The Tale of Qin

by Bananaman2662

Qin's life hasn't been great. Losing her father and elder brothers to the war, it left her family broken and scarred. When Qin's mother cast her aside, Iroh took her in, and when Zuko was banished, Qin went with them, in hopes of making herself useful. However, when Zuko catches Aang, Qin becomes confused on who to help. It certainly doesn't help that a cute boy was helping Aang.

9. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing from Avatar the Last Airbender except Qin and other characters I created.

Chapter 7: Pirates and Necklaces

WARNING: POTENTIAL RAPE TRIGGER: DON'T READ UNLESS YOU'RE OKAY WITH THAT!

Qin POV:

The next day, Zuko was in a terrible mood. To burn off some steam, he decided to practice. A lot. I was currently taking a breather near the water, out of breath. Zuko was unusually aggressive, even for him, which led him to make a good number of mistakes. Oh, he still beat be several times, but not as much as he would have if he wasn't in such a terrible mood. We completed about 24 mock battles, 15 of which I won, and 9 of which Zuko won. I was about ready to drop, considering each battle lasted anywhere from two to ten minutes, most of which averaged out to about 7; at least, according to Iroh.

Unfortunately, the losses ruined Zuko's mood even more, so he decided to practice his firebending with several members of the crew, though he sparred with Lieutenant Jee for the most part; he was the only one besides Iroh who could fight Zuko on even footing. The mock battles were brutal looking, with the two of them going after each other like two starving dogs fighting over a single bone. They were actually tied in the number of victories they had, each sitting at 7 wins before the ship abruptly turned, sending all of us into the railing. I was in the process of taking a drink, but the sudden shift in direction made the water leap out and splash my face, which I did not appreciate whatsoever.

"Someone's changed our course." Grumbled Zuko, scowling up at the Helmsman's area.

Zuko stormed his way up and I followed after him in curiosity after making sure Jee was all right. He waved me off, insisting he was fine.

"What's the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change course!" Zuko yelled at the Helmsman, who looked at Zuko in surprise.

"Actually, someone did." Answered Iroh from a Pai Sho table, playing with some of the crew. I shook my head ruefully; did they really think they'd win? The only thing that would happen was that they'd lose their money, like usual. "I assure you that it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko."

"Is it something to do with the Avatar?"

"Even more urgent; it seems like I've lost my lotus tile."

"Lotus tile?"

"You want to stop for a lotus tile? Isn't it one of the least valuable tiles in the game?" I asked skeptically.

"Most people think the lotus tile insignificant, but it is essential for an unusual strategy that I employ."

"You've changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?"

"See, you and Qin, like most people, underestimate its value. Just give me ten minutes to check with the merchants at the port. Hopefully, they'll have the lotus tile in stock, and I can get on with my life."

Zuko clenched his fists in agitation before breathing fire like a dragon to prevent himself from lashing out. I thought it was pretty cool but decided not to mention it in fear of agitating him even more.

"I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew." Iroh said as smoke filled the room, causing a coughing fit from me, as well as from the nonbenders, while the firebenders didn't even bat an eye at the thick smog.

I fled the room to finally stop myself from coughing, taking deep breaths of the clean ocean air. While on the surface, Iroh's words seemed normal enough, I knew better; after all, I lived with the man for most of my life. Even though I couldn't tell exactly what he was implying, he seemed to imply a greater importance to the piece than just to Pai Sho. Unfortunately, it was a case of knowing just enough to know that something was up, but not enough to know exactly what.

Whatever the case, I suppose I would find out later; Iroh was the type of man to hold onto a piece of information and then dramatically flourish it about whenever the time was right. I smiled as I remembered such a case when it was my second year of living with Iroh.

7 years ago, 3rd Person POV:

Little Qin was distraught. Her favorite toy, a wooden horse named Sun Tzu was missing, and she ransacked the house in search of him. He was pretty small, but Qin never gave up hope that her beloved Sun Tzu would turn up.

However, despite the help of most of the available servants, the horse was nowhere to be found, and the poor girl became depressed. She instead sat in the gardens, gently playing with the grass and flowers nearby. Qin wasn't a spoiled brat, not by a long shot, and only had a few toys that she allowed Iroh to buy for her. However, she was still an 8-year-old child, and sulked.

Iroh emerged from the house and sighed when he found Qin sitting on one of the two swings, swinging herself a little bit, but not really trying. Iroh sat in the swing next to hers, not saying anything. The two sat in comfortable silence, watching the sun sink below the mansion walls.

"So, by your current state, I assume you didn't find him?" Iroh finally asked.

Qin shook her head sadly "I searched everywhere for him, Uncle. I even searched the laundry room, but he wasn't there."

Iroh smiled when the small girl called him Uncle. He understood that she had a deep connection with her father, and by no means thought to replace him in her heart. However, Iroh liked being called her uncle, even if they weren't related by blood.

"You know, destiny is a funny thing; you never know what will happen next. I wouldn't lose heart, child. For all you know, he could reappear tomorrow."

Qin looked up at the man "Uncle, are you saying that because you want to cheer me up, or because you truly believe that?"

Iroh paused, caught off guard by the girl's perceptiveness, before giving a belly laugh "Of course I believe in it, Qin. Though I do have to say, you're quite unlike an ordinary child. Not many I know would have asked me that."

Qin smiled humorlessly and pointed to her scarred leg, "Well, I'm not exactly ordinary, am I? I would think a regular kid's mom wouldn't bully their kid."

Iroh glanced uncertainly at the girl, not wanting to set her off. Even after two years, Qin sometimes awoke screaming at the top of her lungs from fear, tears thick as streams pouring down her face. The doctors said this was normal with people who've experienced something traumatic, especially a child. The medication helped, but there was always the off chance that she could fall into a catatonic state.

"Don't worry, Uncle. I won't fall apart … at least, not this time. I just … I sometimes wish that my family didn't fall apart … I wish that Dad was still here."

"Only sometimes?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I would never have gotten to know you and live with you, would I?"

Iroh began to feel warm and fuzzy inside, touched by the little girl's words.

"You don't know how much that means to me, Qin. I'll tell you what, why don't we get something really tasty prepared? Lu Ten should be coming back relatively soon, and I think he'd appreciate something like that."

"He's coming back?! Why didn't you say so?! Come on, let's go!"

An instant change was seen in the girl's demeanor. While she was sad and reserved moments ago, her face was now awash with excitement, and she eagerly tugged at his sleeve, trying to pull him forward. Iroh laughed and let himself be dragged along by the excited girl.

The resulting evening was spent pleasantly by the three individuals. Though Lu Ten had to leave following afternoon, Qin made sure to spend as much time with the boy as possible. Qin loved Lu Ten, thinking of him as the real brother she never had. Lu Ten, in turn, doted on the young girl, and treated her like family.

Qin went to sleep that night feeling happy and content, completely having forgotten about her missing toy. The next day, however, she did remember, and was a little glum about it, but swallowed the feeling, looking forward to spending the rest of Lu Ten's time with him.

When she arrived at breakfast, Iroh was already there, sitting with a knowing smile. Qin could tell, looking at him suspiciously.

"Is everything all right, Uncle?"

"But of course, my dear. Especially when I happened to find a certain someone."

"Who?"

"I'll tell you if you manage to guess."

Qin frowned, trying to think of a person that was missing. However, something clicked in the girl's mind, and turned her hopeful gaze at Iroh.

"Did you …? Where?"

"You'll have to be more specific, my dear." Iroh's smile widened at Qin's questions.

"You found Sun Tzu!"

Iroh nodded and removed the wooden horse from his sleeve, brandishing it as if it was made of solid gold. Qin ran over to him, throwing her arms around the man, taking the horse from him.

"Where did you find him?"

"Oh, I didn't find him; he found me."

Qin frowned "That doesn't make sense; he's a wooden toy. How could he have found you?"

"I'm not sure, but when I awoke, he was sitting on my dresser."

"Why do you have to be so secretive? You could just tell me." Qin pouted, and Iroh laughed.

Present Day, Qin POV:

I sighed at the memory, smiling wistfully at it. The journey to the little village didn't take that long, only about an hour. However, I immediately didn't like the place. It looked seedy, and as we stopped at the port, some of the people there began to give me suggestive looks. I shuddered before heading to my room, equipping my grappling swords and smoke bomb belt; I always kept my hidden dagger on me, so I was ready.

I made my way to the ramp, which was already being lowered. There, Zuko stood unhappily with Iroh.

"I'm serious, Uncle. Ten minutes, and then we're gone. I don't want to waste time." Zuko said, frowning at the place.

"No worries, nephew. We'll be gone soon, anyways. I don't really like the look of the place." Iroh replied, glancing over the market.

"I'll say." I said, arriving.

"Well then. Now that Qin is here, let's go." Iroh said, and the three of us left.

"Uncle, we should split up to cover more ground quickly. I don't like this place; the sooner we leave, the better."

"I agree. Qin, you'll be all right by yourself, right?" Iroh asked.

"Yes, I should be fine. I have my swords and my smoke bombs, after all."

With that, we dispersed. I asked the nearest stalls around me if someone nearby sold any Pai Sho tiles, and I was directed to a small stall, which was being managed by an old man. He scowled at me when he saw me approach.

"Excuse me, sir. I was told you sell Pai Sho tiles?"

"Yeah, what's it to you?" I frowned at his tone but didn't say anything about it.

"I was wondering if you sold any lotus tiles?" He looked surprised, as if he didn't expect me to genuinely know the game.

"Sorry, kid. I sold my last one a couple days ago." I sighed, but he wasn't finished "I wouldn't give up; there's a chance other regular stalls have 'em. People are trying everything they can to live, but between me and you, be careful. There are a bunch of creeps here who would try to take advantage of you."

I smiled at him, though it was perhaps more of a smile akin to a lion shark's "Thank you for the warning. Have a nice day."

"Yeah, you too."

And so, I searched the stalls and stores. True to the man's words, the people here sold everything they could. I even saw a grocery store sell mining equipment, and a clothing store sell cool minerals, such as zinc and a cool looking blue rock, which I was told was cobalt.

However, when I entered a store, I saw an old man standing at a counter, and he creepily smiled at me when I entered. I immediately didn't like him, but this was the last store I had to check.

"Hello there, darlin'. What can I help you with?" he asked, eyes roaming up and down my body. I snapped my fingers, drawing his attention to my face, already annoyed.

"My eyes are up here, sir. Do you happen to sell Pai Sho tiles?"

"Yea, we sell a few. Which one you lookin' for?"

"The lotus tile."

"Lotus, eh? I should have em'. Ming!" With the man's call, a tall, muscular man emerged from the back, and I placed my hands on my swords, already on guard. "Ming, take the lady and look for a lotus tile, would ya?"

"Actually, I would prefer to remain out here. My father should be looking for me right now."

"Ah, right. Sorry. Go ahead, Ming. One should be in a corner."

Ming left, grunting. A few minutes later he emerged from the back and handed it to the man.

"Alright darlin', that'll be three copper pieces." Normally, that price is a rip-off, but I didn't want to hang around here any more than I had to. I brought out a small purse and handed the man the three pieces, glancing warily at Ming. The old man snatched the money and looked it over suspiciously before handing me the tile. I took off after that, desperate to be outside of the stuffy, sinister store. I then searched for Iroh and Zuko.

3rd Person POV:

As Qin left, the old man licked his lips, staring at her backside as she hurriedly left.

"You think she's a virgin?" asked the old man, and Ming grunted.

"Probably. Looks like a sheltered little princess to me. Should've told me to snag her when we had the chance."

"Ya need to think bigger, Ming. What if she has some friends with her? We'd get a bigger prize. Tell the boys to tail her, but don't attack just yet. I want info."

"Sure, boss." Ming said, already imagining Qin chained to a wall with the others. Or sold to some old, fat, rich man, with a pile of gold at his feet.

Qin POV:

I met up with Iroh and Zuko near a large ship. A man was shouting something about rare items for sale, but I ignored him.

"Qin, you've come. Did you manage to find the lotus tile?" asked Iroh.

"Yes, I did. Cost three copper pieces." I answered, showing the tile.

"Three? That's a rip off!" Zuko yelled.

"I know. The place was seedy and creeping me out, plus I didn't like the people there; they rubbed me the wrong way. Anyways, I got it, didn't I?"

"Well done, Qin. See, Prince Zuko? This wasn't a waste of time!" Iroh said, nudging the boy, who only scowled. As he did, soldiers began to move crates of bought goods to the ship, which I observed with a raised eyebrow.

"You couldn't hold back, could you Iroh? That was at least four different crates of things you bought. And was that a Tsungi horn?"

"Qin, you hurt me." Iroh said, dramatically draping his arm over his eyes "That's four crates less than I wanted to buy. And yes, that Tsungi horn was for music night. Now, if only we had some woodwinds…" I merely sighed, shaking my head. Zuko was pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. As Iroh turned, he pointed excitedly to the large ship behind us. "This place looks promising!"

Iroh managed to drag the two of us onto the ship. Somehow, Iroh's role and my role swapped, making me feel like a tired parent of a hyperactive kid, with Zuko in the role of an annoyed father.

Iroh managed to find a creepy monkey statue with inlaid rubies. The eyes were gone, replaced by the rubies, as well as a ruby necklace. Its teeth were bared, and I got a weird feeling of being watched from it. I shuddered, feeling creeped out. I could swear I heard some tribal jungle music too…

"Ooh, this is handsome! Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?" Iroh picked it up, turning it this way and that.

Suddenly, we heard a sailor speaking with his captain "We lost the Water Tribe girl, as well as the bald monk."

Bald monk and Water Tribe girl, huh? That wouldn't happen to be Aang and Katara, could it? I thought, and evidently Zuko agreed, because he turned to face the two of them.

"This monk; did he have an arrow on his head?" he asked, approaching the two men.

The man with the tricorn hat turned to face Zuko, suspicious "And what if he did?"

"I would like to propose an alliance, at least for now. We can help each other; I assume they stole something from you?"

The two men exchanged a glance, before the second man shrugged his shoulders "They stole a waterbending scroll from us."

Zuko smiled unpleasantly "Well then, how about we work together in capturing them? You can get the waterbending scroll back, and I can get the monk."

The captain offered a hand, which Zuko took and shook. Iroh broke the handshake, and the deal was sealed.

"I'll be right back with a cutter, and then we can begin our hunt for them." Zuko informed, before the three of us left.

As we were walking to our ship, the hair on my neck raised, and I stopped, looking around me. I felt like I was being watched, but didn't see anyone out of the ordinary, just random people walking by.

"Qin?" asked Iroh, pausing when he noticed I wasn't with him anymore. He turned and I caught up with him, rubbing my neck. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know; I feel like I'm being watched for some reason."

"Come along; this place has probably made you jumpy." Iroh steered me toward our ship, all the while looking backwards. Despite Iroh's words, I could tell he was unsettled.

We arrived at our cutter, and the three of us boarded it before it was released into the river. The pirate's ship was already waiting for us, and when we approached, a gangplank was lowered so that we could come across.

The sun was already setting as we set out, carefully peering into the forest on the edge of the river, searching. Personally, I wasn't sure if I'd say anything if I saw them, but I just might have to; I didn't want to seem suspicious.

That feeling of being watched, however, still didn't go away, which unsettled me slightly. I thought that when we would leave, it would disappear, but it didn't. And I didn't like it one bit.

"Those are interesting swords you got there, little lady." The captain said abruptly, and I looked at him. He was eyeing my blades with a strange gleam in his eye. "Would you mind showing me the point of those buttons?" I started, looking at him with slightly wide eyes. The buttons weren't exactly concealed, but it took a while to find them; they were unintentionally camouflaged with the hilt of the sword. I looked at Iroh, who just shrugged.

I withdrew my blades and pressed the button, flicking them slightly. The blades shot out, but didn't embed themselves anywhere, as I flicked them with just enough force to make them shoot out "They act as a grapple as well as a sword. They usually can be embedded into any surface and pressing the buttons while they are out pulls you toward the blades."

He whistled appreciatively "Are you willing to sell them? I can give you a good price."

"No … At least, not yet." He gave me a confused look. "Once I mass produce them and patent them, sure. I only have these two made so far."

"Ah. Well, if you'd be looking to sell them, I'd like to be your first customer."

"Sure."

"Anyways, shouldn't we be stopping to search the woods?" The question was directed to Zuko, who answered without turning.

"We don't need to stop. They stole a waterbending scroll, right?"

"Mhm."

"Then they'll be on the water."

No response was given, but we continued searching, even when the sun set, and night was upon us. The captain's lizard parrot seemed to like me well enough, especially when I handed him a small piece of fruit I was having. He squawked his thanks, rubbed his head against my cheek, and flew off.

"You know, Jackdaw doesn't trust people, so it's a wonder he even approaches you." Said the captain, noticing the exchange. I merely shrugged.

"I'm just as surprised. I guess it's the food."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Thankfully, my dilemma of giving away Aang, Katara, and Sokka was solved when we all heard Katara yelling at the water.

"Shoot! Come on, water! Work with me here! Okay, what if I just … OW! Stupid scroll!"

Zuko and the captain exchanged looks, while I merely sighed and began to rub my temples in exasperation.

You stole a scroll from pirates, and now aren't worried about the fact that you could be heard. Come on, Katara. I thought you were smarter than this.

We disembarked, with me and Zuko splitting off from the pirates, who would corral Katara towards us. Then, the cutter was beached, which drew the attention of Katara away from the two of us, who took our position. Now, there wasn't a chance of me letting Katara go, as I was forced to be next to Zuko. I tried to communicate the idea of splitting up, but he shook his head and pointed at the moon, signifying she would be stronger at night, and it would probably take the two of us to beat her. I just nodded. What else was I supposed to do?

A pirate stepped behind Katara, and she bumped into him. He grabbed her, but Katara used waterbending to smack the pirate away. Zuko stepped out of the brush and grabbed her wrists when she tried to run away.

"I'll save you from the pirates." Zuko said with a serious expression on his face.

Katara tried to wiggle her way out of the situation, but she couldn't escape Zuko's grasp. She was then tied to a young fir tree, away from the water so she couldn't escape. The two parties congregated around the girl, Zuko, Iroh, the crew and I on one side while the pirates were on the other.

"Tell me where he is, and I won't hurt you or your brother." Zuko demanded, but Katara looked furious, so I knew the chances of her telling us where Aang was located was a big fat zero.

"Go jump in the river!" was the angry reply. A smile quirked its way onto my face for a moment before I hid it. Katara had guts, I'll give her that. Zuko then took a nicer approach, which I noticed immediately as out of character. I gave Iroh a look, but he just pointed at me, and I understood the message; he was trying to emulate my approach to the situation.

"Try to understand; I need to capture him to restore something I've lost. My honor." Zuko began to circle her, and Katara tried her best to avoid eye contact. "Perhaps in exchange, I can restore something you've lost." Zuko waved Katara's pendant that I found on the earthbender prison, and Katara gasped.

"My mother's necklace! Where did you get that?!"

"I didn't steal it if that's what you were wondering. Tell me where he is."

"No."

"Enough with the necklace garbage; you promised the scroll!" the pirate captain interjected.

Zuko pulled the scroll out and lit a small fire underneath it "I wonder how much this is worth?" The pirate crew instinctually inched closer, gasping as it was threatened "A lot, apparently. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back, and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here."

"Fine." the captain growled, but one of his men stepped forward.

"Captain, I think I know a way to make her talk." That caught everyone's attention, including mine and Zuko's.

"Yeah? What is it, Zhu?" The man named Zhu smiled and stepped toward Katara, who faced away from her.

"You know, girlie, this could be so simple … Just tell us where he is, or else …" he trailed off and grabbed the sides of her dress, inching it upwards. Katara gasped, trying to pull away. As the dress reached her knees, I stepped forward and grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

"Stop. You won't do that." My voice was filled with steel and a very deadly frost to it, but Zhu only sneered.

"Oh yeah, why not?"

"First of all, the fact that you're threatening rape is disgusting, but even more so since she isn't of age. Second of all, you'll just force her to blurt out some random location that's nearby in an effort to make you stop. Thirdly, if you think I'll just stand by here while you rape her, you're dead wrong."

I withdrew one of my swords and aimed it at his throat, making him gulp as he stared down at it.

"Now, let her dress go." He did and stepped away, hands raised. I heard Katara take a shuddering breath of relief and I stepped away, sheathing my drawn grappling sword. "I see someone else try that shit again, and I'll cut off their hands."

Almost everyone in the clearing gulped, and the pirates dispersed, beginning to search for Aang and Sokka.

"Do you want to sit down?" I asked, and Katara nodded. The next part I whispered to her "I want to help you escape, but that would just blow my cover. I need you to cooperate until an opportunity arises, okay?" She nodded again, and I untied the rope, letting her sit down before tying the rope loosely "This is for whenever the time comes. Don't make them suspicious."

"Thanks." She said, before hesitating "Can I ask you something?"

I quirked an eyebrow humorously "I mean, you already did, but sure."

She gave me a hard stare before sighing and recomposing her face "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Being nice to us, and …" Katara whispered the last part "Helping us?"

"I just … Aang's a good kid, and no twelve-year-old deserves to be chained up like some animal. And this war … despite what you may think, there are people in the Fire Nation who despise it. A few high-ranking personnel in the army deserted because of it. Many villages are bled dry trying to fund the war … And my family …" I gulped, trying not to let tears appear in my eyes "Most of my family died in the war, and my mother, the only one besides me who survived … went partially insane from it. I guess my answer it that … I don't want to see anyone else have to go what I went through … Hah, look at me: pathetic, isn't it? The privileged Fire Nation kid, complaining about loss."

"I don't think so." I looked at her, confused "I don't think it's wrong to complain about something like that. I guess … I guess I was just confused about your motivations is all. I didn't want to believe it, but when you helped Aang, and then Sokka, I just … couldn't understand it."

I was about to reply when Zuko called me over "Qin, get away from her! It's time to eat!" I saw Mina unloading some food with some of the soldiers.

"Coming!" I called back "Say, do you want to eat?" Katara nodded, and I stood up, making my way to the group. When I sat down, Mina handed me a bowl, which I set aside.

"Hey, Mina? Could you get me another bowl?" She nodded, scooping the broth into an empty bowl before handing it to me.

"Be careful, Qin. You might just grow fat if you eat like that." Joked Iroh, and I gave him an unamused glance.

"Ha-ha, very funny Iroh. The second one isn't for me. It's for Katara."

"Why? She's our enemy and prisoner." asked Zuko.

"She might be your prisoner, Zuko, but she's still human; she needs to eat and drink like the rest of us."

"She didn't tell us where the Avatar is; she doesn't deserve food."

"Zuko …" I warned, now giving him an angry look "She won't be able to tell you where she is if her throat is too dry, or she's starving."

"She won't get into that condition for a bit. Why are you so willing to help her …?" He trailed off, before speaking again, "Ah, I get it."

"Get what?"

"I get why you're helping her; it's only natural, considering who your father was."

Iroh noticed Zuko heading into dangerous territory, and tried to intervene "Prince Zuko-"

My voice grew deceptively soft "No, Iroh, let him finish. What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, your father was an Earth Kingdom Mudblood, and a traitor to boot. I should be surprised that –"

A swift slap silenced him, sending him reeling and with an angry look, but paled when he saw my fury.

"Don't you dare speak ill against my father!" I hissed at him "He's done nothing but prove his loyalty to the Fire Nation, and Fire Lord Azulon allowed him to be baptized by the Fire Sages to become Fire Nation! He arose to the rank of general under Fire Lord Azulon, who was notorious for his hatred of everyone not Fire Nation, and if that doesn't say something, then I don't know what to say! You can criticize me or my mother, but don't you dare say anything about my father!" I grabbed the bowls of food and stalked away from him, shaking in fury.

Who the hell does he think he is?! Father was just as loyal to the Fire Nation, maybe even more so since he wasn't banished like a certain someone was! He was the one to help take over the Pohuai Stronghold! He was the one to take over literally a fifth of current Earth Kingdom lands owned by the Fire Nation!

I plopped myself down by Katara, hastily untying the rope binding her and handing her a bowl with a spoon. She nodded her thanks and began to eat. We ate in silence, with me still fuming, and Katara not wanting to spark an argument with me. When we finished, I grabbed the two bowls and spoons before heading off to Mina. I shoved the bowls in her hands before turning and speaking with Iroh:

"I'm going to guard Katara. Good night." Without waiting for a reply, I walked over to Katara, and noticed that in my haste, I forgot to tie her hands. Despite that, Katara still sat there, waiting for me.

"You know, you could have run away."

"Yeah, but … you seem like you need someone to talk to."

"I do, do I? Okay then, what do you want to talk about?"

"Well, sorry if this is a sore subject, but I couldn't help but overhear some of your argument with Zuko." At this point, I was taking deep breaths in an effort to not explode on the girl sitting next to me; it wasn't Katara's fault that I was angry. "And I was wondering … could you talk about your family?"

I took a deep breath "Sure. If you can talk about yours afterwards."

"Yeah, I can do that."

"Okay, well … I don't really know how to start, but … before the war ruined everything, my family was relatively large. There was my dad and my mom, obviously, but I was the youngest of three siblings."

"Did you have any sisters?"

"No, just two older brothers. They were jerks, but at first, they were picking on me simply because I was their younger sister, you know? I assume Sokka did the same with you?"

"He did for a bit, yeah."

"Anyways, they were okay. That is, until they were old enough to go to war … Once they were called away, it was just me and the servants, for the most part." I hesitated, looking at Katara.

"What's wrong? Why were you alone?"

"I'm sorry if this angers you, but … both my parents were generals." Katara stiffened, but to her credit, she didn't lash out at me.

"Were they stationed at the Southern Water Tribe?"

"No, they were fighting in the Earth Kingdom. Once they were tasked with taking care of a huge fleet of pirates, but for the most part, they fought in the Earth Kingdom, so I remained at home. There was a pretty big gap of age between me and my youngest brother, about twelve years, so … I had to remain at home. I learned how to weave, how to dress, etiquette, that kind of thing." I sighed, remembering my two brothers. "Their names were Miko and Salan, by the way, I forgot to mention. Anyways, when they returned from the front about a year in, it was clear that they changed. They were cold, bitter, angry. When they began to pick on me, they didn't do it in a brotherly fashion anymore, but more of a bully way. Dad was at the war and rarely came home, so he couldn't really help, and Mom … She basically encouraged them."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because I'm not a firebender, that's why. She was obsessed with what others thought of her, and two sons that were able to firebend wasn't enough for her; she basically saw me as a failure and made sure I knew it. Miko and Salan basically copied her. Two years after my brothers were summoned to go to war, when I was five, Salan died. He was killed defending an overrun position. Mom and Dad took it pretty bad, as did Miko. He was now heir to the family, so Mom spent a lot of time trying to keep him safe, using her influence to send him to the safer places so he wouldn't die." I paused, rubbing my eyes with my hands. I took a shuddering breath, my voice now cracking from emotion "About three months later, Dad also died. He was assassinated by a famous Earth Kingdom assassin; you might have heard of her. Her name was Slithering Sand. She was a sandbender for the most part, but she knew earthbending as well. She was executed when she was caught, but that's when things really got bad. Mom started to fall apart, and she desperately tried everything to get Miko back home. Fire Lord Azulon tried to help her, calling him back home; he felt my family suffered enough, and tried to at least preserve it. However, whatever spirits my family offended still didn't think it was enough." I paused, leaning my head back against the tree Katara was supposed to be tied to.

"What happened next?" Katara's voice was now a whisper, as if afraid a loud noise would set me off.

"The ship arrived safe and sound in the Fire Nation. Mom and I went to meet him. Everything seemed fine, and we saw Miko on the ship. He was waving to us, and Mom was so excited to see him. But then, everything went wrong." I rubbed my arms trying to calm myself down "The ship was blown up. I remember Mom screaming. I remember Miko's burned body in the water. He survived it, but by the time we arrived at a doctor's place, he was too far gone; all the doctors could do was ease his pain, and he died that night from his wounds. Mom and I still don't know who did it."

"After that, Mom finally snapped. She was diagnosed with partial insanity, and also with split-personality disorder. I tried to be the best daughter I could for her, but it was never nearly enough. Even on her good days, she was always yelling at me for anything I did wrong, even if it wasn't my fault. She would yell how I should've died in exchange for Salan or Miku. On her bad days though …" I shuddered "On her bad days, when she wasn't herself, I would hide from her. She'd usually find me though, and would chase me around our house, screaming at me and shooting fire at me. Eventually, I took the hint. Whenever it was a bad day, I fled from the house, usually hiding in a neighbor's house until it was over. One day, though, she saw me. She began chasing me through the streets, and in desperation, I fled into a stranger's house and hid in their garden."

"As fate would have it, that was General Iroh's house. When he understood what was going on, he let me hide in his house on Mom's bad days. I don't know how Mom found out, but she did. She began talking about throwing me out onto the streets, because she didn't want to even see me. I told Iroh, and he decided to step in. On the day I was supposed to go live with him …" I paused, and my breathing began to hitch. I heard Mother cackling, the fire, the pain, the fear, and I finally let the tears began to drop. I began to shake, but this time, it was because of those memories instead of my earlier anger. I didn't make a sound, but I hid my face in shame. Even after so much time, I wasn't able to get past that day. Why was it so hard to leave it all behind?

I don't know when or how it happened, but I eventually felt myself in the arms of Katara, who held me tightly as I sobbed silently. We probably stayed that way for a while, but my body refused to move. For the first time in a while, I felt comfortable, truthfully comfortable. All those days when my leg seized up and those nights when I still woke up from my nightmares, I buried my true feelings deep inside, so as not to worry those around me. I finally had the strength to remove myself from her grasp, but I continued, Iroh's words ringing in my ears.

"You'll feel better when you say it all, Qin. It would be worse if you started but didn't finish."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize that your family was a painful subject. You don't have to …" Katara tried to say, but I shook my head.

"No, it's fine. I'm almost done anyways. That day, Mom almost did something really bad to me, but Iroh was able to save me, thankfully. I then went to live with Iroh and his son, and I did so until Zuko was sent to capture you. Anyways, here I am."

We both sat in silence, Katara trying to process all that was said while I sat trying to recuperate.

"Anyways, can you talk about yours?" I asked.

"I mean, I would, really, I don't want to seem like I'm chickening out or anything, but it's already really late, and I was hoping to sleep ..."

"Oh, yes, sorry! I didn't realize I took up so much time."

"No, it's okay, really! It seemed like the right thing to do, so …"

"Thanks, Katara."

"No problem. Goodnight."

"Yeah, goodnight."

I didn't tie her hands this time, just letting her sleep. I turned over, sighing.

I scared her off, didn't I? That's why she didn't want to talk. She probably had a nice family in the South Pole, and I forced her to leave and save Aang. Agni, I'm a monster, aren't I?

Regardless, I fell asleep relatively soon afterwards, and when I woke up, I found that someone draped a blanket over Katara and I during the night. Iroh walked over when he saw I was awake.

"How are you feeling, Qin?" he asked.

"Surprisingly, I feel pretty good, considering what happened last night. I probably need to apologize as well, huh?"

"Maybe just a little bit. You should probably wake her up, the pirates sent a scout; they found him." I nodded and woke Katara up. She was excited to see her brother and friend again, and unfortunately, I had to tie her up again, but I made sure the bindings were loose.

The pirates arrived a few minutes afterward, with Aang and Sokka tied up. The two groups remained separate.

"Aang? This is all my fault." Katara said, guiltily staring at the ground.

"No, Katara, it isn't." Aang replied, looking relieved that Katara was all right.

"Yeah, it kind of is." Iroh said, and I smiled at him. Playing devil's advocate was something that Iroh did sometimes, and no matter what, I always found it kind of funny.

"Give me the boy." Zuko commanded, glaring at the captain.

"You give us the scroll." Merely scowled back the captain.

"You're really going to hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?" Sokka interjected, disbelief clear in his voice. I frowned in confusion, but then realized the genius plan that Sokka was trying to achieve. I could have kissed him, but them blushed and looked away. Okay, maybe not kissed him, but maybe a celebratory hug would do?

"Don't listen to him; he's just trying to turn us against each other." Zuko said, but the damage was already done. The pirates were now looking hungrily at Aang.

"Your friend is the Avatar?" asked the captain, ignoring Zuko.

"Sure is. And I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll." suggested Sokka.

"Shut your mouth, you water tribe peasant!" demanded Zuko.

"Yeah, Sokka, you should shut your mouth." Said Aang, now worried.

"I'm just saying, it's bad business. Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life." I began shaking, repressing laughter from bubbling out of my mouth. If this worked, the two of them would be in so much Sokka debt, he'd probably have them doing chores for the rest of their journey. Well, that or until they saved him.

"Keep the scroll. We can buy a hundred of them when we turn in the kid." The pirates began to walk away.

"You'll regret making a deal with me." Zuko promised, and then all hell broke loose. The soldiers and pirates all began to fight each other, and in the resulting chaos, I saw Katara break through her bonds and make her way to the others.

Zhu, the man who tried to suggest rape as an alternative to searching for Aang, charged at me with a poleaxe, screaming at the top of his lungs. I was unimpressed, merely unsheathing my grappling swords, and engaging him in combat. I'll give him props; he was better than I thought he was, but still worse than me. I was able to cut his poleaxe in half and send him sprawling with a kick to the chest.

Just as I was about to pursue him, I felt something heavy slam into the back of my head, sending me to the floor with a groan. My vision was filled with dirt, and distantly, I heard an unknown figure chuckle.

"Nice job Zhu, Boss will be impressed."

"Thanks Ming."

Ming, wasn't that … My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the same heavy thing hit the back of my head once again, and all I saw was darkness.

3rd Person POV:

Zuko and Iroh stood, watching the waterfall over which his cutter and the pirate's ship went over a few seconds ago, furious. He was this close to catching the Avatar, but that peasant robbed him of his victory.

"My boat!" cried the indignant boy, but it was no use. It now was probably shattered, heading downstream in pieces.

"Prince Zuko." Said Iroh, chortling behind him "You're really going to get a kick out of this. The lotus tile was in my sleeve this whole time!" Iroh brandished the tile, and Zuko looked at it in disbelief for a moment before snatching it and throwing it over the edge.

"Now that was unnecessary. At least Qin bought a replacement."

"Let's go back to the ship." Was all that Zuko said, before turning and noticing Qin wasn't with them. "Uncle, did you see where Qin went by any chance?"

"What are you talking about, she was right … here." Iroh said, turning before he too noticed that Qin wasn't with them.

They then searched the area, but Qin was nowhere to be found.

Qin POV:

I awoke, groaning, to a sack over my head and the sound of a man walking. I immediately noticed that both my hands and feet were bound, though my head felt like a fog settled inside. I tried to wiggle to see what was going on, but all that I received was a hit to the head.

"So, she's finally awake, huh? Take her sack off, would ya?" a familiar voice said, and I was thrown against a tree. The sack was taken off my head and I winced at the light. Then, my eyes grew accustomed to the light, before my eyes grew wide at the man squatting in front of me. "Remember me, princess?" asked Ming.

All my mind could say was two words: "Well, shit."

Hello everyone, welcome back to The Tale of Qin! Exactly one week later, as promised! Well, technically it's January 20 for me, and probably a few other people, but still! The next few chapters are going to take focus away from the main story and focus on Qin's little adventure. Don't worry, she'll see the Gaang and Zuko and Iroh once again, but it will take a little longer for the latter two to see her. Anyways, I just wanted to thank everyone for reading! Again, the next installment should be released about a week from now. Anyways, stay safe out there, unlike Qin! – Bananaman out!