Zeraphina walked beside Zuko and Iroh, clutching her book in her hands as she read it while walking out of their damaged ship. Since the fight with the Avatar, the ship had taken damage due to the snowfall from the iceberg nearby. They had no choice but to pull into a dock in order for the ship to be fully repaired. Unfortunately, there were many fire nation soldiers there that could pose a threat.
Zuko, as they walked onto the docks, pulled Zeraphina's hood further down her face, "I don't want you showing your face to anyone on these docks. Got it, Zeraphina?"
"Of course, My Prince. As you command." Zeraphina answered and then went back to her reading her book.
"Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible." Zuko ordered his uncle, "I don't want to stay too long and risk losing his trail."
"You mean the Avatar?" Iroh questioned.
"Don't mention his name on these docks." Zuko said quickly shushing his uncle, "Once word gets out that he's alive, every firebender will be out looking for him, and I don't want anyone getting in the way."
"Getting in the way of what?" A voice said behind them. The three turned and saw a tall middle aged man with brown hair and a mean glint in his eyes. Zeraphina almost crushed her book in her hands at the sight of this man, a man she had hoped she would never have to see again.
"Captain Zhao." Zuko said with his arms crossed and a sense of disgust in his voice.
"It's Commander, now." Zhao corrected before bowing to Iroh, "And General Iroh, great hero of our nation."
"Retired General." Iroh said and bowed back. Zhao smiled and turned towards the hooded and cloaked girl, still reading her book with no sense of ever addressing the Commander. But he was all too pleased to lay eyes on her.
"Lady Dragon of the Fire Nation." He said, trying to get her attention, "It is an honor to see you again. It has been so long."
Zeraphina silently sighed and closed her book before bowing in respect to the commander.
"Yes, Commander Zhao, it has been quite some time. Not since we left the Fire Nation if I am not mistaken."
"Your memory is quite sharp, Milady." Zhao said and turned back to the prince and his uncle, "The Fire Lord's brother and son and the DragonBorn of the Fire Nation are welcome guest anytime. What brings you to my harbor?"
"Our ship is being repaired." Iroh said gesturing to the damage on the ship.
"That's quite a bit of damage." Zhao commented.
"Yes. You wouldn't believe what happened." Zuko said, "Uncle, tell Commander Zhao what happened."
Iroh panicked for a moment, trying to sum up the words for an excuse. But someone else beat him to it.
"Master Iroh, you have had quite the struggle against the Earth Kingdom soldiers that had attacked the ship. Perhaps you will allow me to speak about the ordeal." Zeraphina said, surprising both the prince and the retired general.
"Truly, I would love to hear the details about the attack." Zhao said, "Did the general really struggle?"
"Only slightly, of course. We were traveling through the southern fronts of the Earth Kingdom waters. One ship posed a threat to us and they attacked without warning, even having the nerve to infiltrate the ship. We were able to defeat the soldiers and sail away, but in the struggle our ship was badly damaged. We were hoping that the repairs could be done quickly so we could continue on with our journey, if that is not too much to ask of you, Commander Zhao."
Zhao bought the lie and leaned closer to the girl, "I would be delighted to have your ship repaired as soon as possible by your words, Milady. But while the ship is being repaired, I hope I could interest you in joining me for a drink."
Zeraphina was about to answer, when Zuko grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from him.
"Sorry, but have to go." He said, pulling Zeraphina away, but then he was pulled back by Iroh.
"Prince Zuko, show Commander Zhao your respect." Iroh said and turned to the Commander, "We would be honored to join you. Do you have any Ginseng tea? It's my favorite."
Zuko sighed walked off behind them in a huff, igniting his hands in flames as they walked towards a tent where Zhao was resting for the time he was there at the harbor.
"You should try to keep your temper in check while we're here, My Prince." Zeraphina silently warned, "Fire cannot be properly controlled by hands if you are not in control."
"You don't need to tell me that, Zeraphina. And I didn't need your help in lying to Zhao."
"Really, because to me, it seemed like both you and Master Iroh were struggling to come up with an answer. Besides, if I were to lie, everyone in the Fire Nation would believe me. A DragonBorn's words are basically the truth, no matter what I say."
Zuko sighed again, knowing that she was right. It was better if she were to lie than Zuko and Iroh. A DragonBorn is highly respected among those in the Fire Nation, and it seems that even after three years of banishment, she still held some of her respect.
The four made it to the tent, where Zhao proceeded to talk about the plans the Fire Lord had for the rest of the Earth Kingdom that continues to fight against them.
"...And by year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital will be under our rule. The Fire Lord will finally claim victory in this war."
"If my Father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool." Zuko commented as Zhao took a seat next to Zuko.
"Two years at sea have done little to temper your tongue." He said, "But I bet it has done wonders for the DragonBorn. Being exposed to fresh air everyday, I have heard that it does wonders for a young woman's complexion and overall beauty."
Zeraphina chuckled hollowly, "You are far too kind, Commander Zhao, but I do believe I still have much growing to do before I could consider myself beautiful."
"Nonsense, the fire lilies of the nation would never want to bloom in your presence for shame that they could never be so lovely." Zhao complimented and Zuko's rage became heightened, "So, how's your search for the Avatar going, Prince Zuko?"
A loud crashing sound came from near the corner of the tent, Zhao turned to see that it was Iroh who was messing around with the weapons on display, making the entire stand crash to the floor with a loud clatter.
"Uh... My fault entirely." Iroh apologized and returned to his seat.
"We haven't found him yet." Zuko answered the question.
"Did you really expect to?" Zhao asked, "The Avatar died a hundred years ago along with the rest of the airbenders. Unless you've found some evidence that the Avatar is alive."
"No. Nothing. Isn't that right, DragonBorn?"
Zeraphina nodded, "Yes, unfortunately we have found no trace of the Avatar."
"Prince Zuko." Zhao stood from his seat, "The Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Nation from winning this war. If you have an ounce of loyalty left, you'll tell me what you've found."
"I haven't found anything." Zuko continued to lie, "It's like you said-- The Avatar probably died a long time ago. Come on, you two. We're going."
Zuko began to walk towards the exit of the tent, but as soon as he made it to the exit, the guards blocked his path with their spears while another soldier walked in to the tent.
"Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed." The soldier said, "They've confirmed that Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody but let him escape and caused bodily harm to the DragonBorn."
Zeraphina's shoulder stiffened at the mention of her being hurt. Thought she was physically fine, being thrown in the icy waters of the south pole was not something to be passed over as nothing. In the Fire Nation, no matter who has done the deed, harming a DragonBorn loyal to their nation is a serious crime punishable by lashes of even death depending on the severity of the damage done to the DragonBorn.
"Now remind me, how exactly was your ship damaged?" Zhao asked, walking right behind Zuko.
~~~~
After a lengthy explanation of what happened, Zhao now had the whole story about what happened. The Avatar was alive, and the prince had dared to allow the DragonBorn, a gift from the sun itself, to be hurt.
"So a twelve-year-old boy bested you and your firebenders. You're more pathetic that I thought." Zhao berated Zuko on his failure.
"In underestimated him once, but it will not happen again." Zuko claimed.
"No it will not, because you won't be given a second chance."
"Commander Zhao, I've been hunting the Avatar for two years, and I--"
"And you failed!" Zhao shouted, creating an arch of fire for more effect, "Capturing the Avatar is far too important to leave in the hands of a teenager. And it seems that you are not able to keep the DragonBorn in her place if you've allowed her to get hurt. I will be taking over this expedition and I will be taking the DragonBorn into my custody."
Zuko yelled and jumped out of his seat only to be restrained by the two soldiers who stood behind him. Zhao walked over to Zeraphina, who had been sitting and reading her book the entire time this was happening.
"If I can borrow you for a moment, I would love to discuss you traveling with me, Milday." Zhao said.
"She's not going any--"
"My Prince." Zeraphina said, closing her book and standing up, "It will not take too long. I will come back in a moment."
Zuko watched as Zeraphina was taken away by Zhao, kicking the nearby table over in his anger.
"More tea, please." Iroh asked as if nothing had happened.
~~~~
Zeraphina and Zhao walked into a nearby empty tent to talk privately. Zhao stood next to one of the table with a jug of water and a few glasses, while Zeraphina silently took one of the chairs that was in the tent.
"I'm grateful that the legendary DragonBorn agreed to speak with me. I must be lucky today to have such good fortune." Zhao laughed as he poured a cup of water for himself.
"You shouldn't brag about good fortune, Commander." Zeraphina said, "You never know when it may run out."
"Wise words. Perhaps I should take that into consideration when we both leave in search of the Avatar. I will be sure to have the best quarters reserved for you on my ship."
"I'm sorry, Commander Zhao, but I will not be joining you on this quest." Zhao turned towards the girl in shock, "You were there when the young prince was banished, so you know of the Fire Lord's decree of my fate. I am to travel with the Prince and help him bring back the Avatar."
"But the Fire Lord lost faith in his son ever bringing back the Avatar. Let's face it, Milady, the Fire Lord sent an embarrassment away from the Fire Nation. That child can't do anything right, and he has the scar to prove it."
Her shoulders stiffened at the mention of the Prince's scar on his face, a mark of his dishonor and mistake against both his father and the Fire Nation. Even to this day, Zeraphina still had nightmares about that day, how both she and Zuko suffered from that one duel.
Zeraphina stood up from her seat and looked back at Zhao, "With all due respect, Commander, I am to follow the orders the Fire Lord has given me. Those orders are as followed: Stay by the Prince until he captures the Avatar, or unless I call you back to the Fire Nation Capital. You should know this as well as everyone else in the Fire Nation that the DragonBorn is to only take orders from those who hold a fire they are fearful and respectful of. You, however, are not one of those who holds a fire I fear nor respect. Therefore, you have no hold over me, Commander."
Zhao was stunned to see this girl, a child, talk to him like that. But then again, she was a DragonBorn, so of course she wasn't much like other girls or women. He smirked, liking her all the more.
He walked closer to her, that smirk still on his lips, and he even dared to lean closer to her face, trying to see the mysterious girl's eyes for the first time.
"You should step away from me, Commander." Zeraphina said, "Unless you want the dragons to finally take you away to the spirit world. They do so love to feast on the flesh of traitors and scum such as yourself."
"Well, I've never expected a girl like you to speak so harshly towards me." Zhao chuckled, "That must be why the Prince keeps you so close to his side. He wants that fire of yours all to himself. But a fire like yours shouldn't be kept out on open waters. You should be on the battlefield."
"You know that the Fire Lord would never allow the DragonBorn to set one foot onto the battlefield."
"Perhaps. You would never be allowed to set foot onto the battlefield with the Prince, but maybe if there was someone who was actually able to protect you..."
Zhao raised his hand to touch her, but she quickly backed away.
"You truly are a sick man, Commander." Zeraphina said with a hateful bite, "It was bad enough when I was simply a younger girl, but it's sick to see that you are still chasing after a little girl."
"Yes, you were a little girl. But now you're a young woman." Zhao said, "You turned of age months ago, and the Fire Lord is allowed to place you in the hands of a man who is worthy of you in his eyes. I believe that if I can take you into my arms, not only will you be safe, but you will be the wife to a legend."
Zeraphina glared at him, "That is what you believe, but I have seen myself standing by your side at the end of this war. In fact, I doubt you will make it to the following Spring."
"What did you just say to me?" Zhao shouted, throwing his glass at the tent wall, narrowly missing the girl's face.
"You heard me. The words of a DragonBorn are never lies. You will not make it to the end of the following Spring. I can tell that you will die cold and alone, just like that chunk of ice you call your heart."
Zeraphina walked briskly past him, but Zhao grabbed her by the wrist, "You will not walk away form me, little girl!" He shouted, "If you weren't the DragonBorn, and you were just some ordinary peasant girl, I would take you right now. And I wouldn't care about what I may face. But I will have you. And that foolish prince, I'll make sure he knows that you are mine."
All of a sudden, Zhao's grip on her wrist loosened with a shout of pain. He looked down at his hand and saw burn marks, not bad enough to leave a scar, but his palm would be red for quite some time.
"If I were you, Commander, I would stay away from the Prince." She said, turning her head towards the older man, her eyes seeming to have a glow to the irises, "I may have high tolerance for threats made against me, but if you ever threaten the Prince again, I will not hesitate to tell my dragon that you have disrespected someone I truly respect."
Zeraphina walked out of the tent, leaving Zhao to nurse his burnt hand. He quickly got over his pain and then went back to preparing his ship for departure. Meanwhile, Zeraphina went back to the tent where Iroh and Zuko were waiting. Zuko didn't hesitate to rush up to her and take her by the shoulders.
"What did you talk about?" He demanded and answer.
"Not too much. Just the basic idiocy that many commanders and generals speak about. The plans for departure, what kind of room I would want on the ship. All of that." Zeraphina lied. She didn't want Zuko's temper to get him into any more trouble than he already was.
About two hours later, Zhao came back into the room, carefully hiding his burnt hand from everyone in the room.
"My search party is ready." He announced, "Once we're out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship, and you will be free to go."
"Why? Are you worried I'm going to try and stop you?" Zuko asked.
"Hahahaha!" Zhao laughed, "You... stop me? Impossible."
"Don't underestimate me, Zhao." Zuko shot up to his feet, "I will capture the Avatar before you."
"Prince Zuko, that's enough." Iroh warned.
"Please, My Prince, there is no need for your temper to get out of control right now. That's what he wants." Zeraphina added, trying to calm her friend down. Though, it didn't work as well as she had hoped.
"You can't compete with me." Zhao said, trying to further instigate a fight, "I have hundreds of warships under my command, and you, you're just a banished prince. No home. No allies. You are even lucky enough to have the DragonBorn of the Fire Nation by your side. Your own father doesn't even want you."
"You're wrong." Zuko denied, "Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me with honor and restore my rightful place on the throne."
"If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now, Avatar or no Avatar. But in his eyes, you are a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."
"That's not true." Zuko continued to deny, his anger rising with every word Zhao said.
"You have the scar to prove it."
That was the last straw for the young Prince. He jumped to his feet and walked right up to Zhao's face.
"Aah! And maybe you'd like one to match!" He shouted.
"Is that a challenge?"
"An Agni Kai. At sunset."
"Very well." Zhao agreed to the deadly duel, "It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your Uncle and the DragonBorn will have to do."
Zhao walked out of the room, leaving the three alone until they would meet again the following sunset.
"Prince Zuko." Iroh said, "Have you forgotten what happened the last time you dueled a master?"
"I will never forget." Zuko said, reminders of that tragic day flooding his mind once more.
Zeraphina walked up to Zuko, placing her hand on his shoulder as a sign of comfort and support, but it did little to help him relax. The young Prince was stiff with his anger, and there was no one that could break him out of this state.
They went back to the ship to prepare for the Agni Kai, Zeraphina heading back to her room until she was called to witness the duel. As she sat on her bed wondering about what was going to come out of this duel, a strange warmth filled her chest. The same warmth she felt some time ago when she fell into the Southern waters with the Avatar.
"He can't be..." She muttered to herself and crossed her legs in a meditation style. Zeraphina closed her eyes and calmed her mind and breath, focusing on nothing but the warmth in her chest.
~~~~~
Her world went black, and when she opened her eyes again, all she could see were flames of all colors. Colors she had never imagined could exist until she had seen them first years ago as a small child.
"So, what am I to see this time?" Zeraphina asked the fire. The flames parted for her, revealing a young man with arrows on his body. The Avatar. But instead of their pure blue color, they were glowing bright white. The Avatar rose into the air, the wind blowing all around him in his anger.
"He has awakened the Avatar State, I see."
"Indeed he has." A booming voice said behind her, "The boy in powerful so someone so young."
"That is what I am afraid of." Zeraphina admitted, "He is young, far too young to have such a destiny on his shoulders. His mind is fragile and his body is weak. I am afraid that he may get himself killed if he is not careful."
"Then why don't you go to him?" The voice asked, "The boy will need a firebending teacher. What better person to teach him than the DragonBorn herself? There is nothing keeping you here on this metal ship. Remember, child, you are born of all nations and yet you are loyal to none. There is no need for you to suffer as you are now."
"In fact, there is a reason I am to stay on this ship." Zeraphina answered, "If the world is to have peace, the Fire Nation needs a ruler with unquestionable honor. The Prince will find his way, and it is my duty to help him along that path."
"Destiny is not always set in stone, child. You may think that things are good as they are, but one day you will no longer be blinded by what you were born as, but as who you were meant to become."
The voice faded away with those last words, and Zeraphina's world of flames slowly vanished back into the familiar scene of her bedroom. She looked outside her window and saw that the sky was slowly bleeding into crimson red. It was almost time.
Zeraphina covered herself completely with her cloak and walked out to the deck of the ship, where Zuko and Iroh were waiting for her.
"Zeraphina, I am glad to know that you are coming along." Iroh said happily.
She nodded, "Of course, why would I miss the chance to see the Prince kicking Zhao's butt?" Zeraphina and Iroh laughed, but Zuko was in no mood to laugh about a duel as drastic as this one.
"My Prince." Zeraphina said, taking his arm in her hand, "You must remember, Zhao likes to duel unfairly. Stay on your toes in this battle."
Zuko turned his head to see her worried expression underneath her hood. He put his hand over hers and nodded, acknowledging her worry for his safety before they headed out to the nearby arena.
The sun was setting, blanketing the world below in a deep crimson red as the Prince of the Fire Nation and Commander Zhao knelt down on opposite ends of the arena.
"Remember your firebending basics, Prince Zuko." Iroh said to his nephew, "They are your greatest weapons."
"And do not forget to stay agile. Enrage yourself and your fire will never obey your commands." Zeraphina added.
"I refuse to let him win." Zuko declared and stood before facing his opponent. The cloth on his shoulders fell to the ground, same with Zhao on the other side of the arena.
"This will be over quickly." Zhao said with high confidence.
The gong rang and the duel began with Zuko making the first move. The Prince shot fire directly at Zhao, but each attempt of an attack from Zuko resulted in the man dodging the fire. Zhao decided to get cocky and even allowed one of the attacks to hit him, but he deflected it easily.
Zuko kicked an arc of fire at Zhao, but the latter quickly deflected the fire with his own power. The Prince was panting heavily, using his fire over and over in order to attack the Commander head on.
"Basics, Zuko. Break his root!" Iroh shouted. Zhao attacked for the first time since the beginning of the duel, pushing the young Prince back until eventually Zuko was thrown to his back on the ground.
Zuko looked up and saw Zhao ready to attack from above. Zhao landed in front of Zuko and shot a mass amount of fire at the Prince. However, Zuko was faster and just before Zhao could complete his attack, Zuko spun on his hands broke Zhao's root, hitting his feet and knocking him down onto his back. Zuko smirked at his actions and shot fire from his feet in order to get Zhao to back away, breaking his root of support.
Zeraphina and Iroh smiled at what Zuko was doing, watching with confidence and pride as Zuko pushed Zhao away with his fire. With one final kick to the chest, Zhao was on his back lying on the ground with Zuko ready to deliver the finishing blow.
"Do it." Zhao shouted, and Zuko did shoot his fire at the Commander, but only to the side of the head at the floor.
"That's it?" Zhao asked in disgust, "Your father raised a coward."
"Next time you get in my way, I promise, I won't hold back." Zuko promised and began to walk away. But at that very moment, Zeraphina ran over to Zuko. At first, the young prince thought she was running to him in order to congratulate his victory, but instead, the girl was running towards Zhao, stopping him from shooting his fire at the unsuspecting prince.
She grabbed his outstretched foot and pushed the Commander away with all of her strength. Zuko ran up to Zeraphina shouting as if he wanted to continue to fight, but his uncle pulled him away.
"No, Prince Zuko." Iroh said, "Do not taint your victory."
Zeraphina chuckled, "I suppose I was right about how you would use your temper such as this." She said, "Too ashamed of losing a simple duel that you resort to doing something as disgraceful as attacking his opponent from behind. Even in his exile, the young Prince is much more honorable than you. Now, if you will excuse us, we have to return to our journey."
"And thank you for the tea. It was delicious." Iroh thanked and the three left the arena to their ship.
~~~~~
Later that evening, Zeraphina was preparing for bed, reading her book once again during the night, when a knock came to his door.
"Come in." She called setting her brush down on the table. The door opened and revealed Zuko in his robe.
"My Prince, what brings you here?" She asked.
"Did you mean what you said? Back at the arena." He asked quietly.
Zeraphina smiled, "Of course. Zhao needed to be put in his place at some point. It might as well as been then."
"But why did you say that stuff? You didn't need to and yet you did."
Zeraphina sighed, got up and sat on her bed, "I said those things because a DragonBorn is supposed to tell the truth when it comes to them."
She smiled at Zuko as he took a seat next to her on the bed, "Thanks for that." He said, "For those words."
"Words from a DragonBorn are more terrifying than words from your own father." Zerpahina chuckled, "But why did you challenge him to an Agni Kai, My Prince? You knew there a chance you would gain another scar like the one of your left side. So why?"
"I just wanted to prove that I was stronger than him. Just once." Zuko answered, "And he threatened to take you off my ship. I couldn't let that slide so easily."
"And that is worth a scar or even your own life?" Zeraphina stretched out her hand and gently placed her fingertips on the scar he had, "I don't want you to be scarred anymore than you already are. So please, won't you try to be careful? You're meant to take the throne one day. You can't do that if you're dead."
Zuko was surprised by her words and gesture. His scar was something no one else touched but her. She was the first one to comfort him after he woke up from being scarred by his father. He didn't know whether it was the DragonBorn part of her, or the friend he knew acting so kindly to him.
"I know. I'll try." Zuko said and stood up before leaving the room to go to bed himself. Zeraphina watched as he disappeared from her room and softly clutched the cloth over her chest, remembering her own scar that could never be washed away.