"...And by years end, the Earth Kingdom capitol will be under our rule. The Fire Lord will finally claim victory over this war." I finished explaining to the outcast prince the brief version of our plans in my personal tent. We had been stationed in this desolate Earth Kingdom bay for far too long, but at least I got some sense of home in my quarters.
The moment I saw the disbanded ship floating into a docking space, I knew what I was up for. Zuko had lied to me with the first words out of his filthy mouth, and his uncle, a poor excuse for a war hero, tagging along hanging on Zuko's whims. I invited them back for more than tea in the tent. I left the map hanging behind the long ornate table we'd seized from the Governor of this town of where ever the hell we were.
"If my father believes that the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool." the prince told me. Such insolence.
"Two years at sea has done little to temper your tongue, Prince Zuko." I sat beside he at the table and poured myself some tea. Ginseng. It wasn't my favorite, but I was trying to be hospitable. I took a small sip and set the cup down without picking it up again. "So, how is your search for the Avatar going?" I asked him sneeringly. I knew he knew I knew, yet I played along. I needed answers after all. The old man knocked down a display of antique spears to our right. The trembling nerves of liars and cowards frequently find themselves in clumsy situations when confronted. The fool apologized profusely for the mishap, assuring us that it was entirely his fault. As if we weren't sitting right there when it happened.
"We haven't him yet." Zuko told me.
"Well," I said, "Did you really expect to? The Avatar has been dead for a hundred years." Zuko never was good at lying, even as a child. He wore all his emotions on his face, right next to the disfiguring scar that left his left eye and ear burned two years ago before. "Unless you've found some evidence that the Avatar is alive." I provoked.
"No." he insisted. "Nothing."
"Prince Zuko. The Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war." I'd had it with the game. In moments I would know the truth, whether it be by the traitorous child before me or by other means I'd had arranged. "If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you will tell me what you've found."
"I haven't found anything! It's like you said. The Avatar probably died a long time ago." Zuko stood stiffly from the chair he had been setting in. "Come on, Uncle. We're going."
Ahh, but he didn't go. He and his uncle were enemies of the state. They did not go because they were blocked by the guards at the door. They were more loyal to the Fire Nation than those two royal outcasts.
Only moments later, the flap of my tent open revealing my head of intelligence. He had come to personally share with me that he had done my bidding.
"Commander Zhao, we have interrogated the whole crew, per your instructions." he assured me. That meant they needed to use methods other than questioning on at least one of the men. "They have confirmed that Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody, but let him escape."
"Now, Zuko. Remind me. How, exactly, did your ship get damaged?"