Curse of the Ocean

Chap. 1

The waves licked on the shorelines, as in the towers above, Lee watched the waters and sighed. It was his third night on duty at this port, a longtime Fire Nation trading post, where it received supplies and traded for merchandise. In the past, he had been assigned to guard the port during the day, keeping the merchants and the buying populace honest. But in the last few weeks, his duties had changed. Many things in the Fire Nation had changed- Fire Lord Ozai had been deposed by his son, the banished prince Zuko, and the Army of the Avatar. After he had been crowned Fire Lord by the Fire God himself, the rest of the Fire Nation had quickly pledged their allegiance to him, as both Zuko and the Avatar had begun work to undo the century of war on the other Nations of the world.

But it was difficult work, as there were many the world over that still feared and despised the Fire Nation. And that didn't include the many citizens inside the country that wished to return the Fire Nation to its former regime. So, the new Fire Lord had been forced to add additional guards to various strategic points of entry into the Fire Nation, to prevent radicals on both sides from entering or collecting fresh war materials. This led to two realizations that had affected Lee's position- that the port was an easy entry point for any invaders or supply men, and that it would be easiest to get in at night. So Zuko had shifted over some of the more experienced guards from day to night, charging them with watching for any suspicious activities.

Yeah. Now if something would happen to justify it. Lee thought, as he yawned. He still wasn't used to this long night shift, and he was begining to think it was all pointless. Still, he knew he couldn't fault the new Fire Lord- his logic was sound, and he had been trying to do the right thing so far. Lee knew how destructive the war had been first hand- his older brother had gone off the second he became eligible for the Army, only to be killed a month later. His family had been sent a note of condolence, but nothing more, and Lee's father had been forced to work himself to an early grave to keep the family going. Lee had been forced to take his father's place in the work place, and he quickly grew out of the dreams of glory as he focused on the life of work before him, until he'd been able to get a good job as a port guard.

Lee yawned again, as he looked back onto the darkness of the ocean at night, almost wishing he would see a ship, or something that would break up the empty darkness and endless sound of the waves. He wished this so intently, he didn't hear the sound of footsteps from behind him, until a pair of hands covered his eyes and a voice cooed, "Guess who?"

"Thank Lainia. That was just as funny the hundredth time you did it." Lee said, as he turned and saw his replacement guard, a young solider just about his age, with dark brown hair and a mischievous glint in her gold eyes.

"Hey I'm about to sit here for five hours and look at nothing. I have to have at least one good thing to remember." Lainia said back. "How are you doing?"

"Better, now that I can go sleep." Lee replied with a yawn. "Another night of watching the waves move."

"It's great, isn't it?" Lainia asked, as Lee moved towards the ladder and prepared to climb down. "And just think, we could have years of this before we get peace!"

"It could be worse. You were supposed to be shipped to the Earth Kingdom before, remember?" Lee said, as he started to climb down.

"Yeah, but I'm not like you. I would've actually liked to see more of the world." Lainia replied, sticking her head out over the railing as she watched Lee descend.

"That's because you don't have to take care of your moth..." Lee began, but then stopped, as he looked around below him.

"What? You miss the step again?" Lainia called down.

"I thought I heard something." Lee said, as he cocked his ears for a moment. "But I guess I was imagining.."

But then he heard it again- that strange, scuttling sound, like a huge insect running from the light. Lee tried to pinpoint it, but then he felt something large and slimy wrap around his leg. He tried to knock it off, but whatever it was began to pull him down the ladder. Lainia saw him being pulled down into the dark and tried to climb out to help him. But then she felt something wrap around her neck and pull her back....


The man looked out at the waters before him, letting the motion of the waves rock his little craft back and forth. He barely moved, letting the rays of the sun fall upon with no complaint or worry. If anyone else had seen him, they would've thought he was a dead or drunk man adrift at sea. But that was fine with him. People always saw him in the wrong way, and he knew just how to use that to his advantage. After all, it was what had gotten him out here, with the very thing he needed most of all.

He reached back then, to check his maps and make sure he was still on track. As he looked them over, he had to work a bit to read them (damages always occurred when maps were stolen), but he could read them well enough. He was still on track, still on his way towards the great treasure, and soon the whole world would know of him....

Suddenly his eyes widened, as he looked out over the horizon. Up ahead, the waters had begun to churn and bubble, forming into a shape that he knew all too well. Shoving the maps back under his seat, he grabbed the oars and began to furiously pump back and forth, trying to get his boat as far away as possible. But despite his efforts, he could feel the currents beginning to pull him in. Realizing that his efforts were now pointless, he quickly ducked down, protecting the maps and his other valuables, as his ship headed directly into the whirlpool....