Chapter Text
It had been 5 days since the loss of Ba Sing Se. Or 6? Katara had no idea how much time had truly passed. The hours passed by unnoticed by her underneath Lake Laogai. The only light she saw was from the soft green glow of the torches illuminating the murky stone walls. Her wrists were bound painfully with a metal cuff to keep her from bending. Meals of moldy rice were served at seemingly random times, a trick the Dai Li used to destabilize those who opposed their rule. The air was damp and stale, its coolness causing Katara to shiver. “Aang…where are you?” Katara thought, as her eyes welled up with tears. The last time she saw him was after she revived him from the lightning strike that could’ve killed him before the Dai Li agents dragged her away to the depths. Sokka and Toph managed to secretly escape with the wounded airbender, but Katara was the sacrifice they left behind for the Fire Nation. Katara remained hopeful that the Gaang hadn’t abandoned her, and would break her out soon, but each passing day took a sliver of optimism from her.
The Dai Li agents seldomly walked past her cell, and even during the daily rounds they walked softly, to avoid being noticed by prisoners. However, Katara noticed that today the soft taps were replaced by heavy, thoughtful footsteps. Each knock seemed louder than before, and as the steps approached her cell door, Katara heard the faint clang of metal plates. Her iron cell door was forcefully opened by two Dai Li agents, who immediately entered and pushed her slumped body to the floor, her face hitting the ground. “On your knees, prisoner” one of them commanded.
As Katara, woken from her depression by the suddenness of this event, pushed herself up off the ground onto her knees. As she raised her head towards the door, she finally saw her surprise guest.
“Hello, peasant.” Katara was jolted awake by the face she saw, as if hit by electricity. The caramel eyes glaring at her, the gleaming black hair neatly tied into a top knot, and most importantly the scheming smile hiding evil intentions behind it. She recognized the Fire Nation Princess that hunted her and her friends. It was terrifying to see her sharp royal armour, hear the dominance dripping from her voice, and feel her piercing stare, but Katara also felt exhilarated. It was a break from the monotony of prison, if nothing more. “A…Azula?” Katara responded. “Aw, were you hoping for a visit from Zuzu? He told me all about your little heart-to-heart in the catacombs”. Katara winced at the pain the memory brought back. She trusted Zuko, and it brought her here: in a cell at the mercy of Azula. “Well, peasant, anything you want to say? I’ll allow it” continued Azula, smirking. “What…are you doing here?” Katara was bewildered. What could Azula possibly want? What could Katara give her? She had spent almost a week in prison. The Gaang was far away, and Zuko had betrayed her. What kind of information could she possibly give up that would be of interest to the princess and her conquest?
“Where can I find the Avatar? I know he’s alive” Azula pressed. Her words commanded the room. The weight of each syllable was overpowering. She bent over, leaning close to Katara, and hissed, “tell me, Katara, or you’ll regret it”. Katara breathed heavily, feeling the heat of the firebender envelope her after days of numbing cold from her stone cell.
“I don’t know. I promise, I really don’t”.
Azula pulled back, and her red lips furled, betraying a pang of frustration at those words, but she could tell Katara was speaking the truth.
“Very well, then I’ll leave you to it, whatever you do in this miserable place” Azula said with a smile, as she turned away and took a step towards the door. Katara shifted, her knees feeling weak, and her stomach growling, begging for proper food. “Unless?” Azula turned back, her eyes analyzing Katara’s every movement. “W—what?” Katara muttered.
“Unless you serve me”.
Katara’s heart jumped at the proposition. She didn’t know how to react. What use does Azula have for her?
“Well, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, what do you say?” Azula approached Katara, grabbed her bound wrists, and yanked her towards herself. Katara let out a yelp from the pain, her breaths shallow. “I’ll let you out of these if you bow down to me”. Azula was at her prime. She had backed Katara into a corner and was enjoying every second of watching her slowly break and do her bidding. Katara nodded. “Say it” commanded Azula. “I will serve you, Princess”.
Katara sighed as Azula slowly let go of her grip on her wrists. “Let her out!” shouted Azula at the Dai Li, who scrambled to unlock the shackles. “Bring her to the palace. Tell the servants to clean her up.”
Katara glanced at the door, watching the Princess quickly exit, with the same confidence steps she first heard approach her cell. Katara’s hands shook. “Serving Azula is the only way I can survive. I must do this, for Aang. He wouldn’t want me to starve in a prison” thought Katara to herself. Yet somehow, the thought of Aang was only secondary to the thoughts of the icy, calculating princess.