Not Too Far from the Yew Tree (an ATLA fanfiction)

Prickling my Ankles and Murmuring of their Humility

Katara was woken up by the argument between the siblings and muttered a curse against the early-rising habits of firebenders. It was the fourth day, all their injuries were repaired to the greatest extent possible, and she had hoped to sleep in. Instead she pulled on her shoes and went to the deck. The sound had traveled straight through the splinter-ridden deck boards to the sleeping quarters below. Of everyone she expected the shirshu to be the greatest annoyance on the cramped ship, but the giant sightless beast had been as quiet as a lop-eared rabbit-mouse. In the brisk morning sun she put a hand on her hip and watched the two shouting at each other.

"Azula, we can't enter the river," repeated Zuko in exasperation while he gestured and paced around the deck. June and Jet had grown weary of the pair's antics and had taken seats nearby to watch. "The pirates are on our backs and will trap us there. The base is the closest port and the perfect entryway to the desert."

"We need to go upriver to Omashu," she replied, irritated that he wasn't instantly obeying her. She was sitting on the floor next to the railing and rubbing her leg. "If we go to the base, General Fong will kill me."

"Why? Why would he kill you? He knows you're working for the Earth King."

"He doesn't trust me. He'll kill me if I present myself there, where he has his power concentrated. I want to go through Omashu. If you're that concerned about the pirates, anchor the ship and let them catch up, and I'll burn them apart."

"We don't have time to go to Omashu."

Azula looked over as Katara, who was standing beside the wall of the superstructure, asked, "Do you really think General Fong will kill you even against the Earth King's orders?"

"Yes, obviously," stated Azula. "Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Katara stated, "Omashu isn't that much further. How far is it by ship?"

"Half a day," said Zuko. "That makes a full day wasted for the ship."

"Once we get off at Omashu, the ship will return past the base. They can stop there and ask General Fong to escort them. If you draft a letter he'll cooperate."

"If the pirates don't get them first. Once we leave June is alone here, and neither she nor the crew are benders of anything. It's putting too much risk on them to entertain Azula's selfishness."

Azula told her brother, "I suppose you would be pleased if General Fong killed me. That's why you're so resistant to going one port further."

"You've certainly never hesitated to try to kill me. Maybe I would like to see it. Why did you hide from me when we went to Ba Sing Se after raising the library, why were you afraid to let me see your face and know what you were up to? You're scheming something up. I don't trust you because you've never acted trustworthy. Just throw a rag over your head and General Fong won't even realize who you are."

"He'll know."

"You're insensible. There's no way he would—oh, just forget it! We'll change to Omashu, then, and there go all my plans."

"Was that really so hard?" his sister asked. "After all, I'm the only functional firebender left here, since you apparently have forgotten how to do it. During that fight you kept pretending to be a nonbender even as we were becoming overwhelmed, until I set those ships on fire and bought us some shoulder room."

"Maybe it doesn't occur to you that I was trying to keep our identity a secret there. Which you ruined, by the way. Now every pirate within two hundred miles knows the Firelord is out here unguarded with a small party getting involved in their trade business."

"What good is your identity being secret if you're dead?"

"I had it covered."

"You were about to pass out in the middle of the fight. As you were you couldn't have filleted a fish with those broadswords."