The Other Airbender

15

sorry for the late ish update hehe it was my birthday recently so um yeah :D

okok clarification - Miko was unconscious for a while (like over a week) because she suffered from mild blood loss which can take over two weeks to recover from and also it's not like they had amazing doctors to heal her on the ship either
also she is currently being held in the crews quarters on Zuko's ship because they needed to treat her properly so they needed a decent bed

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It was the same day when I opened my eyes again. This time, the fuzzy, thick feeling in my head had cleared, but now the pain from my wounds was a lot more noticeable. I blinked a few times, trying to rub the sleep away, before I adjusted to the dimly lit room. It was dark now, except for a torch on the wall that was beginning to die out, and the faint light from the stars outside. I sat up slowly and leaned against the window frame, staring out at the vast ocean and sky.

It was a cloudy night, but the flickering glow of thousands of stars still illuminated the inky black sky, making the wispy clouds look ghost-like and the dark ocean below glitter. We weren't moving, so I assumed the ship had had been docked for the night. Memories began to trickle back into my mind, and I gulped slowly, squeezing my eyes shut as though that would make me forget everything.

Faint music was playing from somewhere on the ship, and I rested my head against my arm on the sill, drinking in the sound. Laughter and conversations carried their way to my ears, and I felt my eyes sting. I wanted to do that; to laugh, to be happy, to be relaxed. But how could I? I was going to be killed. Murdered. Slaughtered. Tears threatened to spill from my cheeks, and I closed my eyes, letting them fall.

I had no one. No one to talk to. No one to be there for me. Haru was always there for me. A shoulder to cry on. But now even he was gone. Now I had nothing, no one left. I wished I hadn't shouted at him the last time I saw him. I wished I had found him and taken him home. I wished I hadn't gotten captured. But wishing wasn't going to get me anywhere. Could I escape? I was still bound by chains, but there were no soldiers guarding me within this room. But could I really pull it off? Doubt clouded my mind as I recalled my past attempts. I was helpless. Weak. And angry, at myself. I was always so scared, so terrified of taking risks, and when I did, I always got in more trouble than I was already. Nothing ever went right. Nothing ever went according to plan. I was weak. Worthless. Pathetic.

Maybe you deserve to die. It's not like anyone would care if you did.

A sob escaped my throat at my own thoughts. I watched the world outside the window through glassy eyes, everything blurred by my tears, the light mixing with the dark like a strange navy soup. I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted, really. My thoughts and feelings were too confusing.

I wanted to get out of here, to be free. I wanted to talk to the Avatar, to find out things about my culture. I wanted to go home, and live in peace. Then again, those were all conflicting and contradicting. If I went after the Avatar, there was a high chance I would be captured again, and finding him in itself would probably be impossible. If I went home, I would have to put up with the Fire Nation that had control over my village, and I had no idea if I would have Haru by my side anymore either. And if I did escape, surely the prince would come looking for me, I mean, he seemed dead set on giving me to his Father. It's not like he would just let me go free. That wouldn't make any sense.

Would I be able to lead a normal life once I escaped? If I escaped.

The salty tears I had shed had dried, and my skin felt sticky as I rested my head in my hands. My mind was blank. It was as though my thoughts had gone into overdrive, and now my head was clear of everything. I think my brain was still refusing to accept that I was going to die, and I had just shoved all my feelings somewhere in the back of my mind in an attempt to forget about them. Outside my door I could hear voices, but I chose to ignore them, instead focusing back on the view from my window and letting my mind wander.

My door rattled, like someone was trying to get in, startling me, and I sat up abruptly. I winced in pain as my injuries all complained at once at the sudden movement, and my chains clinked loudly. I narrowed my eyes in confusion. Anyone who tried entering this room would surely realise you needed a key? Isn't that common sense for entering a prisoners room?
I watched the door warily, before lying down on the bed and staring up at the pipe-covered ceiling, the chains that tethered me to the ship clinking again with every small movement.

"Open up." The door was now withstanding someone pounding it with their fists. They called out again, their gruff voice met with my silence. I sighed, shutting my eyes and trying to shut my ears. How was I supposed to 'open up' when I'm the one who was locked in here. Just get the key if you want to come in.

"Admiral Zhao is drafting this crew on a mission. Is there anyone in here?" The person on the other side of that door was really testing my patience, even though I had no power to stop them, and something told me it was best if I didn't respond. The knocking stopped soon after, followed by the voices I'd heard, and I assumed they'd left as I relaxed back into the mattress. The silence that followed was peaceful, I could hear the faint rush of the waves below and my slow heartbeat thumping faintly in my ears.

Shortly after, a faint clicking sound made me sit up again, to see what had interrupted the night's quiet. The heavy metal door swung open slowly, to reveal the prince. My stomach dropped at the sight of him, and suddenly the room seemed very stuffy and humid and my throat refused to function properly. The emotions I had pushed away came flooding back in an instant, triggered by his presence. I could just about recognise him in the dim light, the dark shadows deepening the contours of his body. Our eyes met, and it almost seemed as though his were glowing, the honey-gold in his pupils mixing with the pale, silvery starlight that shone through the window.

My heart was drumming in my chest. Not because of his eyes, but because of the sour expression he wore on his face. It was worse than it normally was. He looked furious, his eyes were narrowed, and the corners of his mouth were pulled downwards. His chest was heaving up and down rhythmically, but once he saw me, he began to regain his posture. I found myself shrinking backwards, pressing myself against the wall. The man sending me to my death was standing in front of me glaring at me. What else was I supposed to do?

"Did he come in here?" The prince asked. His voice was rough as always, but I could hear the distinct annoyance in his voice. I had no clue what was going on.

"Who?" I managed to say, my voice barely audible as I pushed the syllable out.

"Zhao," He spat the word out as though it tasted bad, "Admiral Zhao." I stared at him cluelessly. It was the same name the person that had been knocking at the door had mentioned not so long ago. I had no idea who 'Zhao' was.

"Who?" I repeated. He groaned in frustration and slid a hand down the side of his face, studying me in annoyance. It almost looked like steam was coming out of his ears. Then again, he was a firebender so maybe that was possible?

"Just- Did anyone see you?"

"The door is locked," I responded bluntly, eyeing him carefully. I felt tiny when he was in a room with me, even though I was only a few inches shorter than him. If it was even possible, I shrunk back even further as the creases on his face deepened into a more threatening scowl. A low growl escaped his throat before he spun around and left, slamming the door shut. The metallic clang reverberated through the room, but it gave me peace of mind knowing he had left. I lowered my head and sighed, trembling slightly. Get a hold of yourself, Miko. Why are you so weak?

I held back my tears in defiance. I would not cry. Especially not over him. Especially when all he had done was frown at me. And set a course to the Fire Nation which would ultimately end with me six feet under.
Or would I even get a burial? I wasn't special. I wasn't important. It was like that old man Iroh said, I'm just in the way of the Fire Lord's goal. World domination, I think.
I really wasn't sure how I fit in to all of it. I was never planning on stopping the Fire Lord. Any attempt would be hopeless. I was powerless. And air doesn't work against fire. I knew, from experience. Whenever I fought back, it always ended in failure. I always ended up getting hurt.

Stupid Fire Lord.
Stupid Fire Nation.
Stupid firebenders.
Stupid prince.

Stupid me.

I just want to go home.