Chapter 2: Questioning

Hey Chapter 2! Same disclaimers and legal stuff as mentioned in previous chappy.

Just need to spill out one extra special, special thanks to Everto Angelus up here at the top, for going out and doing extra credit Avatar homework, passes chocolate pudding cookies under the table>. She Watched Winter Solstice (1) for me and was good enough to inform me that the Captain was never named. Which means I get to keep the name Wren. does a happy dance> I really like that name…

More special thanks and rants at bottom. :>


Water dripping in the background kept the time as the showdown began. Hard golden eyes locked with olive green as both men weighed the resolve of the other. Feet shuffled in the background… a slight chink of armor was lost in the vast space of the cell. Wren made a mental note to demote Ethanik. If he was going to be this fidgety he had no place to be here, it was a weakness that the Earth Kingdom could not afford to show in front of the Fire Nation…

After fifteen minutes it looked as if it was going to be a permanent stalemate, neither the Prince nor the Captain were willing to give in first. Zuko smirked again as the Captain's eye twitched in agitation as the soldier on his left shifted for a second time.

Wren, for the moment ignoring Ethanik, went through his mental checklist of questions he was assigned to ask the Prince. In effect, using the Prince's stern resolve to stall for time. Wren was frustrated, why was this so hard for him? He had done hundreds of interrogations before this. He had trained that sick feeling associated with causing another living beings pain to not hamper in his work. Yet for some reason today Wren just couldn't push the effects away. The whole situation actually had the underlining feeling of being a… trap? But that was preposterous.

Well, enough stalling… Time to begin. Wren made a slight gesture with his hand signaling the 'Enforcer' behind the prince. Who then unceremoniously used his rock hard fist to thump the prince on the top of his head.


The situation was almost hysterical for the Prince. He would have been amused if could remember how the fuck he got caught by the Earth Nation. An eternity of time spent staring down the Captain before him and Zuko still couldn't remember what the hell had happened. Last thing he remembered was arguing with his Uncle about the necessity of tea. And why of all places, did they have to stop at Commander Zhao's encampment? Surly other nation's Jasmine tea was just as good… Wait. At that stop for tea… he -

All train of thought halted there as Zuko reacted to the sudden and unanticipated assault. Biting down hard on the inside of his mouth to counter the pain splitting his skull once again, he blinked several times. After that proved unsuccessful Zuko slightly shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the white dots blurring his vision. Which was not wise, it only increased the pain tenfold. 'Dragons damn it…' He was so close to remembering something important. Those fucking Earth Kingdom bastards…

"Name." Wren demanded after giving the prince a moment to control the pain. He never lost a stare down with a prisoner.

A delicate black eyebrow arched in mild shock as he processed the question and began to focus on the situation at hand instead of how it came about. "You've got to be kidding me…" The Prince grunted as he attempted to roll his eyes. "If you really don't know who I am then I've been giving the Earth Kingdom to much credit in the intelligence department…"

Not the correct response. The offended guard behind the Prince venomously whacked him upside the head again.

This second time however, the Enforcer had caught the Prince in a sore spot, and Zuko hissed through gritted teeth as the pain threatened to take his consciousness from him.

'Don't let these fuckin' bastards get to you this quickly… it wasn't that hard of a hit…'

Wren's brows furrowed and he crossed his arms, tapping out a signal to the Enforcer for him to lay off the head. Apparently the Prince was in more pain than he was showing, that second hit should not have sent him so close to blacking out.

"It's demanded for the records that the prisoner state his own name." Wren replied more calmly than he felt. Yeah, it was stupid… Everyone knew the Prince of the Fire Nation, that scar was renowned. Still, protocol was protocol.

Zuko had only caught the last few words of the Captain's sentence. But it was enough for him to deduce that is was all a part of some sort of stupid Earth procedure. So, as much as he hated being compliant, he currently wanted to stay conscious more. "I'm Zuko, exiled Prince of the Fire Nation."

Ignoring the 'well.. satisfied you arrogant asshole' glare the Prince was shooting at him, Wren, stalling again, adjusted his glasses and filled in the first two lines of his log book. He really wanted to skip the next question on the page. He didn't want to know the answer, his gut was telling him that ignorance was bliss…

So much for bliss…

"Age."

"Oh for crying out loud…"

The Captain got his turn for a death glare.

"Sixteen."

The Captain's heart sank, his worst fear was realized. The Prince was nothing more than a child still. If Wren had any ounce of respect for the Fire Lord Ozai before now, it was lost. How could a father banish their own son at the tender age of 14? And before he though 16 was pushing it…

Behind the Prince, Wren caught the Enforcer's signal, 'lying?'

It was possible. It was common knowledge that the Earth Kingdom enforced age restrictions. Wren was still getting earfuls from his mother and wife about the army's recent enlistment age drop from 21 to 18. Could the Prince be playing on their leniency towards youths? As immoral and cruel as the fire nation acted, they weren't known liars. Nor the kind to ask for anything lesser than what they deserved.

Wren believed the Prince. But higher ups would want to know that he had made sure.

'Only use the cane.' Wren instructed the Enforcer, then watched him move silently to the rack of 4 foot long rods soaking in the barrel of moving water. He pulled out one that was five eights of an inch thick, then proceeded to test its flexibility by bending it completely in half without it breaking.

War was a dirty ugly thing, and now it was giving Wren a new reason not to be able to sleep at nights…


This time Zuko caught the bizarre hand movements the Captain gave. 'Shit… they're communicating with some sort of hand language.' This was not good.

"I don't advise lying. It'll only cause you more pain." And to stress the point, the Enforcer took his cue to land a solid hit across the buttock of the Prince.

It wasn't what Zuko was anticipating, but he wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of screaming. He ground his teeth as he forced to contain himself from erupting in flames. His wrists were beginning to feel the burn of the heated metal encasing his hands.

Wren waited patiently for the shock of the cane to ripple through the Prince's body. It was already stretched tight, so the involuntary reflex to move and get away was minimal. But the sweat beading on his brow was a clear indication of the turmoil that was really going on. He had seen it all before, though never on one so young.

"Your age." Wren stated again, more firmly and resolute.

Zuko opened his good eye just enough to death glare the Captain while taking him in. He couldn't be serious… Like his age was miraculously going to change in the span of a few seconds. Age wasn't that big of a deal to get their underwear this twisted into… oh fuck. A lessons about Earth Kingdom customs came back to him as he remembered their unsophisticated insistence on physical age declaring manily hood. Zuko was insulted, he hadn't been treated like a child since the age of 6. Yet here they were, now unable to see him for the adult that he was. Focusing this new hatred through his eyes and into the soul of the Captain, a string of muffled curses stared to fill the chamber as Zuko's temper flew.

It was a simple enough of a lie. Just say 18. He'd get treated as an adult. They'd have the ease of mind of not being forced to torture a 'kid'. Everybody won.

Only problem, Zuko's honor didn't allow lying.

"I don't give a dragon's ass about whatever moral dilemmas you may be suffering just because your culture idiotically believes that manhood has an age requirement. I'm sixteen, and I'm not going to tell you anything other than that just so you can sleep better. Suck it up and deal assholes."

Shocked silence filled the chamber. 'right… trap…' the Captain's stomach lodged itself in his throat.

At the doorway, two new figures appeared. The first Zuko did not recognize, but judging from his cloths, he was high up. A member of the royal family or a direct advisor. The other he knew all too well. And then it hit him. Why he was here.

'..shit…'

"Why did you come to Ba Sing Se." Swallowing his stomach, Wren continued on with the interrogation.

Zuko lowered his gaze and focused on the Captain's simple desk, idly chiding himself for not noticing the Earth Kingdom emblem adorning the center before. This was stupid. Glancing sideways, he caught the large brown tear filled eyes of him. He never envisioned this happening, and the pain in his eyes was obvious.

'No… this is too easy… the Avatar was his.' Settling into a half smirk Zuko locked gazes with the Captain. "I came seeking asylum from my father and the Fire nation."


Aang's heart lifted. 'Things are going to be ok now. They now know why Zuko has come. And they are going to believe Zuko and they are going to release him and then I'll master Earthbending and then Zuko is going to teach me Firebending and then, and Zuko isn't going to be right, Zuko isn't going to win this bet we made… he just isn't…'

End: Chapter 2: Questioning


Wow, - Thank you reviewers! LOL, all 7 of you 13CC, Everto Angelus, Chinese Flower, Water's Shadow, kt, randomgirl and OneRiver.> You're all spiff and fabo! It's encouraging to get feedback, especially positive!

My apologies about the wait! I think I have WAD: Writer Attention Disorder… I have about 3 other chapters for this story, scattered all over the place, half written. I just can't stay focused and write one chapter at a time in a row. Good news: Latter Chapters will be posted up faster seeing as how they are already half written. Bad news: it takes longer for the begining chapters…

Umm… kt…. I never wrote what Zuko's age was in the first chapter… I know he's 16. But the Earthbenders don't necessarily know that

OneRiver: But of course I'd call back on history and use a special magical device… (Darts eyes back and fourth) Ok… So I'm lying… I had no idea, it just made sense. Encase a firebenders hands in iron and well… they'll get burned. If their own flames don't burn them, the heated metal would surly would… It is what is known in the artistic world as a happy accident ;;;

I'm thinking of putting my written stuff up on my deviantART site… that way I can put a pict up with each chapter - …. like anyone would care…. --;