Spoils of War

Chapter 1

It hadn't been long since they had escaped Ba Sing Se, only a few weeks really. The Fire Nation had pursued them ruthlessly at first but the past few days had been quiet, quiet enough that Katara felt safe to practice her bending forms. She stepped into the small lake barefoot and for the first time in she didn't know how long she felt that the ebb and flow of the war made sense. She closed her eyes, pulled her arms up and made small waves. The basics were the root of everything, after all. As she lost herself in the cool sensations of the water, she felt at peace, comforted and then she made her mistake: she let her guard down. Within seconds she was swept into the mud at the bottom of the lake, she tried to scream but she got nothing more than a mouth full of dirt and rocks. She was being pulled through the ground faster than she could think, her head hitting stones and roots the whole way.

She was getting dizzy due to the obvious concussion and lack of air, she tried to feel for the ground water that she knew was there, but every time she grasped where it was she was pulled away too quickly. Her lungs were bursting for air and her ears were dripping blood. I f she didn't get out soon she was going to die. Just as suddenly as she was pulled down, she was in the sunlight again. She fell to her knees spitting out dirt and gasping for breath, her eyes to encrusted to even open.

"Sir, we have the water tribe girl"

Katara quickly felt for the nearest source of water, within seconds she had her faced rinsed off and had surrounded herself with tentacles. Just as she was about to strike her first opponent someone came up behind her. Strong hands hit her in the most vulnerable places and she was unconscious.

Princess Azula stood at the back gate of the Earth palace awaiting the small band of Dai Li agents she had sent out, a small smile played on her lips when she saw the rock cage the eathbenders had fashioned.

At last, she thought they have captured the avatar.

Her expression quickly changed when she saw who was lying on the floor of the cage.

What! That useless watebender!

"Ty Lee! What is the meaning of this? I told you to bring back the avatar!"

"Sorry Azula," Ty Lee answered cheerfully "the Dai Li captured the wrong person. But she's the avatars girlfriend and water bending teacher, he's bound to come looking for

her."

Azula thought on this for a moment. The avatar had risked his life several times for this girl, why waste time and men searching when the avatar would come willingly?

"Hmmm, I suppose you're right. Dai Li, put her in the dungeon, make sure her hands are bound."

She turned around to walk back into the palace when she noticed something interesting out of the corner of her eye, Zuko was staring at them from one of the windows on the the second floor. More specifically, he was staring at the water tribe girl. A cruel smile crept up her lips.

"Uh-oh" Ty Lee said "I know that look, just remember she's probably useless dead."

"Ty Lee really, what kind of monster do you take me for, I'm not going to kill her. I was just thinking, Zuzu has done so much for me, perhaps I should give him something back."