Daughter of the Moon - Book Three: Fire

Chapter 20: The Confession

(A/N: Just a heads up, this chapter will be briefly discussing the sensitive topics [such as PTSD] and may not be suitable for all readers)

- Elara -

My Moon Blade shimmered dimly in the light of the strange lamp in the corner of the room as I pinched the condensed water between my fingers. I hated thinking about what I had done with this seemingly sacred weapon—not just to that guard at the Boiling Rock, but also to the others whom I had assumed to be the enemy—but it seemed that those horrors were all I could think about as I lounged in my assigned room on our stolen blimp. I couldn't even distract myself by thinking about what the intended use of the Moon Blade was supposed to be as instructed by the Elders. It had been too long—I couldn't remember.

It had almost been too easy for us to steal Princess Azula's blimp. We had simply walked on and flew off without running into a single soldier or crew member, almost as if Azula had planned for us to steal the ship. Almost as if she had planned for us to escape (and I hoped that wasn't the case). But I didn't dwell on that thought too long. I was too tired—almost too tired to sleep.

I sat up as I twirled my dagger in between my hands, and I was surprised to find that I was almost wishing I could go back to the Boiling Rock. Being there had made me feel alive for the first time I could remember (if you could even call it that), but that feeling had left the moment we had stepped foot on the blimp. It was like I had lost my purpose—or, more likely, it was like I had walked away with more than I deserved. I couldn't understand why I got to be the one flying towards freedom on this blimp while dozens of innocent people continued their lives in that prison. It just wasn't fair.

A sharp knock at my door ripped me away from my thoughts, forcing me to my feet as my Moon Blade clattered to the ground (but not before it could make a small, but weirdly satisfying, incision in my palm). I paused for a moment as I provided myself the opportunity to calm my nerves before making my way towards the door, and by the time I got there, I was no longer afraid. Instead, I was furious.

Before anyone had a chance to cool off following the events at the Boiling Rock, Zuko had been insistent on being the first one to check up on me, not to mention how he practically did the same thing every ten seconds for the entire duration of the evening. At first, he was constantly nagging Suki as she helped me overcome the temporary paralysis I had sustained after our brief battle on the gondola, but then he kept on hovering even after I had recovered (which didn't take too long, thank goodness). He should've known that I was completely capable of taking care of myself, and the fact that he had a hard time leaving me alone even after I had been cleared to be alone just irked me.

With that in mind, I stormed towards my door with the intent of chastising that stupid boy once again.

"For the last time, I'm fine!" I hollered through the door as I gripped the handle, my knuckles paling from the exertion. However, as I ripped open the door, I was surprised to find that there was no numb-skulled firebender on the other side. In fact, there were no benders or idiots knocking on my door. Just two adults.

"Oh," I muttered softly as I quickly adjusted my attitude. "Jade. Hakoda...I'm sorry about that. I thought you were someone else."

"We could tell," Hakoda replied with a soft smile, but I was nervous to see that the grin didn't seem to reach his eyes. It was like he was searching for something, and Jade only seemed to share his intrusive gaze.

"Well," I began, intentionally ignoring the feeling that they knew something I didn't. "I guess since the two of you are here, is there something I can do for you?"

Silence filled the air between us for a brief moment as Jade went to respond, the woman glancing at Hakoda out of the corner of her eye as she began to speak. "Actually, we were hoping there was something we could do for you, sweetie," she said quietly, almost as if she didn't want anyone else to overhear our conversation.