Ash [Prince Zuko - Book Two]

❃Chapter Nine❃

Life on the road was something Asake was familiar with. She had traveled on the ship for three years, heading down every road Prince Zuko went, looking for any sign of the Avatar. She helped lead his soldiers into towns and cities, proclaiming the Fire Lord's praise, and would come up empty-handed every single time. She spent her days with the men and women of the ship, people like Daza and Zi, hiding away from the anger of the Prince.

Life on the road alone was something Asake was definitely not used to. She finally had the chance to change her destiny, and she was doing it, for better or worse. But doing this alone? That was something new to her, something so scary that she wasn't quite sure if she was doing the right thing.

Asake grit her teeth together as she stalked through tall grass, the moonlight guiding her way. She was exhilarated to be finally doing something for herself, something that would finally give her a place in the world, but it was also exhausting. She held her swords out in front of her, pausing for a second. Everything sounded normal around her, but the heartbeat in her ears did drown the noises of nature.

She never knew how much she relied on the people on the ship, and more importantly, Iroh and Zuko mentally, physically, and emotionally. Those two were her support systems, and she didn't have that anymore. It was better this way, though. At least, that was what she kept chanting to herself when her journey got hard and long. The only thing she had left was hope for a better future, no matter how much her hope had been shattered. That was the only thing keeping her going instead of running back to wherever Zuko and Iroh were, wherever they were even. This was her life now; she wouldn't let them -- wouldn't let Zuko -- take her life back into their hands anymore.

Unfortunately for her, though, she couldn't stop thinking about them. They were the only people she truly knew and cared for. She was sure that Iroh was worrying nonstop about her; she loved him because he always wanted to protect her. Zuko, on the other hand, was probably angry at her, like always. She didn't want to be around that anger or protectiveness anymore. It had led her down some destructive paths, places she didn't want to go to again. And she was strong and bitter enough to take care of herself.

The sound of water trickling sounded to her right, and Asake turned that way. Her mouth felt like the Si Wong Desert, so dry and parched. She racked her brain, trying to remember if river water was okay to drink, but she didn't care at the moment. She hurried through the tall grass, exiting onto a small shore of sand. She dropped her swords to the side, collapsing into the small waves. She cupped her hands and gathered enough water, quickly sucking it down.

"Hey, do I know you?"

Asake jumped back from the water, splashing the man who somehow had gotten so close to her. The man wore a contemplating face on as he stared at her, and she slowly stood up, her swords forgotten. Somehow, she hadn't even heard him approach her. Her heart jumped into her throat, and her hands itched to hold her swords, but she didn't want to alarm him. As long as she acted like she was innocent, he wouldn't know that she wasn't. That way, she wouldn't hurt anyone. Hopefully.

"I'm sorry," she said to him, offering him a small smile, hoping that would throw him off. Asake cleared her throat, hating how terrified she felt. Her hands shook and sweat dripped down her spine. "But I've never been here before. I wouldn't know you."

His dark eyes narrowed at her. There was something scary behind them, and her own eyes flickered down to the ground, where her swords sat. If she could get them, then she could get away without getting hurt. For a moment, a memory flashed to the forefront of her mind, one of Zhao putting his hands on her, whispering about what he was going to do to her, that he was going to –

"No, I'm pretty sure I've seen you before," he continued, running a hand through his medium-length hair. She blinked at him and swore to herself that maybe, just maybe, Zhao had come back to life. "Where have I seen you before?"

"I – I," she stuttered, fear overtaking every bone in her body.

"I got it!" he said loudly, his finger pointing toward Asake. "I saw you on a wanted poster." His eyes grew gleeful when he realized what that meant. He took a large step toward her, and her heart started hammering against her chest as she took a step closer to the river. There were wanted posters for her? When had that happened? "What'd you do, little girl? Run away from home? Is your daddy looking for you?"

Asake froze, a cool breeze gushing against her. The shock of wind broke her out of her reverie just as the man swung at her. She dropped down, kicking at his feet. The man fell like a tree, hitting the ground hard. She snatched her swords from the ground and turned around, setting off down the sandy shore.

And then the man landed on her back, dragging her down. He pressed her head against the sand, and she sucked in a deep breath, coughing when sand hit the back of her throat. A scream built up in her throat, and she struggled against his weight, trying to flip the man over. She paused for a moment, wrapping her legs around his. Using her strength, she flipped him over, and she grinned when he looked up at her with wide eyes.

She leaned in and whispered, "You underestimated me. You probably saw a young innocent-looking girl and thought to yourself that you could get her easily. Look at how wrong you are."

"I – I followed you because I recognized you," he said, his voice shaking. "I wanted to turn you in and get the reward money. My family – we're poor, and your bounty is enough to get us out of the hole."

She barked a laugh. "Right." Asake pulled a sword up and placed it against his throat, smiling when he whimpered. "What did the bounty say about me?"

"Just that you are wanted from the Fire Nation!"

"You want to know why?"

The man gulped. "No."

"It's because I killed a man. He hurt me, and I killed him." She pressed harder against his throat, watching as a small droplet of deep red blood trickled down his pale skin. "And I can kill you if that's what you'd like."

The man cried out, snapping Asake back to reality. No matter how much she wanted to kill him, this was an innocent man who only wanted to protect his family. She withdrew her sword, stood up, and took off running. Her feet flew over the uneven ground, but she didn't trip. She wouldn't go down without a fight. Never again.