"Water Bender, you have dishes to attend to in the mess hall. Go there at once!" Zuko demanded Aiori. Aiori didn't look up from her job; she was sewing together cloth for moccasins to cover her feet in the cold nights.

"I just scrubbed the dishes this morning." She replied, not wanting to be bothered.

"You will do as I say, and do them again!" he told her as he leaned down in her face and smacked the moccasins out of her hands! She stood up and glared at him in the face!

"Do not test me!" Flames in the hallway of the ship flared up as Zuko's anger sky rocketed! He balled his fist and growled!

"Enough! If you wish to keep your life, you will obey my orders!" he barked in her face! Aiori balled her fists and water summoned water to her hands from a nearby pail, she held it in front of Zuko's face!

"Perhaps you need to cool your temper!" she told him, waiting to hit him with it! She held the water back. Zuko grabbed Aiori by the wrist and slammed her into the wall, causing her stream of water to drop onto the floor! She grunted as he grabbed her face and stood only centimeters away from her! She regretted angering him at that point. His grip tightened! She squirmed to get free!

"Listen, you little repulsive cretin!" he started "As long as you are on my ship, you are under my command! If I say sweep the floors, you sweep the floors! If I say do the dishes, you do the dishes! If I say jump overboard, you jump! Now, as for your little water bending tricks, there will be no more of that! If you do, I will see to it that you are punished and your little village put to suffering! And if you ever get the gall to stand up to me again, I'll make sure you regret it!" and he threw her down onto the floor! "No go do those dishes!" and he stormed off. Aiori got to her knees and looked down at her right elbow that had been scraped from the brawl and felt hot tears coming to her eyes. She bowed her head as she held onto her elbow and let her tears flow. For the first time since this horrible nightmare began, she cried. She leaned against the wall and sank lower to the floor, letting the tears tumble down her dirty cheeks. Her sobbing grew louder.

"Aiori," said Iroh from behind her. She wiped her eyes and looked up at him. "What happened?"

"I angered Prince Zuko." She spoke in a whisper.

"Are you hurt?"

"Only a scratch."

"What did he tell you?" he asked and she sniffed. The tears wet her scarf that was around her face.

"He told me that I am not allowed to water bend anymore."

Iroh had walked out to the deck and saw his nephew practice fighting with another crew member. He sighed and stepped forward, clapping his hands to get their attention. They both stopped and Iroh asked he man for some time alone with his nephew. The man nodded and left. Zuko was appalled at his uncle for stopping the practice.

"What is it now, uncle?" he asked.

"I know what you did to Aiori." He spoke up. "I have stood by your side since this whole journey began, and yet I have never been as ashamed of you as I am now. Not only should a man never harm a woman, physically or emotionally, but denying them the right to their culture is barbaric!" Iroh finished.

"She challenged me again."

"And how about I do the same to you? Starting tomorrow, if you do not act nicer to our new recruit, I will have the ship turned around and you will remain a banished prince. She has done nothing wrong. Do you remember how you felt when you were forced away from your home, Zuko?" and with that he left. "I am going to aid her in doing the dishes." Zuko stayed put for a long time, thinking to himself. Indeed he remembered the feeling of being banished from home, he remembered the pain always. It still ailed him inside. But was it the same? He turned back to the water and watched as the waves danced in a rhythmic pattern.

That night, Aiori was sewing her moccasins again in the hallway of the ship. She didn't look up at the people who passed by, but she could feel them staring at her. It bothered her until she decided to retreat into the bottom of the ship, where she slept at night. She took a seat up on a crate and continued concentrating on her sewing. She hardly needed to look down at it to know what she was doing. There were dried tears on her cheeks that were hidden by the scarf that concealed her face from the monsters. The new tears that formed seemed to freeze from the cold air. All she could hear was her own breathing and the creaking sounds around her. But then the door flew open and there was a shadow coming towards her. She knew who it was and quickly set down her sewing and bowed her head to avoid eye contact. Zuko walked up to her and grabbed her arm. She looked on as he took a wrap and securely enveloped her scrape in it. What was he doing? And why was he doing it? He did it quickly and then tied it tight to make sure it wouldn't come off. Then he dropped her arm back down and turned his back on her to leave.

"Remember Water Bender, do as I say, and you will be safe. Be up at dawn to finish your chores."

"I have a name, it's Aiori." She said from behind him, reminding him that she was a person who deserved some respect. He stopped and looked back at her before he exited and closed the door behind him. She touched the wrap on her arm and smiled a bit to herself.