Daughter of the Moon - Book Three: Fire

Chapter 16: Swordbending Kai

- Sokka -

Perhaps I had been too optimistic in my ability to control my temper when I agreed to Elara's plea to not hate Zuko.

It wasn't entirely my fault that I despised him. Zuko just made it so easy. He constantly sulked around the temple like a dejected drama queen as if he wasn't the one who had caused all our troubles for nearly a year, he was just too tough on Aang when it came to firebending, and his social skills were painfully awkward, forcing everyone to sit through too many failed attempts at small talk as he tried to become a part of the group.

And worst of all, I was constantly getting the feeling that he hated me, and I'm not just saying that because of the nasty looks he threw in my direction every time we ran into each other. The sentiment only seemed to grow worse when Elara was nearby (especially when I was holding her), and I was pretty sure the temperature in the room spiked on more than one occasion solely because of his short temper and jealousy.

Maybe I deserved it a little—I did go out of my way to make sure Elara would be safe from Zuko every time he entered the room in an effort to make him miss what he had so willingly thrown away—and I wasn't planning on slowing down any time soon. Was this just my way of unleashing my frustrations on the firebender? Absolutely, and I felt no guilt for my behavior.

However, I knew that just showing him the consequences of what he had done wasn't going to be enough to satisfy my ravenous crave for vengeance on Elara's behalf. Okay, that was a bit of a stretch. I didn't actually want revenge, I just wanted to serve it to him real good—get in a few good punches, if you know what I mean—to teach him a lesson about what happens when you mess with the wrong people. Or anyone for that matter. If he was going to be sticking around to teach Aang firebending, he needed to understand that he wasn't going to have the chance to cross more lines than he already had.

But I also knew that I had to go about the situation carefully. For one, I wasn't about to abandon Elara's wishes just to defend my honor (as some boys might do), and I also knew that I wouldn't stand a chance against Zuko if it was his bending against my blade. I was being reckless, not stupid, so I knew I had to even the playing field a bit in a way that wouldn't make Elara suspicious.

Luckily, I had just the idea.

"Hey, Zuko!" I hollered at the boy once I had found him stretching near the training grounds. "Up for a little swordbending?!"

Zuko turned away from his task to glare at me with a puzzled expression. "I'm supposed to be teaching Aang," he answered curtly. "And don't call it swordbending. That's not even a real word."

"Aang's busy with Toph!" I continued as I ignored Zuko's logic, taking extra care to poke at all of his buttons. "Besides, it's about time we had a duel—we're the only two swordbenders here, after all..."

With one look, I knew that Zuko knew that I didn't really want to duel because he was the only other swordsman here. He knew I was here on behalf of Elara, but I suppose he also knew that she wouldn't want there to be any more contention than there already was. But still, the idea of dueling me was clearly tempting.

"I think I'm a little past your level, Sokka," Zuko finally spit out as he turned his back to walk away. "Maybe you should ask Elara to teach you a few tricks. She's a pretty skilled swordsman herself—" Zuko paused for a moment before turning to speak to me once again— "Although, she might be too advanced for your level as well. Perhaps The Duke would be willing to duel you."

"The Duke?!" I cried out in surprise as my ego took a fatal blow. "But he's...like...eight years old!"

"He should be a good match for you, then," Zuko taunted as he turned to leave once again.