The Pirate Empress

16

"GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" I screamed, trashing in the girl's arms. "LET ME SEE MY DAUGHTER!"

"Hold her down!" She yelled. A man came over and pinned my arms behind my back. As I struggled, she grasped me by my hair - whoa, it was down to my butt now - and held a wet cloth over my mouth.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" I screamed. "WE'RE - WE'Re - we're going to k - kill you!"

She laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, Princess," she said. "Afraid you won't have a chance."

I slumped to the floor, listening to my oldest two screaming and Zuko trying to spit fire at them, raving about how he couldn't produce a flame larger than a candle.

After all was still, the girl - I realized we didn't know her name - said, "How do we pair 'em up?"

"By age," some other woman replied. "We're going to start with the little one, then to the Earthbender girl, so on and so on."

"Hm." Our spy lifted Thi Na in her arms. Next to me, I felt Azula being lifted as well.

Then they took 'Zumi and Sokka. Then Zari and I.

In the back of a caraige, with my feet and hands bound, I opened my eyes to see nothing. "Zari?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

"Here." If I wasn't listening, I'd never had heard him.

"We need a plan for the worst-case scenario."

"What?"

"Like your parents had."

"But we'll stick to it?" he asked.

"Yes."

"What do you propose?"

"First priority is the kids," I said. "But you know Sokka and Izumi won't be shoved aside. So Thi Na and Azula, we keep them with us. No running off."

"Right," he said. "And we keep the older two out of as much danger as we can."

"I'll make sure of it," I said.

"I'm going to skip all of this bit and go home," he said. "Find Aanshi."

"I can come with, if you want."

"No, I'll be fine."

People started walking to the carriage.

"Look," I said. "Right before you proposed, what was one of the things I told you?"

"I don't know, what? My memories are foggy."

"I said you weren't allowed to die." I paused to lean forwards and kiss his cheek. "I stand by that."

The driver entered, and I heard two people enter.

"This should be fun," said a woman - my chambermaid, actually. Someone I'd once considered a friend.

"You think Kwea's going to be a good leader?"

"Yes," snickered the woman - what was her name again? "She did, after all, plan all of this."

The carriage started. We were going at a pretty high speed, down through the gates to the palace. Left turn.

"What are you going to do, after? Join as one of her assistants, or go off on your own as a noble?"

"Noble, duh." Zlo said. "I'm done looking after rulers."

"I'm going to be one of her assistants," said the man.

"Why on Earth would you do that, Drygioni?"