A Match of Ice and Fire

Chapter 30: Zuko

I'm in love with the girl who will hate me for eternity and its only been two weeks.

I don't know what it is about Kaya but everything she does draws my attention like a riptide. The way she plaits her hair every morning as I come on deck. The way her hips sway as we circle each other. The way she smiles just before she strikes. Those  beautiful ocean eyes staring into my soul as she flips me on my back.  I even like it when she calls me Fireboy. If any of the fire sages  overheard, they'd call it an affront agianst my authority as Firelord. But everything about Kaya makes me feel exposed. It's like being trapped in a burning building, steering a sinking ship with no sense of direction, because i know, Kaya will never ever feel the way I do about her.

 If it was any other girl, i might have a chance. But my family inslaved hers and burned her parents alive. There's no coming back from that.

Still, there are moments, tiny pathethic little moments, when I pretend. My favourite time of day is after sparring. In the golden afternoon heat. We lay on the sun deck whilst the attendants bring out jasmine tea and stick buns. I  ask the chief to bake extra seeing as it's the only thing Kaya will eat.  I try tempt her with as much food as possible. Then, bruised and aching we lie on our backs with our bellies full and our eyes closed agianst the sinking sun. we argue over who beat who, until eventually Kayas voice trails off. I look over to her sprawled out on the pillows, breathe heavy with sleep. I started adding more pillows on the sun deck. I know it's sneaky, but in my defence, Kaya doesn't sleep at night. She trains, as i found out from interrogating the crew. Her afternoon naps, are the only time she  rests. I let her sleep till dinner, she gets mad at me for it. But it's tiny moments before waking her I love the best, when she rolls over and mumbles something half-asleep, in the half-secounds before her eyes focus and she remembers who I am. Kaya looks at me with serene ocean eyes, calm and untroubled and i imagine this must be how Kaya looks at someone she loves.

I save the moment up each  day, watching Kaya's chest rise and fall gently like the lapping water on a far off shore for as long as I can.

 But not today. Today, I'm wake Kaya up early to show her something special...