Force of Iron
Chapter 3
The Truth: Part One
A Fire Nation royal vessel chugged across the expanse of the big blue, heading homeward. On the horizon the sun was setting, it was twilight, and the darkness of night was quickly sweeping across the sky. The shipped continued on its path across the sea, unaware and unprepared for the approaching danger. For several smaller ships, hiding in the darkness, sneaked up on the royal vessel, preparing to attack. They would finally have their revenge, and their redemption.
Meanwhile on the ship, a young Fire Lord sat in his office, conversing with some of his council members, and generals.
Suddenly an injured crew member stumbled into the office, reporting that the ship was being over run by an unknown band of rouges. Everyone, even though they were taken completely by surprise, prepared to fight.
The rouges stormed throughout the ship, killing every one in their path. The attack was like a tsunami, unexpected yet powerful. They raged their way into the room killing everyone who raised a weapon to fight them. The young Fire Lord fought back all he could, but he was easily over come, due to the fact that he was outnumbered 10 to 1.
As a rouge raised a blade to end his life, a voice in the doorway commanded him not too, saying that he wanted him alive.
'But sir you said to leave none alive'
'I'm well aware of what I said, but those that kill their own flesh and blood don't die of old age'
The young Fire Lord was injured and fighting unconsciousness, yet he understood every word that the mystery man meant.
'Take him down to the prison hold' commanded the man in the doorway.
Men grabbed the young Fire Lord and began to half-drag him half-march him to the brig below. He was too weak and injured to fight back.
As they passed through the threshold of the door way, he was able to see the man who killed his men and overrun his ship. He was the spitting image of him, his identical twin, without the scar that was imbedded on his flesh years before.
Before they started their march down the hallway, his twin stopped them, pulled out a knife and slashed the knife down the side of the Fire Lord's face, leaving a trail of blood from his eyebrow, down across his scar to the cheek, avoiding his eye.
The dragged him down the brig where he was sealed up in a cell for a few days until they reached a deserted island, its only occupant, a dark prison, where very few people have left alive, even if you were a guard.
They dragged him down through the prison, black hood over his head. They tossed him into a cell eventually. Against his will they locked an iron mask around his face so no one would recognize him.
Before they closed and locked the steel door, his twin stood in the doorway, only having a few words to say before he left. Most of it the young Fire lord phased out of due to his injuries, but only a few words actually caught his attention.
'I wouldn't try to escape; you wouldn't want to burn your beloved would you'
'Is she really as beautiful as they say they are, well I'll just have to find out for myself.'
With that the door to his cell closed as well as the door to his freedom.
Hours later Katara awoke with a jolt from a shaky slumber. She sat up in her cell shivering, missing the warmth of her Fire Nation home, as well as Zuko's warmth. She pulled her cloak tightly around her, in hopes of easing the chill within her bones.
She remembered the recent dream she just had. 'Was that what really happen?' She highly doubted it knowing her mind had a way of playing tricks on her from time to time.
'But then again if Ozaian is Zuko's identical twin brother, all Ozaian would have to do is get a fire bender to scar his left eye, and make it look at least somewhat identical to Zuko's.'
There was no window of any sort in her cell, which made enabled her to tell if it was night or day outside.
Hours passed and she found her self bored stiff. The only things that she could do were sit, breath, think, sleep, and listen to the sound of the metal shackles around her wrists clank whenever she moved her hands.
She really didn't understand the point of being chained anymore; she was locked away for safe keeping it seemed. There was nothing to bend with, and no one had paid her a sort of visit ever since she was put in her cell. She hated having cold metal around her wrists all the time.
'Cold Metal'
Her brain suddenly struck a cord. She remembered that whatever the old maid had given her felt like cold metal. She reached into her pocket, ignoring the difficulty the shackles gave her. She grasped it within her pocket, pulling out her hand. When she opened her palm she eyed the object curiously. Wondering why the maid had given her this. It was a small, ornate sliver key, attached to a matching sliver chain.
She looked at the locks on her handcuffs, but the keyholes were too large. She glanced at the metal door and could tell from wherever she was sitting that the key wouldn't fit in that lock either.
So for safekeeping she placed it around her neck, hiding it under her dress. She feared that if they saw her with it, they would take it away from her. She didn't want that to happen, because something deep inside of her told her that it would come in handy eventually. Just as the cold metal fell against her chest, the door to her cell opened. A guard marched in grabbed her by the arm, roughly pulling her to her feet, and half dragged her out of the cell.
Katara could only hope that wherever he was taking her would be to where Zuko was.
They placed a black hood over her head as they led her through what seemed like a prison, due to the cold stale air and the sound of stone under heavy boots.
She couldn't understand where they were taking her. A wave of fear rushed over her. She was sick of being kept in the dark all the time; she wanted answers more importantly she wanted the truth.
Suddenly they stopped. Katara almost ran into the guard in front of her. But the guard paid it no mind as he roughly took the hood off her head, and began unlocking her shackles. She glanced at her surroundings. They were in a hallway made entirely out of dull gray stone. Except for the solid metal door they stood in front of.
She felt her handcuffs fall away from her wrists as the steel door opened. They shoved her inside the dark room. Quickly closing it and locking it before she could react.
Katara looked into the darkness of the room; she couldn't see a thing, with it being pitch black, and no windows.
She saw no one else in the cell with her, which could've meant only one thing. Zuko was dead and they were going to kill her as well.
She silently cursed herself for being so stupid. 'Why couldn't I have left sooner? If I did I could've found Aang or my brother and spread the news that the fire lord wasn't Zuko, and help stop a war from starting. Why? Why? Why?'
She felt herself on the verge of tears.
She felt around in the darkness for a wall of sorts. After a few moments of aimless wandering, she felt it and was surprised by its coldness. She noticed that the walls were slightly curved instead of being perfectly flat and straight.
She felt something under her shoes. Using the wall as a guide she scooted down to the floor. Feeling what ever it was under her shoes, she realized it was hay.
She gathered what hay she could find to sleep on, or at least enough to make a place to rest her head. After placing the cloak over her hay pile, she laid down. She buried her face in her cloak, and let the tears loose from her sapphire eyes, crying herself to sleep. In her mind Zuko was dead, and she only wished they would kill her soon, because the sooner they did the sooner she would be with her beloved Zuko again.
Well here it is 3rd chappie
I hope you like it, cause this was kind of a bitch to right, and mostly because my cat wouldn't let me type a single word without clawing at my hands. I swear he loves to annoy me.
But anyway I hope you like this chapter, if it gets corny let me know, or if it seems I left out a part plzz let me know, not just because I love getting reviews, but so I can make reading fanfics more enjoyable for everyone.
I'll try to update soon
see ya:)