Author's Note: I know. I started another new one. I swear I'm finishing the others. I promise. Just let me know what you think. 3 Leave a review.
Chapter 1
The sixteen-year-old banished prince of the Fire Nation crossed his arms in frustration. He let out an annoyed huff at his current predicament, bouncing one leg impatiently as he sat in the plain wooden chair.
"Uncle, hurry up!" he yelled to the old man who came slowly stumbling out of the bathroom.
"You've got to work on your patience, Prince Zuko." his uncle chastised in his usual soft tone. It hardly felt like a correction. His concerns were always voiced as gentle suggestions—ones that Zuko often opted not to take. "Now…what has you so upset?"
"She's being unreasonable, uncle!" Zuko immediately complained, jumping at the chance for his side of the events to be heard. He leaned forward, nearly knocking over his still full cup of tea. His uncle, Iroh, smiled slyly, setting his focus to the teapot rather than his distressed nephew. Iroh licked his lips at the smell of the ginseng root and happily poured out the light-colored liquid into a small cup. "Are you even listening?!" the young prince yelled, demanding the retired general's full attention.
"Ah—of course, yes!" Iroh quickly replied. The old man's wrinkled forehead smoothed a bit as his brows began to slowly return to their resting position. He closed his eyes thoughtfully, which accentuated the bags beneath them. Iroh nodded as if he were in the midst of receiving a message from the great spirits of another realm, slowly stroking his greyed goatee with his hand. Zuko rolled his eyes and groaned at the hyperbolic display of attentiveness, but it hardly dissuaded him from continuing to voice his grievance.
"How long can she hold a grudge over a couple of words? It's been two years! She should let it go! Is she always going to treat me like this?" Iroh stared back at his nephew with kind, amber eyes. His left brow slowly lifted, giving the young boy a skeptical look.
"I don't understand, Prince Zuko." the old man began. "Isn't she doing exactly what you asked her to?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Zuko replied, turning away from his uncle and leaning back into the wooden chair. His hand reached up instinctively to touch the scar that marred the left side of his face. He had a bad habit of doing it when he felt particularly guilty about his actions. Not that he would ever admit it out loud. His lips parted in a scowl, revealing his gritted teeth and he shoved his arms down, tightening them in a defiant cross in front of his chest once again. "She knows exactly what she's doing."
"I don't think so." Iroh returned his attention to the tea, mixing in sugar and honey until it was sweetened to his liking. He took a sip and smiled, letting out a content breath at the medley of delicious flavors that danced upon his tongue. His smile fell and he gave his nephew a remorseful look. "I think you really hurt her feelings. What you said was cruel."
"I didn't mean—" Zuko leaned forward again with arms wide open to try and explain himself. He stopped when he realized how fruitless it was and let out an aggravated growl instead. He exited the room, stomping down the ship's hallway. He hated being wrong. He hated to admit he was wrong. It was unbecoming of a leader—of a prince. Yet, no matter how he tried to contextualize his words, no matter what excuses he came up with in his head, he knew his uncle was right: what he said to her was unjustifiable, inexcusable, and…cruel.
He stomped up to the deck of the ship and let his golden eyes wander until he spotted her leaning against a railing looking longingly out into the ocean. He had every intention to walk over to her. He just needed to think of something to say.
"She sure has grown." Zuko turned at the voice of one of his soldiers. They sat in a cluster of five, unaware of their prince's presence, talking amongst themselves.
"You mean she sure has gotten pretty." another soldier corrected the first. They shared a laugh.
"Yea, not bad for a savage." Another laugh. Zuko frowned. Was this how he had sounded to her? Was this what she heard from him that day? It disgusted him.
"Pretty savages are the best." a third soldier chimed in. "They won't make you marry them after a night together. They're just whor—" Fire erupted from Zuko's hands as he angrily made his way to the group. Their insulting words were too much for him to bear.
"If you worthless bags of meat spent as much time looking for information on the Avatar as you do slacking off on deck or playing stupid board games with my uncle, we would be back in the Fire Nation with him imprisoned already!" the prince yelled, emphasizing each venomous insult with a spray of embers from his flailing arms. The soldiers stuttered an apology and scurried off to their respective posts.
It made him angry. Sure, they were staring at her, but she wasn't making it any better. Especially not since she had turned fifteen. He found his anger redirected at her again. She shouldn't wear that sleeveless, silk cheongsam. It was a deep, royal red that hugged her curves too tightly. And, sure, it was long, but so were the slits down each side that revealed her smooth, bare legs. He had warned her about the neckline before, too. It was too low. The collar stopped just short of her neck and dove down into a V-shape that closed halfway down her sternum, displaying a thin, vertical sliver of the tops of her breasts and cleavage—which was accentuated by her tight dress. She had simply replied to his criticisms of her attire by saying that she was unable to move freely in any other outfit. However, she would be happy to adopt another uniform as long as he didn't mind her compromised ability to engage in battle. Of course, he minded that. So, nothing ever came of it.
He had thought about picking a fight over her hair the next day. The loose, black curls that cascaded down her back were too distracting. The way the locks fluttered in the wind carelessly, the way a few strands would find themselves between her plump, pink lips, the way she ran her fingers slowly from her forehead back to clear her face of the black tendrils, the way her bangs would slide back into place like silk, it was too much for any man. He had decided not to when he noticed she began wearing a winter cloak more often. It made sense, they were moving into colder waters filled with ice, but Zuko knew she had done it because of his comments. Her new garment hid everything.
Well, almost everything. He still found it hard to concentrate around her, as did his men, apparently. Especially when he, and they, would catch the slow bats of those long, thick lashes around her ice blue eyes. Her eyes were nearly colorless. It was a stark contrast from her light brown skin, and seeing all of her elements together…how could his soldiers be expected to focus? How could they be expected to not stare at such beauty? It was a curse, much like the one from his mother's favorite play: Love Amongst the Dragons. The Dark Water Spirit had cursed the Dragon Emperor with a mortal body, much like how she had bound him and his men to physical desires. Zuko wasn't supposed to think about these things. They were distractions. She was a distraction.
His glare slowly lifted and he found himself feeling conflicted again. It wasn't her fault. He knew that. She was just a captain trying to fulfill her duty to the Fire Nation. That's all. Yet, he was still so angry with her. Why did he care what other men thought of her? Why did it bother him so much? Maybe two years out on the open ocean was beginning to drive him mad. Maybe it was making him too soft. Maybe…. He gently reached up and touched his lips, remembering the accidental kiss he had shared with her prior to his banishment. He sighed. A small smile tugged on the corner of his mouth, and he turned to make his way toward her. Another frustrated huff left him when he caught sight of the empty deck. She was already gone, most likely retired to her room for the night. He crossed his arms and made his way to his chamber. Maybe he would have better luck tomorrow.
Zuko peered out at the deck from the warship's bridge. She carried out tea and set it on the small table as his uncle set up the Pai Sho board. They exchanged a few words—words that Zuko was unable to hear from this distance—and she gratefully accepted a cup of tea, with a pleasant smile, before turning to lean against the railing of the ship and stare out at the surrounding glaciers. Now was as good a time as any. He made his way down the winding stairs and out to her. She never turned to acknowledge him. Perhaps the hood of her cloak was obscuring him from her view. He swallowed, preparing to clear his throat, but stopped when a bright light in the distance caught his eye. It shot up straight into the sky. It's glow was beautiful, powerful, and Zuko thought he heard a faint ringing along with it. Could it be? Was it him? He took long strides to the edge of the ship, holding out a telescope to examine the light. It had to be him.
"Finally." Zuko growled under his breath. He turned, ignoring his previous notions of winning over the girl, and directed his attention to Iroh. "Uncle, do you realize what this means?"
"I won't get to finish my game?" Iroh asked with a small pout, moving a piece forward on the board.
"It means my search is about to come to an end." Zuko explained through gritted teeth, earning a sigh from the old, retired general who still sat shuffling tiles. "That light came from an incredibly powerful source. It had to be him."
"Or…it's just the celestial lights." Iroh offered. "We've been down this road before, Prince Zuko. I don't want you to get too excited over nothing. Please, sit. Why don't you enjoy a cup of calming jasmine tea?"
"I don't need any calming tea!" Zuko yelled. She turned toward him for the first time, meeting his golden eyes with her ice blue ones. Her pink lips parted for a moment, but she turned away, back to the ocean. Zuko growled, clenching his jaw tight again. "I need to capture the Avatar. Helmsman, head a course for the light!" The young prince turned again, just in time to see the crimson cloaked girl retreating into the interior of the ship. Her lack of interest in him hardly seemed to matter now. She could be unreasonable. He was on the verge of capturing the Avatar and returning home. He had more important things to worry about.
Blue eyes darted up to the sky, searching for the source of a whistling sound. She pulled down her hood, walking to the bow of the ship, and grasped the railing.
"A Fire Navy flare signal?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the odd sight. The practice had been out of protocol for decades.
"The last airbender…." She heard the prince behind her and turned to face him. He followed something in the distance with his telescope. "Quite agile for his old age." Zuko turned to a soldier. "Wake my uncle! Tell him I found the avatar as well as his hiding place." He offered her his telescope and she gently took it from him, being sure to avoid grazing her hand against his. She peered out into the snow. "That's your old village, isn't it?"
"Yes." She removed the telescope from her eyes and folded it, handing it back to the prince.
"Any loyalties left that I should know about?" he interrogated, taking a step closer to her.
"None." she replied plainly, turning to walk away. "I'll be watching from the bridge."
"I suppose that's best." Zuko agreed with a smirk. "I'm sure the Avatar won't be expecting to face a waterbending prodigy." She hesitated between steps as a subtle, yet surprised, acknowledgement of his compliment, but kept her pace to the tower.
"Kai…you don't have to watch this." Iroh said, leaning to the young girl by his side who kept her blue eyes on Zuko's interrogation of her water tribe. "No one would blame you." She watched flames dance across the faces of the villagers she had grown up with.
"I have no loyalties to these people." Kai replied, keeping her gaze focused on the brawl in front of them. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she watched Sokka run toward Zuko in defense of his people. He was utterly outmatched, yet ready to give his life. He had not changed one bit. It was pathetic…but a sweet kind of pathetic.
"Oof!" Iroh flinched when a boomerang smacked Zuko in the back of the head. Kai couldn't help but to feel like he deserved it, and what came next. She caught sight of a small boy riding a penguin. He was a monk—an airbender. He slide between Zuko's legs, holding out a staff that sent the young prince's feet flying up in front of him and sent his body crashing down in an awkward position.
"Should I help him?" Kai asked.
"No…no…." Iroh assured, smiling when he saw Zuko stand again. "He's fine." Iroh squinted and frowned, a rare line of disapproval appearing across his brow. "Wait…."
"He's just a child…." Kai remarked, surprised by the young boy's appearance. The Avatar gave in fairly easily, agreeing to board the ship. "A pacifist child." Kai scoffed at the boy's altruism. "I suppose that's the best kind of Avatar to capture." This child would live a miserable, tortured existence all because he refused to compromise his principles. It was foolish.
"Well, we should celebrate with a well-deserved nap!" Iroh said with a clap of his hands. "All of this excitement has me weary!"
Kai ran out to the deck at the sound of Zuko's yelling. His voice had bellowed into the window of her room, startling her from her attempted nap. She came out just in time to see the Avatar plummet from the ship into the freezing water below as a result of Zuko's fire blast.
"Retrieve him!" Zuko ordered upon seeing her. He pointed to the water and she rushed to the edge, dropping her cloak and lifting her hands. The boat rocked violently and a spiral of water emerged, holding the boy at its center. "Excellent work, Kai." Kai dropped her arms and walked to Zuko, concern visible on her pretty face.
"I'm not doing that." she mumbled, in awe at the sight. The Avatar moved closer, landing on the ship and exposing his glowing eyes and tattoos. Kai and Zuko took a hesitant step back as he circled the water around his body and shot it out toward the surrounding crew. Kai tried to manipulate the water around her. It was barely successful, just enough to keep her on the boat. She had been able to manipulate water so easily before, even water under the control of other waterbenders, but the raw power of the Avatar had made her feel like a tiny fish swimming up a raging waterfall. She watched the young boy collapse and looked around. The rest of the crew had been knocked unconscious or thrown overboard. Kai stood slowly, bending the water out of her clothes and hair.
"Kai?!" She glanced up, watching a giant, six-legged bison land on the deck of the boat. The two water tribe teenagers stared at her with bewilderment. "You're—what're you—I don't—" Sokka struggled to form his sentences.
"Nice to see you again, Sokka, Katara." Kai acknowledged with a small smile. A scowl quickly covered Katara's face as she rushed to the airbender's side.
"I thought the rumors were all wrong! I defended you! To see you in Fire Nation clothing…on a Fire Nation ship…how could you!?" Katara demanded. Kai opened her mouth to answer but was quickly cut off. "Save it! Don't bother! I really looked up to you! You were a waterbending prodigy! I wanted to learn from you! How could you sell out your village—your people?!" Kai turned her eyes to Sokka who had run off to retrieve the Avatar's staff. She caught sight of his brief scuffle with Zuko and sighed, turning to assist her prince. She watched Sokka bump Zuko off the ledge of the boat, and by the time she finished retrieving the hothead from his near watery grave, the bison was beginning to take off into the air, leaving behind frozen soldiers.
"Shoot them down!" Zuko yelled upon seeing his still groggy uncle at the doorway of the deck. Kai watched them send a powerful fireball toward the bison, which was redirected into a cliff. Kai stepped forward shifting the speedy avalanche of snow that raged toward their boat only slightly, enough to avoid any soldiers. She would have liked to avoid the ship all together, but the fast-moving snow gave her little choice.
"Good news for the Fire Lord: the Fire Nation's greatest threat is just a little kid." Iroh mocked. Kai ignored the conversation between the royal family members. It was not her place to listen nor to provide her input, however little she had. Zuko had made that clear to her two years ago. She flicked her wrist, thawing out the frozen soldiers and pulling out the water from their clothes before they could become hypothermic. She immediately moved to the snow, shifting it off the boat little by little. Her place, as captain, was with the ship's operations. That was all.