Hi everyone!
So sorry it’s taken so long to update, I’ve been really busy recently. I hope you’re all having a great holiday.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (it’s very belated, but whatever :D)
As a present to you all (well, it depends on whether you like my writing or not), I’ve made this an extra-long chapter. I really hope you don’t find it boring.
Love you all.
-Ellie
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Footsteps echoed down the metal hallway, alerting the sleeping waterbender to the guard’s presence. She brushed the brown ringlets invading her vision away from her eyes and sat up, groaning.
Slowly, Katara’s foggy mind registered the cold seeping through the folds of her blue chiffon dress. She looked down and realised she’d spent the entire night on the freezing iron floor of her cell. The patterned metal of the ship had imprinted on her cheek, and Katara couldn’t help but chuckle at the peculiar welts it had left.
But her good mood faded as suddenly as it had come as the realisation that she was still stuck in the same dismal situation settled on her. Katara prided herself in the fact that she was strong-minded enough to think her way out of difficult circumstances, but still. Shouldn’t she have heard something from Aang and Sokka? Or didn’t they care?
The waterbender shook her head violently, trying to clear her head of poisonous thoughts.
No, she told herself. They will be doing everything they can, and you know it.
Meanwhile, Katara had to help herself. Her eyes zeroed in on the irregular dent in the top left-hand corner of the cell where she’d used her hair pin to scratch at the weakened metal. The Dragon of the West’s hint had been spot on with its implication, and Katara couldn’t help wondering why Zuko’s uncle would want to help her. After all, he was Fire Nation and very close to the Fire Prince. Surely his loyalty should lie with his nephew?
Evidently not. Katara had spent hours puzzling over Iroh’s motives, but hadn’t got very far.
She wasn’t going to complain though. Without her bending, Katara was useless. It had never occurred to her that her abilities could be stopped. Stupid, really. She should’ve thought further ahead. But it was too late now.
Even if she wouldn’t admit it, Iroh had done her a huge favour by helping her out. Katara didn’t want to think about what would’ve happened (or not happened, as the case would’ve been) if she’d been left without aid. Who knew where the boys were; it had been four days since she’d last seen them and Katara was actually beginning to think they weren’t coming. She hoped nothing had happened to them.
But she trusted them both to look after themselves. Especially Aang. Not that her brother couldn’t look after himself, but she knew from experience that his impulsive tendencies could cause more problems than they solved. Even if Aang was three years younger, he seemed more mature somehow.
Sometimes, anyway.
She stood up, groaning as her cramped muscles stretched into more natural positions. Attempting to roll the crick out her neck, Katara made her way over to the wall. She dragged her light-weight bed into the corner and climbed up. The springs creaked as Katara adjusted her weight and she glanced nervously at the door, expecting a fire-wielding guard to burst through any minute. Luckily, the two guards assigned to watch her were too busy bickering over who had won their card game, so the waterbender turned her back on the door and faced the wall.
