A Match of Ice and Fire

Chapter 6: Kaya

Everything is too bright and too loud all at once. And Cold. So cold.

I can't process. Water roars around me, surging forward, hurling me into the freeze air. I'm slammed down onto an ice plateau, feeling like I've taken a thousand punches. The pain is unbearable. Everything is still spinning from the tunnel. I can't see straight as my eyelids freeze shut upon contact with the air. All I can make out is the silhouette of a ship, orange light, then someone running over the ice.

I try to stand up, but my legs start shaking uncontrollably. The world tills on its axess, I fall over, every bone in my body trembling. I feel like I'm going to shake myself apart. I can barely open my mouth. That's when I realise I haven't even taken a breath yet.

All this time, I've been gasping, but nothing has been going in. The black and purple dots in my vision haven't disappeared. Sea water wieghs down my lungs. Choking me. I'm choking and freezing to death, and the entire world feels like it's about to fall out from under me.

Suddenly, warming hands are wrapping around me, holding me up. My skin stings with the heat as they rumb ryhmic circles up and down my arms. In the distance, there are voices, but I can't make out any of them, except for the one whispering right by my ear.
"Just breath..." 

Easier said than done. I open my mouth agian attempting another shallow gasp but only water rattles in my ribcage.

"You need to -"

"-I- can't-!" I swallow, between failed attempts. The agony in my chest is searing. The black and purple dots are all-consuming. I'm going to black out.

"Here," hands fly to my temples holding them down in place, heat presses agianst my forehead, "breathe with me..."

"Out."

Through my broken vision, I see and feel orange light bloom in front of me, heating my chest and letting warmth melt across my limbs.

"In." The warmth rushes back across my face. I joined as the speaker says. "Out." Water pours from my mouth, trickling down my front. I feel revolting.

"That's good." They soothe, stroking under my chin. "Agian."

"In." Air gradually begins to creep into my lungs along with the heat.

"Out."

"In."

"Out."

We keep going until the vast wave of water rushes from my lips. And for the first time in what feels like hours, I can finally breathe.

Relief floods my body. "You're safe now." At those words my body caves, I fall forward into the heat.

All the adrenaline leaves me as the voice's arms shift around me, and I lay in the warmth just being able to breathe. Shivers rack me intermittently, and the world still spins, I close my eyes and let the nausea wash over me.

"Kaya..." The voice is hypnotic. Husky but at the same time gentle. They sound as warm as they feel.  And they smell like... jasmine and cherry blossom.
I nuzzle deeper into the soft drapes of fabric. I'm exhausted. I could just rest here, at least until I get my bearings back.

"Kaya?" And there's that voice agian lulling me further. There's just something about it I can't put my finger on. It almost sounds...

"Princess Kaya?"

Embrassed.

"Do you think you could stand?"

Drowsily, my eyes flicker open in  confusion. I'm staring into the dark crimson folds of fine clothes, which doesn't make any sense because no one in the Watertibe wears red. Unless...

Involuntarily, my gaze begins to track upwards, over the gold adornments, the  pale skin...

My mouth runs dry as I meet the golden eyes marred by the scar that burns across the right side of the Firelord's face...

"Hello!" he smiles akwardly down at me,"Zuko here."