Trigger Warnings: mention of prostitution, mention of past rape/noncon, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. NOW GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, CHILDREN 🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫
oh yes it got swearing too but that should be the least of your worries thus far LMAO
Title for the Edited Chapter: |3.1| DANGER
Updated: 07/05/2023
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A knock on her metallic door snapped her out of her sleep. Iris's eyes snapped wide open, and she jumped up on her feet. Her wrist radiated with pain, but it was nothing compared to what she had already been through. It seemed to have stopped bleeding for now. Which only meant, that next time she'd seek pain, she'd have to slice the other hand. She chuckled to herself. I am messed up, aren't I? She had known for so long. There were so many things wrong with her. But what could she expect from herself after everything?
"Uncle's inviting you for tea," The prince's voice came from outside and she arched an eyebrow. What was it with this old man getting on her nerves? He opened the door. He was accompanied with two more soldiers and everything about the look on his face was enough indication that he hated this. He hated when his uncle was right. He hated how he always managed to convince him about something. Clearly offering the prisoner tea was a bad idea – she was an Assassin. There was nothing stopping her from killing everyone and taking over this ship.
Except maybe Iroh. Iroh was a powerful bender, and she knew it. And even if she managed to seize the ship, where would she go? She was a wanted criminal everywhere – the reason why she was hiding in that remote tribe that no one knew about.
Bright purple eyes met his own and Zuko almost struggled to force that frown on his face. She was gorgeous. Gorgeous and lethal. Her dirty blonde hair were long but the front locks were braided back. Some messy locks fell on her face. Her pale lips, pursed into a thin line. Her body must've held a great physique. And then were those purple eyes. A bright violet that he had never before seen on anyone. But he did not miss the detail – the torn Fire Nation insignia and a piece of it tied around her wrist. She had harmed herself? Why would she do that? She wasn't hurt, was she?
Even if she is, I don't care. Zuko cursed himself mentally. That woman was a menace. Beautiful, but a menace all the same. "Remove your daggers," Zuko said.
A soldier approached her offering his hands for her to lay all her daggers onto. She chuckled and began removing. One on each sleeve, two to her back, three more to her belt. She withdrew daggers from her boots, her thighs. She had daggers everywhere even spots that Zuko hadn't even noticed she had any. She was looking at him in the entirety of it. A small smile of amusement on her face. Even the soldier beside her who was retrieving her daggers – she could have sworn he had a look of misbelief beneath his helmet.
"Are you done?!" Zuko asked after a while. This was becoming tiring.
"Ah, one more," Iris pulled another dagger from the back of her boot, and she looked at the grumpy prince. "I think I'm good to go. Unless you'd like to check yourself?" Iris approached him and his grumpy, angry demeanour almost wavered.
She had a smirk on her face as she reached close enough to feel his hot breath tickling her chin. She caught his hands before he had the time to withdraw back or even attack her. She was dangerously close, and now she was gripping his hot hands. He was seconds away from shooting fire. But she looked calm and cocky as always and she brought his hands to her waist. She startled him. His eyes widened. His anger was gone replaced by confusion and nervousness. He was touching... her waist... and then she guided his hands down to her strong round hips. She smirked a little more. He was a fucking teenager. God, messing with this boy couldn't get easier.
"Tip on Assassin women," She spoke against his chin – so close to him, his face was beginning to feel hotter. "Most of our daggers are hidden well beneath our hips," And then she realised how worked up he had gotten over this and she laughed. In the end she was still messing with him. She laughed and his anger was back. He gripped her hand and before she knew it, she was flipped over and pressed against the metallic surface of the door. One arm of his own was sufficient to trap both her wrists in the small of her back, and his other arm was pressing her head to the wall, there at his mercy. His breath found her ear and his chest pressed against her back.
"Leave us," Zuko ordered his soldiers and they both left right away. Iris laughed just a little more. "You may laugh and make fun of me, but you're alone here surrounded by enemies," He spoke against her ear, and she laughed a little more.
"Welcome to my life, my Prince,"
It came out bitter even though she was still trying to force a smile on her face. She was trying to get on his nerves, but it didn't work this time. He almost felt bad for her. But she deserved nothing less but cruelty. She was a murderer.
Zuko let go of her and he pulled back. "C'mon,"
She followed closely behind him even though all she could think about was snapping his neck from the back. A sick little smile spread on her face. How good would that feel? It would feel amazing she was certain. Just the sound of his nape snapping beneath her fingers – she bit her lip. Fucking delicious.
Iris saw Iroh sitting by his table, having his tea on the deck of the ship that sailed to the north. They were heading for the Earth Kingdom, weren't they? Surely, this ship needed some repairs especially after that iceberg that that kid tossed at it. She frowned.
"I'm surprised she sails after what that five-year-old did to her," Iris smirked looking around and she noticed him clenching his fists and scoffing.
"Don't talk unless you're addressed to," Zuko spat.
"Zuko! Where are your manners?" Iroh scolded him as the two approached him and he grinned when he took a careful look at her.
"She's a monster. She deserves no manners, uncle," Zuko hissed.
Iris threw her head back and laughed. "Well done. You said one thing right, today,"
"You're not completely unarmed, are you?" Iroh grinned as Iris rolled her eyes and Zuko turned and looked at her in disbelief. She couldn't have had more daggers on her outfit. There was no way. It was impossible!
Iris sighed heavily as her hand reached for her hips and she pulled out a small dagger. Zuko couldn't believe this woman as she handed him the dagger and finally settled down on the table across the old man.
"What?" Iris shrugged meeting that look of disbelief on Zuko's face. "Told ya," she tapped the side of her leg. "Hips," She winked at him in a flirty manner and Zuko turned his back on them both immediately. He couldn't believe this monster had made him blush.
Iroh let out a hearty laugh and he shook his head. "I like that woman,"
"Well, I don't," Zuko frowned and began walking away.
Iris frowned and she turned and looked at the prince. "How many fucks does it look like I'm giving about your opinion of me?" Iris asked and a smirk spread across her lips at the prince's visible annoyance.
He fisted his hands even tighter. Iris looked at the Pai-Sho table that spread at the surface of the desk, and she sat on the chair across the old man. Iroh served her a cup of tea and she brought it to her lips to get a taste. If they wanted to kill her, they would have done it already. The possibility of getting poisoned was low.
Iris hummed in approval. "That's some good tea,"
"Why thank you," Iroh chuckled with a bright smile on his lips. "Tea and Pai-Sho are an excellent combination to make a friend,"
"She's not our friend," Zuko growled as he paced around. Iris rolled her eyes. Where did this man get all this energy to be angry all the time? "She's a murderer,"
"Well, a girl gotta make a living. It was either that or prostitution," Iris turned and looked at the man who had been glaring at her, but soon his glare started dropping as he started to consider her words. "What would you have done?" Iris asked him and he found himself avoiding her eyes and just ignoring her.
She was right though. He could not deny it. A fifteen-year-old lonely girl had those two choices alone. And now, four years later, there was nearly nothing left of the girl that she once was.
This war had ruined everything, but he refused to acknowledge that.
"Okay, I'm gonna try and help you," Iris said getting back his attention "How about this -if your uncle wins this round of Pai-Sho- I'll tell you everything I know. If not, you'll let me go," she suggested.
Before the Prince had the chance to answer, Iroh cut him.
"My nephew agrees!" The old man said, and he forced a wide fake smile. He then fell back to his chair, and he started setting the pawns of the game. He adored the idea of playing Pai-Sho with a stranger who claimed to be really good at it. He looked forwards to beating her.
Zuko growled and shot a fireblast hitting his fist in the air. Always so angry. She couldn't blame him. He was just a lost young man. She had been in his place, back when she was thrown in a world of war.
After a few minutes of playing, things got really difficult for Iroh. He really didn't expect to find any other person in the world to be a better Pai-Sho player than himself.
"You never told me your name," Iroh said with a smile.
"Why is it so important that you get to know me, old man?" Iris arched an eyebrow.
"Pai-Sho and tea are the perfect combination for the start of a new friendship," Iroh said with a smile.
Iris chuckled. "Well, I gotta warn you, I've killed lots of friends," she smiled wickedly. "You may be next, old man,"
"Ah yes, friends are attachments. Attachments are weaknesses. I am familiar with Earth Kingdom Assassins, but you're not an Earth Kingdom woman. You're not Water Tribe either. You're from somewhere else," Iroh said, moving a tile on the Pai-Sho table, making his move.
"Well, if I'm not Earth Kingdom, neither Water Tribe, then what do you possibly think I am?" Iris arched an eyebrow. It was her purple eyes that he had never seen before on anybody else. There was more to it. Even if she was an Air Nomad, he was certain there was more to it. She was something else.
"You're a murderer. That's what you are," The Prince hissed and she rolled her eyes.
"Yes, I believe we've established that," Iris sighed. He was getting repetitive. Annoyingly so.
"Everybody can be redeemed no matter their past," Iroh reminded them both.
"Not mine," Iris crossed her arms against her chest and she looked away from them both.
Iroh looked at her and he could tell that she had done a lot that she regretted deeply. He could only imagine what she had done. Assassins killed whoever they were assigned to, whether that was a child, or a woman, a mother, a father, an entire family, or an entire army of equals. Anything to survive. She was just trying to survive. She chose to protect her pride by choosing to become an Assassin instead of a prostitute, but she buried her pride anyway. She buried her morals, her emotions, everything that the man who had raised her had taught her.
She had thrown everything away.
Iroh finally turned his attention on the Pai-Sho table and his eyes widened. She had actually beaten him. Impossible! Nobody had ever beaten him in Pai-Sho in all the three years he had been on that ship.
"How... how did you...?!"
"You lost your focus, old man," Iris smirked. "Try not to open a conversation next time we play. You might've lost a turn or two,"
Iroh threw his head back and laughed heartily.
"That's cheating!" Zuko cried out, furious and her smirk grew. "That's not a fair game. I'll keep you imprisoned until you five me information about the Avatar!"
Iris groaned. "Oh boy, you're so annoying," She crossed her arms against her chest and finally turned to the prince. "I don't know him. I have nothing to do with the Avatar. I know him as much as you do. You're wasting your time, kid," She said calmly. She could tell he was trying to scare her with his anger, but she had seen much scarier things. Sixteen-year-old boy couldn't scare her.
"How did you know who I am?" Zuko asked. "You have been on the Southern Water Tribe a while now. I don't think rumours of my banishment travel that far down,"
"They don't have to. The Fire Nation Royal family was my target once. I was assigned to kill the Fire Lord. Unfortunately, I failed. But still, it was my job to learn everything about your cursed little family before I was to make a move," Iris shrugged.
Zuko's fists clenched tightly, and he parted his lips to say something rude about her comment. Your cursed little family. Who did she think she was?! But Iris spoke again.
"Believe it or not, many people hate your father,"
"Shut up!" Zuko growled.
"He's a murderer. All that the Fire Nation does is spread fear and chaos,"
"You have no right to talk about my nation like this," Zuko snapped. "The Fire Nation is only sharing its greatness with the rest of the world,"
Iris tried her best not to snap his neck this very instance. "You've no idea what this war has done to the world, have you? How many lives has it ruined? How many people have died?"
"No one would have died if the world did not resist!"
"Let me give you a very simple example," Iris stood up. She wanted to walk out of there. She couldn't hear anymore of this. She couldn't even tell why she hadn't slit his throat yet. "You're sitting in your room and you're lying in your favourite, most comfortable stance on your bed, and I walk in. I walk in and I tell you that your room no longer belongs to you. I tell you that you need to live under my rules, and one of those rules forbids you to lie on your bed – which as a matter of fact belongs to me now just because I said it," She stood right in front of him. Unreadable purple eyes met his own. "What are you going to do? Are you going to put your face down and obey me like a good boy, or are you going to fight me to earn back your room because it belongs to you rightfully?"
She put him in deep thought, and she could tell because he looked away and began to think. Her example was so simple. A child could understand it easily. Iris sighed. She did not blame him. He had probably been raised his entire life being told that the Fire Nation was great, and the war was a mean to share the greatness.
"You're just a boy..." It didn't sound like she was saying it as an insult. She was merely stating a fact and there was a tinge of pity in her voice. "...you need some time to understand certain things, and that's alright. We've both been forced to behave like adults before the right time,"
Iris walked past him and she made her way back below deck. "Where are you going?" Zuko demanded, trying to snap out of it.
"Back to my quarters," Iris answered. "Can't stay any more around you without fighting the urge to snap your pretty head,"
The boy was infuriating, and she was never one to show patience. She had only ever been patient when training. When trying to shape herself up to the assassin that would be so capable, enough to kill the Fire Lord. It was still her main goal. She was going to kill Fire Lord Ozai and she was going to hang his head above her bed. And every day she would wake up to the sight and the thought of knowing that she had avenged her people.
She knew vengeance wasn't satisfying enough. She had tried vengeance before. But it wasn't about revenge anymore. It was about justice, and she found justice particularly sexy.
It was such a bad idea to be alone. Iris only realised it when she walked in her quarters and closed the door. She sat on the edge of her bed and pressed her elbows on her legs on top of her knees. She looked at the empty metallic room. Some light came from the window.
"Iris!"
Her eyes snapped to the direction that she thought she heard the voice come from. But there was no one there. She was alone in the room. Coming there was a bad idea, wasn't it? She buried her face in her hands.
"I can't seem to do it, master Chengyu,"
A young little girl – not older than ten, frowned deeply. Golden hair were braided but still messy. She sighed and she sat down on the yellowish plaques that adorned the floor of their courtyard. There was a fountain in the middle with continuous running water running from the streams that came from the mountain above.
"Oh, Iris, what have I told you?" An older man with a smaller than usual moustache and bald head dropped on one knee beside her. He gave her a smile.
"That... calling you just by your name is fine," The girl answered his question, and his smile grew.
"That's right, little one," He grinned mischievously. "How about we steal another pie from Monk Ling's stash?"
A smile formed immediately on her little lips. "I'm in!"
She was so innocent back then. Iris hardly recognised the girl. She could hardly tell how long it had been. Still, the scene played right in front of her and she could hear his warm voice as if he was there, talking to her. But he wasn't there. No one was there. She was alone. She had been alone for so long. No friends. No one to trust. She had lost everything.
"Iris! You need to get out of here!"
"I- I'm not leaving you, Chengyu!"
"This is no time for heroics. Take Gershwin and go! Go now! Don't look back!"
And next thing she knew he was stabbed with a sword and blood was dripping down his mouth and he was dropping dead. Him and everyone else around her. She had relieved that moment so many times in her life. She had relieved the trauma over and over and it just wouldn't leave her alone.
Would it stop if she killed the Fire Lord? Would the voices inside her mind finally stop screaming?
She didn't know how many hours later it was, but the door snapped open and a man she recognised all too well walked in. She didn't even bother standing up off the bed. She wasn't scared of him, even though he was the man in charge of her torturing back in the good old three years she had spent in a Fire Nation Prison.
"So, it's you," Zhao stared, and he wrapped his arms around his back.
She shrugged. "Last time I checked," She threw her hands behind her on the bed to lean back. A look of sick amusement on her face as she parted her legs. "Here to relieve some stress?"
"I will not be distracted by an air nomad relic like you," Zhao growled.
"An air nomad relic that had you wrapped around her legs way too many times, don't you think, Commander?"
"It's General," He corrected her.
"Congrats. You're twice a murderer now,"
"You're hardly the one to talk about murder, dear," Zhao chuckled. "But now that I've found you, I won't let you escape again. The Fire Lord will be pleased to know you're back behind bars where you belong,"
Iris shrugged and she stood up. "Fine," She brought her hands forward for him to cuff her wrists. "I only hope you've come up with new torturing techniques. It's boring to try the same thing all the time,"
She had that small smile on her lips. It was enough to know she was messing with him. He caught her and slammed her against the wall. His hand wrapped around her neck. He wasn't squeezing, but he let her know that he could. He leaned close enough to feel his breath on her chin.
She laughed amusement, but she was screaming and panicking on the inside. She was so broken, wasn't she? She was doing such a good job at pretending she wasn't breaking. This man had given her so many terrifying and painful experiences.
They were so many that the pain wasn't even painful anymore. The terror wasn't nearly enough to make her shiver. It was just numbing. She had lost it all. He really couldn't take anything else from her.
"Don't mess with me, little girl," He growled, furious. No matter how intimidating he was trying to be, she wasn't wavering at all. It even looked like she was enjoying this.
"No, no, no, I'm not messing with you, I'd just like to know," Iris laughed just a little more. "What are you going to do to me this time? You're going to rape me? You're going to tie me down and tear my nails off? Are you going to tie me to a pole and have one of your minions whip me? Or are you going to start digging your lancets and tools into my skin till I'm screaming loud enough for the entire Fire Nation to hear me?" Maybe she was speaking too much. Maybe she was risking having a breakdown, but she couldn't stop. She couldn't stop herself from talking. "Whatever you have in store for me... it's nothing you haven't done to me already. You might as well kill me and be done with it. You'll be doing me a favour,"
Even for a second, anyone else would have taken pity of her. But he was a monster, and she knew that better than anybody. He let go of her and he fisted his hands.
"Tell me where the Avatar is or I'm going to imprison and torture you again and I'm going to sink this ship and everyone in it,"
She huffed boringly. "Do it. I don't care. Kill the angry jerk and his fat uncle. Take me and torture me and do whatever you want to me. I can't stop you because I don't know anything about the Avatar. I never did."
"You are the last Air Nomad alive! If you don't know, then who does?!" Zhao cried out.
Iris shrugged and she sat back down at the edge of her bed. "Don't know, don't care. Now are you gonna fuck me, or are you gonna leave?"
"If you can't be useful like this, do this for me," Zhao turned and looked at her. "I hear the prince is regrettably way ahead of me when it comes to searching for the Avatar. I need you to distract him while I catch up."
She arched an eyebrow. "You want me to seduce a teenager? Sorry, but I'm no pedo, unlike you,"
"You do kill children though if you're asked to,"
She shrugged. She was a terrible person. The number of children that she had killed was almost as high as killing adults. Yet another thing to hate herself for. She had so many. What a happy life.
"Why the hell would I work for you of all people?"
"Consider this a favour and in return, I will not imprison you and I will personally ask the Fire Lord to stop looking for you," Zhao approached her, catching her chin between his fingers, urging her to turn and look up at him, at that wicked little smile on his lips as he leaned down to her, close enough to make her stomach churn. "Unless... you have another favour in mind that could work just as fine," his other hand found her thigh and her breath hitched.
"Get your hands off her!"
Somebody grabbed Zhao and dragged him away from her. Iris's eyes widened upon seeing Zuko standing between her and the other man. Zuko threw a protecting arm in front of her, and he glared at Zhao.
"She's my prisoner, General," Zuko growled.
Zhao straightened back and he brushed back a strand of black hair that had messily found its way to his forehead from Zuko's powerful push.
"Indeed, Prince Zuko. Now, if you may excuse me," Zhao walked out of the room and Iris released a breath she hadn't even noticed she had been keeping back.
Zuko turned and looked at her. The look on her face was unreadable, but he could have sworn she was almost shocked and if she wasn't fisting her hands, he would have seen her tremble.
"Are you okay?" Zuko asked.
It was the gentlest he had talked to her thus far. He couldn't understand why he had just asked this. She was supposed to be his enemy. But Zhao was a far worse enemy than her. At first, she didn't respond. Zuko knew he was supposed to be mad about it, but he felt genuine worry. She was looking elsewhere at some part of the room, blankly. Her breathing was shaky.
"Hey..." Zuko dropped on one knee in front of her, resting one arm on his knee and his eyes searched for her own. "...did he... touch you?"
"No!" She responded far faster and louder than she was planning to. Her eyes finally met his own and she was almost frightened. But she looked away again. She shook her head. "No... no... don't worry... it wouldn't be the first time he's..." she did not finish her sentence. She buried her face in her hands and she sighed heavily. "...please, just... leave me alone,"
Zuko couldn't help himself looking at her for a moment.
Was he really worried? She was a murderer. She was a monster. She had done things he could hardly imagine. Yet, why was he worried? Was he simply amazed? She was the most vulnerable he had seen her yet and he never thought he'd see that woman anywhere close to being vulnerable. But maybe he was indeed worried. He raised his hand to touch her, to place it on her shoulder, to let her know that he wouldn't let anything like that happen on his ship, but she flinched away before he even had the chance.
His eyes widened. What the hell had happened to her? He pulled his hand away. She didn't want him to touch her. She didn't want him to talk to her. She needed some time alone. That was clear.
He stood up and made his way to the door. "A thank you would have been nice,"
She clicked her tongue and pulled her hands from her face. "Oh please, I had the situation under control,"
"It didn't look like it."
She stood up and approached him. "You think it's a big deal? Losing my pride and innocence? I've already lost both," She reached close to him, enough to make him uncomfortable. "Seducing a man to get what we want is something the Academy teaches us regardless our age," She looked away and finally took a step back. Maybe she was too focused on her misery to think about playing games and messing with his teenage head. "I've lost everything but ...I'm still alive... that's all that matters." He was listening with patience. She was almost surprised he hadn't burst out in another ridiculous bicker. "Please, tell me we're leaving this god-forsaken port,"
Zuko nodded. "We're departing in ten minutes," he said before he walked out of her quarters and closed the door behind.
Iris let out a sigh ofrelief at being finally left alone. She pressed her back against the coldmetallic wall behind her and she slipped down on her bum. She brought her kneesto her chest and she buried her face in her hands. Everything came back to her.Being tossed around and tied down and... and...