Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thanks a lot for the ongoing support and interest for this story. Reviews would be greatly appreciated though. Anyways, enjoy!
Zuko's ship, 100 AC
Ming leaned against one of the metal walls of the ship. She heard Lieutenant Jee talk about the possible whereabouts of the Avatar, but only listened with half an ear. Her mind was elsewhere. In the last weeks her body had felt more and more foreign to her. She would throw up from time to time, be dizzy out of no reason and moody where she would normally be calm and collected. She had a slight suspicion what might be happening, but when she went to the ship's physician, he only shrugged it off as a mix of being a teenager and being a woman in general. Should she talk with Zuko about it, or Iroh? No, she thought, that wouldn't be good. Maybe her suspicion was wrong in the end. But perhaps she could sneak out at the next port and find a better physician. One that she wasn't the only female patient to.
Her mind went back to Jee's presentation. He pointed at the map in front of them various times, "We haven't been able to pick up the Avatar's trail since the storm, but if we continue heading northeast…"
He was interrupted by a larger Fire Nation ship pulling up next to them. Ming shrieked back, instinctively, she moved behind Zuko, whispering, "That's one of my father's ships."
"What do they want?", Zuko asked angrily.
Iroh tried to lift the mood a bit, "Perhaps, a sporting game of Pai Sho!", but Ming doubted that.
A messenger entered, followed by two soldiers. He addressed Zuko, "The hunt for the Avatar has been given prime importance. All information regarding the Avatar must be reported directly to Admiral Zhao.", he said as he held up a wanted poster picturing the boy.
Zuko looked downwards, but Ming knew he was inwardly steaming. Through gritted teeth he answered the messenger, "I've got nothing to report to Zhao. Now get off my ship and let us pass."
"Admiral Zhao is not allowing ships in or out of this area.", the messenger replied coldly, "And I have a letter for Lady Ming as well.", he handed it over to Zuko, who passed it to Ming. The messenger waited until she finished reading, to hear her answer.
Zuko saw his young wife turning paler than she already was. Then her gaze shot up to the messenger, her eyes hard as steel, her voice was barely a whisper, "Get off this ship. Tell my father to leave me alone, no, tell him to get lost. I'm exactly where I want to be, and I see no reason to change that."
The banished prince laid an arm around her protectively as the messenger didn't turn to leave, he snapped at the man, "Didn't you hear what the Lady told you? Get off my ship!"
The messenger hastily bowed and left. He had done what he had been sent to do. Back inside the ship Ming grabbed Zuko's hand tightly. He turned towards her and pulled her in a hug, then he kissed her forehead, whispering, "He won't take you back, I promise. I'll not allow it to happen.", Ming smiled and laid her head on his shoulder, not wanting to leave his arms.
A few hours later they fastened their ship at a small port. Ming went out with some soldiers to get supplies, the main theme among them was the upcoming music night. She listened to them but declined any involvement. Now if there was only… She stopped for a moment, there was a sign above a small door, 'Dr. Ling, Physician, Open at all times', just what I need, she thought. But she was careful, not to show too much excitement while she helped the men purchase and carry their supplies for the next week.
Once she came back, she saw that Zuko was still practicing firebending. Sunset was almost through by then, so she handed her basket to the cook and went over to him. Iroh had approached his nephew as well, "Is everything okay?", the old man asked, "It's been almost an hour and you haven't given the men an order."
Zuko just went over it, "I don't care what they do."
Iroh looked at his nephew worriedly, "Don't give up hope yet. You can still find the Avatar before Zhao."
Zuko turned towards his uncle and wife, fear plastered over his face, "How, Uncle? With Zhao's resources, it's just a matter of time before he captures the Avatar.", he turned towards the ocean and whispered almost not hearable, "My honor, my throne, my country, I'm about to lose them all."
Ming's heart crumbled at the sight. Slowly she walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, making him turn slightly towards her, "Don't underestimate yourself, Zuko. I may not know much about fighting, but I know both of you. And I know that you're not only the better firebender, but also way smarter and far more agile than my father ever was. He may have more resources, yes, but he doesn't even have a good idea what he's dealing with. If anyone captures that kid, it's you.", she tried not to sound too disapprovingly of the idea of said capture. And really a small smile appeared on her husband's face. Without another word he hugged her tightly.
Later that night Ming laid awake in their bed. Suddenly she felt Zuko move and get up. She wondered what he was up to but didn't move. She heard him dress and leave. As she was sure he wouldn't come back anytime soon, she stood up herself. The first thing she saw in the moonlight were the dual dao swords, that were usually displayed on the wall, missing. She had an idea what he did, so she quickly checked the wardrobe. She frowned. Why did he always have to risk his life? Then again, tonight she was almost thankful that he wasn't there.
Quickly Ming dressed herself and put a wide, black cloak around her shoulders against the cold of the night. Then she took some money out of her purse and put it into the sleeve of her shirt. She didn't want to be seen and then asked if she always went shopping at these times. Careful not to alert anybody she sneaked out of her room and the interior of the ship. On deck she saw Iroh's music night and smiled. The old general sang, and a few others played instruments. Two even danced. Luckily, it made her exit easier.
At the port she needed a moment to remember where that physician was. She knocked on Dr. Ling's door and waited for quite a long time, only to be met by a grumpy looking elderly man. "Yes?", he asked ruffly.
Ming blinked for a moment, before she sported her most friendly smile, "Hello, are you Dr. Ling?", and as he nodded, she continued, "I'm sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, but I may need your help. I'll pay you well.", she took out a few of the coins in her sleeve. Without another word, and with a suddenly much friendlier attitude, the physician ushered her in and towards a small room with a desk and a simple couch.
She sat down on it and removed her hood, while he took a seat behind the desk. "Now, Miss, what brings you here at this late hour?", he asked.
Ming sighed, if she wanted this man's help, she needed to tell him a good part of the truth. "Ah, you see, I'm not a local. I'm currently travelling on a ship with my husband and a few other people. I didn't want them to notice that I'm visiting you, so I needed to sneak out at night."
The physician nodded, "And what do you need my help with? You look fine to me."
Unconsciously she moved a hand to her stomach, "I-I wondered how precise your pulse diagnosis is."
He looked surprised, maybe shocked even, "But you can't be older than sixteen. Are you sure of what you're asking for?"
She turned to look him straight in the eyes, "Yes. I know what I'm asking for. It's a pregnancy test. As I told you, I'm married, so don't worry, I'll not ask you to do anything further, but I need to know."
The physician nodded understandingly and stood up, "Alright, so far, my pulse diagnosis has been free of errors. There are more people than one should think, asking for that in a port.", he chuckled slightly, "So, please lay down, Miss."
To Ming's surprise the diagnosis went quicker than she had anticipated, though she watched nervously as the man's expression changed time and time again. Silently he headed back to his desk. Ming sat back up and looked at him questioningly, "And?"
He let out a long sigh, "Concerning your age, I don't really know if that's good news or bad news, but you are indeed pregnant. I would estimate not more than two months.", Ming didn't know how to react herself. She had always wanted to have children at some point, but her was right, it was a bit early, and with their life on a ship, the Avatar-capture-thing and everything else, this would be tough. Still, she felt happiness well up inside her chest, that she would have a baby, Zuko's baby. The voice of the physician pulled her out of her thoughts, "As I said, you're still very young, and you mentioned travelling on a ship. So, I advise you to be very careful. Rest well, eat well, and keep out of any kind of violence. Keep strenuous activities at a minimum level, if possible, and drink enough water. And don't forget to search for a midwife in time. We don't want you to go into labor while at sea."
Ming nodded, a smile widening on her face, "Thank you, Dr. Ling. I'll be as careful as I can.", wordless she then handed him all the money she had. He opened his mouth to protest, it was far more than his usual fee, but Ming only smiled and closed his hand around the coins.
As she stood on the streets, she pulled her hood back up. For a moment she just closed her eyes and laid both of her hands on her stomach. Her mind circled, thinking, My baby, his baby, ours…
A single tear ran down her face and called her back into reality. She pulled the cloak tighter around herself and hurried back to the ship. Music night was still going on, so she snuck back into her room unnoticed. On a whim she got back up to the deck, the sailors and soldiers all making big eyes as she sat down next to Iroh. Ming shivered slightly in the cold night air and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. She smiled at the old man as she felt him put his arm around her. For a while they sat there, peacefully quiet as Lieutenant Jee sang a sad love song. As he was finished, Ming wiped a tear out of her eyes and started clapping, and soon the rest of the crew joined.
As she went back to her room, she almost expected to see her husband laying in their bed, but he wasn't there. She let out a long sigh, before she changed and laid down herself. But she couldn't sleep, so, she laid in the dark, staring at the ceiling, her hands laid casually on her stomach. Her mouth twitched into a slight smile, as the thought occurred to her that it would soon not be so flat anymore. Then more thoughts began circling in her head, if it was to be a boy, it would be the Fire Lord's heir, the crown prince of the Fire Nation, since Zuko was banished. Even if it was a girl, it would maybe, just maybe, melt Ozai's stone of a heart enough to lift Zuko's banishment. Then again, it was still pretty early, should she tell him? Or Iroh? How would they react? Should she write her father a letter, to tell him that he would become a grandfather? She threw this thought out. She wanted nothing to do with that man, and she would take care that he didn't come close to her baby. No way. In the end, she decided not to tell anybody in the next time. Her husband should be the first to know, but he was already all tensed up, because of her father hunting the Avatar, and hunting the Avatar himself, combined with his own traumas, it maybe would be the little bit too much to handle for him. Thus, she finally drifted off to sleep.
She awoke the next morning from somebody knocking on the door. Sleepily she rubbed her eyes and looked around. Ming was still alone in her bed, the other side seemingly unused the whole night. Hopefully it didn't mean what she thought it did. It suggested that Zuko didn't come home last night at all. Maybe he just pretended to be up early and is training or something, she tried to calm herself down. Then her gaze wandered to the wall, the swords were still gone. Another knock on the door, this time more urgently, she frowned. What should she say where he was?
Ming stood up and slung a robe loosely around her form, just so she wouldn't be only in her nightwear. As she opened the door a very worried looking Iroh stood in front of her, "Good Morning Ming. Is my nephew with you? I can't seem to find him on the whole ship."
She blinked a few times, then she grabbed the former general by the collar and pulled him into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Taking a few deep breaths she sat down on her bed, then she looked up to Iroh, tears in her eyes. Her voice was shaking, almost sobbing she said, "No, he's not here. I noticed him leaving last night, but he didn't return since then. Uncle, I think he's gotten into trouble. Look, his swords are missing, and the mask he hid in his wardrobe is too. If I'm not mistaken along with some black clothes."
Iroh scratched his beard, "Mask? Which mask?"
Ming looked at the floor, "The mask of the Blue Spirit, from 'Love amongst Dragons'.", their eyes met, and they both understood that the other one knew what that meant. The Blue Spirit was not only a dark figure in a popular play. It was also a criminal, wanted by the Fire Nation for theft and other things. His identity remained unknown, due to the mask, and he was fighting with dual dao swords.
Suddenly a thought shot through Ming's brain, the only valuable target in the area. "Uncle, the only target in the area is my father's fortress. What if he broke into it and got caught?", crying she threw herself in Iroh's arms.
Slowly he stroke her back, trying to calm her down he said, "Shh, child, stop crying. That won't make him come back. Why don't you rest a bit? And maybe when you wake up again, he'll be there again."
For a moment she shot him a glare, "Uncle, I'm not five years old anymore."
He smiled down at her, "I never said that. But will you do so?", she nodded weakly. Iroh tucked her in and made sure she was asleep when he left the room again. Worry was plastered all over his face, not only about his nephew, but also about the wife of said nephew. As of late, her overall health seemed to be somewhat off and he was worried, she could be seriously sick, but not tell anyone, so his nephew wouldn't worry so much. He sighed and went back to deck.
To his surprise he was met by the sight of his nephew, walking straight towards the interiors of the ship. He looked somewhat grumpy, but then again, that was not so much unusual for him. "Where have you been, Prince Zuko? You missed music night! Lieutenant Jee sang a stirring love song and Ming joined us too."
Zuko stopped for a moment, then he said, "I'm going to bed. No disturbances.", leaving Iroh scratching his head.
As he entered his room, he saw Ming sound asleep in the bed. Trying to be as silent as he could he put back the swords and the mask. If he was lucky, she hadn't noticed their absence. Then he changed into his nightwear and got under the covers. On a whim he snuggled up to her, placing a hand around her waist and rested his aching head against her shoulders. He felt her stir slightly, then he heard her voice, almost whispering and all but sleepy, "Good Morning, husband. Why was my bed cold tonight, hmm?"
He stiffened for a moment, before he put a few kisses on her shoulder blades, "Qing Qing, I'm tired. Can we talk about it later? I just want to sleep."
She laid her hand on his, "Okay, I'm tired too. I've been awake almost all night, waiting for you.", they were both too tired to continue the conversation and soon drifted into sleep. Ming dreamt she was back in the Fire Nation, back in the palace. The atmosphere was light, and the sun shone through the windows of a long gallery. She looked down on herself and saw that she was wearing a deep red dress, her hair being held up in a traditional hairstyle. Then she noticed two figures standing ahead of her. One was a tall man with long hair that was partly in a topknot. His hair that once was jet black now sported a lot of grey streaks. He was clothed in a red robe and his topknot was adorned with the crown of the Fire Lord. He held his hands behind his back, talking quietly with a deep voice to the man next to him. He was probably a few inches taller than the Fire Lord, his hair was shorter, but also up in a topknot. He was younger than the other man, but you could see that they were closely related, even if the younger man had a big scar on his face. He wore a black armor with golden accents and was, it seemed, happily talking to his father. Ming had needed a moment to identify both. Both looked somewhat older, not much, but considerably. Then Zuko turned around and noticed her, he smiled and gestured to her to come over. As she did, he laid an arm around her waist and put a kiss on her hair and even the Fire Lord smiled. She laid a hand on her husband's chest and smiled contently. Suddenly laughter was heard, but it was not from either one of the three in the gallery. It was definitely the high-pitched laughter of children. They all turned their heads towards the door, where it came from. Only for it to creak open a tiny bit, and a small head to look around, seemingly hoping not to be seen. The boy's eyes first widened in shock as he noticed everyone looking at him, then they lit up as he saw Zuko. Quickly he ran over to him and Zuko scooped the probably four years old up in his arms, while the child squealed and called, "Dad! Dad! Dad!", Zuko laughed at him, and Ming's heart widened, and a warm feeling spread through her chest. Then she heard two other sets of small footsteps advancing towards them, and little hands grabbing her dress. She looked down and saw two girls, one maybe around six years, the other way smaller, maybe between two and three years of age. The older girl patiently waited for her little brother to be set down, before she too hugged her father tightly, but the other stayed firmly behind Ming's dress, still holding onto it. She bowed down and picked the little girl up, she seemed extremely shy and would constantly chew on one of her own hands. Ming pulled the hand out of her mouth, and for a moment the child stared at her, seemingly thinking if it should start crying. Then she put her little arms tightly around Ming's neck and buried her face in the creak of her neck. She heard a chuckle from her side and saw Zuko smiling at her struggle, one of the older children at each side, "Don't blame it on her, Qing Qing, she's barely three and I've been on campaign for almost two years. How should she know who I am?", suddenly tears ran down her face as she looked at her surroundings and she felt in a daze. The arms of her child seemed to suffocate her and although he seemed friendly and loving, there was something hard in Zuko's eyes. A question echoed through her head, louder and louder, what am I doing here? It got her more and more riled up and panicking. She wasn't sure if she was hyperventilating as Zuko's eyes got closer and closer, she heard him say, "Qing Qing", ever and ever again.
As her eyes flattered open, she looked in his eyes again, but the hardened expression was gone. His whole face was one worried expression, as he called her ever and ever again, "Qing Qing! Qing Qing, wake up, it was just a dream.", as he shook her shoulder to wake her up. She blinked a few times, the worry in his features was beginning to fade, then she suddenly shoved him away, got up and ran to their bathroom. She slammed the door, but he could hear her throw up and flinched. What was up with her? He couldn't imagine, if she should be seriously sick… He wasn't sure what to do next, so he just sat on the bed and waited for her to come out.
Finally, after more than five minutes the door opened again, and Ming stepped out. She seemed dizzy and unwell, maybe exhausted even, as she staggered towards him. Half of his mind thought that he would need to catch her from falling again, but she made it all the way to fall into his arms. Zuko held her in a sitting position, her head leaned against his shoulder as she cuddled into his embrace, seemingly freezing, but still with cold sweat all over her, so he pulled their covers around them both. Ming chuckled, "What are you doing? I'm fine."
He looked at her shivering form doubtfully, "No, I don't think you are. Ming, you seem to be sick, should I call for the doctor?"
Ming shook her head, "No, I don't think be of help. Zuko, husband, I assure you, I'm fine."
Zuko let out a long sigh, "Qing Qing, I'm not so sure…", he let himself fall backwards and pulled her with him. Then he began to run his hands over her form, trying to warm her up.
She cuddled herself into him, enjoying his warm hands on her skin. With a content smile she looked up at him, "I just had a really bad dream, that's all."