Another blind fold was secured around Tatiana's head and her hands were once again being tied behind her back even as she struggled. She hated it when she couldn't see, and even more so when the ship was rocking precariously beneath her. Her uncertain footing caused her to be carried too wherever they were going. The comb stuck in her hair gave painful jolts as the person that was carrying her went down a flight of steps, she fought back a moan as the comb caught on her shirt. Thunder rolled in the distance and she could smell rain, she shivered and stopped struggling.
After the sound of a door being opened she was deposited in front of another fire. Her blindfold was removed but her hands stayed tied behind her. She closed her eyes to avoid the blaze of the fire, its heat was making unpleasant sensations on her skin and she felt the hairs on her arms char. Tatiana felt her eyes water as her skin began to burn. Biting her lip she looked up and around.
The fire bender who had carried her was standing behind her with his hands clasped behind his back, along with four other fire benders. The Prince, Zuko was standing at least two yards away with his hands behind his back surveying her, his uncle Iroh sat behind him with his arms in their sleeves surveying her also.
She looked up into the golden eyes of the Prince. She stifled a gasp and the urge to turn her face away. The day before the Prince had wore a helmet, today he wore none showing a large scar on the left side of his face. Tatiana could not help but feel sorry for the man, it looked painful. His golden eyes narrowed as her gaze left his face and went too his feet.
"What is your name?" he asked. Tatiana kept her head down letting her hair cover her face. The burning on her right arm intensified and a tear slipped out of her left eye to land unnoticed on the dark red rug, it was immediately evaporated by the intense heat of the fire beside her. "What is your name?" he asked again.
"Why don't you just ask me about the Avatar already?" she said realizing that her voice was cracking as soon as she finished her sentence, "That's what you wanted from me…"
She saw the Prince's boots move as he paced a small trail from the beginning of the rug to the end in a frustrated silence. Tatiana could almost feel his urge to strike her where she knelt. "Fine, what do you know about the Avatar?" he asked.
She sighed, "That his name is Aang, I know nothing more," she said as honestly as she could. It is the truth, she thought angrily as she felt the heat move up into her neck.
"Liar," he hissed. His booted toes where closer too her face, almost right under it in fact. She fought the urge to look up, the thought of seeing the scar stopped her. Tatiana shivered with the intense heat, she could feel beads of sweat sliding down from her temples onto her face.
"Perhaps it is the heat, Prince Zuko," said Iroh. Zuko turned to face his uncle.
"If she would tell me what she knows, she could go back to her cell," he said.
"I have already told you everything I know about the Avatar," she said, a pleading note in her voice.
"Silence," said the Prince in a foreboding tone. She bowed her head even lower, the comb fell inside her the top of her shirt. A searing pain made her yelp and toss as she was burned by the heated metal. She rolled over onto her back and fought to make the comb break contact with her skin. She screamed as the teeth of the comb dug into the delicate skin of her left shoulder.
She couldn't help the tears that dripped down her face, the handle of the comb was still inside her shirt. "Get it off of me!" she finally yelled to the estranged fire benders, "Get it off!" she yelled looking frantically at the teeth of the comb digging into her shoulder, the smell of burned flesh sickening her as she fought to sit up. Surprisingly enough the Prince walked behind her and grabbed the teeth of the comb, he held it in the palm of his hand until the faint red glow receded from the silver of the metal and it was once again a shining silver.
Pain tore at the left side of her chest and she saw blood run through the burned skin on her shoulder. She fell backwards in a dead faint. Prince Zuko looked around at the somewhat startled looking fire benders.
"Take her too the infirmary," he said and walked too the back, the comb still in his hand. The fire benders scrambled too obey and lifted the unconscious girl onto their shoulders.
"I do not understand uncle, she should have told me about the Avatar," said Prince Zuko as he dropped the comb onto the table in front of him.
"Perhaps, Prince Zuko, they have already formed a bond," Iroh said too his nephew. He looked at the silver comb. "I wonder how a poor girl from and Earth Kingdom came to afford that comb, it is surely pure silver," he said.
"Take it," said Zuko as he pushed the comb closer too his uncle. Iroh picked up the comb and studied it.
"Perhaps it is not wise to keep what is not yours, Prince Zuko," he said and put it down on the table and pushed it back towards his nephew. Zuko looked up, surprised that his uncle did not want such a treasure for it was surely silver. Knowing that further questioning would only lead to a game of Pai Cho he let the subject go.
"I am going to bed, no disturbances," he said as he got up. He hesitated and put the comb in his pocket. Iroh watched as his nephew left the room.
"Yes, what is the Comb of the Fire lord doing in the hands of a poor girl from the Earth Nation," he said before taking a sip of tea.
"I'm sure that she's alright Sokka," Katara said too her brother. Sokka had resumed pacing. Thunder grumbled overhead and lightning lanced through the clouds. Sokka saw the lightning through the window overhead.
"Then why was she screaming Katara? I heard screaming!" he said as he stopped three paces in front of her. Katara raised an eyebrow.
"Sokka, I'm sure that Tatiana can take care of herself or she wouldn't be living alone in the middle of the forest, in a barn," she said.
"Of course you would say that! The girl doesn't even carry a weapon!" he said. Somehow Katara hadn't heard the screaming. "These are fire benders Katara! They aren't water tribe, we don't know what's happening too her, or what could happen too you," he said frantically.
"I hope Aang is alright," she said simply and went back to meditating. Sokka let out a frustrated groan and resumed pacing as more lightning lanced through the clouds.
Tatiana first felt the burning shooting from her left shoulder, she tossed her head too the other side. Please let this all be a dream, she thought strenuously, please let me be home and not on some ship before it storms…Tatiana somehow found the strength to open her eyes and see if it were actually dream. She wasn't in the brig with Sokka and Katara, she must be somewhere else on the ship, she noted as the floor rocked and she saw the dark grey walls. A fire was blazing on the other side of the room, several other beds were adorned with thin white sheets.
Realizing that she was still on the Fire Navy ship she dared look at her shoulder. Her sleeve was pulled down and something sticky and wet adorned her burn. She realized that she had a burn mark in the shape of the comb' s handle embedded into the skin above her left breast. She sighed as the burning increased and lay her head back onto the thin pillow and tried to go back too sleep, and failing miserably as thunder rumbled outside. Tatiana pulled the covers over her head and shivered into the sheets.
(Yes, she has been branded. Please review and tell me how you think the story is going along, next chapter!-crouching bunny.)
