Lotus Flower: Book One|ZukoxOC(Avatar the Last Airbender Fanfic)

Collateral Damage

I sit staring out the window of my cell, braiding and unbraiding my hair in boredom. Earlier, I had been playing my fiddle and singing along to the crew's music night but their beautiful music had been cut off—making me worry for my friends.

"Admiral Zhao has taken the crew." Iroh's voice fills the room, making me jump.

"Even Jee?" I ask in shock and he nods.

"Even Niko?" I ask, my heart breaking a little.

"Even Niko." He says sadly.

"Even the cook?" I ask.

"Even the cook." Iroh nearly weeps.

"How could this have happened? I didn't get to say goodbye.." I say in despair.

"The admiral is threatened by my nephew." Iroh replies, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

"How is Prince Zuko taking it?" Concern coats my voice, knowing he's most likely throwing a tantrum.

"Not well. He needs you. I'm going to convince him to let you out." Iroh explains.

"Good luck, but I'm pretty sure he wants to see me less than Zhao." I say bitterly, thinking about how Zuko threw me back in here, even though I chose to stay with him.

"That's not true, and you know it. He cares deeply for you, he just needs time to accept it." The old man comes closer to the bars, reaching a comforting hand through them.

"Thanks Iroh." I smile and he smiles back.

"I'm going on a walk, hopefully with the prince. I'll speak with him then about your release." We say goodbye, leaving me alone once again.

I lay down, sighing as I stare up at the ceiling. My friends...I only have Iroh now.

I'm not sure how long I was there feeling bad for myself, but I eventually sit up quickly at the sound of whispering voices from outside the room.

"Prince Zuko?" No response. "Iroh?" I call. Still nothing.

I take a deep breath, striding forward to the bars and cupping my hands to directly funnel the sound vibrations through the air, amplifying the voices. "Didn't you hear me, be careful!" Someone whisper shouts. "There's someone else here."

"Don't worry about it. Whoever it is, is collateral damage." Somebody else says back.

I raise my brows. They tiptoe along deck, and the different sets of footsteps allows me to deduce that "there's at least five of them." I say to myself as a door squeaks directly above.

"Uncle?" Zuko's voice calls, "uncle, is that you?" The prince's footsteps echo overhead, though they're much quieter than the strangers'.

"Zuko's still here.." my eyes widen, "Zuko! There are people on the ship!" I yell in alarm.

He ignores me, making me worried he didn't hear.

The footsteps race across deck again, and that's when the smoke reaches my nose.

"Zuko! You have to get out of here!" I beg, gripping onto the bars so tightly my knuckles turn white, still unsure if he can hear me.

I pace back and forth, brainstorming how to save him. I send airball after airball at the door, hoping to knock it down, but to no avail.

That's when the explosion came, the light burning my eyes and the heat deathly close. I scream as the ship is decimated, and I'm thrown back—barely having any time to create a sphere around myself. My body curls into a ball, and the flames reach my hands that shield my head. By the time I hit the water, everything has gone black.

***
3rd Person POV

Black pointed shoes crunch in the sand towards Liena laying on the bank, water causing her sandy blonde locks to twirl around her. Half her bleeding face rests in the water, red pooling around her. The footsteps come to a stop. The figure uses a foot to aggressively roll her, her face now turned to the stars above. Her eyes remain closed, and her breathing shallow.

"What do we have here?" Admiral Zhao smiles slowly.

"Zuko!" The retired general's voice yells in terror, crashing through trees back to the shore. "Liena!" The voice yells.

"What to do?" Zhao pretends to think, before crouching down and tracing her moonlit face with a finger, right over the new dripping injuries. "Now, what kind of monster would I be if I left you here?"

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A/N: DUN DUN DUN....

super duper short chapter, I know! I knew it would be and I'm hoping to get another out for you this weekend.

Sorry for the cliffhanger! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and that everyone will have a great holiday!

Thank youuu.

Xoxo,
Mir

Published: 12/23/2022