Katara is captured during a Fire Nation raid. When her identity as a chief's daughter marks her out as a valuable hostage, she is taken under the protection of Prince Zuko, her safety and wellbeing dependent on her people's cooperation. Passions rag...
Katara and Zuko made an appearance on the deck around sunrise to throw off suspicion. Why would they be out this early if they'd snuck out for a rescue mission the night before? Iroh was the only other person out on the deck. The old man was playing his tsungi horn for an audience of confused-looking penguin-seals. Katara couldn't tell if Iroh was a good tsungi horn player or not. The instrument generally sounded like something between a polar bear-dog's fart and a walrus-whale dying while calving. Iroh put down the mouthpiece of his tsungi horn when Zuko and Katara approached. "Nephew," he said. "You missed music night. Lieutenant Jee sang a stirring love song." Poor Iroh always tried and failed to get his nephew to attend the music nights held every week for the crew. "I'm going back to bed," Zuko grumbled. "I didn't sleep well last night." He brushed past his uncle and turned back towards his cabin. Iroh's eyes twinkled at Katara. "The only thing music night lacked, aside from my nephew, was a certain lovely soprano voice, perhaps singing Leaves from the Vine." Katara's heart pounded. Had Iroh heard her singing on the deck last night? "Leaves from the vine, falling so slow, like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam..." Iroh bowed to Katara before taking leave of her. Across the way loomed Zhao's ship. Everyone on board was probably waking up and would soon realize that the Avatar was missing. Hopefully, the poor boy was many miles away by now and heading somewhere safe. Avatar Aang reminded Katara of a baby penguin seal with his big gray eyes and filled her with a desire to protect him. It was nice to be the protector for once after a lifetime, being the one who needed protection. Iroh poked his head out from behind the cabin door. "Have you eaten yet, my dear?" he said. Katara shook her head no. "Then why don't you come in for some tea and Manju buns?"
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She followed him inside. A nice hot cup of green tea and a steaming Manju bun were precisely what she needed to steady her nerves enough to face the coming storm. Breakfast and a long chat with the Iroh about how music night went almost made Katara forget that Zhao would be there any moment to confront Zuko about the missing Avatar. The General's hot tea and pastries lulled Katara into a false sense of security. His voice itself was like tea: warm and soothing. "You and Prince...Lord Zuko were nowhere to be seen last night," Iroh said. Calling his nephew by his new title still apparently took getting used to. "Where were you keeping yourselves?" Katara lowered her eyes. "We were in our cabin the whole time." Sometimes the most obvious choice for a lie was the most effective. "Ah, young love... should we all expect a royal baby in the near future?" "If Tui and La will it?" Katara turned away from Iroh. Spirits, this was embarrassing. But, it wasn't as bad as admitting she and Zuko had snuck out to free the Avatar from Zhao's clutches. When Katara looked back on the night after the summit, at her and Zuko's second kiss, at how they fell asleep entwined together, it was with shame and unfulfilled longing. The Fire Nation saw her as a conquered savage on her back. To the Water Tribe, she was a traitor who'd opened her legs for the enemy. Katara was neither, despite what her unruly passions wished had happened. Was committing a sin in your heart as bad as committing it in the flesh?
