Born Beneath An Angry Star

2.Do You know The Way To Ba Sing Se

Three Weeks Earlier

After spending all day with the humorless council of five Katara was happy to have some time to herself. She hoped that her brother Sokka was having a much better time back home at the south pole with their father. She would have love to gone to see him but she knew Sokka needed to see their father more than she did right now. She had done a really nice thing for her brother, and because of that, she decided to do a really nice thing for herself before she dropped off the scrolls she was carrying to the Earth King. She turned to the furry companion on her shoulder. "What do you say Momo, a cup of tea before we get back to the King?"

Momo chittered his approval. Katara decided to get a cup of tea from that fancy new tea house, The Jasmine dragon, that everyone was talking about. It was said that the best tea in the world was served there. It certainly was a beautiful building Katara would give them that, and the smells that came from the tea house were divine, but until she tasted the tea she would reserve her opinion whether it was the best in the world.

"Table for two please." Katara said to the hostess at the door. Momo could get pretty unreasonable if he didn't get his own seat.

"Uncle, I need two jasmine, one green, and one lychee." A frighteningly familiar voice called out from inside the tea house.

Katara stood rooted to the spot, it couldn't be. It just couldn't! Zuko! He was here in the Earth kingdom with his uncle running a tea shop. This was bad Katara thought. This was very bad! She had to warn the king before it was too late. She turned on the spot and ran all the way back to the palace panting as she ran along the corridor. Finally she made it into the king's chambers where she saw Suki and two other Kyoshi warriors were seated on the floor.

"Thank goodness you're here Suki." She began. "Something terrible is going on. The Fire Nation has infiltrated the city. I just saw prince Zuko and his uncle! We have to tell the Earth king right away."

Suki smiled, rose to her feet, and made her way towards Katara. "Oh don't worry I'll be sure to let him know." She said in a cold droll voice that was not like hers at all.

At the sight of Azula Momo flew away screeching madly while Katara's mouth fell open. What was Azula doing in a Kyoshi warrior uniform? What had happened to Suki and the others?

Another "Kyoshi warrior" stood up, this time it was Ty Lee, she flipped effortlessly through the air and reached out and chi blocked Katara's shoulder. She fell to the floor and her leather flask of bending water spilled and leaked out all around her.

"So Zuzu is in the city too." Azula said as she, Mai, and Ty Lee stood over her body. "I think it's time for a family reunion."

Those were the eight scariest words that Katara had heard in a long time.

Katara couldn't believe how stupid she had been to let herself get captured by Azula and her flunkies. The worst part was that she had offered herself up to them on a silver platter. One hit from Ty Lee had immobilized her enough to be captured and taken down here to the crystal catacombs where Azula would surely use her as bait to capture Aang. Katara knew just as well as Azula did that her friends would come for her and fall right into Azula's trap, and if they didn't run into Azula then they'd run into Zuko. Everyday she hated the Fire Nation just a little bit more. Ozai and the royal family were nothing more than a bunch of relentless murdering warmongers.

She had to find away to escape she couldn't let her friends get caught in Azula's trap. If she or her brother captured Aang who knew what they would do to him. The only way out of the catacombs so far seemed to be to climb up the rocky slope directly in front of her, but the Dai Li had covered the entrance up with a boulder. Well one hog monkey didn't stop the show Katara thought. There had to be another way out. She began to explore the catacombs, but mostly it was too dark to see, and she couldn't find a good source of water to bend from. She had her water from the spirit oasis, but she wasn't willing to use that until she absolutely had to. She would just have to be ready and wait. Eventually Azula would comeback for her.