ATLA does not belong to me.

I don't know how long I sat there, just brushing my fingers through his hair, making sure the burn always had water on it. My body ached and my muscles cried for sleep, but I just ignored it. I was working on autopilot, tear stains left on my face from tears that had long ago dried up. My brain wasn't processing or thinking about what had happened, I just kept washing his wound, over and over. The rag and the water were both crimson red by the time Zuko opened his eyes for the first time in... minutes? Hours? He groaned and winced as his good eye opened and found mine.

"Hey teal eyes." He said, voice cracking. "I had a dream someone with those eyes saved me from the fires of Hell." He cracked a smile, then winced as the movement irritated his burn.

"Here" I said, placing the rag over his eye again "keep this on your burn."

He did as I said, holding the rag himself.

"We need to get you to a healer. I don't know if your left eye has been damaged." I said, my hand still brushing through his hair.

He grunted then sat himself up, trying to hide the pain contorting his face. Once he was up he looked at me, rag still over his eye, and spoke quietly.

"Why did you help me?" He asked, his voice sad. "Aren't I the evil causing this war? You could have left me here to suffer." I think he was trying to make a snide remark, but it just came out tired and hollow.

You've been in my dreams since before I met you. Since then I've felt like I've needed to save you. I shook my head. That sounds so ridiculous and creepy.

I looked down at my red hands, my silk gown now ruined with stains from Zuko's blood. I looked up at him again and shrugged, defeated.

"I had to save you. I couldn't leave you laying here." I said, deciding to not mention my dreams.

"Buy why did you have to save me?" He asked, eye confused. "How did you know where I'd be, or even how to get here?"

He kept staring at me, his eye begging for an answer.

"Zuko I..." I bit my lip, unsure of what and what not to tell him.

I heard him groan and looked up in time to see his eye roll back in his head and him fall backwards.

"Zuko!" I said, grabbing at him, trying to break his fall.

I held hes upper body in my arms, trying to get him up.

Uhg.. come on. I can't lift him.

I was trying to develop a plan to be able to carry him, when the doors opened and two guards walked in. Once they spotted us they rushed over, one scooping the prince up in his arms, like he did it all the time, and the other grabbing me under the arm yanking me to my feet. Neither said anything to the other or me as they took us to the back of the room, pulling back the curtains.

What are they doing? This is just a wall.

The gaurd holding my arm placed his had over a fire nation insignia which lit as he bended into it. There was the sound of stone grumbling and moving as a portion of the stone wall slowly opened toward us, revealing a stair case leading up.

Woah. What in the world? I thought confused. Where are they taking us?

I was too afraid to ask.

It was a tight space as we ascended the stairs, Zuko and his guard in front, and the other guard behind me. It was so dark I tripped and fell foreword, catching myself with my hands, my knees banging into the stone in front of me. I held back a cry as the guard quickly pulled me up so I could continue to walk. I was panting by the time we reached another wall, and the guard holding Zuko did the same as the other before. The wall opened and we walked into a white room that smelled of disinfectant.

Is this... the healers room?

The room had a large stain glass window which brought in moon light, a few cots with privacy curtains, and a desk over in the far end corner.

"Now what is all this comotion about? Don't you know it's the middle of the- Oh my God."

A women dressed in a traditional red night robe walked in, eyes wide in horror as she ran over to Zuko.

"Oh my. What has he done to you this time?" She spoke quietly. "You poor thing. Bring him over here."

She walked over to the last cot to the left, indicating to the guard to place Zuko there. Zuko grunted in his sleep as he was set down, face twisted, then relaxed as he stopped moving. The woman turned to the guards.

"Now what happened?" She asked.

The guards just looked at each other in confusion, then looked at me. She followed their gaze and saw me for the first time. She was surprised, but then she slowly smiled.

"My my. I never thought I'd see the day that the prince would find himself a woman." She said, smiling more. "Follow me dear and we'll get you cleaned up, then you can tell me what happened."

She waved her hand and the guards turned to leave from where they came.

"Oh just use the door like a normal human being." She said, slightly annoyed.

They did as she said and quickly left without a word.

She turned to me "I hate the rucus that door makes, it could wake the whole palace!" She chuckled and rumaged through a closet, pulling out a pair or Fire Nation army pants and a plain black t shirt.

"I'm sorry I don't have anything more sutible for a woman, but this will have to do."

She laid the clothes over a chair and pointed to a bathroom.

"You may use the shower to wash off and then change into these clothes. Just leave the robe in there and I'll toss it." She said, smiling.

I just stood there silently, feeling awkward as I rocked back and fourth. I bit on my lower lip as i stammered.

"He burned him." I said quietly. "He burned him. His own son. He didn't even flinch or seem sorry. Just, burned him."

Her face fell and eye brows furrowed in anger. She leaned closer to me and lowered her voice.

"He's done many things to him over the years. Things I'd rather not discuss." She said, sounding angry. "I'm surprised he hasn't killed that boy, which I guess, he almost did tonight." She shook her head and walked over to Zuko, taking water and bending it into her hands and over his eye. He winced and cried out before sighing in relief.

"You're a water bender!" I exclaimed. "So's my father."

She smiled at me before focusing back on Zuko.

"Perhaps I know him." She sounded almost sad.

I bit back my questions and took that as my cue to hop into the shower and scrub of all of the blood from myself. I changed into the clothes she put out and walked out feeling better than I had in hours.

"Thank you for the clothes." I said to her, bowing.

"I'm assuming you kept water on his burn till he got here?"

I nodded walking over to where he laid.

"You saved his sight in that eye, and maybe even his life. The wound could have easily gotten infected, or he could have died from loss of blood." She said, walking back to her desk after bandaging Zuko's eye.

"I'm glad he's found someone to look after him." She said sincerily.

I blushed and shook my head.

"I'm not his wife or girlfriend, just someone from the coronation ball." I said, looking at Zuko.

I heard her quiet voice behind me whisper.

"I don't think that's all you are to him anymore."

My heart twinged and I rubbed my eyes, fatigue starting to set in.

I need to protect him. I know he's the one from my dreams, but even then, I don't know why I feel so connected to him, to have the need to save him.

Zuko groaned beside me and turned his head to look at me, eye glassy and half open as he mumbled.

"I'm cold."

I nodded and grabbed a thick blanket, drapping it over him as he reached out and grabbed my arm weakly.

"Sleep beside me." He said, voice soft and tired.

I blushed and shook my head, but he didn't let me go.

"Please?" He whispered, pleading. "I'm so cold and your skin's so warm."

I sighed and pulled back the blanket and sat down beside him as his arm instictivly snaked around me, pulling me closer to him. He nudged me down and spoke softly.

"Sleep."

I nodded and laid down resting my head on his chest. He pulled me tighter against him, arm over my back and side. I felt him slowly relax and his breathing slow as he fell asleep. I closed my eyes and focused on his breath as I felt myself drift to sleep, the last thing I heard was Zuko's breathing.

A/N: Yay another chapter done! Thanks you guys so much for following my story. If you can please review and tell me what you liked and didnt like, so i can improve my writing. I hope you liked this chapter, cya!