Once the guard had returned with a healer, Katara began to feel better. She knew that whoever was holding her hostage didn't want her dead. The healer who was sitting in front of her was an old man. His hands were swollen from arthritis and his skin hung from him making him look like a wrinkly bag of bones. Katara had noticed a slight limp when he had walked in and how his fire nation uniform hung from his body. His care of her shoulder impressed Katara. She had always wondered how people without the water healing abilities were able to heal people.

She wanted to see what she could learn from him but she was afraid. The guard hadn't left his position behind the healer and he had also brought along another guard to stand by the door. She didn't know if she was allowed to speak or not.

"So you're a water bender." It wasn't a question but his brown eyes held many when he looked at her. "North or south?"

"So-south." It was unlike her to stutter but the fierceness in his eyes and the suddenness of his question surprised her.

The old man smiled wide. He was missing three of his front teeth.

"I knew a beautiful water bender from the south when I was younger. Of course it had to be a secret…. if you know what I mean." He said with a nudge and a wink to Katara. All she could do was smile at the old man as he continued. "She was a lovely girl, beautiful white hair…..fair fair skin…" his eyes glazed over as he remembered his water bender. Katara had never seen a white haired, fair skinned bender or person to ever live in the south pole. She was pretty sure this old man had gone senile and lost his mind.

"…she was lovely my dear and the did she know her way around a man's body!" He slapped his thigh and let out a loud cackle which the younger guard joined in on. Apparently Katara had missed whatever was said but she was so thankful for that.

"So have you seen that girl since?" The young guard asked. "No can't say that I have. They got rid of any water benders in this city long ago. But she was a beautiful lady…" the old man looked at Katara and sighed. "If only…." he paused and then smiled, "….you know, why don't you join me upstairs in my room?" Kataras eyes widened. No.

The old man turned to look at the guard. "You don't think they'll have a problem if I just have some fun for a little bit? They said they didn't want to see her until tomorrow anyway and the only people who will know about this is you, me, and that guy out there." The old man said as he pointed to the guard at the door.

"I don't know she is one of the Kings prisoners." "You can have her after me." The old man didn't even bat an eyelash as he offered up the usage of Kataras body.

"EXCUSE ME. " Was all she could say without hurting anyone. Yelling made her head hurt but she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Oh hush my dear you'll love it. We'll get you all cleaned up and fix that bump on your head…" he said as he ran his wrinkly old hands up the exposed part of her arm. She couldn't help but shiver as disgust shot through her.

How incredibly fast this situation had gone south was beyond Katara. All she had wanted was to get better and now she was being bargained for sex. She was terrified. It took her only a moment of panicking to realize that once she got out of this cell she could figure out where she was and a way to get back to everyone.

"See you're already excited about it." He smiled and looked back at the guard standing over him. The old man has mistaken kataras shiver of disgust for excitement and turned to look at the younger man behind him. He looked at Katara differently now and she knew he would agree to letting the man take her away.

As she was being led behind this short balding man she noticed the tunnel they were in becoming more and more elegant and the floors going from dirt to cobblestone to marble. She looked up and saw all the fire nation decor and knew exactly where she was. Fire nation capital. And she was the prisoner of some crazy medicine man. Curse her luck. She had no idea where her friends were and no idea where zuko was.

Zuko. She missed him. She wanted to find him and kiss him again. She had not been able to tell him that she loved him. They had been attacked shortly after he had admitted his feelings. She wanted to apologize and show him just how much she loved him.

Loud voices cut into her thoughts but she didnt see anyone. She looked up at two large beautiful doors and wondered where it led to and who it could be on the other side. She had never been in such an ornate place before and imagined it could only be for the fire lord. "…ask you, do you think it would have worked? Gaining their trust and destroying the avatar?…" was he saying? Who was he talking to?

Had he been using her this whole time? Had he just been pretending to have feelings so she would lead him to the avatar? That's what it sounded like and she had fallen right into his plan beautifully. No wonder he had been so nice to her. It had all been a ruse. She couldn't move. It felt like her heart had fallen out of her chest and into her stomach. She was no longer aware of her surroundings and she couldn't feel anything.

She stopped walking long enough to make the healer stop because of the resistance he felt on her chain. He turned to look at her and saw that she had stopped in front of the doors to the fire lords audience hall. "Now, now, you'll have your chance to talk with him tomorrow. He may even want to sample some of that goodness hiding between your legs if you're lucky. But come along dear, we shouldn't waste time in the hallway." With that he tugged on her chain and she snapped forward. The look she gave him froze him to his core.

Katara spoke now. "You, sir, have no idea who you are dealing with." As she spoke the air in the room became dry and the cuffs on her wrists began to freeze. "My name is Katara from the Southern water tribe and you are foolish to believe that I would let you take me to your bed." He tried to shush her but he only managed a whimper. "I have trained with the avatar. Do you honestly think your firebending would be able to overcome me?" The cuffs around her wrists shattered to the ground. The pain in her head became a distant memory and this new strength fueled by her anger towards Zuko filled her body.

She took a stance with her feet spread apart and her hands lifted in front of her face. She looked at the old man and with a twitch of her fingers gained control of his body. She lifted him up into the air and hung him upside down. She could see the fear and panic in his eyes and wondered what she should do. She heard the voices in the room grow louder indicating the people behind the massive ornate doors were about to exit that room. She kicked her shattered cuffs behind one of the pillars in the hallway and looked at the old man.

"Tell me where your room is." His fear of her made him hesitate but he told her.

"If you keep going up this hallway you will come to a staircase. Go up the stair case and my room is the first one on the left." His voice shook with fear of knowing she would probably turn him into a eunuch. She ran down the hall and shot up the stairs, still carrying the man above her head, careful not to hit him against the ceiling as she went. If anyone had seen them right now they probably would have found it humorous seeing a man float down the hallway behind a running woman.

Luckily no one saw them and Katara made it up the flight of stairs before the first person walked through those doors.