XII.

As dusk fell, Aang jumped off of Appa before the bison landed and ran to Lenara's hut. It was still standing, filled with blankets and firewood and books. The village as a whole was intact.

Several villagers emerged from lit doorways to watch the visitors search their chief's hut.

"They've taken her prisoner, Avatar," a young girl said, her boomerang dangling from her belt.

"Was she the only prisoner?" Sokka asked. The girl gave him a shy smile, but the look on Katara's face made her become serious again.

"Yes. The chief told us to hide in the catacombs after we rung the warning bell. That way, if the Fire Nation burned our huts, we would still be alive. But she managed to persuade them to spare our homes."

"Talk about instincts," Sokka breathed, clearly impressed. Aang sighed.

"The Fire Navy ship is long gone and it's getting dark. We might as well camp here for the night." The young warrior pointed to the chief's hut.

"She told me to tell you to stay in her hut. She had a feeling the Avatar would return against her warnings." Aang grinned. Lenara had to be okay. She was much too clever.

"Zuko better not have hurt her," Katara fumed. Sokka lugged their sleeping bags into the hut and dumped them in a pile.

"Like you told me, sis, don't worry. She's a great water bender, yada, yada, yada…" He unrolled his mat. 'And her instincts are two steps ahead. Zuko won't know what hit him,' Sokka thought with a proud chuckle.

XIII.

The sun slipped beneath the silver covers of the sea. Iroh returned to the prison, a stub of a candle lighting his way. He found Lenara meditating. Iroh nodded his approval. 'She's as dedicated as my nephew. I wonder what she meditates to control' he thought.

Lenara smelled the wax melting and opened her eyes. Iroh took a key from the sleeve of his robe and unlocked her cell. Lenara stood up, questioning the old fire bender with her eyes.

"You can't meditate in the dark, " Iroh said matter-of-factly, "we will get you a candle." Lenara hesitated, then followed Iroh through the hall to the stairs. As they climbed, her stomach growled softly. It had been hours since her meal at dawn.

Iroh turned left from the stairs, then right onto the main hallway through the ship. He stopped in front of a partially open paper screen door, providing the only source of light, and turned to her.

"Wait here. I will go to the storage room and get it for you." Iroh disappeared around a corner, taking the candle with him.

Lenara glanced around the dark hallway, listening intently for approaching footsteps. Her eyes began to adjust to the dark and the light under the door appeared brighter. Lenara softly stepped to the door, balancing on the sides of her feet to decrease the noise. She slowly pushed the screen so a chink of light spilled from the side of the door, enough to survey the room. She bent her head towards the door.

Prince Zuko, bathed in the light of a single candle, was kneeling before a table set with three sets of dishes and chopsticks. He seemed puzzled about the number of settings. Why three?

Her toe bent and she stumbled against the wall, the impact echoing down the hall.

'Very smooth, water-sucker,' she cursed. Zuko's voice called from inside the room.

"Uncle? Is that you?" Lenara winced. Better to reveal herself and be done with it….

"Not quite." Lenara slid the door back. Zuko bolted upright.

"What are you doing out of the prison?"

"Your uncle let me out. He left to find a candle for my meditation." He glared at her as she glanced at the table. Her stomach growled again and she angrily tapped it with a fist. Hunger was a weakness and the last thing she wanted Zuko to know was her weaknesses. The water bender turned to the door.

"Wait," Zuko sat down at the head of the table and gestured to the seat opposite him, "the table, for some weird reason, is set for three. You may as well sit down and eat." Lenara looked skeptical.

"Or stand there and starve if you want," Zuko muttered. The water chief sighed and walked around the table to the seat across from Zuko. They reached for their chopsticks. The cook brought in a delicate and flavorful meal and left in a flourish of steam and empty trays.

Lenara stared at a shrimp roll and snagged it with her chopsticks. She popped it into her mouth and swallowed…and realized how spicy Fire Nation food was a few seconds later. She coughed, and bent some water in her glass to her, tears flooding her eyes. Zuko couldn't help a smug smirk.

"Bet they don't make them that spicy in the North Pole."

"No," Lenara croaked and wiped the tears from her eyes, "but I'll bet you can't eat two of them at the same time, smart guy." Zuko stacked two rolls on his chopsticks and stuffed them in his mouth and swallowed. Lenara watched him like a poker player calling his bluff and Zuko could feel himself fold. He coughed, face red, and reached for his tea. Suddenly, the tea left his cup and circled around Lenara. The smile on her face was cool.

"It's awful to be held at the mercy of someone else, isn't it?" Zuko reached for the teapot, but Lenara used her other hand and drew the tea out of the pot. He glared at her, smoke pouring from his ears. He made an inaudible noise.

"Sorry, didn't catch that? Are you familiar with the old proverb: pride goes before a fall?" Zuko slammed his fists down onto the table, leaving shallow dents in the wood. Lenara was unmoved.

"Apparently not. The Fire Nation has made countless people stoop and bend to their mercy, ifthat's what youcall mercy. I've seen the faces of those who suffered the wrath of the Fire Lord. Turns my blood cold. I once saw them burn a six-year-old girl's body because she refused to leave her dead mother's arms. I want you to understand a sliver of what the rest of this world endures; what we suffer because of the Fire Nation. So, cool off," Lenara shot the tea back at him. Like a small wave breaking over the surf, it doused the Fire Prince, leaving him soaking wet and none too amused.

This girl had a dark venom of disgust swimming through her. 'She hates this war. That's why she protects the Avatar,' Zuko thought. This feeling of repulsion in the war was all too familiar to him. They both continued to eat in silence. But something else nagged at him…

Suddenly, Zuko threw down his chopsticks and glared at Lenara.

"Why did you kiss me?"

"Look, Prince Zuko, I told you, I was trying to…"

"Was it your way of mocking me? To approach the monster of the Fire Nation? You must be proud, you never even flinched." Lenara was defensive.

"What's your problem?"

"My face!" Zuko exploded, causing Lenara to stiffen slightly in shock. Zuko gathered his composure and lowered his eyes, his emotions screaming inside him. Lenara watched him, scrutinizing a face shadowed by the candlelight. His scar was dark and deep, the eye in the center appeared almost like an empty socket. The scar even spread to his twisted and mangled left ear. Lenara knew this scar may have healed, but the one on Prince Zuko's soul would always remain sharp and torn. She bent some tea from pot close to her end of the table into her cup. Zuko watched it travel, then met her cold green eyes.

"Way out of line, Prince Zuko. Your face was never the issue. And for future reference, I don't flinch when I'm afraid. I force it out, I conquer the fear. I understand and move beyond it and find out what lies deep within it. So log that away and let it drop." He hated the way she talked to him. But there was a strength and confidence there that he just couldn't ignore. If she wasn't so self-righteous, she'd almost be tolerable. Almost.

"Don't think you can continue to order me as you do. I will not tolerate a prisoner's backtalk. I am the Prince of the Fire Nation."

"Yes, I can see that," Lenara replied flippantly, "so riddle me this- why is the only heir to the Fire Nation's throne out here looking for the Avatar? Couldn't they find mere soldiers to do that kind of grunt work? Or is there something else behind your pursuit?" She watched Zuko narrow his eyes.

"Fine, Prince Zuko. Your reasons are your own. Just do not ask me to betray the Avatar. He's this world's only hope of stopping this war.The only hope at the present time," her eyes shifted in his direction, "but it's his destiny to bring balance back to the world. That's what matters most. I won't find him for you, so don't ask."

"And if I burn your village?"

"Petty threats don't sway me. Our village has survived the one hundred years of this war. It will survive you, too."

The door flew open and General Iroh walked in, his arms laden with candles.

"Prince Zuko, have you seen…" Iroh stopped, noticing Lenara sitting across from Zuko.

'Oh, well, that solves that." Iroh took a seat at Zuko's left side, candles spilling from his arms to the floor. Zuko and Lenara held each other's glare. 'He may be ambitious, Father, but he still has too much pride', Lenara thought to herself. Iroh pulled several dishes towards him.

"Lenara, would you mind passing the rice bowl?" Lenara broke her staring contest with Zuko and reached over to pass the heavy red bowl to Iroh. As her shirt sleeve slid back from her wrist, Zuko swore he saw a tattoo on it, a familiar one at that. But when Iroh took the bowl, her sleeve lowered over her wrist.

Zuko abruptly stood up. Lenara and Iroh watched him

"I'm going on deck to train." He gestured at Lenara.

"Lock her up for three weeks. Bread and water. We'll see who responds to threats." Zuko ordered and stalked off. Iroh shrugged. He tossed a spicy shrimp roll in his mouth, followed it with three more, and swallowed without blinking.

"Mmm…good shrimp."

Lenara frowned. Being on this ship with Zuko was going to be difficult, especially when trying to accomplish her Father's mission. But there was something very appealing about him beneath his angry and impatient exterior. She liked how he got to the point of the problem, very focused and resourceful, even if he was a class A jerk.

Lenara waited for Iroh to finish eating, then they walked back down to the holding cell. It would be a long three weeks.