Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Your spine must’ve stopped developing halfway through in the embryo, seeing as you were never able to speak up for yourself as a child. Whenever someone talked down to you, you’d either play dumb or ignore their comment, it hurt, of course, but you’d never let it show. The last thing you wanted to do was reveal to these people that their words affected you. It’d be a sign of weakness, something the Fire Nation didn’t take lightly. Once they sense it, they snuff it out before it could affect the rest of the herd. And you were not willing to be snuffed out so easily.

“I no longer find this game entertaining, we need to do something else,” Azula grimaced, you smiled at her outburst. She was obviously still upset that she had been out cartwheeled by Ty Lee, to no one’s surprise except hers apparently.
She scanned the garden as you and the other girls sat silently by the largest tree in the yard. She let out a low hum as her eyes finally landed on her brother, who stood quietly by a pond alongside their mother.

“Mom, can Zuko come play a game with us?” She asked, a mockingly sweet lilt lacing her tone.

“No way, I don’t wanna play cartwheel with a bunch of girls,” Zuko exclaimed defiantly, clutching onto his mother's robe.

“But mom we need an equal amount of people to play this game,” She pleaded to her mother before pausing, “and cartwheel isn’t a game dumb-dumb,” she finished referring to her brother.

“You already have an equal amount, so leave me out of it.”

“Yeah but, we need another bender, please mom, isn’t it important for brothers and sisters to play together?” Azula cooed, clasping her hands together and tilting her head to the side, really trying to play into the sweet facade.

You watched as the Fire Lady pulled Zuko close to her and whispered something into his ear, you saw Zuko’s face scrunch up in displeasure before he gave a brief nod and walked over to you and the other girls.

“So, what are we playing?” Zuko asked, causing Azula to stare at him blankly before giving him a wicked grin.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Zuko questioned as he watched Azula place an apple on Mai’s head.

“Of course, it is, when have I ever had a bad idea?” Azula assured, stepping away from the stoic girl, who had said nothing regarding the situation.

“So, here’s how you play,” Azula began before getting into an offensive stance. You and Ty Lee watched in anticipation as Azula began to demonstrate how to play the “game.”
Azula punched into the air releasing a small burst of fire towards Mai, the flame caught onto the leaf of the apple causing Mai’s eyes to widen in shock. Zuko let out a brief yelp before tackling Mai into the fountain behind them.
A pang of guilt struck your heart as you listened to Azula and Ty Lee giggle at the sight before them, but you couldn’t help but join in on their laughter, the pair in the fountain were both a bright red, a mixture of anger and confusion plastered on both of their faces.

“Ugh, you guys' suck,” Mai groaned as she turned her head away from you all.

“See I told you, they’d be cute together,” Azula teased.

“This is why I didn’t want to play with you guys in the first place, you girls are crazy!” Zuko screamed at the three of you before hopping out of the fountain and running off into the palace.

“He’s so dramatic.” Azula groaned, rolling her eyes while Ty Lee tried to stifle her laughter. You gazed back at the palace, fidgeting in place guilt slowly bubbling towards the surface.

“I’m gonna go use the bathroom.” You stuttered out, slowly backing towards the entrance. Before anyone was able to give their input, you broke off into a sprint and headed inside the building. You finally caught sight of the young prince, crouching behind a pillar with his head in his hands.

“Prince Zuko–” You tried.

“Go away.” He grumbled, voice weak and unsure. Instead of taking this as a sign to back off, you stepped closer to the fire bender, crouching beside him.

“I’m sorry, my prince. I should’ve objected to the princess’s game; I did not know–” You whispered softly.

“You knew, you just didn’t care.” Zuko spat, cutting you off before you had the chance to finish your sentence. You felt as a new emotion rose within the guilt in your stomach, anger.

“Of course I cared! I had no idea that’d you react that way, I’d never purposefully hurt the Firelord’s son!” You shouted, passion coursing through your veins. Zuko turned his head to face you, a bewildered look strewn across his sullen face.
You gasped suddenly, realizing what you had done, “I apologize, Prince Zuko, I did not mean to raise my voice.”

“It’s… okay? I think. I’m not mad, I just—” he paused looking down at his hands, “I don’t think anyone has ever spoken to me like that before. Other than father of course.” He whispered.
The prince sat in silence, waiting, unsure of what to say next as you continued to stare at the prince in a daze.

“Thank you for being so lenient, any other prince would’ve punished me in a second, and I’d deserve it, this is one of the glorious things about this nation, I’m undeserving of your kindness.” You mumbled. Zuko tensed up at your words, his gaze finally leaving his hands and landing onto you.

“Why do you talk about me like that?” He grimaced.

“Excuse me?”

“You talk about me— no, the Fire Nation as if it’s the best thing ever,” he clarified.

“Is it not?” You asked sarcastically. His hazel eyes narrowed at the question.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s great, but there are still issues in the Fire Nation—” he trailed, “—issues that are still being ignored and dismissed,” Zuko ranted, balling up his fists.

“Of course it has issues, all great civilizations do— but no other place in the world has a leader as understanding as the Firelord,” You argued.

“My grandfather is no understanding man,” he revealed, “you are blinded by a fantasy made up by the leaders of our nation, I wish— I wish I could be as naive as you.” He spoke to you as if you two weren’t the same age, like he had experienced years of
life you hadn’t. And yet it was far from condescending, it was grounding. Even if a part of you knew he was right, you wanted to stay blissful, remain unaware of the atrocities committed by the great nation and continue to live within the fantasy fed to you.

You had no idea why you were thinking of that now, it had been at least three years since you had that conversation with the young prince and at least two since he had been banished.
You walked through the halls of the palace solemnly, stacks of papers towering in your arms all whilst Azula ranted to you about her latest problem. What was it this time? Mai hadn’t responded to her latest letter—of course it had only been a few days since she sent it— but you dare not bother to bring that up, there was no point.
“Oh- and I need you to bring up the documents to the East Wing.”

“Excuse me?”

“The East Wing Prison, I need you to deliver those documents there, I’d do it myself but I’m far too busy,” Azula repeated to you, her words drawn out and insincere. You’d grown accustomed to this lifestyle, nothing new.
Over the years of being Azula’s friend you had found yourself slowly becoming more of a personal assistant, not that you really minded though. You thought of it as another way of repaying your debt to the Fire Nation.

“Of course, princess, I understand that your plate must be very full. I’ll get on that right away.” You assured as you continued down the hall, the nervous quiver barely visible in your voice.

As much as you didn’t like to admit it, you hated the East Wing Prison, it was more of a holding cell than an actual prison really. It was unkempt and dim, always reeking of must and rotting metal. The room was bone dry and there was just never enough air to completely fill your lungs, leaving you gasping for more with every breath.
You knew only the worst of the worst were held there. And it was never for longer than a month, then they’d be transferred to the Boiling Rock where they’d eventually be dealt with.
You shook your head, attempting to clear your thoughts from your mind. You scampered up the steps hastily, you knew if you were gone for too long Azula would pitch a fit.
Finally reaching the door of the prison you kicked at it gently resulting in a dull thump being heard on the other side.

“State your purpose.” A gruff voice demanded.

“It’s me, again, the princess wanted these papers delivered.”

The man groaned from the other side as the clang of heavy metal entered your ears. The guard opened the door and allowed you to step inside.

“Is she ever gonna come up here herself? She knows she’s supposed to be signing these off in person.” The guard complained, taking the pile out of your hands.

“Well, we both know how busy the princess is—” You attempted to reason.

“Oh please. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her do anything the Firelord has assigned her to.” He shushed, “Wait here, I need to get a signature,” he finished before walking away with the stack.

You hated being alone in the holding cells, at least with the guard talking your ear off you’d be able to ignore the scent of despair, yet the lack of stimulation caused the smell of rot to quickly enter your lungs. You tapped your foot against the concrete impatiently, scanning the halls trying to find something to ease your boredom and discomfort.

Psst... A hiss of wind mocked your unease, causing the hairs on the back of your neck to arise.

PSST… The sound shouted, scratching at the rim of your ear lobe.

“Hey,” The sound finally called. You jumped, turning to the source and letting out a brief yelp.

“I’m Sona, you’re from the Water Tribe, right? What are you doing here?” The noise, whisper-yelled to you, you held your tongue and shuffled away from the cell anxiously. “Hey where are you going?” You paused.

Glancing at the boy you noticed that he could have only been a few years older than you, his tan skin mimicked your own and his eyes were almost as clear as the glaciers out at sea. His smooth face was peppered in a combination of bruises and stubble, with a small scar planted on his upper lip.

You wanted to run away but instead you walked closer to the wooden bars and asked, “Why are you here? What did you do?” the harshness of your voice had even taken you aback, stopping, you gnawed at the dry skin of your bottom lip awaiting his response.

Sona grimaced at your stern interrogation, “I... I was taken from my home; the Fire Nation soldiers came to my village, and I had to defend my people.”

“So, you attacked Fire Nation soldiers and were arrested for it?”

“No– It’s not like that, they were gonna take my little sister, I had to…” He reasoned.

“Then your sister must’ve done something wrong.” You argued, cutting him off. “Was she provoking them? Was she resisting arrest? Was she ignoring orders? Was she a bender?”

The man stared at you in awe, complete shock apparent on his slack jaw face, “She was six! What could a six-year-old do?” He snapped, gripping at the bars of his cell. You jumped back, stumbling over your own foot.

“Why are you defending them?” He asked, “Haven’t they taken something from you too?”

“Yes– but it was because they wanted to save me,”

“Save you from what, being with your family?”

“Those people weren’t my family.” You sneered. Sona scowled at your disinterest.

“You really think you’re one of them?” His grip on the bars loosened as he backed away, “As soon as you show your true self, they’ll act like they never knew you, and then you’ll end up in here like me.”

You stared at the boy blankly, wanting to retort, but you couldn’t.

It was just like the conversation you had with the prince all those years ago, you knew he was right. Of course he was, but you so desperately wanted him to be wrong that you talked yourself into thinking that he was, just like you were doing now.

“They saved me.” You reiterated. Sona didn’t bother trying to respond, only backing further into his cell and ignoring your ignorance. You stood at his cell for what felt like hours staring at his bleak expression until the guard from before called your name.

“Here’s the paperwork, make sure you get the Princess to sign it this time.” He stated, you walked over to where he stood and smiled at him meekly.

“Yeah of course, I’ll probably be back by sundown.” You guaranteed, taking the sheet of paper off his person.

The sound of the heavy metal door screeching against the concrete floor, did not grant you the peace you thought it would. For Sona’s words had stuck to you like glue, and so peace of mind would be the last thing that would be permitted to you.
You walked down the grand halls of the palace in silence, the only noise accompanying you was the sound of your shoes clacking against the marble floors. Taking a sharp turn, you were met face to face with Azula.

“Princess” you exclaimed, “I was just looking for you, I have something for you to si—”

“Of course,” she said, snatching the paper from your hand. “But not now, right now I need you to help me write a letter back to Mai.”

“You got a reply back so soon?”

“Obviously,” She said, rolling her eyes, “Otherwise I wouldn’t be writing to her, would I?”

“Of course, not princess…” You smiled.

She scoffed at your formality, “You know I hate it when you call me that.”

“Right, sorry Azula.” You corrected the name, foreign and heavy on your tongue.

She smiled and grabbed your hand, “You know you are my friend, right?”

You swallowed and nodded softly, “Of course, Azula,” But would that last?

“As soon as you show your true self, they’ll act like they never knew you.”

Chapter Text

“The cardinal sin of weakness is too grand to be ignored by the glorious Fire Nation,” a statement that had been embedded in your mind, like a nail on a cross, by friends and family alike. It was like they were afraid of one's weakness becoming an epidemic, afraid that one would soon become a hundred which would soon become a thousand. A moment of weakness is a lifetime of dishonor in their eyes, a crime that could not be forgiven.

You met Mai how you met Azula, through Ty Lee, she was beautiful, yet stoic. So it was no surprise to you that she had caught the Prince’s eye, her solemn beauty encapsulated all onlookers, similarly to how your flaws did. Sometimes late at night you’d wonder if you could ever achieve the perfection Mai had, if you could ever be as beautiful, stoic, and calm as her.
You thought this way until you saw her, the real her, watched as she shook and sobbed, her hair tangled mess, eyes puffy and red. Her tears streamed unabashedly from her eyes as loud screams like sobs flew freely from her lips. She clung to you like lint on fabric, mumbling incomprehensible nothings into the warmth of your neck.

“—Gone,” she whimpered, voice hoarse with grief, “I’ll never see him again.” The vulnerability she shared with you should have made you feel empathetic to her situation, pity towards her broken heart or maybe even fear for your own. Yet as you stared down at the girl who’s tears soaked the slump of your shoulder, you could only muster up one emotion, resentment.

You resented your friend who poured her heart out to you, for being able to display such weakness without any shame or hesitation. Something you’d never be able to do without being heavily chastised for. It wasn’t fair that you were forced to strive towards the impossible goal that was perfection, whilst these truly flawed individuals were allowed to roam free without consequence.

However instead of voicing your resentment you coddled her, cooing at the girl as if she were an infant, comforting her in a way you’d never experienced yourself. Droning on about how unfair her situation was as though she’d been the one transgressed against.

The bitterness that you had held against her never truly dissipated, even as the two of you grew closer together.

Of course you’d only been thinking about this now since Mai was back in town visiting the Fire Lord with her family for some ‘important business.’ Memories bubbled to the forefront of your mind as you sat on your knees with Mai on the other side of the table.

“So,” Mai started taking a deep breath, “How long has it been again?”

You smiled coyly before shrugging, she hummed softly, bringing her attention to the cup in her hands. “When Azula sent you the letter, I—I didn’t expect you’d show up so fast,” You spoke, fiddling with the hem of your dress.

“Me neither, but it worked out since my parents had some ‘business’ to attend to with the Fire Lord.” She explained.

“Do you know what that’s about? My dad won’t tell me anything,” You huffed, taking a sip of your tea. Mai groaned in response to your question.

“As if they’d tell me anything,” she grimaced before drinking her own tea, “Girls like us aren’t expected to be aware of such important matters, our parents just expect us to smile and wave like we know nothing.” She ranted.

‘Girls like us,’ you repeated in your mind, a mantra that had now implanted itself in your brain, cracking away at a part you so desperately tried to hide, ‘girls like us are lucky.’ A sour feeling had risen in the pit of your stomach as that bitterness you had tried so hard to ignore reignited itself. With nobility coarsening through your veins you had no reason to be complaining about what you were, or weren’t expected to do. You knew that if you were anyone else you’d be nothing.

“Maybe it’s for the best, I’d rather not focus on more issues when the Fire Lord is more than capable of handling these things himself,” Your excuse left a noticeable scowl on your friend's face.

“But aren’t you tired of being left in the dark?” She argued.

“The Fire Nation can handle itself, what’s the point of worrying when we have nothing to input,” you shrugged.

“Aren’t you tired of being pushed to the side? Of having your opinion neglected?” She spat, “Don't you want to be something more than…this?” She groveled, slamming her cup onto the wooden table. A silence loomed over you two, before you spoke once more.

“No Mai, because I’m happy with what I have, you should try it sometime.” You hissed, eyes narrowing at her. Her eyes followed suit, narrowing like a snake locking in on its target, mouth agape, preparing to retort yet it quickly slammed shut, interrupted by the sound of the door creaking open.

“There you are, I’ve been looking all over for you,” an agitated princess scowled, storming up beside you.

“Princess,” you jumped, standing onto your feet, “What did you need?”

“For one, an advisor who, actually, advises.” She gruffed, before listing off her second complaint, “Why didn’t you inform me of Mai’s arrival?”

“Well Princess, I had instructed one of the guards to do so, as I was told that you had been stuck in a meeting,” You quickly justified, attempting to put on a brave face. This answer did not seem to please the vexed Princess as a frown remained across her face.

“You know very well that if I’m in a meeting you are to accompany me.” She countered, you felt like sinking into the floor, a dash of red painting your cheeks, hot with embarrassment.

“I was only—”

“Enough excuses.” Azula intervened, before turning on her heel and walking out the door. “Come now.” Without uttering another word you followed.

“Always the obedient dog,” You heard Mai mutter, before the door closed.

You wanted to sob as you walked beside the princess, like a child preparing for a lecture. It was embarrassing enough to be called out by Azula, it was even worse to be called out whilst in the middle of a growing debate.

“I—apologize for interrupting your discussion with Mai.” Azula suddenly bemoaned—and it felt sincere, oddly enough. You nodded quietly as you entered a room with her. “You know I have the utmost respect for you, so when I ask this—know I only ask because I trust you.”

“Anything for you, my princess—”

“I need you to find my brother.” She deadpanned. “You will find him, and you will follow him—I don’t care if he drags you to the ends of the Earth.”

“But—why?” You ask hesitantly, running your nails along your arm.

“Because I miss my dear brother of course—and I want to make sure he’s safe and not doing anything foolish—he’s never been one to think things through, you know.” She explained, waving her hand around dismissively.

“Would the Fire Lo—would your father approve?”

“Of course not,” She laughed, “which is why you will not tell anyone. Not even Mai, or Ty Lee.”

“Azula this isn't–” You tried, head lolling back from the weight of her words.

“Please, do this for me.” She quickly cut-in, taking your hands and placing them in hers. Azula looked into your eyes with an emotion you’d never seen on her before—desperation.

She needed you to do this for her, she needed you. More than anyone, this was the only way to pay back your debt to the Fire Nation, even if it was in secret.

Which was how you found yourself carrying a light bag over your shoulders, creeping from your home, wearing nondescript clothing that allowed you to blend into the night sky. You were so focused on getting to the nearest port that you didn’t notice the sound of the grass rustling behind you. “Where are you going so late at night?” Mai, you presumed, you immediately recognized her droning voice.

“Vacation.” You monotoned, without taking the effort to face her. She chuckled humorlessly at the answer before sauntering in front of you.

“Well that makes perfect sense, as I too, go on vacation in the middle of the night—dressed head to toe in unassuming garb—if I didn’t know any better I’d assume you were nothing more than a common thief.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” you spat, side stepping the girl in front of you. Still bitter about the conversation that took place only a few hours earlier, her presence only acted as a barrier to your newly acquired mission.

“Hey,” she tried, grabbing at your sleeve, “I didn’t like how our last conversation went.” Her tone softened, a gentle lilt lacing her static infused voice.

“I need to get going, my boat is leaving soon, we’ll continue this another time.” You excused, beginning to walk off. As much as she didn’t want to, she let you, watching as you glided down the paved road and away from her line of sight.

You couldn’t help but sprint after you left her sight. It was an unexplainable fear that you felt after seeing her, one that swelled at the pit of your stomach and spread to the soles of your feet, making it unbearable to run.

So once you had finally made it to the pier and were met by the sound of crashing waves, you were overwhelmed by it, yet calmed you, grounded you, reminded you of why you were there. When you finally tossed your satchel onto the small rowboat that awaited you, it didn’t feel as scary as you thought it would. When you climbed aboard, onto the rotting wooden shell, you didn’t feel like you were climbing into your casket.

When you finally set sail you only had one goal in mind; Find the Prince.

Chapter Text

Constantly finding yourself surrounded by the epitome of perfection was suffocating. Finding no solace in strangers, friends, nor your parents, acted as a daily reminder that you were alone. Forever enveloped by swarms of people who you’d never be able to relate to was isolating. So, you took comfort in the idea that the Firelord and his family cared for all their citizens equally, as that included you. It made you believe that you were worth loving, caring forgot, and brought you a peace you were previously unfamiliar with.

The prince was not always easy to get along with, even before his impromptu banishment. This fact, however, never stopped you from trying. Even if he wasn’t as interested as you were.

You sat quietly in the meadow as the prince punched at the air angrily. Small bursts of orange flames rushing off into the open sky. He let out a huff as one last flame escaped enclosed fist, smaller than the others, before dropping down onto the grass beside you.

“I don’t know why this isn’t working.” He sighed, burying his face into his hands.

“I thought that was great.” You offered, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He grimaced, quickly shrugging your hand off.

“It doesn’t matter what you think.” He grunted, “Not when I have to live up to the expectations of the Firelord.” He sighed, slumping further into the dirt. “I need to prove to my father that I’m fit for the throne.” You looked at him sympathetically, eyes scanning over his bruised knuckles.

“You’re an amazing bender already, always living up to other's expectations are impossible, you gotta be happy with the things you’ve achieved.” You smiled, patting him on the shoulder, causing him to slide even further into the grass, now laying on his back.

“You sound like my uncle.” He groaned, ears tinged a bright shade of red.

“Well, maybe it’s because your uncle is right.” You chuckled, laying in the grass beside him. He gazed at you lazily, face still a reddish hue, before laughing himself. A few beats passed before both of your laughter's finally died down. With the growing silence the prince’s face eventually turned sour.

“I’ve wasted too much time; I need to start practicing again.” He eventually coughed up, sitting up. Dirt lightly dusted the back of his shirt, causing you to giggle once more. He turned to you, eyebrows furrowed, “What’s so funny?” He mused; a frustrated smirk strewn across his face. 

“Nothing, don’t worry.” You quickly responded, “Could I help? With your bending?”

“What would you know about bending?” He retorted, attempting to shoot your suggestion down.

“More than you—” You taunted before quickly realizing who you were speaking to, “—’d think," You covered, “Both of my parents are benders, working under the Firelord—your father— and have both trained in front of me. So—while I may not know how to bend, I know how to bend.” You finished, punctuating your statement by jumping onto your feet, falling into an exaggerated combative pose.

“You look dumb,” He laughed, before lightly shoving you, causing you to fall back into an idle position.

“As dumb as it may look, it works.” You giggled, pushing him back.

“Fine,” He huffed theatrically, mimicking the pose you once held, “teach me the ways of a firebender. O’ great teacher,” he teased. You scoffed, before getting into position once more, a brief laugh escaping your lips whilst doing so. 

The sound seemed to fade out as Zuko joined in, despite the image warbling in your mind, you were sure you had said something back, but your mind couldn’t quite figure it out, unable to fill in the blanks it was creating.

You shot up from where you were, having fallen asleep from the sway of the calming ocean. The sun had now begun to crack open the freshly blue skies, that were more of a frosty grey due to the dewy fog that had lightly coated your vision. Unsure of where you were, you decided that it would be best if you docked on the next island you drifted by to gather your bearings. You gazed over the small rowboat’s ledge and noticed that a faint frost had built up against the wood, odd , you thought to yourself, I can't be that far away from the Fire Nation.

Before you allowed yourself to dwell on the concerning sight any longer, you noticed a small port, rows of fishing boats littering its shore, along with a dense forest from which smoke bellowed. It didn’t seem too far off, so you had decided that it’d be best to ground yourself there. Groaning, you lifted your oars and began to row, arms restless and sore.

It was around noon when you finally reached the port. Your stomach screamed for its fill, growling relentlessly as you climbed out of your boat. You almost fell over as you stood on the pier, legs weak from being unused for however long they were. 

“Excuse me miss?” A gruff voice interrupted, demanding your attention, “Are you okay?” You stumbled around before nodding casually. Finally getting rid of your sea-legs.

“Would there happen to be a trading center on this island?”

Unlit lanterns hung from posts, as market stalls, varying in sizes, formed a circle around a granite fountain that spewed an endless stream of water from its center. You scanned the stalls not truly knowing what you were looking for, until your eyes stopped on a small stand. You noticed the woman who had stood behind it first, she seemed to be about your mothers age, and had grey streaks cutting through her shoulder length brown hair. 

“Hey, you there,” she called after noticing your lingering gaze. You jumped at the sound, wanting to scramble away, “With the hair!” She screamed further, flailing her arms around her head. Your shoulders slumped before you made your way over to the booth.

“I couldn’t help but notice you eyeing my goods. Would you happen to be interested in real, one hundred percent, authentic, Earth Kingdom clothing? It’s the latest fashion,” she pitched, waving her hand around her ragged cloth. You thought about it for a second, before pulling out a small pouch. You pointed at a pale green dress that had a beige covering over most of it—it wasn’t your typical style for sure—but it would most likely come in handy for when you went deeper into the Earth Kingdom.  

“How much?”

After you finished your brief shopping, your eyes then landed on a relatively large ship. You watched silently until a tall brooding boy along with a short stout man exited the barge. You instantly recognized the young man as banished Prince Zuko. You almost shouted in delight, this had to have been a higher power guiding your journey, for there could be no other explanation to your undeniable luck.

“Uncle,” you heard the boy bemoan, “We’ve come all this way for a Pai Sho tile, when we could’ve been searching for the Avatar, we need to finish this little side quest, so we can get back to—.”

“Nephew, you don’t understand, the lotus tile is essential to my strategy, such a shame they didn’t have one here.” He sighed, placing his hands on his protruding stomach. You watched as the men walked off, past the port where you had arrived, and to a secluded part of the nearby forest.

Standing silently behind a large oak tree, you could see the men hopping aboard a large Fire Nation ship. ‘ Must be where that smoke was coming from ’ you thought wordlessly.

 Sneaking closer to the edge of the vessel you could hear a whispered conversation; “ You heard what that pirate said—water tribe—here. ” Why would anyone from the water tribe be here ? “ They have to be near water—we’ll wait until nightfall,” you groaned inwardly at the thought of having to wait hours until you could start doing something again, but it had to be done. For Azula .

As the sun slowly set, you heard the sounds of heavy thuds against hollow metal. You knew then it was time to move. Sneaking to the back of the ship, you slowly climbed aboard, making sure to remain in the shadows and out of the illumination the moon provided. It was a basic model that seemingly has a few cosmetic adjustments, but you knew the make by heart. You snuck down to the armory along the middle deck and stole some armor that appeared to be in your size.

By the time you made your way out of the ship the moon was at its peak. Following the boot prints along the mud you made your way to what you assumed was a camp. Three children, hands intertwined by rope, stood idly as the prince held a scroll over a flame that swelled in his palm. 

“Give them to me or I burn your precious scroll,” he smirked.

“You should be careful with fire, boy.” The pirate grimaced, reaching for his sword.

“I could give you a fortune for them,” Zuko reasoned.

“Or—” the water tribe boy offered, “you can hand us in yourself, I mean—I don’t know if you noticed but—this is the Avatar. You could get a fortune from him.”

“Don’t listen to him—he’s trying to turn us against each other!” Zuko rebutted.

“This kid’s the Avatar?” The pirate asked dumbstruck. You couldn’t help but laugh from where you were at the question. “Forget about the scroll, keep it. With him I can buy a hundred of em’.” 

“You idiot!” He scorned, before punching an orange flame at him. The pirate quickly dodged, pulling out his sword and pointing it at the prince. 

“Get them!” The older man ordered. This seemed to get both the pirates and the soldiers in motions, with a cacophony of metal and flames against air starting up. You took this as your opportunity to dash from your cover and onto the battlefield. 

You threw a punch at the nearest pirate, being in armor, of course, gave you an advantage. Your metal enclosed fist collided with soft wool, sending the man stumbling back. When he finally gathered himself, he erratically swung his sword at you, forcing you to back up towards the rushing stream of water. Noticing this you ducked under the blade, which was now mid-swing, and jabbed the man in his stomach. His cheeks quickly puffed up, filling with bile. He ran over to the flowing stream before spewing his fill into the river below, where you then promptly kicked him into.

You panted heavily—the brief encounter taking a lot out of you—the weight of the armor constantly pulling you down made your muscles ache. You placed a gloved hand on the shoulder plate that jutted out into the cold air, before ripping off the unnecessary piece and tossing it to the side. You continued this process of pulling off the decorative pieces of the armor until you were left in nothing but a mask, breastplate and leggings. 

By the time you finished removing what you deemed necessary, the Avatar and his friend had joined the fight, and the field was now covered in thick dust. Without thinking you dashed into the smog, aiming to find the wanted pair. 

“Sokka!” you heard a young boy shout; “follow my voice!” he ordered, jumping above the cloud of dirt. Taking a blade from one of the many pirates, you threw it at the boy who was seemingly floating in the air, aiming for the loose part of his pants. Sadly, you miss, not even snagging the fabric with the knife flying back into the cloud. You felt a gust of wind, watched as it pushed back the cover of grime, revealing a bald monk with a bright blue arrow going down his head standing a few meters ahead of you, along with around five other pirates surrounding him. 

“Never mind I’ll find you,” he quickly backtracked, pulling the dirt cloud back around him, you coughed and sputtered unceremoniously, trying to shake the dust that clung to your lungs. Wiping the dirt from your eyes, you noticed that the young boy was no longer in front of you, but the pirates still were.

The men turned their attention towards you, the feeling of fear immediately gathering on your face as you reached for a blade that was no longer at your side. You groaned internally, remembering your previous actions before balling your fist and bringing them in front of your face. Two out of the five rushed you at once, throwing a net and blade in your direction. You leaped sideways, the net, thankfully, missed, while the knife made a clean cut across your shoulder. You groaned, clutching your shoulder in an attempt to slow the flowing blood. Net-man jumped at you, trying to kick at your occupied side. You were quick enough to catch his leg and pull, causing him to tumble onto the ground instantly, hitting his head against the rough terrain and knocking him out. 

Knife-guy was a lot luckier, he managed to kick you in the back whilst you were relishing in your victory, knocking you down to the floor. You flipped onto your back and kicked the man before he was able to climb atop you. He stumbled backwards, falling onto his side. Before you were able to do any more damage, two other men grabbed onto your arms and tugged you upwards, forcing you onto your feet. A part of you wanted to cry, you couldn’t lose, not when you were so close to the prince. The man who had been knocked onto his side sprung back onto his feet and stormed over to you.

“You Fire Nation scum, always trying to take what’s not yours.” He spat. You gritted your teeth at the insult, kicking your feet at him once more. He laughed at your poor attempt, “not so tough when it’s just one of ya’, I wonder what you look like under the helm,” He taunted further. 

Cocking his head to the side, he signaled to the pirate holding your left arm and smirked. His ironclad grip loosened on your arm as he used one of his hands to pull on your helmet. You ripped your arm from his grip and brought your elbow down on his stomach. He staggered backwards, frozen in shock. You took that as your chance to swing at the man holding your other arm, the punch landing directly against his nose. You made a mad dash towards the man who mocked you and tackled him to the ground, slamming your fist down on his face until it was akin to a blooming rose. The other men were blatantly disturbed by this display of violence, almost as if they weren’t acting as aggressors previously. You rose from where you sat atop the man and rushed the next pirate you saw, swinging as hard as you could.

Seeing this coming, he stopped your hand from connecting with his body and connected his own fist with your stomach, causing you to cough up spittle. Your movements stuttered as your body went through a full reset. You pulled back from his grip and kneed him in his crotch before running off and out of the dirt cloud.

The men followed closely behind as you made your way closer to the stream, just before your feet were able to touch the damp ground, one of the men managed to push you on your back, helm finally slipping off and into the river. You swung aimlessly at the man who was an arm's length away. As he stood over you, you could only continue to flail your arms in a desperate attempt to keep him away. Giving a right hook to the warm air, you watched as the man was quickly smashed in the side by a block of ice. As you rested your arms beside you, the ice began to melt away into a puddle and flowed back into the stream.

You stared at your hands in disbelief, whilst the other men looked at the water dumbfounded. Climbing back onto your feet, you shut your eyes and steadied your breaths, holding your enclosed fist in front of you before pushing them forward. Hearing the sound of rushing water suddenly stop, your eyes shot open, revealing that both of the men had been frozen in place. Finally free from the seemingly impending doom you faced, you allowed yourself to collapse onto the floor and released the breath you were, apparently, holding.

Your hand dotted around the cold soil trying to find your lost headgear, turning to the river, you spotted it bobbing along the current and flowing down the waterfall. You groaned externally, even when you win you still had to lose something.

“Who are you and what are you doing in Fire Nation gear?” A man rasped from above. You flipped on your back and looked up.

“Prince Zuko—I’ve been looking for you!”