𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍 | prince zuko

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CHAPTER SIX

     YAN AND ZUKO PASSED BY THE EARTHBENDER GUARDS that guarded the inner city, avoiding the way they watched them intently. Zuko kept his head low as he walked behind Yan; he made sure to keep close to the shirshu that still didn't like him. He would glance up at the towering wall but never looked for too long. Finally, they walked through the dilapidated Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se, the overall smell strong and pungent.

"Stay close. There are looters and thieves around here." Yan warned Zuko. He nodded and walked closer to her, looking around every now and then. The sight of the tiny shops and sick people made his stomach churn; he didn't know people lived so poorly in the Earth Kingdom. Granted, he had never stepped foot out of the Fire Nation until now. This was the good his country was doing?

"Anyway, do you know where your uncle could be? This is a big city and he could be anywhere." Yan asked as they walked to the monorail transit. They weaved past people that passed them by, Yan keeping a tight grip on the shirshu's saddle to make sure the animal didn't run off. The monorail transit was more crowded than usual; not that it wasn't very surprising, people were always trying to get out of the Lower Ring. However, the crowd made it somewhat difficult for Yan and Zuko to maneuver through. Finally, they broke out of the crowd and stood in an empty area as the monorail slowly returned to the station.

"Last I heard from him, he is situated in the Upper Ring. Do you think we'll be able to get there?" Zuko asked as Yan ushered him into the monorail. They sat in a seat near the door; well, they actually took up about six seats since Yan's shirshu lay at her feet and no one dared to get close to the creature although he was calm.

"We'll be able to get there, don't worry your royal head about it. We just need to drop Xian off at my house and then we can head for the Upper Ring. I can't bring him into the Upper Ring and he doesn't like the Fire Nation soldiers." Yan said reassuringly. Zuko nodded and the two quieted down. Yan ignored the whispers around her as Xian lay quietly, the mole-like creature occasionally dropping his large tail against the monorail floor. When they arrived at the Middle Ring transit, they were the first to hop off.

Zuko followed Yan closely. He noticed that the Middle Ring wasn't as... for lack of a better word, disgusting as the Lower Ring. Unlike the Lower Ring which had dirt roads, the Middle Ring's streets were made of white flagstone that somewhat resembled the porcelain floors of the Fire Nation Palace that he had walked along countless times. The buildings were larger and had green tiled roofs, showing that life was different and quite a bit more wealthy from the Lower Ring.

Before he knew it, Zuko stopped walking when Yan did. She stood in front of a fairly large house before she began to walk to the side of the building where a gate stood. She gripped Xian's reins tightly as she opened the gate quickly, looking around as if she were afraid of being spotted.

"Is this your house?" Zuko asked loudly. Yan flashed him a look to stay quiet and he quickly shut his gaping mouth. She pulled her shirshu into a garden and quickly took the reins and saddle off. She put the items into a wood crate and exited the yard, locking the gate behind her. She whispered for Xian to stay where he belonged as he jogged back to the gate when she walked out of the garden.

"Alright, we can go now," she said tiredly. The journey to and from the Fire Nation was a long one; she barely got any sleep and just wanted this whole thing to be done and over with. But there is no such thing as a quick war when it comes to the Fire Nation. Zuko nodded and they walked back to the monorail transit. Their walk was quiet and the awkward atmosphere was heavier when they sat side by side on the train. By the time they exited the transit, no conversation was shared between them.