Fight12: Divide and conquer
Katara was struggling with her water whip and cursing, unaware of both friendly and enemy presence, as indeed Zuko and the pirate captain had also heard her cries. They looked at each other. The waterbender was still wielding a stream of water and trying to follow Aang's advice concerning the shifting of her weight until she heard the noise of grinding metal. She ran over to a row of bushes on her left and parted them to reveal Zuko's craft now beached on the river bank. She turned to run, but was grabbed by a pirate. The girl managed to get rid of him by bending a water whip around and smacking the pirate in the face. He let her go, but she ran right into Zuko who tightly gripped her wrists.
"I'll save you from the pirates." The prince said with a scowl on his face.
"And I'll save her from you." A female voice surprised him from behind. She first punched right above the elbow, loosening his grip with the electrical shock that ensued, she then twisted and locked his arm and with a swordhand, chopped at his wrist, striking yet another nerve, and forcing him to let go of Katara. Having workedfor doctors specialising in different kinds of medicine, she had learned the human body's weak points. And she had found ways to use that knowledge to her advantage. She yelled at her friend to run away and quickly go back while she held them back. The waterbender hesitated for a second, torn between her desire to help and her own safety before deciding to trust her firebender friend and obey. Since she knew of the opponent's resilience, Chenlian attacked with a series of sharp, strong, lightning-fast punches, jabs with half-fists, and palm blows, aiming only for the places where the armor and body were the weakest, and while he was groggy and confused, swept his legs from under him with a kick. And just as she was about to knock him out with another swordhand, she heard Katara scream. She had been captured again. Chenlian went to help but they put their sabers against the waterbender's neck. They only needed one person alive and it did not matter who, but again, hostages only had value if they were alive. Chenlian could not escape on her own, however. She had to bring Katara back no matter what. But Zuko had used these few seconds to recover and was able to grab her wrists and twist them behind her back. He held them locked in place with one hand while he warped his other arm around her neck from behind, slightly pulling back while the hand gripping her wrists was pushing forward.
And thus, both girls had been captured and tied to two different trees, Katara with ropes and Chenlian with chains, since she could too easily burn ropes. And the first thing Zuko did was lash out at the female firebender.
"Why are you here?! You should be in jail! And why did you attack me?!" He yelled, his face close to hers. Seconds passed and there was still no response. "Answer me, Chenlian!" He commanded again after a time. She had been staring at him intently. Shock, rage, denial, confusion, fear, worry, resentment, bitterness, hope, hurt, longing... and a sense of betrayal. As usual, everything showed on his face and in his tone.
"I've broken out of my cell, and now I'm travelling with the Avatar, and I will help him and his friends restore balance to the world and save the Fire Nation from itself." She answered, with strong conviction and looking right at him with her unwavering amber eyes. And all he could see was the truth, bare, simple, terrible, heartless. A truth he did not want to hear and that pierced him like a white hot knife. And that was done purposefully. She had become even better at holding people down with her eyes, and with her words. That was a stupidly honest response. Even if there had been just a slim chance, she could have lied to him and deceived him to release the waterbender later. But she would never do that, not to him. You could not take back a word like you could not take back a swordstroke. They shot from lips and pierced people's hearts, leaving inerasable scars. That was why she had never lied to him, just like she would never lie to Aang, Katara, or Sokka. But she did not stop there. "And I also wanted to see by myself how you were doing. We haven't seen each other for a long time and I must say you look horrible. Don't worry, I'm not talking about your looks, you're as handsome as always, you even look manlier... but you still look horrible." What Zuko did not understand was that she was talking about his physiognomy. For those who could read them, facial features revealed a lot about a person's character. She was talking about the emotional scars and constant anger that distorted both his physical traits and his personality. She was still looking straight at him, but with sadness and great concern and care in her eyes. The prince saw it and was all the more confused and angry.
"Stop talking nonsense! You're helping the Avatar?! Stop messing with me! Do you realize the situation you're in?! Do you want to be executed for treason?!"
"You speak as if you're assuming I'm necessarily going to die. I might have spent years in prison but I'm really being underestimated. It's true, I've chosen a dangerous path. You know I've never been one to hurry to my death, but sometimes women, just like men, must be ready to risk their lives for something greater than them. If the people I love are about to commit a grave mistake, of course I will do everything in my power to stop them." The two firebenders stared at each other for a time with neither of them willing to back down. Both had always been stubborn and dedicated and he knew that while she had always been willing to admit she was wrong when it was the case he knew of how unyielding she could be when she believed herself in the right. She would not budge no matter how much they would argue now.
"It's no use talking to you now. I'll deal with you later." Zuko averted his eyes first and waved his hand in a dismissive manner. She would not budge no matter how much they would argue now. She would not budge but...
"If the people I love are about to commit a grave mistake, of course I will do everything in my power to stop them." ... He was just the same! She had already betrayed them, even though he had never wanted to believe it. Last time she had only escaped exile due to his father's clemency, if this time he brought her back after having caught her in such circumstances, she would certainly be executed... He resented her... Why did she have to say such things?! Why did she have to betray him again?! Why did she always corner him like this? Anger was disfiguring his features more than the scar on his face, and bitterness was flowing into him like poison burning his heart and making it writhe. And yet he could not deny that his heart was still burning in another way. She still cared for him as much as he still cared for her. And he did not want her to die. Could he convince her to come back to his side? And even if he did, what would happen once they were back in the Fire Nation? He didn't know. He did not know what to do or what to feel or even what he really wanted. Could he save her? Should he even try to? She was a traitor. But she was also Chenlian. He could not, did not want to let her go, that he felt strongly; though whether it was out of duty or lingering affection and attachment he did not know either or even wanted to know. If only she had lied... if only she would lie... if only there were not those feelings...! The exiled prince turned toward the waterbender.
"Tell me where he is, and I won't hurt you or your brother."
"Go jump in the river!" Katara snarled back. Her intentions could not be clearer.
"Try to understand, I need to capture to restore something I've lost. My honor."
"Well, I understand that now you seem to care more about honors than honor." Chenlian interrupted. She had not been able to help it. She hated it so much, how his whole world turned around that man, how he was so warped around his little finger, how blind he was to how his father really was... while he should be worth so much more than him...
"You have no right to judge me!" He suddenly exploded, no longer able to hold back. "What do you know about me?! What does a traitor like you know?! Nothing! You don't have any idea what happened or how I've felt all these years, so don't act like you do!"
"I know much more than you do or what you think I do. Nor do you have any idea what happened to me or what I've felt these past years. But I understand that it is too early to talk. You'd just dismiss everything I'd say as a lie to protect yourself, and I don't want that. So I will wait. I will wait for you, until you are ready. And I will also protect Aang and everyone." The firebender girl had spoken calmly, with a controlled voice, only rendering heavier the meaning and truth of her words, her penetrating gaze boring into his. She had wanted to remind him that he was not the only one to have suffered and her tone had implied that unlike him, her loss was definite. She would tell him one day because he wanted and had to know but she had chosen not to dwell upon it and walk forward. She looked down as a sign that she would not say another word. Zuko turned away, he had been caught in her pace again. He reported his attention back to Katara and tried to bargain.
"Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost." He argued, mellowing his voice and approaching the waterbender to show her the Water Tribe necklace.
"My mother's necklace! How did you get that?" She exclaimed, shocked. The young man stepped back.
"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is."
"No!" Her friends were much more precious than any object, even her mother's memento. But the pirate captain had enough of this 'necklace garbage'. Zuko had promised the scroll! The Prince produced the scroll and held it over the flame hovering over his other hand, tauntingly wondering outloud how much money it was worth. The pirates gasped and some cried, "No!". He smirked: the threat had worked.
"A lot, apparently. Now you help me find what I want, you'll get this back and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here." He commanded, still smiling superiorily. The pirate captain grudgingly agreed.
It was dawn. At the foot of the waterfall, Aang and Sokka were still sleeping. Sokka rolled over and woke up, noticing that both girls had disappeared. He searched Aang's bag and immediately understood. Sleepily, the airbender asked what was wrong.
"She took the scroll! She's obsessed with that thing. It's just a matter of time before she gets us all in deep- WAAAAAHH!" He was cut off when his hands got wrapped in a sling and he was violently pulled forward. He landed on the ground and was faced by a pirate who threw the sling back at him. The warrior rolled out of the way, picked up his spear and charged the intruder. Aang turned to see a huge beefy pirate hefting two crossbows with a net tied between them who aimed and fired. The Avatar bended an air ball at the approaching net, but the air passed right through it and the net rolled him up into a nice neat bundle and he was thrown backwards onto the ground, where another pirate began to drag him away. They instantly left Sokka alone, who stood up, his pride hurt.
"Oh, what? I'm not good enough to kidnap?" He got his response though when another net scooped him up. He screamed as they dragged him away. At the river bank, the pirates, Zuko and his men were lined up, facing each other. Katara and Chenlian were still bound to the trees, Iroh standing next to them.
"Nice work." Zuko complimented the pirates who had just brought Aang and Sokka, both tied up.
"Aang, this is all my fault." Katara apologised sincerely.
"No, Katara it isn't." The airbender reassured her.
"Yeah, it kind of is." Iroh and Chenlian both contradicted him before the female admitted: "Although it's partly mine too."
"Give me the boy." The prince ordered.
"You give us the scroll." The captain of the pirates demanded back.
"You're really gonna hand over the Avatar for a stupid piece of parchment!?" Sokka said like he could not believe his ears.
"Don't listen to him! He's trying to turn us against each other." Zuko was fully aware of what the other teen warrior – and tactician – was trying to do.
"Your friend is the Avatar?" The pirate captain looked at Aang on his other side.
"Sure is, and I'll bet he'll fetch a lot more on the black market then that fancy scroll." Sokka proceeded with his age-old strategy.
"Shut your mouth, you water tribe peasant!" The young royalty pointed angrily, resentfully noticing the success that strategy was meeting.
"Yeah, Sokka, you really should shut your mouth..." Aang agreed, tense and concerned.
"I'm just sayin', it's bad business sense. Just imagine how much the Fire Lord would pay for the Avatar. You guys would be set for life!" The 'Water Tribe peasant' looked sweetly at the obviously very interested pirates, using his most tantalizing tone. The captain told the prince to keep the scroll as they could buy a hundred with the reward they were going to get for the kid. They walked away with the Avatar and his friend.
"You'll regret breaking a deal with me!" Zuko and the guards on either side of him unleashed a torrent of flame, which bathed the ground underneath the pirates who jumped out the way. The pirate salesmen threw smoke bombs are the soldiers and jumped into the midst of the smoke and firebenders with a cry. Three firebenders rushed to capture the still bound Aang and Sokka but as they got near, four pirates jumped in to defend their captives. They dropped smoke bombs too and the battlefield instantly became a foggy mess. The Fire Nation soldiers approached the edge of the smoke cloud and were instantly pulled in by the arms of pirates. Momo climbed down a tree to chew down the rope binding Katara's wrists. She thanked him, saying she owed him a bushel of apples. Chenlian also took advantage of the apparent lack of surveillance to close her eyes and concentrate. She melted the chains and cut the shackles.
Aang was running through the smoke, coughing, and still tied. He barely dodged a throwing star and a spear he used to cut his bonds. Zuko emerged out of the smoke cloud and put the waterbending scroll through his waistband on his back. He turned around just in time to avoid a sword stroke. He assumed a firebending stance, facing the Pirate Captain who was pointing a sword at him. They struggled, but no one could gain the upper hand. A sling removed the scroll from Zuko's waistband. Scroll that was intercepted by Momo, who was in turn pursued by the green parrot which tackled the lemur in mid-air, forcing him to drop the scroll that fell back down into the smoke filled battlefield, where jets of flame were erupting from various points. Sokka was crawling on the ground, the frightening sound of steel clashing against steel all around him. Out of the smoke a machete buried itself in the ground in front of him, scaring him. He used its blade to cut the rope tying his wrists. He cried Aang's name, asking if he was there. The child airbended himself up over the smoke cloud, and dropped back down.
"I'm over here, follow my voice!" He yelled at his friend.
"Where?! I can't find you!" Sokka shouted back.
"I'm right here!" The Avatar blew away the smoke from the immediate area to reveal Fire Nation soldiers and pirates in combat surrounding him and pointing at him with their weapons. They froze and looked at him. He closed the smoke back up around them. "Uhh, never mind! I'll find you!"
Sokka crawled out of the smoke and stood up. As he did, Aang jumped out of the smoke over Sokka's head. "Run!" They ran towards the pirate ship that Katara and Chenlian were trying to push off the beach. The boys were glad they were okay but the girls paid no mind: they needed help getting the boat back into the water. The four pushed with all their might but the ship did not move an inch. Sokka lamented that they would need a team of rhinos to budge it.
"A team of rhinos... or two waterbenders." Aang corrected. Katara looked at him and smiled. They pulled the river back and forth up the beach, slowly raising the water level around the prow. The ship was floating. They all climbed in.
"Are you so busy fighting you cannot see your own ship has set sail?" Iroh broke the duel between Zuko and the leader of the pirates.
"We have no time for your proverbs, Uncle!" His nephew shot back.
"It's no proverb." The retired general pointed at the pirate ship sailing downriver. The captain of the said boat cursed and his opponent laughed openly and mockingly pointing at him. That captain was quite foolish indeed. But Zuko was even more foolish as he had not realised that his own ship, loaded with pirates grinning, laughing, waving at him, one of whom even moving to moon him and his uncle, was following it.
"Hey! That's my boat!" The foolish prince chased after his boat.
"Maybe it should be a proverb." Iroh wondered, scratching his chin, before his nephew urged him on.
Aang had remarked the pirates closing in and asked Sokka, who was standing at the wheel, if he could make their ship go any faster. The boy did not know, however, as it had not been made by the Water Tribe. Soon, the first pirates boarded back their ship. Two of them were advancing on Katara who was on the aft deck. As she was fearfully backing up, Aang, from the top of the cabin, waterbended a huge wave onto the deck, washing one of the pirates overboard. Katara gained confidence and determination and created a water whip and smacked the other one overboard. The boy congratulated her and she modestly replied that she couldn't have done it without his help.
"Will you two quit congratulating each other and help me out!" Sokka interrupted them, his legs around the salesman's neck after having obviously jumped on him from behind while another pirate had his beefy arms wrapped around his torso, trying to squeeze the life out of him. On the deck, Chenlian was busy blasting other sea rovers overboard with her firebending. Momo flew over their heads, closely pursued by the Captain's iguana parrot. After a few acrobatics, the lemur trapped the reptile bird by wrapping it in the vessel's black flag. Sokka screamed as the brawny pirate managed to pry him off his comrade and threw him into the sail in front of him. Chenlian cried his name but did not have the time to save him before he crashed on the deck. At the same time, Aang dropped onto the bridge and airbended the barker over the guard rail before twirling the other one on a small whirlwind and ejecting him high into the air. A splash is heard as the pirate fell in the river. The airbender joined his friends on the deck when Katara called him and Chenlian and pointed at the rapidly approaching waterfall. There was more urgent however as the female firebender warned the Avatar of the pirate barker who was standing behind him, blade drawn. Aang turned to face him and drew his bison whistle in response. He blew the whistle furiously to no seeming effect. The sea rover blankly stared at him, unimpressed, for a few seconds before being promptly round-kicked overboard by Sokka who immediately started yelling at his friend.
"Have you lost your mind!? This is no time for flute practice!" He was tapping his temple with his index to punctuate his thoughts. Well, Chenlian would not have said that much but she had been schocked enough by this apparently thoughtless behavior. There was really no time however, as the prow of their boat was almost at the lip of the fall.
"We can stop the boat! Aang, together, push and pull the water!" Katara yelled. And standing back to back on the foredeck, she and Aang waterbended in unison, making pushing and pulling motions. It was working! The boat was slowing down! They bended the water around the ship which was now at a 90 degree angle to the lip of the fall and motionless. Chenlian was bitting her lower lip and clenching her fists. Had it been a small wooden raft she could have used her firebending to release strong jets and help them push. But if she tried something like that with a ship of this size and weight, she'd die before she could even make it burst. There was nothing she could do, but to trust and leave it to the two waterbenders. She might be able to help once they had gained a little more momentum but it seemed like they would not even have the time... They had another problem that was much more urgent as both she and Sokka had noticed: Zuko's iron-hulled cutter was bearing down on their ship and rammed in the middle of the wooden the pirate boat. The ominous sound of the planks cracking and being reduced to splinters was covered by the four teens' screams. The force of the impact lifted the side of the red-sails junk of the pirates, tilting it so much that it was ready to capsize. The four youths had no choice but to jump down the waterfall holding each other's hands. With Aang and Katara on one side and Sokka on the other, Chenlian was the only one to have a seemingly upright position. Jets of fire were bursting of her feet, slowing their fall and deporting them forward to avoid being smashed by the combined weight of the two ships that would necessarily come crashing down on them. It was then she saw Appa swooping toward and under them. She cut the streams of fire and they landed on his back, leaving just in time to avoid the falling pirate raft. The ship shattered when it hit the bottom in a cloud of water and debris. On Appa, Aang proudly presented his bison whistle. Momo landed on Sokka's shoulder.
"I knew a bison whistle would come in handy. Thanks, Appa." The Avatar expressed his gratitude to his long time furry friend.
"Yeah, we owe ya one." The Water Tribe warrior agreed. The flying bison grunted in affirmative, good-naturedly.
Zuko ran up the river bank and stopped at the edge of the waterfall, looming over the cliff. Iroh joined him, huffing and puffing behind him, certainly because of the difference in weight and exercise...
"My boat!" The prince bellowed in frustration, much like a kid whose candy had been stolen from him because of his carelessness.
"Hehe, Prince Zuko, you're really going to get a kick out of this." The retired general chuckled, regaining his breath. "The missing lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!" He produced the missing lotus tile with a huge smile on his face. Zuko's effortful and yet short-lived attempt to control his own breathing and temper failed as, as fast as lightning, he snatched the tile from his uncle's hand and in sheer frustration, threw it as far as he could where it bounced on the pirate barker's head, barker who was floating downstream, along with his comrades. Once more he had been so close, he thought he had them again, everything that he had always wanted. For a moment, he had them in his grasp, but when he had reached out and brushed them, they eluded him and escaped his hold again.
"Aang, I still owe you an apology." Katara said, kneeling on Appa's saddle, sincerely regretful. The bison had just risen above the white sea of clouds. "You were just so good at waterbending without really trying. I got so competitive that I put us all in danger. I'm sorry."
"That's okay, Katara." The airbender reassured her.
"Besides, who needs that stupid scroll anyway." She acted proud and strong, unattached to such wordly possession.
"Is that really how you feel?" Her beloved brother asked teasingly and producing the waterbending scroll he had managed to snatch during the chaos.
"The scroll!" Katara exclaimed, ecstatic. She reached for it, but Sokka pulled it away and stopped his sister with his other hand.
"First, what did you learn?" He questioned her, his eyes closed, acting as the older parent (for once) that he in deed was.
"Stealing is wrong." Katara answered. Sokka opened his eyes and smiled, handing the reward to his baby sibling who quickly took the scroll before he changed his mind. "Unless it's from pirates!" She corrected herself, smugly.
"Haha! Good one, Katara." Aang complimented her. They all laughed heartily before Chenlian looked away, a strange expression on a charming face. She was no longer laughing. Somewhere deep in her eyes, looking at the far distance, were that longing, that affection, rooting back in the far past and that would toughen and grow stronger no matter how harsh the weather; and in her chest, a sadness that was not directed at herself and a dull pain throbing with each beat of her heart.