Ash [Prince Zuko - Book Two]

❃Chapter Four❃

Night had fallen by the time they made it to Song's house. It wasn't that long of a trek, but Iroh had to get a little better before they could start traveling again. Unfortunately, that gave more time for the two new lovebirds to throw glances at each other, annoying Asake to no end. There was a time and place for romance and now was not that time. She knew just how handsome Zuko was, and that Song girl didn't deserve him.

Once they were at Song's house, they all sat at a knee-high table, Zuko to her left and Iroh to her right. Asake's stomach growled at the thought of roast duck that was cooking in the room next to them. It had been a long time since she had eaten that, probably on the ship with her crew that she missed terribly. Thinking of the time before Zhao sent a pang of sadness rushing through her. She missed the simple days aboard the ship. She missed the innocence of it. Zhao had taken her innocence.

She stilled beside Iroh and Zuko, her mind straying to her crew. The last thing she knew was that Zhao took them all during the siege of the Northern Water Tribe. Once they realized he was never coming back to them, what did the crew do? She was sure that some of them, especially the ones who threatened to leave even before joining Zhao's company, would have run away. Her heart soared at the thought of their escape. Maybe one day she'd see them again. She sure hoped so.

The floorboards creaked, so Asake glanced to her right. Song's mother approached the table with a plate of roast duck, sending all thoughts of Zhao and her crew scattering away. The meat looked delicious. If it tasted anything like it smelled, Asake would be in food heaven. Underneath the table, she crossed her fingers, hoping that the food would be filling.

After Song's mother sat down at the table, she passed around the roast duck. Asake took a large helping for herself, and Zuko nudged her. He was frowning by the time she looked at him. "What?" she hissed, scooping a little bit of the sauce on her mountain of a plate. "I'm starving. Give me a break."

He didn't say anything to her. Instead, he reached over her and took some of the meat for himself off of her plate. She glared at him, trying to find a way to stab him with her utensil. It looked like Song and her mother didn't notice their interaction, and she was glad about that. Zuko was acting strange, and she didn't like it one bit.

"My daughter tells me you're refugees," Song's mother said gently. Asake's eyes widened when she looked up, noting the concerned look on the woman's face. "We were once refugees ourselves."

Song nodded solemnly. "When I was a little girl, the Fire Nation raided our farming village. All the men were taken away," she said, her voice growing distant as if she was reliving that time. Asake understood more than this Earth Kingdom girl knew about reliving horrible memories. "That was the last time I saw my father."

Asake felt really bad for hating this girl just for interacting with Zuko. The Fire Nation had done horrific things for a long time to a multitude of people around the world. She hoped to be alive when reformations happened there. She hoped to help with the reformations. She had a few ideas already . . . but there was no way she would be able to help because she knew that her life was falling faster and faster into the depths of her demise.

"I haven't seen my father in many years," Zuko said softly, his gaze lowered. Did he actually sound sad? Didn't he realize that his father was a monster? Or was he too blinded by whatever was going on behind that scarred face of his to see the truth? Asake wasn't sure.

"Oh. Is he fighting in the war?" Song asked, holding a piece of steaming roast duck in front of her lips.

Asake stared at Zuko, wondering how he would answer that question. Her appetite was slowly dissipating with each word being said, but she managed to eat a small piece of roast duck. She knew that Zuko's father was technically leading the war, but she didn't think he would say that to these nice Earth Kingdom people. When most people found out that they were Fire Nation, they were leery. Asake watched the gears turn in Zuko's head.