Memories From The Past (Zutara)

2: The Fire Nation

 Katara woke up tangled in dark red sheets. Her head was throbbing, she tried to sit up but found herself in too much pain. She turned her head around the room. There was a flag with a big flame symbol on it, and a chair next to the bed with a man in it.

"You're up. We were getting worried." The man offered her a kind smile. 

"Where am I? Who are you?" She asked in a quiet voice. Katara tried to get up again, but pain shot through her.

"Hey hey, calm down." The stranger said in a soothing voice. "I'm Lu Ten and you're on a Fire Navy ship heading toward the Fire Nation." He tried to say this in the nicest way possible, he wanted her to feel as comfortable as he could. He didn't know what would happen to the young water bender when they got there.

"What's the Fire Nation?" 

Lu Ten's eyes widened, he immediately called for a doctor. Once the doctor got there, he examined her, taking a close look at her head.

"Is there something wrong with me?" Katara asked in a sad voice.

"You just bumped your head pretty good, so we want to make sure you're ok." Lu Ten reassured her and put his hand on her tiny shoulder.

"What's your name, young lady?" The doctor asked Katara.

Katara's eyes wandered to the ceiling, pondering the answer. "I'm not sure."

"That's ok," Lu Ten interjected. "It's Katara." 

The doctor glared at Lu Ten.

"I like my name." Katara smiled to herself.

"Do you know who your parents are?" The doctor continued to question.

"No, I don't."

"Do you remember anything about them? Maybe their names, or what they look like?"

"Well I guess they must look like me." 

The doctor stopped asking her questions and asked Lu Ten to follow him into the hallway. "I think it best that we should not try and ask her anymore about her home. It might be better if you presented her to Fire Lord like this, and not some like some Water Tribe rebel." 

Lu Ten didn't like the way he spoke, but knew he was right. He went back into the room to check on Katara.

"Am I ok?"

"Yes, you're fine. You just need to drink plenty of water and get some rest." Lu Ten pulled the blanket up to her chin. "We're going to reach the Fire Nation tomorrow."

"What's the Fire Nation?" She asked again.

"You'll see tomorrow, get some rest now." Lu Ten walked out of the room. 

Katara laid back down in the bed. She was having a hard time trying to fall asleep. She had no memories to think about to help her drift off to sleep.

The ship stopped suddenly; it jerked back which caused Katara to wake up. Terrified, she looked around the unfamiliar room. She thought back to how she got here but couldn't seem to actually remember. The big iron door opened, and Lu Ten stepped in. Despite just meeting him yesterday she already felt very safe around him.

"Good morning, we just anchored, and everyone is very eager to meet you." Lu Ten lied. No one was excited to meet Katara. All they wanted was to know why she was here in the Fire Nation. 

Katara smiled as she realized she could sit up without being crushed by an awful headache. She stood up, and realized she never understood how much taller Lu Ten was compared to her. Lu Ten pulled a box off of the table by the bed. "This is for you."