#and is woven with brightly colored ribbons that make her easy to spot and signals she’s a non-combatant

[voidishwings]

Going a LITTLE insane about Arafellin hair bells right now, because outside of a Southlander context in combat, they’re Borderlanders, they fight the Dark One, the bells are SUPPOSED to make a sound while they’re fighting, and would effectively scare off the ravens and rats that act as the Dark One’s eyes and his spies. Wearing something in combat, against the Shadow and otherwise, that would ‘scare off the eyes of the Lord of the Grave’ when they bring death to another, acting like a protective “ward” in a sense in battle. Is any of this explicitly said in the books? Not really, but it’s my interpretation.

[advocaado]

Day 29: The Moment You Knew

@thirtydaysofzutara @zutaramonth

This is the final part of the Western AU (Days 7 and 15), as promised. I wrote all of this in one day. Now I am dead.

Find the whole collection on fanfiction.net User: Advocaat

April

It had been nearly a month now since construction on the new railroad had begun and West Bluhaven was more bustling than ever with out-of-towners coming in droves to help lay the tracks. Katara’s small town had never felt more lively and she could smell change in the wind. This expansion would turn the town into a major stopover for those seeking to push further west and that, in turn, would direct the flow of wealth their way. Whether she liked it or not, her quiet town wasn’t going to be quiet for much longer.

At the center of this change was, of course, Ember Steel. The mill was busier than ever as each week it delivered a new shipment of tracks to the workers out west. Just about every able-bodied young man Katara knew had gone to work either in the mill or running transports of materials and provisions to the track layers. It seemed nearly everyone had a stake in the project and that meant Ember Steel was hot news both locally and nationally. Katara couldn’t pick up a paper without seeing articles about the railroad project. Most such articles waxed lyrical about the effort and Ember Steel’s role in it, calling it the next big step in America’s expansion, but a few took a more critical stance, referencing the company’s shady business practices and poor reputation in the towns it had exploited to financial ruin.

Katara, true to her ongoing opinion of Ember Steel, was quick to side with the nay-sayers. A company didn’t just change overnight, and as much good as Zuko had done for their town since moving in, she couldn’t help but still be skeptical that this prosperity would last. With the increase in commerce that would come of completing the railroad, Zuko would be in the best position possible to start sucking up their newfound wealth. The more she saw what lay ahead, the more she suspected that this had been Zuko’s plan all along. In waiting to exploit them, he’d both improved his company’s reputation, building trust with both West Bluhaven and Tofteville, and he’d greatly elevated the amount of wealth he was set to gain once he began hiking prices. This rail deal had killed two birds with one stone.

Katara scowled as she crumpled up the latest copy of the national press. That Zuko was a slyer weasel than she’d given him credit for. Well, unluckily for him, she’d spotted his plot a mile away and there was no way she was going to allow him to get his way so easily. Her town would not become a stomping ground for Ember Steel. Not on her life.

The sound of crunching paper caused her father to raise an eyebrow at her from across the breakfast table. “Is something wrong?” he questioned in that patient tone of his. Doubtless he knew precisely why she’d wadded the news into a ball.

Katara set the ball on the table beside her plate and averted her gaze from his. “Nothing at all,” she answered airily. “I was just thinking about our town’s impending demise at the hands of Ember Steel.”

Hakoda exhaled a tired-sounding sigh and set his fork onto his empty plate with a soft clink. “Katara, we’ve talked about this a hundred times. Mr. Redford and I have a deal. He is legally barred from raising prices beyond a mutually agreed upon market margin. The documents detailing the agreement are safely locked away in my office, and so long as those documents exist, Mr. Redford can’t do as he pleases.”

Katara redirected her gaze to her plate, her frown remaining. She just didn’t think it was that simple. Crooks would be crooks and deals could be got around. There was a reason people called the west lawless. If Zuko was determined to get what he wanted, he would, deal or no deal.

“By the way,” her father spoke again, his tone brightening. “I meant to tell you, your brother will be back in town next month. He’s hinted that he may be bringing a lady friend along as well.”

At once, the scowl melted from Katara’s face. It was replaced by a look of surprise paired with excitement. “Sokka got a girlfriend? Really?”

“That’s what I inferred from his letter. I’ll admit I’m curious to see what sort of girl she is. Sokka is a fine young man but he always was terrible at wooing. I imagine any girl who would fall for him must have a saintly level of tolerance, eh?” He cracked a grin to punctuate this statement.

Katara brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. “No kidding. Maybe she’s turned on by bad jokes?”

“That or she’s deaf.”

The two shared a good laugh, their conversation from a moment earlier all but forgotten.

May

The first day of May was always a special day for Katara. May meant the spring rains were receding and the chill of winter was a thing of the past. Not to mention the spring blossoms were out in full force. All around town, buildings were decorated with spring colors and pots of flowers were placed along the streets and in front of shops to hail in the loveliest month of the year.

That morning, Katara celebrated by donning a new peony-colored dress she’d spent the better part of winter stitching. Instead of her usual blue clip, she fastened her hair with a pale pink ribbon and decorated it with freshly cut roses to match. Every girl wanted to look her best on May Day.

She was just finishing her breakfast when she was surprised by a knock at the door. Curious who would be calling so early, she scooted out her chair and walked out of the kitchen to greet her visitor. She grabbed the knob and pulled the door open, a cordial “good morning” on her lips, but the greeting died when she looked outside and found no one. The porch was empty.

No, not empty. Looking down, she found a large woven basket nearly overflowing with a myriad of colorful flowers. Seeing a note sticking out from the side, she reached down and plucked it out. Happy May Day was written in a scrawl that looked oddly familiar.

Someone had gifted her a May basket.

Katara’s face heated at being the receiver of such a gift. May baskets were often left by smitten young men on girls’ porches as a sign of their affection. Did this mean there was a boy in town who fancied her? The note wasn’t signed, so she had no way of knowing the gifter’s identity. Pleased nonetheless, she scooped up the basket and brought it inside. It would make a lovely decoration for their table.

Later that morning, after her household chores had been completed, Katara set out to do some shopping in town. The weather was beautiful and people of all sorts were out and about, strolling through the main street and admiring the May Day decorations. Today, Katara fully intended to splurge and purchase a cake for her family to share.

She pushed the door open to the baker’s shop and the smell of fresh bread and sweets filled her nose. She smiled and inhaled, savoring the delectable scents. Sweets were a rare treat, even for the daughter of the sheriff. As she perused the finely crafted cakes in the case by the till, she heard the bell on the door behind her give a little jingle. A moment later, a presence appeared at her side and Katara glanced up at the newcomer curiously.

“Good morning, Katara,” Zuko greeted brightly, his yellow eyes twinkling in the midmorning light.

Katara blinked at the sight of him. He looked very different this morning than usual. His plain work trousers had been traded out for a pair of dark gray slacks and his cotton shirt had been replaced with a crisp dress shirt fastened smartly at the collar with a black long-armed bowtie, all encased by a custom-tailored, finely embroidered vest. His shaggy hair was still shaggy but had clearly had a brush run through it. All in all, he looked very much more like the heir to the Ember Steel empire than he did on a typical day.

Katara tried not to stare. It was all kinds of odd seeing Zuko dressed like a dapper society man. Although she was well aware that he was a man of status, it was easy to think of him as just another guy when he paraded about in sooty factory trousers.

Zuko smiled and reached out to delicately touch the flowers in her hair. “You look lovely today. Pink is a stunning color on you.”

Katara blushed and took a step backward to put some distance between them. Maybe it was the way he was dressed, but she was feeling particularly flustered by his closeness.

“What are you doing here, Zuko?” she questioned to cover her lack of composure. “Shouldn’t you be at the mill?”

Zuko nodded and she watched him rummage around in his vest for a moment before producing an envelope. “I was on my way to the post office when I saw you walk in here. I figured I ought to stop in and say hi, given it’s May Day.”

Katara nodded dumbly. For some reason, words were coming harder to her today than usual. Zuko’s smile was radiant and it was muddling her emotions. “Um, yeah,” she finally said. “It is. May Day.”

Zuko’s eyes crinkled at the corners and he turned to the case of cakes. He appeared to examine them for a moment and then said, “The selection here is pretty good. Is there a cake in particular you were eyeing?”

Katara turned back to the case as well and her gaze settled on a buttercream frosted spice cake. She set her fingertip on the glass. “I was just thinking that one looks pretty good.”

Zuko followed her finger and nodded. “Good choice.” Without warning, he raised his hand, signaling the baker, and said, “I’d like this one, please.”

“Wait, Zuko—”

Katara’s protest was ignored as the baker pulled the cake in question and proceeded to box it up. She could only watch helplessly as Zuko exchanged money with the baker’s wife at the till. When the woman looked past Zuko and gave Katara a wink, she blushed and dropped her gaze to the counter. No doubt the whole town would hear of this before the day was out.

On the counter, her eyes were drawn to Zuko’s letter. He’d set it down when he went to fish out his wallet and her gaze wandered to the address, painstakingly written in Zuko’s tidy script. Her eyes widened. She recognized that handwriting.

Before she could blink, a box was being deposited in her hands and Zuko’s dazzling smile was once again directed at her. “Here, Katara. Happy May Day.”

Katara took the box and tentatively her eyes rose to meet his. His golden eyes were far too handsome to belong to someone so devilish. Despite herself, she gave him a teeny smile. “Thanks, Zuko. Happy May Day.”

oOo

It was around midmonth when Sokka returned as promised. His arrival was met with many hugs and a whole roasted turkey courtesy of Katara and Kanna. The two had slaved away all day preparing all of Sokka’s favorites. This would be his first trip home in nearly a year and a half and they knew how much he’d be missing the comfort of a home-cooked meal.

Sokka wasted no time in introducing his much anticipated girlfriend. She was a pretty and surprisingly bold girl named Suki who worked in the accounting office down the street from where he was doing is apprenticeship. The whole family took to her quickly, delighted by her confidence and intelligence. Kanna in particular was very pleased that Sokka had found a girl with an actual education instead of a vapid rancher’s daughter. Katara too took to Suki quickly, happy to finally have another girl around to talk to.

Of course, the good mood quickly fled when the topic of conversation inevitably shifted to current events. Sokka, like Katara, very clearly disapproved of their father’s decision to allow Ember Steel to take over their mill.

“I can’t believe you let those crooks get a foothold in our town!” he mirrored Katara’s own protests, laying his palm flat on the table. “You must’ve seen the news about them, Dad. They’re criminals, plain and simple, and now they have control of West Bluhaven.”

Hakoda shook his head. “Calm yourself, Sokka. They don’t have control of anything. I negotiated very carefully with them before allowing the purchase.”

Sokka didn’t look convinced. “And you think they’re going to honor those negotiations?” He shook his head violently. “I’ve seen how they operate. They’re dirty and underhanded and they will go to any lengths to get their way.” He placed both hands on the table and leaned forward, his eyebrows furrowing seriously. “There are even rumors that Ozai offed his own dad to take control of the company. These guys aren’t just bad news; they’re dangerous.”

Both of Katara’s eyebrows shot up at Sokka’s declaration. As much as she disliked Ember Steel, that seemed like a bit much. Hiking up prices, sure. But patricide? That just sounded like the rumor mill at work. “Ozai can’t really be that bad, can he?” she vocalized these thoughts. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I totally agree with you that they’re evil, but that seems a little extreme.”

Sokka surprised her by shaking his head. “You wouldn’t think so, but I can believe it. That whole family has a reputation for being sociopaths. They lie as easily as they breathe and they don’t care who they hurt as long as there’s something to gain from it. Frankly, they’re terrifying.”

Katara pursed her lips, staying her protests. Oddly, she found herself wanting to defend Zuko’s family. As much as she distrusted him, to call Zuko a sociopath didn’t sit right with her.

She thought of his radiant smile on May Day—the way the sunlight had lit up his eyes and the sincerity in his expression when he’d told her she looked nice in pink. He wasn’t acting, was he? Nobody could fake a smile like that. Moreover, a sociopath wouldn’t leave an unsigned May basket at her door.

Still, she held her tongue. Was she really going to believe Zuko over Sokka?

No. Perish the thought. Clearly she was spending too much time with Zuko.

June

June marked the official start of Summer. It also meant that if the track construction remained on schedule Katara would only have to deal with Zuko for three more months. This was a fact she reminded him of often.

“I have to hand it to you. If nothing else, you’re efficient.”

Katara was wandering through the mill, performing her routine inspection of the place to make sure Zuko was behaving. Zuko, as usual, walked in step beside her. He wore a contented little smile and didn’t rise to her baiting.

“To think you would complete a three-year project in just a single year. Perhaps you’re exploiting labor somewhere I can’t see?”

This time, Zuko answered. “As a matter of fact, I have a whole army of hamsters running in little wheels in the basement. It’s how I generate heat for the furnaces. I go downstairs and whip them when you’re not looking.”

Katara turned an unimpressed glower on him. In reality, she was trying her hardest not to laugh. Zuko apparently could tell because he cracked a smile and his eyes crinkled in the way that they always did when he found something she did amusing.

Katara managed to hold the look just long enough to say, “You fantastic bastard.” Then her composure crumbled and she began giggling.

Zuko joined her and the two of them earned odd looks from a group of workers tending to one of the forges.

When they completed their tour, the two escaped to the yard for some fresh air. The mill was always stifling in the summer. Over the winter, Zuko had crafted some benches from iron and installed several freestanding trellises which Katara had planted a little garden within in the spring. Now it was a merry little corner of color and the two of them often sat together and sipped lemonade when the weather was nice. Today was one such day and a full pitcher of lemonade already sat waiting for them, courtesy of Jee.

Katara flopped onto her usual seat and fanned herself with a hand. “It’s only June and already it’s this hot,” she moaned as Zuko joined her and began pouring the lemonade into cups. Zuko proffered up one of the cups to her which she took gratefully. Jee was the best lemonade maker she knew—an odd thing for a man who’d spent his life on a ship to be good at, but then she supposed the lemons helped to protect against scurvy during long sea voyages. “I’ll tell you what, when you leave, Jee can stay. He’s benign and he provides a crucial service.”

Zuko smiled and set the pitcher aside. “I’ll tell him you said that. He’s waited his whole life to be told he’s benign.”

Katara sniggered and took a sip from her cup. It was an awfully nice day. She was, in all honesty, going to miss this when summer ended. Perhaps whoever bought the mill next would still allow her to come around and lounge in her garden. Beside her, Zuko exhaled a little sigh and turned his face to the sky. He closed his eyes and a soft smile tugged at his mouth as he basked in the warm sunlight. She took a moment to covertly study his face. He didn’t look like a dangerous sociopath. Nor did he look like a crook, for that matter. He appeared just the same as any other young man.

It had been nine months—nearly ten—since he’d first taken over the steelworks and he’d yet to do anything crooked. Katara was loathe to admit it, but it really didn’t seem like he had any intention of doing anything dastardly.

Perhaps she’d been wrong about him?

She shook her head. No, surely not. Companies don’t just change, she reminded herself. There must be something he was hiding from her. Some terrible secret he kept under lock and key. Well, in three months it won’t be my problem anymore, she reasoned. With this thought in mind, she too leaned back and enjoyed the sun on her skin.

July

Two more months. When had she begun counting down the time she and Zuko had left together?

Just two months. Then he would be out of her hair for good. She would force him to slither on back to wherever it was he’d come from and she’d never have to think about him again. No more check-ins. No more fear of economic collapse. No more Ember Steel.

A few months ago, that thought would’ve made her happy. Now, she wasn’t so sure of her feelings. She still didn’t trust Zuko, of course, but the thought of him leaving caused a feeling of almost loneliness to writhe like a worm inside her. She’d been a second shadow to Zuko for nearly a year now and she supposed she’d gotten used to having him around. She found herself thinking about how her life would change once she chased him out, and instead of relief, she found only emptiness. What was she going to do with her afternoons? Who was she going to complain about at the dinner table? Who was going to have snowball fights with her come winter? Who was going to spontaneously carry her groceries and buy her cakes? Who was going to leave May flowers at her door?

Could it be that she actually…maybe liked Zuko? Just a little?

Katara shook her head vigorously and quickened her pace through town. No. Such thoughts were abominable. Unthinkable. She couldn’t like Zuko. The sky would have to turn green and the sea orange before she would ever seriously entertain such a notion.

As her feet carried her past Ember Steel’s town office, she was stopped, just like in March, by voices coming from inside. This time, however, she could hear them loud and clear. Zuko and his visitor sounded like they were standing just on the other side of the door.

“Zuko, be reasonable!” The voice belonged to a woman but it was different than the voice of the woman she’d seen exiting his office back in March. This voice was lower and lacked the poignant edge of the voice of the woman from before. “Think about what you’re throwing away.”

“I’m not throwing anything away. The way I see it, I stand only to gain from this move.”

“Gain?” the woman sounded incredulous. “Zuko, if you go through with this, you’ll lose your friends, all respect—”

“I don’t need their respect.” Zuko’s voice was firm. Hard.

Katara’s heart thudded in her chest as she listened to this conversation that she was certain she was not meant to overhear.

“And what? You think they’ll let you just walk away after a betrayal like that? Even for a Redford, there are limits to how brazenly a person can act before they have to face repercussions for their actions.”

Katara couldn’t have moved if she wanted to. Her feet were stuck in place as her heart hammered against her ribcage. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She didn’t want to believe it.

“It’s already been done, Mai. At 11 AM tomorrow, I’m seizing full control of Ember Steel. All production and sales decisions will henceforth be up to me.”

She’d heard enough. She’d heard more than enough. She wished she could unhear it. Anger coupled with confusion burned in Katara’s throat like bile as she pushed her legs into motion. She needed to warn her dad.

As she ran for home, tears pricked at the backs of her eyes. She scrubbed her eyes, refusing to let them fall. She wasn’t sad. Not in the slightest. She was just angry. Angry for ever thinking she could trust Zuko Redford.

She repeated this thought like a mantra over and over in her head the whole way home. Surely if she just kept saying it, it would become true.

oOo

“Your father?” Kanna questioned, her gray eyebrows rising high on her wrinkled forehead. “He rode for Tofteville this morning, remember? He’ll be back tomorrow morning for his meeting with that Redford boy. Whatever matter you need to discuss with him will have to wait until after that.”

Katara shook her head in disbelief. She’d completely forgotten about her father’s trip. Normally, she didn’t think twice when her father said he was going to be away. He’d been riding out to meet with Mayor Beifong in Tofteville frequently since construction on the railroad began. It was far easier for him to make the trip out there than it was for the aging mayor to come to West Bluhaven. Today, however, she cursed his leaving. There was no way to get a warning to him on the road. She was going to have to wait until he returned tomorrow and hope she got to him before Zuko did.

She cursed aloud as she ran to her room and threw herself onto her bed. It just figured that her dad would be away the day Zuko finally decided to show his true colors.

Sleep came slowly to Katara that night. Anger was making her chest hurt. She’d really begun to think that maybe Zuko wasn’t so bad. He’d been nothing but kind and considerate toward her and the people of West Bluhaven since he’d arrived last August and now…she’d just learned that was all a lie. He didn’t care about any of them. The favors he’d done for her; all the times he’d made her laugh—it had all been fake.

The Redfords lie as easily as they breathe, Sokka had said. He’d been right.

oOo

The next morning, Katara woke early. She was determined to wait at her father’s office until he showed up. That way she could be sure she met him first.

She donned her old blue dress, willfully ignoring the peony pink one hanging just beside it, and fastened her hair with its normal blue clip. She brushed her teeth and fed the chickens and when her morning preparations were done, she grabbed an apple from the kitchen and departed for the sheriff’s office.

The only officer present when she arrived was Deputy Hanook, who was fast asleep at his desk. Katara didn’t bother waking him. She seated herself in her father’s cushioned chair and set her eyes on the clock, watching it tick away the minutes. She was praying that her father would come straight to the office and not stop at home first. She didn’t know what she was going to do if Zuko showed up before he did. She wasn’t prepared to deal with him just yet.

Luckily, her father was a punctual man, and a quarter to eleven she heard the clip-clop of horse hooves outside the office. She heard her father’s voice as he gave orders to another one of his deputies and a moment later he was walking through the door, his brown face and blue eyes the same as they’d been the morning previous. Katara wasted no time in rising from her seat and rushing toward him.

“Dad, we’ve got a huge problem,” she told him urgently, grasping the front of his vest.

“Katara? What are you doing here?” he questioned, confused. “What problem?”

Oh, thank whatever god may be listening that he was here. She still had time to warn him. “It’s Zuko. He’s coming!”

Hakoda raised a brow. “Yes? We do have a meeting scheduled in—” he glanced up at the clock “—twelve minutes. I certainly hope he’s coming.”

Katara shook her head. “No. You don’t understand. He’s going to seize control of the mill. He’s going to betray West Bluhaven!”

This time, her words appeared to actually make it through to him. Hakoda’s eyebrows furrowed and he grasped her shoulders. “Katara, what do you mean? Explain to me what’s going on.”

Katara nodded. “I heard him talking about it. He said that at 11 AM today he was going to take full control of Ember Steel.”

The corners of Hakoda’s mouth turned down in confusion. He looked like he was trying to make sense of what she was saying. “Katara, that’s—”

Before he could finish whatever it was he’d planned to say, a sudden commotion outside stopped him in his tracks. The father-daughter duo turned to the door. That sounded almost like…

A loud crack split the air, followed by yelling and the startled whinnying of horses. Not a second later, another crack was heard and somewhere down the road a woman screamed.

Katara looked at her father in fright. There was only one thing that made a sound like that.

Hakoda’s expression sobered and he turned around to reach for the door but the piece of wood flew open, slamming into the wall with a loud bang, and then strange men Katara didn’t recognize were filing into the office, pistols drawn.

Thinking fast, Hakoda made a grab for his own pistol, but the intruders were faster. The one in the front grabbed her father around the neck and raised his gun to his head while his buddies appeared to search the room with their eyes.

“He’s not here, boss,” a younger looking man with a black scarf covering his mouth and nose called back to a brown-haired man with bushy sideburns walking leisurely at the back.

The man the black-scarfed goon had called boss stopped just inside the doorway and crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s quite alright,” he spoke calmly. His manner of speech was oddly articulate for the leader of a group of outlaws. “That’s what we get for arriving early. It just means we’ll have to start without him.” He nodded to the goon holding her father and the outlaw grabbed Hakoda’s hair, forcing his head up to look at the boss. “Now, then. I believe you have some paperwork our employer’s very interested in getting his hands on.” He glanced past Hakoda to the wall where a large steel safe was mounted. “It’s in there, I imagine. It would save us a lot of trouble if you’d be generous enough to tell me the code.”

Hakoda glared defiantly back at the man. He was proud even with a gun held to his temple. “I refuse.”

The large man sighed. “I thought you might.” He glanced in Katara’s direction then and made a signal with his hand. Before Katara could figure out who he was signaling to, a meaty hand was grabbing her hair and hauling her onto her toes. Katara yelped in surprise and pain as she was manhandled toward the door. The boss turned back to her father. “That’s your daughter, I presume. The family resemblance is striking. I’ll tell you what, while you rethink your answer, my boys will take her outside for a little game. The game’s called five shots. The rules are very simple. One of my boys will shoot four shots, one at a time, while you think, and if you don’t give me the answer I’m looking for, the fifth shot will go through her pretty forehead.”

Katara’s face paled as she was marched out the door and onto the street. She managed to toss her father one final terrified look over her shoulder before she was being blinded by bright sunlight.

Out on the street, two more thugs waited with a group of horses. A safe distance away, onlookers watched in fear as she was dragged out of the office by her hair and down the short wooden steps to the road. Not ten feet away, one of her father’s men lay unmoving in a pool of his own blood. Katara screwed her eyes shut, not wanting to witness the lifeless body of a man she’d known since she was small.

She wasn’t allowed the luxury for long. No sooner had they cleared the steps, she was being tossed gracelessly onto the street. She heard a cry of her name and opened her eyes to see Bato in the crowd. His eyes were filled with panic and he had a meat cleaver in one hand, probably the closest thing to a weapon he could grab on short notice. Unfortunately, such a weapon would do little against a band of pistol-wielding outlaws.

“Alright, girly. You heard the boss,” the man who had tossed her spoke, turning her attention back to him. He’d pulled out his own pistol and as she watched in fear, he leveled it right at her face. “Shot number one. Best hope my aim’s not become lame. Been a while since I last had to shoot a person with any kind of finesse.”

Katara thought he might wait a tick—drag out the shot to maximize her fear—but no sooner were the words out of his mouth then he squeezed the trigger, aiming a shot right by her left hand. Katara screamed as the bullet impacted with the ground, causing dry earth to splatter over her side.

“Well, shucks. That wasn’t half bad, if I do say so m’self. Let’s see if we can get the next one a few centimeters closer.”

Katara shook her head. “Please!” she begged, unable to find any other words through the panic in her brain and the blood rushing in her ears. “Please…!”

“No can do, little missy. It’s not every day I get to shoot at a girl pretty as you. Really gets the old blood going, y’know what I mean?”

This statement was punctuated by another shot, this one landing just by the toe of her boot. Katara screamed again and this time a sob tore out of her throat. She was going to die. She was going to die in the street like an animal for the pleasure of this terrible man.

“Oops. M’hand got a little happy there. Forgot to announce the shot. That was number two, by the way. I wonder if dear old dad has coughed up the code yet? I’d check, but I’d hate fer ya to try n’ make a break for it when my back was turned.”

Katara just continued to sob in terror as the outlaw rotated the nose of his gun, seemingly deciding where to shoot next.

“Alright. Number three’s halfway to home so we gotta make it a good one. Any suggestions?”

Katara squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her legs to her chest. She wanted out of here. She wanted to be anywhere else but here. Another shot split the air, and Katara nearly screamed again, but then her brain registered a difference from the shots before. This wasn’t the sharp crack of pistol-fire. This one was far deeper—a familiar sound she’d heard enough times to recognize anywhere.

Pop-BOOM.

She barely had time to be confused. The next thing she knew, the trigger-happy outlaw was screaming, his gun-arm having erupted in a shower of red.

A gasp rose through the crowd of onlookers and men and women scattered left and right, running for their lives. Katara looked around wildly but she couldn’t see where the shot had come from. Nor, apparently, could the other two outlaws. They whirled around, pointing their guns every which way as they attempted to root out their assailant.

Pop-BOOM.

Pop-BOOM.

One after the other, the remaining two outlaws fell just like their comrade. Their pistols clattered to the ground from now-useless arms and they swore loudly as they were wracked with the excruciating pain of having their limbs nearly blown straight off by a Winchester rifle.

With the three men down for the count, the band’s mystery assailant finally deigned to show himself. Katara was the only person to be unsurprised when the tall, dark figure of Zuko dropped down from the roof of her father’s office, a rifle slung over his shoulder. Katara’s eyes traveled up to his face and she saw an expression there that she’d never seen him wear before. He was looking down at the men he’d dropped with a face colder than the Alaskan tundra.

“Zuko…?” Katara spoke his name hesitantly. Now that her life was no longer in immediate danger, the feeling first and foremost in her mind was confusion. What was going on? Why had Zuko shot those men? Weren’t they here on his orders?

Zuko turned to look at her and his expression immediately softened. His eyebrows furrowed into a worried frown and he rushed to her side. “Katara!” he called as he crouched down in front of her. “Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” He patted her down with his hands, looking for wounds.

Katara batted his hands away and shook her head. “Zuko, I don’t understand. Those were your own men. Why did you shoot them?”

Zuko’s eyebrows pushed together in clear confusion. “My own men? What in the world are you talking ab—”

“Well, well, well. I was wondering when you would finally decide to show up.”

Both Katara and Zuko looked at the door to the sheriff’s office where the voice of the outlaws’ boss had sounded from. The man was leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes trained on Zuko. “All of this would have been for nothing without the man of the hour.”

Zuko very clearly recognized the man, because he leapt to his feet and tightened his grip on his rifle. “Zhao?” he questioned, sounding confused. “What are you doing here? What’s the meaning of this?”

The boss—Zhao—uncrossed his arms and stepped slowly out onto the street. One of his hands traveled to a holster on his belt where Katara could see the butt of an expensive-looking revolver peeking out of his jacket. “You should know exactly what this is about,” he answered, the haughty smirk never once leaving his face. “Did you really think Mr. Redford would let you run off with a whole subset of his company? You were given the reins of Ember Steel because he expected you to run it responsibly in accordance with the family legacy. Instead, you took the whole horse and tried to run away with it. You can only imagine Mr. Redford’s disappointment.”

Zuko took a step forward, putting himself squarely between Katara and this Zhao who apparently worked for his father. “The company was given to me to do what I pleased with. I was within my legal rights to break off from Empire. He shouldn’t have any complaints.”

Zhao sighed and shook his head. “My, Zuko. Your time away from home has made you recalcitrant. You were expected to run the business, not take it over. In transferring ownership to yourself, you’ve left Mr. Redford in a sticky position. A position there’s really only one way out of.”

Zuko’s eyes narrowed. “He means to have me killed.”

Katara sucked in a breath. Zuko’s father what?

Zhao’s smirk widened. “A little slow on the uptake, but I knew you’d get there eventually.” With his free hand he reached into the lining of his jacket and produced a file folder which he waved in front of himself tauntingly. “And with this annoying little agreement of yours out of the picture, Mr. Redford will be all set to milk this quaint town for every penny that passes through it once I’ve delivered your head to him in a bag.”

Climbing shakily to her legs, Katara shuffled forward to stand at Zuko’s flank. “Like hell he will,” she challenged brazenly. “West Bluhaven won’t be trampled on by anyone.”

Zuko nodded, shooting her a smile over his shoulder. Looking back at Zhao, he said, “That’s right. And besides,” he raised his rifle and trained it on Zhao’s chest. “I think you’ll find I’m not that easy to kill.”

Zhao’s smirk didn't falter. “Perhaps not,” he agreed, much to Katara’s confusion. He cocked his head slightly and casually slid his gaze over to Katara. “But she is.”

Before Katara could so much as blink, Zhao was already in motion. Like lightning, he grasped his gun from its holster and fired a single shot.

What followed seemed to happen in slow motion. Katara’s eyes opened wide in shock. Her gaze fixed on the smoking barrel of the gun as her brain checked all the signals from her body, trying to find the spot where the bullet had entered her. It took at least three seconds for her to realize that her nerves weren’t sending any distress signals to her brain. She hadn’t been shot.

By that time, Zuko’s rifle was already clattering onto the street. Katara could only watch in horror as his dark hair sunk slowly down her field of vision and he crumpled to the ground. It was another two second before she registered what had happened.

Zuko had thrown himself in front of her. He’d taken the bullet meant for her.

Still very much in shock, her eyes travelled down to look at the young man lying in a heap at her feet. There was a hole in his shirt right over his stomach, and as she watched, red blossomed from the area like a rose unfurling to greet the summer.

In front of her, Zhao laughed. “Oh, predictable Zuko. A bleeding heart right to the end.”

Katara could barely hear him. She sank to her knees and placed her hands on Zuko’s chest. His eyes were open and he was looking at her with a shell-shocked expression. He was breathing, but his breaths were coming in quick, short gasps.

“We all tried to tell you that kindness of yours would be your downfall. You were simply never cut out to be a Redford.”

Slowly, Katara raised her face to look at Zhao. Zuko was dying and this abhorrent man was taunting him. Zuko had traded his life for hers, and Zhao was mocking him for it. She couldn’t understand.

She couldn’t understand this man at all.

Zhao shook his head and holstered his revolver. With one final disdainful sniff at the boy he’d shot, he turned away and began walking back to his horse. Behind him, his men followed suit.

Blood roared in Katara’s ears.

She couldn’t understand.

She couldn’t understand… but she did know one thing. Zhao needed to pay. Zuko had traded his life for hers. Now she would take Zhao’s life as payment for his.

Her eyes still open wide, Katara reached over Zuko and grabbed the fallen rifle. In one deft motion, she pulled herself to her feet and raised the rifle the way she’d seen Zuko hold it a million times.

Katara was no markswoman, but Zhao was only a few feet away and at such a range even she was hard pressed to miss. Zhao was just placing his foot on his horse’s stirrup in preparation mount when she lined the nose of the rifle with his back and, pausing only a moment to make sure her aim was true, squeezed the trigger.

Pop-BOOM.

Dead silence followed as Zhao’s grip on his horse’s saddle failed and his body slid to the ground with a thunk. Every person in the vicinity, friend and foe alike, stared at her, their mouths opened in shock. Even Bato watched her with an expression that could only be called utter awe.

As if spurred by her initiative, the crowd suddenly burst into motion, the men and women Katara had grown up with falling on the remaining outlaws with fists flying and nails scratching. Katara barely saw them. She dropped the rifle and ran back to Zuko’s side.

Zuko’s eyes were still open but they were hazy. He was losing blood fast and she could tell that he was on the verge of passing out. Thinking quickly, she tore off her dress, leaving her only in her underclothes, and pressed the fabric to his midsection. She needed to stop the bleeding. She needed to save Zuko’s life. She had to.

“K-Katara,” he croaked her name, his eyes trained on her as if she was the only thing tethering him to consciousness.

“Don’t speak!” she chastised him hotly. Her throat and eyes hurt. She felt like all her emotions were liable to come erupting out of her, tearing her to bitty pieces. “Just don’t. You need to focus on living right now.”

Zuko’s gaze didn’t stray from her face. She watched tears appear on his cheeks and was confused until she realized they belonged to her.

“You’re goingto live,” she insisted, willing the universe to make her words truth. “I’ll tell you what. If you promise to live, I’ll let you keep the mill. You can move Ember Steel’s headquarters to West Bluhaven for all I care. Just please...” She wiped her eyes, trying to stop from drowning Zuko in her own tears. “Please don’t die.”

Katara started in surprise when one of Zuko’s hands moved and brushed her leg. “I was…” he croaked out again, flagrantly disobeying her orders, “…always…hoping you…would say that.”

As if that one sentence sapped all his energy, Zuko’s eyes fell shut and his hand went limp, falling back to the ground with a dull thud. At once, Katara’s panic centers kicked into gear. “Zuko?” she called, giving him a shake. “Zuko!”

She was nearly scared out of her skin when a hand appeared on her shoulder. “Let him be, Katara. I’ve already sent for the doctor.”

Katara looked up to find her father hunched over her. He looked a little manhandled but no worse for wear. At the sight of him, healthy and whole, she turned on her knees and buried her face in his chest. He accommodated her by lowering one knee to the ground and in response she wrapped her arms around his middle and squeezed him tightly.

Hakoda squeezed her back and raised a hand to pet her hair the way he used to when she was a child. “Now, don’t cry, Katara. Yugoda will get him patched up and he’ll be right as rain before you know it.”

Katara took a deep, shuddering breath and nodded against her father’s front. She prayed to every god she could name that her father was right.

If Zuko died…

She couldn’t think it. Zuko couldn’t die. Not after what he’d done for her. She’d never be able to forgive herself.

“I was wrong about him, Dad,” she told her father’s chest. “I was wrong the whole time.”

Hakoda made a sound of understanding in his throat. “You be sure to tell him that when he wakes up. I’m sure he’ll be very happy hear it.”

oOo

The following few days were hectic and rife with anxiety for Katara. All the outlaws who hadn’t managed to escape had been rounded up and thrown in jail. They were, of course, thoroughly questioned about the reason for their attack. However, it soon became apparent that Zhao’s goons didn’t know enough about the details of the job they were asked to do to craft a strong case against Ozai and Empire. This meant Hakoda’s hands were effectively tied. Without a confession from Zhao, they had no solid proof of Ozai’s involvement; just witness testimonies. This was a very difficult reality to accept because everyone who knew the truth wanted justice for Zuko.

Coupled with that was the matter of Katara’s own actions on that fateful day. Even if the law was willing to ignore what she’d done, Katara would never forget that she’d purposefully and calculatedly murdered a man. Zhao had been evil and had deserved death for what he’d done, but that didn’t stop the memory of putting a bullet in his back from haunting her at night when she settled down to sleep. Never had Katara ever imagined she’d carry the weight of a man’s life on her shoulders, and now that she crossed that line, she felt unclean—tainted. You couldn’t unkill a person.

Still, she knew that if she were to be sent back to that moment, she’d do it again. The thought of Zhao riding away after what he and his men had done caused the fury she’d felt that day to reignite inside her.

Of course, the matter that weighed most heavily on her was Zuko. It had been three days, and while she’d been assured many times by Yugoda that he was very much alive and on the road to recovery, she hadn’t been allowed into the clinic to see him at all. She checked back at least three times a day, but she was very firmly turned away each time. This put her anxiety on pins and needles. Sure, the doctor saidhe was recovering, but was he really? If he was really getting better then why wasn’t she allowed in to see him?

On the fourth day, however, that Katara was finally granted visitation rights. The moment Yugoda gave her the go-ahead, Katara raced past her to the small alcove where the clinic’s inpatient beds were situated.

She found him just as she’d been told he would be. He was dressed in a patient’s frock and his complexion was perhaps a little more pale than she was comfortable with, but he was sitting up and awake and when he saw her a bright smile spread across his face. “Katara!”

Katara wasted no time. She rushed to his bedside and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close. “I’m so glad you’re okay,” she cried into his shoulder. She didn’t care that embracing him like this, particularly in a public place, was wildly inappropriate. Nothing could have stopped her from doing it. She was just so relieved to see him alive. She’d thought she was going to lose him.

If Zuko minded being hugged, he didn’t let it on. Rather, he laughed and said, “What’s this? I thought you were itching to get rid of me.”

Katara abruptly pulled back and gave him a disapproving look. “I thought you were going to die and that’s the first thing you say to me?” Her left eyebrow twitched and her voice turned petulant as she said, “If you’re dissatisfied with my concern for your wellbeing then you are welcomed to leave.”

Zuko’s eyes crinkled and his smile turned fond. “Now, there’s the Katara I know.”

Heat rose to Katara’s cheeks and she turned her face to hide the evidence of how flustered his words made her. She played with her skirt with her fingers for a moment before she finally peeked back up at him. He was still smiling, his golden eyes aglow from the open window behind her.

Seeing him like this—his boyish face illuminated by cheerful sunlight and his mouth pulled into a sincere smile—she wondered how she’d ever thought he was evil.

Which reminded her. She had something to say to him.

“Um, Zuko,” she started, her tone turning serious. “I think I—no. I owe you an apology.”

At once, Zuko’s smile faltered and his eyebrows came together in confusion. “For what?”

Again, Katara’s cheeks turned pink. Oh, this was just so hard to say. “You know for what. For how I’ve treated you this past year.” Her hands found the front of her dress again and she twisted it in her fingers. “I acted like a proper witch, following you around and accusing you. You never did anything to deserve that kind of hostility. I was being close-minded and stubborn and…and I’m sorry. You’re actually a really good person, but I was too wrapped up in my presumptions about you to see that.”

The whole time she was speaking, Zuko had said nothing. He merely watched her without expression. When she finished, he nodded slowly. She could see his brain working behind his eyes as he considered what she’d said. At last, he said, “Thank you. I’m happy that your opinion of me has changed. But you know…” He tilted his head and his eyes were oddly serious as he continued, “It’s precisely that stubbornness of yours that I like best about you. The life I came from didn’t have people who would talk back to me. I appreciate that you’ve always been open with me about your feelings. I far prefer your honesty over masks of politeness.”

This gave Katara pause. Zuko actually liked her bullheadedness? He couldn’t really mean that. Giving him an unsure look, she asked, “Really?”

He nodded. His lips pulled up into a smile again and he said, “You have no idea how refreshing it’s been to be put in my place. The moment you told me to pack my things and “find somewhere else to ruin” I knew I was going to love this town.”

Katara’s mouth opened and closed in surprise. “Surely, you’re joking.”

Zuko chuckled and shook his head. “I assure you I’m not.” His eyes crinkled again in that way that told her he was being one-hundred percent genuine. “I really do love living here. And I promise I won’t do anything nefarious with the mill. So, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay here.”

Katara released her skirt, allowing the hem to fall back to the floor. Slowly, she shook her head in utter bafflement. She simply couldn’t wrap her mind around this bizarre young man. He was the son of the most wealthy and powerful man in America, and he wanted to stay here in her humble little West Bluhaven because he enjoyed being verbally abused by her.

Well, she wasn’t going to question his reasoning. The man had taken a bullet for her. As far as she was concerned, he could stay as long as he wanted. Pulling her mouth into a tiny, teasing smile, she said, “I believe the agreement was that you would be allowed to stay so long as you managed not to die. You’ve obviously upheld your end of the agreement, so I suppose I’ve no right to deny you.”

Zuko’s smile widened and his eyes danced with happiness. “Thank you, Katara.”

Katara returned his smile and shook her head. More seriously, she said, “There’s no need to thank me. You earned your right to be here a long time ago. However…” Her eyebrows slanted low over her eyes and she held a finger up in front of his face. “I do still very much intend to continue my daily inspections. Somebody needs to make sure you’re not working those hamsters of yours too hard.”  

Zuko’s eyes crinkled again and he let out a chuckle. “Of course. I’ll be delighted to have you.”

Katara’s smile returned. Throwing propriety to the dogs, she leaned forward and wrapped him up in another hug. She was just so happy to have him back. Seeing him alive and recovering, all her other problems suddenly didn’t feel so great. So what if Ozai couldn’t answer for his crimes just yet? So what if the memory of killing Zhao still haunted her dreams? She and Zuko would face these things together. By far, the scariest thing she’d faced from that day was the prospect of losing him. Compared to that, those other two matters were as significant as raindrops in a lake.

“Um, Katara.”

Katara grunted. “What?”

“Your father’s right behind you.”

At once, Katara ripped away from Zuko and whirled around. Sure enough, Hakoda stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and one eyebrow raised high on his forehead.

Katara’s face lit up like a candle. “D-Dad!” she squeaked. “What are you doing h—I mean, this isn’t what it looks like!”

Hakoda pushed off the doorframe to enter the room fully and his arms uncrossed to move to his hips. Nobody was more surprised than Katara when one corner of his mouth lifted upward in a small, knowing smirk. “I did say I was happy that you were warming to Mr. Redford,” spoke in a slow drawl. “But maybe slow it down just a tad.”

oO0Oo

Okay, so that last bit was sort of an omake. Hakoda needed to be there. It was only fitting.

I know I skipped a ton of prompts. I really wanted to write for all of them, but I just didn’t have time. I barely managed to scratch this one out. Still, it’s better than 2012. I at least managed to do most of the prompts. (And there’s still tomorrow’s, too.) So…success? Kind of?

Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed this rushed finale to the Western AU. This last part didn’t end up matching with the prompt as well as I’d hoped, but that’s just how these things are sometimes. Stories don’t always go the way you intend them to. I’m just glad I was able to wrap it up in a timely fashion. I didn’t want to make everyone wait for this. I’ve already got enough of a reputation for leaving stories unfinished.

Oh, and for those of you who were wondering: No. Deputy Hanook never woke up. He’s still at his desk sleeping.