The Girl No One Knew

Chapter 18

Zuko stood with his telescope in hand, peering up at the sky. I stood next to Iroh, who probably couldn't have been any more upset with his nephew's decision. I rested my head on his shoulder as I struggled to stay awake, but Iroh didn't complain once about being my support system. Zuko had me stay awake with him throughout the night as we sailed to Crescent Island. He had no intention of falling a single second behind and missing the avatar once again. Iroh had tried to persuade me to sleep this morning, but I refused. His concern was comforting though. He cared for me as if I was his own. "Sailing into Fire Nation waters," Iroh scolded, careful not to move too much. "Of all the foolish things you've done in your sixteen years, Prince Zuko, this is the most foolish!"

Looking up at the blue sky, I could just barely see the faint outline of the flying bison that Zuko had been staring up through his telescope for. Silently, I hoped for their safety and escape — but Zuko didn't need to know that.

"I have no choice, Uncle," Zuko replied, indifferent to his uncle's opinion.

"Have you completely forgotten that the Fire Lord banished you? What if you're caught?"

"I'm chasing the Avatar!" Zuko said, finally turning to look at his uncle. "My father will understand why I'm returning home!" He protested.

"You give him too much credit." Iroh had his arms crossed over his chest. "My brother is not the understanding type. Wouldn't you agree, Saki?"

"He's right, Zuko," I chimed in sleepily, snapping out of my snooze on Iroh's shoulder. "Ozai isn't going to accept you being in the Fire Nation, no matter what your reason is."

"You two doubt me, but I will catch him," he declared, turning his back to us again to look out for any sign of his target. "I will regain my honor and finally return home."

It wasn't long before Zuko spotted the bison in the sky, to which he whispered hopefully, "There they are." He stood straight and barked, "Helmsmen, full speed ahead!" They quickly followed suit, and the ship's catapult arose from the floor on feet in front of us. Oh no, I thought. The stench of the ammunition filled the air, causing Iroh to pull out his fan and clear the air in front of us, the breeze feeling cool on my face. "Really, Prince Zuko," Iroh complained. "Couldn't you shoot them down with something a little more fragrant?"

Without a second thought, Zuko engulfed the ammo in flames, and said, "On my mark." With his signal, Bao swiped his sword quickly through the rope and sent the flaming ball hurtling through the air towards the Avatar. The thought of Katara and Sokka getting hurt snapped out of my drowsiness. I stood straight, my eyes wide as I watched in horror, hoping to the spirits that it would miss. Luckily, they'd dodged it by only a few feet, sending the smelly fireball plummeting into the water. I let out of sigh of relief. I hoped Zuko hadn't heard me.

Before he could shoot another one, something in the distance caught my eye. "Zuko, wait," I blurted. "What's that up there?" He looked towards where I was pointing, his jaw falling slightly.

"A blockade," he frowned. Two rows of Fire Nation ships, much larger than ours, blocked our path.

"Technically, you are still in Earth Kingdom waters," Iroh said from behind us. "Turn back now, and they cannot arrest you."

This didn't sit well with Zuko, though he did take it into consideration. We looked up into the sky to see what decision the Avatar would come to. They weren't retreating, which meant we wouldn't be either. "He's not turning around!"

"Please, Prince Zuko," Iroh pleaded with his stubborn nephew, "if the Fire Nation capture you, there's nothing I can do! Do not follow the Avatar."

I looked at Zuko, hoping he'd take his uncle's advice for once. To our dismay, Zuko said, "I'm sorry, Uncle." He turned to the crew and shouted, "Run the blockade!"

"Zuko," I said, turning him to force him to look at me. "This is insane! This isn't your last chance to catch him. You can't possibly be ignorant enough to risk being captured!"

Zuko frowned at me, taking hold of my arms. "Saki, I may never get this close of a chance again. I'm not letting him get away this time." Before I could retaliate, his gaze rose to the sky, his mouth falling ajar. I turned to see what could've caused such a shocked expression, and soon found myself with the same feeling of surprise. Hundreds of fireballs were soaring into the sky, leaving trails of smoke behind them, resembling a cage. My heart felt like it was going to burst through my ribcage. I could think of only one thing: The demise of Katara and Sokka. My fear for my friends' safety — as well as the Avatar's — filled my body with an anxious energy.

The bison skillfully bobbed and weaved through each of the fireballs, easing my anxiety. Of course, the fireballs had to come back down. One by one, they slammed into the sea around us, rocking the ship violently and pushing water onto the deck. A fireball crashed into the ship, causing each of us to fall. Zuko attempted to catch me before I fell against the metal gears of the catapult, but he simply shifted so that he would break my fall. "Are you okay?" I asked instinctively, ignoring the throbbing throughout my body. We helped each other to our feet, then I ran to help Iroh. One of the crew had run out onto deck and shouted, "Prince Zuko! The engine has been damaged! We must stop and make repairs!"

Zuko gritted his teeth. "Do not stop this ship."

Once again, the blockade fired up at the sky, this time going higher to attack the Avatar, who had opted to seek refuge in the clouds. "Zuko," I shouted again. "This is absurd! Turn around now while we still have whatever is left of this ship!" He dismissed me, barking orders at the crew and soldiers. I looked up into the sky to see what was happening. A figure was falling from the sky, like leaves on a tree. I recognized the figure — and the horrified scream: Sokka. I ran to the rail. There was nothing I could do to save him. He was too far out for me to get there in time with waterbending. Fortunately, the bison flew back down, soaring towards Sokka. Once under him, another figure, Katara, reached up to grab his hand and pulled him back in. The bison had flown so far down that his feet were skimming the water before they began flying back up, evading as many fireballs as physically possible.

They flew straight for the blockade, showing no indication that they'd retreat. Zhao's ship sent a single projectile towards the group. There was no way they could dodge it. However, it seemed to have simply exploded before even making contact with them. They flew through the hoop of dust and ash that was just about to kill them only seconds before. It was phenomenal. The bison carried the Avatar and others past the blockade, leaving us in their trail.

As our ship grew closer, the blockade began closing.

"We're on a collision course!" Iroh yelled.

Zuko replied, "We can make it!"

I felt my stomach drop as we neared the blockade, my heart beating in my throat. Soon enough, the ships of the blockade cut their engines and left us enough space to let us pass. Looking down at us as we passed was Commander Zhao. His glare was directed at Zuko, who naturally glared back. I could feel the heat (no pun intended) emitting from their hatred for one another. Zhao's gaze fell upon me, like a viper-bat eyeing its prey. He made me feel small and helpless, that is, until Zuko laid his hand on my shoulder and uttered in my ear, "Don't let him intimidate you. Even the slightest sight of fear will make him think that he has power over you." I looked over at him, a solemn look on his face, and nodded.

We sailed passed the blockade, ease slowly washing over us all. "This cannot lead to anything good," Iroh said, mostly to himself.