It's been way too long... I'm very sorry you had to wait, but the next one is almost done and will be up in a few days to make up for the long break :)
Thank you, my dear Readers, especially bendergurl123, Sokkatara, SoulDea, Guest 1, Guest 2 and Guest 3, Raux, VIVI, TeamTHEFT and kurojitsu for taking the time to review. Each and every one made my day :D
I hope you enjoy this chapter and forgive me for taking so long to update. I promise to never keep you waiting like that ever again!
This chapter takes place during "The Desert", after Appa has been kidnapped.
Chapter Six
Something was wrong, very wrong. Something was missing, something valuable. Very important. She felt as if something (someone) drilled a hole inside of her, and she felt the emptiness. The feeling was suffocating and dark, dark and hot. She was angry. No, more than angry; furious. And frustrated. And so… determined.
Where is he?
Lian opened her eyes slowly, her head pounding steadily. She felt like she had just screamed her heart out in the middle of a canyon and had to listen to the echo of her own voice getting louder. In reality, she was sitting on the ostrich horse, sandwiched between her two companions, her head resting lightly against Zuko's shoulder. It had been a difficult few days, with the weather getting hotter and not a drop of water in sight. Perhaps that was what made her so… cranky. Mad. Upset.
A distant voice grew closer once she slowly came to and she recognized it as Iroh's groans of pain right behind her.
"Whatisit," Lian mumbled into Zuko's shirt.
"Oh, nothing at all," Iroh cried weakly before resuming his pained moans.
"Maybe we should make camp." Zuko said finally. Lian lifted her head from its' resting spot. It felt way too heavy.
"No, please!" Iroh protested with a big sigh, "Don't stop just for me!"
Zuko threw an annoyed glance through his shoulder which Lian caught and mirrored, and pulled at the reins, stopping the animal. The three dismounted (Lian tumbled slightly making Zuko furrow his brows) and Iroh sat down heavily on a flat rock. Lian landed next to him, then tipped herself backwards and lied on her back. Her head was killing her and the weather was too hot. Their drinking water supply was getting low and there was no river to stock up. Where could they find water? A river, a pond, anything. Where was it?
Where?
Lian closed her eyes. She noted with some surprise that she wasn't asking about water anymore.
The ostrich horse moved suddenly as if it'd picked up a scent and Zuko shifted into a defensive position.
"What now?" Iroh moaned, standing up.
Soon enough, five rhinos with dangerous-looking men riding them circled the three.
"Colonel Mongke!" Iroh uttered cheerfully, putting a hand on Zuko's shoulder. His nephew did not relax. "What a pleasant surprise!"
Lian turned her head to look at the rider Iroh had addressed. He was a dangerous-looking man, with gold hoop earrings in his ears and nose and a feather tucked into his hair. She hoped they would leave them alone; her head was about to explode and it really was too hot.
"If you're surprised we're here, then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps," the man replied, hitting his metal-covered forearms against each other, sending sparks fly. The rest of the warriors readied their weapons.
"You know these guys?" Zuko asked.
"Sure." Iroh said lightly, "Colonel Mongke and the Rough Riders are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapons specialist. They are also a very capable singing group." He added as an afterthought.
"We're not here to give concerts," the man addressed as Mongke said angrily.
"Thank the Spirits,"
All men turned to look at the girl, who never moved from her position on the rock. Iroh's and Zuko's brows shot up and they noticed she seemed vaguely surprised that the words actually came out, as if they slipped out. Then, her face returned to the half-calm, half-pained expression she had before. She sat up slowly , rubbing the back of her head. "Can… Can you just go? We're not looking for trouble."
Mongke laughed cruelly. "You're not looking for trouble? Girl, we're here to apprehend fugitives like you, you don't need to look for trouble. You are trouble."
"Would you like some tea first?" Iroh interrupted kindly, "I'd love some. How about you, Kachi?" he eyes the man with the braided beard. "I make you as a jasmine man. Am I right?"
"Enough stalling!" Mongke roared, "Round 'em up!"
The man with the iron ball and chain attacked, throwing the ball right at Iroh. The old man kicked it in the direction of another Rough Rider, making the ball tie itself around the Rider's animal's leg. Then, Iroh ran up to the surprised rhino and slapped its' behind, sending it galloping away. The ball-and-chain wielding man had no time to react as he was yanked off his animal and sent flying.
Another man fired flaming arrows at Zuko's back, but the boy turned and chopped them in half in midair with his palm, then sent a string of fire that went through the man's bow and damaged the string.
Seeing that the two had the situation under control, Lian grabbed their ostrich horse's reins and tried to calm the animal down before hopping on. She extended her arm to Iroh, who grabbed it and jumped onto the ostrich horse with surprising swiftness. She led the animal forward, where Zuko was waiting to join them. He leaped forward and, with an impressive turn, landed perfectly in front of her. Lian looked back to make sure they were safe.
They weren't.
"Look out!" she called as she saw the last warrior throw a bomb in their direction. She tried reaching for the reins which Zuko was holding, grabbing his hands instead, and pulled them back to slow the animal down. The bomb hit the ground in front of them and exploded, creating thick black smoke. Zuko kicked the ostrich horse to make it go as fast as possible and they broke through the smoke, leaving the last Rough Rider standing on his own.
"It's nice to see old friends," Iroh said pleasantly from behind Lian.
"Too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you," Zuko remarked wryly.
"Hmm... Old friends that don't want to attack me..." Iroh repeated, as if he had trouble imagining it.
Despite her foul humor, Lian chuckled quietly. Then, she noticed she hadn't let go of Zuko's hands, so she did as inconspicuously as she could, grabbing onto his shirt for support instead.
Of course, he noticed.
Lian's humor gradually plummeted again as they rode on. The sky turned darker as the sun travelled lower as the three refugees rode on in silence. Eventually, they reached a village and stopped at a small, crowded bar. They were lucky enough to seat themselves at the last available table and Lian offered to get them drinks. Both Iroh and Zuko couldn't help but notice how quiet she'd been acting all day, so they let her go.
Iroh sat down at the table with a sigh and moved to look around, but caught his nephew staring at their female companion who was talking with the bartender. The man behind the counterscoffed and shook his head at her. She reached out and grabbed his arm before he could walk away, making him turn to her once again. His face lost its' gruff look and his eyebrows shot up before a wide, knowing grin spread on his face. He said something and Lian's head went up and down in an eager nod.
"You could try and ask," the man uttered, making Zuko tear his eyes away with a start, "Although I would advise against it. Give her a little time, and if she's still –"
"What are you talking about, Uncle?" Zuko looked as far away from the bar as possible.
Iroh smiled, but caught Lian making her way back to their table with a small tray in her hands. She set the tray on the table and snatched a bottle from it before anyone could spare it a glance. Iroh took his cup with a nod of gratitude, but Zuko eyed her bottle with a small frown.
"What is that?" he leaned in to read the label, but she turned the bottle so that he couldn't. She tugged the cork open and Iroh's eyes widened as the smell hit his nose.
"What are you doing?" he asked her incredulously. "You can't drink that!"
"Don't," she warned, turning her back on him and taking a big gulp. Her face contorted slightly as she lowered the bottle.
"Is that… alcohol?" Zuko asked disbelievingly.
"You're not old enough! How did you even manage to buy that?" Iroh continued to scold her, reaching out to take the drink from her hands, but before he could, she stood up and took a step back.
"I think I'm gonna go over there," she said in annoyance and walked away to take a seat at the bar.
Zuko and Iroh exchanged glances, their eyebrows raised.
Lian felt awful. She knew she was behaving scandalously, but she couldn't help it. She knew something was not right, she could feel it – but not being able to put a finger on it made her grow more and more irritated, as if she had an itch she could not quite reach and scratch. She tried to think it through as she ordered and opened her second bottle, blaming her mood on the fact that they've been traveling through a desert with not a drop of water anywhere but in their pouches. Perhaps she was just cranky from the uncomfortable ride. But the source of the mood drop was something that was deeper than all that. Lian felt suddenly alone and angry at no one in particular. She ordered another drink and glanced in the direction of their table. She saw her companions get up and join an old, bald man who was sitting at the Pai Sho table. Zuko's annoyed expression caused a wry smile to appear on her face.
Her attention turned to them again as she finished her third bottle. By then a light buzzing began replacing the throbbing in her head.
"It's over!" a man with long hair walked up to the Pai Sho table, accompanied by a man dressed in formal robes. "You two fugitives are coming with me!"
Lian's eyes narrowed, but the Pai Sho player reacted immediately. "I knew it! You two are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!" his voice was unnecessary loud as he pointed at them with his finger. For some reason, Lian thought he looked comical.
"I thought you said he would help!" Zuko growled at his uncle, who was smiling calmly.
"He is," he replied quietly, "Just watch."
"You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold?!" the player turned to the strange duo, putting extra stress on the last word. That made the whole bar stop and look in their direction.
"Gold?" someone repeated.
One by one, the men in the bar stood up from their seats. Lian whirled around to the bartender. "One more to go, please," she said quickly.
"Uh, maybe we shouldn't," the man in the formal robes said uncertainly.
He barely finished saying that when every guy in the bar rounded against him and his companion.
"Come on," Zuko hissed from behind Lian, and before she knew it, she was spun around and tugged after him and out of the bar. Her hand clenched around the bottle protectively.
They followed the Pai Sho player until they reached a flower shop in the center of the town. The man closed the door behind them carefully, then turned to Iroh and bowed suddenly.
"It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets." He said cordially.
"You're a White Lotus member!" Lian exclaimed in a loud whisper before she could stop herself, then paused. "Wait… what's a White Lotus?"
"Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is this club going to offer some real help?" Zuko ignored her, following his uncle and the man further into the shop.
"You must forgive my nephew. He is not an initiate and has little appreciation for the cryptic arts." Iroh explained in a pained voice.
The Pai Sho player-slash-White Lotus member smiled before knocking on the back door. A small rectangular hole in the middle slid open and another man peeked out.
"Who knocks at the guarded gate?" he demanded.
"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries." Iroh replied cryptically.
Lian's eyebrows shot up, but the answer must have been a right one, because the door opened and he and the Pai Sho player entered the back room. Zuko made a move to follow them, but the door closed shut in his face. The rectangular hole slid open again and Iroh's narrowed eyes appeared.
"I'm afraid it's members only." He said flatly. "Wait out here."
"Can I become a member?" Lian pushed Zuko away and leaned against the door, trying to peek through the hole. "I have knowledge that could interest you and your friends," she paused, her brows furrowed in a confused manner. "I think."
Iroh laughed. "I'm sure you do, dear. How about you entertain my nephew with that knowledge?" and with that, the hole was shut.
"No one can entertain Mr. Grumpy," Lian mumbled.
"Hey!" Zuko protested, "I'm not the one that's been moping around the whole day!"
Lian shuffled over to a table and picked up the flowerpot that was on it. The flower growing in it was dry and almost dead. She looked at the brown petals with a small frown and set it down somewhere else before lying down on the now empty table, her legs dangling in the air. "Yeah, well, it's a bad day. You're having a bad year."
Zuko scowled. "You have no idea."
"I have more idea than you know."
Zuko crossed his arms and leaned against a stone pillar, his eyes closed. He wished his uncle would hurry up with his secret club meeting. Somewhere in the back of the shop, a clock ticked the seconds away. Ten… Fifteen… Agni, why was it so slow?
"You should frown less."
Zuko's eyes flew open to see Lian standing in front of him, her eyes studying his face closely. "Aah!" he yelped and faltered, almost falling over. "Don't stand so close! What's wrong with you?"
"I might have had one too many of those magical bottles," she replied, her face impassive but her speech a little rushed, and did not stop studying him. She was standing so close, he could almost see his own reflection in her wide eyes. He refused to let her get to him, choosing to ignore her scrutiny. Of course she would go and get herself tipsy, that irresponsible, irritating, untrustworthy –
"I like your hair." Lian said suddenly and, before he could register her words, brought her hand up to run her fingers through it. Zuko moved instinctively, catching her wrist before she could touch him.
"Maybe you should sit down and get some rest," he said with annoyance, focusing his exasperated gaze somewhere near her chin. She was standing way too close.
"Maybe you should smile more." Lian retorted childishly. "I saw you smile once before, and you looked good. With that scar on your face and that eternal frown, you look like a vengeful Spirit,"
It was hard to keep the embarrassed blush away from his face when she said things like that. Releasing her wrist, he decided to take some offence from the last part and ignore everything else she'd said. "Maybe I will, if you back away," Zuko tried to keep his voice strong and demanding and, surprisingly, she listened. Lian sat down, her back against the pillar, knees pulled to her chest and arms around them. She looked up at him.
"I really hope that was a promise," she said and there it was again, the way the light went out from her eyes, that plummet in her mood that irritated the living soul out of him. "If I died right now, I would be the one to become a vengeful Spirit."
"What are you talking about?" Zuko fought to keep his voice not too loud. He didn't know why was she acting the way she did, but it was beginning to seriously aggravate him. "You won't die right now or anytime soon, so don't even think like that! And…" he wavered, but continued as she directed her big-eyed gaze at him, "And you're way too nice to become a vengeful Spirit." He tried making it sound like an insult, but the thankful smile she gave him made him look away quickly.
"I think you're nice, too." Lian said in a quiet, sleepy voice, "Even though you try not to be, you're a good guy, Zuko." She rested her head in her arms. "And keep the hair, okay? I saw one of the old wanted posters and trust me, you're better off with than without."
Zuko looked down at her, his cheeks tinted with a pale blush despite the scowl he trid to keep on. She had her eyes closed and the bottle she'd taken with her from the bar slipped out and rolled away from her. It was empty. With a sigh, he sat down and leaned against the pillar as well, willing his uncle to hurry up.
Neither of them noticed that the flower Lian had touched earlier straightened its' stem and the petals bloomed a pretty pink color.
Lian heard voices coming from somewhere above her, and a gentle hand landed on her shoulder, shaking her slightly. The simple gesture felt like someone had created a rocky avalanche inside of her head.
"Mmm," she moaned, opening her eyes. "Stop the earthquake,"
"Rise and shine, Lian," Iroh ignored her grimace, grinning down at her cheerfully. "We're on the move again, next stop – Ba Sing Se!"
"Ba Sing Se?" Zuko repeated and she cowered at the volume of his voice. "Why would we go to the Earth Kingdom capital?"
"Shh," Iroh shushed, pointing at the girl with some amusement. "This little lady had one too many drinks yesterday."
"The city is filled with refugees. No one will notice two more." The man that had helped them the night before explained calmly.
"Two?" Zuko shot a glance at Lian, who also raised her head in alarm.
"I wasn't sure you'd like to join us." Iroh admitted, looking down at her.
"Oh…" Lian stood up, grabbing the pillar for support. "I'm… Well, I…"
"Of course, if you want, you are more than welcome. Our passports should arrive any minute now and I asked for one for you, in case you do agree to come." Iroh continued kindly, "We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation, even I couldn't break through to the city." Then, he looked away with a dreamy look in his eyes. "The food is delicious, the people are nice, and the girls are beautiful," nudging Lian playfully, Iroh added, "You'll fit right in, if you choose to come." He then sent his nephew, who looked just a little annoyed, a sly glance. "Don't you agree, Zuko?"
Zuko almost choked on air in reply. He directed one of his famous glares towards his uncle as he felt the temperature in the room shoot up. The old man must have had one too many drinks during his little 'secret meeting' as well.
Lian giggled weakly, deciding to save Zuko from the embarrassment of replying. "If you don't think I'm getting in your way or anything like that, yes, I would love to come along." It's not like she had anywhere else to or anyone else to be with… She frowned as she felt a painful pang in her heart. Yes, Ba Sing Se sounded like a place to go to.
All of a sudden the front door opened and a man rushed in. "I have the passports for our guests," he showed three pieces of paper, "but there are two men out on the streets looking for them."
Iroh and Zuko looked at each other.
The inside of the clay flower pot was incredibly hot and stuffy, which did not help at all. Lian huffed, irritated. Her air supply seemed to have thinned considerably since they left the flower shop. She straightened her body as much as she could and pushed the fake flowers up. She peeked out and her eye caught Iroh doing exactly the same.
"Is it safe now?" she asked in a whisper, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. "I'm going to suffocate here,"
"If you're feeling so uncomfortable, how about trading places?" Zuko hissed from the front. He was pulling the wagon through the sand, sweat dripping from his face hidden by a wide, straw hat.
"Keep walking, Prince Zuko," she shot back, diving back into the pot.
Iroh chuckled. "You heard the lady. Just a few more minutes and we'll be out of sight." He ducked back inside.
"Just few more minutes, easy for you to say," Zuko grumbled, "I have to carry all the weight, as usual."
There was a muffled sound coming from Lian's pot and Zuko paused again, annoyed. "What is it now, princess?"
She didn't reply, but her pot began to shake, very slightly at first, but it quickly turned into a tremble so violent it almost made it fall off the wagon. Zuko let go of the stick and hesitated, taking a step towards it. The brown clay pot shook and lightning-shaped cracks formed on it's smooth surface. Zuko stopped dead in his tracks when a blinding white light poured from the cracks.
Good thing he did, because a second later the pot exploded, sending shards of sharp-edged clay all over. Lian tumbled out of it, lading on the hot sand on all fours. Zuko was at her side in two long strides, knelt down and noticed that her body was shaking as much as the pot had been.
"Lian!" he called, grabbing her by the shoulder. "Lian, what's happening?!"
"Tell me where Appa is!" the low growl that came out of her mouth was not Lian's voice at all. It was deep, dangerous and unearthly, and it made Zuko want to take a step back. Instead, he gripped her shoulder tighter.
"Lian, snap out of it!" he yelled, trying to get her to look at him. When he did, he froze.
Her irises and the small upside-down kite on her forehead were glowing white.
"What the… LIAN!" Zuko grabbed her by her forearms and squeezed painfully, trying to make her snap out of whatever it was. She directed her glowing gaze to him and he was more than taken aback by the hate and hurt that poured out. As soon as she looked at him, however, something in her face shifted as a shadow of recognition passed over it, and the light began to fade, leaving her eyes wide, greenish blue and very confused. She swayed and slumped forward, landing in his arms limply, the light finally going out completely with one last powerful tremor.
"What… was that?" his uncle asked, staring down at the girl. Zuko didn't even notice him getting out of his flower pot.
Lian panted heavily, like she'd been the one to pull the wagon all the way from the flower shop to that point, and Zuko could feel her heart hammering against his own chest as he sat on the sand, his arms around her, not daring to move.
"I have to…" she gripped the fabric of his shirt weakly as her breath began to even out, "I need to go to Ba Sing Se."
