The Tale of Amara

Chapter 3: Mint Tea

(Amara POV)

My body was heavy. My brain was a mess. I really had a hard time recalling what occurred. I could remember running through the forest. My brother's men caught me. They dragged me back to Zhao who beat me severely. Then Tu Lan was there, telling me to not give up. Another man showed up a few hours later. He was kind and gentle. He had been concerned about me. Tu Lan and another soldier helped me towards a ship. I was taken to a room with torches. I ate something bitter. I passed out again.

Finally getting the events from yesterday back in sequence, I started to bring the rest of me back to consciousness. Every part of me felt disconnected, but after a moment I regained some movement. Opening my eyes slowly, I saw a low table across from me against the wall. There was a torch above on the wall to illuminate the room. The walls were steel, and so was the floor.

A ship... I was still on a ship... Was it the same ship? Or was I on one of my brother's ships? My heart skipped a beat at the second possibility. However, I quickly dismissed the thought. If I were on Zhao's ship, I would be in a cell. I could tell this was not the case from the nice cot beneath me, and the warm blanket over me.

Trying to pull myself together, I attempted to move to my knees on the soft cot. The movement hurt so much, but I found my strength. Once I was on my knees, and the blanket fell away, I saw my torso was completely covered by bandages. I was not wearing a shirt, but everything was covered so I was decent. The ship physician had mended every one of my wounds.

I was grateful for the assistance I had received, but I also couldn't help but be afraid. Tu Lan was not with me. I was alone in an unfamiliar place. Others in the Fire Nation knew about my existence now. I was scared they would lock me up again. Or decide to kill me.

Escape... go... I needed to go...

My breathing hitched as I tried to move to my feet. My back seared in pain as my movement aggravated some of the wounds. I couldn't let the pain stop me though.

I had to go... see if my family was alive... Zhao told me that they would not want me because I was part Fire Nation... I didn't believe him.

Grandma... Aunt Kya... I needed to find them.  They wouldn't know me; But if I told them about my mom, then maybe they would accept me...

Attempting to get to my feet, I stumbled as soon as I was off the cot. However, I managed to get across the room to the steel wall to steady myself. My body felt ready to collapse at any moment, but I could not let my weakness stop me. I had to keep going.

Managing to use the wall for support, I reached the steel door and pulled the circular mechanism to undo the latch. The movement and strain on my limbs only made me burst into blinding pain. I stopped for a moment, leaning my shoulder against the wall to catch my breath. Then after the pain faded again, I grabbed the latch once more. The door opened this time, and I managed to stumble out into the narrow steel hall.

I honestly wasn't sure what I was doing. My mind was a mess. Tu Lan had brought me on this ship, and I was mended, so why did I want to escape so terribly?

I knew the answer though: as long as I was with the Fire Nation, I was still a prisoner. They would keep me only long enough to dispose of me when they no longer wanted me around.

Go... I had to go...

As I started to walk down the hall, using the wall beside me for support, a door opened a few feet away causing me to freeze in my step. A young man stepped out, his expression appearing cautious as he looked around to search for the cause of the noise I had made when I opened my door. When his eyes finally landed on me, we stared at one another for a good minute.