I hope you like this chappie and I hope that more people will start to read this story. Anyway, hear my excuse for its tardiness at the end. Enjoy!

Scene 4: Dance of the Dragon Maiden Part 1: She's Back

Lau's POV

"You wanted to see me, Iroh?" I asked quietly as I walked into his room and closed the door behind me. It was weird. I never usually went into Iroh's room and I never had a reason to go into his room, but this time, he had called me. He said that he wanted to show me something and tell me some things. I wondered what it was all about.

"Yes, I did. I wanted to ask…no, inform you of something. Here," He said, holding out a package of paper tied with twine, a knot carefully made in the center of the bundle. "These will come in handy to you, I assume." I nervously untied the knot, not really wanting to know what was on the papers or in them. I kept the papers in place, but quickly got worried. 'No…he couldn't. That's next week…it's too short of a time…its improper!' I pulled up the first paper and glanced at it. Lord God Agni, strike me down! It was – it was exactly what I thought it was. Please, God, just kill me now, save me from this horror. He wouldn't do this to me…or yes he would.

"Iroh, you can't be serious about this." I said, half laughing. But my nervous laughter seized when I realized that he really wasn't joking, he was just standing there. "Oh, come on! You can't be serious!"

"Yes, I am serious." He said quietly almost proud of making me fall to the floor dead, where I was standing. I was just looking at him incredulously.

"But I can't! I can't." I muttered under my breath, taking a few steps away from the man that I once considered the closest thing to a father on this ship. "I can't do the Dance of the Dragon. It's…improper for a Noble." I tried to argue with all I was worth, but I knew that my attempts were in vain as nothing could ever change Iroh's mind, he was steadfast. Man, if only I had some tea on me.

"But my dear, you are the only female, not to mention single, Firebender on board." He declared, pointing out the obvious reason of why I was the only person able to the do the event. It was not looking too good for my part. I winced at the fact that I knew that I wouldn't be able to get out of it.

"But Nobles aren't supposed to do it! It is as improper as improper can get!" I protested, but to once again no avail. I sighed and just looked at him half-defeated, but I still had a tiny bit of fight left in me.

"Improper or not, you are going to perform it, Noble Zeilau Sei. You have exactly one week to prepare." Iroh chirped cheerfully. I just scowled. There went the last of the fight in me. I turned away, knowing that I wasn't going to get anywhere by arguing with him. I closed the door loudly behind me; I didn't slam it though, just loud enough to prove my mood of his decision to make me do the dance. I walked to my room, mumbling words to myself, not caring who heard or passed me.

When I reached my room, I tossed the bundle of papers on my small table, making some of the music on it fly to the sides, mixing with other stacks of papers. I sighed in defeat – it was not my day. I took a seat on the floor, pushing away some intruding paper, to make myself space to sit. I looked at the costume design and instantly winced at it. It looked exactly what I remembered it to be – it looked almost identical to the one I had seen worn by a girl when I went with my parents once before when I was little. I remembered the dance too – strong, yet subtle bending, and very seductive. At that moment, I just wished for my life to end, so I would not have to go through with it and that maybe Iroh would finally have some shame in something. But it didn't happen though.

I spread out the papers with the costume design on them. I would need a lot of fabric – fabric that was nowhere on this ship. We would have to stop at a market. We were stopping at a port the next day…Iroh probably had the whole thing planned…

'Great, I would have to dance seductively in front of my crew that already had minimal respect for me. It wouldn't change for the better if they saw me like that.' I said in my head as I continued to look at the pages with the choreography on them. 'Why can't I just die right now? I would be happier – a lot happier. I would be with the ones that I missed most dearly.'

"Zuko, I need to go into town to get some…things. I should return a few hours at the most. Don't leave without me. If you do, I'll-" I threatened him, only to get rudely interrupted by him.

"Sure, whatever, Lau. Just be back sometime today or I will leave you here." He warned, only to get a wave of my hand dismissing him as I walked down the gangplank onto solid land.

The town of the port was small. It had one simple main area which consisted of houses and some shops. The roads were all dirt, packed with overuse. As I walked into the town, I looked over my shoulder and made sure that my bow and quiver were strung over my shoulder still and they were. As I got closer to the market, the aroma of fresh-cooked food wavered to my nose, making my stomach growl with hunger. I contained my longing for food and fixed my mind on the real reason for me to go into the town, for cloth and a few other things, not food.

It took me awhile, but I got all the cloth and cosmetics, to my horror, that I needed. I did get some astonished looks my way, but I sent them off with an icy glare and most people left me alone. I had found out that a smith lived on the outskirts of town, where I could find some bronze. That was exactly where I was heading when I heard someone yell out.

"Don't you touch my sister! Leave her alone!" A young voice cried. I looked around and I noticed that the yell was coming from inside the woods. I was about ready to dismiss is and keep walking on as it had nothing to do with me, until that voice sunk in. It sounded familiar. Then it clicked to me – it was the sound of that Water Tribe boy – the one with the ponytail. That made me a little more curious. I took from the main path and headed into the thickly foliaged woods.

I stopped in some bushes and set my package down. I hid behind some bushes and I looked and sure enough, there were the Water Tribe kids – the girl and the boy. Three thugs trying to rob them surrounded them, but one seemed to be really interested in the girl, which even grossed me out. I knew what he was trying to do and I didn't like it for the fact that no one was supposed to treat a woman that way. I crouched down low in the bushes and I took my bow off of my back. I fluidly grabbed three arrows out of my quiver and held them. I reached to get a vial from my belt, but I stopped, knowing that I could kill without poison.

I nocked one arrow onto the twine and I pulled the string back to my ear. I looked over the bush and aimed at one of the men, the one closest to the girl. I got aim-center and I let the arrow fly through the air and hit its target – exactly square in the man's lungs, with a strong shot from my longbow. He fell the ground dead in a matter of a few seconds. The men looked around, not knowing where I was. I could sense the fear radiating out of them. In a matter of a few more seconds, I let another arrow whiz into another man's chest, right in his heart. He fell to the dirt quicker than my first target. I smiled at my accuracy and lowered my bow. I wanted to have some fun with the last one. He looked around nervously, scanning all the bushes and trees, but missing me in the bush closer to him. He went back to the kids, dismissing me, which was his biggest and fatal mistake. He would learn not to mess with women. I dropped my arrow back into my quiver, not wanting to shoot him – he deserved a worse death. I reached over the bush and punched out at him and sent a stream of fire at him, easily knocking him to the ground. I walked out of the bushes and kicked another flame at him and then effortlessly took another arrow out of my quiver, nocked it, and aimed it at him. Then, when I was ready to shoot, the girl stopped me.

Katara's POV

"No! Don't kill him!" I yelled to the man with the bow, about ready to shoot. He turned his head towards me and I saw his hair loose down at his neck. It was a dark brown, almost black. He had a rather softer face though. His pale skin that was not as light as that prince's, contrasted greatly with the color of his armor and his hair, clearly distinguishing him as a member of the Fire Nation. I wondered if he knew that he was protecting Water Tribe people – maybe he was on our side. "He doesn't deserve to die like that! He's hurt enough!" He just looked at me with a look of shock, almost like if he wanted to kill the man. He gazed back at the man on the ground with disgust. He raised his leg and kicked out a stream of fire right next to his head, barely missing him, missing him on purpose. He sent a nasty look at him.

"She has saved you, you are alive by her mercy and by the fact that I actually listened to her. If it was up to me you would have been dead already! Leave now! Leave before I change my mind and decide to murder you right where you lay." He said coldly, instilling fear in the man and in me too. Something was strange about him. He acted like if he had killed someone before and didn't care if more blood stained his hands. But who from the Fire Nation didn't have blood on their hands? "Give them anything you took from them and get out of here!" He watched the man dig out our money from his pockets and hastily get away from the Firebender. The Firebender's arrow was still pointed at the thug until he was out of sight. Him still was pointing his arrow at the man when he was quite far away made me wonder how skilled this person was in archery. Was he that good that he could still kill him from that distance?

"Why?" I asked him simply. He turned around quickly at the sound of me. I could feel his gaze on me as his grey eyes looked at me. They almost looked golden at the same time, like if when they were in the sunlight, they were golden, but everywhere else, they were grey.

"Why, what?" He asked me just as coldly as he talked to the thug.

"W-Why did you save us? You didn't have to do that." I stammered, probably sounding like a complete idiot to that Fire Nation person, who had probably gone to school ever since he was young.

"Because…" He started; only to pause momentarily, then sigh. "I don't know. I guess it was the right thing to do, and I would want someone to help me if I were in that position. No one should treat a woman like that." His voice seemed to fill with sadness. His voice sounded like if he was in that position, like we were, sometime before, or someone he loved.

"You would just be able to kick their butt if you were where we were. You just kicked their butts like so easily." Sokka said, amazed, but not happy at the fact that it was a Firebender he was praising. "They would be dead before they would do anything to you."

"I probably wouldn't have been able to. Bad luck and stupid decisions seem to follow me where ever I go. Knowing me, that would happen." He said, turning away slightly, stepping a little closer to Sokka, who tensed up in reaction. He backed off, and took a little closer look at my brother, then turned back to me.

"What side are you on? You do know that you just saved Water people." I said only to get nudged by Sokka who whispered to 'shut up because maybe the Firebender didn't realize who we were'.

"I'm not on a side. I don't have a side. Choosing sides split nations and people, and personally, I don't need that right now." He said, his words full of wisdom that I never thought I would hear coming from a Fire Nation citizen. "Not all people of the Fire Nation are not like Ozai, not even his son was like that."

"You know the prince that tried to capture Aang?" I exclaimed, backing away from him, wondering if he had connections with him. He almost was laughing at me; he just had this grin on his face.

"Zuko? Yeah I know him. He's a friend of mine. He's a lot nicer once you get to know him, but he still is very moody. He never used to be the way he is now though. It's very disappointing actually, to me to me at least." He said quietly, looking at the ground. He gave me the feeling that he was really sad about the way the prince, Zuko, was now. What did he mean that he wasn't the way he was now?

"Well, I'm Katara and this is my brother, Sokka. It's rare to meet a nice Firebender." I said warmly, bowing to him. I never had thought that I would bow to a Firebender on my own accord. It was strange to do, awkward.

"Whoever said that I was 'nice'? You just caught me in a better mood than I'm normally in." He mumbled the last part. He was really strange. His moods changed quickly. He was happy and friendly just a minute ago, and now he was cold. "If you want to meet friendly, you should meet Iroh." He mumbled under his breath; I only understood some of it. "I have some things to do, to get, and I need to get back to the ship…" He turned, motioning to the pathway.

"Who are you?" Sokka asked, making him turn quickly to him. I could see him size up my brother. Sokka had better learn not to look at everyone as if he was the best warrior ever. He gave him a stern look, and then glanced over to me.

"My name's Lau – Zeilau. Leave it at that. It wouldn't be wise on my part to say more of it." He said, slinging his bow over his shoulder. Wait – his name was Lau? Lau sounded more feminine; especially the way he said it. Oh spirits! Was he really a girl this whole time!

"You're a girl, aren't you?" I asked my voice shaky. I didn't want to offend him if he really was a boy, but when he looked at me, I noticed that he looked even more like a she.

"Yes I am. But I don't think that it makes any difference. I am still the dangerous Firebender that I am. And like I said, I have things to do – and I need to get them done before Zuko leaves me here. I have a favor to ask of you though. Can you give this to the Avatar? He will know what it means." Lau said, handing me an arrow from her quiver. I took it gently and held it. She turned around and walked through bushes, eventually disappearing. Sokka then turned to me.

"Wow. That was one messed up event. Ha, a friendly Firebender, a girl no less – what a crazy dream this is. Woo." He said, resting his hand on my shoulder, then he pinched himself and looked like if he had seen a ghost. "This isn't a dream – right." I just numbly nodded my head, and made me wonder who she really was since she didn't want to say all of her name. Wait…she said that she needed to go before Zuko would leave her. That means that she travels with him – what would Zuko want with a girl on his ship?

That meeting left me with many questions. I wondered if Lau was really her name or just something she came up with. Was she really on no one's side? She would seem to be a powerful ally to either side – she would be very valuable to the cause. What did the arrow mean? How was Aang supposed to know what an arrow meant? Also, the last burning question, what was she to Zuko? She must be someone of importance to be sailing with the Fire Nation prince, but then an idea came to me and I was creeped out – I was not going to think about that one any more. Either way, Zuko's friend, girl Firebender, whatever, she had left us a few coins on the road. It was marked with a Fire Nation sign and some syllable symbols, which I noted was her name. Maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

"What'cha guys get?" He asked me with his normal hyper-ness as he let Momo fly away from him and perch on Appa's head when he saw us come into the clearing we had found and camped at for the night. "Anything good?"

"We didn't get too far, Aang, not to the market at least. But we did come back richer – with enough money to buy food for the next month and a half! We met someone on the road and they gave us the money. She was really nice, with the fact of where she was from." I exclaimed, pulling out the coins which Lau, I recalled her name to be, had given to us on the path. "Oh, she also told us to give you something. She said that you knew what it means." I handed Aang the beautifully made arrow and he took it gingerly. His eyes widened as he looked more carefully at it. So he did know what it meant. But why was he reacting like that?

"Was she from the Fire Nation?" Aang asked, his mind an enigma. He looked at the arrow more closely, feeling the feathers on the top. I had seen those feathers before – they looked really nice, like if they were from some royal bird or something like that, and I wouldn't have put it past the Fire Nation for using the feathers from some fancy bird – knowing them.

"Yeah, she was – that's what she said anyway. Why?" I asked, not seeing any significance in her being from the Fire Nation had to do with it.

"I didn't think it would be this soon… I expected it to be a bigger commotion. Either way," Aang stated quietly almost confused and yet he knew what he was talking about, looking absentmindedly at the arrow. "She's back."

I am so sorry that I haven't posted for a long time. I am being weird today and doing my AN here. Well, I hope the length of this one made up for my absence of posting. Sorry. And please, ha this time I'm not lazy, BeautifulFirestone, could you drop me a review cause I would love to hear from you. The next chappie is getting typed by my co-author, Meow, thank god for her. Britt should make the AN for that one. So look for that. Also, I have finished drafting Part 1. I have written it and now I just need to type them out. I would have posted this chappie sooner, but I had to rewrite the file cause my file on the floppy was screwed up.

-Rika 4-30-06

Preview: Scene 5: The Dance of the Dragon Maiden Part 2: The Commence