Entwined

Chapter 3

 "Okay," Katara said quickly to herself. "Okay, there's a man here. In my tower. There's no need to panic."

Panicking was exactly what was needed. However, she managed to keep herself calm.

She cautiously stepped toward the man, making the floorboards squeak. Closer to the man than before, she was able to get a better look at him. He was clad in red, a simple tunic with a black vest, pants and brown boots. The fabric was trimmed with gold. It looked... expensive? Katara knew it wasn't like her own blue dress, but a lighter, softer material.

Katara lowered herself onto her knees, staring at him curiously. Her heart palpitated wildly, reminding her that she had never seen a man before, let alone be in the same room as one.

She marveled at how pale his skin was. She could only see his neck and chin, for his ebony bangs covered his cheek and eye. He didn't look to be very old.

Impulsively, she reached her hand out to his face, brushing his soft hair from his face. With his profile uncovered, Katara gasped loudly, the shock knocking her backwards onto her forearms.

The young man's left eye was marked with an awful scar, the wrinkled and red skin reaching from the middle of his cheek to his left ear. The rest of his porcelain skin was flawless and unblemished.

The young bender openly stared at his scar. She couldn't help it; it was too large and such a contrast to the rest of his face. She wondered just who this man was and what terrible thing had happened to him.

Leaning closer once more, she placed her finger against his scarred cheek lightly. She moved her hand, feeling the rough skin. Katara traced around his eye, his cheek, before traveling along the line of his nose. She felt above his eye where he was missing an eyebrow, then skimmed his forehead.

Her brow furrowed in puzzlement. His forehead was very warm. She felt it once more with the back of her palm. After holding it there for a few moments, she deduced he had a fever. Katara lifted his eyelids, taken aback by his bright golden eyes. He was unresponsive.

Sitting up, Katara frowned, knowing his condition was serious from several healing sessions with her grandmother. He was severely dehydrated, and without help he could die.

She was now faced with a choice. She could either heal him and restore his health, or dump him out the window.

The waterbender sighed. She knew that the first choice was the only option. She couldn't send this man to his death, regardless of the fact that she didn't even know him. Besides, could he really be as bad as her grandmother thought the people of the world were?

Katara reached out to feel his head again, her hand traveling down his warm neck. Her cheeks heated. She prayed to Tui and La that this man wouldn't remember her practically groping him when he woke up.

She knew she needed to get him off of the floor. Looking around, she didn't find any soft surface. She certainly couldn't put him on the table, considering that was where she and Hama ate.

She made a face. Like it or not, she was going to have to get him upstairs and onto her bed.

Standing up, she bent over, hooking her arms underneath his and pulling him across the floor. She didn't get very far. Katara made an aggravated noise. He was heavier than she anticipated.

However, she persevered. One thing that Hama always said was that she was strong enough t do anything. She just needed to focus.

Mouth set in determination, she tightened her hold on him. Pulling hard, she was able to get him across the floor and up the stairs. It wasn't a quick process. When she dragged him past her door, she had to pause for a moment to catch her breath. She then proceeded to get him to her bed. Next, she had to get him onto the soft blue covers. Katara tried lifting him multiples times with no luck. She then attempted to push his torso up first and legs second, but his body slipped and he hit the floor with a loud thud.