Heart of Fire

Book one: Chapter Two

Hours had passed and I had become extremely discouraged. Physically and emotionally, I did not have the strength to get out, even with the door left unlocked. The only thing I could do was comply, and maybe Zhao would let me out of here. That was the best I could hope for under my circumstances.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but eventually, I heard a man yelling angrily from down the hall, then Zhao and his men laughing, followed by a loud slam, then stomping in my direction. I waited until the footsteps got closer, and started to yell.

"Please! Help! Help me," I yelled. The footsteps stopped, but no answer.

"Open the door, please I'm begging you," I sobbed loudly.

A few moments of silence, then the footsteps approached. My heart was racing. The door opened, and there he stood. I looked at his face, and he was just standing there with a look of confusion. He had a large scar covering his eye, and his hair was pulled into a long ponytail. His armor was that of the Fire Nation. He looked extremely familiar, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"Who are you?" He asked, after gaping at me for a few minutes.

"Please, just get me out of here, I'll explain everything later," I said hurriedly.

"How do I know you're not a prisoner of the Fire Nation?" he demanded.

"Please, I need to get out of here before Zhao comes back," I sobbed.

He looked skeptical, but after a few moments, he checked the hallway before nodding and removing the chains from around my ankles and wrists. I quickly dressed and attempted to stand, but I was too weak and I fell back to the floor. He looked at me, his expression one of pity, before picking me up and running through the long, narrow hallway.

"You'll need this," he said, setting me down once we reached the exit to the deck, and removing the cape he had been wearing. I nodded and wrapped it around myself.

"You'll have to climb out yourself, there's no way I can carry you up this ladder," he said.

It was difficult, but I was able to make the climb to the deck. I was exhausted when I crawled out onto the floor, and I couldn't move even if I wanted to.

It felt like it had been years since I'd felt fresh air on my skin, and sunlight. It was almost like a dream. Aside from it being freezing, and surrounded by icebergs. I had no idea when where we were we - most likely the North or South pole, but it was impossible to know for sure. How long was I down there?

Zuko picked me up again and carried me quickly between the two ships, taking me under the deck, and out of view of Zhao's ship. He carried me to a room with a large bed that was decorated with red sheets. The wall bore the insignia of the Fire Nation, and there was a painting of Fire Lord Ozai and his children on the opposite wall.

"I'm going to lay you on the bed, okay? I'll have somebody bring you food and clothes. But for now, I need to go," he said awkwardly, setting me on the bed and abruptly leaving the room. I never had the chance to thank him.

I covered myself with the blanket, forgetting how it felt to lay in an actual bed. I was exhausted and in some serious pain. I don't think I had ever been so grateful to be able to lay in a bed. I began to doze off, however, a few minutes later there was a loud knock at the door.

The noise startled me awake.

"Come in," I said, quietly.

A Fire Nation soldier was carrying a tray with a bowl of noodles and dumplings and had a robe draped over his arm. He set the items on the bed.

"Prince Zuko instructed us to bring these to you, would you like anything else?" One of them said.

"Um.. no, thank you," is all I could manage. They both nodded and left the room, shutting the door behind them. I sighed, crawling to the tray of food and robe laying at the foot of the bed. I quickly tore off the clothes I was wearing and changed into the robe. It was made of silk, the feeling of it soothed my skin. I quickly devoured the food and laid back down, ready to fall into a deep sleep.

Just before I was ready to doze off, a thought occurred to me.

Did he say, Prince Zuko? As in that Zuko? There's no way that's what he said. I'm just daydreaming from being exhausted... but then, it would make sense that there was a painting of Ozai and his children in the room... I need to go to sleep.

...

A few hours later I awoke to a light knock on the door, followed by the door opening. It was the man who carried me off Zhao's ship.

"I'm sorry about leaving you alone here earlier, I had... business to attend to," he said, with little to no emotion in his voice. I nodded, still half-asleep. "Would you like some company?" He asked, approaching the bed slowly.

I shrugged, still barely awake. He sat down at the edge of the bed, very careful not to touch me. That was probably the best idea for now. I wasn't quite sure where I was, except that I was finally away from Zhao.

"Where am I?" I asked sleepily. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. I realized I had no idea how long I had been asleep for.

"You're on my warship. You probably already know who I am," he said.

I blushed. "Actually, I don't. Should I...?"

He looked slightly irritated. Did I offend him?

"I'm Zuko, the Prince of the Fire Nation."

My eyes went wide and my heart started racing. It's really him? No way...

After a few moments of awkward silence, he spoke again.

"Did I... kidnap you?"

"You didn't kidnap me," I sighed. "Can I show you something? It might make you uncomfortable but you'll understand better if I just show you."

He nodded, raising his eyebrow ever so slightly.

I stood up shakily, I hadn't realized how much my body had deteriorated over the past year. I took a deep breath and undid the robe, letting it fall off of my shoulders and onto the ground. The only thing left on my body was a skimpy bra and underwear that showed much more than I would have liked.

"Oh my god," he said softly, looking at the bruises that covered my body where the chains had been. They were so dark they looked almost black. My ribs were clearly visible and the rest of my body was essentially bones. I hadn't actually had the chance to see myself in the light. The sight of myself disgusted me, and I began to sob.

As his eyes scanned my body, his expression looked solemn. He picked my robe back up off of the floor and handed it to me.

"Put this back on... Did Zhao do that to you? Who exactly are you?" he asked.

"Yes, he's the one who did this to me. I'm his wife..." I explained.

He looked horrified. I knew what he was thinking, how could I let someone do this to me? Why didn't I fight back, or tell someone? I don't even have the answer to that question.

"You can stay on my ship until we get to a place that you can lay low for a while... but, I don't plan on leaving the South Pole anytime soon. At least until I find the avatar..." he said, his voice lowering on the last sentence.

So that's where we were, the South Pole. I nodded, still tired. I wasn't quite sure how long I had slept, but the only thing I wanted to do was rest.

"I can keep you company for a while, but you look pretty tired," he said, averting his gaze as I put the robe back on and laid back down on the bed.

"Maybe tomorrow when I'm feeling better, thank you," I said slowly. He nodded, standing up and blowing out the candle that lit up the room before he made his way to the door. He stopped as he pushed the door open, and turned to look at me for a brief second before exiting the room and shutting the heavy door behind him.

It took me a while to fall asleep - my mind was running wild. It was a lot to process, being here on Zuko's ship. What are the chances he would be the one to rescue me? I hoped that this wasn't a dream, but it truly felt like one.