Don't Worry I'll Save You From the Pirates

'ughhh!' Katara screamed in frustration as she dropped her water for the fifteenth time that night.

'why can't I get it!' she screamed to the moon but it only looked back at her in silence.

Katara decided to take a walk down the river bed to let loose some of her frustrations before she headed back to camp.

She thought of all the events of the day, how she stole from pirates and then how she snapped at Aang. She could tell that she hurt his feelings after all he was just a kid who didn't deserve her anger.

She sighed and she rounded a bend and screeched as she came face to face with the pirates from earlier.

She pulled water from the river into her hands and dropped into a fighting stance as she slowly backed away preparing to make a run for it.

She threw her water into their faces turning it into ice at the last moment to stun them and turned and ran but her escape was short-lived when she bumped into a warm, hard solid chest.

Big hands, roughened by callouses encircled her wrists to keep her in place. A deep voice spoke quietly to her,

'don't worry I'll save you from the pirates,'

She recognized that voice and her breath quickened and her heart dropped as she looked up into the golden eyes of the fire prince.

He had a self-satisfied smile on his face that looked harsher than usual due to the bright moonlight casting shadows.

Katara was too stunned to speak or move.

What is he doing here? She thought and didn't even realize he had started to pull her into the forest. She caught herself and started to fight him vigorously but he wouldn't budge from her wrists.

With the help of one of his crew, he tied her to a tree. Katara kept struggling but the river was too far away now for her to pull water and with her hands bound she was stuck.

'would you quit it,' he said exasperatedly, 'it's useless. Besides ill let you as soon as you tell me where the avatar is,'

'I would never tell you where Aang is.' She bit back.

'Hmm, you see I need the avatar to regain my honour, you should understand as you have lost something too,' he said while coming up behind her and speaking to her ear.

Katara's heart raced quicker at his nearness but faltered as she felt a familiar weight settle against her neck.

'my mother's necklace! Give it back!'

Zuko chucked moving away with the necklace dangling from his fingertips

'so now you understand. I'll return something you lost and you'll help me to be able to return home. Just tell me where the avatar is.'

He came up to her, stood in front of her, and grabbed her chin.

'i'll release you after you tell me,'

she just stared at him defiantly. he dropped her chin and stepped back.

He began to study her and she him. His gaze was calculating, trying to figure out what tactic to try next if she didn't cooperate. As Katara kept looking at him she saw something in his gaze but it was gone quickly she swore it looked like sadness or longing. She wondered why he was so sad was it because he needed to find the avatar? Was there more to this prince besides him being a fire nation?

Katara couldn't dwell on these thoughts any longer because all of a sudden sounds of fighting filled the air.

'your highness!' a soldier ran up to Zuko

'yes?' he responded

'the avatar has arrived the pirates found their camp,'

Zuko nodded and made his way towards the fighting leaving Katara alone with another guard.

The guard fell to the ground as Sokka snuck his way up behind him and whacked his head with his boomerang.

"sokka!' she said in relief

'remember this the next time you bitch to me about my dirty socks, sis'

Katara rolled her eyes and smiled while she hugged him as soon as her hands were free.

They ran to help Aang

***

The fight was over and the gang made their escape on Appa. Katara looked back at the prince who still had her necklace. She turned away in sadness. Aang noticed and tried to cheer up saying they'll get back the necklace soon. She gave him a small smile before looking towards the horizon. She couldn't help but think about the flash of sadness in the prince's eyes, for some it bothered her and she wanted to find out why he was sad. She scolded herself, he was fire nation why should she care? But she couldn't help herself from thinking.

***

Zuko lay in his bed and found himself rubbing the textured waves of the necklace in his hands. When his uncle entered his room.

'don't worry price Zuko, there will be other opportunities,' his uncle said reassuringly, always the optimist as he left Zuko to his thoughts.

Zuko looked at the necklace and thought back to the girl it belonged to. He hadn't intended on getting close to her but after he caught her in his arms, felt her small wrists, and caught a glimpse of her scent, something just came over him.

Her neck smelled of jasmine, he didn't even like jasmine that much but he found himself reconsidering that.

He fixated on the small catch in her breath as he drew close to her ear. He found he wanted to hear that sound again.

Zuko slapped his forehead and groaned. What the hell is wrong with me? She is a water tribe peasant. The enemy. A means to an end or so he told himself as he drifted off to sleep with the necklace still in his hand.

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