A/N: Okay I am soo sorry it took so long. I have been really busy with the Holidays (I went to my dad's for a week also) and now everythign with midterms...anyways here is Chapter 5. As always tell me what you think ^_^
I woke up to an inky, nearly palpable darkness. I was used to this, but it was a different darkness than just no light. There was some light; it was just covered and only a small line of it came through a part of the wall. I sat up in the comfortable unfamiliar bed and looked around me, slowly remembering where I was.
I stood and walked over to the small light before I realized it was a window. I grunted as I tried to open it, but was unsuccessful. I walked over to the other light peaking from underneath the door. It took me a moment, but I eventually figured out how get it open and I discovered myself in the passageway of the ship. I moved through the passageway until I found a ladder. Climbing it, I found my way to the deck above where I saw a circle of light.. Was I still inside? No, I could feel the breeze. The sight of this glowing orb was so unfamiliar until I realized what it was. During the entire time I was in prison I was never allowed out of my cell at night. It had been so long, I almost didn't recognize what I was looking at. Suddenly I realized....... It was the moon.
I looked around at the few people who were on deck, then took an unsure step forward. A little voice in my head nagged at me, warning me to go back to the Firelord's room. I ignored it, however, and took a few more steps, fearing that I would be discovered and punished for being out of place.
When nobody yelled at me I walked slowly up onto the deck. I looked around at the curious eyes of the ship's crew . None of them told me to leave like I had feared they would. Instead they seemed almost, friendly? I continued forward, sailors moving out of my way with what I had, until recently, only seen exhibited towards senior Fire Nation officials. I reached the bow of the ship where I gently rested my hands on the railing. The crew busied themselves or at least tried to make it look that way, but I still noticed the glances every few seconds.
I pushed the thought of their curious gazes to the back of my mind and focused instead on the rolling sea. I saw the moon reflected in the water. Closing my eyes, I could feel the call of the moon. Even though it had been so long since I had experienced it, I could still feel the call. It was a calm night and the sea rolled in gentle smaller waves.
Out of nowhere my hands began to move on their own as if they were someone else's. I watched as they played out little patterns and it took me a moment to realize what I was doing. The water below the ship caught my attention and I watched it roll abnormally along with the movement of my hands. I was waterbending! I let my hands form intricate patterns and watched the effect they had on the water. I started to concentrate more and more not really knowing where the memories came from. I made the water do what I wanted it to.
I was interrupted as I heard some of the men talking. I turned hoping that my bending hadn't been noticed; I didn't want to cause a scene. But when I turned I saw Firelord Zuko talking to one of the men. The man he was talking to pointed in my direction and Zuko looked up at me with relief in his face. He slowly walked over to join me.
"I saw the cabin was empty and I was worried you had run off somewhere…or worse." He said trying, without success, to hide the worry that was quickly leaving his features. Replacing it was a kind smile which slowly spread across his face with uncertainty.
I smiled back appreciatively. It was a good thing to know that my disappearance had worried him. It meant he cared about what happened to me and I mentally scolded myself for thinking anything less of him. He was a repentant Firelord and probably thought of me as a wounded creature.
"I apologize for worrying you, Firelord. In all honesty I wasn't really sure where you were and so I just came above deck. I truly didn't mean to sleep that long," I added, slightly embarrassed. "I guess the bed was just so comfortable compared to my old one that I couldn't seem to pull myself away from it."
"I'm glad it suits you," His smile was effortless now. "The one at my home should be even more comforting."
I thought about what he said I and I wondered to myself if "the one at my home" would be shared or if we would have individual beds. I couldn't stop the small tremor in my fingers as I thought about what he had said when I asked him my question.. I would eventually have to provide him with an heir and part of me wasn't sure I could do it. What if the time came and I said no? Would he force me? Would his people force me? The lack of answers to my questions scared me probably more than the questions themselves.
"You look terrified, is something wrong?" Zuko noticed my features as my thoughts trailed away.
"Sorry, my mind has a tendency to wander, it's nothing." I said giving him a reassuring smile.
"Well I'm going to get some sleep, if you get tired," He glanced in my direction as if he was ready to measure my reaction. "Just return to the bedroom you slept in before."
"Thank you." I said while wondering why he would be trying to measure my reaction to that. He excused himself though and walked down the stairs below the deck.
I played with the water a little more and after a while I realized I should do so in shorter sessions because it wore me out quickly. I yawned and decided it was best to get a few more hours of sleep. I walked below the deck and to the room I had been sleeping in before.. I opened the door and noticed something about the room had changed. There was now an unfamiliar mass occupying one corner of the room. There was a small candle lit and I walked over to pick it up and brought it to the strange new addition to the room. It took me a moment to understand exactly what it was.
"Zuko…" The word was a whisper and I looked at the man asleep on the small mattress that was laid out on the floor. I looked over to the bed and saw it was empty and I realized why he had been measuring my reaction to his words.
This was his room and he didn't want me to be uncomfortable with him in the room. I wish he would have told me because I would have offered to take the mattress on the floor rather than take the bed that belongs to him. I didn't know what I could do now because I didn't want to wake him from what seemed to be a genuinely peaceful sleep.
I looked over the features of his face and they were gentle, and calm, almost like a young boy's face. He was lying on his left side so his scar wasn't visible, but I found myself wishing it was. I wanted to see his whole face and see how his past affected his features. I thought of what kind of monster his father must have been and the corners of my mouth pulled down into a frown.
A part of me wished badly for Ozai's suffering for what he did to Zuko. I knelt down next to Zuko and reached my hand out. It almost touched his face, but I stopped for fear that I would certainly wake him. I wondered what kind of monster could hurt a man as kind as this. I let my hand fall to my lap and I sighed deeply. If only these were different circumstances. I found myself wishing wistfully.
I ignored the funny feeling in my stomach as the thought ran through my mind and stood up to walk over to the bed. I laid down on it and found myself dreaming before I was even asleep.. The dream was of a man and a woman; both of them were truly happy and had never seen the pain that Zuko and I had. They were innocent and gentle and most of all happy. I hoped that even with our pasts Zuko and I might have something close to happiness someday.
When I awoke again it was light out and the window was now open. I sat up and looked around the room only to find that the mattress in the corner was gone. There was no trace that Zuko had been there at all. Maybe it was all a dream? That couldn't be right though.
I stood up and went over to the door. My hand was hesitant on the handle, though I couldn't figure out why. I pushed the anxiety away and opened the door. When I walked out into the hall I mentally laughed at myself for being afraid. A guard – though still a young boy – rushed past me and gave me a kind smile. I wasn't a prisoner anymore, not here. In this place – in my new life – I was a friend, a guest, someone to be taken seriously and yet to be lighthearted with. I was enjoying every minute of it.
"Excuse me," I called out to another man walking through the hall. "Could you tell me where to find the Firelord?"
"Of course, my Lady, he is in the kitchen with his uncle." The man gave me a respectful bow and turned away.
"Thank you." I called after him.
I wandered through the hall until I found the door with a sign next to it that said 'Kitchen'. I knocked on the closed door, hoping I wasn't interrupting anything.
The answering "Come in" was not Zuko's voice and I assumed it must have been his uncle's. I opened the door and walked slowly inside.
Zuko's expression lightened when he saw it was me and he stepped forward to open the door the rest of the way for me.
"Ah, Kona, it's nice to see you again." The older man said giving me a polite smile.
"I don't think I got a chance to introduce you before, but this is my uncle, Iroh." Zuko said gesturing to the smiling old man.
"Would you like some tea? It's my favorite, Jasmine tea." Iroh offered and I replied with a polite smile since he was already pouring the cups. He handed one to me and I sipped it.
"Wow! This is amazing." I said taking in a bigger sip.
The tea wasn't too bitter or too sweet and it had the hint of a secret ingredient in it. It floated over my tongue like a cloud where it seemed to caress my taste buds. It was the most amazing thing I had ever tasted in my entire life.
"Why thank you, at least someone enjoys the tea today." Iroh said giving Zuko a look that made me wonder what had been going on before I came in. Zuko's expression was irritated as well.
"We should be docking right about now." Zuko said gesturing for us all to walk towards the door. He placed a hesitant hand on my back and we walked out of the kitchen with his uncle right on our heels.
We all walked out onto the upper deck and I saw the men hustling about bring the ship closer to the dock. The three of us walked past all the busy men and stood at the railing onthe side of the ship as a piece of the sideboard was sent over, providing us with stairs.
Zuko walked down first then offered a hand to me and I walked down slowly being as careful as I could manage with Iroh supporting me from behind. I knew I was a bit klutzy sometimes, but it seemed like they were overdoing it just a little.
There was a small group of people our age standing on the land at the end of the dock and we walked over to greet them. There were two men and three women. One of the men was bald with a tattoo of an arrow on his head – he must be an Air Temple monk because they're the only ones I had ever heard of who had those. His eyes were a light grey color and his arm was wrapped around a woman with very long brown hair. Her eyes were a blue color. Water Tribe! The other man had brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and his eyes were blue as well. Another Water Tribe member! His arm was wrapped around a woman with shoulder length light brown hair and light brown almost grey eyes. The last woman had short black hair and her eyes were a light faded green color.
"I can't see are they here yet?" The last girl shouted.
"Yes, Toph, they're here." The bald man said with a voice that was so light hearted and joyful that it made me want to leap and play.
We approached them and the minute we set foot on the soil the girl named Toph jumped on Iroh giving him a big hug.
"I haven't seen you in forever, Iroh!" She said happily.
"It has been a long time, Toph." He said with a smile while hugging her back.
"It's good to see you again Firelord Zuko." The bald man said with formality.
"It's great to see you too, Avatar Aang, in fact it's great to see all of you." Zuko replied back with a smile.
I fought to keep my chin from dropping to the ground. The Avatar! He was right here within touching distance. The almighty one who had defeated Ozai and he looked to be younger than me even. Except his eyes, they seemed aged beyond their years.
He turned to me then and gave me a warm smile. I blushed and looked down. Zuko seemed to notice my awkwardness and to my relief introduced me to the strangers.
"This is Kona," He said gesturing to me and the others stared at me in a form of awe. "She is soon to be my bride to be." He finished giving me a reassuring smile.
I gave an uncertain smile; a part of me had forgotten that little – yet oh so important – detail.
"It's wonderful to meet you, Kona." The deep blue-eyed girl said giving me a warm smile. "She's beautiful, Zuko, how did you get so lucky?" She gave a small laugh as she turned to Zuko.
He turned and gazed down at me with a strange look in his eyes. It took me a moment to figure out that his eyes seemed to be asking the same question as the woman had asked. Only his eyes were not joking like she had been.
"Well, welcome to the family, Kona." The boy with the ponytail said giving me a big smile that I couldn't help but laugh at. It was a short laugh, but a laugh still and it surprised me. "I'm Sokka." He said offering his hand out to me. I took his hand and he shook mine vigorously.
"I'm Suki." The girl with short brown hair said offering her hand to me. Her handshake was gentler, but still firm.
"I'm Toph." The girl with short black hair said, but I had already heard her name said.
"Hello." I said since the girl hadn't offered her hand.
"My name is Katara." The girl with longer brown hair said. Instead of offering her hand though she wrapped one arm around my shoulders and gave me a side hug.
"And I'm Aang." The Avatar said giving me a bow. I wasn't sure what to do. It had been so long since I was at court. So, I bowed as well.
"You must not have had suitable women's clothing, Zuko." Katara stated looking me over. I blushed and felt extremely underdressed. "You're from the Central Water Tribe aren't you?"
"I was, but…" My voice trailed off and everyone nodded in understanding.
"I think I can rummage up an outfit to look at least similar to the old Central Water Tribe clothing." She gave me a bright smile and I smiled back appreciatively.
"That's kind of you Katara, but I've already had some clothing made for Kona." He stated plainly. "If you'll excuse us we must tend to our needs now; we'll be out again for breakfast." He said before placing his hand behind my back again.
We walked away and left Iroh there talking with the guests about the trip and about the new changes to the prison..
We walked through a maze of halls before we got to a large door. Zuko opened it for us and he and I stepped through into a large room. A very large bed occupied the middle of the room and dressers on either side with wardrobes next to them. There was a desk at one wall and a lounging couch a few feet from the end of the bed. All in all it was an amazing room. The wood carvings on everything were delicately intricate. The smooth bedding looked to be silk and it was a deep red color. There was netting around the bed for minimal privacy and probably more for looks than anything else.
"Do you like it?" Zuko's soft voice behind me made me jump a little and he chuckled at my start.
"It's beautiful." I said willing my heart to slow down.
"As I said I ordered for some clothes to be made for you. You have multiple outfits in your dresser and wardrobe." He said pointing to the clothing holders on the other side of the room. "There's a changing room over here that you can use once you've selected your clothes." He said pointing to the door on this side of the room.
I walked over to the dresser on the other side of the room and opened the tope drawer. There were sufficient pieces for the under part of the clothing. I pulled out a couple and laid them on top of the dresser then moved on to the next drawer down. It had silky nightgowns which I touched, remembering another place and time, when I used to wear such finery. I closed that drawer, opening the next one. There were many skirts all different shades of blue and red. Apparently he was allowing me to choose something comfortable while still encouraging me to try something new.
I closed the drawer and walked over to the wardrobe and saw the same colors as the skirts only in shirts and dresses. I looked through the beautiful dresses and found one that I liked. I grabbed my choices and hurried over to the changing room.
When I was finished I opened the door slightly and peeked out. I was surprised to find Zuko staring at me from the lounging couch. I wondered how long he had sat and stared at the door waiting for me. I hoped it wasn't too long.
"Is everything okay with the clothes?" He asked curiously.
"No, they're perfect, they just seem too…" My voice trailed off as I searched for the right word. They were too good for me, but I didn't want to put it that way.
"Too…what?" He asked slowly.
"They're too fancy for me." I decided and then thought that sounded bad so I went with my original term. "They're too good…for me." I said looking down
He chuckled and when I looked up at him his eyes had a glint in them. "Nothing is too good for you." He said giving me a warm smile and I felt my heart skip a beat.
I made to protest, but he stopped me by standing up and walking toward me.
"Just let me see how you look and then I'll be the judge of what's too good for you." He said putting on a fake impatient face while waiting for me to open the door the rest of the way.
I complied and opened the door to reveal the dress I had chosen. It was blue on the top and the bottom skirt part of it was blue with red lacing over it. The shoulders were set down to the top part of my arm and they were just bunched up red lace about an inch wide. I stared at the floor, partly out of embarrassment, partly out of fear.
When I looked up at him to see his reaction his mouth was slightly open and his eyes were in a straight stare. I blushed and looked down; I couldn't remember ever having this reaction from a guy for anything. I looked up again and he was still staring with his mouth open and I couldn't stop the giggle that escaped my lips..
He seemed to snap out of his trance and he took the few steps needed to close the distance between us.
"You look absolutely amazing." He said taking my arm and escorting me towards the door.
"You don't think it's too much?" I asked letting doubt color my tone.
He simply shook his head and I felt the color in my cheeks deepen.
"May I escort a lovely lady to breakfast?" He said with his voice full of formality.
"You may." I said smiling brightly.