IX.

The Fire Navy ship pulled anchor and returned to the sea. Prince Zuko stood behind the helmsman, staring at the horizon ahead. General Iroh approached his nephew.

"You should be very happy, Prince Zuko. You fought with honor and now have a means to catching up with the Avatar." Zuko remained silent, the corners of his mouth turned down. Iroh pressed on.

"You know, the sooner we speak to her, the sooner we can find the Avatar. He has a pretty good lead, but I'm sure we can…"

"I'm not speaking to her!" Zuko exploded, rounding on his uncle. Flames erupted on his shoulders and arms. Iroh raised an eyebrow. 'She made more of an impact on him than I thought,' he mused. Zuko stalked past his uncle to the decks below.

X.

Lenara sat with her legs folded under her in a corner of the ship's prison hold. The gentle rocking of the sea helped calm her. She'd never been held captive before and didn't like being locked into an enclosed space. It made her nervous.

"Gotta focus," she whispered to herself. She drew in a breath, held it, and released it. She felt a little better. She inhaled again, a larger breath, and concentrated. Minutes crawled by. Slowly, a drop of water worked its way down her arm and dripped onto the dirty wooden planks that floored the holding cells. Several more drops, like sweat, rolled down Lenara's body and soon a small puddle of water, not unlike the one she absorbed in her village, collected at her feet. The rope started to loosen from around her wrists as the water escaped her body and she twisted her left hand out of the loop, then the right. Lenara tossed the rope aside and exhaled. She had used her body to draw water into her sponge-like before, but releasing it always left her feeling lightheaded and hungry.

"Now that the hard part's out of the way, let's get down to business…what do they have to eat around here?"

"Mostly spicy seafood and rice." Lenara turned, readying the water to shield herself. The older fire bender she had singled out back at her village stood in front of the iron bars of her cell, hands tucked into his sleeves.

"I was going to help you out of your binds, but I see you've managed without me." Lenara cautiously approached the old man. His face seemed familiar. He shuffled in his robe and brought out a small clay pot and two tea cups.

"Would you care for some soothing jasmine tea?" Lenara finally remembered his face. Her body relaxed and she took the cup from the old fire bender.

"I'd love some, General Iroh." Iroh looked surprised at the recognition in her face, but shrugged it off and exhaled on steam onto the clay teapot, boiling the water inside. He poured the tea and both seated themselves on the wooden floor facing one another as if they were old friends instead of two strangers in a prison. After a few minutes silence, Iroh sipped his tea and set the cup down.

"How did you know the name of a Fire Nation General?" Lenara smiled, setting her own cup down.

"My father told me a lot of stories about you, Dragon of the West."

"And they are all true, except the one about me stealing a shipment of jasmine tea. That has yet to be…proven." Iroh winked, raising his teacup to his lips. He paused.

"How did your father know me?" Lenara cradled her teacup between her hands. Iroh sensed he had tread on personal ground.

"My father died when I was eleven," Lenara explained, "He was a great bender. He liked to travel and heard about the war from those who were involved. That's how he heard of the Dragon of the West." Lenara finished her tea in a quick swallow, eager to leave the subject at

hand. She handed the cup back to Iroh and stood, smoothing her robe down over her tunic and shorts.

"I apologize for being nosy. I did not mean to bring up painful memories," Iroh said, collecting the tea pot and cups.

"Don't apologize for the past. It can't be undone."

"No, but it can be prevented from repeating itself. Prince Zuko is a firm believer in that." Lenara's eyes grew cold at the mention of the Fire Prince.

"How did he get that scar? That was no accident, was it? He seems too skilled to make a mistake like that." Iroh smiled. No wonder she could track the Avatar.

"Yes, Prince Zuko trains hard and his scar was not caused by a training accident. But perhaps I am not the one who should be telling you the story. He will be down shortly to ask you to find the Avatar." Iroh stood up.

"Oh, and your…improvised tactic during the Agni-kai made quite an impression on my nephew. I would tread lightly around that if I were you."

"Your nephew? Prince Zuko is…" Lenara stopped and then shook her head, smiling.

"A surrogate father. Well, he couldn't have asked for a better one," she muttered to herself. Iroh pretended not to hear.

"Hmm?"

"Oh, nothing, General Iroh. Thanks for the tea."

"My pleasure. When my nephew comes, tell him your name. I would like to know it." Iroh turned to leave.

"Why don't you ask it for yourself?" Iroh stopped without turning around.

"The winner of Agni-kai has the honor of learning his enemy's name first. I will not rob him of that honor." Iroh walked up the metal stairs. Lenara turned away from the bars, crossing her arms thoughtfully.

"That's right. I forgot about that."

XI.

As Prince Zuko approached the holding cell where the Water chief was, he rehearsed his questions. He wouldn't be caught off guard again. Shameful feelings boiled inside him. He should have known it was a trick, a tactic to distract him. Unfortunately he let himself surrender a little and paid for it. His uncle warned him it was too good to be true. And it certainly was.

Zuko stopped before the bars of the young woman's cell. She sat in the middle of the floor, eyes closed, hands resting in fists on her legs that were folded under her. Her copper colored hair hung bound in a strip of leather at the nape of her neck. A loose strand on either side of her head was tucked behind her ears.

She angered him. She always had a look on her face like she knew a secret he did not. And Zuko hated secrets being kept from him. A board creaked under his weight and the girl opened one eye.

"Oh. You. I didn't hear you coming." She stood, but stayed in the middle of the cell. The Prince had come alone to interrogate her.

"I want to know where the Avatar is going," Zuko commanded.

"Isn't it customary for the winner of Agni-kai to ask the defeated warrior their name first?"

"I don't care about the traditions! When I want your name, I'll ask for it," Zuko snapped. Lenara folded her arms.

"Then you've wasted your time. I won't tell you where the Avatar is going because I don't know. And if I did, I wouldn't tell you. You may as well leave," Lenara continued in a haughty voice, "since you cannot show me some decent courtesy."

"How dare you think you can tell the Prince of the Fire Nation what to do, you dishonorable water-sucker!"

"Well, at least I don't lose my temper and resort to childish name calling…you smoke-blowing hothead," Lenara muttered.

"WHAT!" Zuko gripped the bars of the cell. The girl stepped towards him and for a moment, Zuko thought he saw a curl of flame in her eyes. She stopped, closed her eyes, and calmed down. She exhaled and shifted her eyes back on the Fire Prince. The flame was gone.

"Arguing is useless. I apologize for losing my temper with you," she said. Zuko removed his hands from the bars. Was this another trick?

"Is that acceptable?" The girl stared at Zuko. What was she trying to do? Why was a water bender, mortal enemy of the Fire Nation, apologizing to a fire bender?

"What's the matter with you? Are you hard of hearing? I just said…"

"I HEARD YOU!" Zuko roared, then stopped. Now it was his turn to calm down. He glared at the water chief, who wore a weary but stubborn expression. She seemed genuinely sorry. Zuko sighed. 'I can't believe I'm going to do this,' he thought.

"I…I didn't mean to lose my temper," he grudgingly replied. The girl nodded.

"Apology accepted. " Zuko crossed his arms.

"Your name- what is it?" Lenara approached the bars and stuck out her hand.

"Lenara, chief of the North Pole Water Tribe." Zuko stared at her extended hand. Lenara faltered.

"I think I understand. This is about the…" she trailed off, but the withering look in Zuko's eye finished the sentence.

"I never meant to disrespect you. I really wasn't trying to be mean or misleading. All's fair in Agni-kai."

"You coulddone anything else, hell, could've shot an icicle right through me," Zuko angrily replied. 'It would have felt the same' he thought.

"I could have, but much as I hate to admit, you're well trained, Prince Zuko, and any counter-attack like that would have been anticipated. Look," she sighed, "I am sorry for upsetting you, but I don't take back what I did, so you might as well deal with it." She watched Zuko's face for a reaction. General Iroh warned her about broaching the subject, but she just couldn't help herself. Watching Zuko get angry was encouraging-he still had some ambition.

Zuko watched her meet his eyes. He had to leave. He was getting nowhere. And the memory of the embrace during the fight began to resurface. Because of his disfigured face, he had never seen how his emotions for the opposite sex could be a problem. Every young woman in his past had shuddered at his face-except this one. She stared at him with strong, liquid green eyes and instead of repulsion and sympathy, he saw hard and cool indifference.

Zuko turned and left. Lenara walked to the bars of the cell, listening to the Prince's footsteps echo on the steel ship's walls. She opened her mouth, then thought better of it. Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, then to open her mouth and remove all doubt. Lenara turned and leaned on the bars.

"That went well," she said to herself. She wasn't on the ship to make friends, though. Still, she thought back to what her father told her about Fire Lord Ozai. He would never apologize for butchering half of the world. But his son could for childish name calling? Perhaps there was hope for the Fire Nation after all.