The Sea of Ice (Sun and Moon Book 2)

Chapter 31 - Secret Room

CHAPTER 31 - SECRET ROOM

Zuko and I haven't spoken more than three words to each other in three days. I feel worse than ever about fighting him, but I don't know how to approach the subject. Can I just apologize? How do I even do that when I'm supposed to hate him?

We haven't been attacked in awhile, either. I think it's too cold for animals now. We HAVE to be getting close! I can't take much more of this cold, and Zuko's firebending is weaker than I've ever seen it. The sun starts to sink over the horizon, and I drop my numb arms, barely feeling the twinge of movement. I step off the sled and spin, raising blocks of snow and ice around us with practiced ease. Zuko breathes fire into the air--the warmth will dissipate quickly, but for now I can actually feel tingling across my body, even in my hands and feet!

It hurts in a way, but it also feels good. Zuko unpacks, laying out our furs and opening the containers of meat. He seems to be favoring his right arm again and I frown. When he sees me looking, though, he grabs a container with his right hand and holds it out to me. I guess I'm seeing things.

I take it, both of us silent. Soon enough our rations are gone, the containers are put away, and we are both curled into our furs, shivering and trying to still the constant chattering of our teeth.

I sleep, my dreams haunted by faceless monsters and icy winds that blow me into pieces and scatter me across the world. Then, the dream changes, as it often does. The cold is gone, replaced by the comparatively mild weather of the North Pole. I'm standing on the cliff again, reliving for the thousandth time the look on Zuko's face as he sees the firebender behind me. The way he holds me up over the cliff, the look in his eyes begging me not to let go. Don't let go of him. Never let go of him.

But I have to let go of him. I have to... don't I?

I wake, my heart pounding. That dream is the worst of them. I roll over slightly, and see Zuko. He's sitting up, his right arm bare in the freezing cold. In the moonlight that shines through the ice of our igloo, I can see that the skin of his arm is mottled and dying. I've seen this before, in the South Pole. Frostbite. I gasp and sit up, and he jerks slightly, his amber eyes going wide.

"Katara!"

I clamber out of my furs and sit beside him; he tries to hide his arm from me but I grab his wrist, trace the lines of the horrible wound. "I... did I... did I do..." I can barely form the words, blood rushing through my head.

"It wasn't your fault."

"OF COURSE IT WAS MY FAULT!" I grip the sides of my head, tears streaming down my face as I rock back and forth. "I'm... La... I'm so sorry, Zuko. I'm so, so SORRY. I don't... I don't know why I'm like this. I don't understand... I'm so SORRY." He wraps his arm around me, holds me to his side. He is warm, even in the frigid air.

"It's okay, Katara."

"Why don't you hate me?" I whisper the words, crying into his chest.

"I..." I look up at him, meet his beautiful amber eyes as he stares down at me. His arm around my waist tightens. "I can't hate you, Katara. I... can't."

I look down, feeling guilt squeeze my chest. He WILL hate me, for what I've done. "Zuko..."

He flinches slightly as I pull away from him. "I'm sorry." I whisper the words again. I don't know how to say what needs to be said.

I pull water from the snow around us, forming it into a ball. "Heat this for me?" Confused, he does, placing a hand under the floating ball of water and lighting a flame in his palm. Soon enough the water no longer feels like ice, and I cover my hands with it. It starts to glow, and I place my hands on Zuko's arm. He hisses out a breath as my healing power starts to take effect. When I remove my hands, the skin of his right arm is still mottled red and yellow, but all the purple is gone.

"It will take a few more treatments before your arm is back to normal, but you won't lose it."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, Koko. I don't deserve it."

With that I return to my furs and curl up in them, resigned to another night of dreams that will haunt my waking hours.

**__**

Mai and Kamil walked along the corridor hand in hand. The meeting with Stand In Fire Lord Jeong Jeong had been boring, as usual. But the Fire Nation was doing well, and their joint efforts with Earth King Kuei to create a Fire Nation/Earth Kingdom navy were going well.

That was all good--but out of all the messages they'd received, not one had been from the Firelord. Mai was worried about Zuko. All they knew was that he'd gone to South Pole to help the Avatar with something, and that had been months ago.

The Firelord should be there, helping his people! Instead, he'd dropped off the face of the earth.

"Lord Kamil! Lady Mai!" Mai and her husband turned to see an older woman coming toward them. Kamil recognized her as the woman in charge of the maids. "What is it Erkai?" He asked, frowning.

"One of the maids has found a secret room, in Ozai's old room!" With a shared glance, Mai and Kamil headed toward the old Firelord's room, which Zuko had refused to live in.

"Show us!"

______

*gasps* is it... did they just... call a truce?! 0.0

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