The Moon's Sister

Chapter 3: Snow Chief

Zuko rises with the sun like he does every day then he heads outside to meditate. It has become his routine and this time Princess Sying would be joining him. He tries not to skip with excitement as he heads to her room to wake her.

He has been in the North Pole for a few months now and has loved every second of it. There was no sisters or father to belittle him here. Unless you count his fire bending teacher. Master Zhi is a strict arrogant man who despises  Zuko and the entire Water Tribe with every fiber of his being.
He burns Zuko every chance he gets. Zuko refuses to let this man ruin this opportunity for him. He is just another obstacle he must leap over.

Besides, who else is going to teach the Prince firebending?

Zuko debates knocking as he reaches the entrance to the Princess's room. If he knocks, he could possibly wake someone besides Sying up. But if he just walks in, he could see something he is not suppose too. Both are not situations he wants to be in. He feels the anxiety spread throughout his entire body as he debates his course of action.

"umm...sying...psst...princess?" Zuko whispers while lightly taping his knuckles against the wall.
The curtain unexpectedly flies open causing the young Prince to jump in surprise. Sying stands in the doorway only half awake yet she wears a bright smile.

She yawns, "Come inside. We can meditate on my balcony."
Her hair is in a long messy braid that reaches her waist though she does not seem to mind. Zuko only smiles at her messy state as he cautiously steps inside her room. The animal fur curtain-door falls back into place blocking the view of the hallway. He can't help but feel uncomfortable and nervous inside her room. The Fire Prince felt he was breaking some sort of law at the moment.

They sat down beside each other on the balcony that looked over the city. The sun had just started to rise but slowly every ray of light was filling the ice city. Zuko could feel it coming closer with through his closed eyes. The sun rays awaking his inner flame making heat spread throughout his body. He felt alive.

The ice Princess beside him was not connected to the sun as he was. But she could appreciate the warmth and beauty it brought upon her and her people. She sat quietly beside him. She had never meditated before but Zuko explained how important it was to firebenders only a day earlier.
If it was important to her friend, then it was important to her, though she did not enjoying having to wake up at this ungodly hour. It was too early for her. She rises with the moon not the sun.

Sying couldn't help but watch as the Prince breathed in and out peacefully. She didn't understand how he didn't fall asleep. She knew if she tried she would. So maybe she wasn't actually meditating like she said she would. She was keeping him company at this unbearable hour and that seemed good enough to her.

She ponders her father's words as she listens to the breaths of the Fire Prince next to her. It seems to rock her into such a peaceful state.

"You must keep your abilities a secret, Sying. If the Fire Nation finds out what you can do, then they'll make you into a weapon. I can not allow that." Chief Arnook had explained to his daughter only a few days before the arrival of the Prince.

"I thought we were making peace with the Fire Nation? Isn't that why I'm to marry the Fire Prince?" Young Sying questioned.

Arnook sighed and placed a hand on his oldest shoulders, "The Fire Nation doesn't want peace. They want to dictate the entire world. This marriage is just a way for them to have the Northern Water Tribe without any bloodshed."

"We're...we're surrendering? You're giving up. We're just handing them our people?"

"Fire Lord Ozai won't rest until he has the Earth Kindom and the Water Tribe. The Prince is still young. We still have time to show him the war is not good for anyone including the Fire Nation. You two can create a New Fire Nation with no war. Do you understand that, daughter?"