The Traitor Princess

Chapter 10 - Winter Solstice, Part Two: The Reunion

Eziri was abruptly awoken with a large bang and a jolt of the ship. She was thrown off her bed and onto the floor. What the hell? She let out a groan and pulled herself to her feet. She pulled out some Fire Nation attire and sprinted to the deck of the ship. She was hit with a foul stench and yelling from multiple directions.

"Prince Zuko! The engines are damaged! We need to stop and make repairs!" an engineer shouted. Eziri ran over to join her brother and uncle.

"Do not stop this ship," Zuko commanded.

"What the hell is going on?!" Eziri shouted at her brother. Before he could reply, Eziri saw Appa flying in the sky ahead of them. A fireball shot towards the bison and she saw someone--Sokka--fall from the saddle.

"No," she whispered. She bolted forward towards the railing, fully prepared to jump into the water. Arms wrapped around her waist and she was pulled back before she could jump.

"Are you insane? You'll get killed if you go out there!" Ju yelled as he gripped her tighter. Eziri stomped on his foot and he hissed in pain, releasing her. She launched forward again, watching as Sokka got closer and closer to the ocean.

This time, her brother grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. She didn't look at him, keeping her attention on the falling Water Tribe boy. Before he could hit the water, Appa swooped underneath him and he was pulled back into the saddle.

Eziri felt her knees buckle and she dropped to the floor. Sokka almost died. He almost died and I couldn't help him. Eziri felt tears spring to her eyes and she kept them from falling. Ju put a hand on her shoulder but it was quickly pulled away.

"Go assist the engineers!" She heard her brother shout from behind her. Reluctantly, Ju bowed and did as he was told.

Zuko stepped forward and crouched in front of his sister. "Ezi..." He trailed off. She didn't answer. Her gaze was focused on the bison in the sky and her hands were shaking.

"Ezi, are you ok?" Her brother asked.

"I'm fine," She whispered. He sighed and stood up, extending his hand to help her. She accepted it and stood next to him, both of them staring at the bison.

"Ezi, what the hell was that? If Ju and I hadn't grabbed you..." He trailed off.

Their attention was pulled to Iroh as he pointed towards the front of the ship and shouted.

"We're on a collision course!"

"We can make it!" Zuko shouted back. Eziri stared at the blockade in front of her with wide eyes. She suddenly realized that they were entering Fire Nation waters.

Her banished brother was entering Fire Nation waters.

The ship got closer to the blockade and everyone on deck held their breath. At the last minute, the ships ahead of them cut their engines and stopped. Zuko's ship moved smoothly through the barricade without issue.

As they passed, Zuko looked up to the opposing ship and his eyes met Zhao's. The two glared at each other until they were out of each other's sight.

To Zuko's surprise, his sister slapped him across the back of his head.

"Ow! Eziri, what the--"

"YOU'RE AN IDIOT!" Zuko's eyes widened. He could tell his sister was enraged. She didn't often get this angry, but it was pretty scary when she did. "HE COULD HAVE ARRESTED YOU!" She shoved his chest and he stumbled back a bit.

"Uncle and I wouldn't be able to stop him! What the hell is wrong with you?!?" She went to shove him again but he pushed her hands away before she could.