Solus sat silently in his cell, eyes closed, meditating to pass the time. He did not know how long it had been since Ty Lee "interrogated" him, and the lack of any natural light made it impossible to tell. The only indicators that time had not stopped completely were the periodic footsteps of the guard on patrol and the slow drip, drip, dripping sound of water somewhere in the bowels of the ship. Under normal circumstances, these noises would be a distraction. Over the past few days, however, Solus had grown used to them, and they now provided a comforting reminder that time had not forgotten him in the bowels of the fire nation prison ship.
I wonder how Ty Lee plans to get me out, mused the young prisoner. Something to do with dinner? Hopefully that will come soon.
He mulled this over for a minute. More importantly, what comes next? I must go to the land of the Sun Warriors, but where is that? Somewhere in the Fire Nation? He smiled ruefully to himself. At least I'm headed in the right direction.
As time continued to pass, and the drip-dripping and tap-tapping of water and footsteps maintained their steady tempo, Solus' thoughts turned to Prince Zuko, and his friend's betrayal. I should have expected it, he sighed. I should have anticipated that Azula would try to turn him. She always knew what to say to him, how to get under his skin. Maybe she promised that things would go back to normal. He held back a contemptuous snort. There's no going back. The Avatar is dead, and Zuko helped kill him.
…
The Avatar is dead.
…
And Zuko helped kill him.
Solus let out a sharp breath. There was a raw pit of despair in his stomach, and it threatened to overwhelm him. He took a series of deep, meditative breaths, and attempted to still his thoughts.
People change, for better or for worse. Iroh believed there was good in him. He probably still does. The Prince did not strike as angrily or accurately after the Avatar fell, and possibly saved me from execution by the Dai Li.
He took several more deep breaths, calmed further by this thought.
Perhaps he is not lost. All the same, my path does not lie with his, at least for the time being. Perhaps the Sun Warriors will provide some insight, wherever they may be.
Finally feeling calmed, the young, imprisoned firebender returned to his meditation, focusing on the steady drip of water echoing through the depths of the ship.
Solus remained that way for some time, before the emergence of a new sound jolted him out of his trance. More footsteps… heavy. Another guard. The sound grew louder, even as the other guard stopped in place. They exchanged words, few of which he could actually hear, before moving on. The new footsteps grew louder and closer as the old ones faded away. Guard change. Dinner too, hopefully.
The young prisoner kept his eyes downcast as the guard approached, not daring to show any sign of interest. The guard approached the cell, stopped, and placed a shallow wooden bowl on the ground in front of the cell. He proceeded to kick it into the cell, spilling some of its contents as it slid across the floor of the cell. Solus did not respond.
"Enjoy your dinner, traitor." The guard spat to punctuate the sentence.
The guard turned, and resumed walking in the direction from which he came. Solus had dared not look up, but the voice was harsh, contemptuous, and wholly unfamiliar. He sighed, reaching down to pick up the bowl of gruel with his manacled hands. He thought about Ty Lee, and the key to his cuffs now hidden in his ragged prison robes. I wonder if she'll come.
He ate the food slowly, taking the time to repeatedly check for any hidden means of escape that might be underneath the food or on the underside of the bowl itself. Finding none, he finished the meager meal with a growing sense of unease. Had she been found out? The so-called interrogation was highly unusual, and could very well have garnered some attention. He did not know if Azula was on board, but he did know that the Princess was not easily deceived. This situation could turn deadly quite quickly if she became involved.
Solus sighed, turning the now-empty bowl over in his hands and examining it. Finding only a plain, wooden bowl with no attached message or means of escape, he set it aside. Whether she's coming or not, I should make a plan of my own.
He examined his cell, as he had done many times before. It was a plain metal box, with four metal walls and a door made of vertical steel bars. The side opposite the door was curved, following the profile of the ship, and it rose to meet a ceiling that was uncomfortably low when standing. There was a bench along one adjacent wall, with a poorly maintained straw mattress. Otherwise, the room was empty- plain, cold, and occupied only by the firebender and his now-empty bowl.
Not many options. Maybe I could cut through a wall? He stood, examining one of the side walls and knocking gently on it, listening to the response. Solid, thick steel. No surprise there. The young prisoner sat down once again, dejected. Cutting through the wall would make too much noise, and would only reveal to the guard that he had managed to escape his manacles. For a brief moment he considered attacking the guard as he passed and attempting to steal the keys, but quickly banished the thought. Too risky, too loud. I should wait for Ty Lee. And if she doesn't come, maybe I'll try something when they move me.
The bender closed his eyes once more, seeking to return to his meditative state. Down at the end of the hallway, he heard the guard turn around and begin walking towards him. The steady plodding of feet grew louder and louder, as it had countless times before, and reached an eventual crescendo as the guard walked past the cell. It was then that Solus noticed a different noise; a faint but unmistakable tapping sound, growing louder as it approached. He realized that these were footsteps only in time to look up and see a second person, walking with very light footsteps and following close behind the guard.
He must not be able to hear through that helmet. Bad design. Solus watched as the second person, who he had now identified as Ty Lee, crept up close to the guard and sent a series of sharp, precise jabs into the man's back. The guard folded, crumpling like a doll as he fell to the floor. His helmet let out an uncomfortably loud clang as it hit the ground.
Solus found himself awash with relief. He might get out of here after all. The young firebender stood slowly, still listening for sounds that anyone might have heard the commotion as he fumbled for the key in his pocket. After retrieving it, he unlocked his manacles and turned his attention to his rescuer. He was pleased to see that she had already retrieved the keys from the guard's belt, and was now checking each in the cell door.
"It's good to see you." Solus said quietly, unable to keep the sound of relief from his voice. "I was getting a bit worried."
"Sorry about that." She flashed him an apologetic smile before turning her attention back to the keys. "Azula decided tonight was a good time to celebrate our victory. Dinner took longer than expected."
"Do you think she's on to you?" His voice was hushed and full of apprehension.
"I'm not sure. If she is, she didn't show it."
"What about your interrogation? Did she ask about that?"
"It was her idea." The young acrobat smirked. "She thought I could get some information out of you, since we're 'close.'"
"...and what did you tell her?" Solus raised an eyebrow.
Ty Lee gave a small laugh, even as the key she was holding turned in the lock and opened the cell door.
"I told her you knew nothing, and that you were just following Iroh's orders." She shrugged, even as the door opened and Solus stepped out. "Zuko was quick to agree."
"How kind of him."
The two embraced briefly, their conversation momentarily forgotten before the newly freed firebender stepped over to the incapacitated guard.
"We should probably hide him. Hopefully no one will come down here until the guard changes."
She nodded, and joined him in dragging the man inside the cell. Once this was done, Solus stole the unconscious guard's helmet and armor, doing his best to don the clothes both swiftly and silently. Once this was done, the two closed the cell door and began moving down the corridor. After putting some distance between themselves and the now-reoccupied cell, the two returned to their conversation, speaking in hushed tones as they moved towards the stern of the ship.
"So that's it? Azula just thinks I'm some fool, following the whims of her uncle?"
"Are you not?" replied Ty Lee innocently.
"A fool, maybe," chuckled Solus, "but I like to believe I can think for myself."
"Well, I suppose we'll find out." Ty Lee paused, crouching and gesturing for Solus to do the same. She then resumed speaking, now in a hushed whisper. "Azula still thinks you're a traitor. But she doesn't think you know anything important, or have any plans."
"She's mostly right." Sighed the firebender. "I have… something. Some sort of path, I guess. Iroh explained it. But I don't know where, or how to get there."
Ty Lee nodded. "Well, for now, I think the best path is to get you off this ship."
"Right." Solus took a deep breath and nodded, following her up a set of steep, ladder-like stairs. There was a door at the top, open to the outside and the newly-liberated firebender felt invigorated by the feeling of the cool night air as he stepped out onto the deck of the ship. Ty Lee was there, gesturing for him to follow even as she glanced nervously at the patrolling guards' lanterns at the other end of the ship.
"Come on, this way." She guided him down another set of steps, down to the edge of the ship. There was a small gap in the railing for a gangway, and she pulled him over to it. "You're going to have to swim. We're passing close to some islands now, it's close enough to swim but it won't be forever."
Solus paused for a moment, shocked by her serious attitude. "...right, ok, islands. I can do that, I can swim." He took a deep breath, looking down at the water below. Waves splashed off the metal hull of the ship, glistening in the moonlight. "Ty Lee, I…"
"I have your sword." She interrupted, still maintaining an air of urgency. "And Kuzon. I found him after we… captured you. Azula sent Mai and I to clean out your house, look for evidence."
"Yes, yes. I trust you, Ty Lee. I just…" He took another deep breath. "I need to know you'll be ok."
There was a long pause. For the first time since they had arrived at the edge of the ship, she looked up at him. Solus noticed tears forming in the young acrobat's eyes, glittering in the moonlight. "I'll be fine. Just…"
Her voice was quiet now, and he had to lean in to hear it. "Just be safe. For me."
He nodded, choking on the words for a moment.
"I'll try."
With sudden, surprising ferocity she grabbed Solus and pulled him towards her. Their lips met, and for a moment all of the young firebender's fears and worries were gone, washed away by a flood of emotions. In that brief second their cares were forgotten, and the two felt for all the world like a pair of young lovers, sharing their secret first kiss beneath the moonlight.
It ended as suddenly as it began. Ty Lee gently pulled away, averting her eyes and wiping at the tears that were now beginning to run down her face. Solus felt a wave of his worries returning, crashing down on him as he returned to reality. There was so much to say, so much for them to talk about… but no time. He accepted the silence instead, watching as Ty Lee nervously turned her gaze towards an approaching lantern, then back to him. Her eyes were full of determination.
"Go." Her tone was firm, and the command was punctuated with a light shove.
Solus stumbled slightly, but chose not to fight gravity as he fell over the edge of the fire nation ship. He saw her mouth move, but did not hear Ty Lee's final words to him; the roaring wind drowned them out as he fell towards the water. Turning as he did so, the escaping firebender hit the water with his hands first, diving beneath the dark waves and kicking down and away from the ship. He swam for as long as he could, trying only to get away from the great rumbling metal mass behind him.
Only after Solus felt like his lungs would burst did the young fugitive dare to surface, and when he did so he took a great, shuddering breath of hair, greedily inhaling all that he could into his gasping lungs. Doing so brought in a great deal of salt water as well, and he had to fight to keep his head above water during the ensuing coughing fit. Eventually this subsided, and he was able to stabilize himself, floating on his back in the cold ocean water. The firebender was pleased to see the ship receding into the distance.
Now, for this island…
He took another deep breath before turning over and kicking against the water, swimming towards the dark mass that he could only hope was land.
After several hours of telling his grandfather's story, Roku at last fell silent. The sun had long set and the tea pot was empty, and the storyteller's focus was now on remedying this latter fact. He stood to find water, going about his task with no regard to the Avatar's expectant stare.
"Well!?" She exclaimed.
"Well what?" Roku's tone was innocent. His eyes never left the small teapot, which he was now filling with water from a small fountain in the corner of the room.
"Well, what happened next? Did Solus make it to shore? Did he find the Sun Warriors?"
He gave a soft chuckle. "Well, I'm here now to tell the story, so Solus probably made it to shore."
Korra groaned. "But what about the other stuff? The Sun Warriors? The Way of the Dragon? Did he succeed?"
"Maybe." Roku sat back down, pouring himself another cup of tea and offering to do the same for the Avatar. When she declined, he sat back in his chair, cup in hand. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to tell you the rest of the story now. It just means that there's more to tell."
Korra frowned, obviously displeased with this answer, but said nothing. The two sat there in silence, with Roku periodically taking small sips of his tea and Korra gazing out the window, up at the starry night sky. Eventually, she picked up a cup of her own and waterbended some of the remaining tea into it, her gaze never shifting from the stars. The two remained that way for several minutes before Roku.
"I'm leaving the day after tomorrow." His voice was quiet, its tone serious. "Going to pack and plan my route in the morning, and train in the afternoon. I'm not in good fighting shape, but hopefully I can at least practice while I have the chance."
"Do you think it will come to that?" The response was equally quiet.
"I hope not." Roku sighed. "I really hope not. But the stories…"
"Yeah." Korra nodded. There was silence again, as each of the two pondered the future, and where it might take them. Eventually, the storyteller once again broke the silence.
"I'll tell you the rest of it tomorrow. The story, that is, about my grandfather." He shifted slightly in his seat before draining the rest of his tea. "For now, though, I think we should probably both get some sleep. Good night, Korra."
"Good night, Roku." The Avatar's response was quiet, her gaze fixed out the window even as Roku stood, emptied the tea pot, and left the room.
Author's note: Here's the promised chapter! I apologize if the change in writing style is a bit jarring, it's been quite a while since I've done any creative writing and I haven't really found a "groove" yet. Either way, hope this was enjoyable! I'm not sure when the next chapter will be posted, hopefully within the next few weeks or so. I don't have nearly as much time as I did when I first wrote this, so expect a more moderate pace. I am also going to try and avoid these lengthy author's notes, as they seemed a bit excessive to me when rereading. Anyways, thanks for reading!