Chapter 3 - Prince Zuko and General Iroh

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the characters associated. This is a fan fiction! = )



THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM ~ Ch. 3-- Prince Zuko and General Iroh

By: Emily Beyer (a.k.a. SxK_YGOfan)





Sunlight came shining in the window, lighting up the room. Katara stirred and slowly opened her eyes. She had the remains of a small headache, and she didn't know why. She rubbed the bump on the back of her head, wondering what had happened to cause it, as she looked around. She didn't recognize her surroundings at all. The walls were metal, making the whole appearance of the room seem dark and cold. She looked around confused, and that's when she noticed it, the symbol of the Fire Nation on the wall!



Katara gasped and was immediately stunned. She looked around wide-eyed, realizing that she must be on a Fire Nation ship! She could vaguely recall the accident out on the water, and understood that the ship's captain or crew must have seen her and rescued her. However, seeing as how this was a Fire Nation ship, that didn't make her feel any better! As she was looking around, she heard the sound of a door opening behind her. She whirled around to face Zuko, the prince of the Fire Nation.



Katara screamed in surprise, startling him enough to make him scream too! She jumped out of the bed and ran towards the opposite wall. She backed into the corner, terrified of the fire prince. He stood in the doorway for a few moments before shutting the door behind him and starting to walk towards her slowly. She trembled in fear as she slid down the wall, crouching down near the floor. As she moved down the metal wall, she cut her hand on a sharp raised strip.



“Oww!” Zuko watched as the girl whimpered in pain as she pulled her hand away from the wall, her whole body shaking. He stood staring at her stone-face for a moment before walking into the washroom and getting a warm, wet towel, some warm water, bandages, and some salve. He walked over to her and knelt down beside her. Katara looked up at him nervously, and saw him start to reach his hand out to her. She flinched away from him, but was suddenly surprised when she felt him touch her hand. She looked back at him, pale-faced and surprised, unsure of what to do.



The fire prince was silent as he gently took her hand and wiped the blood away with the towel, carefully cleaning the wound with the warm water. Katara flinched slightly as he took care of her hand, experiencing a small sting of pain.



“Sorry about that,” Zuko said plainly, as he continued dressing he wound. She blushed slightly as he applied salve to the wound and bandaged her hand carefully.



“That's alright,” she said softly, nodding to him when he looked up at her. She swallowed nervously when he met her eyes. “Thanks.”



He nodded and stood back up, looking down at her. She stayed frozen at his feet before he reached his hand out to help her up. She looked at him nervously and didn't move at first, but then she carefully took his hand and let him help her to her feet.



“Oh!” Katara was shaky when she got up and tipped into his shoulder, trying not to fall. She was surprised when he suddenly picked her up in his arms and carried her back over to the bed. Zuko's face remained expressionless, but nevertheless he was careful as he set her down on the bedspread gently.



“You're probably exhausted and starving,” he said suddenly, “That's why you don't have much strength. I will go see about some food for you.”



Katara blushed again and nodded. “Thank you.”



He nodded to her before walking out of the room, leaving her to sit and wait. And wait, she did. Katara sat there for quite some time, waiting to see what would happen. She still had no idea how she got here, and was afraid as she wondered how long she would have to stay. She gasped as she suddenly heard the door open again. She held her breath, expecting to see Zuko come in, but was surprised to see Iroh instead.



“Hello Miss Katara,” the elderly general smiled at her kindly as he walked in, “My name is Iroh, former general of the Fire Nation. How are you feeling? You must be hungry. Would you like some tea or some fruit? I have papayas!”



Katara smiled at him as he set down the tray in front of her, grateful to him for his kindness. “I don't like papayas very much! But I will have some of the other fruit and some tea,” she smiled and nodded.



Iroh smiled back and nodded as he poured her some tea and handed her a small plate of fruit. Katara smiled appreciatively as he did so. As she took a few bites, Iroh noticed her look back at the door. “Is something wrong Miss Katara?”



“Hmm?” she turned and looked back at him, “Oh, I was just wondering, where did Zuko go?”



“I think he was going to go train for awhile,” the general answered.



“Shouldn't he eat some breakfast?”



Iroh smiled, admiring her for caring about his nephew, “I'm sure he'll grab a bite later. I appreciate your concern, but he'll be fine.”



Katara nodded and finished her fruit and continued sipping her tea. General Iroh finished his breakfast as well, and then turned to her. “Are you sure you're alright? You must have been through quite an ordeal yesterday.”



She nodded, “To be honest, I don't really remember much. I had gone out on the raft to rescue a Longhaired Persian that was stranded on a rock when the tide came in.”



“That was noble of you,” the general smiled.



“Thanks,” Katara replied, “After I got the cat back to shore, that was really it. The storm came in, and I remember getting knocked off the raft and into the water by the strength of the waves!” She gasped as she started to recall more of the past events. She automatically reached up to rub the bump on the back of her head, thinking.



“I must have hit my head on the raft!”



“You feel okay though?” Iroh asked as he noticed her frown as she rubbed her head.



“Yeah, I guess so,” she answered.



“That's good,” he replied. Before he could ask her anything else, the door flew open, hitting the opposite wall with a loud thud. They both turned to face Zuko as he silently strode into the room, with a very serious look on his face.







~TO BE CONTINUED…..

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