Chapter 14: The Apprentice
Katara sank to her knees, salty tears making her vision blurry, "Y-you monster! Do you r-realize what you done!" Zuko lifted an eyebrow in amusement, listening to her angry shouts he walked over to Sokka. "Yes I do realize what I just done…and I hold no regrets. Just to prove that, I will kill your brother right in front of you." Zuko replied in a calm and drawing voice.
Zuko grabbed Sokka by the collar, pushing him against the railing of the ship. Katara gasped and pleaded, "Please, not him. Please." Zuko laughed softly but continued to have his gaze on Sokka, the knife pressed against his neck gently. "I'm sorry, but no can do. The both of you committed a crime, and you must be punished severely."
Katara screamed angrily at Zuko, "A crime? The only crime I see is what you are doing!" Zuko laughed softly and turned his attention toward Katara, "Is that so? Then what are you going to do-" He was cut off by a whip of water that smacked his face roughly, "Hey!" He opened his eyes to see Katara and Sokka in the water below, swimming away from the ship.
"Sir, should we send a boat out?" a solider asked, wiping the water off his face. Zuko shook his head, "No. The other ships will catch them. Go and tell the others to rest until further orders." The solider nodded and walked off, leaving Zuko by himself. Zuko sighed and turned toward his father's palace silently.
"Prince Zuko! Prince Zuko, wait!" came a voice to his left, it was his uncle. "Yes Uncle?" he asked wearily, wishing he was asleep in his own room. "Ah, Prince Zuko, I must tell you something important." Uncle Iroh replied, finally catching his breath, "Wow, Prince Zuko, you walk really fast." Zuko just raised an eyebrow, "So, what is it? Another speech? Please hurry, I want to ask something of father before he goes to bed."
Iroh nodded and cleared his throat, "Prince Zuko, love is like war. Easy to start, but difficult to end- Hey are you listening to me?" He frowned, seeing Zuko already inside the palace. "Teens these days, always in a hurry." he sighed, turning back to the ship.
Zuko paused before entering the main hall, murmurs filled his ears. He couldn't catch out the words, but they seemed anxious and quick. Zuko took a step forward to catch sight of who was speaking, and to his disbelief it was someone he would have never suspected. There she was, handing to his father the pendant, "Ciara, what are you doing?"
Ciara paused and turned around to see Zuko, "Zuko, well…" Lord Ozai looked at his son with a slight smirk on his face, "It seems you don't know much about Ciara. Let me tell you. Ciara grew up with her mother, who was one of the six mages. She was soon discovered and Ciara fled, for you are aware of the rules for mages." He saw Zuko nodded slowly, and continued the story. "Going on, she found refuge in a boarding ship that was set toward the Earth Kingdom. To make the story short, we found her here, proving her skills my killing all of the guards that were on duty. So I agreed for her to become my apprentice. A year passed and she surpassed many of my fine warriors, so I sent her on mission across sea, where I believe you found her."
Zuko shook his head in disbelief, so whatever Uncle Iroh was saying must have been important… He looked up and glared at his father, "Is this another of one of your tricks? Another punishment, do tell. I came with the Avatar, and killed him. But you can repay me by this? When did this all happen and why, I demand an answer."
His father sighed and lifted his hands in mock defeat, "You win, you win. This isn't a punishment or a trick. But she became my apprentice the first year you left, for I expected you to never find the Avatar." Zuko growled angrily, he knew it wasn't Ciara's fault; she was just doing her job. But a hint of jealousy filled him; she won favor of his father over him, his own son.
Zuko felt his rage and anger burn in him, waiting to be released. So he allowed his anger to release, an array of fire heading toward his father. But to his dismay it was blocked by Ciara, who now stood in front of Lord Ozai. "I can't let you do that." she replied. Zuko looked at Ciara, but she seemed different. Maybe it was the Fire Nation armor she wore, or maybe it was how she held herself. She seemed taller and more agile than before, also a hint of cleverness and slyness rested in her eyes. Zuko's eyes pleaded at Ciara, not wanting to fight her.
"If you want to go kill Lord Ozai, then you have to go through me first." she continued, stepping forward a bit. Zuko looked at her squarely, searching for the Ciara he knew, but he couldn't find it, "Don't make me kill you." Ciara laughed and crouched down slightly, "Is that a challenge? For I believe it is." Her hands went to each side of her hip, there two small blades rested there. When she was off in a mission, either she played the assassin or a thief. Lord Ozai laughed heartily, "So it begins. My apprentice against my very own son, this just keeps on getting better."