WiltingDaisies94: The story continues! Katara has escaped the Moon Temple... but at what cost?

Chapter 4

Katara did not know what overcame her first: the terror that was flight, or the mysterious drink the White Priestess had given her. Her stomach had already been swirling when she'd madly accepted the old man's hand and taken off into the sky. Now her head swam with every dip and sway of the great beast's back, and Katara had to clamp her eyes shut to block out the world rushing by miles and miles beneath her.

Stressed beyond endurance, Katara focused on her breathing. She let the rhythm become her universe, and without realizing it, she fell into an uneasy sleep.

As the clouds flew by, Katara dreamed of her father. She had never met him, but in her mind he was tall and broad in the shoulder, with an easy smile and comforting arms. His hair was chestnut-colored, like her own, half-tied in a topknot. His beard was close cut and he had blue eyes, dark and deep as a stormy sea. Eyes that loved and laughed. Patient eyes.

In her dream, they stood on a magnificent, snow-covered shore, and her father lifted her over his head. She was no more than two or three years old, and she squealed with delight as he tossed her in the air, the sun shining down on them. Her father's face split into a grin, as she tumbled into his arms.

Then her mother appeared - young, beautiful, with a worried look on her face. Her father halted their game, and put Katara down. She watched her parents, wondering why the fun had stopped.

Her mother spoke softly, her lips trembling. From the ground, Katara watched her father's face grow hard. Saw him place an arm around her mother, and pull her close. They fit together like koi fish, and when they broke apart, their hands intertwined. Together, they hurried up the frozen coast until they disappeared from sight.

Katara tried to run after them, but the snow was thick around her legs. When her mouth opened, no sound came out. Her hands reached out, as though she might will her father to return. The world shook, and Katara squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling down her cheeks.

With a cry, she woke.

It was an old dream, familiar and uncomfortable as a wet woolen glove. Her father, she knew, had died fighting against the Northern Water tribe. Her mother had been taken by a fever shortly after her birth. Katara had never met her parents, and Gran-Gran rarely spoke of them.

All Katara had were their names: Ky and Koda. Mother and Father.

"Would you care for some tea?"

The voice startled her from her thoughts. Half-awake, Katara reached for the nearest hold; she was on the back of a flying serpent, far above the ground. If she didn't find something to hold onto, surely she would fall-

Katara's hand closed around grass and pebbles. Blinking, Katara found herself settled safely on beautiful, green, solid earth.

The old man chuckled. "We've stopped for the moment," he said, his voice a warm rumble in his chest. "Even my dragon is not inexhaustible, I'm afraid."

Dragon. So that was the name of his creature. Katara looked around, wondering where the beast… dragon… had gone.

"Lu Ten is hunting," said the old man, guessing her thoughts. "He loves a good herd of mountain gazelles."

A herd? Katara swallowed.

"Come," the old man said, "let's have some tea. I find it's the best remedy for a long ride - settling for the mind and the stomach." He smiled, and gestured for her to follow.

Katara did, glancing at the sky in case a hungry dragon lurked nearby.

"I apologize for the lack of choices," the old man said, leading her to a small fire, where a pot boiled. "Ideally I would have two - no, three - kinds of tea. Green, of course. Cherry blossom or plum. And a dark tea, black or berry of some kind." He smiled politely. "Alas, I have only jasmine on my person today. Will that suit you?"

"I… yes, please." Katara was surprised at the husky sound of her voice. At the Moon Temple, she'd had no one to speak with. Her tongue lay thick in her mouth. "Have I been asleep for long?"

"A few hours, perhaps." Her rescuer produced two cups from a satchel she had not noticed before, followed by a ladle. "A shame not to have a proper teapot," he said, more to himself than Katara, "but I suppose one does not take such things on a journey like this."

Before Katara could ask what he meant, a warm cup was placed in her hands. "Thank you," she said, bowing her head.

"With pleasure." The old man lowered himself to the grass, holding a second cup. "To your good health."

She took a long drink, and her eyes closed in delight. The tea was perfect - just the right temperature, with a clean taste and a pure, golden color. There was tea in her village, of course, but it was usually made from dried sea prune skins, and was more for warmth than satisfaction. Occasionally a daring trader made it far enough south to sell the real thing, but it was usually made from tree bark and had a bitter aftertaste.

Nothing like this, she thought. This was heavenly.

Katara sat in silence with the old man, letting the tea settle her stomach. Slowly, the events of the last day returned to her, and she shuddered into her cup. To think, she had nearly lost her head… nearly been thrown to her death… ridden a dragon…

And yet, there she was. A thousand miles from home, sitting across from the man who had saved her life. Sipping tea.

Holding the teacup to her chest, Katara cleared her throat. "Sir," she began, but the old man cut her off.

"Please," he said. "My name is Iroh."

"Oh."

"But," he said, "you may call me Uncle."

Katara fidgeted, unsure what she'd done to earn the privilege. "Thank you, Uncle," she said. "What I meant to say–"

"And you are?"

She looked up, taken aback. No one in the Moon Temple had ever bothered to ask her name. "My name is Katara," she said, "granddaughter of Kanna."

Grey eyebrows rose along the old man's forehead. Once it was common in the Southern Water Tribes for children to introduce themselves by their mother's line. But when the North had taken control, the custom had changed. Only fathers mattered now.

When Iroh said nothing, Katara went on. "What I would like to say is... thank you. For saving my life."

Iroh stood and walked towards the fire. "Lu Ten did most of the work," he said, refilling his cup.

Katara didn't understand. Was he joking? Perhaps he was being modest. "You took me away from that awful place," she said. "They were going to… the chieftain's son, he was going to… and you saved me. A poor village girl, and a stranger to you."

Iroh sat, steam rising from his cup. "As I said, it was Lu Ten who discovered you." He looked at her, and for a moment his expression turned serious. "Yours is a precious life, granddaughter of Kanna."

Katara could not think of a response. Gran-Gran had taught her that every life was precious. She did not see why hers should be important to Iroh. Or his dragon, for that matter.

At a loss for words, Katara reviewed her surroundings. It seemed they were on a mountain, somewhere beyond the Southern Water Tribe's borders. The air was thin and slightly cold, but there was no snow. Instead, the ground was strewn with boulders and large patches of tall, narrow trees.

When only the dregs of her tea remained, Katara stood and made a full bow. "Uncle," she said, "I can never properly thank you for your kindness. I owe you my life, and there is no greater service in the world than that." She straightened up. "That said, I would be forever in your debt - more so than I already am - if you would take me home."

Iroh smiled, but there was sadness in the corners of mouth. "Ahh," he said, shaking his head, "that I cannot do."

Katara frowned. "Cannot?"

Iroh nodded, and took another sip of his tea.

"Cannot?" she repeated. "I… but… why not?"

"Because," Iroh said, "that is not your destination."

"Destination?"

"Yes," Iroh said, placing his empty cup on the ground. "You are not to return to the South. You will come with me. And Lu Ten, of course."

Katara stared at him. She couldn't believe her ears. After all the trouble he'd gone through to save her from the Moon Temple, he was going to kidnap her?

She shook her head. "Why would I do that?"

"Because," Iroh said, as though imparting a simple fact, "you are to wed the Sun King." He rubbed his hands together. "Now, how about another cup of tea?"