A Match of Ice and Fire

Chapter 5: Zuko

Somthing is wrong. It became clear to me after the first ten minutes of Arnook inventing excuses for Kaya's absence. Between the elders whispers,  it was painful oblivious there was somthing the tribe weren't telling me  and, as politely dilopmatic as i was trying to be, i'd reach my limit. If they were going to insist on lying to my face this bluntly, i saw no reason to continue the sharaid. So I told Arnook respectively but directly; "I don't it's effective for us to lie to eachother "

Arnooks face went white. "I'm not! I am so sorry Firelord Zuko! But I promise you, Princess Kaya will be here any minute now, she just doing her hair- " Arnook voice breaks.

"-I only want our nations to be transparent." I hold up my hands in supplication. "And I only wish to know what is wrong so I can insist your tribe Chieftan Arnook. Whatever the issue, I'm honnour-bound to your service. For niece's hand in marriage, I cannot express my gratitude. This alliance means as much to me as it does to you. So please, let me help."

Arnooks mouth open and closes silently like a fish. I can tell he is about to launch back into steadfast denial, when another elder advisor slips onto the ship making a beeline for Chieftan Arnook. I intercept him before he can make it that far, throwing diplomacy over board as i demand, "Where is Kaya Arnook?"

The advisor glances desperately to Arnook, mirroring the same fish-faced reaction.

"Tell me!"

"We don't know!" The advisor confesses.

Arnook suddenly snaps, "What do you mean you don't know?" I didn't think it was possible for the chieftains face to get any paler, but it does.

"We lost her."

I force myself into the conversation, "is the princess in danger?"

The advisors eyes dart between me and Arnook .

I snap my fingers to hold the advisor's attention. "How is princess Kaya lost? Is she missing? Has she been abuducted? When was the last time you saw her?"

The advisor  flounders under pressure. "We don't know... we lost sight of her..."

"WHERE?" Me and Arnook demand in unison.

"At the edge cities west quater," he turns half-pleading to Arnook. " It's  a dead end. The guards all swear, there's nowhere she could have gone. There's no way in or out of this city other than the docks..."

A terrible thought begins to creep through the back of my mind because i know the docks aren't only way into the Northern Watertribe and they aren't the only way out... The other way, just so happens to be a watery death trap incased in ice.

"If you value your Niece's life," I turn on Arnook, Urgently. " you need to tell me exactly where this Cities tunnels systems lead right now!"

Chieftan Arnook eyes widen as he begins to say "What has the tunnels...?" But trails off mid-question.

Then, I realise Arnooks not staring at me, he's staring behind me. "Why are you looking...?" but I'm cut off by a sound like thunder. I follow Arnooks gaze  to the ice cliffs behind me and finally see what Arnook's staring at. The cliffs are cracking, a dark slice starting at the base of the froze waves splitting out into thousands of tiny fractures. I walk slowly to the prowl ship, watching as the rift sprends across the lenght of the sheer ice face.  The distant sounds of cracking ice faint at first, like the snapping of twigs under foot, ramp to a roar untill the air itself feels like it's vibrating. With white knuckles, I grip the ships ballestrades bracing for the tidal wave as, like the secound coming of the avatar, the entire ice sheet cleaves apart, And  then in it's wake I see a girl falling.