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Book One: Water

Chapter Two

Trust

True to his word, Prince Zuko's ship set sail at midday, with Rika observing their push-off from the harbor astride the forward deck.

It hadn't taken long for her ship to be ready. Every warship was on perpetual standby in case the Earth Kingdom tried anything, and her father commanded hundreds of soldiers who obeyed him without question. One order barked from him, and she had her own private army to stoke the ship's bellows and stock it with supplies.

Of course, they weren't her men at all. Commander Zhao made sure she had a constant rotation of new soldiers under her command. He told her it was for her benefit—that a military leader must always be prepared to handle new people and new situations—but sometimes, she wondered if it was to prevent anyone from forming any semblance of loyalty to her. She doubted it, and she never dared broach the subject to her father. Dark thoughts were better off left alone to sleep in the shadows. To stir them would be to ask for trouble.

With the ship launched, Rika's shoulders relaxed by a hair. She always felt better out at sea. Though they weren't waterbenders, the Fire Nation was surrounded by the sea. The lure of the water had always been in their blood as much as the Water Tribes.

A soldier bustled to her side and offered a shallow bow. He was one of the younger soldiers, but still older than her—perhaps in his early to mid-twenties. The bronze sash across his chest painted him as a lieutenant.

"Captain," he said, his voice a deep drawl. "I'm Lieutenant Soh. Your father assigned me as your second-in-command."

Rika's head whipped from side to side despite Prince Zuko and General Iroh having retreated below deck to settle into their quarters. Still, they had brought a small retinue of their own men aboard, and she couldn't risk them overhearing.

"Lieutenant, as your first command, I order you to never again mention that the commander is my father," she said, her eyes scanning the deck. She peered back at him sharply. "Your men, too. Is that understood?"

Lieutenant Soh nodded, his face blank, and Rika was suddenly grateful to her father for assigning him to her. She sighed.

"It's nice to meet you," she added.

He merely nodded again. "Your other orders?"

She shrugged. "Hoist the colors and set an easterly course. Once I speak with General Iroh and Prince Zuko, we should have more information on the Avatar's whereabouts. Dismissed."

Lieutenant Soh bowed again. "Captain."

He strode away, and Rika turned back toward the shrinking cliffs of the harbor. Above her, atop the ship's observation tower, a black-and-red Fire Nation flag was raised, and a few minutes later, an identically colored flag depicting a raven-eagle followed it.

Satisfied, Rika breathed deeply, letting the scents of salt, seafoam, and smoke from the ship's bellows fill her lungs before she ventured belowdecks to begin her next mission.

Finding the Avatar.

Her quarters were already neatly arranged when she entered, and she was lounging comfortably in a stack of plush red cushions by the time General Iroh and Prince Zuko were shown in. She had lit incense as well, and the smells of cloves and mint permeated the modest room as the two Fire Nation royals joined her at the low table in the center of the space.

"General Iroh; Prince Zuko. Welcome," she said. She gestured to the table between them where a teapot and three cups rested. "I prepared some ginseng tea again now that I know you're fond of it, General."

"I thank you, Captain," General Iroh said as he brought a cup toward himself. "Nephew?"

Prince Zuko waved off his attempt to hand him a cup. "No tea."

"Suit yourself," the general said amicably as he poured the tea. The steam billowed up and mingled with his ash-gray hair. "Ah, lovely."

Prince Zuko crossed his arms. Rika assumed he was still angry over what had happened that morning from the scowl on his face. Or perhaps he always looked that way. It was hard for her to tell.

"What do you want?" he said.

Rika observed him carefully. "You and your crew encountered the Avatar?"

His scowl deepened. "That was already established after Zhao interrogated them."

"Commander Zhao," she corrected. "I understand that you are no mere soldier, Prince Zuko, but aboard my ship, we still respect the chain of command—even those below our station."

His eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. She continued, crossing one knee over the other and lounging back further against her cushions. It may have been at odds with her words, but she had always liked her comfort.

"Now," she said. "The Avatar. He's really returned?"

The prince huffed. It was an oddly normal thing of a teenage boy, albeit a prince, she thought.

"Yes," he said. "My uncle and I were searching the South Pole when we saw a strange beam of light. We invaded a village of the Southern Water Tribe and learned that they had been hosting the Avatar."

"Who you described as a twelve-year-old boy," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know how it's possible," he snapped. "But he's been in hiding for a hundred years. Maybe he found some way to preserve his youth."

"Perhaps," she said. "Please, continue."

"He's an airbender. One of those bald monks with a blue arrow on his head. He carries around a wind glider and has a flying bison. He's traveling with two kids from the Southern Water Tribe, a boy and a girl. I think they're siblings."

Rika nodded. "And these three kids managed to evade capture and wrecked your ship at the same time."

"Yes," General Iroh said when the prince refused to answer. "And that was how we came to be at Commander Zhao's harbor."

"Your lucky day," she said with a note of sarcasm. "But you have me and my ship now. As long as you have an idea of where the Avatar might be heading, we'll find him and bring him to Fire Lord Ozai."

"We don't know where he's going," Prince Zuko said, sullen. "He went northeast. That's all we know."

"Well," she said, "a flying bison shouldn't be too hard to miss. They have six legs, right?" She poured her own cup of tea and held it aloft. "Don't worry, Prince Zuko. My ship is one of the fastest in the Fire Navy. With my speed and your expertise, we should have the Avatar by summer's end."

"Your confidence is admirable, Captain," General Iroh said. "I can see why you were promoted so quickly."

"Honored praise from the Dragon of the West," she said, bending her head. "Thank you, General."

"Retired," he reminded her pleasantly. "Just Iroh will do."

"I don't think it will be possible for me to set aside rank so easily, sir, but I'll do my best," she said.

He smiled and set down his tea. "Ah, wonderful. Thank you for the tea, my dear. Is that all for this briefing? I noticed a Pai Sho board on my way down and would love to play a game or two."

"Go right ahead," she said.

Iroh stood and glanced down at the prince. "Prince Zuko, why don't you stay and get to know the captain better? We'll be traveling together for quite a while, after all."

"Not if we catch the Avatar quickly," he said, but he remained seated.

Iroh just hummed and gave Rika a respectful nod. "Captain."

He departed, leaving Rika alone with the prince. She sipped from her tea, observing him surreptitiously as he looked anywhere but at her. He seemed nothing like she had expected him to be. Hot-headed, stubborn, prideful. He reminded her of her father.

"You're a non-bender, aren't you?" he said suddenly, startling her. She looked up and met his golden stare across the table. He jerked his chin to the dagger and compactible spear on her person. "Firebenders don't normally carry weapons. And you used a match to light the fire yesterday."

She ticked an eyebrow up at him, impressed at his memory. "Is that going to be a problem, Prince Zuko?"

He shook his head. "As long as you can get me to the Avatar, I don't care what you are."

She remembered her father's words from that morning: "You and I will capture the Avatar. Together."

The prince sounded so convicted, so determined, that she almost felt sorry that she would have to eventually betray him.

Almost.

He was still a traitor, still an exiled prince that had been banished by the Fire Lord. She may have served her father, but she and Commander Zhao both answered to Fire Lord Ozai above all. Her loyalty was to him. Not to his rogue son.

"Well, then, Prince Zuko." She smiled and raised her teacup in a toast. "May the spirits give us good winds and good fortune. We have a long journey ahead of us."

Zuko paced the length of the starboard deck, the sky a velvety blue and the sea much the same since the sun had set half an hour before. In the week since they had set sail from the Earth Kingdom harbor, there had been no sighting of the Avatar, and his patience wore thin.

"Prince Zuko, relax," his uncle said as Zuko pivoted on his heel to do another turn around the ship. Iroh sat cross-legged in the shadow of the observation tower, a cushion beneath him and a low table before him with a board game and a teapot atop it. "You've been pacing since dinner. Have some jasmine tea and play a round of Pai Sho with me."

"I don't need tea or games," Zuko snapped. "What I need is to find the Avatar."

"Yes, I'm sure wearing a hole through the deck is a sure way to find the answers you seek," Iroh said, shuffling a painted tile forward across the board. He played alone, though Zuko was certain Pai Sho required two or more players. He would've pointed this fact out were he not certain that he would only receive an infuriating proverb in response. "Come. Give your feet some rest."

Zuko threw himself down with a huff. Iroh poured him a cup of tea, and he took it grudgingly, letting the clay cup warm his hand.

"Now," Iroh said, placing his hands on his knees, "what is troubling you?"

Zuko's grip tightened around his cup. "It's been a week since we left Zhao's harbor. My two-day head-start is up, and we have no clue where the Avatar is or where he's headed."

"We've only stopped at one port so far," his uncle pointed out. "The captain said we would make landfall again tomorrow to refuel, and we can ask around. There are bound to have been sightings of him. You will have your lead then."

Zuko scoffed. "The captain is a teenager."

"And so are you," Iroh said lightly.

"I have experience."

"And so does she."

Zuko scoffed again and drank from his tea, ignoring his uncle's gaze on the side of his face.

"Be patient," Iroh said. "You will find the Avatar soon."

He said nothing, turning his gaze to the lower door of the observation tower when it opened and Captain Rika herself walked out, closely followed by her second-in-command, Lieutenant Soh.

He scowled as the captain and lieutenant took a stroll around the deck, conversing in low tones. He didn't trust either one of them. They were both under the command of Zhao, and Zuko distrusted Zhao above anyone. The few dealings he'd had with the commander were unpleasant, to say the least; Zhao seemed to love taunting Zuko about his banishment more than anything, and he had always been dismissive of Zuko's leadership. Zhao lackeys were the last people he wanted to be sharing a ship with.

The captain and lieutenant turned and caught sight of Zuko and Iroh. They began to make their way over, their movements sharp and unyielding, only mastered through years of harsh military training. Their red-and-black armor was identical, but Captain Rika wore a golden sash across her breast while Lieutenant Soh's was bronze, differentiating their rank. The captain raised her hand in greeting as they approached.

"Gen— Iroh, sir," she said, dipping her head respectfully. "Prince Zuko. I hope you're both doing well this evening."

"Yes, thank you," Iroh said, waving them over. "Would you both like to join us for a game of Pai Sho?"

"I'd be honored," the captain said. "What about you, Lieutenant?"

Lieutenant Soh shook his head. "Thank you, but I'm going to retire for the night. Enjoy your game, Captain." He inclined his head to Zuko and Iroh. "General. Prince Zuko. Goodnight."

He left without another word, and Iroh raised a bushy eyebrow after him. "Sociable fellow."

The captain sighed as she sat between Iroh and Zuko. "I admit, he's dry, but he listens well."

"It is always good to have someone like that in your command," Iroh agreed, setting up the tiles again. "You're going to play, yes, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko set down his tea bitterly. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"Of course you do," Iroh said genially, handing Zuko a pile of tiles without waiting for an answer. Zuko stifled a sigh. Iroh turned to the captain. "Have you played Pai Sho before, Captain?"

She nodded. "Days on the ship are long. We always needed something to pass the time."

"An answer I like to hear," he said. "I try to teach my nephew when I can, but he never has the patience for it."

Zuko shot his uncle a mutinous glare that he pretended not to see. "I have patience."

"Tea?" Iroh asked the captain, and she nodded.

"Please."

When he finished pouring her a cup, he gestured to the board. "Ladies first."

She took a tile and placed it on the board. Iroh copied her, and then it was Zuko's turn. They played in silence for several minutes, strategizing and situating their tiles until Zuko faced the captain.

"I want you and your men to ask around port tomorrow when we stop for fuel," he said. "We need to have a more concrete course to follow the Avatar."

"Agreed," she said easily, surprising him. She played her next move. "Word travels fast in port cities. We might find our next lead if we ask the right people."

Zuko's eyes narrowed. "What are you playing at?"

"Uh, Pai Sho?" she said, holding up the tile in her hand. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean," he said, ignoring his turn, "is that you're Zhao's second-in-command. How do I know you aren't purposefully sabotaging me so that he catches the Avatar first?"

She met his glare calmly. Like most Fire Nation natives, she possessed their signature black hair and golden eyes, but her gaze was yellower than most, like twin harvest moons shining out at him.

"I understand you may have a history with Commander Zhao," she said, "but I have to ask you if you think that I would risk ruining my own reputation just to undermine you?"

Zuko gritted his teeth. "Zhao's never liked me, and the feeling is mutual. I wouldn't put it past him to pull something on me."

"You don't have to trust Commander Zhao," she said. "You just have to trust me."

He studied her, weighing her words. Her face betrayed nothing, and her eyes were unreadable. A true Fire Nation soldier.

Finally, Zuko sighed. "Fine."

"If you two are quite done," said Iroh drily, "we have a game to play."

They played the rest of the game with light chatter, mostly between Iroh and the captain. Zuko stewed in his silence, choosing not to speak until after Iroh won a sweeping victory and they all retired to their chambers.

While Iroh walked ahead, Zuko held back the captain by her elbow. She looked up at him, questioning, her eyes slanting when she realized he was glaring at her.

"Banished or not," he said, his voice dangerously low, "you should know that if you try to trick me or betray me in any way, the consequences will be harsh."

She tugged her arm out of his grasp with a scowl. "Banished or not, I don't answer to you."

"I'm the Crown Prince!" he hissed.

"You were," she said loftily. She turned her back on him. "Goodnight, Prince Zuko. Get some sleep. We call to port at dawn."

She disappeared into the bowels of the ship, leaving him alone on the deck. He summoned a ball of flame in his hands and launched it at the sea with a roar. It hit the water and dissipated in a cloud of steam as quickly as his anger had flared.

One way or another, if she deceived him, he would make her regret it.

Sorry for the short chapter, but next chapter we'll be picking up from the show episode The Warriors of Kyoshi, so be sure to stick around for that!

Reviews are always appreciated! I'd love to know what you thought!

Until next time!