A/N: Sorry for the long absence... I am back now, and I am slowly starting to update my stories again! Enjoy this one :) This is the second part of Chapter 2.
Kill Fire Lord Zuko to restore our family's honor.
Those words, full of heavy meaning, would have sent shivers down anyone's spine, but Zaya didn't even flinch at them. She simply nodded, and walked away while waving to her parents.
A Satomobile was waiting for the young lady in front of the immense gate of the Zimu's estate. Zaya got in the car, and thanked the chauffeur with a nod, while he closed the door after her. During the ride, Zaya stayed silent as she had been doing since breakfast, and watched the streets pass before her eyes, her mind empty of thoughts. Traffic jams began to accumulate on the bridge leading to the downtown that they had to cross to get to the port, making car horns resonate on the busy roads as drivers got upset because of the delay.
The loud quarrels didn't disturb Zaya, who was still focused. Although her face showed no expression, she actually felt nervous, not because of her mission, but because she feared she wouldn't interact well with others. Indeed, the young lady of the Agni Kai group never had a single friend in her life, well not a real friend at least. The so-called friends she made during her childhood were brats from wealthy families like hers, who were just trying to build their network for the future.
Zaya was the only daughter of one of the most prominent businessmen of Republic City. As a consequence, the young lady didn't get the innocent childhood every child would dream of. Despite living in a comfortable environment, Zaya discovered what it meant to be part of the higher class: everyone expected her to perform well in everything and to be the best at whatever she was doing. She didn't have any good memories of her school life. She spent her days studying, then training to get stronger. The pressure from all these expectations made the young girl become aloof. Zaya stopped talking to her classmates around ten years old and shut herself off from the rest of the world, except for her parents. During parties at the Zimu's estate, she would only stand next to her mother and stay silent, faking a smile from time to time when greedy people came to greet them.
Knowing her own weakness in socializing, Zaya let out a big sigh, closed her eyes and rested her head against the Satomobile's window. The wharf was not very far away from her home, but the trip seemed endless for the young woman. Lulled by the rocking movements of the car, Zaya fell into a deep sleep in spite of herself, and did not hear the automobile stop at the crowded port, until the driver knocked on the window to wake her up.
"We have arrived lady Zaya," the driver announced.
She opened her eyes slowly, feeling disoriented. Her vision was still blurry, so she blinked several times rapidly to clear her eyes. Once fully awake, Zaya remembered her mission and its importance, and felt embarrassed that she fell asleep, so she suddenly slapped her cheeks with both of her hands to focus again. She got out of the car, took the bag the driver was handing to her, and nod at him to thank him. The driver bowed to her as she walked away, determined, her footsteps clacking soundly on the ground of the pier. Zaya looked around her, the place was crowded with people wearing dark red uniforms, the United Forces' uniform. There were a lot of young people who also came to register to the United Forces and, without stopping, Zaya scanned rapidly the main place to see if she could spot someone that might be the Fire Nation's young prince. Unfortunately, she did not know how he looked like, as rumours said that Princess Izumi were very protective of her children and rarely showed them in public. No one stood out to her, so she kept on walking and headed toward a big tent that was set up in front of massive ships that held the United Forces' flag. She stood in the line for the registration, still trying to look for the prince, but she still did not find him before it was turn.
"Go to the third ship. You will be in Captain Bumi's faction," a moustachioed man said in a light voice.
Zaya nodded, and walked in the direction he pointed. She stopped in front of the ship. She stared at the entire ship, from the bottom, up to the top of the mast. That was the place she was going to stay for at least the next two years. United Forces' training for soldiers lasted two whole years, and they were allowed to come back to Republic City only once a year. Zimu's plan was for Zaya to find the Prince as soon as possible – though he could not find a way to identify the Prince beforehand so he has to count on Zaya for this part –, then befriend him and infiltrate the Fire Nation's palace when the opportunity came. Zaya reminisced her father's plan in her head one last before embarking on the ship. At the top of the gang, she looked back to Republic City, and closed her eyes briefly as to say goodbye to her homeland.
