Hello! I'm finally writing about the pirate episode! So excited. ;) Enjoy!
Episode 9; Book 1
Zuko and Sasha were busy sparring with Lieutenant Jee. Fire was being blasted back and forth. Sasha's blows were more powerful, yet shot from a lower level, making it easy to be blocked. Zuko's were faster and weaker. Somehow, the opponent always found a way to put it out.
Sasha found herself flying as the ship made an unexpected sharp turn. Luckily, she didn't fallen overboard, but had been able to grip the ship's edge. Zuko and Jee had been violently thrown against the ship's border instead.
"Some one's changing our course." Zuko stated, as Sasha struggled to climb back on deck.
"Who?" Sasha wondered.
Out of curious nature, Sasha followed her brother into the control room.
"What is the meaning of this mutiny?!" Zuko confronted the robotic helmsman. "No one told you to change course!"
"Actually, someone did." Uncle was seated at his Pai-sho table with a few other crew members. "I assure you it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko."
"Does it have something to do with the Avatar?" Zuko asked, clearly irritated by this sudden change of plans.
"Even more urgent. It seems that I've lost my lotus tile." Uncle replied.
"Lotus tile?"
Sasha, having bothered to learn the game of Pai-sho, knew that the lotus tile was a type of Pai-sho piece.
"Most people think of the lotus tile to be insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual, old strategy that I am doing."
"You changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?!"
"You see, you, like most people, underestimate it's value. Just give me ten minutes to check the market . Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock, and I can get on with my life."
Fire and smoke vented through Zuko's nose and mouth, indicating his clear agitation. Sasha coughed, and dashed for the exit as the smoke fogged the room.
Uncle smiled calmly. "I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew."
"Are you serious?" Sasha wanted to say. In truth, she couldn't tell whether or not the old man actually meant what he said, or if he was just being sarcastic. Zuko was many things, but understanding was not one of them.
The ship stopped at a port market, set on the border between sea and land.
Sasha scanned all the shops, set mostly in small stands with minute roofs above them.
"Do you want something?" Zuko groaned when he noticed Sasha's eyes fixed on one store. More money lost to satisfy the whims and fancies of a crazy teenager.
"Can I have one?" she asked, staring wistfully at the floppy-eared rabbits sitting in wired cages.
Sasha really wanted a pet. She hadn't taken care of one since Gilbert (the goldfish) had passed. Anything would do, so long as she could hold it.
"I don't think so." The rhinos were enough of a hassle to keep on the ship.
Uncle returned just then. "I've checked every shop on this pier, not a single lotus tile in the entire marketplace!"
Zuko stood with arms crossed impatiently. "It was good to know that this whole trip was a complete waste of time for EVERYONE!"
"Quite the contrary, I always say that the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"
A line of soldiers carried all the various trinkets uncle had bought, piled up in baskets. One item, carried separately in its own basket, interested Zuko. "You bought a Tsungi Horn?"
"It's for music night on the ship." Uncle explained. "Now, if only we had some woodwinds."
"You play the Tsungi horn?" Sasha asked. What had happened during the years she was locked in her room?
"Keep your mouth shut, and walk." Zuko replied, not wanting to expose his secret. He had started learning when he was ten. Naturally gifted, the teachers had said. Unfortunatly that was not so for firebending. He will still trying to master the basics at sixteen.
Uncle pointed to paticular ship with wide sails. The old man wasn't done shopping yet? "Oh, this looks promising."
Reluctantly, Sasha set foot on board the ship. The insides were more like that of a store than that of a ship, items stacked above each other in shelves with no apparent price tags. Sasha overheard a few words that would set the course for today's journey.
"We lost the Water Tribe girl, and the little bald monk she was traveling with."
Zuko ears perked up. "...little bald monk.". The reaction was almost too predictable, inevitable. Sasha knew that it was only a matter of time.
"This monk...Did he have an arrow on his head?"
The skinny Barker Oh (as Sasha came to know him) turned. "Yes. As a matter in fact, he did."
"I'm hunting him." Zuko stated.
"So are we. His little girlfriend of his stole a valuable waterbending scroll that belongs to us. We want it back." The Captain explained, eying Sasha's necklace. "Say, that's a fine piece of jewelry, child. Water tribe products are so hard to come by..."
"This isn't for sale." Sasha said, seeing what the pirate was getting at. She had a feeling that Zuko was going to form an unlikely alliance with these undesirables in order to capture the Avatar, but hoped against hope that maybe Zuko's common sense would kick in, and we would dismiss the mere idea of even having such an alliance. The odds were not in her favor.
The old metal barge was once again lowered into the murky waters. It was traveling aside the mahogany prate ship, gliding smoothly through the water.
"Shouldn't we stop to search the woods." Captain suggested gruffly.
"We don't need to stop." Zuko replied. "They stole a waterbending scroll, right?"
"Mm-hm."
"Then, they'll be on the water."
Sasha looked up towards the sky. It was sunset. The colors, orange, pink and yellow, danced through the clouds as the large golden rays disappeared. She looked the other pirates in disgust. Filthy creatures, she thought. Most of the pirates were lazy freaks, carrying dangerous weapons, always trying to find the easy way out. Sasha had an automatic dislike for Barker. She couldn't even tell if it was a he or a she. The kinds of people Zuko would meet to lead him to the Avatar. The sun soon set, and night fell.
Katara was still wide awake back at camp. She was lying down in her warm sleeping bag, lined with soft animal fur, thinking. Aang was able to master all the moves on that scroll so easily in one day. She was physically older and had had fourteen years to practice, so why couldn't she do the same? The scroll was still there, tucked into the team travel bag. Slowly, she crept out of bed, and reached into the bag. Her fingers closed around the parchment, and she pulled away. She tiptoed away, scroll in hand, only to be confronted by a cautious Momo, purring accusingly.
"Shh, Momo, go back to sleep." She said. She knew Momo couldn't speak, but he could still wake up Aang and Sokka. That would be unpleasant, for only hours ago she had confessed to her brother that she was not obsessed with the scroll, leading her to reluctantly gift the instructions to Aang to prove her point. And she wasn't going to tolerate an annoying "I told you so." from Sokka.
She quietly sneaked away from the camp, and made her way to small bank, not too far from the supply of water she needed for bending. She made many attempts to do a water whip to no avail. "Argh! Come on, water! Work with me here! Stupid scroll."
"Did you hear that?" Sasha asked.
Neither Zuko or the Captain gave an answer. Sasha recognized that voice, and words "Stupid scroll" served as a dead giveaway. Katara, she thought. The others shouldn't be too far away then.
The barge was docked on a nearby bank, not too far from where Katara was practicing. By now, Team Avatar knew what kind of threat Zuko was, and chances of Katara surrendering by her own will were one to a million. An ambush was essential.
Katara was soon approached by a pirate who tried to grab her. Using a string of water, she escaped the man's grasp, and made a run for it. Zuko stopped her, restricting her by grasping her wrists tightly. "I'll save you from the pirates."
If Zuko had been Pinocchio, his nose would have stretched all across Ba Sing Se. His true intentions were the exact opposite of what he had promised. He proceeded to tie Katara to a short, yet shout tree, a short mop of leaves crowning its top.
"Tell me where he is, and I won't hurt you or your brother." He demanded, referring to the Avatar.
"Go jump in the river!" Katara retorted.
Zuko fell silent for a few seconds. He considered trying a different tactic. Sasha took off her necklace, and placed it in the palm of the Prince. So she had had it all along. That Brat!, Katara thought.
"Try to understand, I need to capture him to restore something I've lost: My honor." Zuko moved closer towards the tree. "Perhaps in exchange, I could restore to you something you've lost." Then, he revealed the necklace to Katara.
"My mother's necklace. How dare you! How did you get that?"
"I didn't steel it if that's what you're wondering." Zuko informed, walking away. He dropped the necklace, landing the trinket in Sasha's hand.
"Until then," Sasha put on the necklace. "This will be in my keeping."
"Tell me where he is."
"No!"
"Enough with this necklace garbage!" The Captain broke in. "You promised us scroll!"
The scroll Katara had been learning from was secured in Sasha's belt. Zuko took it into his hand, and threatened to burn it. "I wonder how much money this is worth..."
"Thirty, forty, maybe fifty gold pieces I suppose enough to buy twenty-five houses on Ember Island." Sasha answered, eager to put in her ten cents.
"A lot indeed." Zuko concluded, noticing the concerned facial expressions on the pirates. "Now you help me find what I want, and you will get this back, and everyone goes home happy. Understood? Search the woods for the boy, and meet back here."
"Fine." The Captain growled.
Sasha and Zuko retired to the boat to spend the night. Kaleb and a few other comrades would watch Katara for the remainder of the night.
Sasha unrolled the scroll to examine the parchment while lying down on a matress, set in the boat by Caleb. "I wonder why this would be worth so much. It's just a bunch of drawings on a page."
"Waterbending is a rare thing." Zuko explained. "The only waterbenders left are the ones in the North Pole after the Firelord removed all the ones in the South."
"He overlooked one." Sasha stated, after thinking for a moment. "That girl you tied up could waterbend."
"Go figure."
Sasha went to sleep, still anxious. The pirates were already combing the woods. All they had to do now was wait until morning. Hopefully, by then, they would have found the Avatar. If all went as planned, they would be homeward bound by the next noon.
...
AND NOW WE STOP FOR A QUICK COMMERCIAL BREAK!
Jimmy: You know, Ronnie, folks switching to Geico sure are happy.
Ronnie: How happy, Jimmy?
Jimmy: I'd say as happy as Prince Zuko owning a GPS tracking device.
Ronnie: That's pretty happy.
Geico. In fifteen minutes, you can save 15% on car insurance. Get happy. Get Geico.
...
The next morning, Sasha found herself standing opposite to the pirate crew. Zuko was beside her, scroll in hand, ready to make the exchange. They were surrounded by a few fire nation guards as always. The pirates had located the Avatar and his ally that morning. The victims had been seen camping, and were promptly abducted. The two captives stood there, bound by cords of rope.
"Nice work." Zuko commented, moving forward with the document. Now he would finally have the prize he had been pursuing for so long.
"Aang, this is all my fault." Katara admitted, guilty about the fuss she had caused.
"No, Katara, it isn't." Aang replied gently.
"Yeah, it kinda is." Uncle countered.
"Thank you scolding that scroll." Sasha added. "Or we would have never found you derps out!"
Katara's face turned a bright red. Had it not been for the ropes, she would have slapped that child in the face.
"Give me the boy." Zuko ordered.
"Give us the scroll." The Captain replied.
Then, Sokka dropped a bomshell when he revealed how unfair the trade was, exposing Aang's identity to the rouges. "Are you really going to hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?"
"Don't listen to him!" Zuko snapped. "He's trying to turn us against each other!"
"Your friend is the Avatar?" Capatin was intrigued.
"Sure is." Sokka confirmed. "And I bet that he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll."
"Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!" Zuko yelled.
Sasha smelt the distinct scent of trouble. The air reeked with it. This idiot was going to ruin everything!
"Ya, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth." Aang advised.
"Are you mocking my brother?" Sasha asked.
"Who wouldn't want to? He's pathetic." Sokka explained, leaving Zuko irate. Sasha crossed her arms. He turned to the pirates. "I'm just saying imagine how much the Firelord will pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life."
As Sasha feared, the Captain canceled the deal. "Keep the scroll. We can buy a hundred from the reward we 're going to get for the kid."
"You'll regret breaking a deal with me!" Zuko promised. He, Sasha, followed by a few soldiers released an enormous fire blast, sending the pirates flying of the ground. In return, Barker released a few smoke bombs, creating a foggy environment. Sasha couldn't see a predator within two feet. She listened for a familiar voice. Zuko? Uncle? Kaleb?
"Aang! Where are you?"
It was Sokka. She had some unfinished business to take care of. She followed the goofy voice to its owner, and kicked him in the shin (which was all you could do when you barely reach the person's knee). "My brother may be the most unattractive, selfish, pathetic, idiotic loser in the universe, but nobody mocks him to his face but ME!"
With that Sasha made a straightforward dash north, looking for an escape to this foggy prison. Wow, Sokka thought. She must have some deep, kind, affectionate feelings for her brother.
Sasha stumbled out of the smoke cloud, relieved to be seeing the open blue skies once again. She rolled out of the way when Zuko almost stepped on her face, and got back up on her feet. Zuko and Captain were having a battle, sword against fire. Uncle abruptly separated them. "Are you so busy fighting that you can't see that your own ship has set sail?"
"Uncle, we don't have time for your proverbs!" Zuko said.
It was no proverb. There pirate ship was sailing down the river like nobody's business. "Bleeding hog monkeys!"
Zuko laughed triumphantly as the Captain ran off, pursuing his ship. Sasha pinched herself. Did Zuko just laugh? I have been eating too much bacon, she reasoned. Just then, she saw Zuko's boat sailing with the pirates on board!
"Hey that's my boat!" Zuko cried.
"Maybe that should be a proverb." Uncle thought.
"Come on, Uncle! Sasha, run ahead!"
The boat was soon out of sight, but rivers only flow in one direction. Sasha stayed a few yards ahead. She heard a loud crash. Could have been the boat? Her worries came true when she looked down. There was the barge, smashed against jagged rocks at the bottom of the waterfall.
"My boat!" Zuko whined in despair, like a five year old who had just sunk his precious toy.
"Prince Zuko," Uncle said, catching his breath. "you are going to get a real kick out of this. The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!"
Zuko, angered by the loss of his boat and waste of time, taking short breaths, snatched the lotus tile from the grinning Uncle, and threw it down to the waterfall. He turned to Sasha. "Let's go find the soldiers, and get back to the ship. The Avatar won't get far if we move quickly."
Kaleb was found clutching his upper left arm. He moved his hand away, revealing the presence of blood.
"What happened?" Sasha asked.
"Breaking News! Swords are sharp!"
Sasha laughed. "You don't say."
"Did you get the boat, Princess?"
"No. We lost it at the waterfall. We are going to have to walk all the way beck to the ship."
"I see." Kaleb said, getting up. The small group began their journey back to the ship.
"Where do you think he'll be going next?"
"I can't tell, but I have a feeling we will have a few more complications before things are set right."
"I guess so."
"Kaleb."
"Yes, Princess."
"Just how many more complications will occur before things are set right?" Sasha wondered what Kaleb meant by 'set right'. Was it capturing the Avatar or reuniting the broken family Sasha was trying to run away from?
"I really can't tell, Sasha." was the blunt reply.
End of Chapter
Sorry that took so long!
The next chapter will be the storm, coming out next Friday-Saturday. Here we will investigate Sasha's past. Is there anything you want to know about Sasha's past that interests you? Let me know! Your input always helps. Peace.
