I am dreadfully sorry for keeping you waiting for such a long time (3 days lol), but I was terribly busy with helping my father in his shop. A snowstorm hit us and he was the only one in town that sold snowboots, so booming business to say the least! Therefore I didn't have any time to write or update. But here you are!
Chapter 7 – The Blue Spirit
Milah drifted in and out of conscious the next few days and when she was conscious, she was being fed and hydrated by Iroh. She dreamed of glowing eyes, a man with a scarred face and a burning sky. She whimpered. It felt like her skin was on fire and like her body was trapped in ropes again, or still. She didn't know.
Iroh was sitting beside the bed the blue-eyes girl was laying in. He put a cold, wet cloth on her forehead like he had been doing the past few days and sighed. It felt like she wasn't getting better and he feared for her well-being. Her burns hadn't started to heal well and it looked like her body was giving up. But he hadn't given up hope. Part of him knew that Milah was stronger than this. She could battle a fever. She must.
Milah was running and then fell into a bottomless pit, her scream echoing around her.
And then she gasped and sat upright for the first time in a week, fully conscious. The Water Tribe girl looked around her, confused. Zuko was sleeping across from her, in his own bed. It must be in the middle of the night, she thought. She saw a glass of water on her nightstand and took a few sips, noticing the hoarseness of her throat.
''Zuko,'' she whispered, calling out to him. ''Zuko!'' He stirred in his sleep, rubbing his eyes. Then he realised who was calling him and scrambled out of his bed, quickly making his way to Milah.
''Milah,'' he huskily said. ''How are you feeling?'' Her eyebrows furrowed.
''Fine, I think,'' she whispered back and then felt the bandages covering her body. Zuko looked relieved.
''Can I get you anything?'' he asked her and she nodded.
''Some water would be great.'' He stood up immediately and left the room to get a bucket of freshwater. He was shirtless, she saw and marvelled at the sight of his back. After a little while, he came back and she got to marvel again, but this time at the sight of his bare front. A blush covered her cheek.
It's just hormones, she told herself.
Once he sat beside her on her bed and put the bucket of water in front of her, she first filled her cup to drink some more water and then began her healing session. Carefully, she stripped herself out of her bandages. He watched her intently while doing so, but she tried to ignore his gaze as much as possible. It wasn't like she was nude; she wore her sleep attire.
She bent the water out of the bucket and onto herself, massaging the parts where it hurt the most. She slowly saw her own skin heal itself and felt better almost instantly. The fever left her body gradually and she let out a satisfied sigh.
When she was done, she bent the water back into the bucket, but the Prince didn't leave her yet. He stayed still on the bed, gazing at something invisible. He was struggling with something, she could see, and gently put her hand on his shoulder.
''Thank you,'' she whispered. His eyes closed and his lips pursed together.
''Don't say that,'' he whispered back.
''Why not?'' she asked him. His left arm was touching hers slightly and she could feel him tense up.
''Because…'' he began, but wasn't able to finish his sentence directly. He then turned his head to the left, looking her in the eye. Golden met blue. ''Because I'm sorry.''
They never broke the stare. Milah's eyes were sparkling in the candlelight. Zuko's eyes were waiting for her to say something. Anything.
''I…'' she began but didn't know what she was going to say. The hand that was on his shoulder flowed down to his upper arm, then his forearm, and eventually landed on the rough, warm skin of his hand. This broke their stare, both of them looking at their joined hands.
Zuko reacted right away, his thumb lightly and lazily caressing her palm. He could hear her breathing speed up and his own heart started to pump faster. The atmosphere in the room changed and their bodies answered it well. Milah's fingers delicately touched his own and electricity sparked from the tender touch.
Milah suddenly pulled away from her hand, wanting to break the moment that was passing between them. It was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. ''Katara and Sokka, are they…'' she asked him, looking at him. His face had hardened and he had even shifted his weight away from her, she saw.
''Yes. They made it out,'' he told her and stood up from her bed. ''I even let them escape a few nights ago.'' Milah stood up as well, grabbing his arm and turning him around. He looked at her devoid of any emotion. It made her even angrier.
''What do you mean, 'let them escape'?'' Zuko tore his arm away from her grip and gave her a small glare.
''That's exactly what I mean,'' he simply told her with a sarcastic undertone. ''They were not far from here a few days ago. I tried to capture Aang, but I failed.'' He saw her relax. ''Happy now?''
''No,'' she answered him, annoyed. ''Did you hurt my family?'' It was her turn to be sarcastic.
''No,'' he mockingly answered. She let out an aggravated cry and turned around, not wanting to look at him anymore. When she closed her eyes after laying down in her bed again, she promised herself to ask Iroh what happened, tomorrow. But for now, she slept.
He watched her make way towards her bed and couldn't help but admire her legs again. He turned around as well and settled himself for sleep in his bed. That night, he dreamed of long legs, blue eyes and long, wavy, brown hair.
The next morning Milah had a healing session for herself followed by a bath to cleanse herself of the grime that had been building up on her skin for the past week. Currently, she was pulling her hair up in her usual updo and reached for the little trunk that was set by her bed. She was looking for her mother's necklace, it being a huge sentimental value to her, but it was missing from her possessions.
Panic was starting to seep into her body, making her breathe and heart speed up. She rumbled through the borrowed clothes of Iroh and her own torn Water Tribe clothing, but it was in vain.
''No, no, no,'' she whispered to herself with a trembling voice while quickly making her way over to Zuko's trunk. It seemed like the most logical place for her to look. If someone would have stolen it from her, it would be the Prince. Most likely to use it for himself, like the selfish man it was, she thought, but her heart wasn't in the words. It was her rage and panic talking.
She was fiddling through his clothes and items when she found a little pouch. She could feel from the outside that there was something with a pendant in it, but something in the back of her mind held her back from opening the pouch there and then. It felt like violating his privacy and she didn't want to fight him, again. They already fought too much and it wore her down every time.
But before her mind could catch up with her body, she had opened it. The robes that were tight around it to keep it closed were hard to separate, especially with her shaking fingers, but she managed in the end. Carefully, she turned the pouch upside down onto her hand, making the item fall into her palm.
It was a very beautiful gold necklace with a ruby-filled pendant. She recognised it from somewhere. Frowning, she studied the fine threading of the little chains and the sparkle of the little ruby. It was very delicate and obviously Fire Nation style, but she liked it nonetheless.
And then it dawned on her. It was the necklace from the old woman's stand, where she had gotten her clothes. Her clear blue eyes widened at the realisation and her stomach fluttered slightly. He had undoubtedly gotten it for her, seeing no other reason for him to buy it. Unless he had a girlfriend back in the Fire Nation. But he didn't. Surely Iroh would've mentioned her.
She was still holding the necklace up in her hand when the door opened quite suddenly. Startled, she hurriedly closed the trunk and kept the necklace behind her back. But the intruder wasn't just an intruder. When Milah turned herself around, she saw Zuko standing in the doorway.
His burning golden eyes were staring into her blue ones. They stood still like that for a moment, her being caught in snooping through his stuff and he not really knowing how to react. Should he yell at her? Or punish her? But when he looked at her when she was sitting like that, a deer caught in headlights, he knew he couldn't do either those things. There was something about her that ignited a soft spot inside of him, sometimes.
He closed the door behind him and made his way over to her slowly, eventually crouching down in front of her. He could see her gulp slightly, a look of fright apparent on her flushed face.
''I was just…'' she began, but she had to clear her throat. ''I was just looking for my mother's necklace. I think I've lost it.'' Those words made his heart race. Surely she hasn't found…
''But instead, I found this,'' Milah whispered and held up the golden necklace. She noticed the approximate of his face, his scar barely visible in the low burning candlelight. His lips frowned slightly and he smelled a little like Iroh's ginseng tea.
''I, err,'' Zuko began but didn't know what to say. He averted her eyes. She clearly knows, he thought.
''I think it's very pretty,'' she said with a higher voice than usual. This made him look in her eyes again. A little spark was shining in them. She looked very much like her little sister Katara at that moment, but she was much older. Much more feminine. And Zuko did notice that.
''It's yours,'' he whispered back to her. Her eyes grew with that phrase and her lips parted a little. Zuko looked at her lips, full and lush. Tempting him, for some reason. His hand reached for the necklace in her hand and his warm fingers lightly grazed her cold palm. He opened the clasp and leaned forward to put it around her neck.
Their cheeks momentarily touched, making Milah squirm in her seat. He made her nervous and anxious. She still didn't completely trust him, especially after he confessed that he had done something to her sister, again.
Her hair smelled like roses and jasmine like it usually did, he knew. But he had never gotten so close before and didn't ever touch it. But when he put the fine jewellery around her slender neck, he had gotten a feel of it and he could tell it was soft. Her breath tickled his ear a tiny bit, making goosebumps appear on his skin. His fingers tumbled around with the clasp some more and touched her neck multiple times. He noticed the change in her breathing then and his own body responded immediately, blood rushing towards a certain place.
He decided it was definitely hormones when he pulled away from the girl quickly. The necklace shone against her light brown skin and her fingers delicately traced the chain. A single strand of hair escaped her updo and he had to hold himself back from reaching out and tucking it behind her ear again.
Milah tucked the strand of hair behind her ear and marvelled at the beauty of the ruby. It was definitely the finest present she had ever gotten and she couldn't yet reprehend that it came from someone like Zuko. Her eyes travelled from the ruby towards his rising and falling chest and then to his blazing golden eyes. Her heart was filled with all kinds of emotions, but she couldn't let herself fall too deep. It was dangerous, she knew, to feel something for someone like him, someone from the Fire Nation – the heir to the throne, even.
Her eyes dropped down and her hair fell over her shoulders, shielding her face somewhat. She could hear him standing up and walking over towards the other side of the room where the pillows were placed in front of the Fire Nation flag. She also stood up then, knowing she should thank him, at least, for the stunning gift. She sat down next to him on the other pillow and lightly placed one of her hands on top of his own that was placed in his lap. He didn't turn towards her or even opened his eyes, but she started talking anyway, not caring if he cared or not.
''Thank you, Zuko,'' Milah whispered and gave his hand a light squeeze. The furrowing in his brow was barely noticeable, but the Water girl saw it anyway. However, she wasn't going to spend any more time thinking about it, she had enough of her own problems as it was.
In the afternoon, Iroh announced music night on the ship. Milah wasn't feeling like it, having interrogated the old man and finding out the truth about the event that happened between her sister and Zuko. The necklace he had, apparently, tucked away somewhere she couldn't find it. And the hurt he had most probably inflicted on Katara without even thinking twice about how Milah would feel about it.
To say so, she was angry. At him. At the Prince that was currently looking through his binocular at the open sea, only a few metres away from her. A searing emotion was going through her body, mixed with a nagging feeling that made her eyes burn and her throat sore. His uncle was standing next to him, talking but being ignored most of the times. That made Milah walk away from the open air and walk back towards her chamber, wanting to just lie down and sleep for the day. So that's exactly what she did and for a few good hours, she forgot all about her worries and troubles.
Milah woke up from her dreamless slumber by a loud BANG. Her body was thrown from her bed and she hit her head hard on her bedside table. A strong pair of hands quickly hauled her up and grabbed her face. She looked up into Zuko's golden eyes that were burning with concern for her, but once he saw she was void of any blood, he let her go. She stumbled back slightly and was bout to grab his muscled arm for support, but he had pulled away before she could reach it. He had already left the room to check what was going on and she followed after making sure she wouldn't fall on her face the moment she started running.
The minute she was on the deck, she was soaked from rain and seawater coming over the railings of the ship. She held up her arm to shield her eyes from the storm that had apparently started during her nap. Iroh was faintly visible, shouting several orders at the crewmen running around.
''Milah!'' he yelled at her and summoned her. She ran towards the old man and tried to bend the water around her so it wasn't bothering her so much. ''Can you please make sure the ship won't capsize in this storm?'' He saw insecurity in her eyes, her not knowing if she could manage such a thing, but he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
''You can do it,'' he said softly. ''I know you can.'' Milah nodded at him and decided to man up. It wasn't right for her to be terrified of the sea or a simple storm, she thought. Her own element was attacking her and this was her time to shine, so she shook away her worries off her shoulders and took on her bending stance. She saw a big wave coming towards them and had to quickly shift her weight forwards, letting her arms flow like the water she could feel all around her. She saw the wave splitting in two, crashing into the sides of the ships instead of straight on the deck.
The girl let out a relieved sigh and quickly concentrated on the scenery again, but a lightning bolt appeared out of nowhere, hitting the ship. Milah saw her whole life flashing by at that moment and prepared for impact, but it never came. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Iroh getting hit and a horrified, high-pitched cry of grief came out of her mouth for Zuko's uncle. But instead of a black scorched corpse, a living and breathing man redirected the lightning back into the sky. Her eyes filled with wonder and a happiness-filled laugh escaped her. Meanwhile, she could feel another wave wanting to rush the ship again and quickly bent it out of the way, still making sure Iroh was okay.
After the storm passed, Milah tended to the wounded. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were soaked, but no one had died or been seriously injured. The wounds consisted of small head or knee injuries, but she made her way around the party anyway. She learned that Zuko had saved the helmsman from a terrible fate, and a sense of pride filled her chest. A small smile even formed on her lips when she heard the story. All of the men were suddenly talking highly of their Prince and she noticed the change in atmosphere drastically. She knew of the grim relation between Zuko and his men, but the relationship had been repaired that night, so it seemed.
''Thank you for your bravery tonight, Milah,'' Iroh whispered to the girl while she was healing his lightly blistered arms – from the redirected lightning. ''I don't know how we'll ever repay you.'' She smiled at his words.
''You don't need to thank me, Iroh,'' she answered, still busy on his arms. ''However… you could tell me how you managed to redirect lightning like that. It almost seemed like…'' She didn't finish her sentence, not knowing how far she could go with him, seeing he was a General and the brother to the Fire Lord.
''You are right, Milah,'' he answered her and captured her attention. Her eyes were big and filled with anticipation. ''I used a Waterbending move there, you saw correctly.''
''I'm impressed,'' she joked and he chuckled, but secretly she started to question Iroh's motives in life at that moment. He just seemed too kind and too accepting to be Fire Nation. She had never accounted anyone that was as worldly as he was and that didn't look down on cultures that weren't his own, or even people or Waterbending styles.
Milah made her way towards her chambers after the ordeal, completely exhausted of that night's events. Dawn was coming upon them slowly but steady as she had seen just moments ago and it made her yawn. When she arrived, she saw Zuko laying in his bed, his shirt missing from his chest and snoring slightly. She took a moment to admire his fine physique, but before he could somehow notice and wake up, she turned away, changed, and started snoring under her own covers too.
She woke up late that day and knew Zuko had already left long ago. After a quick breakfast, she made way towards the front of the ship, hoping the sun shone and she could relax in its heat. But instead of the sun's heat, she felt another kind of heat when she opened the door that led to the open sky. It was Zuko, practising his Firebending with incredible strength. Milah quickly walked over to Iroh, who was sitting on his usual spot, a teapot in front of him.
''What in the world is going on with him?'' she asked Iroh quietly while he offered her a cup of steaming hot jasmine tea. The old man sighed sadly.
''Word has come for us that Commander Zhao is no longer a Commander, but an Admiral. This means that he could give the order to all Fire Nation troops that all of the information regarding the Avatar should go directly to him,'' Iroh told her with a sullen look on his face. Milah felt for the Prince and glanced over at his practice. His face was set into one of anger and his fist pumps were harsher than usual. It was clearly visible that he was struggling.
''That's…'' she began, but couldn't finish. Worry and relief were both washing over her. Worry for the Avatar and her siblings – she knew of Zhao's heartlessness – but relief that this way, Zuko would get to find out less about the Avatar's whereabouts.
''I understand, Milah,'' Iroh told her. He always seemed to know what you were thinking without telling it and the girl liked it sometimes, but not this time. The subject was sensitive for her, especially because capturing the Avatar was the prime mission of everyone on this ship. ''It's okay to be worried about your family. However, I can assure you, Zuko has never purposefully hurt your brother or sister.'' She took a little sip from her tea and avoided looking at Iroh, watching the Prince training instead. A feeling washed over her, one that made her stomach hurt just a bit.
Later that day, the ship anchored in a harbour nearby. Milah was readying herself to go out to get some supplies for herself when she realised she wasn't feeling like it after all. She already had everything she needed, so instead, she grabbed a book and made her way to a quiet spot on land, the ship in her view.
As the sun was almost disappearing down the horizon, Milah made her way back, feeling sleepy and drained from her lazy day on land. She put the book back on its shelf, having finished reading it, and quickly ate some of the soup that had been prepared as dinner.
And then, finally, she laid down in her bed and closed her eyes. She was dreaming of the moon falling in love with the sun when she was awoken from a slight shuffle. Milah quickly sat up in bed and prepared herself for an attacker when she saw Zuko searching through his belongings, dressed in a completely black outfit. The sight made her frown. What's this about?
The Prince then held up a blue mask. It was designed to look like some sort of spirit. He put it over his head and settled it on his face, then grabbed twin swords from under his bed and strapped them to his back carefully.
Milah was watching him with wonder when he turned around and looked straight at her. She gasped and quickly put her covers around her, laid down and turned herself around to face the wall. It was clear to her that she saw something she wasn't supposed to see and because of this, she wasn't going to push her luck and ask him what he was doing.
The next thing she knew, she woke up alone in the shared room. His bed wasn't slept in and when she looked under it, the twin swords weren't there either. Her frown settled deep into her face and worry slowly started building in her stomach.
When she made her way towards the deck, she spotted Iroh quickly and ran towards him. ''Have you seen Zuko?'' she panted and hoped he would reassure her. However, he frowned and shook his head.
''No, I haven't, but good morning to you too Milah,'' he joked to lighten the mood. It did the trick and Milah chuckled softly. ''He wasn't still in his bed?''
She shook her head as well, then. ''No, and last night he…'' she gulped, not knowing if she should tell the truth or not. She decided to feed him a little lie. ''He went out saying he had some business.''
Iroh looked to be in deep thoughts and stroked his beard absentmindedly. Milah felt the weight of her gold necklace against her neck and fiddled with the pendant to ease her nerves. But it only worsened.
For the whole day, she felt restless. Iroh even announced music night to try and cheer her up, but she apologised to him and told him she had a headache, when really she just wanted to lie in bed and try and sleep, hoping she would wake in the morning and find Zuko's form safe and sound beside her in his own bed.
However, after tossing and turning, she decided to take a walk on land and try to calm her mind. But before she could open the door and make her way out, it opened and in came a very tired looking Zuko. Bags were beneath his eyes and several wounds were visible on his body.
Milah only stood there, stunned, and didn't know whether to go up to him and hug him or to punch him. But she didn't do either of those things. Instead, he didn't notice her still standing behind the partition – where her night robe hung – and startled him when he pulled his shirt over his head, only seeing her when he let it drop to the ground.
Zuko was on his way to change into his nightclothes when he saw Milah watching him with her big blue eyes. He saw her eyes travel over his torso and examining every curve and line on his body, his body temperature rising from her intense stare. He was suddenly aware of his rugged look and tried to cover his injuries, but she had already grabbed his arm to stop him.
''Take a seat,'' she ordered him and made her way over to the bucket that was always filled with freshwater ever since she had moved in with him. ''And don't argue with me.'' He obediently sat down on her bed and watched her actions carefully.
She bent the water out of its place and onto his several cuts and burns. Her hands were moving around his hard stomach and arms expertly and he almost thought that she looked like she was enjoying it. At least, he was. Her cold and wet fingers were tracing every part of his body and he was dreadfully aware of his arousal coming to the surface. She smelled amazing, as she always did, and the way her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth wasn't helping him either.
He tried to concentrate on the previous night's and day's events to try and distract himself, and he could feel his lust making place for anger and disappointment instead. Fortunately, she was done in that very moment and sat back to admire her own work. Her hands were delicately placed in her own lap again and her loose hair was flowing down her own back, not touching him anymore.
And when she opened her mouth to say something, he harshly stood up, almost knocking her over, and without thanking her, he laid down in his bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.
Milah was slightly hurt, she could feel, but she quickly shrugged it off and laid down in her bed again. And this time, she fell asleep almost instantly, her worry almost gone and a small, content smile on her face.