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Book One: Water

Chapter Four

Fire and Water

"Again!"

Rika looked up from her prone position on the dojo floor, her vision blurred by sweat and tears. Her father stood above her, breathing heavily through his nose, but not with exertion like Rika. He was furious.

Behind him, an older man gazed between father and daughter with concern. The firebending master was wise and patient, guiding Rika through the motions with grace and fluidity, but Zhao demanded quicker results. Results that, as time went on, it seemed Rika would never produce.

"It's all right, Captain Zhao," Master Sima said in a placating tone. "Let her catch her breath."

"I'm fine," Rika protested weakly, pushing herself up with shaky arms. She collapsed immediately, and Zhao scoffed. "Please. I can do it. One more time."

Master Sima watched her with sympathetic eyes. The look made her want to scream, cry, and curse all at once. She wasn't weak. It wasn't too late for her. She could still try and emit a flame, a spark, anything. She wasn't useless.

"I'm sorry, Captain Zhao," Master Sima said, more firmly. "I don't think this is going to work. I'm afraid Rika is simply not a firebender."

The words pelted her like stones. Zhao whirled on the master, and the old man took an automatic step back.

"What do you mean she's not a firebender?" he demanded. "I'm a firebender! She's my daughter! My blood!"

Master Sima shook his head and raised his hands. "Bending abilities work in mysterious ways. Some children can be born with the abilities after generations of non-benders before them, just as non-benders can be born from a long line of benders. Only the spirits themselves know the truths of bending."

"She's only twelve," Zhao argued. "How do you know she just isn't a late bloomer?"

That sympathetic look was back in the master's eyes. "Abilities manifest by puberty at the latest. If Rika has still shown no signs of bending before now, then there is nothing I can do for her. She is a non-bender, Captain Zhao."

Fire curled in Zhao's fists, red-hot. His amber eyes sparked as he rounded on Rika again. "Get up! Stop pretending to be weak! Show Master Sima that you're a firebender!"

Rika shrank further into the floor. She wasn't a firebender. She had always known it, deep down. The sparks and the flames that sprouted so easily from the soldiers' fingertips, the raging fire her own father could summon with a simple breath, had always eluded her. She had never been able to produce even a puff of smoke. Whatever energy resided within a bender, whatever force they could call upon to manipulate the elements, she simply didn't possess it. There had never been anything there but herself.

"Didn't you hear me?" he growled, the fire in his palms growing brighter. "Get up! Firebend!"

She couldn't move a muscle. She just huddled against the floor and cried.

"You're pathetic," he hissed. "A useless girl forced onto me by her useless mother and useless family. I should've never agreed to take you on as a soldier. You won't be able to defend a gnat, much less your own country."

He turned on his heel and stormed out of the dojo, taking his fire and the stench of smoke with him.

Rika stayed curled in a ball on the floor, begging for even a shred of power that would never be hers. She called to the fire, cajoled it, but it would not come. All she could sense was herself, and the gaping hole where only shame and disappointment resided like a second heart.

Her father never sent back correspondence, but Rika was confident that he was on their trail, nonetheless. Sometimes, when she visited the observation deck, she thought she could see a faint black dot on the horizon that was her father's flagship, but she never pointed it out. Instead, she'd simply set down her spyglass and go about her business while ignoring the seedling of doubt that had rooted itself deep in her gut.

It had been nearly a fortnight since their excursion to Kyoshi Island, and there had been no more news or sightings of the Avatar. Rika had ordered her crew to keep patrolling Earth Kingdom waters while they searched for a new lead, but patience and morale were beginning to wear thin.

No one was more restless than Prince Zuko, though. While Rika kept her distance from the prince in the days following their argument, she would often see him pacing the forward deck anxiously, his hands balled into fists, or else speaking in agitated tones to his uncle, who usually only sipped his tea and listened in silence. If he was still angry with her, he didn't show it; in fact, it seemed he was even making a point to avoid her—not that she was complaining.

She left her quarters that morning with a weary sigh. Her time spent at sea was rapidly approaching what she called 'the wall', where everything about her ship suddenly became too small, too cramped, and she realized that there was nowhere else to go, surrounded by nothing but empty water as far as the eye could see. There was nothing to do about the wall except to face it and get over it, but it brought her up short every time in its abruptness—a feeling of freedom that accompanied being out on the open water quickly transforming into a sense of being trapped.

She'd spend her day on the forward deck, she decided, turning her feet toward the narrow metal steps that would take her there. That way, even though she was still confined to the ship, she could at least be surrounded by open sky and sea with some fresh air.

Fresh air that was tinged with the smell of fire, she realized as she stepped onto the deck. Prince Zuko and one of his men already occupied the space, circling each other in sparring stances. General Iroh stood off to the side, his hands in his sleeves but his sharp golden eyes fixed upon the prince.

"Remember to control your breathing, Prince Zuko," he said. "The key to fire is in your breath."

The prince prowled the deck, barefoot and wearing only simple sparring clothes of loose red pants and armbands around his upper biceps to tauten the muscles. His partner was twice his age and twice his size, but the man's chest gleamed with sweat in the morning sun while Prince Zuko barely seemed exerted.

There was no signal, but the prince and the man moved at the same time. The man slashed with an arc of fire, grunting in effort, but Prince Zuko countered with successive blasts of flame that first shredded the man's attacks before bombarding the man himself. The man threw up a wall of flame, but Prince Zuko whirled with an impressive kick, sending a flare from the sole of his foot that decimated the man's shield.

"Good, Prince Zuko, good," General Iroh encouraged. "Keep that balance. Let it center you and guide you."

As the two continued to trade blows of fire, Rika approached the general. He looked over when he spotted her and offered a kind smile.

"Good morning, Captain," he said. "Beautiful day, hm?"

"The winds are favorable," she said with a polite nod.

Her gaze was drawn toward the two men again, and General Iroh copied her. "Prince Zuko insisted on training today. I warned him to be mindful of your ship and not to damage it."

"One or two firebenders won't hurt it," she said. She crossed her arms. "Prince Zuko's form is impressive."

"You sound disappointed," General Iroh said lightly. He chuckled when she frowned. "My nephew is disciplined when he wants to be. He is like fire himself; unpredictable, sometimes hard to control. But at his core, he is just as steady and pure as the sun."

"I used to hate firebending," she said quietly, watching as Prince Zuko skillfully dodged another attack and retaliated. General Iroh kept his eyes on the sparring session as well, but she knew he was listening. "I'm not a bender myself. I think I always knew that. My father was a firebender, but when it became clear that I didn't inherit his power, we were both frustrated. Watching everyone around me use fire so easily, growing more powerful all the time while I was drilled only in tactics and military strategy, made me resent them."

"What changed?" he asked.

She didn't take her eyes off the prince. "I don't know," she admitted. "Maybe I just woke up one day and came to terms with it. I had talent in other areas. I wasn't entirely useless."

"I don't think anyone is truly useless," General Iroh said, reaching up to stroke his gray beard. "The world is all about balance. Remove even one component, one person, and that balance no longer exists."

Rika laughed quietly. "You think much differently than my father, then."

"Balance also comes by opposing opinions. Just like you and Prince Zuko."

She grimaced at his knowing glance. "He thinks he has to capture the Avatar all on his own."

"And you think his mindset is foolish."

"In a sense," she hedged, hoping she hadn't crossed some line, but he only smiled.

"You and my nephew are both driven by different forces," he said. "Though it can be cause for discord, I think that there is also balance in that."

She didn't answer, that same seed of doubt wriggling uncomfortably in her belly. Was it truly balance, she wondered, if she planned on betraying the prince for her father?

"Take a break, Prince Zuko," General Iroh called when Rika didn't speak. "Let Lieutenant Josan rest."

Reluctantly, the prince shifted out of his battle stance. Lieutenant Josan limped to the opposite side of the deck to retrieve his water jug while the general held out another jug for Prince Zuko. He stalked over, his eyes slanting when he noticed Rika standing beside his uncle.

"Your form has improved tremendously, Prince Zuko," General Iroh said. The prince swiped the jug from his hands and drank deeply. "You are well on your way to becoming a master."

He lowered the jug from his lips and scowled. "What's the point in being a master if I can't even use my strength to bring down the Avatar?" His gaze shifted to Rika. "I suppose we still have no idea where he is?"

She frowned at the accusation in his tone. "My scouts are looking everywhere. The Avatar and his friends must be laying low after our ambush at Kyoshi, but they can't hide forever. We'll have eyes or ears on them soon."

"It's been two weeks," he said, turning away from her. "Maybe you should consider getting better scouts."

Rika's jaw clenched. "Believe me, these men weren't my first pick. But whatever Commander Zhao orders, I obey."

"Spoken like a perfect little soldier," he sneered.

She drew herself up, but General Iroh intervened quickly.

"Prince Zuko, why don't we invite the captain to dine with us this evening?" he said. "Some good food and tea will surely soothe down our agitations of being at sea for so long."

He gave the prince a significant look that reminded Rika of a father admonishing his son. Shockingly, Prince Zuko backed down after the look.

"Fine," he said sullenly.

"Excellent." General Iroh turned back to her. "What do you say, Captain? My cabin at sundown? We would be honored to have you."

Rika forced a pleasant smile to her lips. "The honor would be all mine. I accept your invitation." She clasped her hands behind her back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must receive the helmsman's report. Good day."

When she reached the inner stairwell that would take her to the observation deck, her shoulders slumped. Sundown had never seemed so near before.

Zuko entered his uncle's quarters close to sunset, strode past the meditating man, and flopped unceremoniously onto his cot.

"Come in," Iroh said in amusement, opening one eye and peering at Zuko. "I just fluffed the pillows for you."

Zuko stared at the metal ceiling above him. Though Captain Rika's ship was one of the most pristine he'd ever seen in the Fire Navy, rust still gathered in the corners and cropped up throughout the ship—metal and saltwater had never been good matches. But the Fire Nation warships were still the best in the world, so he considered that there had to be small sacrifices somewhere.

He sighed and spoke to the rust. "I don't want to dine with the captain."

He heard his uncle stand with a puff and move toward the low table where the aforementioned dinner would be served. A small burst of light and heat told him that his uncle had used firebending to start boiling the pot for tea.

"I understand that you and the captain do not see eye to eye," his uncle said. "But she is not your enemy, Prince Zuko. She is here to help you."

He sat up. "I don't need help."

Iroh's lips quirked. "So, were you planning on swimming after the Avatar?"

Zuko glared.

"Something else is troubling you," Iroh said. The pot began to boil, and he stuffed jasmine into it and let it steep. "What is it?"

Zuko rested his elbows on his knees and allowed himself a weary sigh. "We're surrounded by Zhao's men, and I'm a banished prince. What's to stop them from turning on me the moment I capture the Avatar, and hand him over to Zhao, instead?"

"There is nothing stopping them," Iroh said with a shrug, confirming Zuko's fear. "All you can do is trust in yourself and focus on what you can do."

"Captain Rika could have orders from Zhao to kill me," he said bitterly.

Iroh frowned. "From what I have seen of her, the captain does not seem ruthless. A good soldier, a loyal soldier, yes, but I believe that particular fear is unjustified."

"But she could be planning something else."

"She could be. But you are clever and resourceful, Prince Zuko, and you have more honor than many soldiers—Zhao included. I believe you will find a solution."

Zuko stared, his heart doing an odd beat in his chest. "Do you really think that, Uncle?"

Iroh smiled gently as he poured himself a cup of tea. "Of course, I do."

Zuko didn't know what to say; all he knew was that the intense surge of gratitude that welled inside of him at that moment warmed him better than even the hottest of his flames. As he struggled for words, a guard knocked on the door and entered.

"Captain Rika, General."

"Send her in," Iroh said genially, setting down his tea as the captain strolled into the room. "Welcome, Captain. You look lovely this evening."

Zuko scoffed to himself at his uncle's blatant charm. The captain gave Iroh a puzzled smile.

"Thank you, sir; though I'm afraid I don't have many other things to wear besides my uniform," she said, gesturing to the plain, sleeveless black tunic and pants she wore. Her hair was still secured in a tight braid down her back, but she had foregone her weapons and the golden sash indicating her rank. "Being confined to a ship doesn't provide many luxuries."

"Of course," Iroh said. "Prince Zuko, come and join us for tea while we wait for our meal."

Zuko grudgingly sat beside his uncle, facing Captain Rika as she also sank onto one of the cushions. She reached for the cup that Iroh offered her with a nod of thanks and a muscular arm that surprised Zuko. Her streamlined uniform had somehow made her look smaller, dwarfed by armor, but without it, he could see that she was as toned as any other soldier.

"Jasmine," Iroh said as she inhaled deeply. "It is Prince Zuko's favorite."

This irked Zuko, and he shot a glare at his uncle. She didn't need to know his favorite tea or anything else about him.

"Interesting," she said. "My favorite is peppermint, but I like to enjoy a cup of jasmine when I can. It's hard to come by when you're on the front lines or out at sea like this."

"How long have you been in the Fire Navy, Captain?" Iroh asked.

She took a sip from her tea. Zuko watched her carefully. "Only four years, since I was legally allowed to join." She nodded to Zuko. "I talked with Prince Zuko about my history when you first came to the harbor and told him the same. I've lived within the soldiers' camps since I was four, though, due to my father's service."

"Ah, yes," Iroh said. "He serves in the northern fleet, correct?"

She drank again, her lips pursed. Zuko noted the change in her expression, the way her eyes became guarded when she said, "That's right." He didn't believe her.

Iroh frowned as he poured himself another cup, having already finished his first. "It must have been difficult, growing up surrounded by so much war at such a young age."

"To be honest, I don't really think of it that much," she said, swirling her dregs. "It's all I've ever known. To me, it's just…normal."

The table fell into an awkward silence, fortunately broken by the arrival of their food just then.

"Komodo-chicken, rice, and steamed vegetables tonight," the cook said, bowing his head as several crewmembers brought in covered trays and served them. "I hope you enjoy your meals, Your Highness; General; Captain."

His head stayed bowed as he walked out of the room, the crewmembers following close behind. One of the guards shut the door again, and the three diners picked up their utensils.

"Mmm," Iroh said after he had taken a bite. "Cooked perfectly. This is true Fire Nation rice; nothing like that of the Earth Kingdom."

Captain Rika lowered her bowl. Zuko picked at his food halfheartedly, but he still listened to the conversation happening without him, hoping to glean even a sliver of information regarding her true motives.

"I've never been in the Earth Kingdom interior," she admitted. "I've heard it's beautiful, though. Especially Ba Sing Se."

"It is," his uncle agreed. "I never saw the city of Ba Sing Se itself, but its walls were magnificent. As tall as mountains themselves and just as strong."

"But you managed to breach the Outer Wall during your siege six years ago, did you not?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, "although it took almost all of our arsenal to do it."

She frowned. "So, you didn't have enough firepower to take the Inner Wall, then?"

Iroh hesitated, and Zuko set down his rice with a scowl.

"Is military-talk the only conversation you know how to have?" he said, glaring at her.

He expected to rile her, as he seemed so prone to do, but he was surprised when she dropped his gaze, reaching instead for her tea again.

"I suppose it is," she said, her brow furrowed. She glanced at Iroh. "My apologies."

Iroh flapped his hand. "No need, Captain, but I appreciate the sentiment."

They all fell into uncomfortable silence again. The firelamps burned and flickered, and the only sounds were their utensils scraping the dishes and the eerie moaning of the ship as it plowed through the sea.

"So," Zuko said when he finally couldn't take the awkwardness anymore, "you've served under Zhao the past four years?"

Captain Rika blinked, stirred from her thoughts. "Yes. I was a lieutenant when he was a captain himself, and he took me under his wing. We received our recent promotions together after several successful campaigns to crush the small fleet that the Earth Kingdom was building."

Zuko exchanged a puzzled look with his uncle. "We never heard about the Earth Kingdom trying to build their own fleet."

She smirked, her usual confidence returning as she drained the rest of her tea. "And why do you think that is?"

"Very impressive," Iroh said, his eyebrows high.

She waved him off. "No one suspects a teenage girl to be a military strategist. It was easy to gather the intel I needed once I was in disguise."

His uncle still seemed impressed, and Zuko rolled his eyes. "Still. That is no small feat."

Before she could reply, there was a rapid hammering on the door. They turned as the guards walked in, escorting a grim-faced Lieutenant Soh, though Zuko was certain that was the only facial expression that the young man knew.

"Captain," he said, bowing stiffly and holding out a scroll. "Urgent news."

She stood and grabbed the scroll, unrolling it while Iroh and Zuko looked on. Zuko half-rose from the table, his heart thundering in his chest. Could it have been a new lead on the Avatar's whereabouts?

The captain read quickly, her mouth flattening by the time she reached the end and crumpled the parchment.

"Tell the helmsman to set a course for the southwestern refineries at once," she ordered.

Lieutenant Soh bowed again before he rushed out, and Zuko stood fully.

"What is it?" he demanded. "What happened?"

She tossed the scroll. He caught it deftly, his eyes scanning the words that she spoke to Iroh.

"The Avatar attacked one of our shipyards a half a day's worth of travel from here," she said. "We're gaining on him."

Zuko looked up from the scroll and met the captain's eyes. For once, they both seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"He's close," Zuko said.

The sky bled red when they had reached the refinery and Fire Nation shipyard floating off the shore of the western Earth Kingdom coast. The rig had been outfitted to detain prisoners, but it seemed that there had been some sort of uprising as Zuko glared at the coal littering the deck and the injured Fire Nation guards lined up before him.

Captain Rika came to stand by his shoulder. In the setting sun, her hair turned a vivid mix of black and red, and her eyes glinted like gold coins. Her narrow face was hardened into what he was coming to recognize as her 'captain' expression.

"The warden confirmed it," she said, jerking her shoulder to the hunched, shameful man that stood at the edge of the rig. Zuko thought he was only a hair away from flinging himself into the sea below. "The Avatar was here. That Water Tribe girl disguised herself as an earthbender prisoner and helped start a riot with the other earthbenders being held here. They escaped on the back of a flying bison and stole several of the riverboats from the dry docks."

She gave him a significant look, and his hands balled into fists. The Avatar had been here, but he had escaped, again.

Zuko turned and halted when he spotted a glint of blue among the black coals. He stooped and picked up a blue strip of cloth, woven to hold a simple, pale blue stone carved with symbols of water. A necklace.

"What did you find?" She peered over his shoulder.

"You don't recognize it?" he asked, holding it up so she could see it better.

"Water Tribe," she breathed, her eyes suddenly gleaming. "That girl traveling with the Avatar was wearing this."

Zuko frowned at the necklace. "Too bad it doesn't have a map to show us where they went."

She plucked the necklace from his hand and smirked. "I think I just might have a solution for that."

"Which is?" he said, crossing his arms.

Her smirk widened. "Have you ever been to an Earth Kingdom tavern, Prince Zuko?"

Please review! I'm sorry for the uneventful chapter, but things will pick up again next time. At least we got to learn a little bit more about Rika?

Until next time!