Spark [Prince Zuko - Book One]

❃Chapter Nine❃

The rocking of the ship woke Asake from her dreamless sleep. She didn't get up at first; she was too comfy in her covers to even bother thinking about getting up. She laid there and allowed her mind to wander back home, snaking through the memories until she landed on one that pleased her.

In her mind's eye, Asake saw a younger version of her holding onto Father's hand for dear life. She could tell she was anxious about something, but she couldn't quite remember why. Father always said she was in tune to the world around her, that she could feel when something shifted in the Spirit World. But that wasn't the reason, she knew it. Something else had her nervous that day, but she couldn't remember it at the moment.

A sharp knocking got her up, reminding her of Iroh's visit a few nights ago. She stumbled over her own feet, trying to get to the door. Asake grabbed the knob, the cool metal waking her up more. She swung it open to see Daza; a loud squeal echoed around the two of them. "What are you doing here?" she asked him, standing up straighter. Asake crossed her arms over her chest, trying to cover up her nightgown.

"Prince Zuko said you may have today off," Daza said, his voice low and deep. Asake frowned. Why would he say that? And why would he send Daza to tell Asake the news? "He didn't give me reason as to why you are off today."

"Okay." Asake gave him a quick smile. She didn't want to ask him any of her questions because she knew that he had none of the answers. "Thank you, Daza."

"You're welcome," he said, nodding once.

He turned on his heel and began to march down the hallway when she called out, "Oh, and Daza?"

Daza turned around with a weird look on his face. It quickly disappeared, and a smile made its way onto his face. "Yes?"

"When you get the chance, could you take a look at the hinges on this door?" she asked him quickly. "You obviously heard how loud it is when it opens."

A real smile appeared on his face. "Of course, Asake. Anything for you."

He turned around and disappeared around the corner, out of view. Asake shut the door and sat back down on her bed. The last thing Daza said was a little strange. Anything for her? What did that mean? Sure, she was closest with him on the ship, but she didn't think she was that close to him. She sighed and rubbed her head. She had so many questions, and it was barely early morning. What was up with that? But, now that she was awake, she couldn't go back to sleep.

There was a leaden feeling in her stomach that prompted her to get up and get ready, even if she had the day off. She grabbed a pair of civilian clothes from her dresser, quickly unfurling the clothes and laying them on her messy bed. Sliding off her silk nightgown, Asake tugged on her pants and shirt. She doubted that she needed to wear any armor because they were in the middle of the ocean. She still strapped her sword to her hip. She would not go anywhere without that sword.

Asake opened her door, wincing with the loud squeal. She hoped she wouldn't wake anyone else up, if anyone else were still asleep. She wasn't sure when everyone got up, especially Prince Zuko. He seemed to never sleep. Maybe he had nightmares like she did. Maybe, whenever he closed his eyes, he would see his father shooting at him with a blast of fire again and again and again. She understood the nightmares, but he needed to sleep or else he would go crazier than he already was.

She decided to head to the deck to get some fresh air. A cool breeze nipped at her bare skin, but otherwise the day was beautiful. The sun slowly rose in the sky, shining so bright that Asake had to shield her eyes when she first got out there. Only a wisp of a cloud was in sight in the light sky. In the horizon, the sky and water blended in together, and the only way you could tell which was which was if there was a piece of land sticking up.