Zutara

4

Zuko's POV

"It's my brother." As if it was perfect timing a messenger dashes in. She frantically says, "My lord, the Water Tribe are here!"

Katara gasps and turns to the main hall but I grab her wrist stopping her. "Listen. If you choose to go home with your brother I need you to know something."

She pulls her wrist away from me and says, "Either say it or allow me to leave."

"I'm-"

I groan and pull her towards me and whisper,"Blue Spirit." Her eyes widen and she gasped not believing what she's hearing. Then, Sokka and some water tribe guards come bursting through the door.

"Katara!"

"Sokka!"

She runs into his arms they share a long awaited embrace. "Thank god you're okay."

He stops talking for a moment and glares at me. Katara stops hugging him for a moment and stares at us as if to see who is going to say something first.

"It's a pleasure to meet you-"

Sokka growls out, "Save it, you no-good-over-grown-fire-breathing lizard!"

Katara smacks his arm, "Enough Sokka, he's been keeping me safe here."

He scoffs loudly and turns to her. "Katara, I met that slimy little bastard that bought you! He was ranting about you in the streets, paying people to get you back to him so he can sell you to the highest bidder!"

She gasps and covers her mouth and slowly crosses her arms in front of her chest as if she's self conscious.

He walks towards me and pokes me in the chest threateningly. My guards get into a fighting stance the second he touched me but I silently motion for them to stop and dismiss them momentarily.

"If you dared to touch my sister like one of your affairs or you'll earn yourself a war!"

Katara grabs Sokka's arm and pushes him away, gently putting her hand on my chest.

She raises her hand in the air pulling the moisture out of the morning dew and freezes Sokka's feet to the ground.

"Now that I have your attention, enough fighting. Sokka when I first got here I landed in an earth village. The crew threw me off and I scraped my arm. Zuko was hiding out there, helped wrap my wound and find a place to stay."

Sokka glares at Zuko and takes out his boomerang. He hacks the ice of his feet. "And? Katara, father has been worried sick about you! He wasn't thinking this would take this long for you to get back. We need to take you home. I have other business to do instead."

"Like what?"

"For some reason people are hunting down our people for sport."

I turn to Zuko with a hurt expression as if to ask if he knew. Zuko gently wraps his hand around my waist and says firmly, "I had no idea. Let me come with you and Katara to figure this out. I know this land better then anyone."

Sokka rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. "Fine. We leave in the morning."

Katara's POV

I nod and grab Sokka's hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm okay. Now you and your men can go rest from the long journey."

Sokka nods firmly and walks away with his guards.

The second he leaves I hear Zuko sigh in relief. "Oh thank god. I thought he was going to take you away from me."