Chapter 25: To the North Pole
Normal POV
The boat had almost reached the shore of the North Pole were their friend was. On the ship everybody was getting ready for the fight that was sure to come. When she was done, Femke retreated to the front of the ship to enjoy the breeze on he face for a while. Until Zaheer walked up to her.
"Ready, Femke?" He asked, smiling as he came to stand next to her.
"Yes but I'm not sure if we should just barge in. What if they have changed and just wanted to see Ming?" Femke asked as she looked up worriedly.
"Then why would they send men to kidnap her away from her friends instead of just sending a letter?" Zaheer asked as she looked at his girlfriend skeptically.
"Maybe they had no idea where to send the messenger hawk to?" Femke shrugged as she looked at Noatak talking to P'li a little distance from were they were standing.
"Those hawks are trained to find whoever they had a message for. One even managed to find Sokka wherever the team went if I read it correctly." Zaheer protested. Femke had no answer to that. She remembered Sokka's messenger hawk had indeed always managed to find them wherever they were while traveling around the world.
"You got me there." Femke smiled as she gave her boyfriend a playful shove.
"We'll find out in a few hours." Zaheer smiled as he placed a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder just as Ghazan had managed to instal the magic receiver on one of their radios, allowing them to get music from Earth as well as from Magix.
"I'm glad Ghazan's starting to figure out how to use magic on electronics. I'm dying for some earth music." Femke sighted as she looked at Ghazan tuning around with a smile on her face. "Maybe it will help me clear my head."
"You think there will be any good songs?" Zaheer started, but stopped as the small radio started to pick up a song.
"Looks like there are." Ghazan smirked as he turned up the volume.
"Good. Time for some music." Zaheer smiled as a song started to play Femke knew very well;
Take my hand, take a breath
Pull me close and take one step
Keep your eyes locked on mine,
And let the music be your guide.
Won't you promise me (now won't you promise me, that you'll never forget)
"I always loved this song!" Femke said as she started to hum along until Zaheer made a small, playful bow.
"May I have this Dance?" He asked with a teasing smile on his face, making Femke smile back.
"But of course." Femke teased as she made a small curtsey.
We'll keep dancing (to keep dancing) wherever we go next
It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do
"Go Femke!" Lenny smirked as Femke and Zaheer danced to the music. "Since when can you dance?"
"Since she was, like, sixteen. Don't you ever pay attention?" Floxy commented, smirking as he wrapped an arm around Sapphire.
"I heard she was good at it." Sapphire added.
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)
Can I have this dance
"Want show them what we got?" Femke asked before she tripped over her dress.
"Sure thing." Zaheer smirked, quickly catching her, both of their eyes gleaming as Zaheer looked at her, thinking how beautiful she looked in the light of the setting sun before they started to dancing professionally, making everybody gather around to watch.
Take my hand, I'll take the lead
And every turn will be safe with me
Don't be afraid, afraid to fall
You know I'll catch you through it all
And you can't keep us apart (even a thousand miles, can't keep us apart)
'Cause my heart is (cause my heart is) wherever you are
"Showoffs" Ghazan said, looking to the side a little sad when there was silence.
I miss Ming...
Ghazan thought as he looked to the side sadly.
"We'll get her back, don't worry." Tziza said as she got next to Ghazan and looked at Femke and Zaheer dance.
It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)
Can I have this dance
Oh no mountains too high enough, oceans too wide
As the music sang this femke grabbed noatak by his hands, smiling while zaheer took a blushing p"li by her both hands, making them dance along now, do a little clumsily…
'Cause together or not, our dance won't stop.
Let it rain, let it pour
What we have is worth fighting for
You know I believe, that we were meant to be…
On the last bit femke and zaheer grabbed each other, causing noatak to end with p"li, who blushed deeply as she looked him in the eye.
"It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you (like you)
It's one in a million, the chances of feeling the way we do (way we do)
Smiling, Noatak also bowed as he and P'li started to dance as well, leaving the others to watch.
"They're good." Ghazan commented.
"Zaheer was drilled with these formal dances for years before he became a Red Lotus" Xai Bau smiled as he watched his nephew dance with his beloved.
"I keep forgetting he was rich at one point." Ghazan said as he looked at the two of them. "Explains a lot."
And with every step together, we just keep on getting better.
"Instead of looking at the pros you'd do better to look at P'li." Tziza said as she pointed at P'li dancing with Noatak.
So can I have this dance (can I have this dance)
Can I have this dance
Can I have this dance
Can I have this dance
"What a cute couple." Ghazan smirked.
"They only met yesterday. You of all people should know such things take time." Xai said as the song stopped and they stopped dancing.
"Give it some time." Tziza said.
"You two look cute together." Femke teased. "I'm okay with it if you like him, if that's gotten you worried."
"You'd better be, given how you're dating Zaheer." P'li teased back.
"Since when do people need each other's permission to date?" Zaheer asked.
"I was a little afraid she would get really mad at me if I would tell you how I felt about you without asking her if she was ok with that." Femke smiled as she gave Zaheer a kiss. "I don't want to anger my best friend."
"You better not." P'li said with a smirk on her face.
"I don't fancy ending as a Headless Maiden." Femke smirked teasingly as P'li turned red, making Femke gulp. "Have to run." She said before doing just that.
"Get back here!" P'li called as she chased Femke, who used her airbending to dash up and down the boat, much to everybody else's amusement.
"Glad to see everyone isn't on edge about what we're doing." Xai Bau smiled.
"Is she always like that?" Tziza asked as she looked at Femke being held in a headlock by P'li.
"Femke? Yes." Zaheer smiled as he looked at the two girls laughing and playing around.
"She already meant a lot to you back then, right?" Tziza asked.
"It's strange. I've only known her for three years." Zaheer replied with a smile as he watched Femke and P'li fool around on the back of the ship. "Yet to me it feels like she had always been with us."
"That's a yes." Tziza smiled, before she looked at Xai Bau at the other end of the ship, looking at the sea with sadly. "Xai Bau means a lot to you as well."
"He shouldn't have lied." Zaheer huffed.
"He had a reason. His brother would have been hurt otherwise." Tziza said as she looked at Zaheer firmly, causing him to look at her with a mix of shock and realization.
"You knew as well?" He asked, at which Tziza nodded.
"Xai Bau was devastated by your arrest." Tziza said. "Like every uncle would."
"Not enough to come help us." Zaheer huffed in reply.
"You think it would have worked?" Tziza challenged.
"Perhaps, but if he cared so much, he could have shown that by at least trying." Zaheer said while crossing his arms.
"You can't always risk everyone's life to save that of another." Tziza remarked sharply.
"I get it" zaheer nodded as he looked up sadly. "Despite the risk, you could have tried. You two have always been lucky."
"You need more than luck to make it in this world." Tziza said crossing her arms. "And if any of you had said something, everything would have been for nothing."
"We haven't." Zaheer smirked. "They got nothing out of us."
"In any case, your uncle had no choice then to keep silent about you being his nephew. It tore him apart inside." Tziza said as she placed a hand on Zaheer's arm. "I think he's punished enough."
With these words Tziza walked off, leaving Zaheer to think while the watched the girls practice their dancing skills together, Noatak watching them smiling as the girls were getting better at it.
Not a surprise, Femke is a great teacher
Zaheer thought smiling as he looked at the two women interacting. Until he noticed something; Femke had started to float with her airbending while she and P'li were dancing and P'li was airbending along with her.
"What?" Femke gasped when she noticed as well, looking down at their feet, shocked.
"What is it?" P'li asked as she looked down as well now, gasping when she saw the air swirling around them.
"You're airbending!" Femke squealed in delight, stopping airbending herself to show P'li this was all her own doing.
"I've gotten my second element! I'm soaring through them." She smirked.
"Couldn't help yourself there?" Femke asked with a smile of her own.
"No." P'li smirked.
"And they call me silly." Femke answered.
"You're falling behind, Noatak." Tarrlok smirked.
"You too." Noatak smiled as he watched the two woman started to practice.
"I had two, until someone decided to take that away." Tarrlok noted.
"Does that count?" Noatak asked.
"It sure does!" Femke replied, which made everybody laugh.
"We're arriving in a few minutes." Ilene called as she and the other two voortrix girls came from the Captain's cabin.
"Hang on!" Ghazan called before rushing below deck.
"I still have some things to attend to." Tziza said before she also left.
"Race you to the front, P'li." Femke said.
"Alright!" P'li said.
"We're going to see if we can help the captain." Ilene nodded, taking Dizzanna and Selvia along. This left Zaheer alone with Xai Bau.
"Tziza still knows how to clear a room." Xai Bau commented with a smirk on his face, looking to the side only to realize Zaheer had walked to the front of the boat looking at the coast closing in on them.
"I know you're angry at me and you have all the right to." Xai Bau sighed, leaning on the railing along with his nephew. "I would have been as well."
"Despite that you did as my father told you to." Zaheer replied coldly.
"Because I wouldn't have forgiven myself if he had gotten hurt." Xai Bau said as he looked down. "Your mother would have kept her word."
"I know. It could have killed him." zaheer admitted now. "But if Tziza knew, why not let her 'accidently' slip who you were?"
"I couldn't tell anyone. Not even her." Xai Bau said as he looked out over the sea sadly. "I still feel horrible about it."
"As you should for lying to me for over a decade." Zaheer said. "As a silver lining, because of you I now understand why Femke got so upset about me lying."
"Three times." Xai Bau said.
"It was for the sake of the mission. But a lie is a lie and I shouldn't have." Zaheer admitted as he looked down.
"You've grown a lot. You're not that naïve teenager from a rich family I met all those years ago." Xai Bau smiled as he placed a hand on Zaheer's shoulder. "You've learned a lot from the world around you. More than you could have ever learned if you stayed at home."
"That's for certain. The world around me made me who I am today. I was learning from the things I saw. And from the mistakes I made." Zaheer smiled as he saw the coast close in. "Freedom through chaos can't be achieved. I know that now. But all the things we accomplished in between. From meeting the others until the moment Femke saved us. I don't regret it. They're the best friend anyone could wish for."
"You all grew a lot. As a team and individuals."Xai Bau said. "I'm proud of what you chose to do. It can't have been easy. You did what was best for everyone."
"We made a wise decision to stop. But it wasn't easy to give up on the mission we prepared for for over a decade." Zaheer admitted with a small smile. "If we hadn't we would have died."
"Or back in prison." Xai Bau said "I am truly sorry if I hurt you."
"I now know why." Zaheer smiled as he looked up at his uncle. "I forgive you."
"Let's go save Ming." Xai Bau said as he gave his nephew a friendly shove, causing Zaheer to stumble to the side but he managed to stabilize himself quickly.
"Are you alright?" The Red Lotus founder asked with a stern look.
"I'm fine, nothing to be worried about." Zaheer smiled, thanking the spirits when Lee Tong called they had arrived right before his uncle could ask more questions.
"Alright, let's do this." Ghazan said.
"We'll get Ming back. I'm sure of it." Femke nodded, after which everyone exited the boat, intending to do just that.
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That was all for this chapter! I hope you all liked it.
The song being used is 'Can I have this dance?' from the movie 'High School Musical'.
Thanks for reading and thanks paranoidgirl for doing such a awesome job as a beta reader and advisor. Without her this story had never gotten this far.
Please leave a review!