As the guards opened the door for Zuko, the Water Tribe boy threw himself at the gap, hands high to fasten around the Fire Prince's throat. Reflexively, Zuko shoved a hand out at the boy's chest and swept his feet out from under him with one leg. He fell down to the iron floor with a shocked expression.
Zuko didn't lower his guard. "Close the door," he told the guards.
"Sir, are you sure."
"I'm sure." If that girl was going to start talking about her crazy idea that he was the Avatar, the last thing he wanted were witnesses. When the door clicked closed, he stayed standing in front of it. "I'm willing to make a deal with you. If you tell me which one of you is the Avatar, I will let the other one go. You can go home to your village, and I will never come back."
"We already told you who the Avatar is, but you don't believe us," Katara insisted, fisting her hands and putting them on her hips. "Besides. I think we can escape on our own."
The boy stepped in front of her. "I'm the Avatar. Let my sister go."
"Stop trying to protect me, Sokka," the girl huffed. "He's just trying to protect me, don't listen to him. Anyway, I have a deal for you."
Zuko felt even more like a complete idiot than usual, because it really should have occurred to him that they might just lie. "Whichever one of you is the Avatar is going to have to demonstrate it," he growled. "And I already gave you the only deal I'm going to make."
"Just hear me out." She nudged her brother out of the way as she stood to face her captor. "It's the Avatar's job to maintain the spiritual health of the world right?"
Zuko nodded uneasily.
"Well, my brother and I found somebody frozen in the ice today, and he definitely isn't Water Tribe, and I was kind of hoping, since you're the Avatar, that you would... bless him and send his spirit on its way?" She smiled at him.
"I told you, I'm not the Avatar!" Zuko yelped.
"Then this won't mean anything," she said stubbornly. "But if you go with us, after we get back, we won't try to escape, and we'll answer any questions you have."
Sokka's mouth dropped open. "Katara!"
She shushed him. "You're going to be stuck here for days anyway. Might as well."
They were going to ambush him, Zuko knew, but he also knew he could take them. "We'll take the steamer."
~*~
"So." Sokka peered through the window at the furnace. "How does this thing work."
Zuko kept his hand on the wheel. "Shut up."
"It's just little further west," Katara called to him from the front of the ship.
"How did you find this person anyway?" Zuko sighed, annoyed.
"I sort of accidentally raised an iceberg out of the water." Katara shrugged, embarrassed. "I mean, I don't know how I did it. It's not like there's anybody here who can teach me."
it hit him all at once that he was in a boat, surrounded by water and ice with an untrained waterbender, and probably an untrained Avatar. Suddenly this didn't seem like such a good idea.
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branchandroot
The joys of new bending, Part 2/2
Date: 2012-05-02 03:29 pm (UTC)Zuko didn't lower his guard. "Close the door," he told the guards.
"Sir, are you sure."
"I'm sure." If that girl was going to start talking about her crazy idea that he was the Avatar, the last thing he wanted were witnesses. When the door clicked closed, he stayed standing in front of it. "I'm willing to make a deal with you. If you tell me which one of you is the Avatar, I will let the other one go. You can go home to your village, and I will never come back."
"We already told you who the Avatar is, but you don't believe us," Katara insisted, fisting her hands and putting them on her hips. "Besides. I think we can escape on our own."
The boy stepped in front of her. "I'm the Avatar. Let my sister go."
"Stop trying to protect me, Sokka," the girl huffed. "He's just trying to protect me, don't listen to him. Anyway, I have a deal for you."
Zuko felt even more like a complete idiot than usual, because it really should have occurred to him that they might just lie. "Whichever one of you is the Avatar is going to have to demonstrate it," he growled. "And I already gave you the only deal I'm going to make."
"Just hear me out." She nudged her brother out of the way as she stood to face her captor. "It's the Avatar's job to maintain the spiritual health of the world right?"
Zuko nodded uneasily.
"Well, my brother and I found somebody frozen in the ice today, and he definitely isn't Water Tribe, and I was kind of hoping, since you're the Avatar, that you would... bless him and send his spirit on its way?" She smiled at him.
"I told you, I'm not the Avatar!" Zuko yelped.
"Then this won't mean anything," she said stubbornly. "But if you go with us, after we get back, we won't try to escape, and we'll answer any questions you have."
Sokka's mouth dropped open. "Katara!"
She shushed him. "You're going to be stuck here for days anyway. Might as well."
They were going to ambush him, Zuko knew, but he also knew he could take them. "We'll take the steamer."
~*~
"So." Sokka peered through the window at the furnace. "How does this thing work."
Zuko kept his hand on the wheel. "Shut up."
"It's just little further west," Katara called to him from the front of the ship.
"How did you find this person anyway?" Zuko sighed, annoyed.
"I sort of accidentally raised an iceberg out of the water." Katara shrugged, embarrassed. "I mean, I don't know how I did it. It's not like there's anybody here who can teach me."
it hit him all at once that he was in a boat, surrounded by water and ice with an untrained waterbender, and probably an untrained Avatar. Suddenly this didn't seem like such a good idea.