Falling for the Enemy (Sun and Moon Book 1)

Chapter 21 - First Sight

"Aaah!"

Zuko turned quickly at the soft cry, catching Kara as she tumbled down the slope. They scraped against a boulder before hitting the ground, Zuko cradling Kara's body with his own.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded, pushing away from him. He ignored the stab of pain that shot through his heart. He'd thought he was making progress, but ever since that night in the cave, she'd been quiet and withdrawn, and every time he tried to talk to her, she snapped at him or pulled away.

It was killing him, and worse than that, he felt helpless. Zuko didn't like feeling helpless. He sighed and turned his steps again to the rocky, uneven path.

They were now on the banks of the lake, with Full Moon Bay stretching out to their left. Only a few hours' walk from the Serpent's Pass.

Zuko didn't know what to think about that- from the way Kara acted, taking the Serpent's Pass was stupid, but they didn't exactly have another way.

It was this or- or nothing. Or settle down in some Earth Kingdom town, like Gaipan. They could always head southwest to Omashu, but it would just take them farther out of the way.

He raised his eyes to Kara's straight-backed figure, trudging along in front of him. They'd walked farther in the last three weeks than Zuko had ever had to walk in his life, and he knew it was the same for Kara.

She'd been virtually kidnapped from the only thing she knew, and dragged across the world by a man she considered her enemy.

But she hadn't complained, not once. She yelled at him sometimes, or just glared at him. She'd told him on more than one occasion that she hated him.

But she never mentioned the grueling pace, the hard ground, the cold nights, the scarce food, the loose, threadbare clothes she wore, the endless placing of one foot before the other. She hauled water and wood for their night-camps, she threw stones at small animals for food- she'd even waded into a thorn bush to get to the berries in its center.

And every day, every minute, every second that passed, Zuko was more amazed. She walked with her back ramrod-straight, kept her head held high.

And every day, Zuko watched her and remembered a time when she'd been just a face he'd seen, just a means to the end of capturing the Avatar and getting his honor back. He looked back at the boy he'd been, and he hated himself.

How could he have treated this beautiful, strong young woman so horribly? He'd tied her to a tree! He'd said things, done things, that he couldn't believe he'd done. And she'd still given her life for him.

Maybe not literally, but she'd still lost everything. And everyone.

One thing hadn't changed, of course- she still hated him. No matter who she was, Zuko still managed to make her so mad at him that she couldn't speak. He felt horrible. And he had no idea how to change it.

That was probably the saddest thing of all.

Up ahead, Kara disappeared over yet another rise. An uneasy feeling curled in Zuko's stomach, as it did whenever he couldn't see the Water Tribe girl.

Well, technically she was Earth Kingdom now, but though Zuko had become accustomed to thinking of her as Kara, he could never reconcile this docile non-bender with the powerful waterbender he knew her to be.

Zuko hurried up the rise, peering over, eyes searching for a glimpse of Kara. But what he saw instead made him stop in his tracks.

There, stretching out before and above them like a ribbon of earth, was a twisting, rolling cliff. A small track that could be defined as a pathway was etched into it, and Zuko swallowed as he stared at it.

No wonder they called it the Serpent's Pass- it was a giant serpent of earth. And Zuko had no doubt that it would be every bit as treacherous as a serpent. He slowly pulled his eyes from the pass and scanned the soft decline in front of him. A few feet below him, staring into the frothing lake, stood Kara.

Zuko walked up beside her, following her gaze. All he saw was water.

"What are you looking at?"

She started, turning to him slightly. His eyes met hers, and he could see the struggle in them. Answer him, or ignore him?

After a moment, she chose a point between the two. She shrugged her shoulders and then turned to the path, leaving Zuko staring into the lake, wondering what went on in her head when she watched the water like that.

Did some part of her sense her connection to the element? Did she miss it?

Zuko couldn't imagine what he'd do if he suddenly couldn't bend fire. It would be... it would be like missing an arm or a leg- no, it'd be like missing his heart.

Of course, Kara didn't know that she was once a waterbender... but maybe some small part of her remembered. Maybe someday, all of her would remember.

Zuko didn't know whether to fear that day or welcome it.

With a shake of his head, he followed Kara up the Serpent's Pass.

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-Eon