set my heart on fire (slow updates)

The Waterbending Scroll

Y/N's POV
I was watching on Prince Zuko and his lieutenants spar on deck as the ship suddenly turned, sending all of us flying to the side of it.

As we steadied ourselves, Prince Zuko scowled, "someone's changing our course!"

I rolled my eyes as the prince stormed back inside muttering to himself before making my way over to his lieutenants, "you're all very skilled, you've improved greatly since you left the fire nation... your time with Prince Zuko has served you well"

Lieutenant Jee huffed, "well, for three years there was nothing to do but train while the prince was sending us across every nation for the avatar"

I tightened my belt as I replied, "well, when we get our hands on the avatar and you finally go home, you're all more than welcome to a recommendation letter to my division, I would love to have you on my squad"

He smiled, "wow, I cannot wait to finally done with chasing the avatar, sometimes it felt like I'd never see the day. And thank you for your generosity, Captain, I believe we'll take you up on that, word of your skill spread far and wide once you became a captain"

I suppressed a smile, trying to remain neutral as if that hadn't stroked my ego, "I'm just doing my best to help end the war, like everyone else"

"When word spread to us, Prince Zuko almost didn't believe it was you, and when we came looking for assistance, he had this whole idea that it was somebody else"

I laughed a little, "well... here I am. Anyway, Lieutenant, I wanted to get some training in, care to spar with me?"

—

We ended up stopping at the next port of call for Iroh to look for a lotus tile for his pai sho game, much to Prince Zuko's dismay.

"I've checked all the shops on this pier. Not a lotus tile in the entire market place"

Prince Zuko folded his arms, "it's good to know that this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone!"

"Quite the contrary. I always say that the only thing better than finding something you are looking for is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"

I chimed in, "and you did owe me a spear, so I'd say this stop was completely necessary, your highness!"

Iroh laughed as their soldiers carrying piles of his shopping back to the ship.

Prince Zuko screwed up his face, "you bought a sungi horn?"

"For music night on the ship! Now, if we only had some woodwinds..."

As the three of us made our way back to the ship, we came across another ship that was set up as a shop and Iroh's face lit up, "Oh! This place looks promising!"

As Iroh browsed their selection of random trinkets, I overheard one of the merchants tell another, "we lost the Water Tribe girl and the little bald monk she was travelling with"

And I clearly wasn't the only one who heard them because Prince Zuko immediately stepped forward, "this monk... did he have an arrow on his head?"

It wasn't long until we deployed a smaller boat from our ship to join the 'merchants' to find the avatar.

It wasn't until nightfall that we heard a girl's voice complaining about a 'stupid scroll', the prince nodded at me and I perked up, finally having something to do.

One of the pirates grabbed her and she made a measly attempt at water bending to get away and ran straight into Zuko who grabbed her wrists, "I'll save you from the pirates"

Once we had tied her up, he took charge of interrogating her, "tell me where he is, and I won't hurt you or your brother"

She yelled back, "go jump in the river!"

He sighed, "try to understand, I need to capture him to restore something I've lost... my honour. Perhaps in exchange, I can restore something you've lost"

He dangled the blue necklace over her neck and her eyes widened, "my mother's necklace! How did you get that!?"

He walked back over to us as he replied, "I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is"

"No!"

The pirate captain turned to him, "enough of this necklace garbage! You promised us the scroll!"

Prince Zuko pulled the scroll from his belt and held a flame underneath it, "I wonder how much money this is worth"

"No!"

"A lot, apparently. Now, you help me find what I want, you'll get this back and everyone goes home happy. Search the woods for the boy and meet back here"

"Fine"

As the pirates ran off into the woods, I raised an eyebrow at Prince Zuko and he nodded.

I approached Katara and she turned away from me, "If you don't start talking, you'll be ashes before the avatar and your brother ever find you"

Her breath caught for a second before she yelled back, "I'll never tell you!"

I sighed, taking the scroll from the prince and opening it up, "is this what all of this is about? You signed you and your brother's death sentence because of a lame water bending scroll... wait! Don't tell me! You're the water bender that can't really bend, aren't you?"

Her fists clenched and her eyebrows furrowed, "the only reason I need this is because your people killed the water benders! You're monsters!"

I tapped my chin, "so, that would make you the last water bender of the Southern Water Tribe... that is where you came from isn't it? So, if I got rid of you, that would mean that there would be no more water benders from the Southern Tribe"

Tears pricked at her eyes as she turned away, and so I continued, "but all of that could be avoided if you just told us where the avatar is, I'll even grant you safe passage back home with my men, we'll leave your tribe alone and you get to go home safe and sound"

But she said nothing.

I sighed, "well, let's hope that the pirates find your brother before I do, I would hate to see what would happen to him if I did"

And keeping her silence, she watched as I tossed the scroll back to Prince Zuko and headed into the forest to find the avatar.