This story was inspired by the fic Ethereal, by crystalline talisman. I really enjoyed and I've been forgetting to give her credit; I've taken a few pages out of her book, borrowing a few aspects of her mermaid's and using them for my own. I recommend you read her fic; it's certainly better than mine!

All the same, enjoy!

Teacup~

EDIT: I just want to remind all my readers that this story is M. That is for violence, sex, and attempted rape. And Angst, but I'm pretty sure you're all here for a small dose of it ;}

[Prologue]: Moonless

It is a cold, moonless night and Zuko's fingers are slowly going numb. Even his inner fire cannot stave off the North Pole's bitter chill. His men are less fortunate—they blow into their cupped hands and clench chattering teeth shut. Not for the first time, Zuko curses the universe and all the forces that have conspired to place him here and now, in this desolate land of ice and snow.

In the distance, bubbles rise to the surface. Something swishes by, just below the surface. A tail, or perhaps a hand. His men tense, clutching oars and nets and little knives that will not protect them. A man from the other longboat signals another sighting. Zuko swallows. Dread pools in his stomach and his mouth dries. He knows this was a bad idea, but his desperation outweighs his fear.

There is a quiet lull.

Then a head surfaces twenty paces away. Dark hair, dark skin, eerie black moonless eyes that shouldn't gleam in the dead of the night, but do anyway. She smiles a sharp bloodthirsty smile. Then Zuko knows; it's an ambush.

He shouts for his men to retreat, but they are set upon before a single oar can be lifted. An oarsman is dragged into the water, screaming for agni—another firebends at the beautiful woman trying to lift herself into the boat. One of the fish women shriek—the lieutenant has stabbed her in the chest—and the unearthly sound makes Zuko's ears ring. He shouts for the nets to be thrown, but the sailor manning the net has been dragged into the murky depths. He swears and works the net launcher himself. The machine swings around silently and he aims it at the nearest monster—a white haired fish woman tearing the throat out of some poor man. He fires and the girl is swept up, shrieking and thrashing. Zuko has already shouted for the boat to move.

They speed away with only a fraction of the men unaccounted for—a miracle compared to the staggering toll of his previous attempts. Zuko knows he cannot put his crew through this once more; he prays that the fish girl will still be alive when they make it back to the main ship.

An hour later, they slow down long enough to pull the net out. His steel net is shredded and his mermaid is long gone. Zuko curses bitterly.