11Disclaimer: must I tell you this every time? I DON"T OWN ATLA!
When Zuko awoke, the first thing he saw was the ceiling. A wooden plank ceiling.
'Strange,' he thought. 'Fire Nation ships don't have wooden ceilings.'He'd already guessed he was on a ship- probably the one he saw before blacking out- a perk of living for several years at sea: being able to know when you're on open water.
Slowly he raised himself on his elbows. The room was empty. Except for his bed another one across from his and a wash stand. Not even a porthole to look through. Just a bare room.
'Wait, where's Katara?' Zuko sat up all the way. A bit too quickly for the room wobbled a bit.
Slowly he swug his long legs over he bed and walked quickly to the door. Much his surprise it was unlocked. 'That's strange.' Whosever ship they were on apparently didn't think that the former Prince or Water bendering master( wherever she was) was any threat to them if they had left the doors unlocked.
The ship seemed almost deserted as he made is way up to the quarter deck, but once he made it to the top he found it was far from being abandoned. The deck was swarming with life as the sailors ran to and fro securing the rigging. It was a much bigger ship than what he expected a little more than half the size of any other Earth kingdom ships that he had seen.
Then he spotted her. She was talking to who apparently was the captain, if his rather ostentatious hat was anything to judge by.
"Zuko!" she shouted at him, "Come up here!" As he made his way toward them, he sized the man up, just out of habit. He was an older man, not as old as uncle (and certainly not as portly) maybe a little older than Ozai. His light hazel eyes said he must be Fire nation, though his skin was tanned almost to the same shade of light brown as Katara's was, probably a result of spending so many years in the sun and wind of the ocean.
"Zuko this is Captain Chi Lin, he's the one who saved us after we fell."
"We have been waiting for you Prince Zuko. Lady Katara has been telling me of your recent adventure." Zuko frowned at that. "And I must say it is a pleasure to finally meet Prince Iroh's Nephew."
That threw Zuko completely.
"You Know my uncle?" he whispered, his voice thick.
"Yes. He was the one who sent me here actually."
"Where is he?" He practically shouted at the older man, his usually stern indifferent mask slipping away to show the mixed emotions on his face.
"Where is he? Tell me! Tell me or so help me I'll-" The prince was so distraught that he didn't notice the tears that wear pricking his eyes until he had to whip them away so he could see.
"Zuko! Zuko calm down please!" Katara said as she tried to pull him a bit farther away from the captain before he did something rash. This was a new side to Zuko she hadn't seen and it scared her bit to see him so emotional, but then it was his uncle and she could sympathize a little at lest.
The captain however was apparently unfazed by the Prince's display and was secretly relieved that the Prince obviously cared for his uncle as much as his uncle did for him.
"Listen to the girl Zuko. I have a message for you, but I think it might be best to wait until you have had time to gather your thoughts, eat clean up a bit," He wrinkled his nose a bit in amusement. "You probably want to wash Azula's stench off of ya." He laughed whole heartily and Katara giggled at his joke a bit.
"I'll have Hsuan show you to where you two youngsters can clean up a bit. HSUAN!
The man who came up to them was short and old, older than the captain at lest, and almost as short as Katara, but he, unlike his captain, appeared to be Earth kingdom
"Yea Capt'n?" he asked his voice was low and hard to hear. "Take Lady Katara and Prince Zuko to the washrooms, then bring'um back to me so we may eat."
"Aye Capt'n" he gestured to the two teens and they followed him below the deck. There's a small pair of wash rooms down 'ere right near ya'll rooms." The pair had to walk fast to keep up with the little man's pace.
"We don't use 'em much unless we have ta. We've had 'em filled for ya when ya were brought on board. Should still be hot." He stopped suddenly making Katara and Zuko stumble to keep from crashing in to him. The reason he stopped was a pair of doors on his left.
"'Ere we are. Every thin should be ready for ya and I'll be back in a little while to take ya to the Capt'n." he gave them a polite smile before turning away.
Expecting to see a sanitary disaster Zuko walked in to his door and was surprised to find a brass tub with soap and towels hanging from the wall. The water was heated sea water and most of the salt was gone, but some still lingered. He hadn't expected them to use their supply of fresh water for bathing.
He removed his wrinkled clothes and sank gratefully in the water; he hadn't had a real bath or as close as one as you can get, since the air temple and began to scrub the dirt and grim from the fight and what was left from their trek through the sewer.
Through the wall he could dimly hear Katara splashing in her tub, clearly enjoying being able to get the dirt off. His mind inadvertently flew to back before they had fallen, remembering the slight tingling, almost pleasant, sensation when Katara had wrapped her arms around his stomach and buried her head in his si- he shook his head angrily breaking the thought. It didn't mean anything; he told himself and went back to scrubbing himself a bit harder than before.
The Captain's quarters were well furnished. It had all the trademarks of a well kept Fire nation home. There were curtains over the windows, a small portrait of a family over near the bunk and even a Pai Sho set back in the corner near the windows. The window sills themselves had what appeared to be lotuses carves into them, from what could be told in the dim light.
Zuko and Katara were wearing new sets of clothes. The captain had given them a clean set of clothes saying that the others were torn and dirty and too conspicuous.
Zuko stood clad in clothes similar to the ones he had been wearing, but less fine, not as noticeable as silk, with his swords hanging on his back.
Katara, on the other hand was a little at odds with hers. It was similar to her old one in the way that it was a dress over a pair of trousers, but the dress was longer and she had to concentrate so she would step on it and rip the hem. It was dyed in a red not as harsh as the shade that was most often seen on the flags.
Zuko tried not to think of how it reminded him of the dresses Mai wore and how the color suited Katara and forcefully pushed his thoughts toward trying to figure out what the news was that the captain had and away from unsafe ground.
The captain himself was wearing different clothes than the ones he had been wearing when they had seen him in earlier; these were nicer and cleaner than those.
The dinner was made up roasted chicken-pig. The conversation was limited, formal as Hsuan went around the table making sure everything was to satisfaction.
The Captain after finishing his dinner leaned back in his chair. "Well I suppose it's time to get down to business" Zuko leaned forward a bit in anticipation of Chi Lin's news.
"My Prince, several weeks ago after the failed attempt at the invasion, I met with Prince Iroh in a secret location he asked me to find you and to give you instructions to what he needs you to do while he and Avatar Aang gather and ready the forces to take the Fire Nation capital." Katara frowned. "How is he going to find Aang and ready the troops before the comet arrives?"
"Lady Katara, if my friend Iroh is as resourceful as he was when we served together in the army then Iroh is already taking them to where the army is gathering." He smiled a bit at the memory of his old friend, before returning his eyes to the Prince
"Zuko, Iroh wants you to find your mother and bring her to the army; with Princess Ursa with us the citizens of the Fire Nation will follow and support our cause more readily."
"Why is that Captain?" asked Katara. She had never heard Zuko talk about his mother except in the caverns and once when either Toph or The Duke had asked.
"I worked for several years as a minor public official, Lady Katara, during the years before her banishment; Princess Ursa was much loved by her people; there was nothing they wouldn't do for her and she for them. After it was announced that she had 'disappeared' the Fire Nation citizens were devastated and called for searches to be done of the entire Fire Nation and her colonies." Katara had raised her eyebrows at that.
"Iroh believes that if we have Ursa with us when we come into the capital then the people will come to support us more. Also she would be a great asset to your rule."
Zuko nodded his head. The captain implying about him being the next Fire Lord went unheard.
What his uncle friend said made sense, more than just sense. He had always known that she was loved, but never at this scale and if he found her then all those years could be made up for….
Do ...huh do you know where she s or if she's alive?" Zuko's throat was closed tight at the idea and he strained to take a breath and not cry. He hadn't cried in years, he would start now, not until he had seen her.
"Yes My prince we are most certain that she's alive. You had to inherit your swordsmanship ability from someone didn't you? I don't guess he ever told you Lady Katara that his mother was one of the most feared swordsmen in the entire Fire Nation." He chuckled slightly. "No one dared to cross swords with her and anyone who did was a fool, ten fold!
"We believe that she's on the southern most end of the Earth Kingdom several mile s northeast of Kyoshi. There are also several Fire nation bases in the area we want you to take them out. Shouldn't be too hard for the two of ya."
"Whose this 'we' you keep talking about Captain?" asked Katara suspiciously.
"Well supposin that the Southern Water Tribe have been cut off for awhile, I don't suppose you have ever heard of us, though I'm sure Zuko has, 'cause of his Uncle."
"The Order of the White Lotus? You are one of them!"
"Yes your Highness took ya long enough." Katara was beginning to hate how he would slip in and out of the thick drawl that any sailor acquires after spending years at sea.
" I think its time for you two ta go to bed, it'll take three days before we reach the drop off point so might as well rest up a bit." He nodded toward Hsuan to open the door as the two got up.
"Oh and Katara?" he called as they walked toward the door
"Yes, Captain?" she asked.
"It's best if you don't wander by yourself on board, I know 'you're a powerful bender and all, but sometimes its better if you just have someone with ya, ya hear?"
Katara forced a smile and nodded before turning to follow Zuko down the hall to their quarters.
"Next time I'll warn him not to say anything sexist ok? Night" Zuko teased a bit before opening his door.
Katara's lips seemed bent on betraying her and turning up at the ends into a small half smile and nodded her acknowledgement before walking into through hers.
Authors note
Hey everyone I'm BACK! my computer was down so thats why it took me forever to get this chapter and the new one in my other story The Return posted.
Thanks everyone for the lovevly reviews!I could never find out why the last few chapters was so wacky( maybe its my writing)but im taking precautions this time!
We found Iroh! or atlest some one who knows Iroh! This by far is the longest chapter I've ever posted. Now the race is on to find Ursa!
Please review I love hearing from ya'll!
Sphinx