Chapter Fourteen: Captive

I groaned as I slowly opened my eyes to the dreadful sight of metal walls and bars. My head throbbed, and I had to blink a few times to clear my vision. I was in a cell, and judging by the way everything was rocking back and forth, I must've been on a ship.

Despite my dizziness, I managed to sit upright. My clothes and weapons had been taken, and I was wearing a thin, red robe that did little to protect against the freezing, damp air around me. I tried to regulate my body temperature, but I could barely breathe.

A metal mask covered my nose and mouth with just enough slits to keep me from suffocating. My arms and legs were chained in cuffs, and they even remembered to tie my hands behind my back this time. I cringed at how tightly the cuffs were digging into my skin.

"Comfortable?"

I looked up and saw Zhao standing right outside of my cell. Opening the gate, he entered, and once again, I was trapped with him alone.

"If you had accepted my offer, I could've provided you with more reasonable accommodations." He stepped closer. "But you'll serve me just as well as a prisoner."

I retreated until my back hit the wall behind me, and I cursed myself at my open display of fear.

"What's the matter?" He laughed. "Has your fire fizzled out?"

My gaze wandered to the gash I made on his face. It ran from his chin up to his right ear, and I couldn't help but smile at my handiwork. At least I had managed to mark him like he had done me.

"No." I straightened my posture and tilted my head up. "Because I have no fire. The Earth Kingdom is strong and proud, and no matter how many flames your people toss at us, we will not bend to your will."

Although my voice was muffled by the mask, Zhao seemed to still understand me, for I saw his left eye twitch at my defiance.

"So naive. For the past hundred years, we have eroded away at your precious nation rock by rock, and by summer's end, the Earth Kingdom will fall–" He smirked and held up my great grandmother's necklace. "Just like the Air Nomads."

I glared at him. "Give that back!"

"No." He glanced over the necklace and ran a thumb over the pendant. "I need this to lure in a much larger prey. You're going to help me capture the Avatar whether you want to or not."

"If you hurt Aang, I swear I'll…!" I said.

"You swear you'll what?" He snorted and put the pendant away. "Face it. You're powerless and completely at my mercy, so I suggest you behave."

Zhao closed the distance between us, making sure I remained cornered against the wall. Kneeling down, he cupped the side of my face, and he gave me that unnerving lustful look.

"After all, it would be a shame if I had to scar what's left of your pretty, porcelain skin." His hand moved to entangle itself in my hair, which had come undone.

My heart raced with panic as I realized that the only thing protecting me from him was a flimsy robe, and upon glancing down, it was also a little too revealing for my liking.

As if reading my mind, he smirked. "Don't worry. You'll remain untouched for now. I have big plans for the Fire Nation's victory in this war, and only once it's all over will I claim you as my souvenir."

Zhao leaned forward and pressed his lips against my forehead. My stomach lurched, and on instinct, I head-butted him as hard as I could. I balanced my hands on the floor and kicked him away with both feet. Without my air-bending, I was only able to knock him over, but something was better than nothing.

Growling, he threw a fireball at me, and the blast landed at my feet. I scrunched myself against the wall, so I wouldn't slip into the flames. He stood up, and he seethed at my cowering form.

"Have it your way. Let's see how rebellious you are without any rations." Dusting himself off, he exited my cell. "I'll call upon you tomorrow. Until then, I suggest you rethink your priorities and accept your fate."

As Zhao's footsteps faded from the brig, the tension in my body released, and I slumped against the wall. The flames from his outburst had died out, leaving behind scorch marks on the floor, and I stretched out my legs.

Jet may've turned into a jerk, but I'm glad I was lucky enough to give myself to someone I loved. I shuddered. I can't imagine a situation like this being my first introduction to….

Not that my lack of ignorance diminished Zhao's threat. I didn't want to endure any ideas he had swimming in his disturbing head, and I definitely didn't want to face his wrath if he ever had the chance to find out I wasn't as pure of a trophy as he thought.

He won't have that chance. You'll get out of this. I shivered. I just need to be patient and wait for an opening.

My thoughts wandered to Aang, Katara, and Sokka. They had escaped Zhao's attack at the river. Were they looking for me now, or had they been forced to flee entirely? Did they even know where I was?

Just keep calm. You'll figure this out. I closed my eyes. You'll see the others again. You'll survive this. You always survive.

I kept repeating the words in my head over and over until I fell asleep.

….

The next day, two of Zhao's men dragged me from my cell and brought me out to the upper deck of the ship. The admiral himself was staring off into the distance with his hands behind his back. I shuddered at the thought of being left alone with him again and calmed myself by focusing my attention on the sky. It was nice to see the sun, the clouds, and feel the open air. I shivered from the cold and groaned as the soldiers tightened their grip on my arms.

"Admiral Zhao. The prisoner as you requested," the soldier to my right said.

"Thank you." He turned around and gestured to the right. "Set her over there."

There was a table with food, and the soldiers set me down on the cushion on the left side. The smell of everything made my stomach rumble and gnaw at me.

"You're dismissed." Zhao nodded to his men and sat opposite from me.

The soldiers bowed to him and returned inside of the ship. Was this his game? To force me to watch him eat while I remained tied up? I tried to focus on something else and stared out into the distance. There was nothing but miles of ocean to the left, and what little land I saw on the right was unrecognizable.

Even if I jumped overboard, I'm not getting anywhere in these chains. I sighed.

"Hungry?" Zhao watched me with a grin.

How I wished I could wipe it off of his face, but that would just provoke his rage. There would be no chance for me if I weakened from starvation, and the only way to eat would be to play nice.

I nodded.

"Does that mean you will be compliant and obey my command?" he said.

I nodded again.

"I'm sorry." He picked up a cup of tea and took a sip from it. "That wasn't very clear."

Alright, let's sell this. I bowed my head and put on the most delicate, whimpering voice I could manage. "I will aid you in your mission, Admiral Zhao. I don't want to spend another night in that cell. It was awful."

"I bet it was, but you're not getting off that easily." He set the cup down. "This is how it will work. Every time you prove your loyalty to me and the Fire Nation, I will grant you a little more freedom. However, every time you defy me, I will grant less, and you will face severe consequences. Is that understood?"

I bowed my head again. "Yes, Admiral Zhao."

He stood up and walked around the table until he was behind me. "Now the first test. I'm going to remove your mask, and you will not air-bend at me or try to escape. Misbehave, and I will lock you up without food or water for another two days."

"I understand," I said.

With a click, the mask loosened, and he pulled it away from my face. I gasped for air, finally able to breathe properly, and I immediately focused my attention on regulating my body temperature.

"Much better." Zhao returned to his seat.

I twitched my fingers in frustration. How was I supposed to eat with my hands tied up? My question was answered when Zhao held out a bite of rice with his chopsticks.

Oh no, he's gonna feed me. I grimaced. Could this be any more humiliating?

He frowned at my reluctance, and not wanting to ruin my progress, I took the bite. He smiled at my compliance and held out bits of some type of fish.

I paused. "Uh, Air Nomads aren't supposed to eat meat."

"And beggars can't be choosers. Eat it, or I won't give you anymore," he said.

Sorry, Aang. I did as he asked, and I couldn't deny that the fish was delicious. Wow, I didn't realize I'd miss this taste so much. Why did I become a vegetarian again?

This continued for a while until Zhao decided that I had had enough. He glanced out at the ocean, and I could tell that he was scheming something.

"Now that you have a little more energy, I think it's time for your next test. I know that at this stage you won't give up the Avatar, but maybe you could help me with something much simpler." He met my gaze. "What do you know about the Blue Spirit?"

I tried to conceal my shock at his question. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Zhao was probably still sore from our escape last time.

I furrowed my brow, hoping to feign ignorance. "The Blue Spirit, sir?"

"Your little friend, who rescued you and the Avatar from the Pohuai Stronghold. He's an enemy to the Fire Nation, and I want to see him in chains," he said.

I didn't respond. What was I supposed to do? I knew the Blue Spirit was Zuko, and I held no loyalty toward him. However, for some reason, I didn't want to tell Zhao the truth. The whole situation was still confusing. Both Zuko and Zhao wanted to capture Aang, but they weren't working together despite both of them being on the same side.

"Well?" Zhao drummed his fingers against the table.

It would be so easy to tell. The prince was just as much of the enemy as Zhao was, but I didn't want Zhao to win. If Aang had to be captured, I'd rather it be by the prince, and giving this creep such vital information would make him more of a threat than he already was.

And Zuko didn't have to help me back in the sewers. He could've taken Aang and left me for Zhao to torture. But why did he help me? I bit my lip. Either way, I guess it's time to return the favor.

"You clearly know something to be silent for this long." Zhao narrowed his eyes. "Answer me!"

"Well, that's just it, sir. I don't know how to answer because I don't really know who that guy was," I said.

"What!" He leaned forward, his hands slamming on the sides of the table. "How could you not know?"

"All I know is that he was a friend of this man named Jeong Jeong," I said.

He raised an eyebrow. "My old master?"

"I suppose…." I blinked. "Wait, you were that student Jeong Jeong mentioned?"

"Until I got bored with his pacifist ways." Zhao put a hand to his chin. "What did this friend of his look like?"

I thought for a minute. "From what I remember, he had shaggy, dark hair. He was older, maybe twenties or thirties, but I'm not good at judging that sorta thing. Oh, and he had tan skin. Although, I'm not sure which nation he was from either."

"What about a name?" he said.

I shrugged. "He refused to say. He just accepted our thanks, told Aang where to find Jeong Jeong, and then disappeared."

Zhao was quiet for a moment, and my heart skipped a beat. Would he see through my lie? I tried to make it as plausible as I could, but I was trying to fool a military officer, who has probably interrogated his fair share of prisoners.

"Jeong Jeong managed to elude me, but at least it's a lead." Zhao smiled. "Good work. Keep that up, and you might have the privilege to fight alongside me when we reach the Northern Water Tribe."

"The Northern Water Tribe, sir?" I said.

"Yes." He took another sip of tea. "The Fire Nation was able to reduce the Southern Water Tribe to nothing, but the North has managed to survive for far too long. An issue I plan to correct, but until then, you have a new test to complete."

I furrowed my brow. "What do you need me to do, sir?"

"You will find out in due time." His expression became stern. "And for your sake, you'd better not disappoint me."

"Yes, Admiral Zhao." I nodded and turned my attention to the slowly passing ocean.

I hated this with every fiber of my being, but I reminded myself to be patient. Either Zhao's plans would allow Aang, Katara, and Sokka a chance to rescue me, or I'd earn his trust long enough to have the freedom to strike back.

Zhao glanced behind me. "Ah, Natsumi, right on time."

I looked up and saw a woman, who seemed to be in her late thirties. Her armor consisted of a one layer tunic that left her upper arms exposed. She wore a black headband with the Fire Nation's insignia on it, and there was a sword tied to her back. Her dark brown eyes drifted to me for a moment, and she furrowed her brow.

"Admiral Zhao." She bowed. "You requested for me?"

"Yes. The air-bender will be moved to your quarters. I don't want the men getting too curious about her. For now, get her cleaned up." He met my gaze and gave me a look that made my stomach turn. "Make her nice and pretty for me."

"As you wish, sir." Natsumi bowed again before moving to retrieve me. "Come on, girl. We don't have all day."

I stumbled as she lifted me up and dragged me back into the ship. We headed down a few levels before we reached a door on the end of the hall. Natsumi opened it and brought me into a small room. There was a bed on the side and few of her belongings sitting on a table, but otherwise, it was very dull.

"It's not much, but for you, I'm sure it's better than a cell." She set me on the floor.

"It's fine." I tried to straighten my posture into a position that would be more comfortable. "Since your wonderful Admiral didn't bother to properly introduce us, I guess I'll have to. I'm Tashi: the air-bender who isn't the Avatar."

She stared at me for a few minutes before shrugging. "And as you heard, I'm Natsumi: the non-bender who aspired to be a great military officer only to get stuck serving food to a bunch of grouchy soldiers everyday."

"Don't mask your enthusiasm on my account," I said.

"Yeah, well, women are only allowed to be soldiers in the homeland, and I was just so eager to see the rest of the world. But out here, we can only take jobs that don't involve being on the front lines. Though enough about me." She sat down on her bed. "You're really calm for a prisoner, you know? How old are you anyway?"

"Sixteen," I said.

"Geez." She shook her head and muttered, "I didn't enlist to go around torturing and murdering kids."

I scoffed. "I haven't been a kid in a long time."

"You're still a kid regardless of what you've been through. It just makes your situation all the more sad," she said.

"What?" I raised an eyebrow. "You mean the fact that your country is waging war against mine and tearing our lives apart?"

An awkward silence fell between us, and Natsumi blinked at my brass comment. After several minutes of us having a staring match, she put her hand to her mouth and cleared her throat.

"I meant you catching the attention of the Admiral," she said.

Sliding off of her bed, she knelt in front of me. Her fingers traced my neck and shoulders, and I realized she must've noticed my scars. She slipped the right side of my robe further down, revealing a section of the large, deep scar on my back.

"Oh my–" Her eyes widened. "I mean, damn. What the Agni did he do to you?"

"This is from four years ago when Zhao burned down my village." I hung my head, allowing my hair to fall over my face. "I've been on my own since then, and I got captured by him while trying to protect the Avatar."

"I see. So this is a personal vendetta." She slid my robe back in place and narrowed her eyes. "For both of you."

"Yeah, because I'm so thrilled to be captured by the man who ruined my life." I gave a sour laugh. "And not only that, but it's always been my big dream to be forced to betray my friends and become his souvenir after he completes whatever conquest he has planned."

"And that's exactly why I wanna know if you're going to be trouble. Everything you've said is one big recipe for an assassination attempt, and even though I'm being nice to you, I'm not going to let you harm my commanding officer." She frowned. "I can only guess that you're the one responsible for that gash on his face."

I smiled. "That might've been me. And you have nothing to worry about. I'm in chains, surrounded by water, and guarded by a ship full of soldiers. My only plan is to keep myself alive and hopefully untouched."

She glanced me over before nodding. "Look, about the Admiral…. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think he was an arrogant, son of a badger-frog. So as long as you don't cause me any problems, I'll help you out."

My eyes widened. "Really?"

"Not to escape. That would get us both in deep trouble. But I can, you know, try to make things easier for you here," she said.

Guess that'd be too good to be true. I nodded. "Fair enough. Thank you, Natsumi."

She smiled. "You're welcome, Tashi. Now, let's get you cleaned up and into some better clothes. You must be freezing."

Natsumi helped me up, and we made our way out of her room and down the hall.

"If it's not too rude, may I ask why you're being so nice to me? I'm just a prisoner," I said.

She glanced at me. "All I want is to fight for the honor of my country. That doesn't mean I need to act like an oppressive tyrant like some of these other knuckleheads I work with."

I chuckled. "Well, congratulations. You're the second person from the Fire Nation who's managed to confuse me."

"And who's the first?" She raised an eyebrow. "Anyone I know?"

I stared at the floor. "He's not important."

"He, huh?" She grinned. "I see."

My face flushed. "No, I didn't mean it like…. Never mind."

Natsumi laughed as we continued our way down the hall. This was definitely a turn of events I didn't see coming. I didn't know how long I'd remain imprisoned on this ship, or how long I could resist the urge not to strangle Zhao. However, I made an ally, and that amount of progress would suffice for now.