The Warrior's Gambit (Zutara)

XLV

ARE YOU READY FOR THIS????? HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOO!

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She woke up with a start. She could tell that something was different.

First, she was still alive. Unless she would still be chained in a cell in the afterlife, and well, she certainly hoped not.

Second, she felt healed. Her stomach was not demanding sustenance as it had been; she felt fed...satiated. Her skin was not as grimy as it was, though being held in a cell covered everything in a fine layer of dust and soot.

The only thing that was painful was her hands. As she tried to move her fingers, jolts of agony shot through her. She bit her lip hard with the realization that they'd made sure she wasn't going to be able to bend herself away, now that she was in better shape. The bones in her fingers were shattered.

She noticed someone sitting crouched outside of her cell. She startled back, unable to move far because of her restraints, heart pounding in her chest. It was a guard, and carefully he took his helmet off, tilting his head.

"I thought you were done for."

"Tahoe," Katara croaked, expecting her voice to be far more roughened than it was, "Why?"

"I owe Azula a great deal, and I have never assumed Zuko would be the better choice. It always seemed obvious to me that Azula was who we really needed as a nation. She will be a good Queen, Katara, you have to know that."

"Is it blackmail? Does she have something on you? Tahoe, this isn't the answer," she tried one more time.

Tahoe blinked, shaking his head. "You just don't get it. Zuko has poisoned your favor for her, but Katara, she's so smart. She has the answers, actual answers."

She'll burn the world to the ground, you idiot.

"So why save me, then?" Katara asked with bitterness, "Or did I magically heal?"

"No, no...I brought in a healer. We couldn't have you dying in here before Azula did it her way," he said, but there was no cruelty behind his words. It was a farce; it was what he said to justify to everyone else why he hadn't let Katara become past-tense.

"If you can't be honest," Katara huffed, and Tahoe bit his lip, standing.

"You've always been so kind, Katara. To me...to everyone. Call it a moment of weakness." He rolled his helmet between his palms. "Because I know I'm just delaying the inevitable. But I still..." He chuckled, shrugging. "And before you ask, no, you can't change me to your band of merry justice warriors, who may I add, are all here waiting for death as well. I might not want to see you dead, but my loyalty is to Azula."

Katara stared at him, distressed. "Did you ever really love Aiga? She was over the moon for you," she said, recalling how happy one of her best friends had been every time they met up.

"See, so good. Asking for others, not yourself. Worried about people who likely will survive, since no one can find her." Tahoe grasped the bars, sighing. Katara knew his answer from how he danced around and didn't even reply.

"Don't you have any questions for yourself?" he asked.

"What is there to ask?" Katara asked, glaring at him. "If you're not going to help me... if you're just here to gloat or get your conscience cleared..."

Tahoe frowned, as though hurt by her words. "Look, erm, out of kindness, Azula is going to stage the executions in a few hours from now. I know that you never got closure, and that's shitty. We're moving prisoners to prepare...the big ones will go first. And I think...I think I'm going to walk all the way to the end of the cell hall to get some tea."