.

She was once again made aware that these people weren't innocents. They were all guilty of supporting their ruler's desire and bloodlust. Building an Empire through violence and fear was not benign. And despite the fact that she had met kind people in her two months in the Fire Nation, the truth of the matter was that they all thought themselves better than her, better than anyone else who wasn't born and bred on fire. They would always support the madness that was Sozin's war, and even though she didn't want to hurt anyone but their sovereign, she would get rid of anyone that stood in her way.

 So, she decided there, she would keep Lihua from conceiving. She had long learnt how to use her bending to prevent ovulation. Most people weren't even aware of such facts, but she had been taught in the art of healing by Yugoda and part of healing was to listen to a body like it was her own. She had learnt much in her year stay there. It had taken that much to be a good enough bender to fight and only after travelling to the Earth Kingdom, did she truly mastered her element. Being in the front line of the carnage had honed down her skills and meeting a few disturbed people had helped her become one of the best waterbenders of her generation Lihua would never notice what was being done to her. Katara heard the girls giggle once more and was snapped out of her reverie by their high-pitched voices.

"So? How do you like it?" Lihua smiled at her and it took her a few moments to snap back into attention. She would do the same to me if the situation were reversed.

"It was beautiful. Just beautiful." The girls all exchanged appreciative glances and kind words and got up. Lihua and Lien wrapped their arms around the waterbender's and walked her out of the room.

Lien smiled brightly at her.

"I heard Admiral Sheng wants a private session with you." Her tone was one of absolute amusement.

The tribes' woman grimaced at the thought. A private session was something she didn't want with any men under the Fire Lord's rule.

"I heard he is quite good looking for a forty-year old." Lihua offered, tugging the girl's arm. Katara blanched at her words. Forty? FORTY? My dad is about that age.

"Yeah." Lien giggled. "I heard from Niu that he is very muscular, scars all over his chest and back, most made by sword since he isn't very prolific in firebending." She mused, looking up to the ceiling, a finger pressed against her fleshy lips.

"Well, anyway, he is a very powerful man. Fire Lord Ozai relied on him. He has a lot"- she emphasized the words-"of money and a very well-trained battalion. He trains his guard himself you know." The southerner wasn't particularly interested in such specifications. They had pushed the dagger deeper and completed the kill when they mentioned the man's age.

The waterbender always imagined that she would marry a man around her age, perhaps only a few years older and that her private sessions would always be out of need and want and not duty. She had probably been foolish to think so, but the idea was much more pleasing than having to lay with a forty-year-old Fire Nation Admiral. Especially since she had heard some of the girls talk about some of the courtiers. None could physically harm any of the Fire Lord's girls, at least not visibly, but there were ways of hurting without leaving a mark. She shivered involuntarily.

"Are you cold?" She shook her head, and Lihua frowned at her, concern on her face.

"Well, please don't tell me you are getting sick. Even though you aren't coming with me for tonight's events you still have to come with me when our Lord summons."

Katara nodded and breathed a don't worry, before hurrying into the female quarters.

"She's peculiar, that one." Lien surmised and Lihua only nodded.

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0

.

She had thrown up a couple of times after getting into the rooms, if it was because of her tongue washing the day prior or because of the details she had received a few hours prior, she did not know.

The quarters were quieter than usual. Madame Zhu had been ecstatic due to the girls' performance that evening and as the remaining females got the hint, their services would probably be needed later, after the men-and their spouses, entertaining couples was more common than one would think-had had their fair share of alcohol and smoking shady substances, they would probably turn to the concubines. For now, Katara knew she was safe. There was no way the Fire Lord would ask her to entertain someone without being absolutely sure she would behave.

Katara smiled at the memory of her brother smoking a less than proper substance once, when their father was absent due to warfare. During the heat season, small patches of dirt, and consequently some weeds would grow. The men sometimes picked some of them up and smoked them in nights of full moon as tribute to Tui and La. They would see strange shapes and colours and would often guarantee to the women-who could not smoke the weeds as to not  affect their fertility-that the moon and ocean spirits' talked to them, revealing secrets one would not even dream of. Sokka had stolen some from their father's private stash and in an act of manhood- as he had adamantly put it "Only real man smoke this stuff, Katara. Do you doubt my virility? Oh, a woman wouldn't understand."-had smoked it. What followed next was a series of shameful events that culminated in her brother setting fire to most of the tents. He had been bedridden for three full days and four nights and had sworn off smoking for the rest of his life. Of course, the waterbender didn't believe him. He would always do what it took to prove he was a man. She was fond of the memories she had of him. He was, to this day, after years of absence, her best friend and there was no one she would ever love more than him.

Several hours passed, and the waterbender had already drifted off to the sleep lands when she was roughly woken up by Madame Zhu. She threw cloth her away and told her she had a minute to get dressed. The tribes' woman yawned and stretched her back before brushing her hair. She placed a golden comb in her it to keep it partially up. The lotus in the middle of the piece was painted white with a green orb in the centre. The clothes Zhu had given her were simple. The top parted below her breast line and the topmost part closed around her neck leaving her shoulders bare. It was made of deep crimson cotton and Katara enjoyed the sensation of the fabric against her skin. Her skirt was long, somewhat of a train brushing the floor. It was the same crimson shade as the top and she tied it with a knot at the side of her waist. It parted down her leg showing a bit too much of her upper thigh. She borrowed a pin from Xue's things and closed the opening as much as she could by pinning the fabric together. She put her ankle charms on, and she wouldn't dare leave without her upper arm bracelet. Somehow, she felt naked without them, she found, as if they covered a bit more of herself.

She walked out of the room and Madame Zhu nodded appreciatively.

"You will not have Lihua with you tonight." That set her into a panic. Why? What's going on? Shouldn't the Fire Lord be with her tonight? Oh Tui, please tell me I'm not going to spend the night with Lord Sheng...

The lumpy woman dragged her to her escort and nodded towards the men. Grabbing her upper arms they dragged and wary Katara down the hall.

.

0

.

She felt a bit relieved once she saw the halls she was going through were familiar. She had somewhat learnt the way to the Fire Lord's quarters, finding it necessary in case she needed a quick escape.

Part of her had quieted down somewhat, but another was ever more frightened now. What if the Fire Lord wanted to have her, to break her right now? What if Sheng had pressed things and she was going to be given to him sooner than expected? She still hadn't formed her Sokka proof plan, especially how to try and escape after the deed was done. The woman had to bite her lip to keep herself from trembling. No matter what they did to her she refused to break down and be weak. It was not the way of the Southern Water Tribe. Southerners faced blizzards, the harshness of famine and wild tundra beasts on a daily basis, and never feared what lay ahead of them and neither would she. She was a daughter of Tui and La and she would never give the sons of Agni the satisfaction.

The guards opened the door, and she was once again inside the familiar chamber. The Fire Lord's common chamber was empty and Katara traced the fireplace with shaking fingers before settling herself near the warm fire.

She had started to doze off when the doors once again opened, a slightly wobbly young man making his way into the room. She jumped when the double doors crashed against each other, their heavy frames emitting a loud wooden noise that would scare even an adult Sabre tooth mooselion. The man glared at her; his golden eyes cold. The shadows cast by the embers beside her flickered on his features, casting him an eerie glow. She flinched slightly once her brain processed how ferocious he looked. He was most definitely displeased with something.

This is it! I'm going to be raped! He walked past her, opening the doors to his sleeping chambers unsteadily.

"I asked for anyone but Lihua tonight, and they had to send you!" His voice was deep, probably due to the alcohol and smoke. He was also slurry in his speech. Katara was sure he was a little tipsy.

"Come on girl!" He demanded, perhaps a bit too harshly for her taste. The tribes' woman glared at his retreating back but bit her tongue. It isn't worth it Katara. He is just a pathetic drunkard. Just let it slide. The woman got up and followed him into the room. Generally, he would be surrounded by servants, undressing him and preparing him for sleep but, she mused, he probably didn't want anyone seeing him in this state. That's why Lihua isn't here. Katara rushed to steady him when he tripped over himself. Placing on hand steadily on his chest and another on his shoulder she sat him on the bed. He once again glared at her.

The scent of smoke coming from his clothes was strong enough to sting her eyes. She used the balls of her hands to rub them before looking him over.

"Well then, what are you waiting for? Undress me, southerner!" He said sternly, his voice low and she flinched. Undress him? The girl blushed and looked away but did as she said. She reached for his hair piece, but he caught her wrist firmly.

Her eyes met his. His thumb rubbed the sensitive skin of her pulse and she shivered, despite herself. The waterbender could see that he wasn't thinking clearly so she removed her wrist from his grasp and set about her work. It was difficult to release the pointy ornament from his hair. It was smooth and straight, but it had, somehow, become tangled in the crevices of the ornament. She worked his hair in order not to hurt him. It would probably earn her another punishment. When she was finished, she placed the golden piece on the nightstand beside his bed. His robes proved to be as difficult as the headpiece. They were heavy and layered and were tied in ways she didn't exactly understand. After fumbling around she managed to rid the man from the royal robes. He was already half asleep, his head tilting slightly forward. His underpants were chaste enough for her not to flee out of his room, but his chest was disturbingly distracting. She had seen Jet shirtless plenty. But he was nowhere near this level of...I'm not exactly sure what. The Fire Lord was flawlessly carved, his muscles hard beneath his skin. They were all very visible, the result of hours of hard physical labour on his part. She wondered briefly if his scar was the Fire Nation's way of not hating him for being too handsome.

She placed a hand on his chest and bit her lip at the feel of his warm skin. It was unbelievably smooth and hot. The waterbender was aware of his sudden alertness, his eyes darting towards her hand.

She set her resolve. As much as it killed her on the inside to touch the man before her, Katara would go to extreme lengths to gain his trust. Only to betray it later.

The tribes' woman swallowed hard, swallowing her shame with her saliva, and pushed him into a lying position. After half-laying beside him on the bed, she made to cover him with his bed sheets, but he held her hand on his chest. His fingers were as warm as his chest, and Katara was now very aware of his heartbeat beneath her palm. Her arm moved rhythmically, conjoint with his breathing and she looked up at him. His gaze was glazed over, the alcohol now fully consuming him. She pried her hand away. He probably wouldn't argue.

"I'm parched." His rough tone made her jump once more. Stop talking, you big jerk. She reached for the water recipient on his nightstand and, pouring the liquid into a glass, she sat next to his head. Katara placed an arm beneath his head to keep him from choking. I should let you do just that and claim it was an accident...but I'd probably be executed in the morning with no escape route mapped out. The Fire Lord drank it eagerly, holding onto her wrist firmly. The southerner flinched as she felt his greedy digits dig into her flesh. After the water was consumed, he laid back down. Katara sighed. He would have a very nasty headache in the morning.

"You shouldn't drink that much. It's not good for your body."

He snorted. "I don't need advice from a peasant." She rolled her eyes and got up. Rummaging through his things she finally found a cloth and pouring the water from the container to wet the piece of fabric, she looked at him.

"This will ease your headache." He didn't acknowledge her, but she placed the rag on his forehead anyway.

Katara steadied herself next to him, remembering all the nasty things the Fire Nation had done to her over the years to keep herself from dozing off.

When the female felt his breathing was even, she made for the door.

One day she would tell this story to her children. While the Fire Lord was out getting drunk, hundreds of people were dying right outside his door.

Chapter Text

The fortnight that had gone by in a flash was unusual for Katara. A routine was established, and while the Fire Lord didn't call for her at all, having preferred to be alone with Lihua for the time being-which was more than fine with her-she was content.

She spent her afternoons practicing her instruments and in her free time she found that people were less wary of her. Iroh was as amicable as ever. He bought her things, trinkets and sympathies she quite enjoyed. She had become quite amused with the old man's displays of affection. He had gifted her some new bracelets and charms for her anklets-she adored the fire lily one and the lotus one as well as the birdcage and an odd golden key. He had told her it was special and smiled brightly.

The waterbender had become fond of their teatime mornings when they would just sit in the garden and sip the warm liquid with contentment. The man's room was directly connected to the royal quarter's garden and its beauty was breath-taking. The trees were in bloom, pinks, purples, yellows, reds, oranges tinting the scenery before her. The wind carried the scent of flowers, something that filled Katara’s heart with serenity.

There was small space where they would sit in cushions, a stone table laid out before them, protected from the overbearing sun by the shadows the trees cast around them. The Dragon of the West's tea set was a very ornate one. It was made from white porcelain, dragons and soldiers of gold leaf adorning the china. It depicted a furious battle between man and dragon, and in the end, man had tamed it. She was slightly aware of the history behind dragons. Iroh had told her all about the amazing sounding creatures on one of their rendezvous.

She sat there now, the warm spring breeze swishing the branches, the flowers and leaves dancing all around them. The pond to her left glistened in the light, and she listened to the turtle-ducks’ happy quacks while they swam in the cool liquid. Iroh had gone to collect his tea set and she was left waiting outside in the welcoming space. The tribes' woman noticed the berry bushes scattered here and there and the amazingly cared for flower gardens build in tactical places. She enjoyed the scenery a bit too much, she found. Back at home everything was covered in white. She hadn't minded much, the snow familiar to her. She recalled it had been much harder to thread on the flooring there. They always wore their parkas except in the tents, but there they covered themselves in warms pelts to keep themselves from freezing. Life was busy, the need to hunt and fish for survival was always tyrannical upon them. The people were few, and food was scarce. Conditions weren't the best. There was no indoor plumbing or running hot water and there certainly weren't any gardens, layered with magical flowers within every colour in the spectrum. Sometimes during the warm seasons-which in the Fire Nation was called the dry season, a nomenclature Katara found quite unfitting, for the humidity in the air surrounding them sure made the weather damp- the snow nearer the ocean would melt and small patches of brown earth would rise forth. In that time a few weeds grew, such as the ones the Tribe used in ceremonies, but they were never beautiful-only patches of green roughness. Iroh had told her that when the heat picked up, the trees would lose their flowers and gain fruits-and that she was welcome to try them if she wanted to do so.

Her stay in the Earth Kingdom had shown her its share of beauty. There were parts that were lovely, set in colour and plant life, but she knew most about the lower rings of Ba Sing Se. There were no flowers, no tall trees carrying the beauty of coloured life in their bosom. It was just filthy houses and dirt. She guessed that was what Earthbenders loved the most, dirt.
But here, in the very bowels of the Fire Nation, there was life so beautiful, it rivalled the fantasy scenarios Katara had found in her books.

 Part of her, a very envious, biased and mean part, told her she should hate it. That this wasn't as pretty as she saw it. But she didn't really mind that part as much, anymore. In the past two weeks she had come to appreciate what was beautiful, no matter where in the world it was. And she felt at peace, here in the gardens, in the company or Iroh, the famed Dragon of the West. It was quite ironic that she had only stopped fighting here, amid the enemy. At least for the time being.
Iroh made his way back with a tray and sat before her, placing the silver platter on the stone table before him.
"It's quite an enjoyable day, isn't it?" He chuckled and poured her some tea.

"Yes." she breathed, in wonder. "Yes, it is" Grabbing the cup she shivered at the sudden warmth against her palm. It was a feeling of warmth that enveloped her entire body, from her toes to the tip of her nose. It was as if her body had been cold for too long, this tiny porcelain cup the only source of warmth she could ever hope to find. The water vapour rising from the cup dampened her face, her skin shimmering in the light. The waterbender felt the temperature of the liquid with her lip and took a slow gulp once she had made sure it was the perfect temperature for consumption. Iroh beamed at her, delighted, when an enjoyed sound escaped her throat.

"Well, Miss Katara I heard you have been getting along with the other girls just fine." He smiled, drinking from his own cup. Absentmindedly, the girl nodded.

"They are not as bad as I thought." She grimaced at her own statement. "I mean some of them are. But others are not. Lihua is quite enjoyable company. So are her friends...and Xue...she is…persistent." Katara smiled to herself. Iroh wouldn't understand but she did not care. This was the only time she was actually being Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, and not the other girl she had become after leaving her home, and she would be damned if she would hold her tongue in front of the kind old general.

 He only chuckled. They sat in silence for long minutes, enjoying the breeze and the warm tea until someone cleared their throat next to them. Katara's eyes darted towards the sound and she found herself frowning. Great! Just great! In the past fourteen days the duo hadn't been disturbed in their morning affairs of tea and company. 

Just my luck. Thank you, Universe. She smiled inside her mind when she used one of Sokka's mannerisms. She had sworn she would never act like her brother. So much so for keeping that promise she had made herself.

"Uncle." She looked up at the Fire Lord, his shoulder length hair gently swaying with the breeze. His eyes shone molten gold under the light of the sun. His mouth was set in a line, that impassive scowl permanently etched onto his handsome face. The waterbender squirmed. He made a fine figure of Agni under the shining light of his god, amid the beautiful colourful specks.

"Ah! My Nephew. I'm so happy you've decided to join me for tea this morning." The Dragon of the West got up and placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder. Katara was sure he would shrug the gesture away, but it never came.

Zuko only nodded and glanced down at her.

"If I had known you had company I would not have come!" He turned to his uncle and crossed his arms upon his chest. Iroh only chuckled and slapped his shoulder.

"I'm sure Miss Katara will not mind your presence." He looked at her but Katara couldn't help but notice the slight grimace that graced Zuko's features when he called her miss. "Would you now?"

She shook her head but inwardly admitted the young ruler left her uncomfortable. She wasn't quite sure of how to explain it. She was no longer afraid of the man. Oh no. No matter how ruthless he seemed, the tribes' woman hadn't been tortured or raped. He acted indifferently towards her, something that she welcomed, but still, his presence was most disturbing. She looked back at the steam rising from her cup. She found it would be best if she kept her thoughts tamed, as if he could read her mind and discover all her plans. Keeping her eyes downcast she took another sip.

Zuko frowned but nodded and sat next to them facing the turtle-duck pond. The small animals gently prodded back into the water and once again the air was filled with loud quacks.

Iroh poured his nephew some tea and smiled at the Fire Lord.

"It's nice you have a morning off, nephew." Katara couldn't help but notice that when no one was around, both men were actually really casual with each other. Zuko relaxed and faced his uncle, taking a sip from the cup and nodding.

"Yes. My meetings were rescheduled. Azula sent me a letter and things look very promising for the Fire Nation." The waterbender frowned and trembled in anger. She couldn’t help thinking of Jet's death. And the fall of Ba Sing Se. It saddened her that every place she called home was going down, being destroyed and colonized.

"Ah. It seems your sister is doing a good job out in the Earth Kingdom." There was an underlying reminiscence underneath his primary tone of voice the southerner picked up on. She remembered why Iroh was famed. He had held Ba Sing Se under siege but had failed to conquer the impenetrable city. And now his niece had done what he could not.

Did he feel anger, jealousy maybe, towards the woman? It seemed terribly out of character for the man but how much did Katara really know about any of the people she had met here? She had been in the warm lands for a little over three months, and she had learnt that trust had to be earned and not given.

"She truly is a prodigy." The Fire Lord's voice was also laced with something. She looked at him as he took a sip of his tea. He picked up on her movement, his eyes locking with hers for a brief moment, something wounded and bitter shining in them.

"Miss Katara here lived in Ba Sing Se for quite some time." Iroh offered placing his hands on his large stomach.

Zuko rose is one perfect eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Oh, it sure is. Come on Miss Katara. Tell my nephew all about the impenetrable city." He smiled at her and she blushed at the attention.

"Oh...I..hm...I" She caught a glint of amusement in the Fire Lord's eye. He leaned back as if he were about to look up into the tree above them but stilled.

"'I've only seen the slums." She confessed looking back down onto her cup, her fingers curling around the warm porcelain. She could feel the eyes on her, whether they were the young man's or his uncle she did not know. The waterbender told them about her time there, hiding most of her involvement with the Freedom Fighters, pretending she was nothing more than a refugee. The two men listened and chatted amiably with her, even though the Fire Lord only did so prompt by his uncle. Still she could not help but be stunned at the turn of events. The warmth of midday settled around them, and it filled her insides as fully as the air surrounding her.

"I will need to speak with you later, uncle. There are matters of great importance that I wish your council on." The younger man said after a couple of hours of amicable company and tea.

She looked back at him, but the sovereign had lost all semblances of familiarity and once again reverted to the trademark seriousness she attributed him with.

"Of course, my nephew. But please stay a bit longer. At least finish your tea." The young Lord snorted but nodded.

This morning was surely an oddity in Katara's routine. Enjoying tea with the Fire Lord right next to her proved itself to be quite distracting. Especially since he was far more interesting than the cup in her hands. And she was sure he noticed her lingering looks.

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Ryu had spent every night in the gardens, waiting for the waterbender to come but she never did. It was as if she had disappeared from the face of the planet. Or at least, that is what it felt like to him, as he had heard rumours of the waterbender carrying the Fire Lord’s child. He could see why if the rumours proved true. The woman was beautiful and kind, delicate and graceful. But behind the gentleness there lay a strength, a brutality and roughness he has only truly seen when she bent her element.

He wasn’t truly one to give up though, so every night he walked by the gardens hoping to see Katara. He walked the place halls, tray in hand, carefully dodging the guards and vases scattered around to finally get to his destination. His mind was still on the waterbender when he clashed into someone, dropping the contents on the tray all over the floor. He was sure the strawberries had stained whoever he had bumped into.

"Do you need any help?" He heard a warm, amused voice, the lack of anger or disgust throwing him off guard.

Lihua reached her hand towards the boy and smiled brightly.

"Here, let me help you." He took her hand and, using it as leverage, got up on his feet. As sure as he had thought, the woman was stained a deep crimson. Her robes were trashed but still she smiled at him.

"I'm guessing those were my strawberries?" She chuckled beneath her hand. Ryu raised a brow. Her strawberries? Her smile was bright and sweet, and the servant boy couldn’t help but blush. She was a truly beautiful woman, her kindness warming him.

"Don't worry. I'll just tell the Fire Lord I made a mess eating. "She smiled and took the tray from his hands. He wasn't even aware he was holding it. The woman stepped into the room behind her and closed the door after giving him another bright smile.

Lihua looked at Zuko and chuckled at the look on his face. "It was an accident." He nodded and half-smiled. She strolled to him and traced his face. The man relaxed his face and held her hips. "Besides, it's not as if I'm going to stay in them for long." The man’s smile only deepened.

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Katara wasn't really keen on the looks she was getting. She had spent the morning with Iroh and the Fire Lord-much to her chagrin- and then, after lunch, she had spent the whole afternoon with her instruments. Lien had helped her a bit, when her instructor had lost his patience, but the practice had gone well.

But the moment she stepped into the female quarters for dinner, she was received with hard stares and whispers galore. Xue gestured for her to join her at the dining table.

The female quarters were big. Besides the dormitories there was a big bathing room, the cleansing room, the common area, the dining area and a place for them to just store their clothes and possessions. The dining room was probably the largest area, with one long table in the middle, a chandelier right above their heads and many torches scattered around the place. The food wasn't served by the household servants. Instead the girls all had weekly chores they would perform in case they were not summoned. Some cooked, others made the beds, and the others cleaned the toilets-which were a novelty to Katara. In the lower ring of Ba Sing Se, people just did their business in a chamber-pot and threw it out onto the side streets when it was full. It was probably the reason why the slums smelled as bad as they did-others cleaned the showers and the wooden tubs; plus, a vast array of tasks they could perform.

 The girls just grabbed their share of food and sat down to eat. There were probably about forty some women in the harem. And some children as well. Katara had been told that the harem did not only house the Fire Lord's concubines but also most of the women that actually lived here in the palace, even servant women, although they slept in the east wing of the female quarters and the waterbender had never seen one. It was to prevent affairs they had told her. And men forcing themselves onto the women while they slept. And that was why it was important for Madame Zhu to have one of her concubines wed the Fire Lord. She would probably spend most of her time here, which was very good for Zhu herself.

As the waterbender sat beside the other girl she looked around the table, most eyes set on her, murderous glints in their depths.

"What's wrong with everyone?" She inquired before using her chopsticks to place a lump of rice into her mouth.

Xue looked uncomfortable and shifted in her seat before giving her an answer.

"Word is already out that you didn't go through the cleansing." She looked at Katara and bit her lip. The waterbender searched her brown eyes for any glint of mischief. There was none.

"Why would that make me public enemy number one?" The tribes' woman continued eating and the ebony haired girl only stared at her.

"Well...they already know that our Lord wants you to stay unclean."

Katara swallowed and frowned. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Why would the Fire Lord want a dirty woman? Besides, I'm pretty clean. I shower every single day and I wash my hair twice a week." She smiled, quite proud of her cleanliness. Xue laughed.

"No..." She smiled and touched the waterbender's hand. "When we use the term unclean, we mean that you have not bothered to wash away his fluids from your body. That you have been ordered to try and conceive the Lord's child." Katara choked. In her attempt to breath she knocked her glass over the floor and her bowl tumbled to the side, the rice spreading wide before her on the table. The Fire Nation girl grew concerned when she saw the other female turn blue and slapped her hard on the back a couple of time. Finally, the tribes' woman cleared her throat and took a deep gasp of air, stealing the cup from Xue's hand after hearing "Here, drink some of my water." She gulped all the liquid down and took a moment to regain her breath. The female beside her finally calmed but jumped when she heard Katara shriek out a "WHAT?"

"What's wrong Katara?"

"I am not trying to get pregnant." Suddenly all eyes were on her, curious. She didn't notice she was standing and that her words had come out so loudly they had filled the noisy room up. She once again sat down and looked at Xue, seriousness all that could be seen on her features.

"The Fire Lord isn't trying to…to….to inseminate me. I'm not going to get pregnant. We didn't do anything." The Fire Nation woman's mouth formed a round O of understanding and Katara looked down at the mess she had made.

"I haven't been through the cleansing because I have never...been..." She struggled for the right the right word. "Dirtied?"

Xue only nodded. "Perhaps I can talk to you about it someday when you have the time? You will have to go through it sooner or later." She smiled meekly at the waterbender, offering her some comfort. Katara only nodded. Knowing about it would probably be for the best.

"That would be lovely, Xue." She looked up at the whole table. "Now will everyone stop looking at me?" She frowned and all eyes dispersed into various directions. Lien sat beside her.

"You are causing quite a commotion, are you not girl?" The tribes' woman furrowed her brows.

"Tomorrow meet me near the fountain in the common room. You can come too Xue, if you wish. I'm afraid Lihua won't be present, but you seriously need to stop being so dense about our conducts here. It's quite painful to watch you make a fool out of yourself constantly. "Lien sighed. "I'm quite certain Madame Zhu likes seeing you suffer."

"Where is she, anyway?" Katara offered.

"She is out somewhere, trying to make the Fire Lord claim Lihua as the next Fire Lady or something of the sort. It's all she thinks about lately." Lien smiled. "She should have taught you everything the moment you got here. But do not worry. You will learn how to perform perfectly. General Sheng won't be able to resist you. "She smiled sweetly, clasping her hands dreamily.

Katara cringed. She would rather have him running for the hills.

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Ryu sat near the pond thinking about the day's events. He had met the Fire Lord's famed concubine, beautiful and radiant like the brightest star, and he was pretty sure Katara would be a no show once again. That was until she stepped into the garden, a small gasp escaping her full lips when she saw him, fear of being caught very visible on her face.

Ryu smiled at her.

"Don't worry." He whispered as he walked to her. Immediately she dropped her guard and smiled at the man before her.

"You scared me." He gestured towards the water and she walked to the place next to him, a braid swinging behind her. "Were you waiting for me? How did you know I would come?" She smiled and touched the water with her bare foot.

"I didn't. I've been coming here every night since we met here." The tribes' woman blushed and looked at him, nodding in acknowledgement.

 She stretched her arms and parted her legs and with a swing of her hip to the left, her toes trailing the warm earth beneath her, the water came flying around her and Ryu was once again left speechless, as the woman manoeuvred her element like it was an extension of herself. She spun around, her arms moving in swirling motions and the liquid followed as if it had a mind of its own. The dance was slow, and after a while, the servant wasn't sure were Katara ended and the water began. The transparent liquid coiled around the gardens, clashing against imaginary objects, her skirt moving in unison with the water and her braid, and he couldn't help but be entranced. His brain didn't seem to register as she stopped, and looked at him, sweat dripping from her brow and a warm smile gracing her beautiful features.

Ryu blinked, and as the moonlight shined down on her, he couldn't help but be reminded of the deities he had heard of when he was a child. There was something about this girl, something he couldn't quite place, that was unlike any other woman he had met before. It didn't even register when he darted forward, his legs seemingly having a mind of their own, and placed his lips upon hers. She gasped into his lips and before his eyes closed, he saw how hers widened in surprise. He was half expecting her to waterbend him out of the gardens, but the rebuttal never came. Instead the girl settled into the kiss stiffly, not really moving but not breaking the contact either. He smiled and parted from her, caressing her cheek with his knuckles. Katara was still flushed, her lips parted slightly and her eyes crazily searching his for an answer. He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry about that. I don’t know what possessed me to…”

"I...I need to go back." She cut him off, breathlessly, the pink of her cheeks profoundly endearing to Ryu.

Giving him a yellow smile, she ran towards the corridor. Ryu felt like he had been slapped across the face.

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Katara sat on her bed and touched her lips. What am I doing? It hadn't felt like she supposed it should feel. It didn't feel like it had with Jet. Her knees hadn't tremble, and her heart hadn't leapt. But she found that it had brought her some comfort. It had been perhaps a bit too comfortable for her liking. The thing was concubines were prohibited from mingling with servants and if they were caught they would both be punished.

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The storm raged all around him, like a scorned lover that was out for revenge. The boy felt the swirling winds all around him and shaking, he treaded through the paths laid out before him. When he came to a crossroads, he knew he had a decision to make. Still he could not. Not yet anyway. So, he just sat, cross-legged, on the floor and waited. But what seemed like a few minutes turned into ravaging years, the same lover as the storm, only sterner. Time wasn't fair and it didn't hold back for anyone. No matter whom it was. And so, it just kept going forward unaware of the conflict raging inside the man sitting at the crossroads. He had made his decision. And now there was no turning back. Grabbing his backpack, he turned left and kept walking towards the horizon. If his choice had been the right one only time could tell.

Chapter Text

The bath house was always her favourite place to think. The steam offered her shelter while she waterbent, clearing her mind from the troubles that threatened to plague her.

The kiss she had shared with Ryu had proved itself to be the recurring thought in her mind, so she had spent the remainder of the week avoiding all men. But the universe seemed not to like her, and once again she had been summoned to accompany Lihua that night.

The water coiled around her, glistening in the poor lighting. She sat on a wooden bench, completely naked, her skin sweating in the heat of the vapour, and her head light, she told herself, thanks to the heat. The waterbender kept going back to that night and how the man had surprised her by connecting his lips to hers. She touched her lips and the water pooled around at her feet, making a loud splashing noise the Water Tribe woman was afraid was heard. Her head spun in a weird angle and her neck cracked. She was already on edge knowing that Ryu was aware she was a waterbender, she didn’t need the added danger of any girl in the harem finding out as well.

Katara massaged her neck slowly and cursed under her breath. She got up after rinsing her body and grabbed a towel. Although the girls here were used to nudity and felt immodest about their bodies, the waterbender always felt a bit bashful. She wasn't as lean or as athletic as the other women. She was curvy and felt like the odd one out, a feeling she was entirely to ashamed to admit blossomed in her bosom. No feeling like she wasn’t as lovely as any of the other girls here wasn’t something Katara would ever willingly admit to herself.

The the sudden familiar sloshing sound of water brought her out of her own head, and Katara heard some voices behind her. Six women gathered around the bath house, all strategically placed, blocking her view of the exit. My secret is out. They know. I’m dead! She now considered using her abilities to run from the girls but considered against the idea. She would never make it past the guards.

From her peripheral vision she saw a piece of the tiled floor being lifted only lay flat once more, evidence of its moving gone forever, and she considered for a second that she might have imagined it. The waterbender once again felt uncomfortable once she noticed the girls-all Earth Kingdom, she could tell by their darker complexions and facial proportions- were clothed in towels. The tribes' woman forced a cough out and one of the females giggled. She had never seen these women but the number of females in the royal harem was so high she was sure not even the Fire Lord himself knew who they were.

She felt an arm around her shoulders and jerked away from the touch. Katara heard a snort at her reaction and another giggle.

"You need not fear us, girl!" The voice was gentle and warm, but she could feel an threatening undertone to it.

"Hello.I'm Tifa." A girl with deep green eyes and short black hair, around mid-twenties, greeted her with a movement of her wrist. She stomped her foot and the ground once again lifted in the air. "And, as I know you've noticed I'm an earthbender." She smiled deviously, placing a finger to her lips a quiet «shh» sound coming from her plump mouth.

. "These are Kari" She pointed towards a girl that couldn't be older than sixteen, and that smiled brightly in her direction, her dark locks obscuring her face."Rei" another girl, probably the older in the group and also the only one with dark brown eyes nodded her head slightly "Hoshi" a bubbly girl smiled at her and hugged the waterbender.

"Well, yeah…hi." It felt more than weird to be in this situation while unclothed but she remained quiet.

"Kagami and Asami" The girls were twins, Katara noted. They both nodded at her, keeping quiet.

"We've heard a new slave had been brought in." Tifa exclaimed as low as she could. "You should try to lay low as much as you can. It's not as bad as one might think if you know how to play your cards right." The girls all nodded but there was a feeling of foreboding in the air around them.

"We all come from various places in the Earth Kingdom. None of us has seen our families for too long." Kari exclaimed, after an uncomfortable silence hung around them, and Katara got the feeling that wasn’t quite true.

Tifa wedged closer to Katara. "If you do as we say and keep yourself away as much as you can, you will be fine. Nothing smart comes from drawing attention to you."

 The waterbender cringed, so much for following their advice. It wasn’t as if she could avoid being the only Water Tribe woman in this Tui forsaken place.

 "We are usually kept away from each other because we are all war prisoners and earthbenders. But it's really easy to deceive Zhu." Hoshi whispered conspiratorially in her ear.

Asami narrowed her eyes at the Tribes’ Woman. "I heard she is to be carrying the Fire Lord's spawn." Katara blushed but Tifa pushed her friend slightly.

"Don't be silly. Why would the Fire Lord choose a Water Tribe peasant when he could have Lihua? She is the bastard daughter of General Feng but she is noble none the less." She deadpanned as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Katara kept quiet. She felt hurt somehow. As if I'm not good enough to give birth to royalty. Pfff.

Tifa nodded as Asami accessed Katara. "How badly do you want to leave this place?" There was a heavy silence that clung itself to Katara's chest. She leaned forward, interest suddenly spiked.

“It seems to me she is more interested in warming the Fire Lord’s bed.” Asami offered coldly.

Katara seethed quietly at her words but didn’t comment.

"I'm listening."

"We don’t really care much about the place. We’ve been doing what it takes to survive, but our home is in the Earth kingdom. We may or may not be looking into ways to leave the Fire Nation. Then you came along, and we thought that perhaps you'd have some plan, or at least know of some way to get closer to the exit.” Tifa waved her hand dismissively.

“We can't leave any slave behind. There aren't many of us. Most war prisoners are sent either to prison or work camps. My brother was sent there after he tried to kill the man that sold me to the royal house" Rei looked to the ground, the water pooling around the girls’ feet.

"We are all tired of this place. We just want to go back home to our families."

Katara's heart felt suddenly heavy. She wasn't sure there was anything to go back to.

"Princess Azula conquered Ba Sing Se. The last stronghold the Earth Kingdom had is under Fire Nation control." Her voice was smaller than she had intended to, but in that moment, she lost all hope. She heard the collective gasps and murmurs flying around her, the girls losing hope along with her.

"Oh no." she heard one of them exclaim but wasn't sure which one had spoken.

Kagami got up and glared at all of them. "I am not giving up. As long as we are alive the Earth Kingdom stands a chance."

The waterbender smiled. As long as she lived so would the Water Tribes.

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Katara massaged her arms in unrest. She wasn't sure what to expect of this. The woman had never been summoned outdoors. Even with General Iroh she would always be summoned to his room and then they would walk outside into the courtyard. But she guessed the Fire Lord could do whatever he pleased.

The afternoon was beautiful. The sun was shining brightly, making the atmosphere cosy and warm, but not overbearing. She could hear the birds and cicadas singing, singing in warm breeze and the butterfly-ladybugs circling the flowers scattered throughout the vast palace gardens, looking like colourful moving snowflakes. She hoped Ryu would not come along. Part of the waterbender desperately wanted to see the man but another was afraid of the repercussions of such an affair and her own lukewarm feelings towards the man.

She heard confident footsteps coming from the hallway behind her, the sound of the moist grass filling the air and mixing with the cicadas’ music. The Tribes' woman could feel the sovereign's warmth emanating from him, enveloping her whole frame. He was close. Too close for comfort, she thought, as she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. Lien had forced her to pin all her hair up and Katara was now regretting that choice oh so much. She shivered despite herself. What was happening to her?

For a long while they just stood there and the waterbender was starting to feel displaced. She felt something coarse trace the nape of her neck and her breath hitched.  The waterbender turned on her heel and looked at the man's shoes. He said nothing. Katara knew speaking without his saying so would get her admonished but she did not care. She wanted the silence to end.

"My Lord." The woman nodded her head but never raised her eyes from the ground. She felt his digits on her chin again as her head was tilted upwards. The Tribes' woman bit her lip, another shiver running through her spine. Something tingling settled at the end of it, pulsing towards her limbs. Katara swallowed hard. She knew that she should recognize the feeling. Maybe the terror when she fought firebenders in the Earth Kingdom. Maybe dread like when they raided her village in the South. Maybe…. Her mind wondered as uncertainty clang to her heart and refused to let her drop her guard.

She could feel the firebender's eyes scanning her face and blushed. Keep it together, Katara. You are acting like a foolish woman. Her eyes locked with his and she heard the man snort. He dropped his hand to his side and turned.

"Walk with me." His voice was commanding, and she would not dare disobey. Somehow, she found herself getting more wrapped up in her own webbing.

 The plan had been simple. Find a way to kill the man a leave without getting caught. But between Ryu and the girls it was getting more complicated for her to focus on the task at hand.

She and the Fire Lord weren't spending enough time together for her to even attempt to get close enough to deliver the final blow. Action needed to be taken. She needed to breach through his barrier somehow.

"It's a lovely afternoon, do you not think my Lord?" She could see his one eyebrow rise but he said nothing.

Curses. Why in La's name does he ignore me? How am I going to get his attention?

They walked around the garden for a while, Katara always a few good steps behind the young dictator. He suddenly came to a halt and turned towards her.

"I need you to deliver this letter to my uncle." Katara's eyebrow rose as he produced a parchment. She looked at his extended arm, the rolled-up piece of paper secure in his grasp.

"It is sealed, so if you try to open it the Dragon of the West will know." He warned his tone low and dangerous.

She chanced a look at his face. He was always stoic. His eyes were hard and unyielding, and his topknot was always perfectly neat at the top of his head. His royal ornament contrasted beautifully against his dark mane.

 It was the first time Katara actually let herself study the man with no bounds. He had nice features for a man of Fire. His jaw was masculine and firm, his nose was small and delicate, and his eyes were as powerful as the sun on its zenith. There was something about them that made her want to run or scream. Underneath though, Katara though she could see unending sadness. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, but his eyes flickered with grief and…loneliness, she wondered?

 His scar was out of place though and she found herself pitting the man for it. Not because he had it but because the inner healer in her had alerted her to the pain one had to feel upon such a wound being inflicted. The waterbender couldn't help herself. Healing and soothing were as much a part of her as fighting, like the ocean one moment calm and soothing the next violent and demanding.

She would never let anyone under her watch suffer, even a hated enemy. The Tribes' woman felt suddenly compelled to touch it, to caress his face in an act of sympathy, although she knew quite well, he would never accept it. Nor would she extend such kindness towards him openly.

"Your wish is my command, my Lord." Was her curt reply and the man eyed her skeptically. Nonetheless, he waved his hand to dismiss her and left the courtyard.

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Katara followed Lihua through the halls, the curves and tiles already too familiar for her taste. The Fire Lord had once again desired she accompanied the Fire Nation woman to her encounter with him, for one reason or other.

 Perhaps he was just making sure the parchment's content was not revealed to her eyes. They both walked, Lihua humming contentedly and the waterbender looking at the floor, trapped in her own musings. She had brought her book along, in case she would have to listen to the couple's intimacy once more. She had already read it through and through three times, but it was a very compelling book.

 Lihua stood before the all too familiar set of doors and, as usual, the guards opened the large wooden objects for them. The older woman almost bounced into the room, her joyous temperament permeating to the two men posted outside. They smiled openly. Katara nodded and closed the door behind her.

Her eyes found the loving couple near the drinking cabinet, her «mentor» pushed up against the man, her arms laced around him lovingly. The waterbender felt the bile rise to her throat. Not because it was a disgusting scene-it was actually endearing, seeing the Fire Lord as a man instead of a monster-but because it was very clear Lihua overplayed her affections. Not even the waterbender, when she had been in love with Jet, had displayed that much affection. Of course, her circumstance had been completely different. She wasn't sure if Lihua was doing it on purpose to keep the Lord's interest spiked or if it was just how she naturally handled relationships.

The waterbender just stood there, her back against the door as the couple exchanged pleasantries between each other. The sovereign offered the woman a drink and she took it a bit too eagerly.

Katara wondered if Fire Nation liquor was different from Earth Kingdom alcohol. She knew Water Tribe drinks were very strong to heat them in the cold. Suddenly she felt parched. It wasn't customary for her to drink alcoholic beverages, not after she had that awful experience with Sokka back when they were children. The female chuckled much to herself and when she found her surroundings again the two other people in the room were watching her intently.

 The Lord's eyes were twinkling with the light of the sconce beside him, the shadows dramatically playing with his scar. He was a very handsome man with very sharp features.

The waterbender admitted, inside of her mind, he looked as regal as his title imposed of him. His eyes held something she didn't quite grasp. Not that Katara wanted to know what was on his mind. The less she truly got involved with him the easier it would be to end him. Although Iroh would be devastated.

She bit her lip, her concentration lost. In the back of her mind, she had read a little flicker of some sort of emotion in the sovereign but she wasn't attentive enough to be sure of what it was. She heard the Fire Nation woman talking and then she was leading the Lord to the sofa, cup in hand. The man sat down and sighed heavily. Lihua frowned at Katara and made a motion for her to come closer. The tribes' woman walked next to the other one and bowed to the Fire Lord. He nodded taking a sip from his cup.

"My Lord, Katara will keep you company while I go...freshen up." She batted her lashes prettily. The man nodded and Katara panicked when Lihua stepped into his bed chamber and closed the doors. A silence stretched heavily between them, and if the ruler had his cup of rice wine to keep himself busy, the waterbender was at a loss. She eyed him in a fashion she hoped was stealthy. He didn't seem to be paying much attention to her so she sat down on the floor as gracefully as she could and opened the book. Long moments passed until she was startle d by his husky voice.

"It is rude to ignore your master." The waterbender bit back a retort and only nodded.

"I'm sorry my Lord, I was not aware you were enjoying my company." His eyes narrowed at her. It hadn't been as acid as the retort she had in mind, but it was still bold of her to make such a statement.

"What is it that you read, woman?" He once again took a sip of his beverage as he looked down at the flames in the fireplace.

"Lore, my Lord." Was her only reply. Once again silence stretched between them. She looked at the cup on his hand and when it moved, she followed it with her eyes, the ascendant movement it made, until it reached his lips. Katara blushed at her indiscretion. Once again, she was reminded of Ryu and her colouring only deepened.

If the Lord seemed to notice he didn't call her up on it.

"Read it to me." She gaped at him like a fish for a few moments, but when he moved his head in a positive incentive she nodded. The girl cleared her throat and dove into the faded characters written across the pages.

"There was once an Immortal named Chang'e who lived in the spirit world with her husband Houyi. One day, the ten sons of the Jade Emperor transformed into ten suns, causing the earth to scorch." She paused to look at the man. He was absorbed by his element, her words the only company to his lonely thoughts. Once again she felt the sudden urge to comfort him. She wanted to reproach her gentle heart, but found it would not harden for this man, who had taken so much from so many, but had also sacrificed everything to the gods. Maybe it was justice, she thought, and it sickened her. Katara pressed on.

"Having failed to order his sons to stop ruining the earth, the Jade Emperor summoned Houyi for help. The immortal, using his legendary archery skills, shot down nine of the Emperor's sons, but spared one son to be the sun, Agni himself. The Jade Emperor was obviously not pleased with Houyi's solution to save earth. As punishment, the Jade Emperor banished Houyi and Chang'e to live as mere mortals."

The Fire Lord scooted to the edge of the sofa, leaning above her, his shadow making it difficult for her to read, expectant. She looked up at him and gave him a soft smile.

"Seeing that Chang'e felt extremely miserable over her loss of immortality, Houyi decided to journey on a long perilous quest to find the pill of immortality, so that they could once more be eternal. At the end of his quest, he met the Queen Mother of the West who agreed to give him the pill, but warned him that each person would only need half the pill to become immortal. Houyi brought the pill home and stored it in a case. He warned Chang'e not to open the case and then left."

The inner doors of the Fire Lord's chambers swung open and Lihua- clothed in a very revealing robe which showed the top of her breasts and her whole left leg- erupted from his chambers, a smirk gracing her lips. Her hair was loose, and she looked very relaxed and at ease.

"I'm ready, my Lord." She purred and Katara cringed.

The man sighed and stood up, looking directly at Katara. He seemed reluctant to end their time there.

"You may return to your chambers. We will continue this tomorrow." She nodded as Lihua led the man into the room. The female briefly looked over her shoulder and winked at Katara, who simply shook her head in mild amusement at the other's antics.

She got up and left the room, satisfied that she wouldn't have to sit through another intimate session. The guards nodded at her and she made the walk back to the Harem quarters. The tribes' woman didn't count on getting lost. She had made the journey to the Fire Lord's room plenty of times, but this place was a maze. She was starting to lose hope when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Need help?" Her stomach plummeted when she heard his voice. He was smiling at her, his eyes sparkling wit mischievousness.

"We shouldn't be seen together." She whispered as her arms wrapped protectively around her.

"I'm just going to escort you to your rooms." He started walking. Katara followed suit.

"How much did I stray?"

"A bit, but you would've found your way eventually." He chuckled and the woman frowned.

"I should… pin you against the wall." She whispered furiously, choosing her words carefully so they wouldn’t give her waterbending away.

"You should." He nodded in agreement, picking something from her words she didn’t quite get, as he kept walking.

When they stood before the doors that led into the female quarters, Katara hurried herself in grabbing the door handle. The guards were away in what she believed was a shift change but being seen with Ruy was too dangerous.

He grabbed her arm and touched her face, a soft smile gracing his lips. He leaned in further, and softly placed them upon her cheek. Katara froze, not sure how to take this, looking away at the window where the soft glow of the moon permeated into the room from, and leaned away after the shock wore off.

"Sorry...I just couldn't resist." He turned to leave.

"I hope you have sweet dreams, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe." And with that he left through the halls they had moments ago walked together.

She smiled despite herself.

Chapter Text

The night had been one of her best nights in the Fire Nation. For the first time her sleep had come to her effortlessly and she had passed out as soon as she had lain down. Her dreams had not been haunted by failure, family, Jet or her part in letting Ba Sing Se fall. Instead, they had been pleasantly filled with midnight pond rendezvous, sweet kisses and-the only thing Katara couldn't quite rationalize- smouldering gold eyes.

All of it left her quite giddy, and when her eyes opened to meet the daylight, she had simply turned on her side, sighed contentedly and smiled at the empty space before her. The waterbender was quite sure her mother's pendent, stashed carefully underneath her pillow, was what was keeping the nightmares at bay, like a protective charm.

Xue sat on the bed across from her and raised a neatly trimmed brow.

"You are pretty happy today." Katara sat up but didn't respond to the other girl. Instead, she only stretched and yawned, searching for some garments. She shivered the moment her feet touched the ground. It was unpleasant to walk with her bare feet, especially when the ground was cold. It was completely different from the skin boots she always wore back at home.

"Hey, Xue, can you pass me that top please?" The Fire Nation native looked at the crimson fabric next to her and nodded.

"I thought you didn't enjoy clothing this revealing?"

The waterbender just shrugged. "It's better than being naked." The other female only giggled.

"That's the spirit!" Xue hugged her and Katara patted the girl's back.

The dining room was bustling with activity. Various women walked back and fro with bowls and chatting, the cacophony filling the room. Katara squirmed uncomfortably under some of the gazes and her partner noticed.

"Some of the girls still believe you are to conceive the Fire Lord's child." The waterbender frowned. Let them think what they want. I don't care.

They both sat down to eat, both trapped in their own thoughts and neither felt the presence that settled beside them.

"I'm gravely disappointed in you, Water Tribe." Lien looked angry. Katara had never seen any expression except elation on the woman's features.

"I told you to meet me up yesterday afternoon!" Her voice was squeaky, as if she were running out of breath. Suddenly the Tribes' woman remembered she had promised Lien she would meet her at the fountain for some lessons.

"I'm really sorry. But I was summoned to the gardens by the Fire Lord and...”

"Wait." The older woman cut her halfway through her apology. "The Fire Lord himself, summoned you, in the middle of the afternoon, alone, to meet him at the royal gardens?" Both Lien and Xue gave Katara a funny look. She didn't see it as a special thing. Well, the letter thing was weird, she conceded.

"Lihua better not know about that." The Fire Nation woman whispered so that only the other two could hear and then sighed. "It's more than enough that you are rumoured to be the mother of his future child."

The waterbender titled her head and crossed her arms over her chest. It would be best if she didn't argue with the older female. They ate in silence, and the Tribes' woman had the impression the other two were feeling a bit uncomfortable in her presence.

Lien stood up and looked down at both girls. "I hope you do not fail in meeting up with me today."

"I will spend the rest of the morning with General Iroh though."

"Be sure that when you finish up with the man that you meet up with me at the fountain." Lien sighed. "We have much to discuss." Katara nodded. It would be best if she did not go against a person who had been good to her.

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She produced the letter from her top. It had been snugly placed between her breasts. Iroh had asked her to hide the parchment the best she could and, seeing as she was just barely clothed, this was the best she had come up with.

The paper was warm to the touch and the Fire Lord's lonely brow had shot upwards as her hand reached inside her cleavage and the Water Tribe peasant presented his uncle's response to his earlier writing. He had unwillingly-and very begrudgingly, Zuko had to reiterate to himself he still had no sexual interest in the girl- stared at her clothed chest as her hand pried the parchment away from her flesh.

She cleared her throat in embarrassment, his eyes lingering a bit longer than they should. The Fire Lord looked up at her face, her eyes downcast and her cheeks a delightful shade of pink. He took the proffered rolled up paper, his fingers brushing hers and he could plainly see the shiver that went down her spine.

This woman was very peculiar indeed. He broke the seal and rolled down the parchment, reading through the neatly drawn kanji, his eyes occasionally darting over to the girl.

She took a step back, standing just close enough to the desk, completely still, her eyes on him. It irked the young ruler to no end that she felt familiar enough to look at him as if she were expecting a response from him.

His office was foreign to her, and the Tribes' woman got the distinct feeling not many women are allowed here. She wondered of the late Fire Lady came here often, if she had her hands as dirtied with blood as her husband.

He sat on his desk informally, never looking her over, never acknowledging the girl standing near the desk. Katara shifted from foot to foot, her legs already feeling tired from the immobility. She eyed the man as he dipped the brush in the ink and started scribbling on the parchment.

The waterbender tried to read the movement of his hand but only got pieces and fragments. "Wall",” Be Careful" and "traitor" were the only things Katara could get. The man suddenly stopped writing and looked up at her and she felt as if she had been caught.

The waterbender jumped and shivered, like when she was a little girl and Gran-Gran would find her stealing penguin-seal jerky. The sovereign's eyes squinted, ugly expression wrinkles settling between them, making his scar look a lot more pronounced than what it actually was.

The silence was complete. Katara didn't know what to do about the situation. She was divided between speaking to the man and asking him to dismiss her and just staying where she stood, rooted to the floor. She then remembered her plan. It had been the last thing on her mind lately. She could still get close to the Fire Lord without bringing Ryu and the Earth Kingdom girls into danger, couldn't she?

"It's a lovely morning, my Lord." She kept her voice small and contained. He grunted and, appearing appeased, continued writing.

"I'm sure Lord Sheng will absolutely love your lack of deference towards your superiors." His tone was aloof and Katara boiled on the inside. The waterbender mentally counted to ten and tried again. Perhaps wit would shut him up.

"I'm sure he will. My disrespect doesn't seem to bother you, my Lord." The young ruler frowned and once again looked up at her.

"You mistake derision for amusement, peasant. You were a gift from my uncle. And I know him all too well to know he will be highly disappointed if I discipline you." Katara took a step forward, openly challenging the Fire Lord. She did not betray her true fear. This man was known to be ruthless. The Firebender smirked at her boldness. There were few people who were intrepid enough to defy him so openly, among them the famed Dragon of the West, Azula and Mai.

Mai. An aura of melancholy pervaded the space and Katara was flabbergasted at this change in mood. She was expecting him to burst from the chair and strangle her or burn her to a cinder. Or even to call in the guards and have her punished for her temper. But what she did not expect was for the man to reminisce about something and close himself inside a thick, impenetrable shell, as if she had the power to hurt him. The healer in her took over and Katara reached behind the desk for him before she barely noticed it. Her hand on his shoulder she spoke.

"My Lord? Is everything all right?" She cringed internally, as the rational part of herself chastened her tone, that worried tone she had used whenever Jet had gotten injured.

The young man looked up at her, his eyes pained, and he blinked before suddenly, in a quick flash, he reverted back to the detached ruler he had to be. His brows furrowed in a deep-set frown and grumbled an "I'm fine" under his breath.

Katara sighed. This man was frustrating. Every time she thought a step was given forward, she would, in all actuality, give two steps back. The man finished his writing and rolled up the parchment. Using a red candle, he sealed the parchment with his brand and, outstretching his hand, he produced the document for her to take.

"You know who this is for, girl. Make sure no one knows you are carrying it."

She nodded and took the piece of paper from his hand, placing it gently between her breasts once again.

The man watched as the paper he had just written on disappeared between her mounds. She was infuriating him. When the Water Tribe woman had first been presented to him, Zuko felt nothing but contempt and disgust. He was her superior, and there was no way he would taint himself with her dirtiness. But even though he still clang hard to those beliefs, the girl had somehow made herself a bit more acceptable. Maybe too acceptable. He found her company somewhat fulfilling and when she was present, he was less lonely. The firebender frowned inwardly. He hadn't noticed he felt that desperate, that isolated.

After Mai had died, he had become reclusive, often drinking and burying himself in his work. That was until his uncle had beaten some sense into him. His country was in need of an heir, especially now that they had finally conquered the Earth Kingdom. A child would consolidate his rule and the conquered strongholds would have no choice but to bow down to his house, his blood, his will. He was sure they would bring down the Northern Water Tribe eventually. All this, and the fact that he had once more become sexually active, had kept his mind busy, away from the true state of his being.

Lihua was great company. She was cheerful and sweet and made him forget about the castrating life that he had been thrown into after his father, Ozai, had died. And she was pretty good when it came to intimacy too.

Xia was beautiful and very skilful when it came to pleasuring him. She was quieter than Lihua and thus she wasn't summoned as much.

Shuchun was sweet and he always felt elated when he summoned her. But once again, she lacked personality.

Niu was probably the best one when it came to what was expected of the future mother of the Fire Lord's heir, but she was too ambitious and Zuko knew that. She was the daughter of a noble and even though she had been offered as a concubine to Fire Lord Ozai when Zuko had only been thirteen she knew exactly how to press his buttons to get what she wanted. And so, he would avoid her as much as he could outside their intimate affairs.

He knew one of these women could provide him with the child that he needed, but none of them were companions. None of them were Mai.

This Water Tribe peasant, Katara, had brought all the misery he had felt when his wife had died back up. She had made him want his companion back. To talk to her, to ask for guidance when he was lost, to receive care and love and kindness when he needed most, not because he was Fire Lord but because he was loved by her.

When she had started telling her stories he knew he missed having a friend, having someone to talk to. His uncle was great but there were certain things Zuko would never disclose.

And so, this woman's stories were now his company. And that irked him. It irked him he wanted her company even though he shouldn’t, didn’t, care about her. It irked him that he had found use for her when, in the beginning, all he wanted was to get rid of her. Mind you him, he still didn't like her at all. She was too arrogant despite her lowly position, she thought she could defy him, and he was sure she was never going to stop fighting his every step. But he didn't want her for her beauty or personality. He wanted her for the simple, warm companionship she offered.

"You are dismissed." His voice was cold, but she didn't care. She bowed low and walked out.

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Lien waited by the fountain, her foot, impatiently tapping against the marble of the floor.

Katara cringed at the look on the other woman's face. She was impatient and probably annoyed Katara had taken so long to meet up with her.

"How long have you been here for?" The waterbender asked, cringing internally when the woman's angry eyes settled on her.

"I've been here for almost three hours. Does old man Iroh take that long to finish?" Lien asked naturally, as if this type of conversation was the bread of each day. The Tribes' woman blushed.

"I was with the Fire Lord." The Fire Nation woman's eyes widened and then she nodded knowingly.

 "He sometimes takes a while to dismiss his concubines. Lihua has spent full nights with him before."

"It's not like that. At all." Katara sat on the fountain's edge and fingered the small waves created by the falling cascade.

"Hmph." Lien muttered. "That's what you think. Men only want one thing from women like us. If he wanted you for other things he would marry you. Now..."She looked at the waterbender and grinned.

"We are going to start your lesson by teaching you how to please a patron on your first visit. Stand up." Katara did as she was told. Her hand was on her hip and she looked pointedly towards Lien.

"See? That's what you do wrong. Not even a wife presents herself to her husband like that. No wondered you are still unmarried."

"What?" The water maiden seethed. How dare she? I will be a lovely wife one day.

"I know women of the Poles marry early. That's one of the reasons we think of you as barbarians. Forcing children into wedlock."

"We are not barbarians!" her voice was rough and dangerous. It was a well-known fact the waterbender hated to hear such things about her home. "We do not force children to marry. The girls have to be sixteen to be betrothed. "

Lien raised her shoulders and then dropped them.

"You need to look demure. Press your legs together, look down to the floor and lace your fingers together. That's it." Lien smiled and circled Katara adjusting her posture.

"Only answer with yes and no. Pretend to be shy and inexperienced. Men like that here." The waterbender raised her brow.

"None of the women here are shy and demure. Most of them would slit each other's throats to be with the Fire Lord."

"I will explain that to you later. We have statuses here. Concubines are not all in the same playing level."

The girl nodded. She didn't expect to use any of this. There was no point in disguising who she was.

Lien frowned. "Fine then. What do you know about kissing?" The waterbender blushed.

"I kissed a couple of men before."

"Hm... with your tongue?" She tinted even more but nodded, nonetheless.

"Ok...Sit down." She once again did as she was told. She was getting good at obeying orders.

"Now then, touch my hand."

"What? Why?"

"I want to see how engaging you are." Lien grabbed Katara's hand and petted her, smoothing her thumb across the waterbender's skin. She felt a shiver run up her spine.

"See? This works miracles. A simple touch can make you seem more attractive than all the kohl and red lip paint in the world. Go on, now it’s your turn."

The tribes' woman reached for the other's hand and mimicked her movements. Katara traced familiar patterns on the back of the woman's hand. Water Tribe patterns and symbols. Things she was all too familiar with.

"Good. Never underestimate the potency of a well-placed touch. To connect with your patron, you must always make physical contact. Touch my leg, grab my knee. Go on." The waterbender once again did as Lien ordered. "Good. When you do this always smile and look away. It will look like you are hesitant to give yourself away and it will make your patron work hard for your compliance." The tribes' woman nodded in understanding.

"Just little gestures, small smiles and the sort are very helpful. Never be flamboyant. Always calm and serene like the waters in the pond. I won't take more of your time today. But I will make you learn other things...more important things. This should help you to start with."

The waterbender sighed. Jet had liked her open approach to life.

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Lihua was always the type of sorts to fling herself at the object of her affection no matter who was present. Katara was quite bored with the outcome of things. She had sat for over an hour by the fireplace watching as her partner grabbed the Lord's attention in every way she could.

Not that she blamed Lihua for this. It was just who she was. And it was clear to Katara that she held the man very dearly to her heart. The Fire Nation woman was now just a bit tipsy, having been drinking plum liquor all the while they were there. It was quite comical how she sat on the quiet man's lap and laced her arms around him, fidgeting from side to side, laughing at nothing at all and telling him how handsome he was.

She was paid with small smiles, real smiles that erupted from the sovereign's lips like rain in the desert. His eyes filled up with something Katara couldn't quite place every time Lihua kissed him. He was a perfect gentleman though. With the state the woman was in he could have delved into more devious roads, but he just looked like a shy teenager the first time a girl was paying attention to him. The waterbender would even swear she had seen him blush.

 Sometimes he whispered something in the raven-haired woman's ear and she would giggle. Other times she would trace his chest with her palm, and he would shiver. Katara couldn’t help the smile that graced her features at this unexpected side of the man. It was almost endearing to her. Almost.

The temperature in the room was rising and Katara knew full well where things were heading. Lihua stood up, and as usual went to freshen up- which Katara felt was lingo for getting completely naked and washing herself for the activities- and left the two other people alone in the common room of the Fire Lord's quarters.

The man looked at her and raised his single brow, his stone countenance back on his face.

"No book tonight?"

"I was under the impression you wanted me here to learn, not read." He frowned. This woman had a sharp tongue.

"I suggest you do not address Lord Sheng this casually. He is not as benevolent as I am." His tone was cordial, as if it were a necessary evil to tell her of the man's temper.

"I'm sure Lord Sheng will appreciate me whether my tongue is sharp or not. It is not my wit he seeks company of."

The sovereign figured that his own father would deal with the woman much more harshly, as Ozai had never been a benevolent man. His ruthlessness would always be on full display on Zuko’s own face. But he was not Ozai, a fact his father had loathed. That  fact and the fact that his uncle would see her tomorrow-probably use her- would warrant Zuko with a seriously big tongue lashing if he used any physical means of punishing her. It didn't matter that he was Fire Lord. In private, uncle Iroh would always be uncle Iroh.

"Tell me the rest of you story." He prompted after a extended silence.

Katara nodded.

"Where did we left off..."She trailed into her memory.

"The archer had just told his wife not to touch the box." He said impatiently.

"Oh! Right. Chang'e became too curious after Houyi left and opened the box. She found the pill just as her husband was returning home. Nervous that Houyi would catch her discovering the contents of the case, she accidentally swallowed the entire pill. She started to float into the sky because of the overdose. Although Houyi wanted to shoot her down in order to prevent her from floating further, he could not bear to aim the arrow at his most beloved. Chang'e kept on floating until she landed on the moon. She became extremely lonely without her husband as they never saw each other again. But their love lived on still." Katara smiled to herself. She liked this tale. Remembering what Lien had told her she placed her hand on his knee and adverted her gaze. She felt the Fire Lord jump slightly and after a large stretch of time he swatted her hand away from him.

"I have given you no such liberties." His tone was soft ad quiet, which took her by surprise. She nonetheless bit her lip in fear of the repercussion of her action.

The man got up and walked to the fireplace standing beside it.

"Is that how the story really ends?" She nodded but offered a quiet "yes" when she remembered her wasn't looking at her. His voice was tainted with longing.

"I have met the moon, once." Katara offered to break the heaviness that had permeated the room.

The sovereign looked at her, gold eyes piercing and then she remembered her dream. Katara blushed and looked away.

"She used to be the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe, Princess Yue. I've met her when I was there...studying. My brother fell in love with her." Katara got up and looked at the man.

"She was born sick and was touched by the moon spirit. That was what we were told at least. When the Fire Nation laid siege on the Northern Water Tribe some years ago, somehow Yue ended up giving her strength to the moon spirit."

"Does your brother think about her when he looks up at the moon? Does it keep the grief at bay?” Fire Lord Zuko knew all too well the pain of losing a loved one.

"I don't know. I haven't seen my brother since that time. I don’t even know where he is. Or if he is alive." The man looked at her and frowned.

"The Fire Nation kills not unless provoked."

"The Fire Nation kills at will. You know no boundaries and you care about only yourselves." His hand met her face with brute force. She fell against the sofa, gripping her cheek as the pain pulsated inside her. Her glare was murderous but his matched to boot.

"Do not think the war only takes from your side. It is a double-edged sword. A vicious dog which bites only after it has been fed. There have been losses on both parts. The Fire Nation is granting you, barbarians, the opportunity to become as great as we are, to share our wealth and knowledge. To be bigger than what you once were!" His voice was booming through the room, so much so Lihua and the guards shot into the space to see if their Lord needed any help.

"Guards, take this woman to the dungeons. She will spend some hours there. Perhaps the cold air and darkness will clear her mind." She felt his words cutting through like silver. And as she was dragged by the guards, she didn't tear her eyes off of him. They were on the same battlefield and it was just a matter of who could withstand the battle the longest.

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The cell was cold and dry and dark. She had never spent time in a place like this. It stank of rotting flesh and illness. She could hear moans and whimpers from the prisoners, most perhaps, having lost their minds after years of confinement. She would not cry. She would not waver. She would take this punishment as any member of the Water Tribes would. And when she got out, she would plot the man's downfall. Because the Fire Nation wasn't sharing greatness. It was stealing it away from everyone else.

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The darkness had become steeper. Somehow, he had gotten lost. The path had not been as clear as he had thought it would. It was dark, humid and scary but he had to keep on going. For he could not stay where he was but going back was not a solution. So, he kept on threading. His feet burying into the ground with each step. He felt the wind surround him for the first time in years. He had felt none of the elements since the beginning. He knew he was getting closer.

Chapter Text

Zuko read for the first time in years. He hadn't bothered to pick up a story book since his mother had mysteriously vanished after his grandfather's death. Tonight, however, after the Water Tribe woman was sent to the tower, he felt rather lonesome, even in Lihua’s ever affectionate presence. He had sought the companionship of one of his mother’s favourite book’s, vague memories of his childhood flooding every word.

 He had blamed all these feelings on his tiredness. The Fire Lord felt tired beyond his years, a fatigue that crushed his bones. He could still see her cold stare, the hate and the anger boiling within those blue orbs of hers. The Tribes woman's voice laced every word and Zuko groaned inwardly.

Lihua's naked body was nestled beside him. Her dark hair sprawled over her face and shoulders, her breathing steady and deep. She slept peacefully, her head against his side and her body still radiating heat from the night's activities. The young man feared he had been too rough a lover tonight, but his anger needed to be vent. The love of his life was dead and with her their child, his mother was gone, Azula was in the Earth Kingdom and even though he had company very night he felt he had no one except his uncle.

And then there was the Tribe's woman. She had lost those she loved as well. She was as lonely as he. Perhaps his uncle was right. Perhaps they were more alike than what Zuko would've liked to believe.

The Fire Lord's eyes run over the words once more, his thoughts diverting him from the book. His mother had once loved reading "Love Amongst the Dragons". When he was a child, she used to take them to see the play every year on Ember Island. He wished she were here to tell him what to do. He wished she had been there when he was banished and once again when he regained his honour. He wished she had been there when he fell in love and when he had asked Mai to marry him. He wished she had been present at his wedding and the most joyous moment of his life, when his wife told him they were welcoming a babe into this world. He wished she had been there when Mai, the love of his life, passed away trying to birth their stillborn child. He wished she were here now, as he faced the duelling feelings inside him. He was the Fire Lord. He was supposed to bring greatness to the Fire Nation and dispose of all those who defied him. But he found comfort in those blue eyes. And he wasn't sure if he should harbour the feeling or if he should simply kill it off.

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Katara had been asleep when the doors to her darkened cell had open. Two robust looking soldiers came forth and grabbed her by her upper arms, their gloved fingers biting into her skin painfully. She tried to pry her arms away from them, but it only caused their grip to tighten. Would she be punished further? Had the Fire Lord decided she should be taught a lesson?

The men dragged her out of the cell and through the damp halls, the echoes of the prisoners dancing in the air around them, the odour still as sickening as it had been when she was hauled to the tower.

The Tribe's woman moved speedily, as the two soldiers pushed her along, trying to keep up the pace. She was tired and hungry and weary but Katara had never been one to give up.

They pushed her into a dark room. The walls were lined with wood and there was a bench and a bucket in the middle of the empty space. Two female soldiers rounded her, and as roughly as they deemed worthy of such a lowly person, they stripped her and dragged her to the bench. One of the women, much taller than the waterbender, pushed her into a sitting position on the bench as the other retrieved the bucket. She shrieked when the icy water met her skin, pushing her thighs together and placing her arms around her torso to keep herself warm. The two soldiers snorted in amusement and threw a bar of soap against her chest. Her mind was still reeling, and she barely caught it.

"Clean yourself you filthy savage!" She heard one bark and gave them a glare. Katara kept her head high as she did what she was told. Once she was finished another onslaught of freezing water was poured over her head. The women pulled her up and dried her off with a towel. She was escorted, completely naked, through another set of corridors, their pace hurried but much slower than that of the male soldiers. The two females did not touch her, and Katara walked with her hands and arms covering as much as they could to keep some of her dignity.

How could I ever forget they are the enemy?

Madame Zhu was waiting for her at the end of the corridor, a small frown upon her features. Her entire demeanour was completely composed though. The waterbender looked at the floor in front of her, unable to look the woman in the eyes. Zhu nodded at the soldiers and she heard their steps retreating farther away.

The matron looked at her disapprovingly.

"What were you thinking, defying the Fire Lord like that? You are lucky he kept you alive!"

The Tribe's woman kept quiet, biting her tongue not to lash out. He was the one that deserved to be in that cell. He was a criminal and she would not let him be without payment.

Two girls about her age moved around her and placed a sari around her body, covering her for the first time since her bath. Katara thanked them silently but the other females pretended not to notice.

"I don't even know what to do with you anymore. It is unlikely the Fire Lord will summon you again and if Lord Sheng finds out about this..."She trailed off, anger settling onto her face. "What use does a concubine have, if no man wants to use her?"

"I'm not an object one can just use!" Katara cut, her throat dry.

The old matron just frowned but said nothing. They walked in silence, back to the female quarters. Katara had never felt quite welcomed there, but now, with all the stares and not so discrete whispers between the other inhabitants of the space, it felt as if she were an outcast. Up until that point, the fact that she was, at least, somewhat attractive had kept her in somewhat good standings with the other females here. Now, after what had happened, she could see very amused faces, surely content she was no longer going to be the mother of the Nation's heir. Others were appalled, not believing someone would disrespect the Fire Lord and live.

She walked to the room after an hour of listening to Zhu screaming at her. What would happen to her if she wasn't able to leave this place?

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It was not as if he was unaware of palace happenings. Iroh had always been above average when it came to intelligence and he had long learnt that these halls had eyes and ears sharper than any man would ever have. Eyes and ears, he thought, that proved to be very useful to him. He had immediately known about the evening's events. Zuko had always been hot headed and his actions did not surprise the Dragon of the West. But the man also knew of the Fire Lord's kind nature, a side that would never severely punish a woman. So Katara sat in front of him, very still and very quiet, the wind dancing in her hair. She held a teacup in her hands, near her lips, but her gaze was distant, pensive.

Iroh had found amazing value in this woman, one he hoped Zuko would not shy from.

The parchment lay on the middle of the table, rolled up and ready for her to conceal it. But the young woman did not reach for it.

For a long while they just sat there quietly, sipping their tea, the silence much better companion than the person sitting on the other side of the low stone table.

When the tea had gone cold, the girl refused Iroh's offer to reheat it. Instead, she stood and nodded.

"The only reason I'm doing this again, is out of respect for you, General Iroh."

The man liked her honesty. Perhaps one day Zuko would love it too.

"All I ask of you is patience. The Fire Lord is not as bad as he seems at first."

Her demeanour changed. Katara's body stiffened, her jaw locked, and her faraway look coloured with anger.

"I do not wish to get to know him." She grabbed the parchment. "But I will do as you instructed!"

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His uncle had told him during breakfast that he would send someone with his response. What Zuko hadn't expected was for the crazy old man to send the Water Tribe woman after the night’s events. He knew the Dragon of the West was aware of the disrespect he had been victim of. So why in the spirits' name had he sent her of all people?

The girl bowed deeply, a curtsy far more graceful than it had been when she had arrived at the harem.

The Fire Lord frowned at her, but nodded, nonetheless.

Katara looked at him straight in the eye but he did not see anger or hate. Her eyes held amusement and a flick of mischievousness he found rather uncomfortable.

She stepped closer to his desk and like other times she produced the parchment from her cleavage. He watched, interest peeked as she moved her hand between her mounds and extended it to him. He grabbed his uncle's response and felt the warmness of her body. She smiled slightly at him and he couldn't help but stare.

Of course, Zuko had never been one to just let grudges go.

"I hope you learnt your lesson!" It was more of a warning than an actual desire. He expected her to lash out at him, to fight him like she always had but the Water Tribe woman only smiled openly.

"I have my Lord. I had a lot of free time to think tonight. I realised all I want to do is serve you the best I can." Katara rounded his desk. "I have no experience my Lord, and even though I know a concubine's place is serving her master, I feel I will be rather displeasing for Lord Sheng. I wish to learn, my Lord. Learn how to serve you better." The waterbender tried to keep the malice from her words as best as she could. She had been truthful when she told him she had had time to think in her cell. She had thought of a plan to escape and end the war. A plan far better than to jam a knife in his chest. Of course, she would have to make a few sacrifices if it was to work. She needed to avenge her mother, her father, her brother and Jet. She was still going to kill the Fire Lord, she would just do it painlessly and when he was least expecting. She wasn't stupid. Killing the Fire Lord like she had previously planned, when her head was still hot, would only place his sister on the throne. She needed to end his line.

So, she would play her cards right. And Lien was going to help her.

The young firebender stared at her. He wasn't sure where she was getting at.

"Am I allowed to tell you a story tonight?"

It took him all of five minutes to register what she had asked. He frowned.

"Who told you I still want your presence in my room?" He shot up and she was right there, standing in front of him, her petite frame something he wasn't really used to. Fire Nation women were taller. They were also lankier. The woman from the Tribes, however, was curvy and quite pleasing to the eye. That's what his court men had been saying since the party. He had no wish of bedding her. She was from the tribes. His father had once cursed him with dishonour. Taking a woman like her into his bed would only soil it more. Would his father bed her?

He probably would, Zuko thought. Ozai had a liking for pretty girls and this peasant in front of him was pretty. And Ozai would love to break down a woman from the treacherous Water Tribes. Perhaps, Zuko thought, he should indeed use her. Make her want him, use her as a symbol for the tribes to see he could be merciful, that even one of their own desired him, welcomed him as her master.

Would his father approve? Would this be what a true Fire Lord would do? Was this why uncle had brought this woman here?

"You may come with Lihua tonight."

.

0

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The snow had covered the entire land. It had fallen for over a week and the poles were now white once more. The resources were scarce and the few men that had been left behind to keep the women safe were now on their hunting trips. One week without sustenance was far too much for the women that had given birth recently, or the toddlers that needed the fat to survive the harsh weather of the poles. The Southern Water Tribe was on the verge of extinction, much like the air nomads had been a hundred years ago. The constant Fire Nation raids had brought their numbers down significantly and drove the game away, and so the men needed to go deeper and deeper into the icy tundra to bring some food back home. Everyone else's survival depended on it.

The young tribes' man was tall and well built. Years of hunting and fighting off the invasions had made him a very muscular man. His upper body was protected by a thick parka, his tiger-seal skin boots making it easier to walk on the snow. He was tired but he could not give up. It had been days since he lost his group, and the strong wind that graced the pole had almost erased his companions' tracks. He had to keep on moving. If he stopped, he would either die of hypothermia or he would be hunted down by some famished animal. His steps were now wider. He was far too tired to walk as fast and as steadily as he had before. He could feel his nose freeze and with a gloved hand he closed his hood further to protect his face. He kept on moving forward, following what was left of the footprints. The likeliness of them belonging to a group other than his were scarce, for the number of small tribes living within the south had were reduced to none.

His vision was beginning to blurry when he tripped on something. He yelled into his hood; the sound muffled by the fur. He was sure his foot was broken. He looked down to see a block of ice. Its shape was very unusual, and something seemed to be frozen inside. Languidly, he raised his hand to wipe the block of ice to have a better look.

As soon as his blade cut through the frozen water his awareness was no more.

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0

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Katara traced her index finger around the Fire Lord's fireplace. The marble was beautiful and she was lost in thought.

Lihua was running late and the waterbender was left waiting as the young ruler served himself a cup of Litchi Liquor.

He took a sip from the crystal cup and walked to his sofa. He sat down and kept drinking unhurriedly, paying no attention to her. She walked to the large table near the bookcase and saw a book.

"Love Amongst the Dragons?" She inquired. The blue-eyed maiden had never heard of such book.

"It was my mother's favourite." He answered absent mindedly.

Katara nodded. "My mother used to tell me old folk stories. We don't exactly have books back at the Southern Water Tribe."

The man turned to look at her, placing the cup on the table next to him.

"They were usually Water Tribe tales but sometimes I got to hear Earth Kingdom lore..."There was a brief pause. "Even Fire Nation lore." The girl walked to him. "I used to love listening to her. Her voice comforted me. She smelled like spring." Katara smiled. "I miss her."

He looked at the fire. His voice was purposely rough.

"What happened to her?"

"The Fire Nation took her from me." Her voice was quiet. Her fingers reached for her necklace but traced only flesh. The waterbender was trying not to break. Not in front of him.

"I'm sorry." There was silence for the longest time. "That's something we have in common." Her eyes widened. She hadn't known his mother had died. Suddenly she felt very sorry for him. The tribes' woman knew all too well the pain of losing a mother.

She kneeled in front of him and thumbed his hand. Zuko looked at their hands together. It somehow made him feel comforted, less lonely. He missed the small caresses his wife used to offer him.

Her blue orbs met his. "I can read it to you if you wish, my Lord." Her tone was low, subtle.

He drew closer to her. She leaned forward her hand resting on his knee.

"I do not wish you to mother me." His voice cut through her. But she was no longer the same woman she had been months earlier when she had arrived. She knew now, more than ever that for her plan to work she would first have to work him.

"Perhaps then you'd have more use for me as a lover?" She purred, slightly licking her lips.

Zuko grasped her chin forcefully. Katara could not pretend he wasn't hurting her. She flinched.

"I would not dare defile myself with your dirtiness." His eyes pinned her in place with the fury within them. A pregnant silence stretched out between them, their eyes searching the other for something, some sign of repulsion, dread, doubt. There was none.

"Although I do believe Lord Sheng would be gravely disappointed if I sent him a woman who cannot please him." The Fire Lord pushed her up, his hand falling to her neck. They kept looking each other in the eye. Katara's heart was racing and she felt like the something was swirling in her stomach. She wanted to run, she wanted to go back to Jet, and she wanted to wrap herself in his arms. But she could not. She needed the Fire Lord to start bedding her. She needed him to want her. Her plan depended on it.

The waterbender broke the stare first, her eyelids fluttering shut while she leaned forward to kiss the man.

Zuko's grip on her neck tightened, but not enough to hurt her. He felt like he could do it. Gain the Tribes through wit instead of violence.

He would show the tribes he could control them; he could own them. He wasn't Ozai. He was no fool. It would be far easier to get the tribes to surrender if they saw he was a good leader, if one of their own, pained by life, one who had fought against the Fire Nation, had accepted him as her true leader, her true master. If he needed to sacrifice his body for it then so be it. It couldn't be worse than receiving his scar. He was doing what the Fire Nation needed. It didn’t hurt that the woman was, when one let go of all prejudice, truly attractive.

Their noses touched and Katara could feel the Fire Lord's breath on her face. It smelled like alcohol. She twitched her nose at the odour but did not back away. She could feel her heart throbbing in her ear. Her lips ghosted his and an electric charge jolted up her spine. Suddenly she wasn't as weary, wasn't as stiff and the waterbender felt his lips pressing fully against hers. His hand fisted her topknot and Katara tilted her head back slightly, a small gasp escaping her lips. She licked his lower lip and the man groaned. She could feel the heat rising in the room as well as her cheeks. Her hands clenched around his knees and he slightly arched himself from the sofa to press his lips wholly against hers.

She tentatively bit his lower lip. It had worked when Jet and she had made out. He would always go wild at that. But the Fire Lord proved to be far more controlled than Jet had been. He pushed away slightly, cupping her face, only to bring his mouth to cover hers again. The woman slightly parted her lips and in an instant his tongue was inside her mouth, massaging hers. Her body leaned further onto his, and by this point she was almost sitting on his lap. The room was spinning, and the air was stifling and Katara found she couldn't breathe. The waterbender broke the kiss, a very audible gasp leaving her lips due to her out of breathiness. Her eyes were half lidded her mouth tasted of Litchi Liquor and there was a buzz in her ears. The man looked at her surprised, something clouding over his eyes, before he composed himself and frowned. The tribes' woman smoothed her skirt, her cheeks heavily tinted and her body slightly shaking. She opened her mouth to speak when the door drew open.

"My Lord, I am ready." Lihua said with a smile.

It was all Katara needed to excuse herself and leave the room.

She had run through the halls aimlessly. Her head was spinning. This was what she wanted. This was part of her plan. Why did it feel so wrong?

As soon as she stopped, she threw up in a nearby vase emptying the contents of her stomach. Her breathing was heavy and painful, and she once again emptied her stomach into the vase. She leaned against the wall, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.

"Katara, are you ok?"

Ryu's voice was beautiful in her ears. She jumped into his embrace, holding him tightly.

"Oh, Ryu!" She started bawling and the man did not know what to do. "Ryu please, take me away from here."

He took her to the servants' quarters and after she freshened up for a while in the bathroom Katara returned to his side. She kissed him passionately and the servant boy was only too happy to meet her enthusiasm.

"Do you think I'm a good person?"

"You are one of the best people I've ever met" He reassured her, smiling brightly.

She held tightly to him, wondering why kissing Ryu ignited nothing within her, when the most vile of men had made her chest burst alight in flames in a way she had never experienced.

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0

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Zuko had given Lihua what she wanted. He had made love to her to the best of his ability. But his mind kept racing towards the Water Tribe woman and for the first time he wished he wasn't there with Lihua. He lay now, looking at the ceiling and the recollection of that kiss kept replaying in his mind. Perhaps using the southerner as he had planned wasn't going to be so bad after all.

Chapter Text

The snow fell relentlessly. She danced under the blizzard, the white expanse soft beneath her feet.

Her brother was up with the men, listening to their conversations while he was trying out a metal club.

Her mother was smiling at her, webbing a net for fishing. Katara skipped towards her mother and held her tightly.

"I'm sorry I can't play with you right now." The child smiled and nodded. It didn't matter. Not when the black snow was near.

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O

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The Tribe's woman had been in bed for three days. Her stomach had long settled down, but she had developed a small fever and was told by one of the palace physicians it would be better to stay on bed rest for a couple of days. She welcomed the pause.

The waterbender turned in bed, her hair covering her eyes and cheeks. Her hand languorously brushed it off. She could hear Ryu's soothing voice in her ear, whispering gentle words. His warm hand rubbing her back. She vaguely remembered her lips on his, an attempt to rid herself of someone else's feel, someone else's taste. The waterbender cringed. His lips were still vivid on her own. The taste of alcohol, the heat, the abandon. Her lips had felt numb afterwards, like they had been burnt off and only a slight tingle proof of their existence. It reminded her of the kisses she had shared with Jet, passionate and lustful. Only she felt neither for the Fire Lord. Still, she could not shake the memory seared into her mind's eye. His face just before she leaned in. There was smoke and fire inside her, and it was consuming her. The worst part was, she wasn't quite sure if it was guilt or something else.

She felt like she had been torn. Torn between Katara the Master from the South and Katara the concubine with an agenda. Strange how years of brutal war changed people. Perhaps, before she had to flee to the Earth Kingdom, she would've never sold herself and her beliefs this easily. But conflict had shaped her. Jet's death and the emptiness she had felt had changed her. What were her moral beliefs in the sight of the millions of people hurting by this war?

The girls that slept in the same room as she did, talked when they thought she was asleep. They would whisper slanderously about her supposed pregnancy. She did not find it in herself to care.

Xue had spent as much time as she could with the waterbender, telling her of the day's gossip and activities. She had been rather occupied with a couple of nobles, husband and wife offering support and gold to the war effort. She had told Katara details of their intimacy, and the Tribe's woman had actually paid attention. It was a necessary evil, and apparently all the concubines actually had much to tell. One would not believe what people would do in front of someone they felt were inconsequential other than for pleasure. They dropped their guards, shared things that should not be shared.

Madame Zhu walked into the room, her haughty demeanour more annoyingly persistent now.

"I can tell you are feeling better." She grabbed Katara's face and inspected her. "Your colour has returned." Her nose scrunched up into a foul grimace. "But you smell horribly. Like sickness." The matron grabbed the waterbender by the arm and pulled her up. "Come on now. You must wash yourself. You have etiquette lessons and koto today. You will not go smelling and looking like that!" She sounded appalled and Katara thought she had good reason. She probably looked disgusting.

The bath was full. The voices swam around the waterbender quite pleasantly, like birds chirping in the gardens. Katara had no idea she missed the energy as much as she did. She sat on a stool and removed the dirt and sweat from her body. After she was done, the waterbender figured a good soak would not hurt anyone. She walked to one of the deep tubs and stepped into the water. It was warm and steamy and Katara felt the familiar pull of her element in her gut. It was like the water was begging her to be manipulated. She resisted the urge to bend. It would do her no good to give into temptation. She sat, eyes closed, releasing her mind from any thought. It warmed her to her bones, turning her pliant and docile. When she rose, her skin had wrinkled, and she walked to the outer baths to dry herself off with a towel. The woman looked at the robe Zhu laid out for her. It was long-ish, stopping mid-calf, the sleeves wide and billowy, the red fabric sheer and snug against her shape. Katara found she was no longer as bothered by their choice in attires anymore. Walking to the room she scanned the quarters. The women were all looking at her like she had grown two heads. Some didn't even hide their disgust. Her room was quiet and Xue sat on her bed looking pensive.

"Good morning." Katara said, smiling gently at the Fire Nation girl.

"Oh!" Xue jumped and bowed slightly to Katara, more out of absent mindedness than anything else. "I can see you are better." The waterbender nodded and walked to her bed. She grabbed her arm bracelet and her anklets and placed them.

"I was never told what these are for. Everyone has them. Is it just for fashion?" She mused more to herself than Xue. The other girl giggled softly.

"Well, the bracelet marks you as a palace concubine. It's the mark of the Fire Lord. If it is removed, then whoever had been using you will be punished. Unless it's our Lord himself." Katara eyed the bracelet on her upper arm revoltingly. She was not someone's property no matter how long she had to stay here. "The anklets are about status. The number of charms indicates how many masters you have had. You already have five charms. They symbolise our life. The Fire Nation emblem, the heart, the teardrop, the babe and the instrument. And then you get a charm from the masters you've pleased. They can be anything really, but only the Fire Lord gives expensive ones like Lihua's. She has about seven charms offered to her by our great Lord. She usually changes them from time to time. They are expensive tough." The waterbender nodded and Xue took her by the arm into the feeding area. They grabbed their rice and steamed vegetables and sat down. The table went quiet, all eyes on Katara and the waterbender fidgeted in her seat. She would have said something. Eased their hearts with her empty womb, but she didn't.

"They all think you are with child. Your sickness only made the rumours more believable." The other girl offered her quietly and the waterbender scooped a bit of rice into her mouth. She chewed slowly, feeling the burn of the other concubines' stares.

Her eyes fell to her bowl and she blinked. "They aren't white today? I thought we always used the same porcelain."

Xue laughed into her hand. "White is for the lower ranked concubines. The ones no one actually cares about." Katara frowned at that. "As your status here goes up, they give you different china. It's also more expensive. See?" She held up her white bowl with intricate black flower patterns. The waterbender's was similar but with orange patterns. She raised a brow. "What is orange?

Xue smiled "Well the order is simply white for the girls that aren't summoned at all, then green, blue, black, orange, red and lastly gold. It really depends. If the Fire Lord gives you to many nobles, you may get a red but if you get one really important patron you may also get red. Gold is reserved for our Lord's favourite. There is only one set of gold porcelain."

"Who decides who gets what?" The Tribe's woman inquired, inspecting her bowl.

"Madame Zhu. Records are kept of everything we do. It's also a way for our Lord to know who prefers who and which noble was with each of us."

Katara nodded. The rest of their meal was eaten in silence.

.

O

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He woke up with light in his vision. His foot was aching, throbbing in tandem with his pulse. His head pounded. He had been projected back a good fifty meters and was sure he had been knocked out.

The Tribe's man got up. He winced as hot pain shot up through his lower limb. His foot was broken, he was sure. There was no way he would make it back with his lower ramification in this state. Not in this blizzard. Not without his men. He looked around. The hunter vaguely remembered tripping on a block of ice. He also remembered seeing a person trapped inside it. He had hacked at it with his club.

There were no shards of ice anywhere, no body, not anything but the big white expanse. He limped forward and looked down into the gaping whole left by whatever it was he had broken into. The hunter looked around. He was alone and hurt and he was surely going to die.

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O

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Lien had stolen her away from her koto lesson. She had raved on about how Lihua was mad as all gods. The Fire Lord had summoned for her all three nights she had been conveniently ill. Lihua had joined him but something had transpired that left the woman sour for these three days. Katara didn't really care. Lihua was pleasant enough but it was not the waterbender's priority to make sure that she was happy. Especially when she had been ill. IT wasn’t her fault the Fire Lord apparently had wanted her company and not Lihua’s.

"I don't know what weapons you've been using Water Tribe, but whatever it is…. seems our Lord is buying it." Katara felt repulsed. She had only kissed him once. It hadn't been a big deal- except she had felt all kinds of emotions when and after they were kissing, emotions that were leaving her deeply troubled-, he got kissed all the time.

"Why are you helping me?" The waterbender pulled her hand away from Lien's grasp.

"Look I love Lihua like a sister. We have known each other since we were children. We both came from exceedingly rich families and we were both offered to the harem to straighten the ties of our families to the royal house. Lihua is, however, the Fire Lord's favourite and she has been for a while. There is no way you can take her place." The Fire Nation woman placed her hands on her hips. Katara bristled. She could very well be anyone’s favourite. What made any of them better than she? It was stupid she knew, to want this, but it was a matter of Water Tribe pride.

"You do, however, hit a nerve with me. Call me whatever you want, crazy or stupid, but I like you." She smiled. "You have spirit. We are very much alike. And unlike Zhu,” She rolled her eyes. “I believe men have acquired different tastes in women over the years. Maybe in Azulon's time they wanted demure, perfect little dolls to play with. Nowadays, they want us. They want women who give them a bit of fun. Who challenge them and question them…." She paused. "As long as they aren't married to them, that is." Grabbing hold of Katara's wrist again, she stepped into her private room. It was smaller than Lihua’s but contained a great number of things. Gold jewellery, full body mirror, stacks of clothing neatly lined by colour. She was clearly eccentric. "The Fire Lord will pick Lihua as a wife. But that doesn't mean he won't have a good time with you first. And even though I like you, which I do, I can't sugar-coat the fact that you have no idea how to play this game."

Katara was offended. "I have been with men before!" She bawled.

"A man you were in love with, and that loves you back, doesn't count. Things don't happen the same way. Besides when they actually like you they tend to forgive any…lack of skill."

The Tribe's woman frowned. She couldn't be that bad.

"Today we are going to practice some flirting and then initiating sexual contact."

"What?" Katara's face drained of colour.

"Well yeah. You think the Fire Lord will just go Lie down" She mimicked a man's voice the best she could. "And you will just lay down and take his seed? Nope. Not how it works. I mean, some men like that. But we are trying to cover every type that you can encounter. Especially our good Lord." Lien sat on the bed. "First you must laugh, make eye contact, touch me. Be over all stimulating and hold my interest." She smiled knowingly. Katara had a feeling Lien took much more pleasure in this torture than she should've had.

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O

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Iroh sipped his tea while his Lord paced around the room. His nephew had been fuming for well over an hour, sometimes throwing his hands in the air, pinching the bridge of his nose, gesticulating and trying to form coherent sentences, others just drinking his fire whiskey with the same ease as if he were gulping water.

He finally had stopped and took to looking out of a window into the gardens. He could see Zuko's far away gaze, as if his mind were somewhere beyond the horizon.

"What do you think we should do, uncle?" His raspy voice came suddenly, and the old, retired General placed his cup on the Lord's desk.

"Is it confirmed your sister is taking action against you?" The Fire Lord sighed and Iroh could see life weighing upon him. No man that young should have to deal with what Zuko had, up until this point. The loss of a mother would break a man. But the young Lord had lost both his parents, never truly being loved by one of them, had been scarred at the tender age of thirteen by his own father. He had killed a man at sixteen to regain his birth right, had lost a wife and child and now was dealing with his own sister's treachery. Not that any of them expected Azula to take his crowning kindly. She harboured mixed feeling towards her brother, Iroh could tell. She wanted him to suffer as much as he could and at the same time, she took his company as much as she could. But Azula had always been ambitious. And she would have the throne she felt was hers. She was the strongest, the cunning, beguiling prodigal child of Ozai.

"My spies have told me she is planning something. They just don't know what it is." Zuko made a gesture as if to stroke his hair. He stopped short when he felt his topknot.

"We must be vigilant. Gather as much support as we can, take away her allies. But we cannot act until we know what she has in store for us. We can only defend." The Fire Lord nodded.

"I had hoped she would've let go of her obsession with the crown." The young man sighed, his voice heavy with guilt and betrayal.

"Did you, my nephew?" Zuko glared at him.

"It was my birth right. I was born to be Fire Lord!" He boomed. The old general suddenly felt very tired. How he had wished his nephew could see the poisonous lie that had fuelled the war. The very poison that had hurt him all his life.

"Yes, nephew. Yes, you were." Iroh grabbed his cup and took another sip. A heavy silence extended between the two. When the young ruler finally took his seat, his tea had gone cold.

"Cold tea is life's greatest sin." The Dragon of the West offered and Zuko grimaced.

"There are worse sins than cold tea, uncle." The young man eyed him, his posture slacking as he settled his chin on his hand.

"I heard Lihua and Katara have been getting along." The old man smiled into his cup. He had been worried about the Tribe's woman. The Fire Lord raised his eyes towards his uncle, straightening in his seat.

"Seems that way." Iroh’s eyes darted to his nephew. He was aware of the tone he used, of how his posture changed slightly when the Water Tribe woman was mentioned. Interesting, Iroh thought. Zuko had always been very forthcoming with his emotions. He had learnt a great deal about how to hide his emotions behind the Fire Lord guise, but Iroh knew better. He knew his nephew well, how he was extremely hopeless around women, how he usually had no idea how to deal with his own feeling towards pretty girls.

"She has been sick tough. Madame Zhu has been worried you would get displeased that she was unable to come when you summoned her." The old man's left eyebrow rose and Zuko looked out the window again.

He had indeed summoned her all three nights she had been sick. The first night he was slightly annoyed. Even when she was just on bed rest it seemed like she was challenging him. The second night he had been indifferent to her absence, his mind heavy with Lihua and loneliness and the need for his wife. The third night he had felt something similar to worry. She was worth nothing if she was too sickly to perform, he had told himself. The young firebender frowned.

"I hope she is feeling better." The old man said to no one in particular. The Fire Lord just nodded.

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O

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Her cheeks flushed every time she remembered Lien had made her sit on her hips and roll her own rhythmically. Riding she called it. She had stressed the importance of eye contact, telling Katara she should always look at the man- or woman for that matter- in the eyes as they had intercourse. It made things more arousing she had said. She had also instructed her to use her mouth in every single bit of skin she could reach, to touch as much as she could and to make sounds. She had said she didn't need to moan loudly, little whimpers here and there, gasps, sharp intakes of breath would suffice. Actually, she had said, they will be even more effective. Makes them believe you aren't faking. Katara blushed. Fake it. What did that even mean?

She had told the waterbender that not all patrons cared about her pleasure. That some would be blunt and rough, but she had to keep the act. She had also said some other patrons were very keen on pleasing and were actually very good at it. She thought about Ryu and her cheeks flushed. Truth be told she was not keen on seeing him. She was also not keen on seeing the Fire Lord either. She felt rather bad about what had transpired. The kiss she had shared with the service boy to rid herself of the disgust she was feeling towards herself. She made a mental note to apologise to Ryu as soon as she could muster the courage to do so.

 She would have to tell him she could not be involved with him. If she was being honest with herself, she had very mixed feelings about him. She enjoyed him and his silver tongue. He was kind and made her feel beautiful in this sea of people who only saw her as novelty. On the other hand, he was still Fire Nation. She hardly knew him, and he could be all sorts of nasty. Katara had the very bad habit of feeling attracted to any man who gave her attention, even when they were particularly unpleasant. Maybe it was the lack of boys her own age while growing up, maybe it was the lack of her father that made her crave affection. And also, the feeling of the Fire Lord’s lips on her own insisted on persisting within her memory, almost infuriatingly so. Every time she was not consciously thinking of another thing, it would creep up, warming her skin and insides.

The waterbender combed her hair. She quite liked her hair down, even though it got tangled easily. She looked at her books. She had been in the Fire Lord's harem for three months. She had managed to stay untouched this long, but she knew Lord Sheng would come eventually. It occurred to her that if she indeed would have sex with anyone it would be on her terms. She eyed herself in her hand mirror and saw Madame Zhu standing behind her, knowing what it meant.

"I don't understand what he sees in you." Her voice was quiet and Katara saw she was pensive, probably contemplating why he had summoned her again. She wondered the same thing. The waterbender knew it wasn't because he liked her. It was duty towards General Iroh, it was curiosity, it was the need to exert his power over someone he considered inferior. His motives mattered not to her, even when that treacherous little voice inside her mind, that sounded eerily like Gran-Gran told her she knew exactly why he summoned her. As long as it got her closer to him, she told herself, she would make herself not care. She got up and rummaged for clothes, always under the scrutiny of the matron.

"Perhaps you should show what best there is in you?" The old woman offered, her fingers rubbing her chin. Katara felt there was no way she could show him her waterbending, no matter how amazing it was. She smiled to herself at her little appreciative thought.

"You do have a nice looking bust. Maybe something to accentuate their size?" She arched an eyebrow. "Maybe something showing off your legs. They are nicely shaped, albeit rather short." The Tribe's woman frowned. She was not that short. And her breasts weren't that big. The matron walked out of the room and came back a few minutes later with some clothing. She roughly undressed Katara, stripping her out of her under biddings as well. She placed fabric over her head. It was a dress, albeit a very revealing one. The flanks were completely open, showing the side of her breasts- she blushed when she noticed- on her hip there were thin strips of fabric keeping the dress from opening. Her legs were fully exposed on the sides and so was part of her hip. The skirt of the dress was in an accentuated "v" shape exposing her outer thighs and ending between her knees. There were no sleeves, but her shoulders were partially covered by wide straps. There was a cup inside the dress bringing her breasts higher in her chest and closer together, accentuating the deep sweetheart neckline. Fringes fell from the bustier drawing attention to her. Katara sighed.

"Is this really necessary?"

"Our Lord deserves you on your best!" She sounded outraged.

"Wouldn't it be better if he couldn't see much? Wouldn't that make him want me more?" She offered calmly. Madame Zhu gasped.

"Absolutely not. He sees you looking ravishing, and he takes you. There is no need for games."

Katara nodded. Madame Zhu combed her again, added a few red stones to it, as red blood tears on her wild mane. She painted her lips in a shimmery substance and added kohl and mascara to her lashes.

The old matron looked Katara over.

"Ravishing. Make us proud." She smiled giddily and pulled the waterbender to the entrance.

She followed Lihua through the corridors. The other girl eyed her from time to time.

"I told Zhu it was too much." The corners of the waterbender's lips curved slightly upward in mock amusement. The Fire Nation woman blushed.

"I'm sorry… You just look…hm…." Katara shook her head.

"It's fine. Not my choice. I would rather be dressed like you are." The Tribe's woman nodded towards the other's simple green robe, in an emerald colour.

"Doesn't really matter, does it? I will be out of it soon enough." She deadpanned. Katara silently agreed.

The guards opened the door to the Lord's chambers and both women waited. They eyed each other from time to time but neither spoke. The doors opened and the waterbender jumped. Lihua smiled brightly.

"My Lord." In three strides she was in his arms. The corners of his lips curved up into a small smile. His eyes softened at her enthusiasm. And then they locked on Katara. She squirmed under his scrutiny. He eyed her from top to bottom his eyebrow rising elegantly. She could see the heat in his gaze, and started, her breath catching. He had never looked at her like that. She recognized it for what it was, though, for her had looked at Lihua with the same heat, many times before. He stepped away from Lihua and walked to her. The man eyed her and then grabbed her chin and tilted her head right, then left.

"You seem healthy." He said all of a sudden and she gaped like a dead fish.

.

O

.

She had been standing to the side while Lihua fondled with the young ruler. She was sitting across his lap kissing his jaw and massaging his chest, occasionally giggling like a fool. He kissed her from time to time, offering little whispers and smiles. The man was drinking heavily though, rice wine that Katara had poured for him.

She could swear he stole glances in her direction from time to time. Maybe he was wondering if she would come on to him again this evening. His cheeks slightly tinted when she caught him staring and Katara felt her blood drain from her, covering her sides the best she could. He always looked at her face whenever she caught him tough. Well, she could give him the not as much of a jerk as he could have been award. Still, she knew he had noticed how her breasts where almost on full display from the side, her nipples only covered by a thin sheet of fabric.

She replayed her dream in her mind, her childhood home, a welcome distraction. She had been a different person before the Fire Nation raids. Three raids that had taken everything from her. The first when the black snow came for the first time in her life, soiling the purest white in ash and blood, her mother's blood. The second time she had been thirteen. The men that raided her small Tribe were not merciful and raped indiscriminately, old and new alike. Her brother had hidden her, had begged her to stay put, the price was far too high for her to be brave. When it was over there was silence. Months later the women were drowning out babes in the sea. She went to the North after that, began her training. She had lived there for a year until she was almost fifteen before she had to come back to the South and help the very diminished numbers of brothers and sisters. Sokka had stayed, too young to fight an enemy as ruthless. The third time the Firebenders came, looking to destroy the remnants of something already ruined, her father had been ready to fight, the men back home to try and salvage was beyond their power to mend. Her brother and father had smuggled her into a Fire Nation ship. That was the last time she saw any of them.

Her heart had changed. She had believed so hard the Avatar would come to save them all but all she had found was devastation.

The waterbender looked at the Lord. How could only one person cause so much strife? The fate of the world in his hands, all the people that had died, that continued dying, the women that were raped, the children born into war and pain and fear. It should make her angry, but it only made her tired. His eyes caught hers for a split second, clouded in something she couldn't quite read.

The Fire Lord's brow rose. He pushed Lihua aside gently and walked towards the fire mantle and turned to Lihua, smiling gently.

"Will you walk ahead into the room? I will be with you shortly." The Fire Nation woman tilted her head, looking nonplussed. She stepped into the room quietly, giving Katara a look. The waterbender was sure she was thinking back to whatever had happened when she was sick, what Lien had mentioned.

The door closed behind her and the waterbender felt very cold all of a sudden. She quivered involuntarily and placed her arms around her without really realizing she was moving. The man walked closer, studying her face. She bit her lip, a sudden flash of bitter memory in her mind.

"You will come again tomorrow. Alone." His voice was raspy and smooth, and the girl bit her lip despite herself. Her mind reeled and she needed all her will power no to step away from him. His hand came up into her line of vision, and he tucked her hair behind her ear, the pulps of his fingers caressing her ear and her cheek.

Katara chanced a bold look up at him and found his eyes clouded with intoxication, she guessed, and maybe something else, more desirous, if for her or Lihua she could not know. The waterbender had no idea if he was doing this to break her, if he had enjoyed their kiss, if he wanted her. She nodded quietly.

His fingers traced her locks, and she took a deep steading breath. He was offering little gestures of affection she was quite sure he was not aware of. The man looked down and his cheeks tinted again. Katara blushed as well and covered her chest by folding her arms on top of her bust.

"Tell me woman of the Tribes, why you were absent these three days?" The tone was low, almost like a whisper. She looked at the fireplace.

"I was ill." Katara offered quietly. The flames danced in the mantle, crepitating. The Tribe's woman sighed. She was going to do what she must, but she would do it as herself, as Katara. "I would have never guessed you would miss me, my Lord.” Her voice sounded bolder than she felt, and she added his title as an afterthought. His eyes widened, and he stood there looking at her like he had been struck. And then he frowned.

"I would never enjoy the company of one of your kind, let alone miss it." He growled, and stood stiffly, posture rigid, most likely an intimidation tactic. She had seen much of this when she was taken prisoner, and interrogated.

"I am sorry to have presumed." The waterbender took a step forward. She was much shorter than he was, but her eyes were steady on his. He growled once more and fisted her hair. She gasped but protested no further. Katara had expected pain, for him to pull on her hair hard, but it never came.

 His inebriation was making him act ways he would not any other way. Katara had heard much about how he had changed after the death of his wife, how he changed even more when he drank. It mattered not. Aggression would cement her resolve.

Her breathing was heavy, her chest colliding slightly against his, such was their proximity. He looked down at her cleavage again, his cheeks coloured, and he licked his lips. The Tribes’ woman stood on her tiptoes, closing the distance between them. Their lips were barely a hair apart, slightly touching, soft and warm, but not fully touching.

The door to his room opened and Lihua peeked through. She was naked, the fire in his chambers making her bareness completely visible. She looked at them and frowned. Katara did not like the look she shot her.

"What is taking you so long, my Lord?" The woman whined impatiently and it took Zuko a second to part from Katara and walked towards his room.

"Forgive me, my lady." He kissed her hand. "I hadn't realised how long it had been."

Lihua pulled him in the room as she grumbled something Katara didn't quite catch. The doors closed and she walked to his sofa, taking the liberty to sit down. She allowed herself a smile. A small victory had been won today.

.

O

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He had walked for three days, the size of his foot augmenting with the added weight. He had had no choice. He would've died had he stayed where he was. He saw the small tents of his community in the distance, driving further. He would not die so close to home.

He limped towards them, fighting his exhaustion, clinging to life however he could. He heard some voices and strong arms helping him hold himself up. The shouts echoed as whoever was with him called for help. He passed out.

When he woke, he was in a tent, his foot bandaged and supported by a wooden splinter. He looked around and spotted a canister of water, which he drunk eagerly. Eating snow was not good enough to quench a thirst. He settled back down and closed his eyes. He was sore and fatigued. A long time passed, and he was on the brink of sleep when he heard the flap of his tent open.

"Sokka." He knew the voice. His father held him tight against him. No matter how old he got his father would not stop embarrassing him. "I am so glad you are alive. We were all afraid you had gotten lost or killed out there." He held him again then pushed him slightly away to inspect him. He probably looked as bad as he felt. For the first time he noticed the commotion outside.

"What is going on?" His voice was cracked and thin from his state. His father smiled brightly.

"The Avatar is back, son. The Avatar is here."

Chapter Text

He had spent the better of a week on bed rest, his dehydration and ice burns much more worrisome than his broken foot. Luckily, he had not lost any fingers, toes, nose or ears to the cold. Had someone not born in the freezing tundra been in this same situation they would be mangled by now.

His father had visited him periodically, letting Sokka rest, spending his free time with his son. They talked, Chief Hakoda keeping him updated. He had told them the Avatar had wondered into the village, lost and confused, with his own two legs, shivering in cold, with mild hypothermia. They had fed him and given him warm yak-goat milk. The Avatar had slept an entire day.

Now he was out and about in the village, new pelts and skins donated by members of the tribe. He had brought with him a strange animal that Hakoda had never seen- the Avatar had said he was his Sky Bison and that his name was Appa- and was taking children for rides on the beast.

When the young wolf warrior had asked where they had placed the Avatar, his father had told him they had given him Katara's hut. Sokka had not taken the news kindly. His sister's hut had been untouched since they were forced to send her away. He had held to the hope that she would return, that one day he would have his baby sister back with him.

Their partners in the Earth Kingdom, men his father had known when he had been actively fighting the war, had sent word about a waterbender woman that had joined the rebels and was giving Firebenders a run for their coin. News of her had stopped many months before and Sokka feared the worst. Still, he prayed to the spirits almost every day asking for her safe return.

He was up now, donning his parka, ready to finally leave his hut. He could hear the commotion outside. The laughs and giggles. Hope had returned, and he would fight for it to be maintained.

.

O

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She had spent her lessons in utter silence, musing about what was to come. The Fire Lord had requested for her alone. No Lihua, no distractions. The waterbender bit her lip. She had told herself this was for the greater good, that it was a necessary evil, but was so nervous. Katara had to keep telling herself the world would be a better place without him, that she wouldn’t be an awful person to just take a life like this, out of battle. Her maidenhead was a small price to pay for world peace. Her soul, she was not as sure.

Xue and Lien had both showed concern for her and Lihua had barely spoken two words her way.

It was hard for Katara to admit it, but she had grown close to the three girls. Even so, she would prefer not to talk about this with them. The whole harem already knew Lihua would spend the night in her room while the Tribes' woman was going to meet their Lord. Some of the other concubines had given her the evil eye, while others had smirked and conspired against Lihua. The water maiden bit her lip. The Fire Nation girl had been nothing but gracious towards her and this is how she repaid her? Stealing the man she was clearly in love with? Not to mention that any rumour of pregnancy just deepened. Most were absolutely sure she was to birth the Fire Lord’s child. A way for him to show the Water Tribes were under his thumb. She heard the whispers, how her child would never be a contender for the throne, and that he would still sire an heir from Lihua. She bristled at their words but decided against picking fights. It would get her punished and that would not do.

"Hey! Girl!" Someone slapped her hands with a long bamboo stick. "Pay attention!" Katara squeaked slightly, her muses broken by the sudden gesture.

"A good concubine is much more than just a good lay. She is always also the best company, at all times! If you don't pay attention to what people are saying, how do you expect to be good company?" The old woman, Chiyo, scowled at her. "Good Agni, girl. You have been doing so much better and then you go and ruin everything with not paying attention."

"How are we supposed to be good company if we aren't allowed to speak?" Katara asked, not bothering to be courteous.

The woman sighed. "You are allowed to speak if you are asked to do so. If a patron is engaging you in conversation, he will most likely wish you to respond." The Tribes' woman opened her mouth to ask something more but the elder cut her off. "Of course, you will need to heed what you say. Especially since most patrons don't like being outsmarted." She circled the waterbender. "You must always make them look smarter than you are. And you must make them feel intelligent, important, understood and looked up to. The only person you need to hold in higher esteem is our Lord. So, if you are engaged in conversation with a group of people, you must always exalt Fire Lord Zuko."

The waterbender's brows knitted together. There was nothing good to say about him. Even if it were, she would never say it.

"What if I don't agree?"

"What you think about a particular subject is of no importance. You are a concubine, not a consort. And even a consort would never display her opinions publicly. Not at court." The woman looked out. "Seems it is time for you to go. We will continue the day after tomorrow. Seriously girl, politics were much more important than this. You already know how to behave. Or you should." The woman walked out and the waterbender stood. As she made to leave Xue grabbed her by the arm.

"We should walk back together. I've been quite lonely today."

Katara smiled. "Aren't you lonely every day?"

"Not since you came." The waterbender stood still, eyes wide, staring at the other woman. Xue blushed. "I know we aren't supposed to like each other. Concubines are always competing. But…." She played with her hands. "But I like having friends." She looked at the Tribes' woman. "And since you came Lien and Lihua also spend time with me. It's nice to just hang out." She offered quietly. Katara smiled brightly and placed her arm through Xue's.

.

O

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Zuko had been eating lunch with his uncle. He would steal glances at the old man from time to time. There was a subject on his mind that he was trying to broach, but didn't quite know how, Iroh could tell.

"What is it, my nephew?"

The Fire Lord was caught by surprise. He opened his mouth, then closed it, opened, in an attempt to engage his uncle.

The old man chuckled. "Is this one of those rare moments, when you are at a loss of what to say?" The younger firebender pouted and looked away, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

The Dragon of the West smiled. "Is this about girls, nephew?"

Zuko blushed, grimaced, then frowned at his uncle. "I know perfectly well how to talk to women, uncle."

"Never said you didn't."

"I was married, don't know if you remember that." The Fire Lord supplied angrily.

"Indeed, you were, nephew." Iroh supplied, gently.

"If I didn't know how to talk to women, I wouldn't have been married…to a woman!" He said indignantly. The old man chuckled once more.

"Lady Mai was not much of a talker."

Zuko frowned. The memory of his wife was one that made the young man very saddened still. Iroh immediately regretted bringing her up when their banter had been so light.

"How do….." He seemed to give a hard thought to what he was going to ask. His face lightend, darkened, blushed and then something hit Zuko. "How do I get a girl to open up to me? You know. Tell me her secrets."

"What kind of things?" Iroh smiled. Was his nephew flustered because he wanted Lihua to tell him something? The man took a sip of his tea, eyeing his nephew carefully.

"You know... important things" Zuko looked at the old man. He thought about what he was going to say for a moment. He knew his uncle. He knew that even though it was his suggestion that made the Southerner somewhat important in this war, the man would never agree with what his sovereign wanted to do. Her having kissed him and having felt pleasant had nothing to do with it, he told himself. So, he lied. "Lihua and I…. we have been getting closer. But… she doesn't confide in me. I can't get her secrets out."

Iroh grinned jovially. So, this is what his nephew was trying to ask. The Fire Lord had settled into his position marvellously. He had learnt how to hold himself, how to speak to his court and his people. But Zuko had never been very good with girls. He was trying. It was clear from this conversation that his nephew was serious about the girl.

"Nephew, a caged bird sings no tunes." He offered, wisely. Zuko frowned, confused. His uncle was often times so annoying, always talking in riddles.

"What? We are talking about women, uncle not birds."

His uncle felt like smacking him upside the head. The Fire Lord lacked interest in the finer things in life. Tea, shopping, music night, how to properly court young ladies.

"Zuko. A woman will never truly be your partner if she is not your equal. A concubine cannot be a partner. She is caged. And she will feel too afraid, too weary to tell you anything you might not want to hear." The younger firebender made a face. Iroh sighed. "Zuko, the girl wants to be treated properly."

"She is treated properly. She is given meals four times a day, she has a bed, a roof, clothes, jewels. Many people would die to have what she has." His uncle grimaced.

"Seriously, nephew?" The Fire Lord mouthed a "what". "You need to pay attention to her. Make her feel understood and appreciated. Pay attention to what she has to say. Don't punish her for talking, for disagreeing. Make her feel comfortable, like she is your partner. If you value her as much as I believe you do you will let her speak her mind, be herself. Treat her as you treated your wife."

"You know I can't do that, uncle." His tone was tired, sad.

"Not in public, no." The man took another sip of his tea. "But in private you can. Engage with her. Tell her about yourself. Ask her if she needs anything. Make her feel welcomed."

Zuko mused on the words of his uncle. He was not particularly savvy when it came to girls, but how hard could it be?

"Take her out with you. Let her be a part of your life. Compliment her." Iroh chuckled. "Confide in her. If she knows your secrets, then she will feel more willing to share hers." The man stroked his beard. "Tell her how much you appreciate her candour. Speak sweet words and you will get sweet actions."

The Fire Lord pondered on his uncle's words. The old man had a lot of flaws, but Zuko had noticed how girls liked his company, even if it wasn't romantically.

"Let her know you, nephew. The real you, and you will have all of her." The man smiled, happy at the younger firebender's change in demeanour. He was happy his nephew was moving on. Despite everything going on, he deserved happiness.

Zuko nodded. Perhaps it was worth a try.

.

O

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Madame Zhu had given her preferential treatment that night. She had been dutifully bathed, her skin smoothed with perfumed oils, her hair combed until it shone, cascading over her shoulders, her lashes blackened. The matron had a group of older women working her, fussing all over her. Apparently, she was being summoned more times than Xia, Shuchun and Niu, and Madame Zhu felt like she needed an extra boost so the Fire Lord kept his interest. All the other women were beautiful, and even though the matron hadn't been unpleasant about her appearance in a while, it was obvious she still felt Katara wasn't nearly as pretty as any other girl in the harem. Her harem pants were see-through violet fabric and her top a strap of fabric, a couple shades darker than the pants, covering her breasts, little chain links of bronze looped around her midriff, collar and arms, as if they were extra fabric.

"No red today?" Katara enquired. Madame Zhu snorted.

She followed the guards to the Lord's quarters, solemn and pensive. She had been dreading this moment, and now that it was here, Katara was steeling herself for what had to be done. The Tribes' woman took a deep breath, as the guards opened the doors and she stepped in.

The man was reading a scroll, sitting on his sofa. The fire in the hearth was not lit, and the woman found herself missing the comforting crackle.

She took a step inside and heard the large double doors close. The Fire Lord turned to look at her, his gaze studying her. He turned slightly pink but recovered very quickly. Katara was not sure what to make of it. He seemed to be two different people at times.

She gulped and stepped further into the room. "My Lord." She said, sounding more confident than she truly was.

The man's brows furrowed into a frown and Katara slapped herself mentally. She was not supposed to speak without permission. Great Katara. Just great. You are supposed to be seducing him, but all you'll manage is to get punished once again.

The firebender said nothing. He wasn't sure how to tackle this beast. He got up and watched her intently. Uncle had given him sound advice. The thing was, Zuko wasn't quite sure how to put the old man's words into practice. He had never been known as especially good with women. If it wasn't for his title, the firebender doubted most of the women would be interested. He looked around the room and cleared his throat.

After a while he exclaimed. "No red tonight?" He immediately, mentally, slapped himself. The Fire Lord, the most powerful man in the world, had such eloquence.

Katara looked up at him, dumbfounded, for a moment, her left brow raising quizically then she looked down at herself.

"I asked Madame Zhu the same thing!" The Tribes' woman smiled to herself, and he relaxed a bit. He tried to think about his uncle's words.

"It suits you…Purple, I mean." Once more the girl stared at him, and the Fire Lord shifted from foot to foot, nervously, under her scrutiny. How could he be so bad at this. She was a slave, for Agni's sake. He shouldn't be feeling this self-conscious.

Katara let herself thought for a split second, that his awkwardness was actually cute. It wasn’t, she corrected herself. He was the enemy, not a cute young man that had no idea how to speak to a girl he liked.

"Actually, I think it's more violet." She said after a long stretch of time. "I like it, tough. It's very-"

"-Tribe like." He finished for her. The firebender couldn’t stop thinking that Madame Zhu knew exactly what he wanted from the girl and picked something that would not only break the ice but stir the conversation in the direction he wanted it to go. Iroh had told him conversations needed to flow, they couldn't be forced, or else she would never truly open up.

The girl's eyes found his face, and her brows furrowed as she thought.

"Actually, my Lord, my people don't wear purple." He looked at her. "It is worn only by the royal family up north, or the elders during special occasions." She concluded.

He almost rejoiced. She had offered him information about the Tribes. Nothing he could use, but it was a start.

"It suits you, tough." There was no falsehood in the statement. Zuko's eyes widened, and he cursed under his breath, as her own orbs darted to his face at the sudden admission. The Tribes' woman opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, trying to figure out what to say.

"Thank you, your highness…. I guess." She added as an afterthought.

Silence laid its heavy cloak around them. Katara wasn't sure what was going on. She had come thinking he would claim her, but he seemed nervous and unsure. Almost human.

The man's hand darted up to the back of his neck, and he rubbed it, gingerly.

"Have you eaten?" He walked past her, towards the double doors. "Would you like to join me for dinner?"

The waterbender gaped. Had she missed something? She was about to say no, her temper flaring at his behaviour. If he was playing games with her, then she would just put an end to it. But then, she remembered herself, her purpose. Games, it was what she was here to play. And she would win. The woman nodded.

"I would like that, your highness."

The Fire Lord opened the door and ordered something Katara didn't quite catch. She looked around the chamber, trying to make sense of the situation. He was up to something. She just didn't know what.

He stepped back into the room and shot a ball of flame into the hearth. Katara watched the dancing flames for a while, until his voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Would you like to sit down?" He repeated. She nodded and sat on the sofa. Katara looked at her hands, her fingers lacing with each other as another long silence stretched in the room. She looked over at where he sat, immersed in his thoughts. This whole thing was quite peculiar, and she had been caught woefully off guard.

"I heard the North has walls of ice protecting the city." He offered, a bit too excitedly for her taste.

"It does, your highness. They are impenetrable." Her eyes narrowed in mistrust.

"Nothing is impenetrable. Look at Ba Sing Se." The woman jerked, her eyes widening with a phantom blow.

"The Northern Water Tribe is. If you destroy the walls, we will just rebuild it in a matter of minutes. It doesn't matter how good your sister thinks she is." Her voice was steely, like the ice of her birthplace cutting against his skin. Zuko frowned and took a deep breath to keep his temper in check. The girl was feisty, he would give her that. If she had been a Firebender she would be a wonderful one at that. He was sure Azula would not like the competition. Finally, after another long silence he gritted through his teeth.

"You underestimate Azula. And me." They glowered at each other. This wasn't going to be as easy as the Fire Lord originally thought it would. It would take a great deal of coaxing for her to let something slip. He wasn't naturally a patient man, but he was driven. And right now, he needed that information. Azula's power was getting much too strong. Still, the truth remained. The girl was underestimating him, his determination. He would go to great lengths to defeat the North and solidify his position, even without an heir. Even following his uncle's advice on women.

The girl snorted, and Zuko curled his lip in disgust at the sound. There was a knock on the door, and he snapped. "What?"

"My lord, your dinner." He breathed out heavily, not deviating his eyes from the Tribes' woman.

"Come in. Set it on the table." He had wanted this to be nice. Have dinner, get some information, maybe use whatever seduction skills his uncle had helped hone that afternoon. But no, she had to make everything difficult.

Things were never easy for him. He wished he would catch a break, just this once.

Two servants set three trays with food on his table. After they were gone, and another moment had passed, the firebender sat up and walked to the table.

"Please join me." She did as she was told mechanically. They ate in silence, and the man would occasionally steal glances her way.

"Do you have any other story?" He asked as he dipped a bit of flat bread in some kind of minty sauce. Maybe this would help him get in her good graces.

The woman looked at him, her eyes narrowed, warily. She pondered for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak.

"Once long ago, when the earth was young, and Tui and La still hadn't crossed to our world, a monkey, an otter a jackal and a rabbit resolved to practice charity on a day of full Moon. They thought a demonstration of great virtue would earn them an equally great reward." She paused and took a sip of rice wine. Katara grimaced at the taste, bitter and burning, took another one, and carried on. "When an old woman begged for food, the monkey gathered fruits from trees nearby and the otter collected fish while the jackal wrongfully pilfered a lizard and a pot of milk-curd."

The Fire Lord swallowed the piece of steamed fish he was chewing.

"That's cheating. How is he virtuous?" The woman frowned.

"Let me finish." He just scowled and took a bite from a rice cake.

"The rabbit, who knew only how to gather grass, instead offered his own body," The man gasped. "throwing himself into a fire the woman had built. The old woman revealed herself to be Raava and, touched by the rabbit's virtue, made him immortal and sent him to the moon. He got tasked with mixing the herbs that made the pill of immortality, and with a green coat that granted him the name the Jade Rabbit. When Chang'e got to the moon, she and the Jade Rabbit became inseparable, and each other's company."

"Where's the rest?" He sounded curious and maybe a tad…disappointed.

She scowled. "That's it." Katara crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared. The Fire Lord furrowed his brows.

"That's it?"

"Yeah." Her features softened. "I can bring my book next time. If you wish, my lord" She inclined her head slightly. He looked at the leftovers on the porcelain set, the half-emptied rice wine. He wanted to say something. To push her more.

He glanced her way. She was openly looking at him, waiting for an answer. Her expression was receptive, her blue eyes glimmering in the candlelight. He swallowed and felt his face heat up. Rubbing the back of his neck, he said almost hesitantly.

"How about Houyi?"

Katara looked at him, blinking in astonishment. He seemed nervous, anxious, maybe even a little timid.

"What….what happened to him?" His look was cutting, searching. She swallowed hard before speaking.

"I don't know." Her tone was quiet.

"He lost the woman he loved. I am sure his fate was not kind after that." There was bitterness there, an aching that Katara knew all too well. She had felt it when she lost her mother and more recently Jet. Her heart clenched.

He seemed vulnerable, human. And she felt for him, wishing his pain away. This was dangerous.

Chapter Text

The waterbender walked behind Lien to the common area, the din somewhat distant as she lost herself in her musings. The Fire Nation woman had given her another, more explicit lesson on erogenous zones, Katara had not been keen on hearing.

She remembered a time around the fire, where the women, both in her village and up on their sister tribe, would speak about their exploits with their husbands. She had done her best to zone out, being far too young and unwilling to listen. The way they touched and were touched by their partners, had at the time, seemed a little too much to share with the younger girls, and even each other, as intimacy was something Katara had considered much too personal. She had doubted, at the time, the men they spoke of would be too thrilled to be the subjects of laughter, derision, comparisons and even desire by their wives’ friends. It was all in good spirit, though and, she now saw, that it had been a natural way to teach the younger women what to expect and what to demand of their husbands, but also what to give in return.

 She had never considered how woefully naive she truly was about the subject, but now that she was in the predicament she was in, Katara felt rather foolish for not paying attention. It’s not like she didn’t know how a man’s body would respond to her, from a physiological standpoint. She was a healer. Of course she knew how bodies acted. And to a certain, very beginner degree, she had seen first-hand what a well-placed kiss or caress of her hand could do. Jet had responded to some of their more heated make out sessions very physically. Still, the waterbender had always shied away from more than rubbing him for a minute or two through the fabric of his clothing.

Oh, how she had hated every minute of Lien’s lesson. She had not only given graphic descriptions on how to elicit reactions by paying attention to certain parts of someone’s body, but she had made Katara practice on her. As if the mere act wasn’t mortifying enough, as the water maiden made progress, the other woman would, give her praise, rather audibly. She blushed at the memory.

In the end, Lien had given a very naughty smirk, and the tribes’ woman was sure that she would never be able to look the other in the eye ever again.

They sat next to Xue at the table, Lihua growing stiff in her presence.

“Lihua, when are you going to start speaking to Katara again?” Lien admonished, rolling her eyes. “It’s not like Fire Lord Zuko summoned you exclusively, even before she arrived.”

The girl gasped indignantly as Katara shoved rice into her mouth, noticeably avoiding eye contact with her friends.

“I….I’m not…. It’s not like that, Lien.” The Lord’s favourite bit her lip. “I’m just….”

The older Fire Nation woman sighed. “You like him, I know.” She rested her hand on her friend’s shoulder. “But Fire Lord Zuko still loves Lady Mai. His heart does not belong to you.” Lihua hung her head. The four women ate in silence.

.

0

.

Zuko sat in front of his desk, documents in hand. He had been lost in thought for the past quarter of an hour. Two nights ago, the Water Tribe woman had finished the story of Houyi and his lady love. The Fire Lord couldn’t help but feel his chest tighten, the pain too much to bear. She had placed her hand on his bicep, rubbing comfortingly, her eyes, her big blue eyes, searching his, the pain mirrored there. She gave his arm a little squeeze and his breath caught in his throat. He was glad his mind had been clear that night, for he would’ve done something he was sure he would come to regret. Yet, in that moment, when all he was saw was blue, the firebender had wanted nothing more than to be held by her, her comfort enveloping him completely.

She had bit her lip, and his eyes had flickered downward to them, plump and rosy. His heart leapt up to his throat and the Fire Lord felt as if he couldn’t breathe, like the room was spinning at dizzying speed.

He had dismissed the tribes’ woman at that moment, rather coldly, now he thought about it. The sole purpose of getting her close was to try and find something, some inkling of information that helped conquer the Northern Water Tribe. And yet, here he was, consumed by grief and despair.

Zuko knew what was said about him. Here in the palace, the echoes of dissidents, mostly from the colonies, people who were as much Earth Kingdom as they were Fire Nation, reached his ears daily. They called him a monster, a dictator, a murderer. At first, when he had been crowned, the words bothered him, flared his ire. He was not what they called him. He had done what he had to, to earn his father’s love.

Love. He chuckled bitterly. His entire life had been wasted trying to be loved. His mother had so. Dearly. So much she had sacrificed everything for him. His uncle had also loved him, more than any man could ever love someone, his son, much like Lu Ten.

 But he had been amiss. There was a hole, deep and hungry, that had only grown bigger when Ursa had left. It demanded, bereft and violent, to be filled. And so, he became the man his father always dreamt he would be. He murdered a man and in doing so he killed the Ursa in him. And the hole grew deeper still, blind to the fact that Ozai’s love, conditional and untrue, was burying him, the man he truly was, under the rubble of his actions.

And then, when the last shred of humanity was about to expire, she had loved him. And it breathed new life into his heart. The hole diminished, only a crack on a wall, for it was exactly what love was supposed to be. Unconditional, gentle, accepting, kind and healing. Still, only a reflection of his former self remained.

He wasn’t the banished Prince Zuko, son of Ursa, anymore. He was Fire Lord Zuko, son of Ozai. That ghost however, haunted every word, every kiss, every sigh that escaped his lips when Mai was around. The kind, gentle boy of his youth possessed him violently and he liked the man he was with Mai. He had left the more grewsome parts of war to Azula, too afraid to see what was truly happening outside his palace, too afraid the specter would completely take over, that weakness Ozai always loathed in him, strong and binding.

When his lady wife announced her pregnancy, Zuko had pressured for the taking of Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom’s last stronghold. He wanted a world of peace for his child, one in which he could nurture his true nature, had it been anything like his or his uncle’s.

He had Ba Sing Se now. Peace was within reach. But they were gone. And so, the hole reopened, a gash larger than it had ever been, bleeding inside his bosom. He had taken to drinking heavily for the months after their passing, now using it as a crutch whenever that perfidious darkness proved to be all too consuming. His father’s son he had become, learning his lesson far too well. Ozai was right. Pain had been his teacher. And so, the world was falling around him, and he would take everyone else along.

But that night, surrounded in blue, the specter had come back. Prince Zuko, son of Ursa had wanted to cry in her arms. There was love in her touch, there was love in her eyes, love for humanity, love for the people around her, love for weakness, unconditional, gentle, accepting, kind and healing.

Zuko sighed. There was nothing to be done. If even the love of his beloved wife, directed only at him, had only bound the ghost, how was a love directed at mankind ever expected to revive it?

.

0

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She sat, leaning against the window, the setting sun dyeing the sky oranges, reds, pinks and purples. Katara figured it made for a beautiful scenery. She had never noticed that the Fire Lord’s chambers had a view of the beautiful garden she had taken a liking to. It contrasted strikingly with the sky, the life around the palace betraying the state of the world outside the capital.

 She could see the baby turtle-ducks following their mommy into her nest, ready to call it a night. The tribes’ woman smiled, her hand supporting her head. She wondered if her Gran-Gran was tucking Sokka into bed back home. He would grumble about being a man now, but she would have none of it. The heaviness settled inside her rib cage and the waterbender sighed into her palm. Soon. Soon this will all be over, she thought. She would be reunited with her family soon enough. Katara dared not think of any other possibility.

The door opened and she spun on the chair, facing the Fire Lord directly. He looked tired and weary, and his golden eyes became guarded when they spotted her.

Katara smiled at him sweetly, standing up and taking a few steps toward the man, before bowing slightly.

“Your Highness.”

Zuko cleared his throat and turned to the fire mantle, lighting it with a small burst of flames from his fist.

The tribes’ woman felt the distance he was trying to put between them. But she would have none of that. She strode to his side, eyeing the bright orange flames.

“I hadn’t noticed your chambers overlooked the garden, milord.” Her voice was delicate and sugary. She was fond of the palace gardens, truly. Katara had figured the only way to truly get the man to lower his guard was to be as truthful as she could. A polished version of herself if one needed to name it. She had spent enough time with the women at the harem to know that its was hard to completely fabricate who you are. It would show on one’s voice, demeanour, words. The Fire Lord wasn’t stupid. He would see right through her, she feared. Thus, Katara could only be Katara. Chanel her inner seductress. Pretend he was a man she was truly interested in. And maybe, the truth was she was. Not carnally but in the duality she sometimes caught, the little sparks of someone other than a beast.

The firebender turned to look at her, his face blank. Still, she saw something behind his eyes. Ah-ah! There it is. The part of you I can get through to.

“It’s my favourite place in the palace, my Lord.” The waterbender smiled at him. “I am always glad in the mornings, when General Iroh spends a little of his time to have tea with me there.” She raised her hand to the mantle, still eyeing the flames. Zuko just looked at her quietly. She straightened and walked to the cabinet, pouring rice wine into two cups. The woman walked back next to him and handed him his glass.

“I’m not sure if you have noticed, my Lord, but the turtle-ducklings are starting to shed their baby plumage for their adult one. Soon they will take flight.” She turned to him and took a sip.

After a pregnant pause, he doused his own wine and strode towards the sofa, where he sat, not speaking a word. The firebender stared at the window, his look far away.

Katara puzzled at his behaviour. It was most unusual for him to stay quiet, for him not to take her actions as a challenge. Katara was starting to worry. Had he caught up to her scheme? Had Ryu outed her as a waterbender? Panic was settling in her stomach.

“Are there turtle-ducks in the Water Tribes?” The firebender asked, looking at her, voice soft.

Katara walked to him and sat on the floor beside his legs. She took another sip of the wine, the alcohol burning her oesophagus, and then she looked up at him.

“No, milord. But we do have penguin-otters.” She smiled. “I used to ride them when I was a little girl, with my brother, back at the south.” Her voice took on a longing tilt.

He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“I don’t remember anything but tiger-seals back in the north.” She focused on remembering. “Oh!” Katara exclaimed, excited, her eyes crinkling on the sides at the memories. “I remember koala-otters. They were so cute, all furry and small. And turtle-seals as well.” The fondness in her tone made the Fire Lord’s lip curl ever so slightly upwards. But she was paying attention. The tribes’ woman looked at him from underneath her lashes, remembering one of Lien’s teachings.

“At this time of year we would all gather around a bonfire, big enough to light up the sky in the dead of night. And we feast in honour of Tui and La, for blessing our Tribe with enough food to enter the winter.” She got up and walked back to the mantle. “In the North festivities are a bit more solemn. But my brother always liked the merriment best. Even in the North he would….” She drifted off and the Fire Lord couldn’t help but internally glee at this very interesting turn of events. He found himself paying much more attention to the way her shoulders trembled ever so slightly at the mention of her brother. He berated himself for it. It was the information he was supposed to be paying the utmost attention to, not the girl.

Her eyes took a faraway quality, her lips quirking at the corners, almost a smile. He could not help but be reminded of his late wife Mai, on her last fatal days, the look she would get on her face while fondling her growing stomach. The quiet peaceful contentment of love. Fire Lord Zuko downed his liquor in one go, chasing the thought away.

He eyed the Tribes’ woman closely, truly taking in her features, maybe for the first time. The shape of her jaw, round and soft, her angular chin, her long eyelashes, that soft, fond smile, the warmth in her blue eyes, dancing in the hearth fire, how that same fire danced against her dark rich skin, making her look like some kind of ethereal spirit, tempting Agni himself. She looked so beautiful in this moment.

Zuko shook his head mentally and cursed his treacherous thoughts.

Katara wasn’t stupid. Innocent and naïve still, but not stupid. She could see the Fire Lord stealing glances at her from the corner of her eye. The woman turned to face him, looking at him from under her dark lashes, exactly like Lien had showed her.

“I heard your Highness has a younger sister.”

The firebender stiffened at the mention of Azula. Oh no. Sister is forbidden territory I reckon. The waterbender scrambled for something else to say. “My brother, the one I was talking about, he is also older than me. His name is Sokka.” His eyes darted towards her face once more, interest peaked. Ha! Gotcha.

 “He must be around your age, your Highness.” Her eyes cast down into the flames. “I haven’t seen him in so very long.” Her voice, low, managed to crack. “I don’t even know if he is still alive.” Her hand reached up to trace her mother’s necklace but something unfamiliar weighed upon her neck, heavy and cold. She was giving up way to much of herself, but it seemed the Fire Lord wanted to hear about it. About her life. How many times had people truly invested their time to her history, her wounds? She bit her lip, her hand falling limply to her lap.

 Zuko watched her intently and a pang of something burrowed inside his chest. Sympathy? No, that wasn’t right. I am the Fire Lord. Some sacrifices are necessary to bring the great vision of my ancestors to fruition. His jaw clenched. After he took the Northern Water Tribe no other girls would lose their brothers. He would make sure of it.

Zuko’s hand lifted slowly, making for her shoulder but stopped mid-air, after her voice filled the air around them once more.

“He liked to make fun of me for….well, for everything.” Her tone was coloured with affection. “But….but he would always compliment my cooking and allow me to follow him everywhere. Which girls shouldn’t, obviously, he would say. But there were so little people in the South at that time, we needed to hunt and fish, all of us.”

She smiled and scooted closer, resting her head against his thigh. He shivered against her, and she could feel the heat of his skin on her cheek even through the fabric of his pants.

Her actions took him off guard for a moment, then the firebender thought, distantly, about his uncle’s advice. Caged birds sing no tunes. He would treat her closer to a lady of his standing, and then when she sang him the information he needed, he would end this war. There would be no more dead brothers.

“You remind me of him. I don’t know why. You are as different as they come.” A pause, and then the woman bit her lip “Maybe…..because you take care of me.” Turning fully towards him, she placed her palm atop of his hand and gave light squeeze. His skin felt feverish in that moment. Her eyes found his. “Thank you.”

Zuko froze. He expected everything from this girl, except for this. Her eyes were warmed, deep as pools of the clearest water, and he felt as if he was drowning. It took him a few seconds to come to, suspicion rousing within him.

He was used to this kind of behaviour, of course, ever since the crown was placed upon his head. Even women who had previously been repulsed by his disfigurement would now do everything in their power to gather his attentions. Yet, he reckoned the Water Tribe woman, with her sharp tongue and cold eyes would probably never care about his standing as Fire Lord. It had been obvious before she found him vile.

That seemed not the case anymore. Maybe the intricacies of harem life had gotten to her, and just like every other concubine, she now felt his interest could serve her.

Zuko didn’t really care, at the present moment, though. He didn’t even care about information, if he was being honest with himself. Her eyes were fixed on him, coloured with something similar to affection, her hand delicate on his, warmer than he would have thought a woman of water to be. It drove him mad, if he took a moment to stop and think about things properly, how his heart was hammering in his chest, how a simple look and touch from this foreigner, this peasant from a land of ice, could make him come alive just like his element.

He knew little about Water Tribe culture, not having been thought by his tutors anything other than trivial facts and information concerning the war. Everything else came from his uncle, and he had been hard pressed to pay attention to the old man’s ramblings. But now he tried to remember as hard as he could anything his uncle had supplied about them. Tribes’ women usually reserved their affections towards their husbands, if his teachings on their culture were to be believed. Rumours about their passionate proclivities also abounded in the Fire Nation. He wondered now if they were true. If this shyness she was displaying with him would turn to lose abandon, were she with a man that would take her to wife.

Katara’s fingers traced light patterns on his skin, caressed the length of his fingers. He watched as she did so, her hand much smaller above his, their skins stark contrast against each other. Her touch was light, tender, and Zuko’s own twitched under hers. It wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t even something he had thought through, more an instinct, a completely unavoidable desire, that drove him to move his hand and lace her fingers with his.

Katara gasped, her eyes finding his, surprise all over her features. The Fire Lord squeezed her hand lightly, almost imperceptibly, hadn’t Katara been a master, her keen senses honed for war.

She swallowed hard and squeezed back. The flames cracked in the fireplace but the two were transfixed on each other for what seemed like and eternity.

The Tribes’ woman was the first to look away, her cheeks tinting a rosy shade of pink the Fire Lord secretly delighted in having provoked.

Katara wasn’t blind. Even scarred, this man was handsome.

She cleared her throat and looked around the room trying to distract her treacherous mind.

“Maybe….maybe I can tell you another tale, Your highness?”

The Fire Lord released her hand, his posture becoming formal. “Carry on”

The waterbender cleared her throat and started. “Once long ago, when the Fire Nation was still one big island, an older couple had given up on having children. It had broken the woman’s heart to do so but life was comfortable, in their little house, growing grain for a life, and selling their surplus on a nearby village.”

The firebender listened intently looking at the Tribes’ Woman.

“One day while out, collecting fruit in a nearby forest the woman found a peach. That is odd, she thought as there was no peach three nearby.”

The man raised his eyebrow. “That is a Fire Nation story. I already know that one” His tone was coloured with amusement.

“Shhh.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Let me finish” The man feigned indignation, but said nothing.

“She took the peach back home to share with her husband. As he cut it open a boy fell out. The couple were surprised, and they thanked the gods for their miracle. They called the boy Momotaro.”

“I used to like that one as a boy.” The Fire Lord looked at her wistfully. “I think my mo-“ He fell silent and got up.

“It is getting late. We both need out rest…” He was suddenly cold, and Katara couldn’t for the life of her figure out what she had said that changed the mood. Maybe he truly was just not right in the head.

“But…”

“Unless you would like to share my bed, as it’s the only one available.” He challenged. The waterbender considered saying yes. Maybe she could kill him in the middle of the night. But she wasn’t ready for what she would have to do before he fell asleep.

“Very well your highness. I hope you have a goodnight.” She said, standing on her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his unscarred cheek.

It was just a second, just a phantom press of her lips to his flesh but his breath stopped.

Katara bit her lip and avoided looking at him at all costs, before she bowed and left.

Her lips had felt soft on his skin and Zuko couldn’t help but feel like he had started a game he had no hope of winning. He only pled to Agni peace would be worth the loss.