Dragonfire | Mako

TWENTY

The flames passed on from the grandfather to his granddaughter were tame, rising with their joined inhales and falling with their exhales. There was nothing about this move that reminded anyone of firebending moves. Instead, it appeared to be a waterbending move, transformed to fit their own element. Zuko and Kaida had both studied the way the waterbenders moved - specifically one waterbender her grandfather had been friends with in his youth - and it was something they did, to firebend using waterbending moves.

Days after Kaida had returned to the Fire Nation, it had been decided that this afternoon, instead of the usual sparring the Princess got up to, she would train with her grandfather. So far, their training had been focused on their control and their breathing. The exercise they were doing now too had everything to do with control and the steadiness of their breaths as they cooperated and adapted their way to fit the other more. The flame was passed from one to the other easily now and the training had gotten a rhythm. Until they were interrupted.

A servant rushed towards them, holding a letter at hand. He bowed at both of them before he handed the letter to Zuko and then walked away. Kaida urged the flame to move towards her as her grandfather opened the letter. She had just made the flame disappear when Zuko gasped.

"Grandpa?" she asked, confused as she looked over him. One of his hands was covering his mouth and he seemed pale as his eyes skipped over the words on the letter. He blinked, once, then twice, and she saw tears starting to form in his eyes. Alarmed, Kaida rushed to his side. "Grandpa! What's going on?"

Zuko attempted to pull himself together as he extended the letter to her. Kaida glanced from him to the letter and took it. She started reading at once, skipping over most of the words until she reached those that undoubtedly had brought her grandfather to gasp.

General Iroh has been taken captive from the bandits that are using the city of Omashu as their barricade.

"That can't be," she croaked as she kept reading the letter.

As she read, she learnt Omashu was the last stand of the bandits and for the last few weeks they had been attempting to lure them out with no luck. Commander Lee that was writing the letter to them was a friend of her mother's, if she were to judge by the way he wrote, and a trusted friend of her brother. He only let them know about Iroh's situation because he was the General and sooner or later the world would know and he wanted them to know first and not find out from the newspaper.

She read the letter once, then twice. Then, slowly, she turned to her grandfather who appeared lost as he sat on the ground. "He's been captured but he's not dead."

"Commander Lee wouldn't have sent us a letter if he wasn't certain Iroh had no luck to survive."

Kaida pursed her lips and stood up. "I'm taking this to mother."

She stormed out of the training area and got back to the palace. The servants and guards she met on her way didn't attempt to speak to her but even if they had, she wouldn't have replied. She headed straight to her mother's study and didn't even knock on the door before getting inside. Izumi looked up from her papers, confused.

"Kaida, what are you doing?"

She put the letter in front of her and before Izumi had the chance to read it, she was leaving once more. She had left the room before she could hear her mother's cry.

She rushed to her chambers and locked herself inside. Smoke started to leave her fingertips as she got in her room and with a frustrated cry, she fell back on her bed, only to push herself up the moment she touched the mattress. She raised a hand to the side of her head as she closed her eyes, her face contorted as if she were in pain. She could as well be.