Here we are with chapter two.

Guest: Thank you so much for your kind review! I'm really glad you're liking my story! And that you like Jaylee! Eventually, I will add how she gets along (or doesn't) with her family and their relationships (including Lu Ten) you'll have to keep reading to find out ;) As for Jaylee's motive for helping Zuko, she's gonna help him. That's as far as she's got :P Again, thank you so much for your review and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my oc's and the story.

Hope you all enjoy! :)

Chapter Two - Decisions

"Again!"

Jaylee let out a low growl, several small sparks coming from her mouth as she braced herself before raising her katana in front of her.

A few yards away, Fat stood waiting with his own sword ready, a smirk on his face.

The girl narrowed her eyes. "This time, I'll win the match."

Running forward, Jaylee feigned right, leading her training partner to block the strike. Ducking low, she sidestepped him in the opposite direction of his sword and jabbed him in his armoured side with the hilt of her blade.

He stepped back and spun to face her, his sword whistling through the air towards her head. Bending backwards, the young girl followed the move with a somersault, making sure to not drop her weapon or slice herself with it as she rolled.

Fat grinned under his helmet and followed her. But the older man was surprised when the girl rolled to her feet and jumped down the stairs into the nearest garden, leaving the training area.

But he followed anyways.

Darting out of a bush she'd been temporarily hiding behind; Jaylee met the man's blade with her own. The surprise startling him, the butler stepped back.

Going on the offensive again, the twelve-year-old drew back her katana, only to swing it again and again, with Fat blocking each strike.

"Good use of the element of surprise, Jaylee," Piandao called, having followed them to the edge of the garden. "But remember, you're the smaller opponent. Use your agility against him."

Fat had been pushing her back, making her go on the defensive. Jaylee let him take another step, backing up a step to lengthen the distance and make him come to her. The butler took another step and the girl threw a kick at his knee, sending him stumbling. With the hilt of her sword, she dealt a swift blow to the back of his helmet.

But the training assistant wasn't quite all the way down. With an arm, he batted at the twelve year old's legs, taking her out.

Landing on her back with a thud, she gasped, the wind being knocked out of her.

The man shook his head, trying to clear his head while the girl tried to get her breath back.

Steadying himself, Fat got to his knees, but that was as far as he got.

Rolling to her feet, still coughing, Jaylee set the tip of her katana to his neck.

"Very good," Piandao said, striding over to stand beside them. "Although you should know by now to watch your feet."

Jaylee removed her sword from hovering by her opponent's neck and turned to her master in a bow. "I shall try to remember, Master Piandao."

Fat got to his feet, scowling down at the youngster. "You were lucky that you got in that head strike first. Otherwise, you would have been beat."

Straightening, Jaylee grinned. "Just be glad I don't beat you more often."

"That is all for today," Piandao said with a nod. "You can work on your rock gardening next."

Jaylee slumped, then nodded, handing over her katana to Fat. "Okay."

The girl wandered off towards the rock gardens, leaving the two men by themselves.

"She's steadily improving," the swordmaster said, folding his arms behind his back. "But I feel she will be moving on soon."

Raising his brow, the butler turned his head to look at him. "She's only been her for a couple weeks."

"And has been working hard every day since she arrived," Piandao said quietly. "We received news of her death already. She won't be able to stay in the Fire Nation long without detection."

"Will someone out here recognize her?"

"It's a small town, and the people have seen her and Prince Zuko here enough to know who she is."

"That's true," agreed Fat reluctantly. "Does she realize that?"

"She raised the same thought when I told her she was apparently assumed dead."

Fat scoffed, crossing his arms. "That little brat is certainly not dead."

"That's what the world thinks," Piandao said soberly. "I am uncertain as to how that will smooth over if she decides to return to the Capital."

"Again!"

Zuko scowled at his uncle before he moved into the first kata to begin the set again.

He was still working on the basics. Without fire.

The first was because he was a failure. Azula had long passed him, starting into advanced sets. But she had always been better at firebending than him. After all, she was the prodigy. The lucky one.

Jaylee had stayed at around the same level as he had for most of their childhood. That was, until she returned from a trip she and Uncle had taken about a year ago that she wouldn't tell him about. Which had been weird because she told him everything. But the apologetic look in her eyes when she'd said it was a secret made him drop the questioning.

But now both girls were ahead of him. Both were better and they were younger than him.

The reason why Zuko was training without using fire was because he hadn't been able to bend since his Agni Kai.

He hadn't lost the ability. He just- Couldn't.

To his shame, he couldn't even bend his own fire without memories resurfacing. And it had been a month.

Shoving down the memory of him jumping when some of the crew had been training on the deck, Zuko widened his stance and began the set.

He'd get better and he'd get over his stupid fear. And then he'd find the Avatar and restore his honour.

Iroh watched, hands tucked into his sleeves, as his nephew performed the set for the fifth time. He would keep drilling the boy until he got tired of it and stormed off or demanded to move on to a different one.

After all, the basics were the ones you needed to remember. The fancy moves were fine, but it was the basics that helped you the most.

The man remembered teaching his children the same set that Zuko was working on. The memories brought a sad smile to his face.

One child was gone. And he missed him dearly.

The other, Iroh had thought was too, until he'd received a message from a friend, stating that what latest news about her that had come from the Capital was false.

Somehow, and for some reason, Jaylee had decided to take refuge secretly with Master Piandao, completely some training while she was there.

For what reason, Iroh didn't know. The swordmaster hadn't said in his letter, and his daughter hadn't said in her one that was sent with it.

Just that she was alive and safe. And the girl's had mentioned that she'd missed both him and her older cousin.

Whom Iroh hadn't told yet. He wasn't sure why he hadn't shared the news with Zuko yet. Perhaps it was the feeling that Jaylee was not done with her risky plans and may cause more potential peril to herself.

"I should have brought her with me to keep an eye on her," Iroh again thought for the hundredth time.

But he knew why he had agreed to leave her.

He didn't know how long he and Zuko would be on this ship. And while he wanted to be there for his nephew, he wanted Jaylee to have the best opportunities she could. Which she may not be able to have on a banished ship.

Zuko finished the set, improving from the last time he'd performed it.

"Better, Zuko," Iroh affirmed. "Again."

"This is stupid!" the thirteen year old said. "I need to move on!"

"Not until you're ready, Prince Zuko."

After hesitating a few moments, the prince moved back into the kata, ready to repeat.

"But both children would have benefited from their normal training partner," the Dragon of the West thought as he continued watching. "They've been apart seldom in their few years. They're more like brother and sister than cousins."

Iroh knew Zuko was likely missing his cousin almost as much as he was.

Jaylee had decided it was time to continue on and had made her way to the nearest harbour. Saying her goodbyes to Master Piandao and Fat had been harder than she'd thought.

But she couldn't stay and find her family members at the same time.

She'd made the decision to get that far, she had to move on.

Scanning the piers, the runaway princess looked for the boat she was supposed to get a ride on to the Earth Kingdom.

Piandao had provided her with knowledge of a captain who would take her across the sea to one of the Earth Kingdom colonies without questioning it. And without being a questionable sort himself.

Her master had also kindly paid for her passage.

Spying the small supply boat, Jaylee hurried to the pier it was docked at. Quickly striding over to the man standing by the gangplank, she cleared her throat to get his attention.

The middle-aged man looked up from his papers, then down when he realized the person who'd snuck up on him was smaller than most of the people on the docks.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Can I help you, Miss?"

Jaylee straightened, pulling her bag strap higher on her shoulder. "Is the captain of this boat here? I have passage to the colonies."

Tilting his head, the man looked at something written on one of his papers. "Hmm, who sent you?"

"Master Piandao."

"Alright, yes, we do have record of that." The man turned and whistled towards the boat behind him.

Another man, this one older with a greying beard, came to the side of the boat.

"Your passenger's here, Captain. And there's just one more load to arrive," the first man called, tapping on his papers with his quill.

The grizzled captain gave him a short nod. "Very good. I'll let the rest of the crew know." Turning his attention to the young girl, he beckoned with a hand. "Come on up, girlie. We'll get you settled in before we cast off."

Jaylee did as she was told, hurrying up the boarding plank.

"Ever sailed before, Missy?" the captain asked once she reached him, hands on his hips.

Giving him a quick, shallow bow, Jaylee then nodded her head. "I've been on the ocean a few times, but I don't know very much about sailing itself."

The man grinned, placing a hand on her shoulder, guiding her to walk with him towards the cabin.

"Well, by the time we get to where we're going, you will know some more. Your friend, Master Piandao told me you were a hard worker and would pull your own weight. And an eager learner."

Jaylee made a face. "Of course, he did," she mumbled half-heartedly.

Giving the girl a side glance, the captain continued. "He also warned me about your sass. I think we'll get along quite decently. Not many can sass the swordmaster and get away with it, so he must like you for some reason."

The twelve year old smirked back at the captain. "Do I have to create rock gardens?"

The captain just gave her a quizzical look.

"I think I won't have any problem with any tasks you give me then."

Days later, Jaylee separated from the supply ship's crew when they reached the port of one of the colonies. From there she went straight to the market, asking after her father and cousin.

Apparently the Wani hadn't made an appearance.

Which Piandao had warned her would probably be the case since, as they suspected, Zuko likely would've headed for the nearest Air Temple.

He may or may not have had to stop somewhere for supplies.

Or, in Iroh's case, random shopping trips.

Jaylee would have to move on to the next port town to get a possible lead.

So, after staying in an inn for one night, the girl set off at sunrise the next morning.

She figured that the Wani probably headed for the Western Air Temple first, but from there, she wasn't sure.

Her father surely had received the second letter she'd sent him by now and knew to keep an eye out for her in the Earth Kingdom.

If they'd already passed this way on their way to the Southern Air Temple, or went to the Northern one next, then she'd just have to wait. She could be patient.

"Perhaps I can learn something about the Avatar's location, port towns are good place to get information," Jaylee thought as the sun fully rose above the horizon.

She'd find her father and Zuko, even if it took a long time.

And then the last airbender wouldn't know what hit him.

Wherever that old coward was hiding.

"Another messenger hawk arrived, General," one of the crew members said when the man arrived on the deck.

"Thank you," the General said with a smile as he took the scroll. Walking over to the railing, he opened it, noting the elegant calligraphy and knowing the sender immediately.

General Iroh,

Your daughter has begun her journey to the colonies. I believe she wishes to meet you in a neutral port in the Earth Kingdom.

Do not make her wait for too long. She may do something else drastic if you do.

Master Piandao

With a grim smile, Iroh tucked the letter into a pocket in his robe. It appeared that his daughter had a larger plan for her disappearance than continuing her studies with Master Piandao.

Which he had suspected. And suspected that perhaps she was wishing to join he and Zuko.

The Dragon of the West knew Piandao would have advised Jaylee as needed, but let her make her own decisions about her plans.

Iroh also knew, his friend was correct. He needed to find her. Soon.

While he had tried to teach his daughter patience, Iroh knew that the twelve year old's patience was limited. Sometimes, very limited.

One of the things that she and Zuko had in common.

And as already displayed in this instance, Jaylee was determined. Iroh wondered why she'd suddenly decided to accompany them.

He hoped it had nothing to do with his brother.

Clenching a fist at the thought, Iroh turned away from the ocean surrounding them. Calming himself, he made his way towards the main part of the deck. As he passed the group of training firebenders, he called to the lieutenant.

"Lieutenant Jee, please inform my nephew if you see him that I'd like to speak with him about our next course."

The lieutenant simply gave him a short nod before going back to watching the men.

Iroh carries on, heading toward the bridge to review some maps.

If his daughter was heading to the Earth Kingdom, Iroh would rather collect her sooner than later. It would not be best to leave the girl by herself for many reasons. He just needed to find the most likely port she'd head to.

And inform Zuko about their plans after visiting the Western Air Temple.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you all think? :)

I hope everyone has a good weekend, stay safe.