The exiled prince rubbed his temples in frustration, attempting to tune out his uncle's chattering and the roar of the raging storm outside. The maps in front of him were all leading to no where, and he was still unable to track the Avatar's course. He gritted his teeth together angrily.
"Well, we're running low on tea so I suggest we stop by a port before continuing…" Iroh teetered on, stroking his goatee.
Just when Zuko felt he was going to snap, there was a knock on the door. His golden eyes looked up almost gratefully at the iron door.
"Yes, what is it?" He snapped testily as the door opened to reveal his lieutenant.
"Prince Zuko, we've found a stowaway on board. What should we do?" He asked halfheartedly.
The prince sighed. "Send them in…"
The lieutenant opened the door wider to allow two other crew mates to drag a crumbled body by the elbows further into the room. It was sopping wet, and dressed in a pitch black tunic with long tresses of white hair hanging low in their face.
Zuko stood from his seat at the long table and crossed the room to the stowaway. He attempted to look at the face without touching the body, but found it next to impossible with all the hair in their face.
Seeing the prince's frustration, one of the men holding the body grabbed the mass if hair and pulled the head back, but when he saw the face, he recoiled as if burned. Zuko didn't blame him; it wasn't often a girl snuck onto the ship.
He snapped his fingers and the crew men dropped the girl to the floor, where she attempted to prop her self up weakly. Zuko looked at her with pity, but no sympathy.
"There was also a bag found on her, sir." His lieutenant continued, throwing a long and thoroughly wet bag onto the table. He then excused himself and left the three alone.
Iroh quickly turned the bag towards himself, smiling. "I wonder what a stowaway has in a bag, hmm…" He poked carefully around the object as Zuko turned back towards the sea battered girl.
"Who are you and why are you on my ship?" He asked briskly.
The girl remained silent, still trying to stand to her feet but her body was shaking with weakness. Zuko rolled his eyes, walked over to the girl and nudging her with his foot. She easily rolled onto her back, sprawled out pathetically on the floor as he stood over her threateningly.
"I won't ask again." He growled. "Who are you and why are you on my ship?"
"T-the storm…" She stammered and spat out a mouthful of water. "It capsized my row boat…"
Iroh looked up quizzically from rummaging through its contents. "You mean to say you got on after the storm hit us? How on earth-?"
"You'll find… A comma with a grappling chain in the bag." The girl sputtered tiredly.
"And you climbed up the side?" Iroh gaped almost admiringly and rummaged around in the bag. "Oh, found them…" He pulled out the weapons she had described and dropped them on the table.
Zuko raised a brow disbelievingly. "What were you doing out on the open ocean in a row boat?"
He heard a faint scoff escape her lips. "What are you doing on a ship? Obviously, I was traveling."
Zuko frowned and opened his mouth to give a haughty reply, but his uncle interrupted him.
"What are you doing with this?" The old man voiced and held up a long tube. He threw it to his nephew, who dumped it into his open palm. As his golden eyes took in the object, he felt his temper flare.
"How did you get a scepter from the Earth Nation?" He hissed and slammed the priceless object on the table.
"Don't break it!" The girl snapped harshly.
"Answer me or I will!" Zuko retorted threateningly.
"A-a friend gave it to me!" She said hurriedly.
Zuko frowned and held it with both hands as if to snap it in half.
"Fine! I stole it!" She gasped, exasperated.
"You stole it?" Zuko growled and put the royal item down. "Do you realize what you've done? You just brought a sacred Earth Nation artifact aboard a Fire Nation ship! Do you realize who they're gonna blame?"
"Do I look like I care?" The girl fired back angrily. "It's my scepter and if you damage it you'll regret the day you were born!"
Zuko smirked venomously. "Too late. Guards, take her to the cells!"
As she was drug roughly out of the room, Zuko dropped the scepter back into the case, staring at it from across the table. He had to hide or get rid of it somewhere, or else the Earth Nation would blame his father and just send him into a deeper shame…
Iroh sighed and pushed the bag aside. "She seemed like a troubled youth… Whoever she was."
It was only then that Zuko realized she had avoided his most important question. Just who in the hell did he let on his ship?