Entwined

Chapter 16

Katara took off running the second her boots crunched onto the icy shore of the Southern Water Tribe once again.

Before, when the ship had neared the tribe, the waterbender had commanded a member of the crew to release the people that Hama had taken as prisoners. She had wanted to speak with them, wanted to apologize for the horrific actions of her late master, but when they were docked she decided it would have to wait.

Now, she sprinted through the tribe, breathing hard and hoping she wasn't too late.

The igloos and tents were forebodingly empty as she passed them. Katara ran toward the large igloo at the tribe's center, where it seemed every tribesperson had gathered in a semicircle. As Katara neared the scene the silent crowd was a wall between herself and whatever was causing the people's curiosity.

As she pushed her way through, stepping on toes and tripping on legs, she heard an authoritative voice speak, cutting through the harsh wind as it addressed the people.

"- the crimes of this man are great, and cannot be overlooked. However," the voice paused and Katata kept shouldering her way past the people of the tribe, and she could just barely see the top of the head of the man who spoke. "He has not committed any criminal acts against our tribe, or on our soil, as far as we know."

As the last few words were spoken, Katara managed to see over the shoulders in front of her, and her heart lurched in her chest.

She saw Zuko, on his knees in the freezing snow and bound to a wooden pole behind him. His clothes had little slices all over, littered amidst burns and scorch marks. She sighed in relief; Katara had seen him looking much, much worse. The feeling was short lived, however, as she heard the next words from the tall man standing a few feet away from the firebender.

"Therefore, he will be transported back to the Fire Nation, where his people will decide his fate accordingly."

"No!" Katara cried. She lunged forward, breaking through the blue wall. No one stopped her as she ran to the firebender's side. His golden eyes instantly flashed with recognition as she fell to her knees in front of him.

Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she reached a shaky hand out to him. "Zuko," she whispered. Seeing him again brought a warmth to her chest despite the freezing air.

As her hand landed on his good cheek, he started in a gruff voice, "Katara, I'm-"

"I know," she assured him, whether his next words could have been an apology, a confession of his identity, or something else.

"And you're-"

"I know," she said once again with a smile. "I know."

His eyes, which had softened when he first saw her, now became hard stones of amber. "I can't let you do this," he told her. "I can't let you interfere."

A quiet sob racked her body as she brought her other hand up to cup his face, her cool, smooth fingers caressing the hard skin of his scar. "And I can't let you die," Katara softly responded.

The waterbender heard various murmurs of "Who is she?" and "I've never seen her before," around her, but she only paid attention when the man who appeared to be in charge moved forward. "Step aside, girl. This man is wanted by the Fire Nation, and he will be sent back to his homeland to be dealt with."

Katara stood, making herself a barrier between this man and Zuko. She shook her head. "I won't let you," she told him as she met his blue eyes with a cold gaze.

She had expected the man to be furious, to have her taken away from the scene, but instead his eyes clouded with intense curiosity. "What is your name?" he asked after a moment.