****** Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA uh also sorry for the cringey author's notes for the first five chaps of the story ******
Love is like wildflowers; It's often found in the most unlikely places.
Blinding light leaks through the crystalline clusters of rock and illuminates the azure water. She watches him rise, pride filling her chest and hope glistening in her sapphire eyes, but the light is gone too quickly and the emotion in her eyes is cracked.
Instinctively, she pulls the water to her hand and sends it chrashing down onto anyone in her path. Azula stumbles and the stream of lightning that had shot from her fingertips stops abruptly.
He is sprawled across the ground, his young, frail limbs bent in funny directions and his tattoos faded back to blue. But his chest still rises and falls ever-so-slightly, and his right hand twitches almost unnoticeably; he is alive. He is damaged and burnt and broken, but he is alive. Her face is coated with sweat and blood and tears that she didn't even realise had fallen, and her legs are sprinting towards him as saltwater clouds her vision. She is closer to him every second, closer to taking him in her arms and carrying him to safely. She barely notices when the white heats skims her shoulder, but she does notice when the electricity paints a picture of horror in front of her, his weak but agonising scream echoing in her eardrums and the scent of his scorched flesh invading her nostrils.
The avatar has fallen.
"Take the peasant." Azula orders, not even bothering to look at the green-robed men as she addresses them.
"Why do you want her?" Zuko questions, knowing that she either wants to kill the girl or take her captive, neither of which he agrees with. Not that he's in the position to argue with his sister, of course; she is taking him back to the Fire Nation and ending his disownment, a task which he has not been able to complete in his three years at sea.
"Did you even see what happened? The avatar is dead, but he was not killed in the avatar state. The next avatar will be born into one of the water tribes, and this peasant could be helpful in more than one ways. We need to find the new avatar, who has probably just been born, and somehow kill him or her in the avatar state."
Azula had always been good at thinking up plans. It is a good plan, but killing a baby just seems so wrong...
Of course it does. His sister is never one to think of compassion or morals; then again, why would she? Azula takes after their father.
"The peasant's putting up quite a fight." Azula remarks, her amber eyes fixed on the scene in front of her. He glances over at the young water tribe girl, shooting water and ice at the earthbenders.
She has improved majorly since our first encounter. He thinks to himself, remembering when she could barely flick water up at his crew. Nevertheless, the Dai Lee soon has her hands bound behind her back by their strange rock fists.
"Let me go!" Her voice rings out defiantly as she uselessly attempts to break the rock.
Azula simply purses her lips and glances to one of the Dai Lee. "Cover her mouth too."
She squirms in the uncomfortable rock cuffs that keeps her in place. Binding her hands is one thing, covering her mouth is another, but using the seemingly unbreakable rock on her ankles as well seems to be going a bit far. Yes, she has attempted - and almost succeeded - escape, but who wouldn't in her situation?
It's even worse that they are going to the Fire Nation by ship. It just seems so insulting to be held captive in her own element. She is being kept down where the workers are busy keeping the ship running, and their watchful eyes seem to bore into her whenever they pass.
She does not know how long it takes to get to the Fire Nation from Ba Sing Se, nor does she know how long she has been staring dully at the dusty ground, but she can tell that it is late at night. Working men seem to be getting their breaks, replaced by others. Many of them are opening barrels that emit a bitter smell that she assumes, as they fill their cups and begin acting much less focused and refined, is alcohol. She shrinks further into the corner where she sits, yet she cannot disappear completely, and she cannot, as more of the men get more and more intoxicated, prevent the lustful stares of the working crew. She cannot prevent one of the men from moving closer and closer to her every time he goes to refil his cup. He is suddenly closer to her than she would like and no one seems to be stopping him.
"Hello, little girl. What are you doing down here?"
His voice is raspy and deep, and it sends chills down her spine that make her want to bolt away from the man, but her legs are bound, so she cannot run, her hands are tied, so she cannot defend herself, and her mouth is covered, so she cannot scream out for help.
He is suddenly much too close to her, close enough she can smell the alcohol on his breath and his sweaty hands that touch her arms. He whispers disgusting things into her neck and she tries to run, tries to break free but she cannot. She is squirming wildly now, trying to stop him before he can do anymore, flailing as much as she can with the rock that ties her hands and feet. She suddenly feels her head hit a hard surface and the man goes down, crying out in pain as he hits the ground.
The sound of footsteps echoing down the stairs meets her ears and Zuko some sort into her vision.
Zuko. Just the sight of him makes her nose nose crinkle in disgust. Betrayer.
His eyebrows (or at least his one eyebrow) furrows at the scene. "What happened?"
"Sir, the girl attacked me for no reason! She's out of control!"
Anger ignites in her stomach. How dare he? He tried to rape her, and now he acts the victim! She stares daggers at him, trying to speak though it is no use; her mouth is still covered.
Zuko looks from the worker to her, until his eyes find the waterbender's shoulder. HEr dress has been pulled of the top of her arm and teeth marks dent her dark skin. The Fire Prince's eyes widen and he strides over to the worker, his golden irises like sparks, lit with fury.
"Don't lie to me! You tried to molest this girl!" His voice is loud and seething. "Go up to Azula, I'll let her deal with you." Zuko then looks at the waterbender, his expression slightly softening. He reaches up to uncover her mouth, his hands warm. "Are you okay?"
She does not reply. How could she be okay after this? But she cannot show weakness; not here, where everyone is her enemy.
Zuko speaks again. "You won't have your mouth covered, so you can call in case your in danger. Just don't make unnesesary noise."
She is grateful for this. Almost grateful enough to thank him. But he betrayed her when she gave him a chance, he joined his sister, who murdered Aang, he has taken her captive and, though she doesn't know the exact reason, she knows it's for his and Azula's own benifit. He does not deserve her thanks.
She is a waterbender, and when she spits on his cheek, she does not miss.
A/N: Thanks for reading my first chapter, I know quite a lot happened but I got carried away... Anyway, I'm really excited about this new story, I have some stories going on on wattpad (my username is Fionamckeever), but I wanted to start this one sooo much. I haven't read another story with this sort of plot, so apologies in advance if this sounds like another author's work, it's certainly not meant to.
Please review, fave and follow
~Bri