Avatar: The Red Dragon

Chapter 19: The Fog

Prince Iroh woke up a little bit later than usual. He had just spent his first night on a military boat. At first, the loud snores of his roommates prevented him from falling asleep, but he eventually got used to it, and closing his eyes, he fell into the arms of Morpheus. The rocking of the boat didn't bother him at all, and he had a good sleep. He even had a very pleasant dream, which made him sleep in longer.

When he opened his eyes, the three other beds were neatly tidied, and no one was there. Iroh got up slowly, and headed out of the cabin. He walked towards the dining room, and as soon as he stepped in, a voice called out to him.

"Iroh!" Bumi called him. "Come sit with us," he said, motioning for him to take a seat with them.

Iroh sat down next to Captain Bumi, and one of the crew members pushed a plate full of bread towards him. The little boy timidly took one loaf of bread, intimidated by all the adults surrounding him, and ate it in the very elegant way he had been taught at the Royal Palace. The others stared at him intensely, and teased him gently on his table manners. The young prince's cheeks turned red, feeling bashful from their comments, but not uncomfortable as they didn't mean any harm.

"Don't be so stiff," Bumi told him, friendly patting his back. "Enjoy the laid-back atmosphere of this ship!"

Iroh smiled at them, relieved they were all so nice with a child like him. The Second Division was indeed very relaxed, and even though he was the Captain, Bumi never acted authoritative and spoke with his crew normally. Avatar Aang's oldest son was very easy to talk to, and that reassured the young prince who had so many questions about the United Forces. More comfortable, Iroh could ask everything to the people seated at his table, and everyone kindly answered him, even encouraging him to join the United Forces in the future.

Iroh spent the rest of his morning with Captain Bumi, and after lunch, he went to the deck alone, staring at the vast ocean.

"It's nice to travel on a boat, right?" a female voice stated timidly.

The young prince turned his head, as he didn't recognise the voice, and a shy smile appeared on his face when he saw a black-haired girl, sophisticatedly dressed, standing a few meters away. Her long, glossy hair was tied in a top knot – traditional Fire Nation hairstyle – and decorated with a fancy hairpin that represented a phoenix' wings.

She walked towards him, closing the distance between them, and leant on the gunwale, next to him. Iroh stared at her while she was trying to shake off the hair covering her face because of the wind. Her long, slender fingers brushed her cheeks, and brought the rebellious strands of hair behind her pierced ears, ornamented with shining amber stones.

Standing from afar, Hiroki was looking fixedly at the pair blissfully talking. A large scowl was drawn on his face, and after a few minutes, he heaved a heavy sigh.

"What's wrong Hiroki?" a female voice asked him loudly from behind.

He turned to face a young dark brown haired girl. She was wearing simple clothes which consisted of a plain, dark red t-shirt with same colored pants and a long sleeveless jacket with gold trims – nothing really fancy. Her hair was usually tied in a top knot to abide by the school's regulations. However, on this ship, no specific hairstyle was imposed, so she just tied it in a high ponytail that seemed a little messy with all the flyaways poking out.