The Highest Bidder
Chapter Twelve: A Firebender's Honor
Before, I mentioned a man with the vile temper that General Iroh and Prince Zuko did not like. Captain Zhao was quite the ruthless man and he lived up to the reputation, even near death. Of all of the soldiers that I met when I was in the Fire Nation, even when I was still a member of the imperial city, Zhao was not one of my favorite people to speak to during my spare times in my childhood. He was demanding in his militaristic rule; and furthermore, his Firebending was out of control. That man didn't have a sense of the word 'discipline' for himself, but he kept his soldiers in a very straight line.
When I awoke from my temporary unconsciousness, General Iroh was sitting on the side of my bed with a concerned expression on his face. He didn't have to tell me that it had come as quite a shock when I passed out on the foredeck; it hadn't happened since I joined them on the quest. I wasn't accustomed to fainting after using my powers, but fatigue had set in after assisting the crew to get back onto the ship; it hadn't helped me at all when I insisted that I would dig up the ship from underneath the avalanche of solid ice. The ship was moving, so I assumed (with good reason) that the engineers fixed the internal damage; and that they were able to get along with little effort.
At the farthest side of the room, across from my bed, Prince Zuko leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. He apparently had been watching over me this whole time. It was a pleasant gesture, and it made me certain that General Iroh was right after all: it seemed that Prince Zuko did like me. This was reassurance on my part, for I realized that he appreciated my efforts to help the crew; and although he wouldn't say it aloud, I thought he meant well by standing there in the corner, observing.
If I should be so bold to inform the audience of my feelings for present-day Fire Lord Zuko, I would like to say that although the relationship could possibly never become more than just very close friends, I had always believed that Prince Zuko and I would have formed a casual alliance at one point in time. As embarrassing as it is to inform the entire audience about my feelings for Fire Nation royalty, I believe it is crucial for the listeners to understand that I did feel incredibly close to him. Although we summarily never courted each other, I felt quite attached to the Fire Nation prince.
This, as you will find out later, is why it is a bit of a stretch to say that my loyalties were inclined to the Fire Nation princess, Azula, considering what I have just elaborated.
Prince Zuko approached my bed with an awkward bedside manner. General Iroh had more experience in caring for able-bodied soldiers; and although Zuko looked at me with uncertainty, his attempt to ask about my wellness was appreciated in spite of that.
"I'm fine," I said when he looked at me that way. I sat up slowly in bed. My head was pounding as a result of my prior actions of the day. I slid back onto the mattress with a second thought.
"Prince Zuko has some news to tell you," General Iroh said to me with a wide smile.
"Uncle."
Zuko's voice reaffirmed when he spoke; he had sounded at first as if he was hoarse. General Iroh granted him the necessary solitude as he strode out of the room and closed my door quietly. Zuko looked at me calmly.
"You didn't have to do that," he said. "My men would have moved the ice by themselves."
"You wouldn't have caught the Avatar," I replied.
Zuko considered my statement and said in resolve,
"Mura, I was talking to Uncle earlier, after you fainted. And he said that because you rescued the lives of those on board, and that you tried to pull the Avatar's bison down to us, Uncle Iroh thinks that 'Captain' isn't exactly a worthy title for you anymore."
I snorted,
"It's not like I'm getting paid to stay on the ship."
Zuko nodded his head understandably.
"Yes, but the soldiers also think the same thing," he muttered. "So you're Commander now."
He surveyed my facial expression.
"You don't seem surprised at all," he said.
"Zuko," I began calmly, "I don't care about my title. As far as I know, I'm not even a soldier. I don't fight hand-to-hand combat; despite how well I've been trained. However," I sighed, "I'm not exactly saying that I don't want to be Commander Mura. It just seems off track that I would be promoted twice in seven months."
"Then forget I said anything," said Zuko apathetically.
I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.
"Zuko, I'm getting the feeling that this isn't what you have to tell me."
"Actually, it's not."
"Then what's the other thing?"
"We're pulling the ship into a nearby harbor."
"Well, that's great!" I exclaimed, sitting up.
"The harbor belongs to Zhao."
I stared at him. My uneasiness was apparent on my face as Zuko nodded to confirm the horrible gut feelings rolling in my stomach.
"Uncle told me that technically, you can be arrested for—in this case—impersonating a Fire Nations naval officer," he said contently. "But Uncle says that if you come with us on the shore, we can explain that you're an aide for the crew."
"The last time that I saw him, I was twelve; and Fire Lord Ozai put him on an assignment to come after me." I said seriously. "What makes you think he'll be so civil?"
Zuko nodded.
"The ship needs repairs, and we can't pass up this harbor. Just keep calm, and for our sake, control your…" he gesticulated at my body for a word. "Gift."
I sighed, annoyed.
The harbor was a Fire Nation naval yard. Tents and buildings made up most of the landscape; ships were tied and ported on the long, wooden deck. As Zuko, Iroh, and I made our way down the bowsprit, we entered the navy yard; I imagine we looked like an unhappy group. And who would be happy, I ask you? The entire place smelled like smoke, coal, and something else—though I'm not sure that I ever want to know.
"Uncle," said Zuko, "I want the repairs made as quickly as possible. I don't want to stay too long and risk losing his trail."
"You mean the Avatar?"
Zuko turned on his uncle angrily,
"Don't mention his name on these docks! Once word gets out that he's alive, every Firebender will be out looking for him, and I don't want anyone getting in the way."
"Getting in the way of what?"
Zuko and General Iroh turned their expressions to a figure that approached behind me. When I looked to see who had made my Spatial Sense tingle in the back of my head, it was a tall, burly soldier with sideburns, hands behind his back authoritatively.
My stomach might have fallen out of my butt if my alignment wasn't so carefully stitched together. In my response, I fell back behind Zuko and General Iroh.
Zuko crossed his arms,
"Captain Zhao," he said with evident distaste.
"It's Commander now. And General Iroh—" he bowed—"Great hero of our Nation."
"Retired General," Iroh replied courteously.
"The Fire Lord's brother and son are welcome guests any time." His eyes then fell upon me, "However, I don't think I recollect this young woman before."
Zuko frowned as Zhao reached out to me, grabbed my hand, and kissed my bare knuckles.
I drew my hand out of his grip.
"Commander Mura," I said. I was disappointed to hear that my voice had completely lost its defiance, and it sounded like I had just drank a full gallon of water.
He apparently hadn't forgotten about me after all, for he stared at Prince Zuko and General Iroh in obvious fascination.
"Well, well, well, Prince Zuko, you keep odd company in your wake, don't you?" he drawled. "Why are you harboring a fugitive?"
"She's not a fugitive," said General Iroh.
Prince Zuko took it upon my well-being to stand in front of me as Zhao approached me.
"Mura," continued Iroh, "has provided my nephew and me a generous service aboard our ship. She is an excellent soldier."
He looked at me considerately, though I tell you now that any man who looks at a girl like that surely isn't a good person. General Iroh gestured for Zuko to step aside; and Commander Zhao stepped toward me with a scrutinized gaze.
"You're the witch," he recollected.
"Telekinetic," I corrected him. My voice didn't fail me this time.
Zhao cocked an eyebrow at me, and turned to Zuko.
"Well," he resigned, "if she is as brilliant you say then she is welcome here as well, I suppose. What brings you to my harbor?"
Iroh gestured to the heavily damaged bow of Prince Zuko's ship,
"Our transportation is being repaired."
"That's quite a bit of damage," he said.
"Yes," said Zuko, "you wouldn't believe what happened." He gave General Iroh a sideways glance and immediately passed the buck. "Uncle! Tell Commander Zhao what happened!"
Iroh's eyes grew wide as he absorbed the burden,
"Yes, I will do that. It was incredible." He leaned over to Zuko and whispered, "What…did we crash or something?"
"Uh, yes!" Zuko said uncomfortably, "Right into an Earth Kingdom ship."
I mentally face palmed my forehead.
"Really?" said Zhao. "You must regale me with all the thrilling details." He put his face right up to Zuko's in an obvious challenge. "Join me for a drink?"
"Sorry," said Zuko, "but we have to go."
Zuko grabbed my sleeve and turned for us to leave, but General Iroh placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.
"Prince Zuko," chastised Iroh gently, "show Commander Zhao your respect. We would be honored to join you. Do you have any Ginseng tea? It's my favorite."
Zhao smiled triumphantly. He approached me quickly before I could react. I uttered a surprised squeal and stepped away from him.
"You must have a great memory," he said confidently. Zuko's grip on my wrist tightened. "How about you tell me what happened? Surely with your telekinetic powers, you must have an astonishing eidetic memory."
"I do," I said boldly, glaring at him.
He chuckled, turning to Iroh.
"They almost act alike. Someone would think they're dating. Come along, General, I do believe I do have a few bottles stashed somewhere."
General Iroh and Commander Zhao walked down the dock. Zuko released me. He growled in frustration and released fire from his fists angrily. I stopped him.
"Zuko," I said quietly, "as attractive as I find your outbursts of your temper—and I do—perhaps you should leave the thrilling details to me…"
He nodded in agreement, and we followed the officers.
The plan for not staying too long was out the window. I was sure of that.
Two guards, flanked by large standing firepots, stood at the ready in front of the tent. Commander Zhao sat at the table in front of us; and General Iroh and Prince Zuko sat in two comfy chairs. I remained standing. Zhao indicated me for to make myself as comfortable as I desired, but I declined silently.
Zhao made me so uncomfortable that no amount of pleasantries would soften my instincts. He might have sensed this, and so did Iroh and Zuko, for he noticed that my reactions were delayed the kettle on the table and the tea cups on the end tables: they were floating a few inches on the surface, quivering.
Zhao smirked in my direction.
"You have quite a gift, Commander. Why are you so uneasy?"
"I recently had a headache, Sir," I told him flatly.
"Well, whatever makes you feel comfortable, please do it." Zhao said.
He looked at me as if I was some water maiden. Then again, Iroh and Zuko did tell me that I looked older than my age. I partially anticipated that the ruthless brute expected me to be twenty instead of sixteen.
"Now, tell me. How did you crash into an Earth Kingdom ship?"
"We were heading a course for an air temple," I invented rather easily. Zuko and Iroh looked at me with innocuous surprise. "Prince Zuko ordered that the engines weren't working fast enough, so Lt. Jee and his men lit fires under them. The helmsman wasn't at his post; he and a second man were arguing about the long journey, and I had to interfere; they started Firebending, you see, and I can't. So I had to control them."
"I see, I see," Zhao said melodically, "And uh, where were your commanding officers?"
"General Iroh was sleeping; Prince Zuko was meditating," I said swiftly.
"Hm," Zhao muttered. "And that's why the Earth Kingdom ship crashed into you? Awfully sketchy, Commander Mura. I believe that your Spatial Sense gives you the advantage to sense oncoming targets."
"I thought they were oceanic creatures," I answered deliberately. "Sharks, dolphins—fish. I assumed that our vessel was the only thing on the water."
"Clearly not." Zhao said critically.
"Clearly…" I muttered, frowning at him.
"And then…?"
"We crashed into an Earth Kingdom ship, and in order to disengage in an oncoming battle, I had to pull the entire vessel to safety," I lied smoothly. "Hence the headache."
"My, my," Zhao drawled. He glanced at Iroh and Zuko, who both were staring at me in astonishment. "That's quite a story."
"Isn't it…" Iroh muttered.
Zuko smirked,
"I told you that you wouldn't believe what happened…"
"Well," Zhao said resignedly, rising to his feet. "These things won't happen often."
He observed the large map of the world behind him.
"By year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be under our rule." He turned to Zuko. "The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war."
"If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool."
Zhao sat in a chair beside Prince Zuko.
"Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue." A pause. "So…how is your search for the Avatar going?"
Behind us, Iroh tipped over the stand of weapons that he had been examining. The commotion brought the conversation to a halt. Iroh cringed at the mess he had made.
Iroh sheepishly stepped aside,
"My fault entirely."
I smiled at him fondly. A wave of my hand gave the weapons on the floor my permission: they assembled themselves back to their original positions on the rack. Zhao, slightly amused, glanced at Iroh who strode to stand beside me.
"We haven't found him yet." Zuko answered.
"Did you really expect to? The Avatar died a hundred years ago, along with the rest of the Airbenders.
Zuko averted his eyes guiltily; Zhao looked upon him with an eager face.
"Unless you found some evidence that the Avatar is alive."
"No. Nothing."
Zhao rose from his chair.
"Prince Zuko, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you've found."
"I haven't found anything," said Zuko. "It's like you said. The Avatar probably died a long time ago."
I intervened on his behalf,
"The Avatar isn't the only one who can stop the war."
Zhao looked at me.
"If the two Nations join together then unity can overthrow Fire Lord Ozai."
Zhao frowned at me.
"And you wonder why you're not welcome in our city," he said disdainfully.
Zuko rose from his seat and tried to exit, but he was blocked by guards; they crossed spears in front of him. A guard passed them and reported to Zhao calmly,
"Commander, we interrogated the crew as you instructed. They confirmed that Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody, but let him escape."
I saw Zuko's shoulders fall in defeat. Zhao approached me with a devious smirk,
"Now remind me…" He turned to come up from behind Zuko. "How exactly was your ship damaged?"
It was drawing near mid-afternoon. Zuko was seated in an armchair; a pair of guards stood behind him. Iroh sat beside him in a second chair. Zhao approached me slowly, all the while looking at me with partial amusement and vanity.
"My, my, my, Prince Zuko," he drawled. "You have a quite a girl on your crew. She certainly has the tongue of a talented liar…and thief. So, Commander Mura, a twelve-year-old boy bested Prince Zuko, General Iroh, you, and the other Firebenders, right?" He turned to face Zuko. "You're more pathetic than I thought."
"I underestimated him once, but it will not happen again." Zuko said.
"No it will not," Zhao replied. "Because you won't have a second chance."
Zuko's face was alarmed,
"Commander Zhao, I've been hunting the Avatar for two years, and I—"
"And you failed!" Zhao rounded angrily; flames erupted from his hand as he swept it in an arc from left to right. "Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave in a teenager's hands. He's mine now."
Zuko launched himself at Zhao in frustration and anger, but he was restrained by the two guards that stood behind his chair. Zhao turned to me; Zuko watched us with an angrier gaze. Iroh's face contorted in a silent alarm.
"As for you," he said gently, "you're welcome to join my crew, seeing as how your loyalty follows the highest bidder."
He grabbed my hand in his pair.
"You have quite a gift. You'd be useful in an armada."
"My loyalties don't belong to you," I snarled, pulling my hand away from him.
Zhao scoffed and slightly pushed me in my shoulder to make way through the door. Zhao gave an order to his guard to keep us here. Zuko, in a further act of anger, kicked over a table that had been sitting beside General Iroh. It was smashed into pieces. Iroh watched the scene calmly,
"More tea please?"
It was evening when Zhao opened the flap of the tent and re-entered. Iroh and Zuko sat in chairs facing each other. I stood behind Zuko, not wanting to have my arm stolen from me again.
"My search party is ready. Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship, and you will be free to go."
"Why?" Zuko demanded. "Are you worried that I'm going to try to stop you?"
He laughed.
"You? Stop me? Impossible."
Zuko stood in defiance,
"Don't underestimate me, Zhao. I will capture the Avatar before you."
Iroh rose to his feet,
"Prince Zuko, that's enough!"
Zhao scoffed,
"You can't compete with me. I have hundreds of warships under my command, and you…you're just a banished prince. No home. No allies. Your own father doesn't even want you."
"You're wrong!" Zuko cried out. "Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honor and restore my rightful place on the throne."
"If your father really wanted you home, he'd have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar; but in his eyes you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."
"That's not true."
"You have the scar to prove it."
Zuko launched himself to his feet, brought his face within inches of Zhao's, and with a cry of indignation, said angrily,
"Maybe you'd like one to match!"
"Is that a challenge?"
"An Agni Kai. At sunset."
Zhao sighed,
"Very well. It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your uncle will do…and your pretty girlfriend."
Zhao turned and walked out of the tent.
"Prince Zuko," Iroh said quietly, "have you forgotten what happened the last time you dueled a master?"
"I will never forget."
I turned to him.
"Zuko, honey, as much as I am admiring you right now, you don't have to do this."
Iroh nodded,
"Mura is right, Zuko. This really isn't necessary."
Zuko turned to look at his uncle in obvious malcontent.
"Commander Zhao is taking everything from me. I won't let him take this night. I will find the Avatar before him; but tonight, I'll show him…" His breathing became shallow. I stepped in front of him. "I'm going through with the challenge whether you want me to or not."
I sighed shakily. The young prince was adamant. I looked away from his eager face only for a passing moment; then I wrapped my arms around his neck and embraced him. He was taken aback by my embrace, and he pushed me away, startled.
"What are you—?"
"Encouragement," I said with a shrug. I smiled. "As much as I don't want you to get hurt, I seriously want to see you bring that man down."
He gave me a quirky smile.
That's right, ladies and gentlemen. I wanted Zhao to be defeated more than anything.
"I think that if he wins, he'll ask me to dinner," I added, and shuddered at the thought.
Zuko didn't find that entertaining. In fact, I might have made him detest Commander Zhao even more. It wasn't my original intention; I meant it to be a light joke for a serious conversation. Then I realized that it was Zuko, so I automatically threw that joke out of the ring.
"Come on, you two," said Iroh with a deliberate sigh. "We might need another cup of Ginseng tea."
At sunset, General Iroh brought me to the edge of the arena, a simple four-walled structure with watch fires on the four towers at each corner. There was a large open gate. The sky was a glorious mixture of Fire Nation hues: red, orange, and yellow. Zhao was at the other side of the arena, knelt in front of four of his men in attendance. Zuko was knelt in front of General Iroh and me. He was bare-chested, and a determined glint was in his eyes. Once more, I felt the oncoming rush of adrenaline run through my body as he rose to his feet. It was that familiar feeling of excitement and uneasiness; though I can't tell you which was the more overwhelming.
"Remember your Firebending basics, Prince Zuko," Iroh said. "They are your greatest weapons."
Zuko stood up and looked toward Zhao,
"I refuse to let him win."
I put a hand on Zuko's shoulder and turned him around to look at me.
"Just watch your step, you idiot…" I said playfully.
Atop the gate, a gong sounded. Both men faced each other and assumed the Firebending stances. Prince Zuko fired the first shot which passed harmlessly to Zhao's left. He fired again; this time it passed without effect to Zhao's right. Zuko fired several more, the last of which Zhao blocked satisfaction on his face. Frustrated and losing control of his breath, Zuko moved toward his opponent and unleashed more fire from both his hands and feet. Zhao dodged or blocked them all. Zhao crouched forward and shot flames at a point on the ground close in front of him.
The flames flew past Zuko—Iroh grabbed hold of my wrist and pulled me out of the way.
"Zhao!" Iroh said angrily. "Keep the fight between the two of you!"
Zuko glanced over his shoulder; the remnants of the flames that came toward me vanished into wisps of smoke. I wasn't afraid. It simply made me angry that Zhao aimed for me instead of his original target.
"Basics, Zuko! Break his root!"
Zhao fired many volleys of flame, alternating between his fists. Zuko blocked each, but was slowly forced back. On the last volley, Zhao used both hands, and it knocked over Zuko, sent him skidding backwards into the dirt. Zhao took a flying jump at him—fire in his hand.
"Zuko—"
"No, Mura, this is fight!" Iroh grabbed hold of my waist to stop me from interfering.
As Zhao fired right at him, Zuko rolled out of the way just in time, and as he was getting up, he swept Zhao's feet from under him. Zuko landed on his feet, and Zhao struggled to get up.
"Kick his ass!" I yelled.
I admit that during a fight, I was probably the worst type of person for an unbiased stance. I hated Zhao for most of my life, and his constant jibes toward Zuko and me really didn't help me like at all. It was a bit extreme for me to yell that during an Agni Kai; however, Zuko wore a slight smile as Zhao struggled to gain balance.
Zuko advanced toward Commander Zhao while using his feet to produce small waves of flame that rushed toward his opponent. Zhao was caught off balance, and he wobbled slowly backward. Iroh clenched his fist in an expression of hope, and smile began to spread across his face.
Zuko finally laid out Zhao flat on the ground with a blast of fire. Zuko rushed up to him deliver the final blow.
Zhao cried out, "Do it!"
Zuko released the blast that shot off in the distance. He stood erect, dropping his fighting stance. A hole in the ground produced smoke. I wasn't a little disappointed to have seen Zuko refuse to do what should have been done in an Agni Kai; although he seemed to have done the right thing in my eyes, for I felt myself smile in gratitude. Zuko was a fighter, but he wasn't a brute like Zhao.
"That's it?" Zhao challenged. "Your father raised a coward."
"Next time you get in my way," threatened Zuko calmly, "I promise: I won't hold back."
Zuko turned his back and came walking toward us. I ran up to him and embraced him proudly.
"You did wonderfully!" I sighed happily. "You know, for a moment there I thought—"
With a howl of anger, Zhao unleashed a whip of flame from behind Zuko; I pulled Zuko to the floor of the arena to avoid the dishonorable attack; however Iroh had rushed in between Zhao and us; he grabbed Zhao's outstretched foot and hurled Zhao back into the dirt with little effort. I stood up and helped Zuko to his feet.
Zhao scurried to his feet and attempted throw another jet of flame—I grew frustrated with him; and motioned from above—the gong, under my control, pulled away from the Firebenders and hurled itself toward Zhao, who dodged out of the way, ending up in the dirt again.
Zuko realized what had happened, and he rushed toward Zhao to avenge the assault, but Iroh stopped him.
"No, Prince Zuko. Do not taint your victory."
"That girl must be quite a sore loser," said Zhao, "in order for her to lash out at me like that…"
"That girl," said Iroh, a look of condescension on his face, "assaulted you for the attack you attempted on Prince Zuko. This is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat. Disgraceful. Even in exile, my nephew is more honorable than you."
Zuko looked at General Iroh with surprise on his face at the comment. I smiled, once more proud of him.
"Thanks for the tea," said General Iroh. "It was delicious. Zuko, Mura, let's go."
I didn't follow immediately. I walked up to Zhao and bent down on my knees.
"You know," said Zhao in subdued anger, "your boyfriend won't protect you forever. You're still a fugitive from the Fire Nation, and I now know that you're still alive."
"Is that a threat, Commander?" I asked softly.
He frowned at me,
"You're a clever girl, Commander. Why don't you figure it out?"
I didn't need much more from him; I joined Zuko and Iroh outside the arena.
Zuko asked him quietly, "Did you really mean that, Uncle?"
"Of course," answered Iroh slyly. "I told you Ginseng tea is my favorite."
Zuko smiled to himself as we walked back to the ships in the harbor.