Chapter 6:
Breath in…..
Breath out…
Breath in…..
Breath out…..
Zuko and his uncle stood on the deck of the Ice Queen soaking in the early rays of the dawn sun, and breathed. As the sun slowly made it's away above the horizon he felt the power of his element grow strong and pulse within him. They breathed in unison, deep, slow, controlled breaths. Fire needs oxygen to burn hotter and brighter.
Breath in….
Breath out….
Together they began The Dancing Dragon. A series of low kicks, high punches and hits, and double punches in quick, fierce, and very strong succession. They concentrated on perfect execution of each move that ended with him and his uncle joining fists and creating an arch with their arms. When they completed the maneuver they were greeted with polite applause.
Zuko looked up and saw that their audience was none other than Katara and Sokka. Both looked impressed.
"Yeah, that's a great dance you two just did there," Sokka said dryly.
Katara elbowed him, "Those are not usual firebending moves."
Zuko brushed his hair from his eyes a smiled, "It's called The Dancing Dragon. It's said that Avatar Wan developed it by copying the movements of a white dragon. There's a reason uncle is called The Dragon of the West."
Katara looked at Iroh with a raised brow, "I thought it was due to the fact that you slayed a dragon and can breathe fire."
Iroh chuckled, "What is it you so wisely said about rumors, my dear?"
"That they stem from truth, so which is truth and which is exaggeration?"
Iroh winked at Katara, "A wonderful fact to reflect upon, my dear. Every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other."
The siblings stared at Iroh in confusion while Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
"I believe it is time for me to brew the morning tea," as he walked towards the galley, whistling a tune Katara and Sokka looked at each other and then at Zuko.
"What the hell did he mean by that?" Sokka asked.
Zuko sighed, "Uncle likes to make points using proverbs. Basically, he said that's for me to know and you to find out."
"Then why didn't he just say that?!" Demanded Sokka.
Zuko shrugged, "If you can figure out the answer to that I'd pay you all the gold in the capitol."
Sokka shook his head and walked away, grumbling.
Zuko suddenly became very aware that he and Katara were alone. He looked at her and she was studying him, an amused look on her face. He felt himself blush.
"What?"
Katara shook her head, "Nothing, have you eaten yet?"
Zuko shook his head. "Not yet."
She nodded, "Then let's feed you, I have an interesting job for you today. Are you afraid of heights?"
Zuko shook his head, "Not at all."
She laughed, "We'll see."
…..
An hour later Zuko found himself precariously balanced above the fore topsail attempting to tie a very complicated knot, not look directly down, and praying that a strong wind didn't come along and blow him off.
Katara was seated with her back leaning against the fore topmast, one leg bent, the other swinging over the edge. The picture of ease. She was looking out to sea, waiting for Zuko to finish.
"Is this right?"
Katara looked over, "Nope, try again."
Zuko cursed under his breath as he attempted to disentangle the mess he had made.
Katara giggled and decided to have mercy upon him. She scooted over and grabbed the rope out of his hand and slowly demonstrated how to tie the knot. She was aware of how close he was as she did this and could feel his body heat radiating off his skin. She was trying very hard not to blush. "That's how it's done. Now…" she un-did her work and handed the piece of rope back to him, "…try again."
She watched his hands as he worked, not wanting to look at his face because she knew it would cause her to blush even more than she was now.
Finally his hands formed the perfect knot and he let out a sigh of exasperation that ruffled her bangs and tickled her forehead. "That was more complicated than it looked."
Katara scooted away and grinned, "Which means you need to practice more so it isn't complicated. Move to the next spot and do it again."
Just as Zuko was getting ready to move to the next spot on the topsail a cry from the crow's nest froze him to the spot.
"Katara! Enemy ship on the horizon!"
Zuko watched as Katara swiftly sprang to her feet and looked towards where the crewman was pointing. Her body became rigid and her face hardened. He felt his stomach drop, it had to be a Fire Nation ship. He looked at the horizon and squinted to get a clearer view of the form that had appeared. Not only did he see that the ship was indeed Fire Nation, but it was one of their battle ships.
If it were a merchant ship than he wouldn't be as worried. He'd seen what Katara and Sokka did to merchant ships. They simply took what they needed, scared the crew, but let them go in one piece. He hadn't seen what they did to battle ships, but he had heard the stories. Battle ships limping into harbor, the crew half drowned, half dead, and the other half lost at sea. These weren't the Southern Raiders or Zhao's Special Forces. From the flag flying from the mast it was just an average battle ship manned by teenagers and young men who didn't really want to be there. But, this was war and they had to protect their homeland, even if it was under the orders of a mad man. He couldn't let Katara, Sokka and the other men kill his country man, there had to be another way.
"Let me come with you!"
Katara blinked and then looked sharply at him, "Why should I do that?"
"That is just your average battle ship manned by average Fire Nation citizens. I'm sure if I talk to them they will be more than happy to go along their way and forget that you and your ship even existed."
Katara looked down at Zuko, a Fire Nation prince. A prince who, yes, had seen combat, probably lost friends and comrades to the violence, but was still a prince who still had a nation of citizens to protect.
Zuko looked up at the chief's daughter. A princess in her own right, if not by name. Her people had been obliterated by his, when the men on her ship died, her people died with them. He knew this, he knew this was war….but…..
"This is war, your highness. Blood is shed for it to end. If it's not theirs, it's ours. I will not have my men bleed for your people."
"Blood is shed, yes, but war ends with words. It's not until both sides say, no more, that the blood shed ends. Your men will not bleed for mine, I give you my word. Just give my people the chance to surrender."
Pirate and prince starred at each other, her eyes cold and hard as ice, his burning with hope like fire. Finally she broke their gaze, "We'll put it to a vote."
…
Her men listened patiently to Zuko's plea and watched Katara as she stood rigid, arms tightly crossed. When Zuko finished making his case there was a moment of silence. There was a range of conflicting emotions across the crew. Some looked thoughtful, others mirrored Katara's expression. Zuko watched Sokka, it had been made clear that Sokka was respected by the men on the ship and they would listen to him because he always chose the path that was best for the entire crew. However, everyone knew that Katara's word was final.
Sokka looked at his sister and then at his crew. He was silent for a long moment before finally sighing and turning to the crew. "I have to agree with Zuko."
Katara shot her brother a glare and he responded by holding up a hand, "Let me explain before you get mad at me. We're about to take on an important mission. A mission that is going to over shadow this war that we are fighting. We will be harboring the Avatar on this ship and helping them with their mission. When this happens, we will not have time to be raiding and fighting every Fire Nation ship we come across. If anything, we might need a few on our side to have our backs. As much as I want to beat every single Fire Nation soldier I come across….sorry Zuko….we're going to have to find another way to bring down Ozai. Might as well start with that ship."
Silence fell over the ship once again as the men watched Katara. They could see her anger beginning to rise. Her knuckles were white as she gripped her elbow. The men waited to see what she would decide.
She finally unclenched her hand, her arms fell to her side and she spoke through gritted teeth, "Sokka's right. We have to prepare ourselves for helping the Avatar. What say you?"
The entire crew voiced their consent by giving the Southern Water Tribe battle cry. Katara nodded and turned on her heel yelling, "Arm up!" as she strode away. As she passed Zuko she paused and gave him a hard look, "You too, your highness. You're to follow our lead. We do this together."
Zuko nodded and raced below deck to grab his sword. As he gathered his katana Sokka appeared with a pile of black clothing in his arms. He tossed them to Zuko.
"You're officially part of the crew. Time for you to look it."
Zuko smiled, "Took you long enough."
Sokka grinned back, "I would have given you these weeks ago. Katara is the one who decided you are officially one of us. She sent you those."
He chuckled as Zuko's face turned scarlet and clapped Zuko on the back. "Hurry up, we'll be on their ass soon."
