So for those who are already following the story. I hate to break it to you, but... I changed the story.

I read it again when I found new inspiration for the story and discovered that the first chapter of the story that i had written led to a dead end. So I'm starting again!

So I hope you (and everyone else) will enjoy it and forgive me for it.

Please note that english is my secondary language, so it is possible that there might be some errors in the tekst. If you find one that disturbs you, feel free to mention it.

Let me know what you think of the story in the reviews, it'll keep me going.

Oh, and i changed my username (for those who follow me) into Dutchlines.

General Iroh sipped his tea, loving the fruity taste, watching the sun being swallowed by the sea. He loved these moments of peace and beauty, but his hands were itching for some excitement. His fleet had been on patrol for months, controlling ships on their cargo and shipment. He kept telling himself that this was important too, especially since the rumours about a certain equaliser became more and more violent.

'Man overboard!'

Iroh almost dropped his cup when hearing those two words being screamed from the ship next to him. As if on auto pilot, he ran back inside and yelled through the microphone, commanding his men to shutdown all the engines. With his binoculars in his hand he ran back outside and scanned the water surface. The searchlights landed on a small figure, drifting on what appears to be a wooden pallet. He had to double-check, believing his eyes were deceiving him. A woman. The waterbenders who were stationed on the other ship bended the woman on board. Iroh couldn't do anything but to watch how his men followed the protocols. How they bended the water from her lungs. How she coughed and how she fell back to unconsciousness after she had opened her eyes for a brief moment. He hated to wait so long for the briefing. And finally, he got a call. From Surya nonetheless. It was not that Iroh didn't like the guy, but the main reason he butted heads with Surya ever so often had to do with Surya's lack of respect and him being distracted most of the time, in particular when it came to women and men that caught his eye.

'How is she?'

'Hard to tell, sir. Her clothing has burned marks on them despite being soaked. Her pulse is weak and her breathing is shallow. According to the physician, she is suffering from hypothermia and malnutrition. She assumes that the woman has been in this condition for some time.'

Iroh sat down, knowing that if he would stand a second longer, he would lose any contact with the ground. No one had died during his time as general and Iroh intended to keep it that way. But the thought of the woman dying send shivers down his spine.

'Has she spoken yet?'

'No, sir. Not a word.'

'Let me know when she wakes up, I have some questions that needs to be answered.'

'Will do, sir. I also have some questions for the damsel.'

Iroh could hear the smirk and rolled his eyes, making a mind note to scold him for his behaviour later. They ended the call. He moaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He wanted to stay awake, to be there when the woman wakes, but his body did not comply. With sunken shoulders he retreated to his room. He waited for the sleep to creep up on him, to take him to the next day as soon as possible. He never wanted it so badly. Although his thoughts kept roaming through every corner of his mind, he fell asleep like how he would love to fall in love – slow and softly and certainly.

Hours later, after some disturbing dreams, Iroh could no longer fall asleep. He tried, eyeing the clock. Three o'clock am. Getting so frustrated about sleep was more tiring than thinking about it. Iroh got dressed and made way to the bridge. Just as he opened the heavy iron door he heard a loud yawn.

'Where are your manners, soldier?' Iroh snickered at the startled figure in the chair that was located near the mapping station. The man quickly removed his feet from the radar, embarrassed.

'Relax, Armit. I'm joking.' Iroh placed his hand reassuring on the shoulder of his second in command – and friend. The earthbender sighed, rubbing his eyes.

'Don't scare me like that, for spirits' sake.' Armit stretched his arms followed by another loud yawn. 'I don't understand why we rotate night shifts. You know how much I love my sleeping routine.'

'I can take your shift over if you'd like.' Iroh meant what he said. He wanted his men to be in good shape and right now, the lack of sleep made his second in command look older than his grandfather.

Armit brushed Iroh' suggestion aside with a simple hand motion. 'No way, that would make me look like a wimp. Absolutely not.'

Iroh smiled. He had to admit, at first he didn't really trust Armit as his second in command. But once he got to know him and his love for food, strong drinks and people, Iroh could not imagine his life without his best friend.

'Well, I don't know about you, but I could use some fresh air.'

Armit raised an eyebrow. 'She's still in your head?'

Iroh laughed scornfully. 'Off course not.'

Once outside, Iroh took a deep breath, tasting the salt of the sea on his lips. He smiled. This was what he always wanted. This freedom – to a certain extent. Dark thoughts waved in his mind, Iroh shook them off. Then, something appeared on the right ship's deck, dressed in a white nightgown. The woman. She ran fast as if she was running away from something horrifying. Iroh cursed and ran back inside. A dozed off Armit jumped up in his chair.

'She's awake.' Iroh growled.

'Should I sound the alarm?' Armits hand was already on the switch.

'No, that would scare her more. Make contact with the bridge. Tell them I'm coming over, but do not turn down the engines.'

'Yes, sir.'

Iroh sprinted down the stairs, thanking the spirits that everyone was asleep. He got on his deck, eyeing the woman who was already climbing on top of the dragon figurehead which decorated the bow of the ship. He had to act quickly, before she would slip and fall in the icy water for the second time. Iroh took a sprint and propelled himself with firebending on to the other ship's deck. He ran up to her.

'Don't come any closer.' Her voice, frightened and furious and demanding at the same time made him stop dead in his tracks. 'I–I'll jump if you take one step closer.'

He wanted to reassure her so badly but he felt her fear nesting in his own bones. He stepped back until he saw her fear changing into doubt and uncertainty.

'Please, you don't have to be scared.' He extended his hand as a non-threatening sign. 'My name is Iroh the second. I am the general of this fleet.'

The woman's eyes grew wider and she looked around – stunned and overwhelmed. She grabbed her head, sank through her knees and whispered to herself. In reflex Iroh jumped forward, readying himself to catch her. She immediately locked eyes with him, so fast that he had to swallow the big lump that had formed in his throat. Her eyes, piercing dark like onyx, followed his every motion. Her mouth formed the words she spoke earlier, harder this time, convincing herself and Iroh.

'I will jump if you take another step closer.'

He looked over his shoulder and saw that some of the night crew had been alerted, watching from afar, waiting for what would happen next. Then it sunk in, those words where not only meant for him, but for the crew as well. He had to play it smart. Iroh took a deep breath before unbuttoning his jacket while keeping eye-contact with her.

'W–what, what are you doing?' Her form shivered.

'Well, if you are going to jump, someone has to safe you, right? And I don't want my clothes to get wet. It's nasty cold down there, you see. And we don't have a dryer on board.'

The woman eyed the dark water and shivered again. A loud clap on the water startled her, Iroh and the crew. It became quiet again – except for the waves bouncing off the ship, but soon after the first clap another followed, and another one. It kept going.

'What is that sound.' Iroh murmured. The searchlights flicked on, lighting the cause of the disturbance. Right in front of the bow swam a group of giant elephant koi, jumping up way high above the surface. The spectacle was like a dream so beautiful. For a moment he forgot about the scared woman. Until she gasped in wonder.

'Look!' The woman breathed. 'Giant Koi!'

He watched her and her new expression that formed her face. She leaned forward, almost wanting to touch the fish. And laughed. Sea water droplets rained upon them as small liquid diamonds and she giggled in excitement. He breathed out, relieved at the change of scenery.

'Those are the elephant koi. We must be near Kyoshi Island.'

'Kyoshi Island?' She exclaimed. 'I've always wanted to go there.'

'We planned to go there within the next three days.' Iroh mentioned it nonchalantly, hoping she would catch the bait. Her eyes narrowed.

'Really?' She sounded hopeful and with every word, every sound that she made, Iroh learned more and more about her. He nodded.

'Will you please come down? For the sake of my heart,' Iroh pointed over his shoulder at his crew, 'and for theirs?'

A blush reddened her cheeks and she nodded. A unified sigh echoed on deck. She crawled down, finding her footing appeared to be difficult for her. Now that she had her back turned to him, he had to step closer, feeling anxious.

And she slipped. She screamed as she fell down. Expecting this, Iroh jumped forward, grabbing her wrist just in the nick of time. He grunted at the sudden weight that cling onto him. She was heavier than she looked.

Her eyes, teary and glistering with fear, woke up this beastlike strength.

'Give me your other hand.' He commanded.

She complied as fast as she could and he pulled. He rolled them both over and over, until they were at a safe distance from the railing. He held her face in both his hands as they caught their breath. She covered her face with her arms and cursed. A single teardrop danced on her still red cheek. He lifted her up and placed her head on his shoulder.

'It's okay, you're safe now.' He stroke her hair as he kept cradling her. It reminded him a little of a time when he too would like to be cradled by his mother.

Seeing the excitement was over, the crew scattered back to their business. Iroh hoisted her in his arms and brought her, bridal style, back to her room without a word. Her head landed on the pillow and she was out in the next second. He could contain his rage up until one point, and that point was reached. As soon as he closed her door, he stormed to the bridge where Surya was talking to the night watcher of his ship. Iroh grabbed his collar and threw him against the dashboard.

'What's your deal, man?' Surya tried to pry Iroh's hands off, but failed in his attempt as Iroh spat the next words to him.

'I do not condone such tone to a higher ranked officer, commander Surya.'

Surya stopped his struggling, anxiously licking his lips, not daring to say a word.

'How could this happen?' The words were still fierce and commanding.

'Relax, man.' At those words Iroh breathed out the hidden smoke that was building up his throat, making Surya rethink his choice of words. 'The men who were guarding her asked to change guards, they became tired. She must have woken up when the switch happened.' Surya quickly added a "sir" to his explanation.

Iroh let him go and rubbed his temples. He watched Surya straighten his jacket. Iroh was not done with him yet.

'We will discuss at ten o'clock am.' He walked back to his ship.

Once back on the bridge of his ship he flopped on one of the empty chairs. Armit only had to look at Iroh's face to know how bad his mood was.

'Surya?'

'Surya.' Iroh growled. He lay his head on his arms and closed his eyes. The smell of a freshly made cup of tea made him open them again. He looked over his shoulder and eyed Armit, who was whistling nonchalantly. Iroh sipped his drink and a small thankyou rolled over his lips. The sun was already rising and he blamed the night, as he felt even more tired than before.

What started to be a beautiful evening ended in an exciting night. But Iroh wasn't sure if this was the excitement he was hoping for.