Book 1: Water

Promised myself I'd update tonight, so yay for keeping promises. :)

Having a social life seriously cuts into fanfiction time... I'm not even sure how I got one. I've never had one before, but when I haven't got a free weekend for 8 consecutive weeks, for non work related reasons, I have to bite the bullet and admit that, somehow, I have acquired one. It's the weirdest thing.

Never the less, I'm going to keep writing and updating when I can. Updates just might be a bit further in between, and for that, I'm sorry.

As always, I'm just so glad people are reading this. You all mean so much to me. Thank you.

oO0.0Oo

Book 1: Chapter 8

They pulled into a ship yard, miles out to sea. An entirely metal rig for the construction and repairs of Fire Nation ships. Though it looked like it had seen better days. Rhian lent on the railing, looking at the mostly empty ports. The rig looked mostly abandoned, though she didn't think it'd look much better, even if it wasn't. The whole place just looked creepy.

She didn't know why they were here. A crewman had interrupted Zuko's firebending practise to tell him a messenger hawk had arrived. Minutes later, they had changed course and here they were. The creepy rig in the middle of the sea. Fun.

Zuko joined her and together they left the ship, meeting an older firebender at the foot of the gangway. "Prince Zuko. Welcome to our prison." He said. "I am the warden–"

"The Avatar was here?" Zuko cut him off, walking past him onto the rig, Rhian keeping pace behind him. The warden hurried to keep up.

"Yes. Mere hours ago."

"Show me where." Zuko snapped.

"This way, Prince Zuko." The warden, sped ahead of them, leading them further into the cold metal docks.

"This place is a prison?" Rhian asked, staring around her. It looked like a construction and repair dock for Fire Nation ships.

"Yes." Said the warden. "Earthbenders were sent here, surrounded by metal and water and far from any land or rock they could bend."

"Oh." She muttered. She guessed that made sense. "So, how did they all escape? I assume they all escaped, with how quiet it is."

"The Avatar, and a young water tribe girl." The warden sneered. Ah, Rhian nodded with a smirk, Katara obviously made no friend of the warden here.

They entered the containment yard. Coal and dust lay everywhere and several bars on the outer perimeter were bent in odd ways. This was clearly where the riot had taken place. Zuko walked to the edge of the yard, while Rhian was drawn the other way. Several -blankets and old over-shirts where strewn around the place. They looked dismal. Old and worn out, she felt a pang of sympathy for the poor Earth Kingdom soldiers who must have used these. They didn't look nearly enough to protect against the cold.

Kneeling down, Rhian picked through the old blankets when something fell out of one. Hitting the ground with a soft thump. She froze, staring at the object, her breath caught in her throat. With shaking hands, she picked up the small teddy-bear.
Why would a captured soldier have a teddy-bear?

"Rhian. Look at this." Zuko said from behind her. "It's that water tribe girl's necklace."

"Zuko? Who was held here?" She asked softly, not looking at the offered necklace.

He hesitated before answering. She noticed. "Earthbenders." He said. "Come on, we've found all we can here. Let's get back to the ship before the Avatar's trail goes cold.

Rhian didn't let go of the teddy-bear, carrying it with her as she followed Zuko. "Earth Kingdom soldiers?" She asked.
Zuko hesitated again, and sighed softly. "No. My father made it illegal to practice earthbending in the occupied Earth Kingdom. The prisoners here where earthbenders from the occupied villages."

Rhian's hands shook on the bear, and she ground her teeth together. "Why?"

"Because any earthbender could be dangerous. He did it to wipeout resistance and eliminate any threat."

Rhian swallowed hard. The more she learned of Fire Lord Ozai and the Fire Nation in this war, the less liked any of it. And the more afraid she was.

oO0.0Oo

A few days after they left the rig they had lost the Avatar's trail and stopped off to find it again. Rhian and Iroh decided to make the most of the afternoon and packed a picnic lunch. After they'd eaten, Iroh went exploring and Rhian tried to convince Zuko to relax and climb a tree or something. He didn't of course, and left her to it to find Iroh.

"Rhian, it's time to leave." Zuko called from the ground, emerging from the trees. Laughing, Rhian swung upside down, her knees hooked over the branch of the tree she was in. She really loved being off the ship.

"Did you find Iroh?" She asked, letting her arms swing below her.

"Yes." Zuko said, gathering together the remains of the small lunch they'd had.

"Then where is he?"

"He heated some natural springs he found. I gave him half an hour to get back to the ship, or we're leaving without him." Zuko hooked their bags onto the komodo rhinos

"It's not like you to give time extensions, Zuko." She smirked. "What'd Iroh do?"

"He stood up."

Rhian fell out of the tree, clutching at her eyes. "Oh, ew! Ewwwww! Why would you tell me that?"

"You asked." It was Zuko's turn to smirk.

"You're a cruel, sadistic boy, Zuko." She scratched at her face, trying to rid herself of the mental image. She focused on the cords of her pipa, pretending to play a song in her mind until she could block the thought entirely.

"Are you done?" Zuko asked, standing over her.

"Let's just get back to the ship." She sneered, climbing to her feet and walking to her rhino.

oOoOoOoOo

Iroh missed his deadline. Rhian wasn't worried, that was just Iroh. But when sunset came and went and he still hadn't returned to the ship, she agreed with Zuko it was time to look for him.

She still wasn't worried. If anyone could take care of themselves, it was Iroh. He taught them everything they knew, after all.

"Uncle!" Zuko called, pushing aside a low-hanging branch. "Uncle, where are you?"

It was a nice spot, Rhian admitted and she could see why he would want to spend an afternoon here. But Iroh was nowhere to be seen.

"Sir, maybe he thought you left without him?" One of the soldiers said.

"No, Iroh knows better then that. He knows Zuko wouldn't just leave. And I wouldn't let him." Rhian said, looking around. "But he wouldn't keep us waiting like this."

"I don't make idle threats," Zuko defended himself.

"Not the time, Zuko." She waved away his protest.

"But you're right. Something's not right here." He examined the clearing. "That pile of rocks!" He gestured to the jagged stones in the centre of the spring. They certainly didn't look like they'd be comfortable for lounging around.

"It looks like there's been a landslide, sir." The soldier said.

"Land doesn't slide uphill. Those rocks didn't move naturally."

Okay, maybe Rhian was starting to worry a little.

"My uncle's been captured by earthbenders!"

Yeah, maybe now was the time to worry.

oOoOoOoOo

Their komodo rhinos moved quickly, racing along the dirt path. It was the only logical way the earthbenders could have gone, and as the sun rose the two teenagers where able to travel more quickly. Despite bickering, yet again.

"Rhian, for the last time, go back to the ship! I'll save Uncle Iroh." Zuko snapped.

"Yeah, I'll get right on that." Rhian snorted, moving her rhino ahead of his.

"Rhian!"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first twelve times, Zuko!" She glared at him. "And I told you, I'm not going back to the ship until we save Iroh. And that's– what's that?" She stopped her rhino, pointing to the centre of the path.

Zuko jumped off his rhino to pick up what looked to be a shoe.

"Isn't that Iroh's sandal?" Rhian said.

Zuko sniffed the shoe and flinched away, his face disgusted. Rhian threw her arm over her face reflexively, as though that would save her from having to smell the shoe too. "Eww, Zuko!"

"Yep, that's Uncle Iroh." He said, simply.

"Why did you have to smell it?"

"We must be catching up." He ignored her, pushing his rhino into a run.

oOoOoOoOo

The tracks of the earthbenders ostrich-horses got clearer and clearer the faster they moved. They must be getting closer, until Zuko stopped. Rhian didn't notice at first and kept her rhino following the tracks. "We must be getting closer, these tracks are really fresh– Zuko?" She looked around, finding the Fire Prince staring into the sky about twenty yards behind her, his rhino half turned away from the path.

Turning around, she joined him. "Zuko? What's wrong? We have to keep moving. Did you find something?"

He looked at her. Stared heavily into her blue eyes. Curious, worried eyes. Eyes that trusted him. "Zuko?" She said again and he turned back to the road.

"No, nothing. Let's keep moving. The longer we're here, the more trouble Uncle Iroh's in."

Rhian stared after him. What was that about?

A soft roar sounded in the distance and Rhian snapped around to see the flying bison floating away from them.

The Avatar, she thought, turning to yell after Zuko. But she hesitated. Torn, confused. As a friend, she should tell him. But Iroh needed their help. What if Zuko wanted to go after Aang instead? Surely Zuko would see that helping Iroh was more important right now? Wouldn't he?
Trust him. You do trust him, don't you? She thought to herself. …Of course I do.

"Zuko," She called. "The Avatar!"

"I know." He yelled back. "Now hurry up, or we'll lose Uncle Iroh's trail."

She let out a relieved sigh, relaxing before she'd even noticed she was tense. Of course, she'd never doubted him for a second. And if she was grinning slightly as they rode away, it was probably just because she was happy to be back to finding Iroh. Yes, that had to be the reason.

oOoOoOoOo

Zuko and Rhian kept as quiet as possible as they crept to the rim of the crater. They peeked their heads over the edge to see five earthbenders shackling Irohs hands to the top of a raised rock.

"What in the world are they doing?" Rhian whispered.

"I don't know."

One of the earthbenders spoke. "These dangerous hands must be crushed." He said, pulling a large rock from the ground.

Rhian's eyes flew wide. Crushed?!

Without a thought, Zuko jumped into the crater, fly-kicking the rock away just in time. With a swing of his foot, he broke the chain holding Iroh's hands together.

"Excellent form, Prince Zuko." Iroh said, moving to a defensive position.

Zuko followed suit. "You taught me well."

"Surrender yourselves." The earthbender leader said. "It's five against two. You're clearly outnumbered."

"Ahh, that's true." Iroh sneered, whipping the chains still attached to his wrists. "But you are clearly outmatched."

Rhian leapt into the crater after them, somersaulting onto the leader's shoulders and taking him down heavily. "And it's five against three." She snarled.

The fight was over quickly, Iroh's words easily proving to be true. The earthbenders where very outmatched.

Zuko dodged boulders and firebent left and right, his form impeccable while Rhian caught the stones thrown at her and threw them back, at one point picking up an eathbender himself and throwing him into one of his comrades. Iroh used his chains to wrap around or shatter rocks. When the last earthbender went down, Iroh's chains wrapping around his ankles and breaking his root to the ground, the three stood in the crater, victorious.

Zuko proudly put his hand on Iroh's shoulder. "Now would you please put on some clothes?" He said.

Rhian grinned at them. "I'm just glad we found you in time, Iroh. But, yes. Clothes. Please."

oO0.0Oo