Chapter Fifteen: Advice

"Alright. Almost done." Natsumi smiled and held up a small mirror. "There. What do you think?"

I stared at my reflection and cringed at the red eye-powder, blush powder, and red lip-stain coating my face. "I look ridiculous."

"Well, you'll have to get used to it." She set the mirror down and knelt behind me. "Now let's do something with your hair."

Leaving the front of my hair loose, she brushed the rest until it was smooth enough to place in a large bun at the very top of my head. She tied a red ribbon around it to hold the bun in place and then retrieved a pair of shears. Moving again, she sat in front of me and pulled the front of my hair taut.

"What are you doing?" I said.

She lifted the shears to my hair. "Trust me. It'll look great."

I furrowed my brow. "But–"

My words fell on deaf ears as she sliced my hair shorter in one sweep. She cut my hair. Cut my hair. My hair. I'd taken such good care to grow it back after Zhao burned a huge chunk of it off four years ago, and now it was ruined again because of the same jerk. I watched the severed strands fall on my lap and parts of the floor. I don't know why, but it felt like a part of me fell with them. Natsumi held her mirror up again. The front of my hair now rested as a set of bangs that feathered along my eyebrows. I grimaced. I didn't even recognize myself.

There was a knock at the door, and Natsumi left my side to answer it. "What is it, Katsu?"

"Admiral Zhao has requested for the prisoner to be taken to his quarters," his voice echoed from the hall.

A shiver ran down my spine. I was being summoned to his room?

"Of course. Just give me a few more minutes to prepare her." Natsumi closed the door and knelt in front of me. "Hey, Tashi. It's going to be okay."

"No, it isn't. Did you hear what he said?" I hung my head and trembled. "I can't do this."

"You have to try. If you piss off the Admiral, he'll have you thrown back in that cell smelling of charred flesh. Believe me, you don't want that," she said.

I shook my head. "But I don't know what I'm doing. If he touches me again, I'm gonna scream, or bite his fingers off, or both."

Glancing at the door, Natsumi sighed and kept her voice low. "Listen, if you want to get through this, you need to be smart. Take it from me, kid. Men like the Admiral are easy to manipulate."

"How?" I said.

"In your case, it's simple." She smiled. "You have something he wants."

I frowned and looked away. "Something I'm not willing to give."

She placed a hand on my shoulder. "And if you're as clever as you seem, you won't have to."

"So what do I do?" I said.

"Why do you think you're here instead of dead? Because keeping you as a prize validates the Admiral's power. Feed his ego enough, and he'll give you anything you want." She winked. "Just be smart about what you ask for."

"Actually…. I do have some experience with that." I furrowed my brow. "But I thought it was a dumb teenaged boy thing?"

"You'll learn in time that some men never really grow up." She stood and helped me to my feet.

Natsumi led me to the door and handed me off to Katsu. He was wearing his mask, so I wondered how she could tell who he was. Maybe it was just familiarity.

Okay. You can do this. It's no big deal. I took a deep breath. Just appeal to his ego. You can do this. You'll survive. You always survive.

We reached Zhao's quarters, and when I saw him standing just outside of the door, all of my bravado vanished.

I can't do this. My heart raced. Please kill me.

Zhao smiled and nodded to Katsu. "Thank you. I'll take it from here."

Katsu handed me off to him and bowed. Zhao took me inside and sat me in front of a large table. It was covered in an array of maps, books, and scrolls. The rest of the room was heavily decorated unlike Natsumi's, but it had the same dreary atmosphere. The only thing that truly caught my attention was a portrait hanging above on the wall. It was a man with long, black hair, a thin goatee, and gold eyes, and in his topknot was a golden, five pronged hair-clip, kind of a flame-like crown.

"Wait…." I glanced over it again. "Is that the current Fire Lord?"

"Very observant and correct." He sat beside me. "He is your current Fire Lord as of today, and once I'm through with you, you'll be a devout servant of the Fire Nation."

Zhao cupped my face with his hand, and I froze. I didn't want to be here. I didn't even know what I was doing.

"My, Natsumi did an excellent job." He glanced down and frowned. "Though, I'll have to get you better clothes. These don't suit you."

I had been given more modest clothing, which consisted of a red, short- sleeve tunic and burgundy pants. I wish I could've worn shoes, but Natsumi didn't have anything that fit.

I started to tremble. "Please, don't."

"I can do whatever I want with you. I thought you would've understood that by now," he said.

"I…." I slid away from him. "Why can't you just kill me? You had no problem doing it before."

"And yet, here you are. Still alive like a pesky insect that can't be squashed. No. As I've said, you will be of use to me." He grinned. "And you should be honored. You'll actually live to see the new world the Fire Nation creates unlike the Avatar and your other friends."

Come on. You have to humor him. I glanced at some of the maps. "And what kind of world would that be? What's it like?"

"You'll find out soon enough." He grabbed my tunic and pulled me closer. "Now, how about a kiss for your master?"

I froze again. Natsumi was wrong. I couldn't do this. Teasing teenage boys was one thing. It was fun watching them get so easily flustered, and you know, the fact that I was also a teenager. Here I was trapped with a middle-aged creep, and I was completely terrified.

"What's the matter, little air-bender?" He chuckled. "Does being around a real man make you nervous?"

Screw feeding his ego. If it was any larger, it'd sink this ship. I closed my eyes. But what can I do? Maybe I could try to bite his tongue out? Can people die from that? No, that'd never work. What if I picture someone else?

I started imagining someone else in Zhao's place. At first, I thought of Jet, but seeing my ex's face just made me more agitated than I already was. Besides, I didn't want the Freedom Fighters on Fire Nation's radar. I then thought of Sokka. It would be difficult to fake an attraction, but at least it would seem plausible.

However, when I opened my eyes, I saw Zuko appear before me. He was dressed in that black tunic he wore when he rescued Aang and me, and his ponytail was falling over his shoulder. I was too surprised to say anything, and could only stare at the vision I had summoned in front of me.

"Looks like someone got in way over their head." His tone was cocky, but it didn't hold the terrifying edge that Zhao's did. "I bet you want me to save you again, don't you?"

I had only been taunting the prince before, but now that I had a chance to really look at him, he was very cute. He was probably even more handsome before the scar. How did he get burned like that to begin with? It was clearly by a fire-bender because it was too precise.

No. He's the Fire Nation Prince. I can't feel anything for him. I blinked. Do I feel anything?

There had to be a reason he appeared instead of what I intended, but before I could dwell on it further, the vision of him vanished. I was back in the room with Zhao, who was watching me with a smug grin, and my lips felt swollen and sore.

"See. Was that so bad?" he said.

"Why couldn't it have been you?" My gaze became unfocused, and I realized it was because I was crying. "Zuko."

Zhao ensnared me by the neck and slammed me against the wall. "How dare you ignore me, you half-breed peasant!"

I trembled under his hold, tears still spilling down my face, and I could feel the heat bristling from his fingers. "I'm sorry. I…."

"You are my prisoner. You belong to me!" He tightened his grip. "And you will not think about any other man, especially that worthless excuse of a prince!"

For a split second, my confusion overrided my fear, and I spoke without thinking. "But isn't he your prince? Show some respect."

"Respect?" Narrowing his eyes, Zhao removed his hand from my neck before slapping me. "What would you or that fool know about respect? Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation by his own father several years ago."

I dropped to the floor and clutched my face. "B… banished?"

"That's right, my little air-bender." He pulled me up by my hair. "Prince Zuko is a traitor and a disgrace to the Fire Nation, and you will not utter another word about him in my presence again. Do I make myself clear?"

So that's why they aren't working together, but I wonder what Zuko did to end up banished? I met Zhao's gaze. "Why? Are you two rivals or something?"

His left eye twitched, and he gave a rough tug on my hair. "I said do I make myself clear!"

I could tell by the look in his eyes that my suspicion was correct. I had seen it in Jet's more than once. Zuko must've done something to specifically piss Zhao off, and I pondered how far I could push this situation. Once again, my fear was overridden, and I gladly accepted this chance to wound Zhao's pride.

"Well, can you blame me? I mean, the Prince is just so much more fun than you are. Not to mention cuter. Much cuter." I looked away with a sigh. "I was actually disappointed when I saw you on the riverboats instead of him. But now that I know he's a traitor to the Fire Nation, it'll make my next dance with him all the more enticing."

What happened next was a giant blur. I landed sideways on the floor. My face stung like mad. There was shouting, and fire, and items flying all around the room. There was more shouting, but I couldn't make out what was said. I was crying harder, and I couldn't stop. In other words, I screwed up.

Before I knew it, I had been dragged down into the brig of Zhao's ship. Tears spilled from my eyes as he lashed a whip of fire across my back. I bit my lip so hard that it started to bleed, but I refused to scream aloud. I wouldn't fall apart in front of him.

Once Zhao was done with me, he left me alone to bleed to death in the cell, or so I had thought. Natsumi arrived three hours later to patch me up, but I was forced to remain in the cell. It was two days before she finally convinced Zhao to release me after noticing that I had gotten sick.

I choked my way through another coughing fit while Natsumi rubbed a cold cloth over my forehead. Every part of my body felt like it was burning, and even the cold water wasn't enough to relieve it.

Natsumi watched me with frustrated eyes as she dipped the cloth back into the bucket of water beside her. "The fever should subside after a day. Luckily, I was allowed to bring you back to my quarters before it got any worse."

I gave her a weak smile. "Don't happen to have any frozen frogs on hand, do you?"

She scrunched her nose with a frown. "What? Is that some kinda peasant remedy?"

"Something like that." I coughed, my voice hoarse.

"I'm going to need you to sit up, so I can change your bandages," she said.

Natsumi helped me sit upright and turned me, so my back was facing her. She gently removed the soiled bandages and started cleaning my wound again.

"So what happened?" She wrung out the cloth. "I thought you were going to play along?"

"It turns out that I'm not very good at seducing grown men." I hung my head. "I was terrified. I didn't know what to do, and I might've said a few things that pissed him off."

She sighed. "Yeah, well, if you screw up again, he might just leave you to die next time."

"Fine by me." I scoffed. "Death would be a much more honorable fate than this."

"Seems like a pathetic way to go if you ask me." She rubbed some ointment onto my back. "At least for someone like you."

"Oh? You're rooting for me now? I thought your allegiance was with Zhao?" I said.

She picked up a clean bandage and began to redress my wounds. "It is. However, I can't deny that you're impressive. Anyone else would've broken after what he did to you, and yet, you're resilient as ever. I'm not sure if it's because you're strong, or if you're just plain crazy."

"A little bit of both at this point." I stared at the wall ahead of me, trying my best to stay awake, but exhaustion was overtaking me.

She nodded. "Either way, dying on us so soon would be a waste of your potential."

I closed my eyes. "I guess I'll figure something out."

"Just remember what I told you," she said.

….

Once I had recovered enough, Natsumi brought me to the kitchens, so she could keep an eye on me while doing her job. I was placed at the end of the long table closest to her.

She set down a bowl of soup in front of me. "There. That should get your strength back up."

"Um. I can't." I moved my hands, which were still cuffed behind my back.

She glanced at the door while pursing her lips. Sighing, she pulled a pin out of her topknot and stepped behind me. With a 'clink', my right hand was free. My arms had grown sore from being held in that position for so long, and I cringed as she moved my hands in front of me.

Natsumi locked the cuffs back in place. "Better?"

I nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem." She walked back to the stove.

Lifting the bowl to my lips, I ate in silence. It was weird how similar Fire Nation food was to the Earth Kingdom's. The only difference was how spicy they liked everything, but I was too hungry for it to bother me. The door opened, and I glanced up to see a man or well… boy. He only looked a few years older than me, and he entered the kitchens with a slight swagger in his step.

"So the guys were right." He sat down directly across from where Natsumi was working with a sly grin on his face. "What's cookin', good lookin'?"

Turning around, Natsumi glanced the soldier up and down with a raised eyebrow, and replied with a dull, "Oh, you must be the newbie."

"That's right, sweetness. Name's Eiji." He picked up a peach from the basket on the table. "Make sure to remember it, and if you ever get lonely, don't hesitate–"

Natsumi tossed one of her knives at him, and it landed right between his fingers as he was about to take a bite out of the peach. With a yelp, he dropped it on the table and checked his hand. There wasn't a scratch on it.

She stepped closer and pulled the knife out of the peach. "Rule number one while working on this ship. I'm. Off. Limits."

Laughter echoed into the kitchens from outside in the hallway, and Eiji glared back at the open doorway.

"You two set me up!" he said.

Rolling her eyes, Natsumi glanced toward the doorway. "Chaiya, Toshiro, stop playing around, and get in here."

Two men in their thirties entered the kitchens while holding each other, for they couldn't stand up straight through their fits of laughter. I remained silent as they sat down beside Eiji, who was still scowling at them.

"Did you hear him scream, Toshiro?" Chaiya said.

"Yeah. Sounded like a five-year-old girl." Toshiro wrestled Eiji into a headlock and ruffled his hair. "Welcome to the team, newbie."

"Ugh." Eiji groaned and shoved him off. "Why are military girls always so uptight?"

"Because we have work to do. If you wanna mess around, go find one of those Earth Kingdom brothels." Natsumi started handing out bowls of food and glanced at me with a smile. "See what I mean?"

I let out a small giggle, catching the others' attention.

Chaiya's cold eyes narrowed at me with disgust, and he turned up his nose. "Oh yeah. I forgot you got stuck on babysitting duty, Natsumi. That can't be fun."

She shrugged. "She actually isn't much trouble."

"Odd." Toshiro made a light hum. "I thought she pissed off the Admiral a couple of days ago, and you should've seen her when we were out hunting the Avatar. The girl was like some ruthless savage. Just came out of nowhere."

Chaiya huffed while shoving some food into his mouth. "Didn't surprise me. The Earth Kingdom is full of savages."

"Well, like I said, she's been on her best behavior around me." Natsumi grimaced. "And as far as savages go, can you not talk with your mouth full?"

I narrowed my eyes at the men, but didn't say anything.

"Uh oh. She didn't like that. Got something to say, cutie pie?" Eiji glanced me over. "Hey, you're actually closer to my age. Perfect. So what's your name? Is it true that you're an air-bender?"

"Don't bother, newbie." Chaiya shook his head. "She's the Admiral's toy."

Eiji pouted. "Do you think he'd be up for sharing?"

"And what makes you think I wanna be shared?" I set my bowl down. "Especially with a runt like you."

"Runt?" Eiji stood, smoke seeping from his hands as he slammed them on the table. "I'm the son of a general and noblewoman, you little mud-bastard!"

"Doesn't change the fact that you're the runt on this ship. Oh, and it's dust not mud," I said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"The combination of air and earth is dust. Mud is earth and water. If you're gonna insult my mixed nationality, at least get it right." I smirked. "Though, I suppose I can't blame you for not knowing the difference. You don't seem that bright to begin with."

He glared at me. "Take that back now, you–!"

Natsumi whacked him across the head. "That's enough."

"But she–" He rubbed his head.

"It doesn't matter. You're acting like a spoilt brat." She folded her arms. "Chaiya already told you that the girl belongs to the Admiral."

I stared at my empty bowl with a frown. There was that phrase again. I didn't belong to anyone, especially not Zhao, and being referred to like this made me furious.

Returning to his seat, Eiji leaned his cheek against his right hand and huffed. "I don't care what she is to the Admiral. That filthy peasant has no right to speak to any of us that way. Besides, you can't fault me for trying. Being trapped at sea without any girls to impress is gonna be torture."

Toshiro chuckled. "You'll live, casanova."

Eiji looked at Chaiya and Toshiro. "But aren't you two the slightest bit curious? I mean she is an air-bender. Think of what kind fun that'd be."

"Considering I have a wife and three children waiting for me back home, no. I'm not curious." Chaiya glanced at me again with that same snobbish expression of pure disgust. "And even if I was still single, I would never sully myself with these foreign harlots. Nothing compares to the beauty and class of a Fire Nation woman."

Toshiro shrugged. "She's too skinny."

Just listen to these creeps. How dare they talk about me like this? I felt a hand on my shoulder and glanced up.

"You okay?" Natsumi said.

I lowered me head. "Just fine."

I wanted so bad to make these men regret their words, but I felt I said enough. I was already in enough trouble, and I didn't want to stir up the buzzard-wasps' nest anymore than I already had.