The Tale of Amara

Chapter 6: The Dual Bender

Chapter 6: The Dual Bender

More days had gone by since I was saved by the retired general named Iroh and his nephew Prince Zuko. As the days passed, I found that I was starting to trust my new friends more and more.

Also, I realized (especially the longer I got to know Zuko) the young prince was harmless. While he had moments where his temper flared, he would never actually hurt anyone. I could tell a lot of his frustration was from the Avatar. When the Avatar wasn't his focus though, Prince Zuko was really nice to me and even would offer to help me with my studies when Iroh was too busy for our lessons. Zuko confessed to me that he liked to give me company because he was bored often and I entertained him. I wasn't really sure if his reveal was a compliment, but I tried to take it as one.

The young prince was also super concerned about my mental state as well. Whenever I would start to become anxious about something, or retreat into a quiet shell, he would quickly believe it was his fault. I would reassure him that I was just trying to get used to things, it would take time, and that he had no reason to blame himself. His care warmed my heart though. His overprotectiveness was similar to Tu Lan in a way. Of course, his concern was also different... His actions kept making my heart do that weird flutter. I really didn't understand why I reacted in such a way to Zuko.

He had definitely revealed his overprotective nature the morning we neared Kyoshi Island. When we had arrived in the area that day to try and capture the Avatar, I had not been allowed to see the island. Zuko had told me to stay in my room for my safety, worried that if something went wrong I might get hurt.

"We'll let you know when you can come back on deck. It's not to punish you. I just want you safe," Zuko had said, moving his rice around in his bowl. "The Avatar is powerful. If you're up on deck and he attacks the ship you could be injured or killed."

Iroh, who was sipping his tea in the dining room where we were having our small breakfast, was amused by his nephew's concern. "I doubt the Avatar will hurt anyone, but you are probably right. It is best we be cautious and make sure she is safe."

After breakfast, Iroh escorted me to my room and told me to remain there until he returned. So while Zuko took some men on shore with the Komodo Rhinos to try and capture the Avatar, I remained in my room obediently. Iroh did send Tu Lan to give me company, feeling bad I was being confined to my room alone. He also wanted a guard with me to make sure I was safe if something did go wrong.

We seemed to have only been stopped for an hour, and then the ship started to move again. Tu Lan seemed as curious as I was about what had happened outside. When Iroh finally came to see us and explained the Avatar had escaped and we were pursuing him again, Tu Lan and I finally had our answer. While I was sorry Zuko still had not fulfilled his mission, I was happy I could finally leave my room.

I did not see Zuko the rest of that day. He was pouty from losing his target, and hiding in his room to mope. Iroh told me to just stay away from him until he was calmed down. He always went through this state when he lost battles.

That same day Ju finally removed my bandages. My wounds on my back were healed up enough to not reopen and become infected. I was so glad to have the reminder of Zhao's abuse off of me. The good thing about the marks being only on my back was that I hardly saw them.

This made the painful memories a little easier to push away.

After Ju took my bandages off, Iroh had spent the rest of the evening with me starting to teach me how to read and write. To begin he just taught me simple characters and what they said. He had me copy the characters with a quill and ink on a blank scroll.