I was rereading the Zutara fic In My Eyes I had made about a year ago when I realized how much it was missing. I feel like my writing has matured now, and I have some new ideas so I've rewrote the story keeping a lot of the parts but fixing grammar, spelling, and some things that didn't make sense. I also plan on adding a few things.

Oh and one more thing, before you get to the end, I won't be writing a sequel. I'm not that interested in what would happen after but if anyone else would like to write a take on it I'd be more than happy to give you permission. =]

Chapter One

She stepped on another stone causing her to loose her step for a moment and I could tell that I was gaining on her. I couldn't help but let a small smile creep onto my face; this was easier than I thought it would be. My plan at first was of course to go after the Avatar. But, after stumbling upon the Waterbender first, I had come up with a new plan. I went after her on her walk back from a river she was bathing at, and of course she led me away from the Avatar, but I wasn't so sure I needed to capture him tonight. She didn't have any water on her either; I was smart enough to attack her when she got further away from her bathing area. I assumed the Avatar was closer to the river or else she would have gone back there to fight me. This girl seemed to predicable.

It was cold in this part of the Earth Kingdom and she had lost a shoe a while back. She wasn't pacing herself very well, and I'm sure she was only thinking about leading me far away from her other friends. I lit another tree on fire and she tripped over a fallen branch and caught herself on the ground. This was too easy. She started coughing, getting up, but tripped again, collapsing onto the ground. She let out a small yelp. Her mistakes were her panicking, if she had just relaxed and thought, maybe she could have escaped. But perhaps I was expecting too much from a water peasant. She couldn't nearly have the same agility, alertness, and control that I had.

Her head finally turned to face me as if she was giving up, and it was filled with horror, no, defeat… and disappointment. I continued to smirk as I slowed my pace into a walk toward her, knowing she was mine now. She locked eyes with me while she tried to get up and run again, but I'm sure her legs were numb by now and she wouldn't be able to last much longer if she had.

I was finally right in front of her. "What do you think you're doing?" I asked, sickened by her still trying.

"Get away from me," she spat out. Now her expression was a bit more confident. It was no longer fear, but disgust.

She finally got up onto her feet and I grabbed her arm, pulling her into my chest. "That's no way to treat a prince," I whispered to her with harsh air, making a piece of hair get thrown back out of her face.

The light from the tree burning behind me lit up her face. I shook her and now all of her hair fell behind her shoulders. She had a certain beauty about her, and those big, blue eyes were piercing.

"You don't deserve that name," she told me. Now, she showed no fear, but I was sure I could change that.

"You need to learn your manners, filthy peasant." With this comment, I took out my sword and hit her over the top of the head with the end of the handle. I held her limp body up and threw her over my shoulder. Throwing my head to get my long, shagged hair out of my face, I headed towards my ship.

When I finally got to the ship, I threw her down into a cell. Her unconscious body laid awkwardly in a heap on the floor. I was about to turn when I stopped myself. I squatted down and pushed her into a more comfortable position. My hands seemed to wander before I could stop them and I brushed the hair out of her face. She was obviously older then the child I thought she was, with striking young woman features. I had to stop myself from thinking and I quickly got up. The low lighting of the room would make anyone's features stand out I told myself.

I walked out, closing and locking the cell. I couldn't help but to wonder what she might do to get out. I knew from previous fights and tonight that she had a lot of drive in her.

I left my thoughts unfinished as I walked up the hallway, passing one of my guards.

"Keep a close eye on her," I ordered. "She's unconscious now, but be alert when she wakes up."

He had a strange look in his eyes with that last sentence but I disregarded it. He gave me a nod and quickly turned to walk towards her cell. It gave me pride that my men were so enthusiastic of their job.

I couldn't help but to think again of anything she might try, and then I thought of what if the guard would to try to feed her, just as if he would any other prisoner. And with food, comes water.

This thought panicked me for a moment and I turned around on the stairs I was before heading up. I don't believe anyone on this ship knew she was a Waterbender besides my uncle and me.

As I approached the corner to where the cells were something sounded… odd. It wasn't the still sound of the guard watching and the girl sleeping that I thought it would be. Someone was moving.

My curiosity quickened my step and I rounded the corner, seeing the door of the cell which was strangely open. That's when the thought of when my men had last seen a girl came into my head.

Seeing the guard, advancing on the helpless girl, shocked and then enraged me. He had only just seen her and was already taking advantage of his position.

I came up behind the man and pulled him up roughly by the back of his shirt. "You're disgusting," I told him and threw him hard against the wall.

"But Prince," he started as he sat up, "She's only a prisoner."

"And you're a savage," I shot back, not believing that that was his excuse for doing something no man ever should. I turned from the man pushed against the wall with fright and picked the girl up in my arms. For some reason, I clutched her as if she was fragile, completely opposite of how I had before. I could tell her clothes would have been off if I had come in any later than I had before. I pulled down her dress as I walked out of the cell. Then, without looking at the man left behind me, I shut and locked the door.

"Please, Prince," he begged as he scrambled to the door realizing what I had done. He grasped his hands around the bars and I kicked his fingers causing him to pull his arm to his chest with a sound of pain. I figured being a Prince; I would get more respectable people to be working with on this ship.

She was now being carried in my two arms and I looked down at her face. I was happy she hadn't awoken because for some reason, I didn't want her to know about that. I felt as though she was my responsibly and I was guilty for letting that happen to her. Even if she was a prisoner, she was still a woman. A beautiful woman, at that, which is what made me so scared to have her on this ship now.

So, I walked up the stairs and decided to place her in my bedroom until I could find a better place for her. As I laid her on the bed, a man approached me.

"Uncle," I greeted him keeping my eyes on the girl.

"Why isn't she in the cell you wanted so bad to put her in?" He asked standing behind me.

"A guard tried advancing on her. I don't know where I'll keep her now," I stated. I stood there looking over her body. She was suddenly becoming an inconvenience. If had taken the other boy, or let alone the Avatar, I doubt I would be having this much trouble with keeping them.

"Well perhaps it's best if she stays here with you. Then she'll be even closer under your watch. Although, the best place for her would be in her own room or not on this ship at all."

I tried to stay calm. He was always so quick to get my temper going when he would disagree with my decisions.

Behind me I heard him start to head for the door, "You should aid to her wounds, young prince," and with that, he was gone.

I finally looked up to see the door shut wondering what he meant. I hadn't noticed anything wrong with her before, but now, as I scanned her body again, I realized her shoeless foot was gushing blood. The blood was also flowing all over my bed. I looked down at my shirt, seeing blood on my chest that I hadn't noticed before.

"I should have kept you in the cell," I said to myself as I went to my bathroom pulling off my shirt and throwing it on the floor. I didn't want this peasant's blood all over me. I grabbed a towel, wetted it and came back to sit on the bed by her feet. I lifted her right foot and placed in my lap, starting to clean it off. Her whole body was covered with dirt I quickly noticed.

I dislodged a stone stuck in her foot and finished cleaning off the blood. I realized I didn't have any sort of bandage on me, so I tore off a piece of my shirt that was lying on the ground and tied it tightly around her wound. I wouldn't have worn that shirt again anyways. Her skin was strangely soft, and it was such a beautiful color I couldn't help but to let my hands wander a bit longer than needed.

I quickly snapped back into reality and got up. I suppose I hadn't seen a girl in a while either.