Kya Maiden of the Sea Book 1 ATLA

Chapter 13

Haru and I, along with other earth benders, arrived at the prison ship. We walked off in a single file. The smell of burning coal was coated in the air, making the air thick. It was already morning when we arrived there. Dressed in a dirty potato sack like clothing over our clothes. Our hands were tied in front of us. All facing towards the rest of the ship.

The man who seemed to be the one in charge of the ship came up with a smirk on his face.

"Earth benders, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard my modest shipyard. I am your warden. I prefer to think of you not as prisoners but as honored guests. And I hope you come to think of me as your humble and caring host. You will succeed here if you simply abide by my rules. Simply treat me with the courtesy I give you and we'll get along famously,"

I kept a straight stare. My cheek is still quite swollen, my burn still aching from the tight grip the man had last night.

"Now, let's go and take a small tour, shall we?" The warden walked away. A guard pushed me to follow him. I roughly moved away from his grasp but continued to follow.

"You will notice, earth benders, that this rig is made entirely of metal. You are miles away from any rock or earth. So, if you have any allusions to employing that brutish savagery that passes for bending among you people, forget them. It is impossible. Good day," The warden said before he left. Crushing every earth benders hopes of escaping.

A gate opened leading to the courtyard, I was the first to walk in. Everyone followed hesitantly. Fear and regret swirled in the air of the prisoners. People were scattered across the courtyard. A suffocating feeling of the emotions all the benders held in their chests.

They freed us, letting us roam around the relatively large courtyard. I observed the courtyard. My pupils dilated, I was in a trance. Self blame entered, my heart beat raced. My swollen cheek is beating to the beat of my heart. I felt guilty. This is all my fault. And I needed to figure out how to fix it.

Haru looked over at me then back to try and understand what I saw, "Kya," he paused knowing I probably wasn't listening, "Kya!" He said louder. It snapped be out of my trance. I looked at him, I felt horrible.

"I'm sorry, Haru," My voice was dry. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have pushed you,"

"It's neither of our faults that he told those jerks," Haru chuckled as he interrupted me. I didn't reply, I simply turned to face the crowd again. Slouching my shoulders. Haru then went on to hold my shoulders softly. Making me stand up right, "We did good, even if he ratted me out."

Guilt still lingered in my stomach, but I couldn't help but smile. His attempts to make me feel better were nice gestures. I looked at him in the eyes one last time before hugging him. We were around the same height. I felt his arms wrap around pressing down at my hair. The hug was probably 30 seconds. Of warmth, comfort. I have to find a way to escape with not just Haru but everyone. These people, just by looking at them, are hopeless. It's depressing. We broke the hug, Haru's cheeks feathered a shade of pink, he then smiled.

"Does this mean you father is probably here?" I ask causing him to shake off his flushed face.

"Most likely," He responded scanning the courtyard.

"Great then let's find him,"

Haru nodded, I pulled his arm dragging him behind me. We parted ways to try and find him faster. I'm lost, I don't even know how he looks like. I kept listening to conversations to see if I heard the name 'Tyro'. No luck.

I walked over to a small group, "Hello," I awkwardly greeted myself into their preexisting conversation. They stared at me, I cleared my throat.

"I'm looking for a man named Tyro. Do you happen to know him?"