ice in my veins and a fire in your heart

i

contains some mature themes

Nava wasn't back for more than three weeks before someone made an attempt on Zuko's life.

They were in the courtyard, Zuko was going about his daily task of feeding the turtleducks while Nava leaned against the oak tree behind him.

"Oh, this one has a cracked shell," Zuko said with a frown. He went to grab the chick from the water, but its mother squawked indignantly and snapped at his fingers. He withdrew his hand quickly and glanced over his shoulder at Nava. "Can you let one of the animal doctors know that this turtleduck has a cracked shell? He might be able to remedy it."

Nava nodded as Zuko straightened up and dusted the crumbs of the turtleduck food off his robes. She observed him with a small smile. A warm spring breeze rustled the loose hairs on his head, a sunbeam danced across his eyes and his amber irises shone like a freshly polished gem. She extended a hand out to him and he took it. Nava pulled him towards her, and he rested his free hand beside her head on the tree bark. She leaned in to kiss him, but before their lips met, she saw something from the distance glint in the sun.

She pulled Zuko to her chest and turned so he was pressed against the tree just as something whizzed past where his neck would have been. A throwing knife hit the dirt at their feet and Nava pushed Zuko to the ground. She grabbed her bow and nocked an arrow. She pulled the string back and zeroed in on where the knife had come from. She could see something – someone fleeing from beyond the courtyard walls. Whomever they were, she couldn't get a clean shot and she lowered her bow.

Without thinking, Nava grabbed Zuko by the collar, and using her body to shield his, ran with him back inside.

"Gather Suki and Ty Lee and tell them to meet me at the west wall," she barked to a waiting servant. "Lock down the rest of the palace – there's an intruder that is trying to hurt the Fire Lord. Don't let anyone in or out. Have guards and Kyoshi Warriors at every entrance!"

"Yes, Lady Nava," the servant said quickly. They turned on their heel and ran down the hallway as other palace guards led Zuko away.

"Nava!" Zuko called to Nava but she ignored him and took off towards the west wall – the place where the intruder would have come out. If she was lucky, they would still be on the premises, if not... Nava wasn't going to think about that.

She made it outside at the same time Suki and Ty Lee did.

"There's someone trying to hurt Zuko," Nava explained. "They threw a blade at him, probably laced with poison or something, but ran away before I could get a shot in."

The three of them scaled the wall and Nava led them to where she had seen the intruder at first. From where they stood, a large tree whose trunk was on the opposite side of the wall leaned over the brick, its branches were close enough to the ground to grab and climb up – an easy way to get in and out without being seen. Suki jumped down beside the trunk of the tree and inspected around the base for footprints.

"There's a set leading back towards the road," she said and pointed ahead of them.

The three of them followed the prints to a dirt road reserved only for members of the palace to use. If one were to go south, they would end up at a private docking port that housed the Fire Lord's ship, and if they went north, it would take them to the stables and then back towards the Fire Nation Capital City. On the side of the road, Nava noticed what looked like ostrich-horse footprints that went north.

"Whoever broke in had knowledge of this road and access to an ostrich-horse," she said to Suki and Ty Lee. "They're gone, but we'll send some recon to scope the area and look for other clues. I'll follow these tracks and see where they lead. Then I'll meet you two back at the palace."