The Forgiven (Zutara)

Old Habits

Katara POV
I felt a burning pain on my stomach. Then flashes of everything came back to me. I gasped and sat up despite the pain. "Zuko?" I called out. I looked around. I was in a dark metal room I couldn't even see 2 feet in front of me. "Zuko!" I screamed.

"Katara! Katara I'm here!" I stood up, stumbling forwards but I was stopped when I was about 2 feet from the barred door. I looked at my ankle, it was shackled. "Katara are you okay?" He asked. I looked down at my stomach which was still bleeding.

"Yeah. Yeah I'll live. Are you?" I asked. I could just vaguely see him in the dungeon across from mine. He gave me a small reassurance, nodding his head.

"Don't worry the family reunion will happen soon enough." A man said standing in between the two dungeons. I needed to sit down, so I stumbled back over to the middle of the room. With no water I couldn't heal my wound.

"Katara? What's happening?" Zuko asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine." I replied but my voice was weak. Sleep called my name so seductively I couldn't help but succumb to it. When I woke again I was in a bigger room, there was light and instead of my ankle being shackled, my arms were. All of us were here. Zuko was in the middle of saying something when one of the guards saw I was awake.

"Sir. She's awake." The guard said.

"Oh good. I'm not going to lie to you sweetheart. This is going to hurt." He said raising his hand to my wound. Before he did anything the mark on my wrist that signaled the link between Freya and I shined bright. "What is that? What're you doing?" He asked.

"Well you are right sweetheart, this is going to hurt. But it won't last long. Promise." I spoke. Freya pounced on his back, dragging him to the ground. As other guards rushed in, she broke the chains that were on Zukos arms. He helped her fight off the guards and as soon as there was a break between people, they worked on getting everyone else out. When Zuko unchained me next, I stopped him from helping me up.

"Zuko I need you to cauterize the wound. I won't make it out here alive if the bleeding doesn't stop." I said. He shook his head.

"No! No! I'm not going to burn you Katara!" He said.

"Zuko! This is life or death! Don't think of it like that! You're saving my life if you do this!" I said trying to reason with him.

"She's right. She's lost too much blood already." Ikem said. "I used to be a medic." He continued.

"Katara I-"

"Zuko! I'm dead if you don't!" I said grabbing his shoulders trying to get it through his head. I could see the panic in his eyes. "Zuko." I said stopping him before he did it. "Don't let up until it's sealed." I told him. He hesitantly nodded. He started to burn me and I tried to hold it together for as long as I could so he didn't feel so bad but I broke and started trying to push him away from me. He grabbed my hand with his other one and stopped me. As soon as it was sealed and over with he pulled me close to him in a tight hug. "Thank you." I spoke weakly breathing heavily. "We need to move. Come on. Freya, the way out." I told her. She nodded and led the way tackling anyone that stood in our way, Zuko carried me the entire way, and when we were finally outside I told freya to turn into a dragon. We all climbed on her and she took off leaving the men rushing towards us in the dust. When we were miles away she landed and Zuko lifted me off her and carried my to the lake she'd landed near.

Everything was turning black. I kept trying to bend but I'd start to black out as soon as I did. Freya walked over in the shape of my mom, and bended water onto my stomach for me. I was so delusional I began to call her mom. After she'd healed me I passed out.