Zuko saw her fall.
He heard her gasping for air.
He saw the stones fall.
Roku's fire melted the chains and gave Zuko his much needed chance to escape. Zhao and his soldiers were too busy trying to escape themselves to pay attention to him. In the panic that ensued, everyone was running in the direction of the doors. Even the bravest of men knew better than to face Avatar Roku in battle.
But it also meant they didn't see Elyrie lying on the ground, covered in dust and stones. Zuko hesitated for less than a second before he turned around and ran to the place where Elyrie fell down. He moved the fallen rocks and saw her face: pale, covered in dust and with her eyes closed. When he touched her cheek, he felt a wetness coating his hand. He pulled his hand back and saw it was covered in blood. Her blood.
"Elyrie?" he said, while carefully turning her head to examine the wound. At the left side of her face, her forehead and temple were covered in blood. He couldn't see how big the wound was, since her hair had come loose from the complicated updo and her curls were sticking to the wound.
He called her name again, but she did not respond. Icy hands of fear grabbed his heart when she didn't seem to breathe. She couldn't be.. she can't... All the horrors went through his head as he looked at her motionless girl in his arms.
The smoke around them started to thicken and Zuko saw the last of Zhao's men run towards the exit. They had to leave and quickly. He carefully laid his hand at the back of her head, pulled her up and let her head rest against his shoulder.
"I'll take you out of here." he said softly as he placed his other arm under her legs and lifted her off the cold floor. She did not weigh much and her small frame made it easy for him to carry her. Making sure she was safely secured in his arms, he started to make his way down. Just in time, as Zuko noticed the lava emerging behind him.
Nobody had noticed the secret entrance, for which he was grateful. The smoke grew thicker around him and he felt the rumbling getting stronger. It'll not take long before the sleeping volcano under the Temple would erupt, he thought and he quickened his pace and ran down the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him.
When he reached the door at the bottom of the stairs, he noticed it had been closed off again. Zuko did not bother to open the door with firebending, but with a smooth and strong kick, he broke the door. Without bothering to look back he started to make his way down back to his boat.
Elyrie stirred in his arms, gasping at the fresh air once they were outside. She coughed as if trying to clean her lungs from the toxic smoke. He felt himself lighten, thankful she was alive an breathing. She coughed a few more times before drifting back in a dazed state, but her motions were enough to ensure him she was okay for now.
Zuko ran down the volcanic rocks, while steadying her in his arms. He felt his lungs burn but was determined to keep going. He reached the boat and ran towards the steering wheel. While still holding Elyrie in his arms, he started the engines of his small boat.
With the engines warming up, he carefully laid Elyrie down on the floor and steadied her against the wall. Once she sat upright and he reassured himself she was still breathing, he quickly turned around to start the boat and sail away from the island. He needed to go back to Uncle, he knew what to do.
While navigating toward the open sea, he continued to look over his shoulder to reassure himself she was still in the upright position. He vaguely remembered something about head trauma's and how you needed to steady the patients. He cursed himself for not paying more attention, since he was clueless how to care for her.
The small boat reached the open sea in no time and it was only a few miles to the Earth Kingdom waters, where Uncle was waiting at the nearest harbour. He tied the steering wheel to the board, so it did not stray from its course. When he had secured the wheel, he turned around and knelt beside Elyrie. She stirred a few times, but relaxed once he placed his hand on her forehead. Her eyelids fluttered and she opened her eyes for a few seconds. With a hazy look in her eyes, she looked around and met his eyes. She smiled weakly, before closing her eyes again.
"No, no!" Zuko said with panic in his voice, "Don't go back to sleep." She opened her eyes again, but it took a lot of effort. Zuko ripped a piece of fabric from his shirt and dipped it in the bucket of water he had taken with him on the way. He placed the wet cloth on her forehand and started to clean the wound as best as he could. The blood had dried up and made her dark hair stuck at her forehead. He kept talking to her to keep her from drifting off again.
"Remember that one time at the beach house?" He said, trying to keep her attention, "Your mother taught us to swim, but I am still not a big fan of the water." .
Elyrie looked at Zuko, still not fully comprehending what was happening at the moment. It felt like her head was split in two and she was nauseous. Zuko continued to talk to her, but she didn't understand what he was talking about. He has a nice voice, she thought absentmindedly. She took a few deep breaths, but her throat felt like it was on fire. Every breath she took was painful and she was thirsty. She turned her head to look at Zuko, but it hurt too much. She closed her eyes again, hoping to lessen the pain.
"Elyrie, open your eyes!" she heard Zuko's deep voice say. Slightly annoyed at his insistence, she opened her eyes again.
"I just wanted to sleep" she rasped, but her voice had the tone of a child.
"I know you do, but please, listen to me." Zuko said in a paternal tone, like he was talking to a child. "I want you to try and stay awake for me, can you do that?" he asked softly.
Elyrie coughed again before she was able to answer. "Yes" she answered, her voice raw.
"Can I have a sip of water?" she whispered after a few minutes, not wanting to strain her voice. Zuko nodded and took the wooden spoon. He placed his hand on the back of her head and carefully lifted the spoon to her mouth. He handled her like she was a small child. She drank the water slowly, but it made her feel even more nauseous. She pulled away, shaking her head and closing her eyes again. The splitting headache had lessened a bit, but it still felt like her ears were ringing.
Zuko carefully placed her head back against the wall, as he noticed the shore coming closer. He saw his ship and quickly stood up and untied the wheel. "Elyrie, we are almost at my ship. Can you stand up?" he asked while navigating towards the metal ship.
Elyrie blinked her eyes and tried to lift herself up from the floor. With one hand on the wall, she slowly steadied herself to stop the world from spinning.
"I am sorry." she said in a thin voice. She felt as if she would fall at the any moment.
"It is alright, please!" Zuko said hastily. "Sit back down!" He looked over his shoulder and saw her slump back like a lifeless doll. "Open your eyes, look at me!" he added, when he noticed her eyes closing again. She lifted her eyelids and he saw the familiar sapphire eyes, looking at him with a confused look.
"Brace yourself." he warned, while letting go of the wheel and kneeling back down beside her. He placed his hand behind her head to let her lean against his shoulder. He knew that the moment the smaller boat would lift back onto the ship, it would create a shock. He did not want her to fall, so he braced himself for the impact. He heard the metal collide and felt the shock going through his body.
It only took a few seconds once he felt that the boat was safely back on the ship. "Wrap your arms around my neck." he instructed gently as he placed his arms around her.
Elyrie blinked at his intimate touch, but did as he asked. Again, he placed his one arm under her knees and wrapped his other arm around her waist and lifted her from the ground.
Iroh had made his way down to the loading deck to assist his nephew, glad to see he returned. But when the doors opened, he was surprised at what he saw. He saw his nephew standing on the deck, carrying a small figure.
At first, he assumed it was the Avatar who was tied up. But one look and he saw it was not the Avatar. He was confused for a moment: who on earth was Zuko holding? That was not even the strangest part: Zuko's shirt was ripped and he noticed the blood on the head of the small person he was carrying.
Then, he saw long auburn curls fall over Zuko's arm and he recognised the person: it was Elyrie.
"By Agni, what happened?" he asked surprised as soon as he registered the gravity of the situation. Elyrie was pale, the red of the blood a stark contrast with her white skin. Her eyes were barely open and her auburn hair was covered in dust.
"The roof of the temple collapsed and she was hit." Zuko answered briefly as he had not time to stop and explain the whole situation. "Uncle, she needs a doctor." Elyrie had closed her eyes again and Zuko shook her in his arms to see if she would stir. Every time she closed her eyes, he was afraid it would be the last time.
Iroh nodded as he quickly. "Place her down on a bed, but keep her awake." he said while trying to keep up with his nephew as he raced to the chambers, "Has she been unconscious?"
"Yes, for a few minutes after she was hit." Zuko answered, not slowing down his pace.
"Has she vomited?" Iroh asked, breathing heavy once they climbed the second set of stairs.
"No." Zuko answered. He had reached the second floor of the ship, where the bedchambers where. Without thinking, he kicked the door open to his own bedchamber and raced to place her on his bed.
Carefully bending his knee, he gently put her down. Her eyes were closed again, but she was still breathing. He wiped the loose strands of hair from her face as he laid down her head on the soft pillow. He noticed the dried blood on the wound at the side of her head, which was luckily not as big as he feared it would be.
"Order the men to get a doctor, Zuko." Iroh said behind him, while he entered with clean cloths and warm water. He knelt beside the bed, gently wiping the blood from her face and hair. Zuko frowned while all his instincts urged him not to leave her alone.
"But Uncle..-' he began before Iroh interrupted with a loud "NOW!"