Ok, so here is it people; the next update. This time it is from Zuko's POV and believe me, it was really difficult to write something from his perspective. I just hope I don't go too OOC on this one :( Please do leave your comments to let me know what you think about it. So without much further ado, here it is:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I try to shake the iron cuffs off my hands, checking if they are loose enough for me to attempt to break them off but they hold on tight. The smell of metal wafts up to my nose as I turn my body to shift into a comfortable position, hoping to get the feeling back into my numb legs which are already getting cramped. I wince in pain, the iron shackles cutting into my skin and I find myself gritting my teeth, forcing myself to calm down. The tiny cube Azula had me thrown into just has enough room for one person, well two in my case, considering the fact that I am bound hand and feet and thrown into the corner. I have to admit, I am surprised to find the existence of this tiny room; for the last time I checked, fire nation tanks don't come with metal rooms to bring back prisoners.
Even in my current predicament, I find my thoughts wander back to the uncertain pain held in a certain pair of blue eyes and I take in a deep breath, willing myself to stay focused at the current scenario. I slowly look around my confinement, more like a cubicle than a room, blinking my eyes to keep the tiny trickle of sweat sweeping down my forehead away from them. Considering the occasional jarring and bumping as the tank makes its way, I figure that we are going at a very fast pace but time somehow seems to be crawling along. I have no idea where she is taking me or how long it has been in here.
I try to shake myself loose once again, biting my lips to keep from wincing as I feel the iron cuffs rub off against my bare skin, almost cutting deep into my bones. I sigh, finally accepting the futility of trying to break free and realize it's all up to Azula now. A searing anger inflames inside me, the memory of her smirking face as she held the knife to Mai's throat crashing back in my mind, almost making me scream out in anger. How dare she use her to blackmail me? She knew I would give in to her demand; I can't hurt Mai anymore than I already have and she knows I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happens to her because of me. Thank heavens she let Katara go. If she even tried harming her to get to me that will be the last thing she will ever do. And Sokka, I forcefully remind myself; not just tried harming her but also Sokka.
A tiny clatter on the metal floor jars me out of my thoughts and I find myself instantly alert, my heart beating steadily in my chest, my eyes trying to see through the darkness at the tiny panel high up the door, the only source of light in here. Very light footsteps make their way over to my room and stop in front of the door, blocking the light filtering into the tiny cubicle. I look up to see a pair of grey eyes looking inside through the panel, grey unlike Mai's eyes.
"Ty Lee?" I speak aloud and can hear a sharp intake of breath from the other side, confirming my suspicion.
"Shhh.." she whispers and I have to strain my ears to catch what she is saying. "Don't speak so loud, they will hear you."
"Is Mai alright?" I hate to hear the desperation in my voice.
"She is fine, don't worry." She whispers hesitantly, not sounding convincing at all.
"You are lying!" I whisper back fiercely, my heart filling up with dread at the hesitancy in her voice.
She doesn't speak anything for a few seconds, her eyes looking in sadly at me. "No, I am not lying" she finally speaks up. "All I can say is that Mai didn't take it too kindly to be used as a pawn in Azula's game. She went berserk at Azula and I had to step in to stop it from erupting into a full scale war. I have never seen Mai so angry before."
She stops, glancing back away from the door.
"Listen." She whispers urgently, "I don't have much time for this but I came to tell you that even if Azula tries to blackmail you again, don't give in. Mai is my responsibility and trust me; nothing is going to happen to her."
To say that I am surprised is an understatement. I always thought Ty Lee to be a puppet in my sister's hand and to find her standing up for someone else is something which I would have never been able to imagine in a hundred years. Before I can even reply however, she suddenly turns around and I can hear her light footsteps fade away under the loud rumblings of the tank.
Is this another one of Azula's tricks or was she telling the truth when she said Mai is alright? I admit I have never paid much attention to Ty Lee or even spent much time talking to her. The only instance I can remember was that night in Ember Island, her one sentence which I had thrown away so casually when she spoke it out loud.
"I do know you"
Does she?
The tank suddenly comes to a stop and my thoughts are broken once again as I am sent sliding over the floor, the iron shackles finally drawing blood out of my wrists as they cut in, breaking the skin at the sudden momentum. Heavy footsteps resound outside in the sudden silence and the door to my cube is finally thrown open. I look up to see Azula standing there flaked by two fire nation soldiers, her ever present smirk strangely absent from her face, her eyes glaring down at me.
"Take him" she snaps at her consorts and one of them steps inside, holding me up roughly by my arms onto my feet. My numb body cries out in protest, the pain feeling like fire running down my veins but I keep my mouth shut. I glare back at Azula, almost tempted to attempt a breakout but Mai's scared face comes flashing back in my mind and I somehow restrain myself. I don't know if I can trust Ty Lee and I don't want to put Mai in danger by misplacing my trust on someone who I am not even sure is a friend or not.
I force myself to drag my feet along, the iron shackles on my feet making it difficult to walk but I am not going to give Azula the pleasure of seeing me in discomfort. The bright moonlight almost blinds me after the darkness in the tiny cubicle and I have to shut my eyes for a second to get adjusted to the light. Even though my eyes are closed, I can still smell the salty sea and feel the moist breeze blowing from the seaside wrapping itself around my numb body. I open my eyes and find myself looking up a huge war balloon, the royal insignia on it confirming my suspicion. A strange chill seeps down my spine, as I realize it is Ember island that we are headed towards; I hope Katara and Sokka doesn't really try to pull in a foolish rescue attempt. There is no way they will be able to find their way into the fire nation dungeons hidden deep inside the ground.
I look at Azula, wondering why she is taking me there in the first place. She looks back at me, her lips twitching into a small smirk.
"Don't worry Zuzu. I promise; you will be given the royal treatment in there."
"Where is Mai?" I find myself whispering, clenching my fists to stop myself from trembling in anger.
"My! Aren't you the ever chivalrous one?" she drawls, walking towards me, standing up right in front of me. "And just for your information," she continues, "Chivalry is dead and so will you be if you don't watch your steps."
She turns around and enters the huge balloon, motioning for the soldiers to drag me along. I try to look around to see if I can find either Mai or Ty Lee but I see no one, apart from a handful of soldiers from the tank and about a dozen more who seem to have been waiting with the balloon. Just as I enter the balloon, I catch a glimpse of pale pink and I quickly turn my neck around to see Ty Lee standing quietly inside the balloon with Mai standing right next to her. At the sight of Mai standing right in front of me, unharmed except for a tiny bandage around her neck, a welcome wave of relief floods over me and I almost smile until I catch the hard look of determination in her eyes. She looks at me silently as the guards drag me along to the far end of the balloon, to another locked compartment no doubt; and just before she disappears from view, she gives me a small nod of her head and turns around swiftly, Ty Lee following her back.
Now that the immediate danger is over, I find my tense muscles relax a bit and I welcome the solitude and quiet as the guard slams the door shut on me once again, leaving me bounded but alone with my thoughts. I have to get out of this mess and fast, otherwise I might get Katara and Sokka in deep trouble if they try to follow me back to Ember Island. I had taken a solemn pledge to help the Avatar and I am not going to turn my back towards my duty by putting myself at risk for selfish reasons. Was I being stupid to give in to Azula's demand? Should I have left Mai to her fate since I have more important duties to attend to right now than to give myself up for her sake, putting the Avatar's firebending training in jeopardy?
I shake my head, reminding myself that although Mai is more than capable of taking care of herself, in front of Azula, she is no match. The scared look on her face when Azula had that knife against her; I have never seen her face betray so much emotion before and it was that more than anything that compelled me to surrender. The same fear which was reflected in Katara's eyes when that swordsman had that blade against her. My heart wrenches at the memory of her tear soaked face; the fierce look of determination in her eyes as she grabbed hold of my robes, promising to come back for me.
"We are coming back for you, you understand? Just hang in there, you hear me?"
The door suddenly slams open and I look up to see a pair of soldiers walk in and roughly push me up on my feet.
"Hey watch it!" I snap at them as they push me down on a chair and tie my already shackled hands and feet firmly to the chair so that I can't move. I grit my teeth, trying to swallow down the pain shooting up my arms and legs.
"So.. ready for a family talk?"
I don't have to look up to know who that voice belongs to. I hear her snap her fingers and immediately the guards scurries away, closing the door shut behind them. Anger bubbles up slowly inside me as I look up to see her steadily walking around my chair, shaking her head sadly.
"You will never learn will you Zuzu?" She says slowly, "Never let your emotions get the better of you. Look where that got you into."
I glare up at her, silently forcing myself to stay calm, reminding myself that right now any reckless move might prove to be fatal for everyone involved.
She comes up near me, resting her hands on the sides of the chair, her face so near I can feel her breath on my face. I look back at her eyes steadily, willing myself not to blink.
"You know big brother.." she whispers softly, " I knew you were a traitor but I never thought you would rat me out like that. After all that I did for you, you didn't even think twice before betraying me did you?" '
"You didn't do anything for me." I whisper back, "It was all for your selfish means."
She chuckles softly at my words and I hate to admit it but I can feel the hair at the back of my neck stand up.
"Yes," she smiles "that's what mother used to say too. You have to admit though, everything one does is for selfish reasons, no one is noble enough to do anything that doesn't bring back any rewards now Zuzu, are they?"
I don't reply back and she continues:
"You think you are being noble to help the Avatar but you are actually being selfish. If it was not about making yourself feel better, to make up for what you think are your past mistakes, would you have even bothered? No, I don't think so."
She straightens up, smirking down at me. "But you see that's the problem with all the so called good guys; they just don't understand the concept behind good and bad."
"You think using your own friend to blackmail someone is being good?" I spat out at her.
"Oh, they are just minor hiccups and sacrifices one has to make for the greater good." She drawls, starting to walk around the chair once again. "I won't call it blackmail or betrayal though; I will say that's a good battle strategy; to use whatever you have to make sure you win."
"That's the difference between you and me." I snap, "I would never put my friend's life in danger just for my own sake."
"Exactly." She replies back, coming up behind me, her hands on my shoulders as she leans into my ears and whispers "And that's what makes you so weak. You hand in the weapons to your enemies yourself; they know exactly where to strike to bring you down"
I shudder at her words, a sudden dread rising up from the pit of my stomach.
"You wouldn't dare." I hiss, my fists clenching themselves so tight, I can feel fresh blood dripping out from the cut wounds.
"But I already have." She chuckles, coming around to stand in front of me once again. "If you are willing to give yourself up just for Mai," she continues, folding her arms in front of her chest, smirking down at me, "I wonder what you are willing to do for that… waterbender."
The wind is knocked out of my lungs at her words and fear such as I have never felt before in my life engulfs me in a second.
"Keep Katara out of this." I am surprised to find my voice so steady, especially when my heart is beating painfully in my chest, the terror rising up my veins almost making it difficult for me to breathe.
"Oh, so that peasant has a name huh?" she smirks. Inconsumable anger threatens to overpower me and for a second I feel like lashing out at her so fiercely but the chains prevent me from making any movement and I can only glare back at her.
"Now, now Zuzu; we don't want to let that temper of yours get in the way again, do we?"
I force myself to calm down, realizing I am only playing into her game by making her see how much she is getting to me.
"You are mistaken," I calmly reply back. "Katara means nothing to me. If anything happens to her though, you will have to answer to the Avatar."
She shakes her head, clicking her tongue. My heart beats painfully in my chest, as I speak out the words. Does she really mean nothing to me? A tiny voice asks at the back of my head but I ignore it. Now is not the time, I fiercely remind myself.
"You know Zuko," Azula says slowly, rubbing her chin as she looks down at me, seeming to scrutinize my every thought, "You were never a good liar."
"Yes, you were always better at telling lies." I reply back, "I wonder what lies you told father this time to save yourself from getting a matching scar."
In an instant the smirk disappears from her face and she kicks the chair hard, making it slide across the balloon floor, hitting the wall, knocking the wind out of me. She grips my hair with her hand, forcing me to look up at her face.
"I didn't tell him any lies." She hisses, her eyes so full of hatred it makes me cringe inside. "And in case you didn't notice, Father loves me more than anything in the world and he wouldn't harm me in any way." I look back at her calmly, trying to stop myself from wincing at the fierce grip she has on my hair, almost pulling them out of my scalp. I smile at her angry face; two can play at the same game after all.
"So what are you doing so far away from the palace?" I force myself to speak slowly. "Don't tell me father finally decided to cast you away as well. Away from him in a secluded place like Ember island where you won't be able to interfere in his plans?"
She lets go of my hair and the next second I feel my head snap to the side as smacks me hard across the face, her angry scream echoing down my ears. Surprisingly I find myself laughing, a tiny trickle of blood dripping out of my nose. She grabs hold of my robes, pulling me up to look at her angry face.
"No." she spats, "He will never cast me away. He was not even angry when he found out about me lying to him about the Avatar's death. He just said I need to take some time off and think about my role in the war and Ember Island is the perfect place for that."
A mad grin spreads across her face, her eyes nearly popping out. "And isn't it just convenient how you so bravely decided to give yourself up, just when I was getting sad thinking about what a waste it was for the old fire nation dungeons not to be in use anymore?"
She lets go of me, laughing aloud as she stumbles onto her legs. And just as suddenly, she stops. She glares down at me, her breaths coming in deep. "I hope you enjoy your stay at Ember Island. And for your sake, pray that waterbender doesn't cross my path for now I know how to really get back at you"
She turns around swiftly and walks out of the room, slamming the door shut, my heartbeats echoing up my eardrums in the ringing silence.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
reviews are always appreciated :)