Post by Kataanglover on Oct 8, 2006 21:00:08 GMT
Captured Part One- by Kataanglover
Aang opened his eyes. All he could remember was being next to the river, watching Katara practise her water bending skills. He did not know where he was now. He blinked and looked around him. He was in a dimly lit black room. He tried to move, but realised that he was chained against the wall; his hands out to the sides and his ankles were chained to the floor a foot a part. He looked around again and saw a familiar figure in a corner.
“Zuko.”
Zuko turned round. He grinned.
“Oh your awake. Just in time to. I need to ask you a very important question.”
“What do I know that you don’t?”
Zuko walked over to where Aang was stood, defenceless.
“Well I want to know, how many of the bending arts you have mastered so far, Avatar?” Zuko waited for an answer, but Aang did not show the slightest signs of giving it to him any time soon. “Very well.” Zuko clicked his fingers and a soldier came in dragging a girl into the room. It was…
“Katara!” Aang struggled against his chains to try and break free, but in vain. Zuko’s smile broadened.
“Well well.” he laughed. “Aren’t we defensive.” He walked over to Katara. She looked at Aang with a pleading look on her face. The guards had tied a piece of cloth over her mouth so that she could not talk. This was the first time Aang had seen her this distressed. He could see tears in her eyes. “I thought that you wouldn’t want to be alone so I had the guards bring your little girlfriend with them.” Zuko reached out and put one hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t touch her!” Aang shouted at Zuko. Aang took in a deep breath and blew the biggest gust of wind he could manage at Zuko. He was knocked off his feet and thrown backwards into a wall. He jumped to his feet.
“You’ll regret that Avatar!” Zuko walked over to Aang and punched him in the side of his face. The punch was not the hardest he could muster, but it knocked all the breath out of Aang. He heard Katara’s muffled scream. He kept his head bent low. He could taste the blood in his mouth; it made him feel sick. There was nothing he could do nothing to save himself or Katara. Zuko began to walk towards the door when the guard spoke.
“What shall I do with the girl sir?” he asked.
“Just tie her hands together and leave her here with the Avatar. I don’t care what you do with her.” Aang could sense that he had angered him by the tone in his voice.
The guard did what Zuko had told him. He tied the rope around Katara’s hands in a firmer knot and left her there in the middle of the room, untied the cloth round her mouth and left the room. He closed the door and stood guard at the end of the corridor.
“Aang are you alright?” Katara whispered. She walked over to him. Aang looked up at her. “Your bleeding really badly and… you look pale.”
Aang could see how worried she was about him. He felt ashamed.
“I’m fine.” he lied. Blood ran down his cheek as he spoke. Katara pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the blood off his face. “Are you alright Katara?”
She paused before speaking. “What did they do to you? Were you awake or were you knocked out for the whole time?”
“Knocked out, why? Were you?”
“No. They grabbed me from behind and tied my hands together. Then they put a piece of cloth over my mouth and I fell asleep. I saw them carry you away though. You had a bruise on the back of your head.” She looked at the top of his head and let out a little gasp. There was a large, purple bruise where he had been struck. “They hit you really hard.” She reached up and touched the bruise gently. Aang let out a gasp of pain. Katara’s eyes filled with tears again. She tried to blink back the tears, but Aang had already seen them.
“It’s not that bad.” He reassured her. “Things could be much worse than this.” Katara began to cry harder. She put her arms over his head, round his neck and cried into his shoulder. He leant his head on hers. He would have hugged her, but his hands were chained out to the sides. They stayed like this for a few minutes. Katara was beginning to calm down. He did not know what to do next. He did not speak in case he made her cry again.
It was an awkward few minutes for Aang. He had never seen Katara cry like this. He had never seen her in such a state in all the time they had been together. He felt horrible. It was his fault that she was with him on this journey. It was his fault that she had been captured and hurt when the firebenders had attacked him. It was his fault that she was here now. Zuko had captured her to make him feel like this.
“Promise me that we will stay together through this.” Katara whispered. “Promise me Aang.” Her voice sounded desperate and frightened.
“I promise. I wont let you out of my site. If they take me away, I promise I’ll come back for you.”
Katara hugged Aang even tighter. “I know you will.” Katara said. She smiled at Aang. Aang could not help but smile back at her. He had said something that had made her happy and that made him feel better in himself. Katara leant forward and kissed his cheek. They looked at each other for a moment then they kissed again. Katara was not worried any longer and neither was Aang. They would fight through this together. They both knew that they could trust each other with their life.
* * * * *
Katara sat down at Aang’s feet and leant against his leg. She had fallen asleep and Aang did not want to disturb her. She woke up a minute before the guards came in. She sat up as they entered. Zuko came in after them. Aang felt his anger rise. He kept a straight face, but his mouth was a thin line across his face. Katara stood up beside him.
“We’re taking you to the fire fortress now.” Zuko sneered. “You will remain silent or who knows. One of you may just be left behind.” Katara looked sideways at Aang, but Aang kept his gaze on Zuko, his temper at boiling point. Katara knew how Aang felt and she grew worried that he would go into his Avatar state, but Aang kept calm. He did not want to make things any worse.
The guards unlocked the chains from Aang’s wrists and ankles and replaced them with even heavier ones so that he could not attempt to escape. Two guards took hold of each of Katara’s arms and six guards stood round Aang. Zuko led the way out of the room and down long passage after long passage. They were led outside and into a large carriage. Three guards were seated on either side of Aang and the two guards that held Katara sat on either side of her. Zuko was sat in the carriage in front of them. They drove for half an hour in complete silence to the fire fortress.
* * * * *
When they arrived, they were greeted by more guards. They shut the three gates behind them after they passed through. Aang and Katara were then lead into the fortress’ main building. They walked up stairs, through corridors, up more stairs until they had finally reached their destination. They were locked in a small room similar to before. The guards chained Aang to the wall as before and left them. Katara lay at Aang’s feet and silently cried. It was not until she sniffed loudly that Aang realised she was crying.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“We don’t know whether they have captured Sokka, Appa or Momo. They could be anywhere. And even if they haven’t been caught, they don’t know where we are. They might never find us.” She began to cry harder. Aang could not think of any words to comfort her, so he let her cry and left her on her own.
“Where are Sokka and the others?” Aang thought. “Will they be able to find us?”
* * * * *
Aang was walking down a long, dark passage way lit by red flames. All that he could hear was his echoing footsteps and his breath. He turned one corner after another until he came to a tall, black door. Engraved on the door was a flame. He pushed the door open and saw a figure standing in the shadows.
“I have been waiting for you Aang.” The figure stepped forwards and Aang recognised him at once. It was Monk Gyatso.
“Monk Gyatso. Why are you…?”
“You must escape Aang. You must find the way out.”
The figure changed into Zuko.
“Where is Katara?” Aang shouted. “Where is she!”
Zuko laughed at him.
“You are to late Avatar. We have already disposed of her. You left her behind. You left her unprotected.”
Aang stood stunned. He was paralysed. Katara was gone; forever.
“No.” Aang could hardly speak. “You…you haven’t.” He was shaking all over.
“Oh we have Avatar. She’s gone for good.”
The figure disappeared. Aang could hear Katara speaking in distant voice;
“Promise me that we will stay together through this. Promise me Aang.”
He heard his own voice reply.
“I promise. I wont let you out of my site. If they take me away, I promise I’ll come back for you.”
He had lied to her. He had lied to his friend. His best friend. He fell to his knees, his hands over his face.
“How could I have let them take her? Why did I leave her!” he shouted. His voice echoed around the room.
Suddenly, twenty guards came into the room they surrounded him. He remembered what Master had said. He had to escape, but there were to many of them. He was out numbered. The guards closed in around him. There was no escape. Guards came up behind him and tied his arms behind his back. They led him into a room where a man sat behind a large flame. Zuko stood next to him, a huge smile of pride on his face.
“Here is the Avatar father.” Zuko said to the man. “He’s all yours.”
“Very good, Prince Zuko.” The man said. “Now you will finally meet your end Avatar.” One of the guards pushed Aang down onto his knees. The man stood up and walked towards Aang. Aang knew that this was the end. He closed his eyes tight, heard a sword being drawn and then…
Aang woke with a start. He was covered in sweat. His breathes were short and quick. Aang looked around him. He let out a sigh of relief. Katara was laying at his feet, safe and unharmed. He calmed down and let his breath go back to its normal speed.
“It was all a dream.” He said to himself. “Just a dream.”
Aang could not feel his arms or his legs. He felt numb all over. Katara soon woke up. At first she did not seem to know where she was, but she soon remembered.
“Has anyone come in during the night?” she asked him.
“I don’t know. I’ve been asleep just like you have. Oh, my back.” A searing pain went up Aang’s spine. Katara stood up and looked at Aang more closely.
“Why are you wet? What’s happened to you. Your looking even more pale than you did yesterday.”
Aang did not want to tell her his dream, because he knew that this would worry her.
“Nothing. It’s really hot in here; that’s all.”
Katara did not question him any further. However, she did not believe that nothing was wrong. He was soaking wet and he was deathly pale. She decided that she would find out what he was keeping from her.
“I dreamt that I was falling into a volcano last night. I suppose that that’s because the temperature in here. It’s quite warm in here.”
Aang looked at her. He could see that she wanted him to follow suite, but he was not going to tell her about his dream.
“I never remember my dreams nowadays. I always forget them when I wake up.”
Aang could see that Katara suspected him. He sighed and decided he could not keep it from her forever. He told her his whole dream, but he missed out the fact that she had been killed by the firebenders. Instead, he told her that she was still being held hostage. As Aang came to the part of the dream where he was brought before Zuko’s father, he let his head hang. Katara did not interrupt as Aang told her his nightmare.
“Dreams don’t always come true do they? I mean, they wont really… well… kill you will they?” Her voice got gradually quieter as she asked the question.
There was silence.
“I don’t know.” he replied. “But I wont let them keep you here. I’ll make sure that you escape before they do any thing to me. I promise.”
Katara could not help but admire Aang’s bravery and loyalty. She gave him a cuddle and stood next to him for a while. After going through all this with Katara, he did not feel embarrassed that she was so close to him. He felt reassured by her presence.
“Why haven’t they chained me up as well?” Katara asked him. “I’ve been thinking about that since last night when we arrived here.”
“I’m glad they didn’t though.” said Aang. “If they had, you wouldn’t have been able to stand next to me or… comfort me.” Aang blushed at the last two words. Katara smiled. “He may be brave,” Katara mused, “but he’s very easily embarrassed.”
Katara was very tired as she could not sleep for most of the night. She wanted to just fall to the ground and be dragged into the deepest sleep. That would make her relax. Not to have any worries or be in any danger. Then Katara thought of what might happen to Aang if she was not there to protect him. Anything could happen to him. When Aang had told her his nightmare, she became very frightened for him. She told Aang that she would not sleep until they were free when he told her to rest. Katara also refused to leave Aang’s side. She stayed standing there even when Aang told her she should sit down, because she was not chained standing up.
Aang was very worried about Katara as well. Even when he told her to sleep, he did not want to be alone. He wanted to be near Katara forever and never leave her side. Aang wondered silently whether the dream would come true or not. The one part in his dream that he dreaded to come true was not him being killed, but the fact that he had left Katara and in doing so, had allowed her to be killed by the firebenders. His heart stopped when he pictured Katara dead in his mind. He closed his eyes. He could not bear the site. At that moment a guard came in with water and bread for them. he left it near the door and left. Katara left it there. Aang would not dare eat it. He did not trust the firebenders at all. He would not put it past them if they had poisoned it all.
Aang thought about Katara and how she might be able to escape if they could beat the guard when he came next time.
“We should come up with a plan for you to escape.” Aang told Katara. When the next guard comes, you might be able to run and get help.”
“What! I’m not leaving you. Ever.” Aang did not expect that response from Katara.
“You’ve got to escape Katara. I’ll be fine here. I’m sure I can come up with some way to escape.”
Katara stood in front of him so that her face was only a few inches from Aang’s.
“I wont leave you. You promised that you wouldn’t leave me, so now I’m promising that I wont leave you. I’d regret it my whole life.”
“But what if I escape unharmed?” Aang asked.
Katara stayed silent for a few seconds lost in thought. Her head dropped down.
“But what if you don’t?” she whispered. “What if they…”
Aang interrupted her.
“Then I don’t escape. But at least I’ll leave this world knowing that there is someone here to defend it in my place.” Aang told her. “Look at me.” Katara looked up into his eyes with her tear filled blue ones. “I’ll be fine. I’m the Avatar. I’m sure I’ll think of something.”
Katara’s lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears again. The tears started to create a river down her cheeks.
“I love you Aang. I-I don’t know what I’d d-do with out you!” She put hers arms round his neck and cried into his shoulder as she had done yesterday.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you either, but… you’ve got to get out of here. I would prefer to know that you had a chance to break free, rather than knowing that you could end up staying here without anyone to protect you.” Katara lifted her head from his shoulder. Her eyes were red. Aang leant forward and kissed her on her forehead. “Come on. We’ve got to come up with a plan.” Katara did not argue, but inside her, she was broken hearted.
Aang opened his eyes. All he could remember was being next to the river, watching Katara practise her water bending skills. He did not know where he was now. He blinked and looked around him. He was in a dimly lit black room. He tried to move, but realised that he was chained against the wall; his hands out to the sides and his ankles were chained to the floor a foot a part. He looked around again and saw a familiar figure in a corner.
“Zuko.”
Zuko turned round. He grinned.
“Oh your awake. Just in time to. I need to ask you a very important question.”
“What do I know that you don’t?”
Zuko walked over to where Aang was stood, defenceless.
“Well I want to know, how many of the bending arts you have mastered so far, Avatar?” Zuko waited for an answer, but Aang did not show the slightest signs of giving it to him any time soon. “Very well.” Zuko clicked his fingers and a soldier came in dragging a girl into the room. It was…
“Katara!” Aang struggled against his chains to try and break free, but in vain. Zuko’s smile broadened.
“Well well.” he laughed. “Aren’t we defensive.” He walked over to Katara. She looked at Aang with a pleading look on her face. The guards had tied a piece of cloth over her mouth so that she could not talk. This was the first time Aang had seen her this distressed. He could see tears in her eyes. “I thought that you wouldn’t want to be alone so I had the guards bring your little girlfriend with them.” Zuko reached out and put one hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t touch her!” Aang shouted at Zuko. Aang took in a deep breath and blew the biggest gust of wind he could manage at Zuko. He was knocked off his feet and thrown backwards into a wall. He jumped to his feet.
“You’ll regret that Avatar!” Zuko walked over to Aang and punched him in the side of his face. The punch was not the hardest he could muster, but it knocked all the breath out of Aang. He heard Katara’s muffled scream. He kept his head bent low. He could taste the blood in his mouth; it made him feel sick. There was nothing he could do nothing to save himself or Katara. Zuko began to walk towards the door when the guard spoke.
“What shall I do with the girl sir?” he asked.
“Just tie her hands together and leave her here with the Avatar. I don’t care what you do with her.” Aang could sense that he had angered him by the tone in his voice.
The guard did what Zuko had told him. He tied the rope around Katara’s hands in a firmer knot and left her there in the middle of the room, untied the cloth round her mouth and left the room. He closed the door and stood guard at the end of the corridor.
“Aang are you alright?” Katara whispered. She walked over to him. Aang looked up at her. “Your bleeding really badly and… you look pale.”
Aang could see how worried she was about him. He felt ashamed.
“I’m fine.” he lied. Blood ran down his cheek as he spoke. Katara pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the blood off his face. “Are you alright Katara?”
She paused before speaking. “What did they do to you? Were you awake or were you knocked out for the whole time?”
“Knocked out, why? Were you?”
“No. They grabbed me from behind and tied my hands together. Then they put a piece of cloth over my mouth and I fell asleep. I saw them carry you away though. You had a bruise on the back of your head.” She looked at the top of his head and let out a little gasp. There was a large, purple bruise where he had been struck. “They hit you really hard.” She reached up and touched the bruise gently. Aang let out a gasp of pain. Katara’s eyes filled with tears again. She tried to blink back the tears, but Aang had already seen them.
“It’s not that bad.” He reassured her. “Things could be much worse than this.” Katara began to cry harder. She put her arms over his head, round his neck and cried into his shoulder. He leant his head on hers. He would have hugged her, but his hands were chained out to the sides. They stayed like this for a few minutes. Katara was beginning to calm down. He did not know what to do next. He did not speak in case he made her cry again.
It was an awkward few minutes for Aang. He had never seen Katara cry like this. He had never seen her in such a state in all the time they had been together. He felt horrible. It was his fault that she was with him on this journey. It was his fault that she had been captured and hurt when the firebenders had attacked him. It was his fault that she was here now. Zuko had captured her to make him feel like this.
“Promise me that we will stay together through this.” Katara whispered. “Promise me Aang.” Her voice sounded desperate and frightened.
“I promise. I wont let you out of my site. If they take me away, I promise I’ll come back for you.”
Katara hugged Aang even tighter. “I know you will.” Katara said. She smiled at Aang. Aang could not help but smile back at her. He had said something that had made her happy and that made him feel better in himself. Katara leant forward and kissed his cheek. They looked at each other for a moment then they kissed again. Katara was not worried any longer and neither was Aang. They would fight through this together. They both knew that they could trust each other with their life.
* * * * *
Katara sat down at Aang’s feet and leant against his leg. She had fallen asleep and Aang did not want to disturb her. She woke up a minute before the guards came in. She sat up as they entered. Zuko came in after them. Aang felt his anger rise. He kept a straight face, but his mouth was a thin line across his face. Katara stood up beside him.
“We’re taking you to the fire fortress now.” Zuko sneered. “You will remain silent or who knows. One of you may just be left behind.” Katara looked sideways at Aang, but Aang kept his gaze on Zuko, his temper at boiling point. Katara knew how Aang felt and she grew worried that he would go into his Avatar state, but Aang kept calm. He did not want to make things any worse.
The guards unlocked the chains from Aang’s wrists and ankles and replaced them with even heavier ones so that he could not attempt to escape. Two guards took hold of each of Katara’s arms and six guards stood round Aang. Zuko led the way out of the room and down long passage after long passage. They were led outside and into a large carriage. Three guards were seated on either side of Aang and the two guards that held Katara sat on either side of her. Zuko was sat in the carriage in front of them. They drove for half an hour in complete silence to the fire fortress.
* * * * *
When they arrived, they were greeted by more guards. They shut the three gates behind them after they passed through. Aang and Katara were then lead into the fortress’ main building. They walked up stairs, through corridors, up more stairs until they had finally reached their destination. They were locked in a small room similar to before. The guards chained Aang to the wall as before and left them. Katara lay at Aang’s feet and silently cried. It was not until she sniffed loudly that Aang realised she was crying.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“We don’t know whether they have captured Sokka, Appa or Momo. They could be anywhere. And even if they haven’t been caught, they don’t know where we are. They might never find us.” She began to cry harder. Aang could not think of any words to comfort her, so he let her cry and left her on her own.
“Where are Sokka and the others?” Aang thought. “Will they be able to find us?”
* * * * *
Aang was walking down a long, dark passage way lit by red flames. All that he could hear was his echoing footsteps and his breath. He turned one corner after another until he came to a tall, black door. Engraved on the door was a flame. He pushed the door open and saw a figure standing in the shadows.
“I have been waiting for you Aang.” The figure stepped forwards and Aang recognised him at once. It was Monk Gyatso.
“Monk Gyatso. Why are you…?”
“You must escape Aang. You must find the way out.”
The figure changed into Zuko.
“Where is Katara?” Aang shouted. “Where is she!”
Zuko laughed at him.
“You are to late Avatar. We have already disposed of her. You left her behind. You left her unprotected.”
Aang stood stunned. He was paralysed. Katara was gone; forever.
“No.” Aang could hardly speak. “You…you haven’t.” He was shaking all over.
“Oh we have Avatar. She’s gone for good.”
The figure disappeared. Aang could hear Katara speaking in distant voice;
“Promise me that we will stay together through this. Promise me Aang.”
He heard his own voice reply.
“I promise. I wont let you out of my site. If they take me away, I promise I’ll come back for you.”
He had lied to her. He had lied to his friend. His best friend. He fell to his knees, his hands over his face.
“How could I have let them take her? Why did I leave her!” he shouted. His voice echoed around the room.
Suddenly, twenty guards came into the room they surrounded him. He remembered what Master had said. He had to escape, but there were to many of them. He was out numbered. The guards closed in around him. There was no escape. Guards came up behind him and tied his arms behind his back. They led him into a room where a man sat behind a large flame. Zuko stood next to him, a huge smile of pride on his face.
“Here is the Avatar father.” Zuko said to the man. “He’s all yours.”
“Very good, Prince Zuko.” The man said. “Now you will finally meet your end Avatar.” One of the guards pushed Aang down onto his knees. The man stood up and walked towards Aang. Aang knew that this was the end. He closed his eyes tight, heard a sword being drawn and then…
Aang woke with a start. He was covered in sweat. His breathes were short and quick. Aang looked around him. He let out a sigh of relief. Katara was laying at his feet, safe and unharmed. He calmed down and let his breath go back to its normal speed.
“It was all a dream.” He said to himself. “Just a dream.”
Aang could not feel his arms or his legs. He felt numb all over. Katara soon woke up. At first she did not seem to know where she was, but she soon remembered.
“Has anyone come in during the night?” she asked him.
“I don’t know. I’ve been asleep just like you have. Oh, my back.” A searing pain went up Aang’s spine. Katara stood up and looked at Aang more closely.
“Why are you wet? What’s happened to you. Your looking even more pale than you did yesterday.”
Aang did not want to tell her his dream, because he knew that this would worry her.
“Nothing. It’s really hot in here; that’s all.”
Katara did not question him any further. However, she did not believe that nothing was wrong. He was soaking wet and he was deathly pale. She decided that she would find out what he was keeping from her.
“I dreamt that I was falling into a volcano last night. I suppose that that’s because the temperature in here. It’s quite warm in here.”
Aang looked at her. He could see that she wanted him to follow suite, but he was not going to tell her about his dream.
“I never remember my dreams nowadays. I always forget them when I wake up.”
Aang could see that Katara suspected him. He sighed and decided he could not keep it from her forever. He told her his whole dream, but he missed out the fact that she had been killed by the firebenders. Instead, he told her that she was still being held hostage. As Aang came to the part of the dream where he was brought before Zuko’s father, he let his head hang. Katara did not interrupt as Aang told her his nightmare.
“Dreams don’t always come true do they? I mean, they wont really… well… kill you will they?” Her voice got gradually quieter as she asked the question.
There was silence.
“I don’t know.” he replied. “But I wont let them keep you here. I’ll make sure that you escape before they do any thing to me. I promise.”
Katara could not help but admire Aang’s bravery and loyalty. She gave him a cuddle and stood next to him for a while. After going through all this with Katara, he did not feel embarrassed that she was so close to him. He felt reassured by her presence.
“Why haven’t they chained me up as well?” Katara asked him. “I’ve been thinking about that since last night when we arrived here.”
“I’m glad they didn’t though.” said Aang. “If they had, you wouldn’t have been able to stand next to me or… comfort me.” Aang blushed at the last two words. Katara smiled. “He may be brave,” Katara mused, “but he’s very easily embarrassed.”
Katara was very tired as she could not sleep for most of the night. She wanted to just fall to the ground and be dragged into the deepest sleep. That would make her relax. Not to have any worries or be in any danger. Then Katara thought of what might happen to Aang if she was not there to protect him. Anything could happen to him. When Aang had told her his nightmare, she became very frightened for him. She told Aang that she would not sleep until they were free when he told her to rest. Katara also refused to leave Aang’s side. She stayed standing there even when Aang told her she should sit down, because she was not chained standing up.
Aang was very worried about Katara as well. Even when he told her to sleep, he did not want to be alone. He wanted to be near Katara forever and never leave her side. Aang wondered silently whether the dream would come true or not. The one part in his dream that he dreaded to come true was not him being killed, but the fact that he had left Katara and in doing so, had allowed her to be killed by the firebenders. His heart stopped when he pictured Katara dead in his mind. He closed his eyes. He could not bear the site. At that moment a guard came in with water and bread for them. he left it near the door and left. Katara left it there. Aang would not dare eat it. He did not trust the firebenders at all. He would not put it past them if they had poisoned it all.
Aang thought about Katara and how she might be able to escape if they could beat the guard when he came next time.
“We should come up with a plan for you to escape.” Aang told Katara. When the next guard comes, you might be able to run and get help.”
“What! I’m not leaving you. Ever.” Aang did not expect that response from Katara.
“You’ve got to escape Katara. I’ll be fine here. I’m sure I can come up with some way to escape.”
Katara stood in front of him so that her face was only a few inches from Aang’s.
“I wont leave you. You promised that you wouldn’t leave me, so now I’m promising that I wont leave you. I’d regret it my whole life.”
“But what if I escape unharmed?” Aang asked.
Katara stayed silent for a few seconds lost in thought. Her head dropped down.
“But what if you don’t?” she whispered. “What if they…”
Aang interrupted her.
“Then I don’t escape. But at least I’ll leave this world knowing that there is someone here to defend it in my place.” Aang told her. “Look at me.” Katara looked up into his eyes with her tear filled blue ones. “I’ll be fine. I’m the Avatar. I’m sure I’ll think of something.”
Katara’s lip quivered and her eyes filled with tears again. The tears started to create a river down her cheeks.
“I love you Aang. I-I don’t know what I’d d-do with out you!” She put hers arms round his neck and cried into his shoulder as she had done yesterday.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you either, but… you’ve got to get out of here. I would prefer to know that you had a chance to break free, rather than knowing that you could end up staying here without anyone to protect you.” Katara lifted her head from his shoulder. Her eyes were red. Aang leant forward and kissed her on her forehead. “Come on. We’ve got to come up with a plan.” Katara did not argue, but inside her, she was broken hearted.
