𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐎 𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐍 ꩜ prince zuko

⁰³

CHAPTER THREE

        THE JOURNEY TO THE training camp was long and grueling. Yan's shirshu ― while swift ― couldn't run endlessly, forcing her to pause every so often so it could rest. Days passed this way with little but the wind and her own thoughts for company; at last, the camp came into view, nestled in the shadow of a towering mountain. Yan slid off her shirshu and took a deep breath, trying to steady the nerves twisting in her stomach. She was anxious, terrified even; what if someone discovered she was a girl? The shame would crush her family and she would almost certainly be arrested. She could only hope her disguise held, that she looked convincingly masculine enough to pass.

        She turned to her shirshu, pulling a scarf from the saddlebag and holding it gently to the creature's nose. "I need you to go back to Ba Sing Se. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Head back to the city and stay there." she instructed him. Xian whined and flopped down onto the grassy earth, unwilling to leave his beloved owner. Yan sighed deeply, kneeling beside him as she ran her fingers through his fur and pressed a kiss to his nose. "Trust me, Xian. I'll be back before you know it."

        The shirshu whined again, letting out a breath of warm air that brushed across Yan's face. With a final mournful whimper, he rose to his feet and sprinted away, disappearing into the distance to head back to the safety of Ba Sing Se. Yan stood still for a moment, watching her longtime companion retreat; a pang of longing tugged at her chest, but she pushed it aside. Slowly, she turned toward the training camp; the gates were a fair distance away, but she could already see men — countless men — filtering in. Not a single woman among them, except for her.

        Yan followed the group of teenage boys and men through the gate, her gaze fixed firmly on the ground as she kept to herself. The chatter around her grew louder with everyone already bonding and forming groups. She moved slowly and carefully through the line, avoiding any attempt at conversation. She couldn't risk speaking; her voice still carried a trace of femininity. It was all she could do to concentrate on speaking in a lower register, praying it would be enough to mask her true identity.

        "Your conscription notice and any weapons you're carrying," the soldier at the front of the line ordered. She carefully pulled the conscription notice from her pocket and set her father's sword on the table at the instructions. The earthbender soldiers exchanged wary glances, their eyes narrowing as they examined the blade. "This sword is from the Fire Nation. Where did you get this?"

        Yan cleared her throat, straightened her posture, and kept her arms rigid at her sides. "It belonged to my father, sir," she said, her voice slightly deeper. "He was a soldier in the Fire Nation army before he left and met my mother. They both currently live in Ba Sing Se." At the mention of her father's Fire Nation origins, whispers began to spread like wildfire; some snickered, others muttered under their breath, and a few even shot her distrustful glares.

        "What is your name, age, your family name, and are you a bender?"

        "Tao Qiang, sir. I'm seventeen years old. My mother is Lian Qiang and my father is Fengge Zhu; I use my mother's family name for safety reasons. I'm not a bender, but with training, I could become proficient with a sword."

        The earthbender soldiers carefully examined the conscription notice, nodding as they finished. They handed both the scroll and her father's sword back to Yan. "You'll be sleeping in tent seven, with the other non-benders. Join that line and wait for further orders," the soldier instructed, pointing to a different line.  Yan nodded in acknowledgment, bowing respectfully before stepping toward the new line.

        "So your father's from the Fire Nation, huh? What does that make you? Some Earth Kingdom-Fire Nation half-breed freak?" a mocking voice cut through the air. Yan's expression remained impassive as she ignored the taunts, keeping her focus on staying composed. Before she could react, a tall man shoved her to the ground from behind, but before he could grab her by the hair, she twisted her body and seized his wrist with a vice-like grip.