Chapter 26 – A Shocking Discovery

It was dark and lonely in the cell they were holding him. The old man could barely feel his feet most days. The moss and moisture on the walls were giving him headaches and the mouldy hay that was supposed to be his bed had made him sick more often than not, meaning that his back was sore from sleeping on the stony floor for a fortnight. He had been counting the days, waiting out the time until it was right. The General knew about the day that was coming. Any smart person would know what was coming, so it was no strange feat that Iroh had figured out he only had to wait for two and a half months before his chance would come.

He only had to wait, and then he would be free. Then he would set the world free from his brother's clutches.

A pain went over his chest from thinking about the choice his nephew had made. The old man knew it was the Prince's own and that he could only advise and that the choice was ultimately his to make, but it still hurt that the young man had chosen the side where no one cared for him as his uncle did or the woman he had pledged his heart to.

A tear rolled over his cheek, knowing it was too late now and that he just had to wait.

Just, wait.

Not too far away, sailing on a Fire Nation ship was said nephew and his sister, the niece of the old General. It was just after noon when Azula asked Zuko to train with her on the deck, but the latter declined. He didn't feel like going up against Azula, even if it was for 'fun', or whatever she had called it. No, something like that was never fun with the Princess, not when her firebending had always surpassed his.

''Come on, Zuzu. Just five minutes! The idiots on this ship are not even close to my level. You, on the other hand, will be a good sport,'' she tried convincing him, but he shook his head.

''No, Azula. I don't want to fight you. Just leave me alone.''

''You're no fun. What, has Mai gotten to you already? Just let go of that Water Tribe peasant and give in to her. She's better than that Waterbender would ever be,'' Azula mocked him.

Zuko clenched his fists, growing angrier by the minute. ''Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about.''

His sister rolled her eyes. ''That's what everyone keeps telling me these days. Except I know a lot more than you think I do. So just listen to me and get back together with Mai. She'll make you forget all about that Milah girl.''

And although Zuko knew deep down that Azula always lied, he knew it would be easy to just give in to Mai who had clearly stated on multiple occasions that she was there for him in any way. After all, Mai could help him forget about Milah whom he had left once again after she had given him everything of her. After promising that he would never leave her again.

But it was too late now and there was no going back. He could only hope that she was safe right now, that she had found what she was looking for outside of Ba Sing Se and was making a life for herself far from the terror of the Fire Nation.

Far away from him.

Somewhere across the ocean, a Waterbender opened her eyes tiredly, having woken up by the soft rays of the sun falling in through the tiny window of her room. Another girl was still snoring a few meters away from her on her bed while her sister was next to her on the double. A defeated sigh escaped her lips.

It had been two weeks since they had left Ba Sing Se. Two weeks since Zuko had betrayed her, her family and the Avatar by believing the lies of his sister and going with her to the Fire Nation. Back to his father, to reclaim the throne that would one day be his.

Milah climbed out of bed with a grunt, her body aching in places where it normally didn't ache. She had been more tired than usual later and although it didn't really alarm her, she did notice that her period hadn't come yet.

She hadn't told anyone about this, of course, since no one really talked to her anyway.

Except for Amim.

Yes, Amim had convinced the Northern Water Tribe that he had changed for the better and wanted to help fight the Fire Nation to end the tyranny of the Fire Lord. He had also mentioned the friendship he shared with Milah, figuring it would help his case if they believed that Pakku's granddaughter trusted him. Chief Arnook had eventually decided that Amim was trustworthy and had assigned him to her father, Hakoda, to aid in the attack on the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun.

A lot had happened since then and her siblings weren't exactly speaking with her. Not after she had honestly told them what had happened between Zuko and her – leaving out a lot of details of course – together with the fact that they had been married. Now, she didn't wear the ring on her finger anymore. She wore it around her necklace instead, covered by the Fire Nation outfit she was wearing daily.

After washing herself in the private bathroom the three girls shared, Milah wrapped the chest binding around her, being extra careful with her breasts which had become sorer lately – hopefully, because her period was coming and not for the reason she was too scared to admit yet – and made her way to the breakfast area of the ship that was bringing back old, painful but yet comforting memories of moments when it had been so simple.

''Morning,'' Amim greeted her when he saw the Waterbender walk into the room. Even now, after the reuniting two weeks ago, it still felt surreal to see Milah stroll around the ship. Sometimes, he was still scared of seeing Zuko not far behind her, always luring after the poor girl.

But the Prince wasn't here, and Amim was.

''Good morning,'' Milah greeted him back and took some of the food that was laid out on a table before sitting down next to the soldier. His hair had grown since the last time she had seen him over 5 months ago and pulled into a bun at the back of his head and his stubble had grown.

''You need to shave,'' she commented and caressed his chin absentmindedly, making the man before her hold his breath for a moment.

''I know,'' he softly agreed and relished in the feeling of her hand on the side of his face for a moment.

Milah noticed the change in atmosphere and quickly retracted her hand before coughing inconspicuously. She knew the feelings Amim held for her hadn't changed over time, but it was unfair of her to give him the feeling that they could ever be a thing together. Not when she would be forever tied to the man that had broken her heart a million times.

And yes, it made her weak that she still loved him no matter what. But her loving him didn't mean that she approved of everything that he did. No, at times, she even hated him for all he put everyone through. Not only her but his uncle and even the entire world as well. If only he had the courage and wit to think for himself instead of letting others think for him…

But Zuko didn't have the brain capacity to do any of that. And it made her angry, so angry that she started hating him at some moments.

Over the past week, she had noticed that her emotions had been all over the place anyway. One minute she was crying over a broken tea mug and the other she was blaming Zuko for the shards lying by her feet, although she knew it could never be his fault that she had dropped the damn thing.

''Are you feeling any better?'' Amim asked the woman beside him who was chewing on her breakfast slowly.

Milah shrugged. ''I don't know. My stomach is still a bit squashy but I think I'll manage.''

Yesterday, during dinner, she had taken one glance at the roast duck lying on the table and felt the contents of her stomach rising to the surface, making her vomit her guts out over the railing of the ship. Her father had come to help her, had held her hair back while she threw up all of her lunch and had rubbed her back all the while whispering 'it'll be okay' during her time of distress.

She still shivered when she thought about the awful moment and was ashamed that some people might've seen it, but she knew it was a human thing to do.

''Probably caught some sort of illness, don't you think?'' Amim continued, making her feel uneasy because deep down she knew it wasn't some illness. But she wasn't about to admit that out loud.

''Yeah, probably.''

''I should stay away from you then, wouldn't want to get sick in front of everyone like you did last night.''

She gave him a dry look that made him laugh for a moment and she joined in not long after. But all of that stopped when she saw Toph and Katara enter the dining room.

''Good morning,'' she greeted them both and offered them a small smile, which they both hesitantly returned. ''Slept well?''

''Well, there was such a funny thing last night. I could swear I heard someone other than us in the room and when I stood up it appeared to be coming from you,'' Toph told her honestly while putting down her breakfast bowl onto their table. Katara took place beside her.

''What do you mean? What did you hear then?'' Katara asked her.

''A heartbeat or something. I don't know, maybe I'm losing my mind on this ship,'' Toph joked a bit and began eating her breakfast in an unladylike manner.

Katara looked at Milah knowingly, who had become as pale as a ghost. Milah shook her head at her sister, willing her to shut up before figuring out for sure if it was true.

''Maybe you just dreamt it, Toph,'' Katara eventually stated and dismissed the matter altogether. Milah let out a relieved sigh and went on with eating her breakfast. It tasted like nothing in her mouth and did little to ease the sick feeling in her stomach which was already rising to the surface, although this was another feeling than last night. This ache was all nerves.

It was evening when Katara walked up to her sister with a purposeful stride. She had just finished a healing session with Aang and was ready to give the woman a piece of her mind.

''I think I'm pregnant,'' Milah whispered to her before Katara could say anything. Tears welled up in her eyes again when she thought about the life that was growing inside her body. The life that she created with Zuko. ''And I'm sorry, but I need your help. Please just forget about everything and help me, Katara.''

The younger sister looked at her with pity before wrapping her arms around her. ''Of course, I'll help you. Don't worry, it'll be all right.''

''Thank you.''

And so it was that the two women sat next to each other in their washing room in the middle of the night, mixing herbs that would change colours if Milah was pregnant once she had peed in it. And when the transparent mixture went yellow from her pee to green, signalling that which she had already known for weeks, Milah cried out.

In happiness, in sadness, she didn't yet know. All she knew was that right there and then, that piece of life inside her stomach became the most important thing in the world to her.

A/N: honest question, how many of you have seen this coming? I was so excited to write about this because the heartbreak will be EPIC! I just looooove heartbreak, angst, pregnancies and whatnot. I hope I didn't ruin the story for you because I did this, but even then I can't wait to continue writing about the things that are coming. Hence why I decided to give you ANOTHER chapter in one day. I mean, isn't that phenomenal?! I know I think it is :). Hope you enjoyed!