Protected Princess || Zuko

08 || Two Weeks Later

Over the past two weeks, Zuko and I have gotten closer. He's been trusting me and I've been trusting him. I can tell that it makes Iroh happy. I'm glad Zuko finally let his guard down around me and that we can all be on the same team. Iroh has also been teaching me more water bending within these few weeks as well as teaching Zuko some fire bending moves here and there. How he knows all of these moves? I couldn't say but he's a great teacher. He makes jokes here and there that I'm a water bending prodigy because of how fast I'm learning. Little does he know that I'm no prodigy, I can only do such things because of the blessing from the ocean spirit. I haven't got around to telling them yet. I don't know why but I just feel like now isn't the time to tell them. On the bright side, Zuko congratulates me when I learn new things now. I think we're becoming a great team. One little problem is I just think Zuko shouldn't be the one catching fish anymore.

"I didn't find anything to eat!" I hear Zuko's voice and turn. He falls out of the bushes onto his hands and knees. I give him a confused look. Just as I do, I see Iroh squatting in front of a flower. I give a bigger confused look to Iroh. "I can't live like this." Zuko says getting up and hitting his fists onto his thighs.

"I wasn't meant to be a fugitive!" Zuko turns around as he speaks, "This is impossible!" Zuko says throwing his hands into the air.

I laugh slightly as I get up from my spot where I was drawing in the dirt with a stick. My attention draws back over to Iroh who still has yet to respond to Zuko. I tilt my head, confused. He's just.. sniffing the flower. But why is it so interesting to him?

Zuko, who also noticed there was no response from Iroh, turns around.

"Uncle? What are you doing?" Zuko asks also confused.

Me and Zuko share confused looks and walk over to Iroh.

"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush." Iroh says fascinated and moving his hands around the flower. "It's leaves make a tea so delicious, it's heart breaking!" Iroh says holding his hands together with a smile. "That.. or it's the white jade bush which is poisonous." Iroh says, putting a finger up to his chin, questioning the bush.

I imagine my confused face is just as confused as Zuko's.

"We need food, not tea! I'm going fishing." Zuko says as he walks off over to the spears.

"Zuko! Let me come with you this time, I'm a water bender, I can catch the fish easily. And Iroh, while we're gone, if that could be poisonous, PLEASE don't make tea from it." I say to Iroh who is still starring at the flower. I walk over to Zuko who is walking off to the lake near us.

"It's impossible to catch food anywhere near here!" Zuko says as we walk to the lake.

"Hopefully I can find some fish. There won't be many near the shore but we can try at least." I respond. We reach the lake and begin to fish.

I look into the water and see no fish near the shore, just as I suspected.

"There's no fish here!" Zuko says sounding a little angry.

"Zuko, fishing is a waiting game you need patience. We would fish a lot in the northern water tribe, ive seen the fishermen out for hours until they got enough fish." I respond.

"Ugh!" Zuko says, plopping down onto the sand. I also sit down in my spot as we wait and look for fish. This may take a while.

°°°°

"ARGH!" I yell and jump up from my spot due to a loud splashing noise coming from my left. I turn and see Zuko with his spear in the water. My face glows with excitement that we actually got something. Although, my face slowly fades to disbelief as a tiny fish wiggles on the end of the spear.