Chapter 15

Episode 12, The Storm

As I was walking around the ship, I heard part of the crew talking in a room. I decided to eavesdrop on them.

I heard the Lieutenant talking, "I'm sick of taking his orders, and I'm tired of chasing his Avatar," he told the others with an angry voice, "I mean who does Zuko think he is?" he exclaimed.

I don't know why but it made my blood boil when they were talking behind Zuko's back. "I don't know, maybe he is the Fire Prince, your superior?" I commented sarcastically and entered with crossed arms tilting my head slightly to the side.

He looked at me with narrowed eyes but before he could say something, I beat him to it, "I don't know what makes you think that you're any better when you're sitting here and talking behind his back," I told him and looked at him with a daring look.

"He took you away from your family and as a prisoner. Why would you defend him?" he asked me.

"I think that's enough," Iroh said calmly and entered the room looking between us.

The Lieutenant immediately stood up and bowed to him, "General Iroh," he greeted him, "We were just-"

"It's okay," Iroh interrupted him and raised his hand, "May I join you?" he asked the man.

"Of course, sir," he said as he brought another chair to put it around the small fire they were sitting around.

Iroh walked towards him and sat down and looked at me at from over his shoulder. "Won't you join us too?" he asked me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged before taking a chair as well and sitting down next to Iroh.

"Try to understand, my nephew is a complicated young man," Iroh told us after we were all sitting around the fire, "he has been through much."

I always knew there was something about the Prince. And I was really curious and wanted to know more about his past.

Iroh told us that when Zuko was 13 he wanted to join a meeting among his father and the generals. Iroh only helped him get into the meeting if Zuko promised him not to speak up under any circumstances.

But Zuko broke his promise as he thought it was wrong to sacrifice an entire division of soldiers and spoke up against a general. Even though he was right he was punished.

"After Zuko's outburst in the meeting, the Fire Lord became angry with him. He said that Prince Zuko's challenge of the general was an act of complete disrespect. And there was only one way to resolve this," Iroh told and looked sad about the whole thing.

I listened intensively not wanting to miss any little detail.

"Agni Kai," the Lieutenant mumbled and my eyes grew wide. A 13-year-old kid was challenged to an Agni Kai? What kind of sick punishment if that? He should have gotten grounded or something.

"That's right," Iroh nodded with a sad smile on his face, "Zuko looked upon the old general he had insulted and declared that he was not afraid, but Zuko misunderstood."

Of course he wouldn't back down. I mentally face palmed at the 13-year-old Zuko. Why doesn't that surprise me?

"When he turned to face his opponent, he was surprised that it was not the general,"

I knitted my eyebrows in confusion. What exactly is happening in this story?

"Zuko had spoken out against the general's plan, but by doing so in the Fire Lord's war room, it was the Fire Lord whom he had disrespected," Iroh continued with the story, "Zuko would have to duel his own father."

I gasped and clasped a hand over my mouth. This is beyond sick. What kind of father does that to his own child?

"When Prince Zuko saw that it was his father who had come to duel him, he begged for mercy."

I couldn't believe what Iroh was telling us. My jaw dropped and I was frozen on my seat. I actually didn't want to know how that ended.

Iroh told us how Zuko didn't want to duel his father but the Fire Lord insisted that he had to fight for his honour. But Zuko still didn't fight his father. The Fire Lord wanted to teach his son respect with suffering being his teacher.

Zuko cried and continued to beg for forgiveness and mercy but his own father didn't care.

That's how Zuko got his scar. His own father wanted to teach Zuko respect by burning half of his own son's face off.

I had tears in my eyes by the time Iroh came to this part the story and it hurt me deep down.

"I always thought that Prince Zuko was in a training accident," the Lieutenant breathed out. Personally, I never really thought about how he got the scar but I'm sure I would never have thought that he got it that way.

"It was no accident," Iroh shook his head and went on, "after the duel, the Fire Lord said that by refusing to fight, Zuko has shown shameful weakness. As punishment he was banished and sent to capture the Avatar."

Every single one in the room was listening intensively by now and they were just as shocked as I was.

"Only then could he return with his honour," Iroh ended the story and I was at the edge of breaking down in tears. He had gone through so much terrible stuff.

Then, I understood why he was so obsessed with Aang. And I couldn't even be mad at him anymore for wanting to catch the Avatar. The boy only wants to go back home and live a normal life.

I excused myself from the table and went towards my room with tears escaping my eyes. I didn't want anyone to see me crying. I also felt bad for thinking I was being treated unfair but he had it much more worse than I had.

The story just broke my heart and as I was still thinking about it, I bumped into someone. "Sorry," I mumbled and wiped the tears from my cheeks.

When I looked up, I saw Zuko standing in front of me and I as soon as I saw him, I didn't hesitate to engulf him in a hug. He tensed at the contact but then relaxed and even patted my back hesitantly.

This time, I wasn't embarrassed by hugging him. I just felt like I had to do it after hearing his story. I just mumbled a quick 'sorry' after parting the hug because he might have been uncomfortable with it.

"Why is it that every time I see you alone, you're crying? He asked me with a raised eyebrow but also concern in his eyes.

Before I could reply to his answer lightning struck on the ship. And along with the waves, it made the ship shake. It happened so suddenly that we both lost balance and crashed into the wall when the ship tilted to the side.

I groaned when my back hit the metal wall. "You okay?" Zuko asked from beside me. I nodded and pushed myself off the wall, "What about you?" I asked him as I dusted myself off.

Zuko nodded briefly before hurrying on deck with me following closely behind. It looked horrible outside. The waves were going crazy and there was already much water inside the ship, and it was pouring.

As soon as we stepped outside, we were already soaking wet. It was hard not to lose my balance with the ship tilting to every side every few seconds.

"Where were we hit?" Zuko shouted out his question as it was hard hearing anything with the rain falling. I squinted my eyes and looked around but I couldn't see anything because of the storm.

"Look," Iroh shouted and pointed at the tower where the helmsman was dangling down from the tower with only one hand holding on the piece of ladder that was already starting to come off.

The man would fall and die if he didn't come down or be saved right now. I thought about how I could save him with my bending or anything else. I was scared that I would kill him if I tried anything. I cursed my brain for stopping thinking in situations like these.

Zuko ran to the ladder up to the tower and climbed it up quickly. I thought he would fall, and I gasped when I saw lightning. It was just about to struck on the ship but Iroh stretched out his hand with his index and middle finger pointing in the air.

It looked like he absorbed the lightning with his left hand, and he moved his other hand from his left arm over his stomach and shot the lightning out of his right hand.

My jaw dropped as I was fascinated by what Iroh just did.

My head whipped back to Zuko when I heard some screaming. I released a breath of relief when I saw that Zuko grabbed the helmsman and prevented him from falling down.

The Lieutenant grabbed the helmsman from Zuko and helped him down safely. The prince climbed down too and we made eye contact briefly before he looked up at the sky and gasped, "The Avatar!"

I looked up too and saw Appa flying away in the distance. "What do you want to do, sir?" the Lieutenant asked Zuko and I looked at him with slightly raised eyebrows waiting for his response with curiosity.

"Let him go," Zuko said calmy and I tilted my head to the side. He can't be serious, can he? "We need to get this ship to safety first."

Okay, this has to be a clone of the Zuko I know.

"Then we must head directly into the eye of the storm," Iroh stated and everyone nodded but me. "What?!" I exclaimed looked at Iroh with wide eyes. But he only nodded at me reassuringly.

I was freaking out on the inside but when we reached the middle of the storm it was so calm and I shut my eyes as I took a deep breath and released it again. I wish every time there was chaos it would be calm if you're in the middle of it.

From there I could even see the blue sky again and smiled a bit and was glad that we didn't die here. I walked over to the very front of the ship after I saw that Zuko was about to say something to Iroh, so I wanted to give them a bit privacy.

My jaw dropped when I saw the water shining bright just like the first time when me and my siblings found Aang.

Appa came flying out of the water with a fast speed and I looked after him as he was flying out of the storm.

Aang and I locked eyes briefly before Appa disappeared out of my sight. A sigh escaped my lips as I turned around only to see Zuko already looking at me. We just stared at each other for a few moments before I walked away and towards my room.

I sat down on my bed and thought that maybe I should give up trying to escape or waiting for my siblings to help me and should just accept my fate, as bad as it may be.