𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 [ᴢᴜᴋᴏ]

Chapter 19

Chapter 19, The Siege of the North Part 1

I can’t believe I agreed to this.

Currently, I was sitting beside Iroh and in front of Zhao. I should have drowned earlier when I’m looking at the situation I’m in now.

We’re pretending that Zuko died and we decided to join Zhao. But we secretly got Zuko on the ship too. He was disguised as a normal soldier. 

“I’m devastated to hear about Prince Zuko. Just devastated,” Zhao said as he poured tea in three cups.

“I’m sure you are,” I said and rolled my eyes as I took a cup. That idiot thinks he can fool me. I’m certain he has something to do with this.

“The Fire Lord will not be pleased when he learns who was responsible,” Iroh said looking down. 

Zhao slightly rose his eyebrows, “you know who was behind the attack?”

“Yes,” Iroh said and I saw that Zhao tense a bit, “Pirates,” Iroh added and slammed his fist on the table. I flinched at the sudden sound and put my cup of tea back on the table.

Zhao smirked a bit with his cup in front of his mouth before he took a sip, but it didn’t go unnoticed by me. 

“So, have you reconsidered my offer?” Zhao asked and put his cup down. “Yes, I accept. It will be an honour to serve as your General,” Iroh said and bend his head down. 

Zhao looked satisfied with this answer and looked at me. It costed me all my strength not to stand up and slap this man.

I gulped, “yes, I’ll help you find the Avatar,” I mumbled. 

“I didn’t hear you,” the Admiral said and I clenched my jaw and looked at him. “I said: Yes, I’ll help you find the Avatar,” I repeated louder this time.

“But if you have difficulties with your hearing, I think you should reconsider fighting the Avatar,” I said and stood up, leaving the room without saying anything else.

I walked around the corridors of the ship in hope to get a clear mind. While turning the corner, I bumped into one guard.

I briefly apologised and went past him but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into an empty room.

My first instinct was to punch the guy but he caught my fist midair. Before I kicked him he took off his helmet.

“Idiot, you scared me,” I snapped and pushed him away from me. Zuko only looked at me, “Did he believe it?”

I scoffed, “of course he did. If he had been smart he wouldn’t have tried to kill you.” Zuko almost smiled at me.

“I still need to thank you. I owe you my life,” Zuko whispered and looked down.

“Hey, don’t mention it,” I waved it off.

After an awkward silence we decided to leave the room and part our ways again or else someone could find out about Zuko.

The next day was pretty boring as I only spent it in my room. They shot the first canons towards the water tribe and I couldn’t do anything but to watch them from the deck.

Luckily Iroh stopped Zhao from attacking further and they stopped their ships as it was getting dark and the water benders take their power from the moon.

Iroh and me made our way back into the ship. He told me to follow him and when we entered a room Zuko was already in there preparing a little boat for himself. I knew he was leaving so I excused myself and got out of the room giving them a bit privacy.

When Iroh left the room with tears in his eyes, I shot him a warm smile before peeking into the room. 

Zuko was still there preparing his boat. I entered and closed the door behind me. Zuko turned around to face me. 
“Hey,” I whispered and put a half smile on my face. I definitely wasn’t happy that he was leaving.

“Be careful out there and keep yourself warm,” I told him. “Will do,” he said and nodded as he got into his boat. I gulped and waved slightly as he slowly disappeared from my sight. I knew, I wouldn’t see him again, because I was planning on escaping in the chaos that would certainly happen.

I wiped my tears away as I made my way back to the room I was staying in. What I didn’t expect was that Iroh was already waiting there for me.

“I still need to tell you something,” he said before I could even ask what was wrong. “Sit down, dear,” he said and I did.

I looked at the old man who seemed lost in his thoughts and waited for him to start telling me what he wanted to say.

“Do you remember how you told me your mother’s name?” he suddenly asked and I nodded. He had seemed suspicious when he knew my mother’s name but I completely forgot that I wanted to ask him about that because of all the drama that happened.

“I knew your mother a long time ago,” he started and my eyes widened but I didn’t dare to interrupt him now.

“She was one of my best friends as her father, your grandfather, was the right hand of mine. We saw each other often but when her parents wanted her to get engaged to someone she didn’t love she ran away.”

“My mother was from the Fire Nation?!” I exclaimed full of disbelief. That couldn’t be true, I mean my mother and Fire Nation that doesn’t work.

Iroh nodded, “she was not her parents favourite because she was so different from our people. Kya tried everything to get her parent's approval but when they asked her to marry someone she didn’t love she had enough. Without telling anyone she was gone from one day to the other. And I haven’t seen her since then.”

I couldn’t even speak at that moment and my mind seemed to have stopped working. I couldn’t believe that my mother would hide such a fact from us and I wondered if anyone else from our tribe knew.

“Later, I found out that she had been together with your father for a longer time already. But I never knew who he was, only that she had gone and married him after she escaped from her home. Sometimes she would write me letters and tell me about your family a bit,” Iroh ended his little story and honesty, I felt like crying.

My whole life had been a lie, but that explains why I look different and can fire bend. 

I wanted to ask Iroh who my mom was supposed to marry but a guard barged into the room and told us to get ready for the attack. I wiped my eyes and decided to focus now and think about it later. But it was hard to discover that your mother had been lying to you your whole life.

On deck, I saw the North Pole coming nearer and I gulped. “Let’s write history,” Zhao said and smirked while Iroh and I glanced at each other with an uneasy look our faces. 

Our ship crashed into the walls of the Northern Water tribe just like every other ship of the fleet too. Then, all hell broke loose.