Author's Note: Hey there, thanks a lot for the ongoing support for this story. It means a lot. Reviews would be appreciated though. Anyways, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Zuko's ship. 100 AC
Ming watched Zuko and Lieutenant Jee practice firebending, as she herself had for once found absolutely nothing to do. Her young husband had been slightly irritated by this, but in the end, he could hardly deny her watching. Her presence distracted him from his opponent from time to time, but she only stifled a laugh when she noticed it.
The sky was clear and everything else was quiet. Ming sighed contently, if she wouldn't know how determined Zuko was in searching for the Avatar, this could've just been a nice trip at sea. As if the spirits had heard her and tried to destroy her little daydream, the ship suddenly ached and made a sharp turn, throwing everyone on deck around. When Zuko raised from his fall, his gaze hastily searched for Ming. He saw her a few meters from where she had been seated, catching his gaze and smiling reassuringly as she was getting up herself. A small smile appeared on his face, just for a second. Then he glared at the tower, "Someone's changing our course."
The banished prince stormed into the tower already raging, Ming only a few steps behind him, she too was irritated by this. He yelled at no one in particular, "What is the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change course!", looking over his shoulder, Ming saw that Iroh and a few other crew members were seated around a Pai Sho table. She wondered how it got up here.
She curiously watched the former general's calm demeanor though, "Actually, someone did. I assure you, it's a matter of utmost importance.", he said, scratching his gray beard.
Zuko's rage was stopped for a moment, hopefully he asked, "Is it something to do with the Avatar?"
"Even more urgent. It seems, I have lost my lotus tile.", Iroh answered, while still playing Pai Sho. Ming's eyes widened. He couldn't be serious. She felt like she could count down to the moment her husband would explode like a volcano and moved a few steps backwards.
Confused, the prince asked, "Lotus tile?"
Iroh explained, "For my Pai Sho game. Most people think the lotus tile is insignificant, but it is essential for the unusual strategy that I employ.", Ming would have thought this funny, maybe even interesting to hear more about Iroh's strategy, but all she could think was, three.
Zuko's face showed utter disbelief as he asked, "You've changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?", two.
Iroh just went on as if he didn't notice anything, "See, you, like most people, underestimate its value. Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port of call. Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock, and I can get on with my life.", one.
Ming cringed as Zuko breathed fire at the ceiling in his anger outburst. She wondered at Iroh's still calm smile, as he said, "I'm lucky to have such an understanding nephew.", Ming walked up to the banished prince and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked at her doubtfully. Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the tower and into their room. He closed the door behind them before he hugged her tightly, burying his face in her neck. They stood like this for a long moment before he released her from his hug, he looked much calmer now, "I'm sorry, Qing Qing. It's just sometimes…", he trailed off.
Ming smiled, "I know, he can really get on your nerves. Let's hope they have his tile, and we can reset our course swiftly.", then she kissed his cheek. Zuko turned his face slightly and met her lips.
He cupped her face and put their foreheads together, "What would I do without you, Qing Qing?"
Giggling she replied, "I don't know, turn into an angry red rage monster?"
A few hours later the couple was standing between the marketplace and their ship with Iroh at their side as various crew members walked past them, carrying what seemed like everything the place had to offer. Despite that, the old man still looked quite miserable, "I've checked all the shops on this pier. Not a lotus tie in the entire marketplace."
Ming jumped as her husband snapped at his uncle, "It's good to know that this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!", hastily she laid a hand on his arm in an attempt to calm his anger, to her own surprise it seemed to work, as he looked over to her and then straightened himself again.
Iroh seemed oblivious to the whole situation as he answered, "Quite the contrary. I always say, the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"
At this moment one crew member loaded a musical instrument made of a golden shimmering metal and adorned with various patterns onto the ship. Zuko stared at it for a moment, "You bought a tsungi horn?"
Shrugging his shoulders the old man replied, "For music night on the ship. Now, if we only had some woodwinds."
Ming whispered in Zuko's ear, "I didn't know we have a music night."
"Because we didn't.", he whispered back.
"Seems fun though.", she replied, smiling, "Do you think you still know how to play tsungi horn?", and at the sight of her husband's glare, "Nevermind. Forget I asked."
Their conversation was interrupted by the former general, "Oh, this place looks promising!", he exclaimed, pointing at a wooden ship that looked somewhat odd. It was very clearly not a Fire Nation ship, but it also didn't seem like an Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe ship either. Ming had learned about them somewhat in her time at her father's port. Before they could protest, Iroh already pulled them towards the ship. He hurried inside and soon something sparked his interest. It was a statue showing a monkey with red rubies as its eyes, it grimaced in a way that made Ming feel uncomfortable, but the old man seemed not that affected by it, "Oh, that is handsome! Wouldn't it look magnificent in the galley?"
Ming was about to debate that with him as they heard one of the merchants (or more like pirates) talk to his captain, "We lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was traveling with.", Ming raised her eyebrows at this as her young husband turned around towards them and interrupted decisively, "This monk, did he have an arrow on his head?", Ming sighed, great, let's go after that kid again. She couldn't help but already feel tired of Zuko again and again hitting his head against the wall in an attempt to go through. She thought she knew him pretty well, but then again, there were moments like this when he really made a deal with these shady pirates to capture a child, where she thought, she didn't know him at all. The boy she once knew would've never done any of this.
A little while later they sailed down a river on one of their smaller boats along with the pirate vessel. Ming had insisted in coming with them, though they all wondered about it, since she sported such a sour mood, accompanied by a glare that made everyone shudder at sight. Zuko knew that she was angry with him, disappointed even, that he made this deal, but he thought, she would come along, that she maybe not fully understood the whole situation and he could explain it when they were on their way home. Nevertheless, he too felt two familiar holes burning in the back of his head. The voice of the pirate captain shook him from his thoughts, "Shouldn't we stop to search the woods?"
Nonchalantly he answered, "We don't need to stop. They stole a waterbending scroll, right?", the captain nodded, "Then they'll be on the water.", in a few meters distance Ming rolled her eyes.
About half an hour later they saw someone at the riverbank from the distance, someone who was waterbending. Before the person was in earshot distance, they stopped the machines and headed into the woods. Ming walked at Iroh's side, a few meters back from Zuko. A panicked scream and a few words she didn't understand told her that it was the girl they had found, probably the owner of the necklace, and that the pirates found her first.
Zuko was quicker than Iroh and her, so as he hurried off into the direction of the voice, they lost sight of him for a moment. As they reached a larger clearing, she saw him holding the girl by her wrists, the Water Tribe girl looking at him fearfully. Iroh grabbed Ming's hand. He had sensed that she wanted to step in, but as her fiery glare shot towards him, he just shook his head. Now was not the time. She sighed and took a step back, still glaring daggers at everyone.
So, she just watched as her husband tied the girl to a nearby tree and began interrogating her. For herself she thought, she would help that girl if possible. Give her the necklace back and free her. She just had to wait for the right moment. Zuko would need to understand, she didn't mean to sabotage his mission, but this felt horribly wrong. Making a deal with pirates was bad enough, but now Zuko sounded almost like his father and acted like her father probably would. She shook her head slightly in dissent.
"Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother.", Zuko told the girl.
She obviously found her courage as she snapped at him furiously, "Go jump in the river!", Ming smiled at her remark, she began to like this Water Tribe girl.
"Try to understand. I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor.", Ming rolled her eyes again. She thought, he increasingly talks about his honor, as if there's nothing more important, as if it is a vase that is broken and needs fixing. How about maintaining your honor by not making a deal with pirates? The girl jerked her head away from him, then he took something out of his armor and held it to her neck, it was the betrothal necklace he had found on the prison rig, "Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost."
Ming gasped almost in unisono with the girl, "My mother's necklace! How did you get that?"
Zuko shrugged his shoulders, "I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is."
"No!", the girl yelled at him.
The pirate captain interrupted the interrogation, "Enough of this necklace garbage! You promised a scroll!"
Zuko turned towards him and smiled slightly. He threw the necklace over to Ming, who hastily caught it. Then he took out the waterbending scroll and held a flame in his palm right underneath it, "I wonder how much this is worth…", and as the pirates gasped collectively, he added, "A lot, apparently. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back, and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here."
"Fine.", the pirate captain murmured under his breath. A shiver ran down Ming's spine. This would not end good, and she wondered why Iroh let this all happen.
A little while later the pirates returned with two tied up boys. One wore the same-colored clothes as the girl, and overall looked like he could be the brother Zuko had talked about. The other one was bald, tattooed and wore orange and yellow clothing. Depending on what Ming had heard, he probably was the Avatar. This kid, she thought, and the other one might be around my age. She frowned at the scene.
Her husband on the contrary, smiled at the pirates, "Nice work."
The girl on the tree was seemingly miserable, "Aang, this is all my fault.", so, Ming thought, the Avatar's name is Aang.
"No, Katara, it isn't.", the bald boy answered, and Ming thought, aha, hello Katara, it is nice to know people's names for once.
Iroh, who stood next to the tree Katara was tied to, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Yeah, it kind of is.", earning him a glare from Katara.
Ming elbowed him, "For a nice old man, that was very insensitive."
Iroh looked apologetically to her, "I'm sorry, Ming."
They were interrupted by Zuko, who spoke to the pirate captain demandingly, "Give me the boy."
In the same demeanor he was answered, "You give us the scroll."
The Water Tribe boy threw in, "You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment?", Ming frowned, she thought, and down we go again.
Zuko tried to hold control over the situation still, "Don't listen to him, he's trying to turn us against each other!", and by the looks on their faces, succeeding in doing so, Ming thought.
The pirate captain turned towards the tied boys, "Your friend is the Avatar?"
The Water Tribe boy smiled smugly, "Sure is, and I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market than that fancy scroll."
Ming could tell that Zuko was by now losing his cool, though, she admitted, you had not to know him a lot to tell that, as he shouted, "Shut your mouth, you Water Tribe peasant!", Ming sighed disappointedly. She hated it when he called others peasants, just in theory, she was one too. She made a remark in her mind to remind him of that later.
The monk spoke now too, "Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth."
The Water Tribe boy, Sokka, just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, "I'm just saying it's bad business sense. Think how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life.", Ming had to stifle her giggles, she really liked those Water Tribe folks.
The pirate captain then turned to Zuko again. "Keep the scroll; we can buy a hundred with the reward we'll get for the kid.", and the pirates turned to leave with the tied boys. Ming couldn't help but think that their reward from the Fire Lord was nothing set in stone and could turn out a warm handshake, a way too warm handshake.
Zuko gritted his teeth, "You'll regret breaking a deal with me.", as he and the soldiers they brought along began firing fire blasts at the pirates. Ming took a few steps back. She was no warrior after all. One of the pirates threw a smoke bomb and suddenly, it was hard to make out the fighting people. Ming was not standing in the smoke, it began a few feet apart from her and Katara, who was still tied to the tree. Iroh also showed no signs of entering the fight. Suddenly Ming caught glimpse of a big knife laying at the edge of the smoke, seemingly unnoticed. Hastily she grabbed it and hurried over to the Water Tribe girl. Iroh pretended to not see what she did next. Ming used the knife to free the surprised girl, but grabbed her wrist, before Katara could run away. As the girl turned in her grip, Ming quickly handed her the betrothal necklace. Katara looked even more surprised, but Ming only smiled at her and raised a finger to her lips. The Water Tribe girl nodded and hurried into the smoke, searching for her companions. Ming returned to Iroh's side and they both exchanged a tight-lipped smile.
A few meters away Ming saw how Zuko made his way out of the smoke, he still had that stupid scroll in his hands. Ming smiled, thinking they could return to their ship now and Zuko smiled back at her. All of sudden her smile disappeared, and she called out for him, "Watch out!", as she saw the pirate captain coming after him. Surprised he turned around and began to fight with the older man.
Ming noticed something out of the corner of her eyes. Apparently, the pirate vessel had set sail. She hastily grabbed Iroh's shoulder and pointed at it. He nodded in understanding. Then he went over to his nephew and broke up the fight between him and the pirate captain, "Are you so busy fighting, that you cannot see your own ship has set sail?"
Zuko turned to him, annoyed and angry, "We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!"
Iroh replied, "It's no proverb!", pointing at the sailing ship.
"Bleeding hog monkeys!", the pirate captain exclaimed, running after his ship. Language, Ming thought.
Zuko pointed at the pirates, laughing, but his laughter quickly disappeared, and Ming watched in shock as their own boat was hijacked by the pirates. Her husband shouted after the taunting pirates, "Hey! That's my boat!" and both teenagers began running after it.
Iroh stood for a moment, deep in thought, "Maybe it should be a proverb…", before Ming turned around and grabbed his arm, "Come on, Uncle!", as they hurried after Zuko.
They all stopped at a cliff, watching both ships fall down a waterfall, "My boat!", Zuko yelled.
Ming then heard Iroh chuckle, "Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this. That lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!", he said with the biggest smile on his face. Ming hit her hand against her forehead as Zuko just snatched the tile from his uncle and threw it down the waterfall.
Then she went up to her young husband and slung her arms around him from behind, rubbing her cheek on his shoulder until his breath became steady again. With a sigh he turned towards her, "Well, at least we still have that necklace to put pressure on that girl."
Ming smiled apologetically, "Oh, that necklace, well, uhm, would it be very bad if we didn't have it anymore?", needless to say, it was a long and awkwardly silent way back to the ship.
The following weeks on the ship followed a monotonous routine of sighting the Avatar and anticipating where he would head next, but never being close enough to actually grab hold of the boy. The mood between Zuko and Ming also got more and more sour as she was insisting that it was wrong to aim to capture said Avatar and Zuko kept insisting that she didn't know what she was talking about. Sometimes their arguments would become quite heated, but then again, they more often than not dissipated into hugs and apologizing, sometimes even make out sessions. The looming boringness of being at sea the whole time also didn't really help.
One afternoon Ming looked up in the blue sky and saw a flock of birds flying above them. She smiled at the sight. Then she heard Iroh speak, "There is a storm coming. A big one."
Before she could walk over, she heard her young husband answering, "You're out of your mind, Uncle. The weather's perfect. There's not a cloud in sight."
Ming approached them, "You should know that the weather at sea can turn quickly, Zuko.", and as he glared at her, she held up her hands in a defensive gesture, "I know, I know. I don't know what I'm talking about. ", she added as she rolled her eyes.
Before the argument could continue, Iroh intervened, "A storm is approaching from the north. I suggest, we alter our course and head southwest."
Zuko was by now somewhere between annoyed and angry, "We know, the Avatar is traveling northward, so we will do the same."
Iroh sported a very stern expression, "Prince Zuko, consider the safety of your crew and wife."
Zuko walked towards his uncle, "The safety of the crew doesn't matter!"
Ming also walked towards him, grabbing his wrist. Almost whispering she snapped at him, "And what about mine, hm? What about your uncle's? What about your own? How do we all not count?", Zuko stared at her blankly for a moment. Behind them, Lieutenant Jee walked in, overhearing them. He was clearly not happy about this, but the only thing he did was raising an eyebrow.
Zuko angrily strutted over to him, "Finding the Avatar is far more important than any individual's safety.", before he walked past him and onto the deck.
Iroh tried to save the situation, "He doesn't mean that. He's just all worked up.", but Ming noticed a hint of uncertainty in the old man's voice. She huffed at him and made her way back to her room with a grim expression on her face.
In her room she angrily sat down at her side of the bed. Why had he to be like this at times? Of course, she understood that he wanted to go home, after all, they were both ridiculously young, but why couldn't he understand that there were more important things in this world? Like, staying alive, for example. In frustration she threw herself on the bed, thinking, why do I have to love such a jerk? She brooded for a while, thinking he might come after her, but he didn't.
Finally, her boringness took over and she went back to deck. There she saw a small gathering of crew members, and started to walk over to them, but then she noticed what they were looking at. A massive bank of dark clouds approached rapidly. Of course, Iroh had been right. Ming sighed frustrated as she saw her husband walk in front of the group, Iroh in tow.
Unfortunately, Lieutenant Jee spoke up, taunting Zuko, "Looks like your uncle was right about the storm after all."
Iroh had, unconsciously it seemed, walked in between the two. He shrugged his shoulders, "Lucky guess…"
Ming flinched as Zuko turned towards the Lieutenant. Jabbing two fingers in Jee's chest, he spat angrily, "Lieutenant! You'd better learn some respect- or I will teach it to you.", he turned away from the older man and started to walk away.
But Jee followed him. Ming watched fearfully, that was all going the wrong way, she knew. Jee continued with his taunting, "What do you know about respect?", Ming's eyes widened. Wrong word, totally wrong word, Jee, you idiot! Iroh must've noticed it too, for he gestured towards Jee to stop talking, moving his hand in front of his throat in a cutting motion. Zuko had stopped walking and now turned around to his Lieutenant, but not saying anything. Jee continued, "The way you talk to everyone around here, from your hard-working crew to your esteemed uncle and your oh-so-beloved wife, shows you know nothing about respect!", Iroh and Ming gasped in unisono. Both saw the rage that now filled not just Zuko's face, but his whole body. As if Jee hadn't noticed it he still went on, "You don't care about anyone but yourself! Then again, what should I expect from a spoiled prince?" As a reaction, Zuko extended his right arm, Jee doing the same, both preparing to firebend.
Ming was the first to react. She went in between the two and grabbed both of their wrists, "Enough now!", she said with her voice raised angrily and glaring daggers at both of them. "I understand that you're all tired, but Zuko, Jee's right, you shouldn't treat your crew like you're currently doing. But Lieutenant, you don't know what you're talking about, and you shouldn't speak like this as well. If you want to, I'll make you both a bowl of noodles and we talk about everything.", she tried to calm them down, but failed miserably. Both ripped their wrists from her grip and Jee walked away angrily.
For a short time, she looked after him, then she turned to her still fuming husband, only to have him yell at her, "I don't need your help keeping order on my ship!", Iroh tried to lay a comforting hand on the prince's shoulder, but Zuko shrugged it off and hurried away.
Ming sighed, "That could've gone better, uncle, couldn't it?", she said defeatedly.
Iroh took one of her hands in his, "Don't worry, Ming. They'll both come along. Look, I'll go and talk to Jee and the crew. You go and talk to Zuko.", she smiled sadly at him, tears in her eyes, but nodded and started to walk in the direction of her room.
As she walked down the metal floor images appeared in front of her inner eye. She knew, Zuko would be reliving the same haunting memories. She stopped in front of their door, laying a hand on it. Then Ming sighed, before she opened it quietly. The chamber was all dark except for a few candles. Her young husband sat in front of them, meditating. Hesitantly she closed the door behind her and stepped closer, he was not moving, though, he must've heard her at some point, she thought. She sat down behind him. It was silent for a long moment as Ming thought about what she should say.
She was surprised when he started to talk, eyes still closed, "Ming, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk to you. But yet, I don't know what to say. I-I just don't want to make you angrier than you already are, but for the last weeks I felt like there are mines everywhere I go. Whatever I say, seems to be wrong, and maybe it is. I thought I knew you, but maybe we've both changed, more than I allowed myself to think…", his eyes suddenly opened and widened, he wanted to interrupt her, tell her that not everything had changed, that she would always hold this place in his heart, but he remained silent as she continued, "Look, I understand why you want to capture the Avatar, I really do. You say it's your honor you want back, but really it is your father's love you want, and to be able to return home, even if it must feel like a cave full of snakes to you after everything that happened, it was your cave full of snakes. I've never felt that way, for me, before I entered the palace, home meant horror. Home meant getting hurt for every step out of the line. But I want you to know that this changed. For me right now, home is wherever you are, whenever I'm in your arms, there is no more perfect place in the world. And just like you, I cannot let this thought go and be destroyed. But I can feel it crumble, every day of the last weeks I feel it crumble. And I don't know how to fix it.", by now she was outright crying. Zuko turned towards her and raised his hand to wipe the tears away, but she shook her head and kept him from doing so, "What I wanted to say is, I understand why you want to capture this boy, even though I don't agree with you on that I will support you however I can. But I can't let you become a monster, I just can't. And I saw it back with the pirates. I didn't recognize you, my husband, any longer. So, I had to do something. I'm sorry. And with the crew, look, we're all on this ship together, it will only work if we keep a minimal level of peace and comradery. Otherwise, we're all doomed. Why can't you see that?"
Zuko felt like there were a million things to say, and since all wanted out at the same time, none came, because all got stuck in his throat. So, he stared into her almost black eyes, that bore into his questioning. Then he closed his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them again, he raised his hand again to stroke her tears away, this time she didn't keep him from doing so. Then he cupped her face with both of his hands, bringing her close. He kissed the last tear away and murmured, "Qing Qing…", suddenly he pulled her in a tight hug, burying his face into the creak of her neck, "I'm sorry, Qing Qing. I really am.", Ming was surprised at first, then she began to run one of her hands around the back of his head, and the other among his shoulder blades.
She whispered in his ear, "Shh, we're going to set this right. You'll see, everything will work out.", then all of sudden the ship rocked unnaturally, and a rumbling sound was heard.
Both of them pulled apart, staring at each other. Then Zuko grabbed her shoulders, "You stay here.", but Ming quickly responded, "No way.", since they had no time to discuss this both teenagers hurried at deck.
Zuko turned towards Lieutenant Jee, who also just came out from below deck. He called over to him, "Where were we hit?"
Jee answered, "I don't know!"
Ming then spotted it, "Look! There!", she called over the raging storm, pointing at the tower.
Zuko's eyes widened, "The helmsman!", he and Jee immediately started climbing up to the man, who was about to fall to his death. Ming gasped, watching intently, hoping that Zuko would return safely, and the other two as well. Suddenly something caught her attention, another bolt was aiming towards their ship, but a stocky figure seemed to absorb the energy, and then sent it back into the sky. Iroh? What was that? She needed to remind herself to ask the old man about that.
Meanwhile, Zuko and Jee had returned with the helmsman to the safety of the deck. The banished prince suddenly saw something, "The Avatar!", Ming turned around and could really see the small silhouette of the giant animal in the distance.
Jee asked, "What do you want to do, sir?"
"Let him go. We need to get this ship to safety.", Ming could've cheered at that. Yes, he sometimes was a jerk, but then there were moments like this when she wanted to point at him and cheer, see, everyone? That there is my husband! Then wrap her arms around him and kiss him. But inside of this storm, that would have to wait. On Iroh's advice, they then headed into the eye of the storm, where it was quite peaceful.
Iroh, Ming and Zuko stood next to each other, as Zuko said, "Uncle, I'm sorry."
The former general smiled at his nephew, "Your apology is accepted.", then he walked off, giving the teenagers some space.
Zuko turned towards his young wife, grabbing her hands gently, "Ming, I'm really sorry."
She smiled at him, "I know, I'm sorry too. I've said a lot of things I shouldn't have."
He shook his head, "No, most of the things you said were right.", he said, kissing her hands and blowing warm air at them.
Ming smiled at the tickling sensation, "I love you, Zuko."
He looked up into her eyes, a bit surprised, then he smiled, "I love you too, Qing Qing."