"Now," I began. "With the whip and pull I just taught you, I want each of you to grab the swords in my hand and disable me. Ready?"
Aang and Katara nodded. The took stance and so did I. I put the swords in front of my body and nodded. They both took up water and went for the whip and pull. Katara had trouble getting the whip to form and whipped a tree. Aang, however, was able to grab the sword from me with the whip, flung it up in the air, and caught the handle. Katara grumbled and kicked at the water.
"The avatar is going to have a much easier time getting water bending down Katara," I said putting the other sword down. "You just have to be patient. Maybe you need more meditation."
"I think I have had enough meditation!" Katara exclaimed. "I don't know why I can't do any of this!"
"You'll get the hang of it soon Katara," I replied calmly. "Do you want to do some focus training? That's what I do."
Katara sighed and shook her head. "I think I'm just going to take break and try again later."
I nodded. "Very well."
"Guys, I'm hungry," Sokka complained holding his stomach.
"So, make some of the vegetables we got from that port," Katara suggested getting out of the water.
"I need meat," Sokka huffed.
"Here Sokka, cook these," I said catching some fish in water bubbles and throwing them at him.
Sokka screamed and ducked for cover as all the fish splashed on to the ground where he was complaining. We laughed as Sokka mumbled picking up the fish that I had thrown at him.
"Well, I never!" He exclaimed.
"Don't make too big of a fire Sokka. We don't want Zuko finding us," Katara told him.
"Too late," A voice came from behind me.
I jumped and put an ice wall between us and Zuko. "Run!" I screamed as Zuko burned a hole right through my wall.
"Annaisha!" Aang yelled turning back towards me.
"Go! I'll hold them off!" I yelled back to Aang making tentacles and whipping them at Zuko and his team.
Katara took his hand and ran into the woods.
"After them!" Zuko roared.
"You go no where," I breathed taking one of the tentacles and hitting some of the soldiers back at the rocks in the river. I wrapped another tentacle around a soldier and threw him into the river. They surrounded me. I was obviously out numbered but Aang was more important than me. They all shot fire at me at once. I surrounded myself with the tentacles blocking the fire. Then, something hard hit me on the head. My water tentacles fell to the ground the same time I did. The last thing I saw was Appa flying over the area.
Ugh, my head. I rubbed my head and rolled over on to my back. The ground felt cold and hard. I moaned and slowly opened my eyes. It was dark except for a little barred window far above my head. Where was I? Was I in a cell? What happened? I don't remember anything. I remember being with Aang, Katara, and Sokka. I remember teaching them the whip and pull. I don't really remember anything after that. I sat up slowly and looked around. I was definitely in a cell. I looked at my ankles which had chains on them. Heavy ones at that. I bent the water outside the window and tried slicing through the metal. Nothing. I grumbled and threw the water back out the window.
I heard a door creak open. Footsteps coming my way. I stood up and got into a fighting stance. I wasn't going down without a fight. I might be chained but I could still fight enough to defend myself. The footsteps got louder as the drew closer. Someone stepped in front of my bars but back away from the light.
"Comfortable?" That voice. I recognized that voice.
"Zuko," I muttered.
He stepped into the light with a smirk on his face. "You guessed right."
"I won't tell you anything if that's what you're here for," I sneered turning my back towards him.
"Well, we will see after a few days with no food or drinkable water," He chuckled. "Unless, you stop being stubborn."
I huffed and crossed my arms ignoring Zuko.
"Besides, you're captured. They'll most likely try to save you so I won't need to know where they are going. They'll come to me," He snarked and left, slamming the door on his way out.
Well, I guess I can meditate while I'm here, or even focus train. I pulled myself up to the window and looked out. Nothing but water. I hadn't thought of a time where water was my enemy. I dropped down from the window and sat down on the cold floor. I tried relaxing my mind but I couldn't. I didn't want Aang to come rescue me. I didn't want him to get captured. Hopefully, Sokka and Katara would smack some sense into him and they would just keep going towards the Northern Water Tribe. I sighed and started flicking rocks. I compared where the rock would land and would try and flick the next one farther. I rubbed my head. It hurt and I couldn't concentrate. Maybe I should sleep. Build my strength back up.
The floor was too hard and way too cold to actually get comfortable. I sighed and stared into the darkness of the other cells. I imagined what the gang would be doing right now. They would either be arguing over whether or not saving me was a risk they were willing to take or arguing over whether or not they should stop for the night. I hoped Sokka and Katara would do what I think they would if Aang were to suggest saving me. But, who knows. Maybe Katara would agree with Aang just so she could continue learning water bending. Maybe Sokka would agree with Aang just so I could continue teaching him the basics of sword and fighting with them. I hope they would do the right thing. As long as I didn't fuss or try and escape, Zuko would spare me.
The door creaked open slowly and then shut quietly. I could hear quick, quiet feet hurrying towards my cell. I got up and stood my ground. Maybe, I had spoken too soon.
I could see a figure in the darkness. It was a relatively short, plump figure. This person was carrying a bunch of things that I couldn't make out the lining of. The person slowly sat on the floor in front of my cell and moved something into my cell. My eyes widen and a smile popped on to my face. Food!
I sat down quickly and scooted over the bars. I picked up the plate of cooked fish and rice, picked up the chopsticks they had pushed into my cell with the plate and started eating. This tasted so good. I hadn't realized how hungry I was until I had took that first bite. The figure poured something into what looked like a small cup and pushed it into my cell. Tea! I sipped the hot tea and let out a happy sigh. I loved Jasmine.
"Glad you like it!" A laugh came from the figure.
"Thank you," I managed to say in between bites.
"My nephew can be a little stingy when it comes to the Avatar. I am sorry about the way he has behaved with you."
"Nephew?" I questioned stopping to take a sip of the tea.
"I'm his Uncle. Iroh," He pushed himself into the light so I could see his smiling face.
I was hesitant to keep eating. If he is Zuko's Uncle, then he must be the Firelord's brother. Why was he being so nice to me then?
"Don't worry about me," Iroh said as if he knew what I was thinking. "I'm not like my brother. As you can probably tell by the fact that I am feeding you right now," He laughed.
I smiled continuing to eat. Whoever was the cook on this ship really knew how to develop flavors. It reminded me of my mother's cooking.
"Do you mind me asking what your name is?" Iroh asked. "Zuko only calls you the water bender."
"My name is Annaisha," I replied finishing the plate. "But you can call me Anna for short."
"Ah what a beautiful name, and meaning!" Iroh exclaimed. "Do you belong to the Southern or Northern water tribe?"
"Neither," I sighed. "My mother was from the Southern tribe but she was wed to a Fire Nation Commander to try and keep the peace."
Iroh hesitated in his response. "You are Commander Katsu's daughter aren't you?"
I nodded. "My mother was Anana," I took the last sip of the tea. "Thank you for the food and tea. I love Jasmine. It's so relaxing."
Iroh smiled big and nodded. "Thank you for the conversation. My nephew only wants to talk about the Avatar all day long. It gets boring."
I giggled. "I bet."
"Uncle!" Zuko screamed from the other side of the door.
"Got to go!" Iroh blushed. "I'll be back with more food and talk some more!"
I smiled as he quietly closed the door behind him. What a sweet man he is. Why couldn't Zuko be as sweet as him? Maybe he should learn from his Uncle. Why couldn't Zuko see that the Firelord was destroying the balance of this world? I huffed. Well, he did grow up in the Fire Nation and was of nobility. Figures palace brats thought they could just take over this world without having repercussions. People like that only want to be feared not loved.
That's why I needed to get away from that whole thinking in the Fire Nation. After my mother passed, at the age of 12 I was off on my own. No one to help me. No one to teach me. My mother had started teaching me water bending at a very young age. I always thought that she knew she was going to die young and that she was preparing me for a world without her. At age 13, I was able to catch a ride on a freight ship to the Earth Kingdom. I was on my own for several months until a couple of water benders and an earth bender found me trying a new water bending move. At that time, I knew not how to meditate properly, or to focus my energy. I was an angry, frustrated little girl who did not know how to control my temper. They took me in and taught me everything they knew. They taught me all different water bending moves, how to properly meditate, how to clear my mind, and taught me focus training. I haven't had a temper since then and I always seek the good in others before judging. I also know that killing should not be an option until it is a life or death situation. Sparing lives and learning how to love and be kind to one another is the only thing that can save this world.
I am now 16. I found Aang, Katara, and Sokka when they were coming back from the Southern Air Temple. I had promised to teach them water bending if I was able to join them on their journey to the Northern Water Tribe. They agreed quickly. Well, Katara and Aang did. Sokka was hesitant about me but now he knows when he's hungry, he can always count on me to grab him a fish to cook. We've had run ins with Zuko before but they didn't end up with me being imprisoned. Not until now.
