The Other Airbender

10

hehe happy new year :D

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I sat up hastily, wondering where I was. I slowly began recalling what had happened, feeling the humid, hot air surrounding me. Sweat was forming on my skin fast, and I could feel my hair plastering to my forehead. It was suffocating. The waves rocked the ship and my stomach churned with each movement. The only sound I could hear was fire crackling in the torches in the hallway, which I could see through the bars in the cell door, which was the only thing that stood out from the rest of the thick metal walls. What time of day was it? How long had I been asleep? I got up and walked silently to the door, wincing with the pressure applied to my burn, and peeked out to see if I could find out what was going on. 

Putting my fingers on the warm metal, I realised I was no longer chained up anymore, and I sighed in relief. The hallway was empty and there wasn't a soldier in sight. I noticed there were steps at the end, leading up to a trapdoor in the low ceiling. I needed to get out of here. I can escape whilst no one is on this ship. But, there have to be soldiers here still, right? Unless, maybe the same thing that happened to the earthbending prisoner ship has happened to this one? Then I could escape. No one was here. 

I put my hand up to the lock uneasily, still unsure if this was the right decision. If I was wrong, and the prince and his uncle were still on this ship, along with the rest of the soldiers, then I would be done for. But my unspoken questions were met with a long silence. I couldn't hear anything.

I firmly grasped the lock, and pushed a strong gust of air into the hole. I heard it clank, but when I pushed the door, it didn't budge. I tried again, pushing more air into it, hoping it would break the lock with pressure. The door groaned a bit with the force, but there was no change. I grit my teeth in annoyance, the desperation to get out of the tiny, hot cell growing stronger by the second. I pushed at the lock again, the sound of air gushing filled my ears, and the lock burst apart, falling to the floor with a loud clank, which echoed around the hallway.

I swung the door open uncertainly, afraid a Fire Nation soldier would somehow jump out of nowhere and throw me back into a cell. I couldn't deal with anymore cells, I'd seen enough to last me a lifetime. I made my way down the corridor, picking up my pace as I neared the end, eager to be out in the open again. I leaped up the stairs, ignoring the pain from the burn, and burst through the trapdoor easily with a gust of wind, breathing in happily as I felt the cool air wash over me, and I let myself drift slowly to the ground, controlling the air beneath me. For a second I forgot everything, lost in the relief. 

The fleeting wave of happiness quickly disappeared as I felt a spear brush past my ear, sailing through the air and narrowly missing the back of my head. I jumped back in surprise, realising that there were a couple of soldiers standing on the ship. A nervous laugh escaped my lips as I stood there frozen, dismay settling over me. A few of them shouted to one another, alerting each other of my presence. I stepped back as one advanced quickly towards me. My heart pounded in my ears, I didn't want to go back into a cell. I won't be able to bear it. Don't make me go back down there.

I stepped back again hurriedly, shying away from another spear that flew towards me. The soldier was drawing nearer with each heartbeat. I couldn't fight back or they would see. Wait, had they already seen? I had made that mistake of airbending that trapdoor. Maybe they would think it was just wind? I mean, after all, the possibilities of another airbender were next to nothing. No one in their right mind would assume I'm an airbender, right? I turned around to run, planning to dive into the water and somehow evade them, but instead, I ran into something. 

My eyes had closed naturally at the impact, and I opened them to a Fire Nation chest plate. I blinked in confusion, my heart still pounding in my ears. I looked up nervously, trying to think of some excuse as to why I was out of my cell. 

"Sorry, sir, I was just-" I stopped when I met the soldier's eyes, instantly recognising the jagged scar that ran down the left side of his face, my heart slowing for a second as fear clouding my mind. I was in deep trouble. The Fire Nation prince stared down at me, the familiar scowl on his face. But his eyes looked troubled, confused even. They studied me in those fleeting seconds, golden pools of fire, trying to understand what they had seen.

"Did you just... airbend?" He asked, his voice wavering with uncertainty at his own words. My eyes widened, his words confirming my fears. He had seen it. Everyone on the ship had seen it. I was done for. 

My body moved without thinking. I tried to pull away from him, not realising he was gripping my shoulders tightly. I pushed my palms close to his chest and let out a just of wind, sending him backwards. The soldiers who had stopped their actions after the prince had caught me, now picked up their spears and began rushing towards me. 

Fly, Miko, fly. Let go. Become wind. You need to get the hell out of here.

My feet left the ground, almost daintily. Although I had already levitated a couple of times, it still felt surreal, and I couldn't help feeling a tiny bit happy in that single moment. And then it all rushed back. The masked soldiers running towards me with spears, the prince, now on his feet with his hands blazing with fire, his face shocked, yet determined. The flames in his palms reflected in my dark, terrified eyes, and I stayed still for a split second, frozen with a familiar fear.

The prince shot the fire towards me, and I could feel the heat growing stronger as it sailed speedily towards me. I was defenceless. Terror was written all over my face, but I got ahold of myself just in time to dodge. It just missed me. I was lucky. But now I needed to focus. I couldn't just fly away, the chances of being hit were too great, and I didn't want to be burned. Again. Maybe it was just the fear in my head talking. Before I could think anything through, two balls of fire came soaring towards me, from in front and behind me. I reacted before my brain even registered it properly, twisting my body and sending out strong gusts of wind from my outstretched arms, dissipating the fire simultaneously. I could feel the heat rushing past me, and it was almost as exhilarating as it was terrifying.

The prince's scowl deepened in frustration before sending multiple dagger-like flames towards me at once with a flick of his fingertips. It was too late for me to block, so I had to dodge again. I lowered myself quickly, realising my mistake as soon as I felt a pair of arms grab my bandaged foot.  The prince smirked at me, before glaring at the soldier who had grabbed me as he brought me to the floor. I struggled to get out of their grip, but to no avail. I was trapped. My mind clouded with desperation as I tried again to escape, but I was now being held down by multiple soldiers at once. 

"Chain her up, but don't put her in a cell, she's too dangerous," He said, throwing me a wary glance, "And don't let her out of your sight whilst I'm gone, I need to find my uncle."