𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚎

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A month later

La'kea's sleep schedule was slowly careening towards nocturnal as she was settling farther and farther into her faux freedom. As the crew members were eating dinner, she was eating breakfast. Wandering the ship as she pleased, although avoiding the part of the ship the prince occupied, she developed a habit of being a night walker.

The crew members attitudes towards her had only shifted slightly, instead of outwards loathing there was now just plain indifference. Once they realized that she wasn't going to be a hindrance to their job, they didn't care where she went and what time she did it.

In all the stops they had made at ports over the last month to restock and refuel, La'kea hadn't managed to escape. By order of the prince, out of spite for the slave, they had either docked and left while she was sleeping, or had waited in the deep waters while a team took a smaller boat. She cursed the prince behind his back in retaliation, everyday was another nudge in the direction of bringing the ship down to the bottom of the seabed.

Turned out she might not have had to do it herself.

One morning, La'kea was rudely awoken from her slumber by being tossed from her cot. She barely had time to wobble to her feet before the room was rolling underneath her again. With a groan, she realized that the ship had been caught in a storm, a bad one if it was able to throw her. Still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, La'kea made her way to the deck, completely forgetting the chains still on her bedside.

The crew were running to and fro, securing various things on the deck. Lightening flashed against the dark sky. Rain was hammering against the metal ship, creating a sound like drums. The massive waves tossing the ship around were rising higher than the upper deck.

Out of all the chaos around her, from the rolling sea, to the frenzied crew. La'kea was the only one at ease.

Struggling to get her footing, she started making her way across the deck, only for two soldiers to stop her. She couldn't hear what they were saying over the drumming of the rain, or the thunder claps, but she realized belatedly that they were pointing to the chains that were missing.

As they both made to grab one of her arms, a wave rose above the side of the ship and crashed onto the deck. The soldiers braced themselves, preparing to get tossed over board and surely pulled into the sea, but she didn't flinch.

The slave held up her hand, and the crew members watched as the water split around them, passing harmlessly over the rails. They let her go as she continued making her way to the upper deck.

The prince was there, shouting commands that were drowned out next to the lieutenant of the ship.  He only cast an angry glance before electing to ignore her. She thanked the spirits he wasn't testing her today, or she might not have done what she was going to do. Lucky for them, she was feeling particularly noble.

Slightly crouched to balance herself against the violent rocking of the ship. La'kea made a gesture of respect to the sky, the earth, and the ocean, bring one hand up then down to the side and repeating with her other hand. First, she would need to tap into the currents of the ocean around her.

Breathing slowly, inhale, she moved her arms in sync with the rocking of the ship. "That little minx is causing this storm," She vaguely heard the prince growl as she exhaled, water vapor in the air turning to liquid as she breathed.

"Let her work, Prince Zuko," Iroh warned, holding him back. Shifting her stance, La'kea rolled her body in tandem with the waves. Recalling everything her father taught her about storm navigating.

Once she was fully balanced in the ocean around the ship, she wound up her strength like a snake prepared to strike. Just as a massive wave was beginning to pull the helm of the ship into the sky. The crew had gathered to watch as the waterbender thrust her hands out on either side of her.

The massive waves paused, hovering against the bender, and were flung back to the ocean.

Zuko watched as the wave that had been about to snap the bow of the ship off was split in two, falling harmlessly on either side. He turned to see the prisoner with one arm extended to her side, holding back the waves, and the other arm in the air slowly being brought down. The farther she bent at the hip, the smaller the waves around them became, until one fingertip brushed the deck.

La'kea turned her palms to the sky as the waves dissipated entirely, falling back into a smooth and glassy sea. The once pounding rain lightened to a drizzle as the ocean current spat out her conscious and she snapped out of her daze. Exhaustion was suddenly dragging her down but she remained upright.

Zuko watched her carefully, waiting to see what the prisoner would do next, but she just lifted her face to the sky, breathing heavily. She looked... serene, and not at all angry, but the moment was broken when she glared back at him, dark hair plastered to her skull, "I'm going back to sleep."

The crew parted for La'kea as she walked back across the deck, down the hallway, and into her quarters. Once safe behind the door to her dim room, she took one step towards her cot before collapsing to the floor.

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When La'kea woke up the next night and made her way to the top deck, she hadn't been expecting the prince to be there as well. His back was to her as he gripped the rails, looking out at sea, still in his armor.

She paused at the door, debating whether or not to hide back in her quarters. La'kea knew it was stupid to be out here alone with the easily angered prince, but this was her alone time damn it. It wasn't the smartest move, but she wouldn't let herself be bullied by this fire spitting brat. She was unchained and surrounded by water, part of her wanted him to attack her just so she had an excuse to throw him overboard.

Zuko didn't know what to think when the waterbender joined him, leaning against the rails farther down, with a solemn expression like she had resigned herself to whatever would happen. With the cool night breeze surrounding them, he contemplated the girl next to him, who had saved his life not once, but twice now. He didn't know anything about her except that she was a waterbender and that she hated him and the Fire Nation.

There was a heavy silence, both knew the other was aware of them but neither wanted to admit it.

"Why did you do it?"

La'kea was startled the prince broke the silence, "Do what?" Her words were clipped.

He gritted his teeth, like even speaking to her was painful, "Why did you save the ship?"

That wasn't what she had been expecting, "Why wouldn't I have?" It's what her family would have wanted her to do, they'd be proud of her for rising above her captures.

"You could have used the storm to escape," He lied, in honesty she could have escaped the minute they were in open waters.

"And leave everyone to drown?" She retorted, and then continued in a much softer tone, "I did the right thing."

She sounded tired, Zuko sighed, "I never did thank you properly. You've saved my life, twice."

La'kea watched the horizon with a blank expression, the moon reflecting against what little clouds obscured the stars. The last years of her life flashed behind her eyes, "Being out of the mines, on this ship. That is thanks enough," The corners of her lips twitched as she looked at the prince from the corner of her eye. "At least for the first time I saved your life."

For someone that hated him, Zuko thought she was being awfully cordially, he noticed how the prison robes she wore hung loosely off her frame. She was uncomfortably frail looking. "What did you get imprisoned for?" Surely a girl barely as old as him couldn't have done anything horrible enough to become a prisoner.

She tensed, knuckles turning white as she clenched her hand, "What do you mean..." Her head turned towards him,  "What did I do?" She echoed, and he noticed that her eyes were unnaturally dark and depthless, "What did I do?" Her voice was shaking, "I was kidnapped! Stolen from my home, along with thousands of innocent people!"

La'kea didn't scream, or yell, she couldn't believe what she had heard. What did she do? Like she had committed some heinous act to be rightfully imprisoned. "There is nothing lawful or justified about my enslavement," She hissed.

"Enslavement?" The prince repeated numbly, "My father does not keep slaves. They're all prisoners, being rehabilitated."

Even her dark eyes blazed with fury as she turned on him fully, "Rehabilitated! We are worked endlessly until we're dead, there is no recovery."

Her body was acting on it's own as she seized the front of his armor, teeth bared. "Your Fire Lord has slaves, not prisoners. It's your Fire Lord's fault I'm here, it's your nation's fault I was pulled from my home!"

If Zuko's mind wasn't scrambled, he would have had the thought to push her away, but he could only frown. "That's- You're lying!"

She gave a strangled cry of anger, how dare this brat first imply she deserved to be in chains, and then outright deny her suffering. Just as she was pulling back a hand, the ocean around them rumbling in response, someone grabbed it gently.

"She tells the truth, Prince Zuko," Iroh confirmed as he coaxed La'kea off of the prince. "You will find that she is not from the Water Tribes, nor any other nation. They are forced to work in mines, factories, and various other places to power the fire nation." The general turned towards the girl with a smile, "Why don't you get some rest, my dear?"

She knew it wasn't a suggestion, he was going to deal with the prince and convince him not to kill her for laying a hand on him. Without glancing back at the brat she disappeared.

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Two days later, Zuko sat in his quarters before a row of candles, contemplating the words of the girl. Her cry of anguish was echoing in his head, and every time he closed his eyes he was greeted with the sight of her looking up at him with large dark eyes that held grief and agony.

He groaned, thumping a fist against the wall, he was the prince of the greatest nation in the world. If he didn't care what a prisoner girl thought, why did he feel so awful? As he held his head, he felt the spots where he had to shave his head, a mark of his failed agni kai. Shame flared through him.

An intrusive thought wormed it's way into his mind, the image of the girl's hair behind gently tousled by the cool night breeze.

La'kea hadn't been able to sleep peacefully for two whole days after her confrontation with the prince.

She paced back and forth in her room, biting her knuckle to keep from screaming in frustration. The damn brat wouldn't stop popping up in her mind. How dare he looked confused, like he didn't know that the fire nation ran on the labor of slaves. How dare he look so hurt and sad, like she was the one in the wrong.

Her mind was running in circles, even now in her scrambled state she could tell she'd never be able to fall asleep like this. So before she could convince herself it was a bad idea, she left her quarters and slipped farther down the dark halls of the ship.

Psyching herself up, La'kea stopped in the one part of the ship she made a point to avoid. She lifted a hand to the prince's door.

Zuko looked up at the knock from his door, he expected to open the door to his uncle, who was the only person that dared disturb him unannounced. He was wrong.

The prisoner girl seemed taken aback that he had answered, he was equally surprised she was here. Maybe she came to kill him without Iroh interfering this time.

She sucked in a breath, brow furrowed, "Did you really not know?"

"Know what?" Zuko snapped, maybe a little harsher than he meant.

La'kea's frown deepened, she didn't like his tone, or that he was surely playing dumb. "About us, the slaves. Did you really not know about the slaves?"

He shifted, looking hesitant, "I- Yes... I didn't know."

She hadn't expected him to admit it so quickly, in honesty she hadn't thought past this. "Okay then..." La'kea suddenly had a spurt of unease for disturbing him, "I'm sorry... For snapping at you... That night."

Just as Zuko was getting over his initial surprise, she pulled the rug out from under him by apologizing. Which was the last thing he expected. "I've been thinking of ways to repay," He lied, having thought of it on the spot, "For saving the ship, and my life a second time. In a week, we'll dock at an Earth kingdom port. You can go with us, it won't repay the life debt but... It's a start?"

"Earth kingdom?" She echoed, but refrained from asking questions, not wanting to strain the princes goodwill. "Alright."