Chapter Seventeen

Katara picked her way carefully through the still-slumbering bodies spread on the kitchen floor, eyes searching carefully for Renshu. Spotting him slumbering beneath one of the tables, Katara dropped to her knees and crawled under the table with him.

“Renshu,” she gave his arm a good shove. “Hey, Renshu!”

The eighteen year old merely grunted and rolled over. Katara grimaced, fighting to keep her voice to a whisper.

“Get up!”

Though the words had little effect on the boy, the sharp smack to the back of his head had Renshu wide awake.

“Whazzit?” He peered at Katara through bleary green eyes and his dark hair was astoundingly messy.

“Why aren’t you up? It’s your turn to go and unload the food shipment at the side entrance.”

He merely blinked sluggishly and Katara sighed.

“Renshu! The shipment is already here!”

“What?!” Renshu made to jump to his feet, and hit his head on the underside of the table. A violent stream of curses came from his mouth as he safely manoeuvred his way from underneath the table and hurried from the kitchen.

Katara followed him in a more reserved fashion, and allowed him to lead the way up to the side entrance. As they approached the door, Katara could hear muffled voices from outside, and none of them sounded happy.

Deeming it best to stand back and let Renshu deal with the merchants, Katara watched from the shadows as her friend opened the door. He was met with the sight of several dozen sacks of flour, oats and corn, numerous large baskets of eggs and large parcels which Katara knew contained preserved meat.

The merchant and his workers looked most displeased and Renshu attempted a winning smile.

“Oi, idiot! Do you know how long we’ve been waiting here?”

The smile slipped from Renshu’s face and he hunched his shoulders over and let the irritable man berate him.

When he was done with the ear-lashing, the merchant turned to head back to his horse and cart waiting a short distance away, the young men he had brought with him following.

“H-hey!” Renshu took a step out of the door, his hands raised imploringly. “Aren’t you going to help me get all this stuff inside?”

The merchant looked back over his shoulder and sneered. “We would have if you were here on time, but now we’re running behind on our other deliveries. You’ll have to do it yourself.”

Renshu looked on helplessly as the three men clambered onto the cart and took off down the path, heading out of the palace gates. A great sigh came from the Earth Kingdom native as he slid down the door frame and stared at his burden.

Taking pity on him, Katara decided to come out of hiding. “I’ll help you, you big dope.”

Renshu craned his head back and smiled weakly. “You don’t have to, it’s my fault that I’m in this mess.”

“I know,” Katara replied dryly. “But I’m hardly going to let you shift all this on your own; you’d be here forever.”

Renshu picked himself up off the floor and slung an arm around the shorter girl’s shoulders. “I owe you one, Katara.”

“Just remember that.”

Laughing, Renshu heaved a sack of flour into his arms while Katara tried to gather as many of the large baskets as she could in one go. It took the pair the best part of an hour to move everything from outside down into the large pantry adjacent to the kitchen, and when the last parcel had been put away, the friends stood at the threshold of the side door, staring into the oncoming dawn. As Renshu looked at the rising sun, just a little higher than the palace walls, a sudden thought occurred to him.

“Hey, Katara?”

“Hm?” A pair of bright blue eyes peered up at him, the red sun reflected in them.

“What were you doing up an hour before sunrise?”

“Oh.” Katara scratched the back of her neck sheepishly. “Actually I was just heading to bed.”

“What?”

“Well Prince Zuko trained very late last night and I stuck around until he was finished.” Katara peered up at Renshu and was confused at the dark scowl on his face. “Renshu? What’s wrong?”

“Tell him where to stuff it next time, Katara.”

“Excuse me?”

Renshu’s eyes softened as he looked down at her. “Don’t let him keep you working like that all the time, you need to sleep.”

Katara blinked. “Don’t worry about me, I always find I’m more alert at night, especially considering it’s almost a full moon. Besides, watching Firebending is quite soothing.”

Renshu’s whole body tensed immediately, his fists and jaw clenching. “’Soothing’ isn’t the word that I would use.”

Katara took a step towards the older boy, concerned by his sudden shift in mood, but he quickly turned and headed back in the direction of the kitchens.

“Never mind, come on Katara, you should try and get a nap in while everyone is busy making breakfast. After all, you never know when the Prince will need help tying his boots.”

Katara watched his back as he walked away, and almost flinched at the scathing tone he delivered his last sentence with. A large yawn broke her out of her thoughts as she was reminded of how tired she was. She had actually been up most of the night actively training with Zuko, which was infinitely more tiring than just watching him practice.

Stretching out her sore shoulders Katara followed languidly after Renshu, seriously considering taking up his spot underneath the table in the corner.

The low, soulful sounds of a shakuhachi drifted from the royal tower as the sun slowly dragged itself up into the dusky sky. Princess Azula sat at her window playing the instrument which had been the torment of her childhood. She was in no way denying that the flute did not sound beautiful, it was just something she believed she could have lived without learning.

Though Azula would have preferred to have spent the long hours used to learn the shakuhachi training instead, she was now rather pleased she had persevered. Anything she set out to do was accomplished to great perfection, and the instrument in her hands was no different.

She regarded the bamboo flute in her hands critically for a moment and smirked, pulling it away from her mouth. Those who were skilled enough could turn such a piece of bamboo into a truly beautiful piece of art, and it was the same for people. Just as Azula manipulated the flow of air through the flute with her fingers, a few well placed words in her brother’s ear meant that he practically ran to do her bidding.

Honestly, Zuko was so predictable. Azula never doubted for a moment that he would go running to Mai’s father with the intent to keep the Water Tribe girl with him; after all, it wouldn’t do for poor little Zuzu to loose his link to the outside world. Her brother had failed to see that he was doing exactly as she wanted.

Azula brought the shakuhachi back up to her lips and started an old lullaby her mother used to play whilst sat beneath the trees in the garden. From her high perch she was the first to feel the sun’s rays warm her skin.

Renshu grumbled as he piled the dirty plates up on the dining table. Apparently the damn merchant from that morning had come back to the palace after lunch and told Jiaying that he had slept in, and as punishment Jiaying had made him clear all the mess from dinner on his own.

Unfortunately there was no Katara to help him this time; she had once more taken dinner up to Prince Zuko, and Renshu would bet money on the fact that she came back in the early hours again.

His grouching increased in volume as he made to carry the pile of dirty dishes back down to the kitchens. Lifting the china carefully in his arms, Renshu turned around and almost dropped everything in his arms as he came face to face with Princess Azula.

Though she was quite a bit shorter than him (it was sometimes hard to remember that she was only fourteen) Renshu had difficulty in meeting her shrewd hawk-like eyes.

“Princess.” Renshu inclined his head respectfully and made to step around the girl in front of him, but Azula merely sidestepped to remain in his way.

“It’s very rude to attempt to leave before I finish my business with you, you know and besides, I haven’t even started my business with you, Renshu.”

Green eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What business? And I don’t recall you ever inquiring as to my name, Princess.”

Azula’s mouth twisted up into a dangerous smile. “I’m rather perceptive, it doesn’t take much to find out a person’s name. As for our business I just wanted to ask you where the Water Tribe girl is?”

Renshu felt a great sense of foreboding in the pit of his stomach and regarded Azula warily. “What do you want with her?”

“Oh, I should have phrased my question differently, what I wanted to ask was whether you know where she is?”

“With Prince Zuko I suppose.”

“Exactly.”

Renshu frowned. “What do you mean ‘exactly’?”

Azula circled around Renshu, apparently confident that she had his attention, and took a seat at the dining table. “Well, I’m sure you’ve noticed it too, but it seems to me that my brother doesn’t let that poor girl out of his sight. It’s such a shame for her really.”

“What’s a shame?”

Azula lowered her head in what seemed to be remorse and the hair that fell in from of her face hid the smirk which had spread across her face when she heard the anger in Renshu’s voice.

“I can’t even imagine what she has had to put up with being with my brother, he’s not exactly the most gentle-mannered person in the world.”

“Excuse me, Princess but I am needed in the kitchen. I don’t have time to listen to your stories.” Renshu turned, intent on getting as far away from Azula as possible, when her silky voice wove its way into his ears once more.

“I’d be careful if I were you,” Azula drawled as Renshu walked away. “I know my brother and he’s a typical teenage boy; he sees a pretty girl and… well you know. Besides, who’s going to stop him doing whatever he wants to a servant? He paid a lot of money to keep Katara under his possession, I wonder why he would do that?”

Renshu’s back was stiff as Azula stalked away, a smirk present on her face.

Katara enjoyed the quiet walk back to the kitchens, occasionally passing through puddles of moonlight on the carpeted floor as she moved past one of the large windows.

The late night training sessions were going to catch up on her sooner or later, but Iroh and Zuko thought it would be a good idea to get as much training in as possible during the time surrounding the full moon, and Katara could hardly argue with such logic.

She was reluctant to leave the silver-dappled hallways in favour for the gloomy servant passageways, but there was little choice in the matter. Her pace sped up considerably once on the incline down to the kitchens – she would much rather be in bed than a torch-lit tunnel.

Reaching the kitchen in record time, Katara opened the door slightly and was about to slip into the room before her wrist was grasped. Wheeling around, Katara was surprised, yet relieved, to see that Renshu was the one who had grabbed her.

The boy put a finger to his lips and gestured back up the passageway. Katara nodded and let Renshu pull her back the way she had just walked from.

Renshu stopped far enough down the passageway so that the door to the kitchen wasn’t in sight anymore, and the noise from the boiler room was little more than an almost inaudible humming.

A nearby torch in a bracket on the wall sent flickering shadows across Renshu’s face and it struck Katara that he looked extremely tired, and somehow much older that his eighteen years.

“Renshu? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t reply straight away and Katara watched for a while as his face passed in and out of sharp relief.

“You would tell me if something was wrong, wouldn’t you?”

Katara looked up at Renshu, unsure of what to make of his question. “What’s brought this on?” The normally cheerful boy looked direly serious.

“Just answer the question… please.”

“Of course I would, but I still don’t understand what you’re asking.”

Renshu paused for a while before stepping forwards and placing his large hands on Katara’s shoulders. “If, when you were doing anything around the palace, someone was hurting you, you’d tell me right?”

Katara blinked. “Yes, I suppose so.”

“If someone was making you do something… well, something you didn’t want to do then you’d let me know?”

“Renshu! Can we stop with the questions here? Please, just tell me what you’re trying to say.”

The boy dragged his hand over his face, his mouth a grim line. “Does Prince Zuko hurt you?”

“What! No!” Katara was thrown. “Why would you ask something like that?”

“Katara,” Renshu began, “you don’t need to be afraid to tell people what’s going on. If there is anyone in the palace harming you, we can sort it out.”

Katara furrowed her eyebrows. “Prince Zuko has never hurt me, Renshu. The only person in the palace who has ever caused me any harm is Princess Azula.”

The boy in front of her groaned. “I feel really weird asking this, but I mean… does Prince Zuko hurt you in a way that only men can?” Katara looked blank so Renshu continued. “You know does he try to-“

Suddenly Katara got it.

“What! No! I mean just no! Why would you think such a thing? Prince Zuko is a good person he would – he would never do something like that. What possessed you to ask me something like that?”

Renshu seemed emboldened now that he had a response. “Somebody got me to thinking, and it’s true that you’ve been being summoned by the Prince very frequently and now he’s paid for you to remain in his service. He’s a teenager Katara, there are things he’s capable, and probably willing to-“

“No.” Katara stated firmly. “You listen here. You’re a teenage boy, Renshu, and do you think about doing what you’re suggesting?”

“Well of course I don’t!”

“Then why should Prince Zuko do it either?” She hissed. “Whoever gave you your ‘information’ was either misinformed or just horrible to ever suggest such a thing. Prince Zuko is helping me more than you’ll ever be able to appreciate, and I can’t tell you what he’s actually doing but I assure you that it is nothing like that!”

The angered girl brushed Renshu’s hands from her shoulders and stormed in the direction of the kitchens.

Renshu stared at her retreating back and shook his head. “I don’t think I believe you, Katara.” Once Katara was out of sight Renshu did not follow her, instead he headed in the direction of the main palace, and the royal tower.

I was most definitely exhausted. Training Katara at night until almost dawn may have been good for her progress but it was leaving me almost entirely depleted of energy; my power came from the sun after all.

Uncle could barely keep his eyes open past midnight and he was merely observing so I had decided to call it a night. Katara accompanied me to my chambers in order to show the guards that she was acting as a normal servant should. The guards posted outside my room were dismissed and Katara and I had continued to train in my room, avoiding the more risky manoeuvres of course.

It truly felt like heaven though, lying in my bed waiting for sleep to come and claim me. I would never really complain about the late nights either, because the progress Katara was making was very pleasing – not that her Bending was perfect yet.

The best thing about such rigorous exercise is that it leaves you prone to drifting straight off to sleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. Personally I felt the most relaxed I had been in a long time.

Not so relaxed however, that I wasn’t on my feet in a second when someone burst uninvited into my room.

The fire held ready in my hand lit up the face of the intruder and I was shocked to see that it was Renshu, Katara’s annoying friend who constantly attempted to remove my hood whenever I was in disguise.

I sent the fire from my palms into the lamps around the room, giving us light and leaving my hands free.

“You had better have a good reason for bursting in here like this.”

Renshu sneered at me. “Leave Katara alone.”

“What?” I was completely nonplussed. The man before me seemed furious about something that was apparently my fault.

“You heard me.”

“Why would I leave her alone when she is my personal servant?”

“She’s more than just that you stuck up brat! She’s a person who doesn’t deserve whatever it is you’ve been doing to her.”

The situation wasn’t getting any clearer. “And what, pray tell am I supposedly doing to her?”

“Why don’t you ask your sister?” Renshu hissed.

And suddenly everything makes so much more sense. Azula.

“You’ve been listening to my sister?”

“What she says fits in with things I’ve noticed, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t listen to what she says.”

I scowled at the idiot. “I’ll tell you why. Three words: ‘Azula always lies’.”

Renshu wasn’t put out. “Then why have you been keeping Katara here every night until dawn?”

“It’s really none of your business,” I said smoothly. “Now get out before I remove you myself.”

Turning around, intent on finally getting back into my bed, I was totally taken for surprise when a heavy weight pressed down on my back, forcing me to the ground. It took me less than a second to figure out that Renshu had thrown himself at me and was attempting to strangle me to death.

For a few furious moments we wrestled on the ground as I tried to pry his arms from around my neck, while the fool with a death wish got in a few good punches to my face.

Finally getting my neck free I flipped him over onto his back and knelt on his chest, effectively keeping him pinned.

My face was twisted in anger and I could feel the throbbing of my newly split lip. Using one hand to grip Renshu’s collar, the other ignited a fire dagger.

“Do you want to die you fool?”

“I’d just be glad that I stood up to a creep like you,” he grinned.

I growled low in my throat and pulled him closer to me and the fire in my hand.

“Stop it!”

My eyes closed at the new voice and the flame I held flickered into nothing. I got off the first person who had ever openly attacked me (aside from my family) and looked at Katara.

Her eyes were wide with horror as she looked between the two of us, taking in my cut face and Renshu’s singed shirt. Said boy scrambled up from the floor and met disbelieving blue eyes.

“Renshu,” Katara began, her voice unsure and quiet. “What the hell were you thinking? I told you that you were chasing a lie and yet you still come looking for a fight?” When Renshu opened his mouth to reply, Katara held her hand up. “I really don’t want to know right now.”

There was silence as I watched the looks passed between Katara and Renshu, and eventually the idiot lowered his head and left my room.

Katara followed him with her eyes before turning her questioning gaze on me.

“Azula.” I muttered.

It seemed to be enough for her to understand as her shoulders slumped and she sighed wearily. Moving over to sit on my bed she summoned a stream of water from the basin in the next room and let it surround her hand like a glowing glove. She patted the bed next to her with her other hand and I frowned at her, not understanding.

“You’re bleeding. Let me heal you.”

I brought my fingers to the cut on my lip and looked at the blood which stained my fingers. I stared at the crimson droplets for a moment before moving to sit next to her.

The relief I felt as her fingers lightly brushed my lips was dampened by the knowledge that Azula was up to her old tricks again. I had the feeling that more problems were just around the corner.

…

Yes it’s been a while, I know, but that’s how life goes. University is really more time-consuming than I would have expected, I can’t believe it’s already December!

I was surprised at how many people thought Zuko had outwitted Azula by buying Katara from Mai’s father… come on now, we all know Azula is sneakier than that!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and it’s going to have to last you for a while I’m afraid: I have a lot of work to do in the next two weeks and I’m having surgery the week before Christmas so I’ll be out of commission for a while… but who knows, maybe inspiration will strike at a moment when I actually have free time.

Thank you for your continuing support and reviews, and just in case there is no other update before Christmas then I hope you all have a fabulous festive season!