The Flames of the past (Avatar: Zuko love story)

Chapter 22: The Siege of The North.

Mia got roughly thrown in a cell made of metal, far under the water. It was freezing cold, so cold, it was impossible for Mia to bend Fire. She sat there all alone, and she was wondering if Katara, Aang and Sokka were looking for her. She sat there, all night and day, and night again. It was all dark in the cell. There wasn't a single light. Of course Mia understand, for she could turn a candle flame in a wave of Fire. In the morning a guard came down to bring her some food. His name was Lee, who always stayed a half hour to talk to Mia. 

"You are in huge trouble." He said worried when he watched Mia eating a dumpling. "Why? I didn't do anything!!" She said defending. "The Fire Nation is approaching! Admiral Zhao and your mother are coming with a huge fleet." Mia choked in her dumpling and looked at Lee. "You must let me go, now!" She said seriously. "Mia, you know I can't..." He replied. "If you won't let me go, and Aang dies... It's your fault. I need to protect him! Please I beg you!!" She cried. 

Lee looked at her and she saw her green eye were twinkeling, when he held his torch up. "I promise..." She started, "that I won't let you or your family hurt by my Nation. Or else you can finish me." She said seriously.
My Nation? I was born in Ba Sing Se. Earth Kindom. She actally never knew what her true Nation is. Her mother always said she was a true girl from the Fire Nation. She guesses she is.  He nodded at her and he opened the gate. They walked up, where Mia could bend Fire again. 
"Up here, there is a raft with all the supplies you will need, in case you gotta run," he said, "this might protect you from my Nation." He gave her a cape, so she could be unnoticable. "Thank you!" Mia said and she hugged him tight. Just at that moment the ground shook. She let him go and ran up, to the clear sky. The wall got blown away, thanks to the flying fire balls. 

Suddenly, tens of fireballs got send off on the city. Mia searched for a high point and shot the lightening out of her fingertops. She could stop 5 of them, but it was not enough. She put her cape off and looked at the man. "I am at your side!" She yelled. "Where are you coming from?!" Katara asked. "They locked me up!" Mia yelled back. 

~

"You have taught  Mia well..." Zhao said to Iroh. Iroh nodded and said: "she is a very qualified student." Iroh sighed. "I think it's wiser to blow off the attack, admiral Zhao." Iroh said when he approached, "it's twilight... soon the night will fall and the Waterbender are the strongest at night." The Red Woman approached. "I have a solution for the moon... For now, day break it is." She whispered to Iroh and she laid a hand on Zhao's shoulder. "You know what to do... this is your moment." She whispered. "What about you?" Zhao asked. "I want to see my child." 

~

"So what? I don't want you inside my city, get out!" Pakku said. "Fine!" Mia yelled back and she walked away, without listening to Katara and Sokka. It was nightfall and she sat in front of the gate, watching the ships approaching. She walked and walked away, into the storm. Finally she saw  a cave. Happily she ran towards to it and immediately she set her cape on fire, only to keep the cave on temperature. Her eyes got heavy and she laid her head against the ice. "They don't want my help." She said to herself and she closed her eyes. 
Mia heard a lot of noise and she immediately stood up. The cave was small and she bumped her head. She rubbed on the hurting spot and stepped to the opening of the cave. "Who's there?" She asked.

"Mia?" Zuko asked.
"What the... What are YOU doing here?" She asked. "with AANG?!" She grabbed Aang from his shoulder and laid him down carefully. "You are in big trouble!" She yelled at him. "Your mother is approaching, Zhao wants to take away the moon, she helps him. I want Aang, but I want him alive. I needed to take him somewhere safe." Zuko said. Mia looked at Aang and stroked his bald head. "Why do you tight his hands? He can't go anywhere." Mia said when she saw Zuko tight them together. "Just in case." He replied.

"Zuko... Why are you doing this?"  Mia asked. Zuko stood up and he turned his back to her. "I have to regain my honor... My sister Azula, my father adores her, you know that as well. He said she was born lucky, he says that I am lucky to be born. I don't need luck tho, I don't want it. I always had the struggle to fight, that makes me strong. That made me who I am." Mia looked at her old friend. She stood up and she grabbed his hand. He first looked at their hands, and then he looked at her face. "I don't care what you do. I still see you as my friend. The same person that became my friend six years ago... I see that same face in front of me, even with the scar." 

Zuko touched her face and pulled her closer against his side. He opened his mouth a bit, that was an inch away from Mia's. 
"Finally." He whispered, and just before it would happen, a light shot into Aang's body and Aang woke up. "Welcome back." Zuko said. "You!" Aang yelled at Zuko. "Aang!" Mia yelled and she hugged him tight. "What are you doing here? With HIM! Is that were you were those 2 days?! Paku was right?"  

Mia frowned. "She wasn't. They locked her up. Mia escaped, for she heard her mother was coming. When she searched for you, she found you in the avatar-state. She brought you away, and I found her and you. Mia was too weak, so I brought her here." Zuko said. Aang took a deep breathe and breathed out. Zuk got slammed against the wall of the cave and Aang got shot outside. "Aang!" Mia yelled and she ran to Aang, followed by Zuko. "Zuko, don't!" Mia said when Zuko grabbed Aang's collar, ready to punch him. "Appa!" Aang yelled happily and Mia looked up. Before Mia could say something, Katara knocked her and Zuko knock ouit, and they fell in the snow.

"We need to get back to the Oasis, the spirits are in trouble, don't forget Mia." Aang said when he jumped on Appa's head and Sokka tilled Mia up. "Wait... we can't leave him. He saved Mia and me." 
"Sure we can, let's go." Sokka said.
"No," Aang replied, "if we leave him, he'll die." 
Aang blew Zuko up the saddle, and Zuko laid close to Mia. 

When they flew to the Oasis, Zhao, Iroh and Maya were alreadythere. Zhao put the two fishes, the Monn and the Ocean spirit in a sack and the sky turned red. Maya smiled and looked up. She took a deep breathe and it looked like all the energy rushed through her body. Her red eyes started to twinkle. "My daughter and me... Will be so poweful now," Maya said, "as soon as the Moon spirit is dead." In the saddle they noticed to, and Mia started to shiver. Katara bend over Mia, who was now shaking so hard, that it looked liek she had an attack .Her eyes spread open and Katara looked in two, red eyes. 

"I feel so..." Mia started, "alive." She stood up in the saddle and she spread her arms. She looked up to the red moon and smiled. Everything on her set fire, a blue fire, the most powerful color. She felt so alive, she felt... unstoppable. Her red eyes twinkled and she sighed. The Fire was gone and she looked at Aang. "This won't be good for me." She said quickly and she sat down next to Zuko. Her hand closed around his, and she hold it tight. Appa landed in the Oasis. Zhao was there, at the other side of the pond.

He held a fist of fire under the sack with the fishes, and Mia saw, through the fire a Red Woman standing. "Hello, my child." She said coldly to Mia who stepped out of the saddle. "Mother."Mia said emotionless.
"Where is dad?" Mia asked. "Ba Sing Se. The old man is dying. This was my only escape. I need tol serve the Fire Lord, not an old man from the earth kingdom and caring the peasants I should call my children..."Maya said, 'but you... You are the only one who has my Fire Bending genes... my power. Your eyes are red... you are perfection.
" You are the best thing ever happened to me." 

"I am not. I hate you. You are nothing to me." Mia said and she turned to Zhao,"Zhao, please don't."
"It's my destiny," he replied, "to destroy the moon and the Watertribe." 
"Destroying the moon, won't just hurt the watertribe," Aang said, "it will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything will fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would do to the world." 
"He is right." Iroh said and he stepped in the light.
"Uncle Iroh!" Mia yelled happily.
"General Iroh, why am I not surpised to your treachery?" Zhao said. 

"The Fire Nation needs the moon too, it all depends on the balance..." Iroh said, "whatever you do to that spirit, I will do to you! LET IT GO, NOW!!" They all hold their breathe and watched Zhao. He let the sack in the water, and thesky turned blue. Mia's eyes turned green, and her mother's blue." Everyone sighed out of relief, until... Zhao set the water on fire. Everything turned black and Mia and Iroh shot Fire at the soldiers. Mia's mother disappeared immediately, unnoticed, followded by Zhao. Iroh, Mia and the rest walked up to the pond, and saw the white fish lying on his back. Iroh grabbed him up out of the water. "There is no hope now." Yue started to cry, "it's over."
"No it's not over." Aang said in his Avatar state, and he walked in the water. The other fish swum around him and his eyes set light as well. Aang disappeared in the water and the whole pond set alight. All the water in the tribe went to the pond and it turned into a huge Koi fish, with Aang in the middle. 

It started to walk, and it flushed away all the Fire Nation soldiers. The others sat at the pond and Mia's head was resting on Iroh's shoulder. He looked at Yue and he said: "You have been touched by the moon spirit.... Somehow his life's inside you."
"Yes,"she replied, "you are right. It gave me life. Maybe I can give it back." Yue stood up. 
"You don't have to do that!" Sokka yelled.

"It's my duty Sokka." Yue replied. When Yue touched the fish, it lightened up and with a sigh, Yue fell down in Sokka's arms. 
"She's gone." Sokka said and he laid his head on hers. 
The whole fleet was gone, accept a small boat, where the Red Woman was on. She watched the Avatar, and she smiled a bit.
"You may be strong now... but you will go down." She mumbled.

~

Iroh laid the fish in the pond and Yue rose. "I will always be with you Sokka." She said and she kissed him. She vanished and the moon was back. 
Before Iroh left she grabbed his arm. "Meet me at the front canal in 10 minutes." She said.
He nodded friendly and Mia walked up to Katara and Sokka.

Aang walked up to and the four hugged eachother tight. Momo and Aoi where sitting in front of their feet. "You guys too." Katara said and they jumped up. Aoi in Mia's arms and Momo in Aang's. They had a huge group hug and hugged for a few minutes, while they stared at the morning sun. "Oh!" Mia said and she let go, "I have one last thing to do." She went to the front canal and met Zuko and Iroh. "Where's Zhao and my mom?" She asked. "Zhao is gone, your mother vanished." Zuko said. "Uncle Iroh.... Down there is a raft with all the supplies you need. Go and sail to the closest land in the earth kingdom, that must be six days." Mia said quietly. "Thank you, sweet child." Mia hugged him, with tears in her eyes. "Don't cry... You are doing the right thing. I am so, so proud at you."He said and he let her go. "I will get the raft." He said and he winked at Zuko. 

"Thanks for saving my ass in the cave, Aang believed it." Mia said.
"Luckily, you let me in." Zuko replied with a smile.
"So... I guess I will see you next week again." Mia said with an awkward smile. 
"I don't think so... I won't hunt you for some time. I need rest." Zuko replied.
Mia nodded slowly. "Well you still have my necklace... So you can find me anytime."

Zuko grabbed something out of his pocket and walked towards Mia. He laid something in her hand and she looked down, at her necklace.
"It's yours." He said quietly.
"Keep it." Mia said and she laid it back in his hands. "As a reminder... That if you would ever lose your way, you can return to me."
He laid his one hand on her back and with the other she touched her cheek. His mouth touched hers and Mia got a warm flow through her whole body. They held each other tight and Zuko stroked her cheek for the last time, before he left.


The End of Book 1. #nailedit
The story will continue.