So Floranna's not the only one inflicting massive multi-parters on me? You're doing it now too? Whaaaaaah!
~*~
The shoreline disappeared on the horizon, and somewhere, a certain prince was watching his chance to go home vanish as if it had never been. Zhao smiled widely, his footsteps chiming rhythmically against the metal deck as he sauntered off to tend to his prisoner.
~*~
The shadows came in and the shadows went out. Twice a day, the guards came in and held food and water to his mouth and wiped away whatever he couldn’t swallow. Sometimes he thought they’d only just left when they were back again. Sometimes, he didn’t remember when they’d been last. Four times they came in with bigger shackles, and cleaned away the blood, scabs, and pus on his wrists and ankles.
A few times, maybe once, maybe every day, Aang couldn’t say which, the Firelord came to visit him and examined him expressionlessly, derision glittering in the back of his eyes. Aang gazed back at them, hanging in the chains, and saw his own reflection.
Once, more maybe, he came with a girl. She wore her bangs in two thin points on the side of her face and she smiled at him like she knew something he didn’t. But what could she know? He was already in chains.
After that, she came alone, eyes half-closed and shadowed. She wasn’t smiling, and that was better, wasn’t it?
Before, when time wasn’t yet swirling around and around him and sinking into a pit at his feet, he had spun tiny wind tunnels around the room, just breathed them out and let them scatter. He sucked the air deep into his gut and let it go and sucked in another. This one danced and twisted around the points of her bangs, tossing them around.
“You don’t have much, do you?”
He just hung there, head down.
“I have no idea why my brother had so much trouble with you.” She tried to force that same smile but it just looked ghastly and stretched out. “But then he is Zuzu, isn’t he.”
~*~
There were shadows at the edge of the darkness that weren’t quite part of it. Some of them floated in on the wind, and if he could just hold them...
The girl wore a braid now. But was she... She smiled real smiles, and looked at him like he made her sad. “The guards told me you weren’t eating. You’re going to get sick if you don’t eat.”
The words ran together between her and him like wax dripping down the side of candles. His head didn’t raise, even though he tried.
“I’ll- I’ll try to get them to make something you like,” she wheedled, “If you just tell me what you want.”
His eyes closed.
“I’ll even try to get them to leave the medicines out.” Her face fell and her eyes got huge. “Everybody’s really worried about you.”
He breathed out a ribbon of air and let it turn in on itself and fly. For a moment, he thought he saw her holding it in her hand, but it must have been a dream.
~*~
The shivers wracked his body and sweat poured from every pore. The air pressed tight around him and then slipped away. He tried to grab it in his hands, but it wouldn’t stay put.
The food tasted empty on his tongue, and he didn’t eat it, but the water... Why did they only come twice a day?
Slowly the hours gathered themselves back together and lined up in a row.
He wondered when the shaking was going to stop.
~*~
He opened his eyes. The guards were back. He breathed in. Their clothes moved. The wind he called tugged at their armor so so sosososososo slightly.
He let the air fall.
One of the guards held the bowl up to Aang’s lips. “There’s nothing in it,” he soothed. “I guess Ty Lee really took a shine to you, huh?”
“Oh come on, if he’s not going to eat again, just let him starve.” She didn’t bother to keep her voice low.
Aang ate. One handed, the guard soothed his charge, running his fingers along Aang’s scalp and tucked his long, scraggled hair back behind his ears. “I guess it’s not like you can really do much, even without the powders.”
Aang lifted his head, his face twisted in a miserable grimace. His head fell down, and he lifted it up again, and it fell down again. He supposed it was a nod. The guard smiled sadly as he held up the water and Aang drank deep.
“Thank you,” Aang rasped as they left. The guards whirled around and blinked at him before walking down the hall.
Aang isn’t rescued by the Blue Spirit and is inprisoned for a long time. 1/2
~*~
The shoreline disappeared on the horizon, and somewhere, a certain prince was watching his chance to go home vanish as if it had never been. Zhao smiled widely, his footsteps chiming rhythmically against the metal deck as he sauntered off to tend to his prisoner.
~*~
The shadows came in and the shadows went out. Twice a day, the guards came in and held food and water to his mouth and wiped away whatever he couldn’t swallow. Sometimes he thought they’d only just left when they were back again. Sometimes, he didn’t remember when they’d been last. Four times they came in with bigger shackles, and cleaned away the blood, scabs, and pus on his wrists and ankles.
A few times, maybe once, maybe every day, Aang couldn’t say which, the Firelord came to visit him and examined him expressionlessly, derision glittering in the back of his eyes. Aang gazed back at them, hanging in the chains, and saw his own reflection.
Once, more maybe, he came with a girl. She wore her bangs in two thin points on the side of her face and she smiled at him like she knew something he didn’t. But what could she know? He was already in chains.
After that, she came alone, eyes half-closed and shadowed. She wasn’t smiling, and that was better, wasn’t it?
Before, when time wasn’t yet swirling around and around him and sinking into a pit at his feet, he had spun tiny wind tunnels around the room, just breathed them out and let them scatter. He sucked the air deep into his gut and let it go and sucked in another. This one danced and twisted around the points of her bangs, tossing them around.
“You don’t have much, do you?”
He just hung there, head down.
“I have no idea why my brother had so much trouble with you.” She tried to force that same smile but it just looked ghastly and stretched out. “But then he is Zuzu, isn’t he.”
~*~
There were shadows at the edge of the darkness that weren’t quite part of it. Some of them floated in on the wind, and if he could just hold them...
The girl wore a braid now. But was she... She smiled real smiles, and looked at him like he made her sad. “The guards told me you weren’t eating. You’re going to get sick if you don’t eat.”
The words ran together between her and him like wax dripping down the side of candles. His head didn’t raise, even though he tried.
“I’ll- I’ll try to get them to make something you like,” she wheedled, “If you just tell me what you want.”
His eyes closed.
“I’ll even try to get them to leave the medicines out.” Her face fell and her eyes got huge. “Everybody’s really worried about you.”
He breathed out a ribbon of air and let it turn in on itself and fly. For a moment, he thought he saw her holding it in her hand, but it must have been a dream.
~*~
The shivers wracked his body and sweat poured from every pore. The air pressed tight around him and then slipped away. He tried to grab it in his hands, but it wouldn’t stay put.
The food tasted empty on his tongue, and he didn’t eat it, but the water... Why did they only come twice a day?
Slowly the hours gathered themselves back together and lined up in a row.
He wondered when the shaking was going to stop.
~*~
He opened his eyes. The guards were back. He breathed in. Their clothes moved. The wind he called tugged at their armor so so sosososososo slightly.
He let the air fall.
One of the guards held the bowl up to Aang’s lips. “There’s nothing in it,” he soothed. “I guess Ty Lee really took a shine to you, huh?”
“Oh come on, if he’s not going to eat again, just let him starve.” She didn’t bother to keep her voice low.
Aang ate. One handed, the guard soothed his charge, running his fingers along Aang’s scalp and tucked his long, scraggled hair back behind his ears. “I guess it’s not like you can really do much, even without the powders.”
Aang lifted his head, his face twisted in a miserable grimace. His head fell down, and he lifted it up again, and it fell down again. He supposed it was a nod. The guard smiled sadly as he held up the water and Aang drank deep.
“Thank you,” Aang rasped as they left. The guards whirled around and blinked at him before walking down the hall.