Book 1: Water
99 AG
As soon as his ship had docked at the nearest harbour, Prince Zuko rushed onto the land.
"I want the ship repaired as quickly as possible" he said to his older Uncle who walked behind him. "I don't want to lose his trail".
"You mean the Avatar?" his Uncle answered.
Zuko quickly spun around angrily and faced his Uncle. "Don't mention his name on these docks! As soon as word gets out that he is alive, every firebender will be after him. I don't want anyone getting in the way."
"Getting in the way of what?" said a deep voice behind him.
At the same harbour, a young woman was finishing her book. She had begun reading "Love amongs the Dragons" when she had been a girl, but never found the time to pick it up again. Now she had nothing but time. She let out a small sigh as she closed the book. A smile tugged at her lips as she remembered the comical performance of the Ember Island Players as they portrayed the ancient love story. No matter how hard she tried to visualise something else, she kept seeing the actors from the play. She pressed the book to her chest for a moment as she pondered what to read next.
They had told her that engaged women often had no time to spare. Usually it was their duty to entertain large parties and call upon other noble ladies, but since her fiancé was a naval commander she had been restricted to the harbour for these last few weeks. She was lucky to be surrounded by such kind maidservants, otherwise she would have surely been bored to dead within a week. One can only bring so many books, she mused to herself.
She sighed, put her book down and started to softly hum to herself. She fixed her hair, since it was almost time for tea. Undoubtedly, during the tea the commander would boast over his new ship or a recent victory for the Fire Nation which he had secured. Always the same, always the war. She was clever enough not to speak her opinion out loud, but instead smiled and nodded as was expected of a dutiful fiancée. Besides, what difference would it make?
With a sigh, she went downstairs to the hall which was filled with Fire Nation symbols. She mentally rolled her eyes at all the grandeur, but stopped when she heard muffled voices. The door was slightly cracked, so she could hear the what they were saying as they approached. She heard the commanders voice: "You must regale me with all the thrilling details. Join me for a drink?"
Another voice, obviously belonging to a younger man, answered: "Sorry, but we have to go."
A third voice quickly chimed in: "Prince Zuko, show commander Zhao your respect. We would be honoured to join you. Do you have any ginseng tea? It's my favourite."
Her heart skipped a beat.
Zuko followed his Uncle inside, mentally damning him for accepting Zhao's offer and his obsession with tea. He did not want tea and he certainly did not want to drink it with Zhao. He gritted his teeth together in frustration. He had finally found the Avatar after five long years, only to risk losing him again by drinking tea.
To caught up in his own brooding, he only listened half when Zhao opened the door for them and said "Please, I would so much like to introduce my fiancée to the Fire Lord's brother and son."
Zuko looked at him and shrugged. He did not care for Zhao's fiancée. No doubt it would be a Fire Nation noble woman: demure and quiet, nodding at every sentence Zhao uttered and praising his every move when asked. He knew those ladies, he grew up around them. He stepped inside and looked at the woman waiting for them. When his eyes met hers, his heart skipped a beat.
Zhao immediately went to her side as he said: "Let me introduce you to -," but Zuko was faster. "Elyrie?" he whispered.
It had almost been five years since he last saw her. Then she had been a pretty sixteen year old, but now she had grown into a beautiful woman. She was dressed in the finest red silk, befitting the fiancée of a high ranking Fire Nation commander. She had grown taller, with a small waist and long legs, which gave her a mature elegance. Her skin was the colour of ivory, and her dark hair and eyebrows formed a pretty contrast. Her sweet, heartshaped face looked surprised, but then her full pink lips formed into a broad smile at the sight of him. That smile had not changed since she was six years old and still made him feel happy every time he saw it. Today was - despite everything - not an exception. He finally looked in her eyes, which were an unusual shade for the Fire Nation. Her curly auburn hair already made her an exception among the sleek and blackhaired Fire Nation citizens, but her dark sapphire eyes had made her stand out from a young age.
The two of them stood motionless for a moment, but she was the first to retake herself. Like Fire Nation-etiquette dictated, she first greeted Uncle with a respectful bow. "General Iroh, I am very pleased to see you again after such a long time." she said with her sweet voice. That soft voice brought Zuko back, to the times where he, she and his mother played the piano and sang together. He quickly suppressed that memory.
Uncle Iroh smiled widely at the young woman, and took her small hands in his. "My dear, you have grown even lovelier over the years. I am glad to see you as well. It has been a real hard job to find a worthy opponent in Pai Sho, since Prince Zuko does not have the patience."
She laughed as she turned to Zuko. She made a curtsy, but with her lips pressed together as if to hold back her laughter. He knew why: she had always found it funny to bow to him, even when he assured her she wouldn't need to do it. But with her fiancé standing beside her, she had no choice but to follow the proper etiquette. Her fiancé. The words rang in his ears as he tried to piece together the situation.
"Prince Zuko, I am so very happy to see you again." she finally said when their eyes locked. The golden eyes looked into the blue ones and he felt himself smile back at her. It was almost a reflex: it had been a long time since he had smiled, but he would very gladly do it for her.
"It is certainly nice to see you again." he answered stiffly after a few moments when he realised he had to say something, "Let me congratulate you on your engagement." She seemed to flinch when he said it to her, but only for a moment before she retook herself and bowed again.
"I thought you would appreciate a meeting with my fiancée." Zhao said smugly as he placed his large hand on her shoulder. Elyrie slightly winced at his touch, before she reprimanded herself. You better get used to this. It was no more then a second before she smiled again at the pair before her. A genuine smile this time, not the fake one she had perfected over the last few months.
"Would you like to join us for a cup of ginseng tea?" she asked as she motioned to the sitting area. "And perhaps some cakes?"
"You remembered." Uncle chuckled, "How could I refuse such a kind offer?" Graciously, he offered his arm to the young woman which she accepted with a giggle. Uncle had always been a gentleman, she thought to herself as he began telling her about their travels across the world. She listened to the warmth in his voice and imagined herself back in the Royal Palace for a moment, sharing tea with him.
Zuko watched them while he and Zhao followed. Her long hair, almost down to her waist, danced behind her with every step she took. It was almost as if she was dancing across the floor, that was how lightly she stepped.
"She is beautiful, is she not? One of the finest noblewomen in the Fire Nation." Zhao said, pride sounding in his voice, "We plan to marry this summer, after Sozin's Comet." Zuko only nodded absentmindedly. Elyrie engaged to commander Zhao, his best friend engaged to such a pompous man. He could not believe it.
While Iroh kept talking, Elyrie quickly glanced back to Zuko and Zhao. Zuko had changed, she noticed. He had become a grown man at 23 years old. Five long years she had not seen him and General Iroh, yet it seemed not a day had gone by. Iroh told her about their journeys to the Air Temples and the Earth Kingdom, to which she listened with great enthusiasm. They truly travelled all over the world, she thought. She looked over her shoulder and met Zuko's golden eyes. He had become more muscular and his features were still handsome and strong, with beautiful golden eyes.
However, the most prominent change in his appearance was his scar, that completely covered his left eye up to his ear. The burned flesh looked rough and was shaped like a flame. 'I won't fight you' she involuntarily remembered. She quickly supressed the memory and looked back at Iroh, who had not changed in five years. He looked like the same kind old man she remembered. As close as Zuko was to Iroh growing up, so had she been. She smiled at the memory of Iroh teaching them Pai Sho, with Zuko losing his temper and quitting the game rather quickly. It all seemed like yesterday.
"And then, we encountered the most beautiful flowers in the Earth Kingdom" said Iroh, interrupting her thoughts. "They were the loveliest shade of blue and red, but you should have been there to try the sweet sticky rice!" He turned to her with a wide smile. "But tell me, how have you been, my dear? Did you continue with your studies?"
Touched that he remembered, she nodded. "I have, thank you." she said warmly, "But I am currently catching up on my reading."
"Don't you travel with the Commander now?" Iroh asked her as they arrived in the sitting room. She shook her head as she sat down. "Unfortunately not, since we are docked at this harbour most of the time. But I would love to see more of the Earth Kingdom!"
Zuko observed her as he took a seat. She heated the teapot with a quick flick of her wrist and poured the hot drink. He sat down as well and took a sip from the hot beverage. He saw that she listened attentively to the conversation between Iroh and Zhao. Her eyes switched between the two men, as if she made mental notes of the conversation to remember them later. She then looked at Zuko over her cup and winked. He felt his cheeks heat up. It had been a long time since a woman had winked at him so playfully. He quickly looked away and when he looked back up, she glanced at him with a amused grin. He mentally shook his head. After all this time, she was still that playful little girl yet he had not been playful for a long time.
Elyrie noticed his eyes getting darker and frowned. She wanted to tell him so much and ask him even more, but it was not possible with Zhao in the room. She sighed and listened again at the conversation of the older men.
"And by years end, the Earth Kingdom will be under our rule. The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war." Zhao said as he motioned to Elyrie to refill his cup without looking at her. Without saying a word, she obliged without taking her eyes off the two men.
"If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool." Zuko said as he put down his cup, slightly more forceful than was necessary. Elyrie looked at him, pleasantly surprised. She had been thinking the same for quite some time.
"Five years at sea have done little to temper your tongue." Zhao sneered at the prince. Elyrie sighed, since she was familiar with that response.
She looked at Zuko and gave him a small, encouraging smile. "But I do think we underestimate the power of the Earth Kingdom, like prince Zuko says. They did not survive a hundred year war by mere accident." she said as she started fidgeting with something around her neck. Zuko saw that it was thin, golden necklace as it catched the light when her fingers tangled the chain.
Zhao looked at her, but turned back to Iroh as he said: "We'll discuss this later, we must not bore the lady." He smiled a condescending smile at his fiancée, while Iroh raised an eyebrow.
Zuko's quickly looked up at Elyrie, who pressed her lips together. He expected her to speak out against this degrading comment, but she said nothing. Instead, she kept her gaze fixed on the flowery pattern on the teapot with a dull look in her eyes. Zhao did not seem to notice and turned to Zuko. "So, how's your search for the Avatar going?"
"We haven't found him yet." Zuko answered briskly. He had answered this question a hundred times over the past five years, but now he felt a rush of panic. Nobody can know that the Avatar was alive, least of all Commander Zhao.
"Did you really expect to?" the Commander said mockingly, "The Avatar died a hundred years ago, along with the rest of the airbenders." Elyrie caught her bottom lip between her teeth. He talked so casually about Zuko's situation that it ached her.
Zuko took another sip as he averted his eyes from the Commander. This drew Elyrie's attention: Zuko had never been the type to let a sly comment pass. She had expected him to show his temper, but his reaction was moderate. Zhao noticed his silence too. "Unless you found some evidence that the Avatar is alive" he added while carefully watching the banished Prince.
"No, nothing." Zuko answered, his voice stern as his grip on his cup tightened. Elyrie silently hoped that Zhao did not notice the small twitch of Zuko's mouth. Prince Zuko was many things, but a good liar was not one of them. As smoothly as his sister could lie, that is how terrible Zuko was.
But this meant something else: the Avatar was alive and Zuko somehow encountered him. Immediately, she caught herself before she gave in to her enthusiast reaction. The chance that he encountered the Avatar is impossibly slim, she told herself. It was an impossible task, assigned to him to punish him for speaking out of turn.
She felt her chest contrict, but said nothing and looked down while Zhao said: "Prince Zuko, the Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you found."
Zuko looked at Zhao defyingly as he said "I haven't found anything." And then he added, without breaking eye contact: "It is like you said: the Avatar probably died a long time ago."
He didn't blink, but even after five years she could tell he was hiding something. What..? When did you..? How?! the thoughts raced through her head and she bit her lip so hard that she felt the warm, metallic taste of blood. Because there was no doubt about it: Zuko had encountered the Avatar.