Hello all! Thank you for reading and for all of your support! It's very encouraging :) I'm sorry for this chapter being shorter but I should have the next one out soon. Enjoy :)
After dinner that night, after the Captain and I had left the Rongyu Pearl and boarded the ship again, to set direct course for the Fire Nation, I still couldn't erase his words from my mind. I lay in my quarters, staring up at the steel gray ceiling and listened to him over and over again. "Is there any honor in razing a village to the ground, Anahi?" He had asked me with a surprising pain in his eyes "Is there any honor in orphaning a child?"
Whatever my initial impression of the Captain was, it wasn't that, and my beliefs instilled in me as a child of what firebenders were like were flawed as well. Etka's emotion, his remorse... I had been taught that a Firebender had no heart. How quickly my world was crumbling around me...
That night, I slept with a heavy heart, and did not dream of anything.
The next morning, breakfast was brought to my quarters, and I was told that we had begun our journey to the Fire Nation. I was worried. The Captain's hospitality could only go so far, and then I would be on my own. The thought of finding a place to live, food, clothing, nonetheless a teacher... I rationalized that I could be able to sell some of the soaps and perfumes the Captain had given me to feed myself for a few days, but after that, then what? I didn't want to think about it, and made myself put the thoughts of our arrival in the back of my mind.
I ate alone, worried about seeking out Etka again, and practiced conjuring fire in my hands in my room. I was improving, and nearly every time that I attempted it, I was able to bring back the fire in my hands. Each time was more and more satisfying, and the novelty of firebending never wore off on me. I always made sure that I was alone when I practiced, going off into quiet corridors to practice my stances, and even on the deck of the ship a few times, when I was certain that I was alone.
Slowly, I had begun to see the fire as not something that marked me as volatile, as a danger, but as a part of my identity. The strength and power that flowed through me every time that I bent was invigorating. I had existed for seventeen and a half years, but now, through firebending I felt like I was truly living.
One day, I was out on the deck of the ship, which had become my favorite spot. The fresh ocean air lifted my spirits, and I moved around, shifting stances and playing with the fire, making it arch over my head and around my body. A few soldiers stood guard, but I paid them no mind, moving freely around the flat empty space and trying to send fire out from my fingertips.
I took a deep breath, and pushed out, lunging forward, but the fire in my hands merely extinguished itself. I sighed, frustrated, and heard footsteps approaching. "You've greatly improved, Anahi." I turned and saw the Captain approaching, back in military uniform and smiling proudly at me. I was taken off guard, and felt a blush rise to my cheeks. Had he been watching me? How long had he been? "I'm impressed."
"Thank you, sir," I replied, stopping and formally bowing to him the way I had seen the soldiers do, with my fist pressed against a flat palm.
"We'll be arriving in the Fire Nation within a day," He said, his gaze going beyond me to the open sea. "Anahi, where will you go?" He asked, going over to the railing and clasping his hands over the edge. I joined him.
"What is the name of the port where we will be landing?" I asked.
"We'll be stopping in the Capital city," Etka replied.
"Then I will go there to find a teacher," I answered, fully aware that my response was pathetic. Captain Song turned to look at me, his lips tightly drawn.
"I worry about you, Anahi," He said, and I felt my heart skip a beat. Worry? "You don't know our customs, our laws. The Fire Nation is very different from the Water Tribe."
"I'm sure that I will be able to adapt, sir," I said quietly, looking away. Etka sighed.
"I know that we've only just met," He began, and I turned back to face him in surprise. "And I apologize if I am being too forward. But, Anahi, you have nowhere to go. You don't know anyone, you have no place to stay - "
"Sir, I - " I interjected, but Etka interrupted me.
"Let me be your teacher," He said in a rush, and I stared at him in shock.
"Wh - What?"
"I have a house in the Capitol where you can stay," He added convincingly. "And I've been firebending my whole life. I can teach you."
I was astonished, and I stared at the Captain in disbelief. "Sir, this is going far beyond basic hospitality," I stammered. "I have no means in which to repay you."
"Anahi," Etka moved closer to me, looking me directly in the eyes. He lowered his voice as he spoke, and his sincerity ensnared me. "I don't care about that. Believe me when I say this: your ability to firebend is incredible. For someone who has barely known her ability, you have shown immense prowess."
"Sir, I don't understand how you could judge that - "
"I'm not flattering you," The Captain said, shaking his head. "Even in its early stages, your firebending is some of the best I've seen. Anahi, you hold great power. It would be my honor to teach you."
I was floored by his words, and looked away, off the side of the deck at the rolling waves. I could feel the Captain's eyes on me, and I swallowed. Etka was my only connection in the Fire Nation, and he had given me no reason not to trust him. And without Etka, I had no place to go. He had essentially guaranteed me safety.
I turned back to the Captain and bowed my head. "It would be an honor to learn from you, sir."