Spark [Prince Zuko - Book One]

❃Chapter Thirteen❃

Asake couldn't stand it anymore. She had to leave her room now. Being cooped up for days wasn't her favorite thing to do, especially when there was nothing to do in her room. She thought she would lose her mind if she stared at the same four walls for another day. That was what she thought, too, when she first got on the ship; it was much smaller than what she had been used to, but she got used to not being able to leave unless she wanted to jump into the water. She obviously didn't want to do that.

She opened the door slightly and made sure no one was around before slipping out. Thankfully, it was early morning so hardly anyone was up. Most of the crew liked to sleep in when there were no orders for that day. She would usually have joined them in sleeping in, but she couldn't take another minute in her room. The crisp air filled her lungs, slowly clearing her mind. It was so nice to be out in the open air again.

Asake quickly walked to the deck and glanced around. No one was out on the deck yet, so she headed over the railing, one of her most favorite places on the ship. Even though she got seasick often, this place stopped the storm in her stomach. The sun peeked above the horizon; reds and yellows and oranges were racing across the sky. She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, closing her eyes. The fresh air cleared her head and her heart. This was what she loved most about being on the open seas. The air wasn't plagued by the city smells, and the beautiful skies weren't covered by smoke or fog.

For the first few days of exile, she was angry with Prince Zuko. He hadn't paid her any attention, hadn't even thanked her for trying to save his life. She knew then that she wouldn't tell him about her bending. However, now Asake could see she was in the wrong. Well, they both were in the wrong; she didn't tell him that she was a firebender, but he didn't need to get that angry with her. It wouldn't have been that hard to tell him, but it also shouldn't have been that hard to give her some grace. He always acted like everyone else was in the wrong, and he was perfect. She knew, more than anyone, that it was impossible to be perfect.

Asake turned away from the railing, blowing out a sigh. This little escape from her room wasn't turning quite the way she imagined. She looked up and saw Iroh walking toward her, a content look on his face. "Hello, Asake," he said pleasantly as he made it to her. "May I join you?"

"Sure," she said, turning to face the water again. He sidled up to her, and they stood there in silence. She was glad that he hadn't spoken yet; she wasn't sure that she really wanted to talk about anything. However, she did decide that she needed to apologize to him for keeping a secret from him. "Iroh, I –"

"You don't need to apologize." Iroh glanced over at her with a small smile on his face. His words confirmed her thought that Zuko told him about her bending.

"How did you know I was going to say that?"

"Because I know you," he replied gently. "I understand why you would keep your bending a secret. The Fire Nation has been a tyrant for years, and you didn't want to be associated with those types of people."

"I guess you're right," Asake said after a moment of hesitation. She dropped her head slightly, ashamed because of who she was. "I did not want to be known only for my bending. I want to be known for my swordsmanship and for my kindness and for my generosity, not the thing that makes me horrible."

"Firebending is not the thing that makes the Fire Nation people horrible," Iroh said. He stared out at the beautiful skyline. "It's the ideology that they are the best that makes them horrible. When one nation thinks they are better than the other, things are unbalanced. To be truly balanced, the people have to put others before themselves."

"You're right," Asake said, nodding. She glanced at the older man with appreciation. He had become such an important person to her, and she couldn't ever thank him enough for being there for her. "I know I've asked you this before, but how did you become so wise?"