Again with the disclaimer: You know the deal, I own nothing. Well, not nothing, but nothing to do with Avatar.
And no, it is not Zutara. Haven't even decided if there will be any romance yet.
Zuko couldn't believe his eyes. His fears of discovery had been realized.
But what to do about it now? Should they run? The thought of running in the night like a coward sickened the young prince. It was bad enough he had been forced to hide himself as a refugee in this Earth city, but to flat out flee was far more than he could stomach.
Should he tell his uncle? Zuko stopped himself as he started to open his mouth to alert his uncle to the current situation and possible imminent capture. No. This was his problem to deal with. His fault and his to fix. Zuko had learned by now that he could rely on himself when necessary.
As he desperately racked his brain to come up with a solution he couldn't help but think something didn't quite add up. Why leave a note? Why warn me, he thought. Had this person merely wanted to, they could have quietly reported his true identity to the Ba Sing Se authorities who could have swept in and captured them in surprise. No, there was something more to this.
Either they were not 100 sure of his identity, or they wanted something from him. The only way to find out would be to meet with this person and find out exactly what they knew and what they wanted. Only then would Zuko be fully prepared to deal with the situation.
So it was decided. When he finished cleaning up the shop, he would sneak down to the western courtyard and stake out the place. Find this person before they found him and uncover their scheme.
And when he found out who this person was, well, then he would deal with them in anyway that he had to. He and his uncle had fought too hard already to have what little peace they had for it to be taken away by some stranger's plots for blackmail, revenge or worse. Zuko would see to that.
After an hour had passed, Zuko excused himself from the small room he shared with his uncle on the pretense that he need to take a walk to clear his head. Iroh nodded to his nephew and cheerily wished him a good night.
With a half an hour to spare before the meeting time, Zuko stealthily made his way to the western courtyard with two shining swords strapped to his back. Thankfully, the streets of Ba Sing Se were mostly empty after nightfall.
When Zuko arrived to the meeting place, he found it quiet and empty. He did his best to conceal himself along the outer edge of the courtyard. That way, he would see anyone arrive before they were able to see him. Assess the situation. Make out whether it was a trap.
He stood there for about 10 minutes surveying the area and surrounding streets when a girl of about 16 slowly made here way into the courtyard. She had long black hair pulled back from her face revealing dark grey eyes and was dressed in typical Earth kingdom fashion. She paced slowly around two small benches as she glanced about the courtyard.
Suddenly her eyes fell right to the spot where Zuko was hidden.
"Good evening," said the mysterious girl stepping towards the shadows. "I'm glad you decided to come."
A slight twinge of relief crept over him. Perhaps he had been mistaken about the danger and this was just a silly little girl attempting to know him.
Zuko took a tentative step forward, not wanting to bring himself completely into the light. After all, it could still be a trap he thought.
"Who are you? And what is it that you think you know about me," he challenged.
She sat down on one of the benches and spoke. "What I know is that you are Prince Zuko, heir of the Fire Lord. I know of your banishment from the Fire Kingdom, of you search for the Avatar and even how you received that scar you carry on your face. And I also know many other things that I would share with you if you would sit with me here."
He tensed up as she spoke those words. Dammit, he cursed to himself. Dammit.
So she did know. He realized it had to be a trap. She must have been charged with distracting him while others snuck up on him to capture him. He immediately studied the immediate area looking for anyone else who may be concealed in the shadows. Well, they weren't here yet so he still had a chance. He wouldn't be defeated by a mere girl. But first he had to learn more of her plot.
"No," he growled as he pulled out his twin blades. "What I would do is kill you where you stand. The only reason that I haven't yet is because I don't know if you have told anyone else about who I really am," he said coldly.
"Calm down, prince," she said with a small smile. "Please give me a moment to explain. I promise am no threat to you. You can trust me."
"How can you possibly expect me to trust you?" he snapped back. "How do I know you won't contact the authorities or haven't already for that matter?"
"Because," she said as she held up her hand, palm facing towards her. Suddenly, from the tips of each of her five fingers burst small but vibrant flames.
Zuko stepped back in shock. She was also a fire bender.
What Zuko didn't know was if her being a fire bender made the situation better, or worse.
Thanks again reading. Please review. It makes me feel so very special inside. More to come soon. I have this story all mapped out and will try to finish it soon and keep posts pretty regular. Especially with good reviews.