"So a 14-year-old boy bested you and your firebenders?" Zhao almost seemed amused by the situation if it weren't for the fact that this boy was a serious threat to his nation. He put his elbows on the desk and intertwined his fingers, intensely looking at Zuko. "You're more pathetic than I thought."
Jasmine clenched her jaw, having to fight the urge to smack the commander in the face. If he continued to use the dismissive tone while talking to Zuko, Jasmine wouldn't be able to hold back any longer.
"I underestimated him once but it won't happen again!" Zuko smacked his fist on his leg and straightened in his seat.
"No, it won't, because you won't have a second chance," Zhao said and rose from his seat, using his hands as support, he leaned on the table and stared at the prince. He wouldn't give Zuko another chance to get the Avatar. Not only was his nation threatened by the Avatar but it would also be him that would go down in history for capturing the Avatar and ensuring the Fire Nation's victory. I won't let a banished prince go down in history.
"Commander Zhao, I've been hunting the Avatar for five years and I-"
Jasmine gasped when fire shot closely past her. With wide eyes she looked up just as the fire turned into smoke right between her and Zuko. The girl let out a breath when the coffee table in front of her didn't catch fire. She looked at Zhao with a scowl on her face. This asshole could've burnt us all to a crisp.
"You failed!" Zhao balled his fists tightly, making his knuckles turn white. He clenched his jaw and walked around the table, stopping in front of the prince. "Capturing the Avatar is too important to leave it in a teenager's hands. He's mine now."
Zuko couldn't keep his composure and quickly jumped up. His sudden action had Jasmine get up as well, ready to stop Zuko from doing anything stupid if necessary.
The guards were quick to act too. They grabbed Zuko's arms to prevent him from attacking the commander who only stood there with a smug smile. "Keep them here," he said without looking away from Zuko before turning on his heels and leaving the tent.
As soon as Zhao left, the guards let the prince go. Zuko huffed, smoke leaving his nose, as he kicked the coffee table, breaking it in the process. He knew that he had little chance against Zhao; the commander had armies and whole fleets under his control while Zuko only had a little crew and one ship.
A scowl appeared on his face when he saw Jasmine. He immediately blamed her for everything. "I told you not to open your mouth!"
Jasmine snapped her head in his direction and knitted her eyebrows. "I'm sorry your majesty," she mocked him and put her hands on her sides, "if it wasn't for your very loyal crew, we would've been back on your ship, looking for Aang."
He huffed and stepped closer to her. Clenching his teeth, he knew that she was right. It pissed him off that he had no reason to shout at her. The crew had one job.
Zhao entered the tent again, snapping the two teenagers out of their glaring contest.
The commander put his hands behind his back. "My search party is ready. Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship, and you'll be free to go."
The girl looked away from him after seeing his smug face. He's asking for it.
"Why?" Zuko immediately challenged. "Are you worried I'm going to try and stop you?"
Zhao laughed out loud. "You? Stop me?" He shook his head, the amusement never leaving his features. "Impossible."
Jasmine let out a breath and turned to the commander. She usually wasn't a violent person but sometimes people really seemed to test her. And Zhao had been the worst so far.
The girl was about to raise her fist and punch Zhao when Iroh put a hand on her arm to stop her. She glanced at the old man who only shot her a knowing look before stepping beside Zuko.
"Prince Zuko, that's enough," Iroh said and looked at his nephew pointedly. He already felt an argument coming and wanted to prevent Zuko from blowing up and thus causing Zhao to take more actions against the prince. It was already enough that the commander had fleets prepared to catch the Avatar before anyone else.
Zhao, on the other hand, enjoyed himself very much. It had been quite a while since he had felt superior to someone to that extent. "You can't compete with me. I have hundreds of warships under my command, and you..." A wide smirk grew on his lips, "you're just a banished prince."
Jasmine gulped and clenched her jaw. When she felt the heat radiating from Zuko, she took a step away from him, afraid that he would go up in flames any moment.
"No home, no allies," Zhao slowly added, taking in the satisfying feeling of belittling the prince. "Your own father doesn't even want you."
"You're wrong!" Zuko took a step closer to the commander, glaring at him. "Once I deliver the Avatar to my father, he will welcome me home with honour and restore my rightful place on the throne."
Jasmine carefully glanced at the prince. Oh god, what kind of family problems does he have?
"If your father really wanted you home, he would have let you return by now. Avatar or no Avatar," Zhao said, knowing damn well he was right. "In his eyes you're a failure and a disgrace to the Fire Nation."
She pressed her lips together and gulped. She might not have liked Zhao but as far as she could guess, he was right. But Jasmine would never admit that out loud. A parent's love should be unconditional. They should accept and support their child in any way and not send them on an impossible quest; the Avatar was said to be dead after all . What kind of parent does that?
"That's not true!" Zuko was quick to counter Zhao.
"You have the scar to prove it."
Zuko got into the commander's face. "Maybe you'd like one to match!"
Oh shit, guess commander asshole hit a nerve. Jasmine gulped and glanced at Iroh who seemed to be calmly observing the situation.
Zhao put his hands behind his back and raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"
"An Agni Kai, at sunset," Zuko said and nodded.
"Very well." Zhao nodded with a smug smile. "It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you. I guess your uncle will do." He briefly glanced at the old man.
Jasmine knitted her eyebrows, having no idea what they were talking about. She slightly leaned towards Iroh. "What is an agni kai?" she asked him in a hushed tone.
Zhao quickly snapped his eyes to her, his smirk widening. "Take her." He nodded his chin in her direction, having the guards take action almost immediately.
Jasmine's head snapped up. Her eyes widened when the guards grabbed her arms. "What?! Hey let me go!" The girl struggled against their tight grips but to no avail.
The girl tensed when Zhao came closer to her face. "You'll help me find the Avatar," he said.
Her face scrunched up in disgust when his breath hit her face and she turned her head away from him. "You wish."
Zuko immediately stepped forward. The commander was too close to her for his liking and he couldn't let his only link to the Avatar get into Zhao's hands as well. "No, let her go. She's mine."
Zhao only glanced at the prince before stepping away from the girl. "If you win, you can have her back." Without another word, Zhao left the tent.
"Hey, I'm not some object you can fight over!" Jasmine still struggled against the guards who now dragged her towards the exit of the tent. She looked over her shoulder at Zuko and knitted her eyebrows, her face hardening. "You better win this," she said before she was dragged out of the tent.
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"What is an agni kai?"
The guards ignored the girl and led her to the fight. She had bombarded them with questions the whole day but they didn't even acknowledge her.
They are tough to break. She let out a sigh, glad that the sun would soon be setting. The only thing that was left was for Zuko to win the agni kai and then she would be free again. Everything that had nothing to do with Zhao meant freedom for her.
They entered huge gates to an open area near the harbour. No one was there yet and Jasmine pressed her lips together. When the guards let go of her arms, she rubbed her sore wrists while shooting them a glare. "That's not a way to treat a lady," she mumbled and turned her back to them.
A scowl appeared on her face when Zhao entered through the gates. With a smirk he walked up to her, looking pretty sure of himself. He was basically shirtless with only a vest on. For an old man he sure looks good.
"Enjoy watching your friend fail," he said and got into her face. "And then you'll help me find the Avatar."
That's it. Jasmine spat the commander in his face.
He immediately backed away as his face scrunched up. He wiped her saliva off his face. "You're getting too much now," he said and raised his hand.
A gasp escaped her lips when his palm made contact with her cheek, making her head jerk to the side. Did he just slap me?
Zhao shot her one last glare before turning on his heels and walking away. He came to a halt a few metres away from her and faced the gates, waiting for Zuko to arrive.
Jasmine watched him, disbelief covering her face. Slowly, she brought up her hand and softly touched the stinging spot on her cheek. The girl had never seriously been hit before by anyone; it had only been the playful sibling banter. But even if she messed up as a kid, her parents or even grandmother had never been violent.
"I'll take her from here." Iroh's gentle voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the old man who nodded at the guards before softly grabbing her arm and taking her with him.
"Are you okay, dear?" Iroh asked and let go of her arm. He didn't know what had happened but he could see that something was troubling her.
She absent mindedly hummed before looking over her shoulder at the commander. She balled her fists and turned to Zuko as soon as they stopped in front of him. "You better kick his ass or I'll haunt you for the rest of your life," she said and briefly glared at Zhao who smirked at the trio.
The prince faced them and got down on one knee. Looking on the ground, he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.
"Remember your firebending basics, Prince Zuko," Iroh looked at his nephew and nodded to himself, "they are your greatest weapon."
"I refuse to let him win," Zuko said and got on his feet. He turned around, slipping off his vest. He intensely stared at Zhao, determined to win against the commander who had constantly looked down on the prince. I will show him who he's dealing with.
Jasmine's eyes unwillingly checked out Zuko's naked torso, not being able to look away from his defined back. Heat rushed to her cheeks and she quickly cleared her throat in order to snap out of it. Damn, what a sight for sore eyes.
Zhao and Zuko briefly bowed at each other before getting into a fighting stance. No one moved a muscle for a few moments until Zuko used all his energy to send various attacks in Zhao's direction who easily dodged them with a smug expression on his face.
What is this idiot doing? Jasmine stiffened, not being able to avert her eyes off Zuko; almost as if he couldn't lose if she kept staring at him.
"Basics Zuko!" Iroh called out to his nephew. He didn't want Zuko to use up all his energy with unnecessary and rash attacks. Losing would only trigger more anger in Zuko and that would be taking a step back from all that Iroh tried to teach him. "Break his root!"
Zuko stopped attacking, heaving heavy breaths. Zhao only smirked and changed from defence to offence rather quickly and without giving the prince a chance to catch his breath.
Zuko was caught off guard as a gasp escaped his lips. With wide eyes he instinctively threw his arms up to cover his face while the attack's force sent him flying back. The prince landed on his back with a groan and just as he removed his arms from his sight, Zhao had already jumped and landed right by his side.
Prince Zuko was frozen for a moment, looking at Zhao raising his burning fist in seemingly slow motion. His eyes widened and suddenly he found himself back in the Fire Nation, kneeling on the ground and clutching his fresh scar in agony.
Jasmine's heart threatened to stop and she clenched her jaw tightly. Even though she didn't particularly like the prince, there was a part of her that felt bad for Zuko which almost had her helping him out to prevent him from getting burnt. She turned to Iroh, panic flashing in her eyes. "What is he doing? Zhao's gonna kill him." When Iroh didn't answer her, but only focused on his nephew, she bit her lip and took a step forward. Putting her hands around her mouth, she called out to the prince, "get up, you idiot!"
Zuko immediately snapped back to reality and his face darkened, turning the tables immediately. He pulled up his legs to his chest before kicking Zhao off his feet. The prince quickly jumped up and pointed his fist at the commander who was now lying on the floor.
Jasmine could feel the relief washing through her body, her shoulders relaxing. A small smile formed on her lips. I was gonna have a heart attack.
Zhao clenched his jaw and glared at the prince. "Do it!"
Zuko briefly hesitated before shooting a stream of fire out of his fist, straightening his posture.
He actually burnt him? Jasmine froze and gulped. When the smoke disappeared out of her sight, a breath left her lips.
Zhao's face was unharmed and the only burnt spot was the ground right beside his face. "That's it?!" Not wanting to accept his humiliating defeat by the fire prince, he let out a smokey huff. "Your father raised a coward!"
"Next time you get in my way..." the prince's eyes darkened as he stared into Zhao's soul, "I won't hold back."
Jasmine smiled and turned to Iroh who returned her smile and nodded at her reassuringly. She rushed up to Zuko who tensed when she grabbed his arm. "You were amazing."
Zuko blinked at her, not knowing how to react to her enthusiasm. He wasn't quite used to people looking at him with stars in their eyes and praising him for anything, especially not for his firebending.
Iroh put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at his nephew, glancing at Jasmine briefly. He hoped that the girl's relaxed behaviour wouldn't go back to her tense one once they were back on the ship. But deep down he knew that it was only the result of the heat of the moment.
The girl immediately let go of Zuko once she realised that she actually touched him and smiled at him. Clearing her throat, she turned away from them with a warm face. Geez, what am I thinking? We're still enemies.
Jasmine's head snapped up when she saw Zhao getting up from the corner of her eye. She knitted her eyebrows when he raised his foot. As soon as realisation hit her, the girl stepped between the prince and the commander, redirecting his attack quickly.
Zuko turned around in a flash, his body heating up rapidly when he saw Zhao falling back on the floor.
However, before the prince could charge at the commander, Iroh held him back firmly. "No, Prince Zuko. Do not taint your victory," Iroh glanced at his nephew before turning to Zhao. "So this is how the great Commander Zhao acts in defeat? Disgraceful," the old man shook his head, "even in exile, my nephew is more honourable than you."
Jasmine couldn't suppress the smile forming on her lips as she glanced at Zuko who watched his uncle in disbelief. I guess Iroh is right about Zuko... at least for this moment.
The old man bowed his head to Zhao, "thank you for the tea. It was delicious." Iroh turned on his heels and walked straight out of the arena, his nephew following him close behind.
With a smirk, Jasmine turned to the commander. "Next time I would be more careful with my words if I were you. You wouldn't wanna disrespect someone of a higher rank than you again." Her smirk widened, "I hope you learned your lesson, captain."
She turned around quickly and hurried after her two companions with a smile. Jasmine felt really good and at peace after Zhao's defeat, not having expected to hate someone more than Zuko. If I see Commander Asshole again, I'll punch him... but for now that was enough.
Once they arrived at the now repaired ship, exhaustion washed over Jasmine. She let out a yawn while Zuko yelled at the guard to gather everyone on deck within the next five minutes. The poor guy scurried away rather quickly. She could only imagine Zuko knocking the stuffing out of his entire crew for telling Zhao's men about Aang. A shiver ran down her spine. I really don't want to be a victim of Zuko's wrath.
"Are you hungry?"
Iroh's gentle voice had her turn around to face the old man. She sent him a small smile and shook her head. "No thanks. I guess I'm only tired."
Iroh nodded in understanding. "Very well, dear. It's late and we had a long day. I wish you a good night."
She smiled and bowed her head briefly as Iroh turned around, disappearing behind a door. Jasmine let out a breath and bit the inside of her cheek before making her way to her room. Or rather, she tried to find her room.
It's been over twenty minutes and she had checked every corridor there was. However, there were no hints or other small details that could help her to differentiate between any corridors or doors. Everything looked the same; the same metal walls and floors and the same metal doors. I can't believe everything's exactly the same.
The girl tried to recall what had happened earlier that day and made her way to the right floor. She took a breath and looked at the four doors, two on either side. Damn, which door was it?
Trusting her gut feeling, she entered a room but stopped when she realised that it wasn't her room. It was furnished more homey than her room and gave a warmer feeling. Just when she wanted to leave before anyone could think that she was spying around, someone came out of the bathroom.
Jasmine froze in her place when a shirtless Zuko came into her sight. A panicked gasp escaped her lips and her hand flew up to cover her eyes.
The prince snapped his head in her direction and froze as well.
"I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't see anything!" She turned around and tried to feel around to find the doorknob, still covering her eyes. She stumbled against a shelf in the process, knocking a book down. "Shi- sorry," Jasmine grabbed the book and peeked through a small gap between her fingers. Putting the book back quickly, she found the door and dashed out of the room.
Knowing that her room was directly beside Zuko's, she barged into hers and slammed the door shut. With heavy breaths, she leaned her back on the door and slammed her palm on her forehead. "I'm so stupid," she whispered to herself and ran a hand over her face. I can't just barge into a room. This is not my house.
The girl tensed when someone knocked on the door, feeling the vibrations on her back.
"Can I come in?"
Immediately backing away from the door when Zuko's voice reached her ears, she quietly cleared her throat. "Uhm... sure."
A fully clothed Zuko entered and Jasmine nervously smiled at him while fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "I really saw nothing, I swear... I confused the rooms. I'm sorry." She bit the inside of her cheek when he didn't answer and let out an awkward chuckle. "I guess some room signs wouldn't be too bad."
The prince eyed the girl in front of him and let out a sigh. He didn't even know why he followed her in the first place. Shaking his head, he was about to leave again, when he noticed her slightly red cheek. "What happened to your cheek?" He knitted his eyebrows and took a step closer to get a better look at it.
Jasmine tensed and her hand quickly touched her cheek. She could still feel the moment Zhao's hand made contact with her cheek. When she looked up, she stared directly into Zuko's eyes. His face came so close to hers that she could see every small nuance of his amber eyes and a few almost unnoticeable freckles on his cheeks and nose.
"It was Zhao, wasn't it?" Zuko averted his eyes from her cheek to look at her but froze when he realised how close he was standing to the girl and that she was looking at him with big eyes.
A knock on the door snapped the two of them back to reality and they quickly inched away from one another as Iroh peeked into the room. He slowly looked between the two blushing teenagers and slightly narrowed his eyes. "Did I interrupt something?"
Jasmine quickly shook her head and nervously smiled at the tea-loving man before briefly glancing at the prince. Why did he have to get into my face, this idiot.
"Well... actually this can wait until tomorrow," he smiled knowingly, "I'll leave you two alone." Iroh left and closed the door behind him with a smile.
Zuko turned to Jasmine and nodded, "Good night, Izumi."
Jasmine knitted her eyebrows, briefly confused about who Izumi was until it clicked. She couldn't suppress the laugh leaving her lips and she immediately tried to cover it with a cough when Zuko turned around in a flash, rage flashing in his eyes.
"What are you laughing about?!"
Ah shit, his temper problems are back. "I'm sorry," she giggled behind her hand, "my name's not Izumi."
Zuko's face heated up, either from anger or embarrassment, or even from both. "What are you talking about?! You told Zhao-"
"I lied to him," she said and smiled nervously when he glared at her. "You don't think I would tell that jerk my real name, do you?"
When Zuko straightened his posture Jasmine cleared her throat. "Well we didn't exactly introduce ourselves..." she pressed her lips together, "okay, it would have been weird to introduce ourselves." The girl didn't think it would make much sense to introduce herself to her kidnapper like a civilised person, and vice versa.
She dismissed the thought and smiled slightly, stretching out her hand. It would be unnecessary to keep her name a secret now, not only because she knew that she would stay with them for some more time, but also because she decided to at least try to tolerate the prince. The girl didn't want to make her stay on the ship even more miserable than it already was. "I'm Jasmine."
The prince took her cold hand into his warm one, shaking it. "Prince Zuko, but you already know that."
She briefly flinched at the warm sensation rushing through her veins but still nodded, not thinking much of his blank face. He turned on his heels and left her room without another word, leaving a smiling Jasmine behind.
The girl let out a sigh and shook her head when she realised that she was smiling. What am I doing? He's still the enemy, focus.