Wandering Prince
Avatar the Last Airbender, Zuko SI
13
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“Well? How does it look?” Yue asked, a hint of a smile pulling her lips up as she turned this way and that, showing off a new outfit in Fire Nation reds, black, and gold. Looking her over, I smiled at what I saw.
A long, bright red silk dress with darker red and gold embroidery in a flower pattern clung to her curves down to her knees, with slits at the side of her leg that showed off a generous view of her light brown, toned thighs. Over that was a second garment, though I wasn’t sure what to call it, as it acted something like a belt, vest, and went down to her thighs like a second skirt. The second one was mostly black, with gold along the edges and more flower patterns.
Stalking closer, Yue backed up a step as I approached, staring up at me with those bright blue eyes as I took her by the hips. Her lips parted and she gasped quietly as I squeezed her, pulling her body flush against my own. I felt the warmth of her body through our clothes and I assume the effect was even greater for Yue, given just how thin the material was. She bit her bottom lip, eyes going half-lidded as she took on a hungry look I’d never seen from her before.
Yue’s hands came up, settling on my chest, before fisting in my shirt. Slowly, she pulled me down to her and stood up on her tiptoes. I met her in a kiss, my hands leaving her hips to trail back and down, squeezing her ass in a way that drew a quiet moan from her. Yue’s mouth opened and her tongue darted out, flicking experimentally at my own—
“Ahem.”
Yue quickly let go and backed away with a giggle, blushing brightly as the sales girl who had been helping her sent us both an exasperated look. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything about it.
“Get it,” I told Yue, and she nodded immediately and ducked back into the changing booth.
I knew women and clothes—I’d had a lifetime of that and more of the same here, between Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee when the three of them dragged me out into the city for shopping trips. We weren’t going to load down my little airship/boat with nothing but the spoils of Yue’s shopping. However, we did need some lighter clothes, and in kingdom specific colors.
The world was a bit color coded like that. Wearing too much red in the Earth Kingdom was as likely to get you harassed or put you under suspicion as wearing blue or brown in the Fire Nation. Even if you could prove you were a bender of that type, i.e. a firebender in the Fire nation, they would still ask why you were wearing the enemy’s colors. They were almost a uniform, really. And while it was an easy way to try to show your identity or loyalty to a specific group… it was also extremely exploitable against people who were so used to thinking in those terms that they never asked themselves, what if the enemy puts on our colors? It was an exploit I planned to abuse, so Yue and I could better blend in.
The village of Hongcun was an inland port city on a river that connected to the ocean on the western coast of the Earth Kingdom. Given its central position on the northwestern island that made up almost a sixth of the Earth Kingdom’s landmass, it was one of the largest trade hubs outside of major cities like Omashu and Gaoling, with trade from all three nations running through it. So, while it was a Fire Nation colony and even held a garrison of Fire Nation troops, it was an open port with a lot of people from across the land passing through it and we didn’t stand out all that much.
Even Yue, who was clearly a member of the Water Tribe, was greeted with smiles in the streets. The Fire Nation guard patrols hadn’t given us any trouble. That had surprised her, until I reminded her that these were just people. Common folk. Fishermen, craftsmen, traders, and travelers. Just normal people going about their daily lives, trying to make a living.
The guards, while ostensibly Fire Nation soldiers, were more concerned with the security and goings on of the city, the place they called home, than they were with the war effort. These were their people and those from other nations who passed through were guests, without whom trade would dry up and the city would die. They had to live here.
I think that, despite my assurances that the people of the Fire Nation weren’t baby eating monsters, it was hard for her to shake years of being told that’s what we were. Yue had clearly made an exception for me, but I think she had been reserving judgment on the rest of the Fire Nation. Seeing them like this, having them treat her like just another person, had shaken her a bit at first but she seemed to be adjusting and taking it better the longer we spent here. This was our third and last day in the city and so far today, she had been all smiles.
“And for yourself, sir?” the sales girl asked as we waited for Yue.
“Just these,” I hefted the very bland set of clothes I’d picked out in gray, black, and muted brown—something that wouldn’t stand out. A simple, conical straw hat went with it. All of it would be going in my trunk on the boat and stay there until it was needed. On my urging, Yue had picked out an outfit in similar colors along with a more sensible set of boots since her insulated boots would eventually become unbearably hot and I didn’t want to deal with jungle rot.
We waited around for Yue to finish and eventually, she came out carrying her chosen outfits—the red dress and a bright green and gold set of robes that I thought suited her well. It would definitely draw attention—there was no avoiding that, given Yue’s beauty and the fact that she was a bit on the more ‘exotic’ side, with her Water Tribe looks and the white hair. But it would do it without looking too flashy. That is, it didn’t scream ‘wealthy’ or ‘princess.’
We paid and the clerk wrapped everything up for us in wrapping paper and twine, and we headed out arm in arm. “So,” I said, looking up at the sky starting to turn the pink and orange of sunset, “you ready to head out?”
“I think so,” Yue agreed. “Do you think we can get something to eat before we go? I want to try more different food!”
“Sure,” I chuckled, and we followed our noses and some local direction from a vendor to a restaurant.
I wonder how Azula is doing? I mused as I ate, sharing a plate of komodo chicken, steamed meat dumplings, and sauce with Yue—who seemed to enjoy everything. I really hope she didn’t actually send Mai and Ty Lee after me. I mean sure, it’d be good for them to get out and see the world, but… it’s kind of dangerous.
“What are you thinking about?” Yue asked quietly, one hand reaching out and settling on top of my own.
“Friends. Family,” I dipped a dumpling in sweet and sour sauce and pointed it at her. “The food has me feeling a bit nostalgic.”
“Mm,” Yue nodded, taking a bite from her own dumpling and chewing for a few moments. Eventually, she asked, “What do you think your family will think of me?”
Picking up my tea, I took a sip as I thought it over. “Well, uncle Iroh is going to be pleased. He’s probably going to tease. And meddle. Besides that, he’ll be fine.”
“What about your sister and your friends?”
“Hm.” I had to wonder about that. I knew for a fact that Mai had a thing for me. I wasn’t blind or stupid. She’s probably going to be upset.
A thought occurred as I recalled my talks with Yue about political marriage and I snorted quietly. She raised an eyebrow and smiled. “What?”
“Well, assuming she doesn’t try to kill you,” I led and Yue chuckled. I almost told her that I really meant that and that she should be worried, but I left it be. “I think you’ll get along with Mai. Maybe. You’re her main competition.”
“Oh?” Yue asked, tilting her head slightly as she considered me. A moment later, she smiled. “I see. So she’s interested in you.”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “I didn’t see any reason to rush and—”
“Felt like you would rather build a healthy relationship from a solid foundation of friendship,” she smiled, sending me a knowing look. I nodded and Yue asked, “Didn’t you say she was a noble’s daughter?”
“I did.”
“Having a visible tie to the Fire Nation to balance that with the Water Tribes and Earth Kingdom would be wise…”
I rolled my eyes. “Highly doubt you’re going to convince Mai to share. You haven’t convinced me yet.”
Yue simply smiled. “Yet. Give me time.”Shaking my head, I moved on. “Ty Lee is the very definition of a free spirit. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was an airbender. She’ll be happy and probably gush about our auras or something like that. Just smile and nod and you’ll be fine. As for Azula, I honestly can’t say. My sister can be… mercurial at times. She may decide she likes you, or she might decide to fight you. There’s no telling which she’ll pick. If she does choose violence, the best option is to kick her ass. She only respects people stronger than herself.” Wincing, I quickly added, “On the other hand, she’s also highly paranoid of anyone stronger than herself, so…”
“She sounds… fun.”
“It’s okay. You can say it. Crazy. She sounds crazy,” I sighed. “I’ve done my best to manage it over the years, but Azula still has her moments.”
There was also the fact that I was pretty sure I had done something to flip Azula’s switch at some point. Again, not blind. I’d seen her change in behavior towards me. How she wanted my attention and approval more and more as time went on. Wanting to share the bath and sleep together, even well past the time when most would say that was inappropriate. I hadn’t encouraged it… but then, I hadn’t exactly discouraged it either.
The problem is, ‘brocon Azula’ is a hell of a lot easier to deal with than an Azula who can’t decide if she wants to kill me or not.
“What,” Yue started, only to hesitate. I sent her a curious look and she asked, “What would your mother say?”
“Tough question. If I ever find her, I’ll add it to the list of things I want to ask her. But it’s not high on my to-do list right now.”
Honestly, I still wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about Ursa leaving, and I wasn’t sure I ever would be. On the one hand, I was mentally a grown man in a child’s body. Ursa had been a good mother and I’d loved her as family, even come to accept her as my mother, but I didn’t need her the way a child would. On the other hand… I knew what she’d done and why, but not finishing the job and taking care of Ozai was sloppy, and leaving Azula to Ozai’s machinations was damned negligent. I was honestly more upset at her for leaving Azula where Ozai could pour poison in her ear than leaving.
We finished our dinner quietly and left the restaurant, heading for the docks and my boat. As we went, Yue made a surprised sound and took off towards a stall, pulling my hand to drag me along. I allowed myself to be pulled and raised an eyebrow at what she found. Letting go of my hand, Yue grabbed a mask painted to look like a white koi’s head and held it up to her face, before turning around and showing it off.
“Isn’t it cute?!” she asked, her excitement obvious.
“You should get it,” I encouraged her with a nod, as my gaze turned over the other masks. I raised an eyebrow when I spotted one that seemed familiar—a blue oni mask with its face pulled into a snarl and horns atop its head.
Yue spotted my interest immediately. Picking it up, she took out her purse and quickly paid for both, before handing me mine. Chuckling, I brought it up and held it over my face. The girl giggled, covering her lips. “It’s very intimidating.”
“Yes. I’m sure,” I rolled my eyes, flipping my new hat upside down and dropping the masks into it.
Yue managed to stop one more time before we got to the docks, grabbing a bag of fire flakes. I hid a grin as I watched her toss a handful into her mouth, only to go wide-eyed and nearly choke. “Careful,” I teased. “There’s a reason they’re called fire flakes.”
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The woman shot me a glare as she opened her water skin and washed out her mouth. It turned into a pout as I pulled her against my side and we stepped onto the docks. “You could have warned me!”
“And let you miss out on the experience? Never.”
Yue huffed and took our things from me. I raised an eyebrow, only to find her hip bumping into mine and shoving me off the dock and into the water below with a splash. When I surfaced, the impish woman was already disappearing inside the boat, laughter following her.
“Oh, I’m going to get you back for that,” I promised quietly, pulling myself up onto the walkway. “Not sure how yet, but it’s coming.”
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We followed the river downstream to the ocean, then hugged the coast for the next several days. We passed by a harbor town and, early one night, came across a seedy looking pier tucked away in a cove that seemed to be in use by pirates. A check of the copy of my stolen map in my journal showed it was marked as a port controlled by pirates. Humming quietly, I turned to Yue, yawning in the seat beside me.
“What are your thoughts on pirates?”
“Hm?” she asked, perking up a little. “What do you mean?”
I pointed back to the inlet leading to the cove and the lights from torches and other sources of fire we could still just barely see. “That little port back there serves the pirate fleets that ply their trade around here. Repairs, supplies, trade, that sort of thing.”
Yue frowned. “Pirates are a menace. They’ve raided our traders before and even captured some of our people in the past, to sell them into slavery.”
Sending her a smile, I turned the tiller for shore. “How do you feel about crippling their ability to do business, then?”
The girl nodded. “That sounds good. How should we deal with them?”
“Burn it to the ground and make sure no one escapes,” I gave the simple answer.
Yue’s eyes flew open wide at that and her mouth fell open, before she shook her head. “We can’t!”
I blinked, sending her a confused look. “Why not? They’re pirates.”
“They’re people!”
I stared at her. Yue stared back. I cut the engine and eased us onto the shore, before climbing out and tying us off to a tree. I took my time doing it as I considered how to say what I wanted.
When I came back, I found Yue inside the cabin, only a single oil lamp lit to provide light as she changed behind a bamboo and silk paneled divider we’d bought for that. “Listen, Yue,” I began, opening my footlocker and pulling out my dark outfit, along with my mask. “Pirates are the worst of the worst. Murderers, thieves, rapists, and slavers.”
Quietly, she murmured, “They said the same about you.”
I sighed, nodding as I began changing quickly. “I know. This is different.”
Yue made a quiet noise of discontent. “If I asked you not to kill them, would you?”
“I’d ask why,” I stalled, tying off my belt and settling my sword into place on my back.
“It’s not right,” she answered, grabbing the divider and folding it up, before standing it against the wall.
I looked Yue over, taking her in for a moment as I considered it. What she wore was a long, flowing set of black and gray robes, with a hood over her head to hide her distinctive hair. Seeing me holding my mask, she grabbed her own and pulled it on. “How do I look?”
“You look good,” I nodded. “Very spooky. Someone might even mistake you for a spirit.” Yue nodded and crossed her arms, waiting. After a moment, I asked, “Would it be okay to kill them if we were out on the water and they attacked and tried to kill us?”
Her head tilted down a bit, but with the mask on it was difficult to read her. “…If we had no other choice. But we do have a choice.”
“And suppose we leave them alive but beaten. They get angry and go even harder after the next target, and the next, and so on, trying to recoup what they feel are losses. Realistically, we would do less damage in the long term leaving them alone than burning that place down.”
“But we can’t just leave them there, or they’ll keep hurting people,” she sighed, beginning to pace. After a few moments, she asked, “What if we left them alive, but crippled them?”
“Financially, metaphorically, or literally?”
“All of the above? Take their money, destroy their ships and buildings, and… hurt them. Hurt them in a way that makes sure they can’t hurt anyone else, but leaves them alive?”
That’s almost more cruel than just killing them, I mused, but considered the idea. It wasn’t terrible and I liked that Yue was willing to consider ways of permanently disabling enemies, but it required too much time and came with too many complications. We were outnumbered and we didn’t know the makeup of their forces. We couldn’t be guaranteed to round them all up and hold them. And even if we could, I doubted Yue had the stomach for it.
“Wouldn’t work. They aren’t going to just sit still for that and I’m not rounding them up to do it. Also, they might have benders, and there are only two of us. Besides… killing them is one thing, but that’s torture, and I won’t go there. So, I guess we’re leaving them alive,” I shook my head and her shoulders slumped somewhat as the tension left her body. I grabbed a bag and emptied it onto the bed, before tossing it to Yue, then doing the same with a second bag, pulling it over my shoulder. Slipping my mask on, I headed for the hatch. “Let’s go.”
Yue nodded and followed as we left the boat behind and stepped out onto the sandy bank. “Can you make an ice platform and carry us in?”
“Mm,” the girl nodded and quickly made a sheet of ice big enough for us to stand on. As soon as we were both situated, she began moving us up the water. “Won’t they see us?”
“Make a fog bank.”
“Oh!” She giggled, and a moment later, a dense fog surrounded us, pouring out over the water ahead of us with a forward motion of her arms. Quietly, she asked, “So, how are we going to do this?”
“Start with the ships. We’ll go quickly and quietly. We want to scout first for anything of value. Gold, jewels, that sort of thing. Think you can use waterbending to move coins around underwater?”
“Sure,” Yue agreed.
“Then we’ll move everything we find off onto the shore, away from the village and out of sight. We can come back for it after. Anything that needs to be kept dry goes in the packs. Scrolls, paperwork, and especially maps. I’ll transfer it all to the journal later. Once we’ve stripped the ships bare, we’ll move out into the village. Find anything that looks like it belongs to a trader and do the same. Take what money we find. Then I’ll start a fire. That will give you a chance to sink their ships. While everyone is tending to the fire, I’ll see about moving it so it forces them out into the forest so I can burn the rest of the buildings.”
“Okay.”
We fell silent after that as the port came within sight. There were three pirate ships docked already, but something about their setup seemed off. It took me a few minutes of peering through the fog as we got closer, but eventually, I figured it out. They’re too close and it’s too narrow. There’s no way to turn them around unassisted, and I don’t see any sort of tug, or even a rope and pulley system to do it with manpower. Meaning they probably have a waterbender on hand. That… hrm. I’ll have to see what I can do.
“They probably have a waterbender to move the ships, so be careful,” I quietly warned Yue, and she gave a little noise of acknowledgment.
As we got closer, the sounds of music, singing, and laughter filled the air from deeper in the town. It was clear that at least some of them were awake and still enjoying themselves, likely at whatever watering hole this place called a bar.
When we got close to the first ship, Yue used a tentacle of water to pull us both up the side. We peeked over the railing to see the deck unoccupied, so hauled ourselves the rest of the way over. From there, we hit the captain’s cabin first. Thankfully, its occupant was out—likely taking leave ashore at the bar.
I began rifling through the desk while Yue used water to open a locked chest. “Wow, that’s a lot,” she breathed, and I glanced over my shoulder from stuffing documents into my bag to see what she was looking at. A small mountain of gold, silver, jewels, and jewelry sat in the chest.
“Nice find,” I chuckled, stuffing the last of the documents into my bag. Checking the desk for hidden compartments and drawers, I left it when I was satisfied and looked over the rest of the captain’s collection of stuff. Nothing really caught my interest, so I had Yue re-lock the chest and move it out of the cabin, before we went down to the cargo hold. The ship wasn’t empty, but those on it had apparently already turned in for the night and were sleeping soundly below deck, so we were able to slip in unnoticed. We found another chest with almost as much gold, along with a bunch of high value trade goods—things like bolts of silk. The gold we took, the rest we left.
The next two ships were pretty much just more of the same—quick in and out raids where we grabbed the money and ran. We took a few moments to move the chests to shore for later pickup and I tapped Yue’s arm. “Cancel sinking the ships. Let’s shove them out away from the docks. The mouth of the inlet is narrow enough that we could easily block it. Set them on fire first, break the keels, punch holes in the bottom, and let them sink as they burn. Should cut off the inlet for a while as they’re forced to clean that out. I’ll light those last as we’re leaving.”
“Okay.” Pulling her mask up, Yue did the same for my own and gave me a quick peck on the lips, blushing as she did, before pulling her mask back down. “Be safe.”
“You too,” I nodded, and we split up for the moment. I made my way through the village, doing a quick recon of the buildings. Unfortunately, while I did find stalls and shops, I didn’t actually manage to find where they kept any of their funds and I didn’t want to take all night looking. So, I went with the plan.
At the end of the docks, away from the other buildings, I found a building locked by chains with a written warning painted on the door, labeling it as oil storage. I used my swords to cut the chains and hurried inside, where I found several barrels of oil. They were heavy, but I was able to pick up two and carry them outside. Moving them into the town, I began setting them up where I wanted them and punching holes in the bottoms with a sword, so they began to leak. It was only a few minutes later that I had everything where I wanted it.
Climbing onto the top of the bar, I pulled off my mask for a moment and focused on the far side of the dock and the oil storage building. Taking a breath and focusing my chi, I projected chi outwards, aiming at one of the barrels I’d left outside. I couldn’t quite see the chi in flight, but I could feel it as it moved. It hit the oil barrel and exploded, throwing flaming oil everywhere.
“Fire! The oil’s on fire!” I yelled, and the racket below in the bar went silent for just a moment, before people began streaming out.
“Someone find those damn benders and get that fire out!” someone from below bellowed, and I crouched down and pulled my mask on again, waiting as people spread out and began rousing their neighbors nearest the blaze as smoke quickly began to fill the town.
After a few moments, a couple of men came running down the streets. They moved towards the docks with purpose and, as soon as they saw the blaze, they began working together. One of them stomped a foot, sending a wave of dirt towards the fire, while another made the usual back and forth motions of a waterbending kata and water rose from below the dock.
Taking that as my cue, I spun up a fireball in my hand and tossed it at the other side of town, towards a glistening trail of oil I’d left. Making sure it caught, I focused on my chi, bringing my hands together as I leaped down, towards the two unsuspecting pirate benders. I pulled my hands apart, pulling pure yin chi to my left hand and yang chi to my right, as my fingertips began to glow. I landed nearly on top of the two and rolled forward, touching my fingers to their spines and completing the circuit. There was a bright flash and a brief pop, before both jerked and fell over, limp.
Turning as pirates quickly figured out they were under attack, I tossed out another fireball at another oil barrel sitting between us. It went up beautifully, splashing the area and cutting me off from the pirates. The fire quickly began to spread and, without their benders to put it out, the pirates began to retreat.
Grabbing the two pirate benders up and tossing them over my shoulders, I jet-stepped my way across the little bay to the ships. Spotting Yue, I landed on one of them.
“Who are they?” she asked, confused.
“Enemy benders. Don’t worry about it for now. Start putting holes in the bottoms of these things, then go grab the loot and meet me back at the boat.”
She took off, leaping down to the water and I waited for her to get started smashing them before setting all three ships on fire. Once I was satisfied, I took off for the boat.
I made it back before Yue and found some rope, then quickly tied up my two prisoners, before making sure they didn’t have any weapons on them. Then, I untied the boat and cast off, pushing it back and starting the engine as I waited. I heard Yue before I saw her and, a few moments later, she came rushing around the bend in the shore on a wave, the boxes with her. She hopped up onto the boat and sent the boxes into the cabin. As soon as she was onboard, I gunned it and sent us flying away from shore.
Yue pulled off her mask and pulled her hood back. She was breathing hard and had a flush to her face, her hair a bit messy and sticking to her forehead. “That was… that was fun!”
“It was, wasn’t it?” I grinned as I pulled my own mask off and handed it to her to go put away. She came back a few minutes later, changed into her normal clothes, and settled in beside me.
“Thank you,” she murmured, leaning in and kissing my cheek
“For what?”
Yue hummed. “For being you.”
I rested my hand on her hip and gave her a squeeze. “I don’t agree with it, but you asked. Just remember, we won’t always have a choice, and even if we do, bad things could come from it.”
“I know. But killing them in cold blood isn’t something I can do, even if they’re pirates.”
“I understand,” I nodded, squeezing her again.
Yue glanced down and toed one of the men at our feet. “So… are you going to tell me?”
Chuckling, I nodded. “I need them to practice.”
“Practice…?” she asked, and I held up a hand, conjuring a sphere of energy.
“I think I can remove someone’s ability to bend, maybe even give someone the ability to bend. But I need someone to practice on.”
Yue’s eyes went wide. “What?!”
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“Well?” Hahn demanded.
“They were here,” June murmured as her mount moved through the city. “The way Nyla’s acting, they were here a while. A few days, at least.”
The shirshu made her way through town as people scattered around them in the streets. A group of guards approached and she waved in greeting.
“You’re causing a disturbance,” the one in the lead grumbled.
“Bounty hunter,” June countered, and he nodded. “We’ll be out of your hair in a few minutes.”
The guard nodded and turned the patrol around to move on. “See that you are.”
Eventually, the shirshu moved back to the dock, before turning and running towards the bank, then beginning to run down it. “They went downriver. It couldn’t have been too long ago.”
Two of Hahn’s men quickly made a boat of ice and June directed the shirshu onto it, before they began bending it downriver. Sliding down off the mount to stretch her legs, June stretched and popped her back. She looked up as the bald form of Hahn made his way over, crossing his arms as he stared at her. She ignored the way his eyes wandered down her leather-clad body.
“How far away are they?” Hahn demanded.
June shrugged. “It’s hard to say. Nyla’s picking up the scent over water, so it can’t be more than a day or two at most. You said he had one of those bending powered boats?”
“Yeah.”
“Those go pretty fast, so it’d really depend on how long he can keep it up. I suppose we’ll find out.”
Hahn frowned but moved off to speak with one of his men. June turned away, looking out over the water and occasionally checking her mount’s reactions to make sure they were still on course.
Something still bothers me about this, though. How did they get from Chenbao to Hongcun that fast, without going around to the west or coming down to the West Lake and turning back north? They could have cut across land, but not with a boat that large, unless the waterbender carried them somehow, but there would have been signs of that. Something weird is going on.
Whatever it was, June would have to try to plan around it somehow. She couldn’t have the target escaping once she found them, if she ranged ahead of the client to scout.
These two just keep getting more interesting…