The boy twisted his hands against his bindings. Leaning over in the rhino saddle, Zuko swatted him on the back of the head. "Don't do that. You won't get free."
He worked his wrists harder. "Then why do you care if I try?"
"Because you'll take all the skin off your wrists."
The boy just glared at his captor. Katara, trussed up behind Lieutenant Jee, wasn't glaring. Her eyes stayed on the saddle leather, lost in thought as her brother struggled. As they made it to the top of one last rise of snow, she looked up, and sucked in a breath at the sight of Zuko's mangled ship. In the back of his mind, almost unconsciously, Zuko tallied up the repair costs, and what he could cut from the budget, for just a little while to cover costs until the year was over and he could collect his allotment of funds, hoping that there would be enough to cover a year's worth of coal and food, before he realized with a wild sort of glee, that it didn't matter. He had captured the Avatar. It didn't matter that it wasn't in some heroic battle, he was going home. He never had to worry about stretching his ancient ship's tiny budget ever again.
The rhino stopped at the bottom of the gangplank. Zuko flicked the reigns and the beast started lumbering up the steep metal ramp. The Water Tribe boy tried to shimmy off the saddle and over the side of the ramp, but Zuko caught him by the back of his tunic. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Uhhhh..." He flashed a grin. "Nowhere?"
Grunting, Zuko turned back around.
At the top of the ramp, Zuko dismounted. The soldier whose mount he stole jumped down from behind one of his fellows and ran forward to take the reigns out of his prince's hands.
"Soldiers," Zuko snapped. "Take the prisoners below decks. I'll be down to speak with them soon."
"Renshu, Zhen," Lieutenant Jee said curtly. The soldiers he had named grabbed the Water Tribe prisoners and pulled them out of the saddle.
"Wait," the boy said, looking at Zuko. "You don't even know their names?"
Zuko shot him a poisonous look as the soldiers marched the two of them away. He turned to the chief mechanic, who was staring over the rail. "How long will it take to repair the ship?"
The man grimaced. "Days, a week even, and that's just to get it able to take us to the next port for the real repairs."
Zuko closed his eyes. He didn't catch the glimmer of a scheme in Katara's eye as the soldier hurried her down the stairs, into the hold.
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branchandroot
The joys of new bending, Part 1/2
Date: 2012-05-02 03:29 pm (UTC)He worked his wrists harder. "Then why do you care if I try?"
"Because you'll take all the skin off your wrists."
The boy just glared at his captor. Katara, trussed up behind Lieutenant Jee, wasn't glaring. Her eyes stayed on the saddle leather, lost in thought as her brother struggled. As they made it to the top of one last rise of snow, she looked up, and sucked in a breath at the sight of Zuko's mangled ship. In the back of his mind, almost unconsciously, Zuko tallied up the repair costs, and what he could cut from the budget, for just a little while to cover costs until the year was over and he could collect his allotment of funds, hoping that there would be enough to cover a year's worth of coal and food, before he realized with a wild sort of glee, that it didn't matter. He had captured the Avatar. It didn't matter that it wasn't in some heroic battle, he was going home. He never had to worry about stretching his ancient ship's tiny budget ever again.
The rhino stopped at the bottom of the gangplank. Zuko flicked the reigns and the beast started lumbering up the steep metal ramp. The Water Tribe boy tried to shimmy off the saddle and over the side of the ramp, but Zuko caught him by the back of his tunic. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Uhhhh..." He flashed a grin. "Nowhere?"
Grunting, Zuko turned back around.
At the top of the ramp, Zuko dismounted. The soldier whose mount he stole jumped down from behind one of his fellows and ran forward to take the reigns out of his prince's hands.
"Soldiers," Zuko snapped. "Take the prisoners below decks. I'll be down to speak with them soon."
"Renshu, Zhen," Lieutenant Jee said curtly. The soldiers he had named grabbed the Water Tribe prisoners and pulled them out of the saddle.
"Wait," the boy said, looking at Zuko. "You don't even know their names?"
Zuko shot him a poisonous look as the soldiers marched the two of them away. He turned to the chief mechanic, who was staring over the rail. "How long will it take to repair the ship?"
The man grimaced. "Days, a week even, and that's just to get it able to take us to the next port for the real repairs."
Zuko closed his eyes. He didn't catch the glimmer of a scheme in Katara's eye as the soldier hurried her down the stairs, into the hold.
~*~