Chapter 2

The following day he left for the island, where some of the Fire Nation Supremacists were besieged. The island wasn't too far from the Capital City, which is probably why they chose the island to make their base. It was only about two hours from the Capital. Usually, Iroh would be Interim Fire Lord when he would go away, but Sokka and Suki would keep an eye on things as he would only be out for the next day or two. They could get word to him quickly enough if anything went wrong since he was still close. He rode on a komodo rhino to the boat that would take him to the island encampment and towards the Fire Nation military outpost and dismounted as he was greeted by Colonel Uzan.

"Fire Lord Zuko. Thank you very much for gracing us with your presence. It is an honour to have you here. Please let me know if there is anything you need." Colonel Uzan wasn't the best commander, but he was smart enough to lead the siege. He was a slightly more plump man in his fifties, with brown hair slowly going grey. His nose was large, too, taking up a large portion of his face.

"Thank you, Colonel Uzan. Has anything happened so far?" He replied, walking side by side with the man to his tent, which had all the maps and plans for their attack.

"Nothing so far, my Lord. But it has been several weeks now, and I doubt they have many supplies left. I am expecting them to make a move at any time. The men are on watch all day and night and ready to defend the Fire Nation in your name." He explained, and his men bowed and greeted the young Fire Lord as they passed them.

Once they arrived at the tent, the men opened the door for them, and they headed inside. Zuko saw their area map and plans on a table in the middle of the tent. Behind the table was a young girl on a seat who leapt up immediately and bowed low and respectfully to him. He couldn't see what she looked like until she straightened up. She had a curvy figure, but she looked strong for her size. She was smaller than average; if he stood right in front of her, the top of her head would reach his jawline. She had an elegantly structured face, and her golden eyes were big and framed by long, thick lashes.

"My Lord, it is a great honour to meet you." She spoke with a soft voice with a certain firmness to it that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Her small but full lips curved into a small smile that relaxed her brow slightly.

She was gorgeous. It took Zuko a moment to return to his senses as he realised he would continue staring if he didn't catch himself.

"Ah, this is my niece, Izara. She is my assistant but is at your disposal while you are here. She has already set up your tent for you right next to ours. Should you need anything, please go to her as she will serve you during your stay. Would you get us some tea, please?" Colonel Uzan went to shoo her away, but Zuko stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

"Izara, is it?" he waited for her to respond, and she managed a nod after staring blankly up at him for a moment. "It is nice to meet you. Thank you for looking after me." He gave her a smile, and her eyes widened when he bowed his head in appreciation. She smiled back and bowed, much lower than he did, then quickly zipped out the tent door. "You said that she is your niece?"

"Yes, she is." He replied, looking at the door that Izara had left through a moment ago.

"I hope it isn't too bold to say, but it seems like she didn't take after your side of the family very much." Zuko was trying to be polite, but he was surprised that a man like Uzan could have a niece who looked like that.

The larger man laughed loudly, knowing precisely what the young man was referring to. "Ah, the girl took after her mother. My brother was lucky to get a girl that pretty since he looked fairly similar to me. She got his smarts and personality, though. General Zaigan was his name. He was in the Navy." He chuckled again and nodded his head, then gestured to the table. "Anyway, shall we look over these plans, My Lord?"

"Yes, yes. Of course." He took a seat in front of the table, and the Colonel began to talk about the layout of the area and their defence.

The Fire Nation Supremacists base was on top of a hill in the middle of the island. It was a gentle slope upwards but pretty high up at its peak. They obviously held the higher ground, but they were surrounded on all sides, somewhat removing their advantage. An attack from the air or by land would be complex due to their excellent vantage points, which was why they had merely waited instead of attacking after a few weeks of besieging them. It was also to avoid the conflict itself.

Right after Zuko had finished asking a question, Izara entered the tent backwards, holding a tray with tea. She set it down on a small table on the left-hand side of the tent, with two cups and a full pot prepared. She poured him a cup and gave it to him with a polite smile, a respectful nod, and then to her Uncle.

"Ah, I do apologise if the tea is not up to your standards, but that is all we have here. That will be all Izara unless you need anything, My Lord?" Uzan turned back from his niece to look at the Fire Lord, ensuring he covered all his bases.

Zuko sipped his tea and found it to be excellent. His own Uncle had subconsciously made him very picky with his tea. "The tea is brewed quite well. Thank you, Izara. My Uncle, General Iroh, would be impressed." She laughed softly and simply gave him a shy smile in return before she turned to leave.

"Will you not be staying for our discussion?" Zuko asked her quietly and sipped his tea again.

"Uh, usually she is seated outside for the talks." Uzan's tone showed his confusion at the question, and he wondered whether he was doing the wrong thing.

"I just assumed that since she was your assistant, she would know all the plans and be here for our discussion should she have anything to add. You said that she inherited her father's intellect." He kept his voice even and didn't make eye contact with the Colonel as he sipped his tea, trying to act cool.

"You have an excellent point, My Lord. Thank you. Have a seat, Izara." Uzan turned back to the map and continued explaining their plans as Izara returned to her chair on the opposite side of the table. Zuko could hear the slight strain in his tone but didn't care to acknowledge it.

Zuko occasionally glanced over at her; though her eyes were on the floor, he could tell she was listening intently to every word said. Her brow knit together when he spoke about the perimeter in the front of the camp, and he lifted his head to look at her. Uzan saw and stopped talking, not sure what was going on.

"Izara, is something wrong?" Zuko asked her gently, not wanting her to think he was scolding her.

"N-no, My Lord." He continued looking at her, waiting for her to elaborate. She glanced at the map and opened her mouth as if to speak but shut it just as quickly.

"The Fire Lord asked you a question, girl. If something is wrong, you need to tell him." Uzan had a frustrated tone, and Izara looked at him with a firm gaze before she took a breath and spoke. Zuko resisted the urge to smirk but thought her glaring daggers were amusing.

"The perimeter is too close to the base of the hill. If there is only one line of defence, then it should be closer to our camp or two lines. One about 20-25 metres from the base of the hill, and then another 100 metres behind that," she gestured to the map as she spoke, "The men will be spending their patrol shifts staring up a hill. If they are too close, they won't see battle formations as quickly as someone further back would. The front line should be the ones that intercept the enemy first, but not the ones to spot them. They would take much longer to get word to us if they are closer to the hill. We should also have built a watchtower with a line of sight higher up the hill." She spoke calmly and clearly, and Zuko could tell that this wasn't the first time she had thought this over.

"I agree. Well thought out. Did you suggest this to the Colonel?"

She held his gaze for a moment, and he thought for a fleeting moment that he knew exactly what she was thinking. He couldn't figure out why or how, but her eyes were surprisingly emotionless. After a long moment, she looked over at her Uncle and sighed. Before she could speak, the Colonel piped up.

"She is just my assistant, My Lord. She has obviously gotten this information from someone or read it somewhere." He tried to laugh, but it came out as an awkward cough, and Zuko didn't seem pleased.

"Clearly, she should be more than just your assistant. It is still a good plan, even if she has read that information somewhere. Give the orders, Colonel." Zuko stood up, and it was evident that his word was final.

"Uhh, yes, of course. At once, My Lord. Thank you for your guidance." Colonel Uzan bowed though he was very frustrated at the situation. Zuko didn't care that he seemed annoyed.

"Izara, would you be so kind as to show me to my tent?"

She leapt up and stared at the floor, purposely avoiding eye contact with her Uncle. Zuko abruptly got the feeling that he might have caused some trouble between them and scolded himself mentally. They fell into step together, and she gestured in the direction of his tent but did not speak; instead, she stared at the ground they walked on.

"I feel I may have gotten you into trouble with your Uncle. If I have, I'm sorry. It was not my intent." Zuko leant forward a little to try and see her face, but her hair fell forward and covered it.

"It's alright. The Colonel… does not tend to accept advice from others. That is the real reason why I never spoke up before." She stood a little straighter, and he saw that she forced a smile.

"When you spoke, I could see that you had given this much thought.." She did not respond to that, and she gestured for them to head to their right, and he followed her easily with his long legs. "Tell me, Izara. Have you ever thought about working in the Capital City?"

She looked up at him for the first time since they left the tent; her golden eyes widened slightly with shock. Her mouth was slightly agape, but she closed it quickly and composed herself. Her expression schooled back into the business-like one he had seen before.

"I have not. I have been with my Uncle for the most recent part of my life, and I have not indulged any thoughts of a change in scenery. They have not always been pleasant in my life." The flatness of her tone showed that she was trying to keep her emotions out of their conversation. It displayed volumes that she had not had an easy life.

He stopped walking in his tracks, and after another step, she did as well. "Maybe you should give some thought to a change in scenery. It might do you some good."

After a quick breath, she continued walking and stopped at the front of his tent. He stopped in front of the door and waited for her to speak. Before she could get any words out, a few soldiers walked past and stopped to greet the Fire Lord. They dropped to one knee and saluted, and he greeted them in return. When they got up, they also subtly nodded their heads to Izara. Zuko got the feeling that she couldn't just be an assistant. If she was, they would pay her no mind. Something wasn't quite right. Her voice drew him from his thoughts.

"My tent is here, and my Uncle's tent is here." She pointed to them each, respectively. "I will be in my tent if you require anything. I will bring you something to eat if you like." Her small hand reached out to move the tent door aside but stopped halfway and turned back to face him. "My Lord…thank you for your apology earlier. It wasn't needed, but it was very…kind of you."

He huffed lightly and felt a boyish smile appear on his face. "Not a problem."